[name_f]My[/name_f] mind is spinning, running through the lines of the prophecy. [name_m]Four[/name_m] people, the royal court, and. . . something ominous. I have no idea what any of it means, but somehow this is Sparrow’s destiny. I wonder who the people are. We weren’t warned that there would be four.
[name_f]Amethyst[/name_f] lights another small fire, then holds it up to her mouth. “Aleika!” she calls cheerfully through it. “You’ve got a [name_m]Chosen[/name_m] One to save!”
A few seconds later, Aleika the [name_m]Warden[/name_m] steps out of a tree, which doesn’t terrify me only because I’ve reached my threshold of weird magic comprehension. She rolls her eyes. “What is it now, [name_f]Amethyst[/name_f]? Don’t tell me you sponsored a prophecy for these children.”
“Of course I did,” says [name_f]Amethyst[/name_f]. “You wouldn’t save this life, so I forced you to. You don’t want to create a paradox, do you?”
Aleika shakes her head slowly, then says something to [name_f]Amethyst[/name_f] that I can’t repeat. She turns to me and Coramaris, still standing in silence. “I will save the boy, because I have to. But you should know that a prophecy is always far more trouble than it’s worth.”
Next word: trouble