The sun had already sunk below the horizon by the time the people started to make their way back into the city to continue their celebrations in one of the taverns and inns. Together with several others, Owen and Elora walked in the other direction.

Just outside Cahir, on the large fields surrounding the city, a circus had been set up. It wasn't anything special, but considering the silence of the Farmlands Elora was used to, this was a welcomed change.

"There are Sorcha and Mia," Owen said, pointing at the two dark-haired girls just beside the entrance. His sisters didn't wear anything special--the same simple farmer's dress that Elora wore--but still, with their dark eyes, perfect curls, and tanned skin, they looked more radiant than Elora would ever be.

Owen quickly walked over to them, leaving her no choice but to do the same. He asked his sisters about the Firebreathers' show and for several minutes that was all they talked about.

"I'd like to see the rest of the circus," Mia eventually said, turning away from them and looking out onto the large field. More and more people were walking around and soon it almost felt as crowded as it had in the city. "They say it's the biggest in over twenty years."

"I heard there is even a real Seer this year," Owen added, sharing the excitement that flashed through his sister's eyes.

"Don't be a fool," Sorcha said. "There are no more Seers, except those in the Great Houses. And they are not foolish enough to come here."

"Well, that's what father said. It can't hurt to look, can it?"

Sorcha sighed, agreeing with him reluctantly. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when that hag fills your head with lies."

Elora smiled, hearing them bicker back and forth. She didn't have any siblings herself, but Owen's family had always felt like her own. When Mia looped her arm through hers, she savored the feeling of Mia's warmth against her own and the sounds of Owen and Sorcha fighting over nothing.

They all walked over the large field together, marveling at the animal pens with large bears, beautiful horses, and strange looking birds. Acrobats were showing their skills on the other side of them, while jugglers and jesters ran around pestering people, trying to get them to part with their hard earned coins. Elora let her gaze pass all of it, taking in the fun and joy and laughter around her.

She didn't particularly care about the circus itself, but she enjoyed the smiles it brought on her friends' faces. Owen would talk about it for weeks to come, while Sorcha would say it had been even more boring than the year before, even though her eyes would gleam with excitement.

They had already been on the circus field for over an hour--Owen stopping at every stall to try one of the games that had been laid out, or watch one of the many performances--when they reached a small hut. It was nothing more than a large piece of fabric thrown over several support beams, but still, it had something mysterious about it. Naturally, Owen was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

"This must be the Seer's hut," he said excitedly, dragging Elora with him as he approached the entrance.

"The charlatan's hut, you mean," Sorcha chuckled. "You're not really spending your coins on that witch, are you?"

"Even if she is not a real Seer, I still want to know what she has to say. Elora, are you coming?"

Sorcha huffed out an annoyed breath and shrugged her shoulders, while Elora was torn between the knowledge she had of Magic--from the stories her father had told her--and the curiosity that spilled into her mind and flowed through her veins. Before she had any time to make a decision, Owen had already pulled her along as he pushed aside the fabric.

Once they were inside, a heavy, musky air enveloped her. A mix of different herbs, heavy smoke, and age-old cloth. It clung to her nostrils, making it hard for her to breathe. Candles were spread out through the hut, yet gave off only a faint glow of light. Most of the space was covered in shadows, making it impossible to distinguish the scrolls scattered across the floor from the actual ground.

Elora pulled down her hood, walking further into the hut, turning on her heels to take everything in. Keepsakes from all over Etheria decorated the shelves set along the back of the hut. She recognized the exotic, swirly pottery from Peruva, the thick, fur hides from the mountain goats in Albion, and the delicate wooden figures from the Woodlands in Oberon. They were all of the highest quality, which made her wonder how much coins the Seer made by telling either lies or the truth.

"Welcome," a soft, but kind voice suddenly spoke from the shadows. "You wish to know the Truth?"

"I do," Owen answered, walking toward the sound of the clear voice that seemed to echo through the small space.

"I was not talking to you, boy," it sounded from beside Elora.

She quickly turned around, seeing a tall, middle-aged woman standing beside her. Streaks of black and gray hair adorned her head, tucked into a long, messy braid that sat as a crown atop her head. Her face was hardened by a life of traveling, but her eyes were soft as she invited Elora to sit at the table at the back of the hut. A table Elora could have sworn wasn't there before.

"You wish to know what your dreams mean," the woman said, seating herself on the other side of the table. She folded her hands on top of the weathered wood and let her eyes shift over Elora's face.

"You know about my dreams?" Elora swallowed hard. She had never talked about the images that haunted her at night with anyone but her father. And he had told her to forget about them.

She could hear and feel Owen walking up behind her, resting his hands on the back of her chair. She ignored his presence and instead focused solely on the piercing eyes that studied her from across the table. With the few words the woman had spoken, she had already made Elora burn with questions.

"I know all, child," the woman continued. "Your past, your present, and your future. I See it all. That is why I know you desperately wish to find answers."

"So you are a Seer," Owen stated. Elora could hear the anticipation in his voice and didn't realize she had been holding her breath until he had spoken those words. She sucked in the musky air, awaiting the answer as much as her friend was.

The woman raised her eyes up to him for a moment. Elora thought she saw a flash of annoyance, but it disappeared as quickly as Elora had seen it. Those clear eyes were on her again as the Seer continued. "Yes. I have been ever since my Magic started to stir when I was of age. And while my life has been interesting indeed, " she said seriously, her fingers tapping the table in a familiar melody Elora couldn't remember, "you didn't come here to talk about an old woman's life. I can give you the answers you seek, child, but once I give them, there is no turning back and you won't be the same."

She could hear Owen snort softly behind her. Sorcha had warned them that the Seer might say something like that. According to her, the woman would tell them everything they wanted to hear. Things everyone wanted to hear, yet nothing specific enough to mean anything.

Until now, though, the hairs on Elora's arms stood on end with every word the woman spoke. Each one sounding more true than the other.

"Do you understand?" the woman asked, waking Elora from her thoughts.

She nodded slowly, feeling the cold sweat stick to the palm of her hands. Wiping them on the rough fabric of her dress repeatedly did nothing to calm her nerves. Whatever the woman would tell her was more important than anything she had ever learned. What the woman would tell her, was the Truth.

Elora could feel it in her bones.

"The Mother has brought you to me, child, which means the time has finally come."

"The time for what?" Owen interrupted. She could feel his hot breath brush against her uncovered hair, warming her even more.

The Seer sighed but ignored him. Like Elora had been doing since they had walked in. "Are you sure you want your friend to stay?" she asked calmly, though her eyes had filled with a soft coldness that made her shudder.

Before Elora could answer, Owen had already spoken. "And leave you alone with her? I'm not going anywhere, witch."

"So protective," the woman smiled shortly, looking up at the young man standing behind Elora. She could feel Owen puffing out his chest as she spoke, his arms folded before his chest defensively. "You will grow into a good man, Owen Ward, but there will come a time that you will regret those words."

Elora's heart started beating faster in her chest. She could hear Owen's breath catching in his throat by the sound of his own name. They had never introduced themselves, and yet the woman knew exactly who they were.

A Seer she was indeed.

"They are not just dreams, child," the woman turned back to her. "They never were and never will be. What you see during the night are visions--images of things that were, are and will be. You are a Seer, child. One of the few that still remain."

The realization rushed over her like a crushing wave, making her gasp for breath. In her mind, the pieces of a puzzle much larger than herself finally clicked together which left her in a cocoon without space, without time--without air.

All the things she had seen, all the moments she had witnessed, were real. Had been or would be.

"But I've only ever had one dream," she whispered, more to herself than the woman before her. She forgot Owen stood behind her completely. The only sign that he was even still there, was his soft, steady breathing echoing in her ears.

"Well, perhaps there is something in those dreams the Mother wishes you to know."

"But what?"

"I cannot tell you, for I have not seen them," the woman said, her eyes filling with compassion. "The Mother has shown them to you, and only you, for a reason. Their Truth is yours to unveil. All I can tell you is what years of experience has taught me. Be careful who you share your knowledge with, child. Not everyone wishes to know their future and fewer still can handle it."

"So what does this mean?"

"It could mean a lot of things, depending on the path you choose. I cannot tell you which one to take, but if you wish, I can tell you about the one you have already walked."

"Why does it matter which path she has walked?" Owen asked, still standing behind her like a rock in a stream--steady and strong and unyielding. "Don't you want to know about your future?" he turned to his friend.

"It matters because it is different from the one she believes to follow. Your hair has a color I have not seen in years," the Seer said, her eyes returning to the blonde-haired girl before her. "That might mean nothing, or it could mean everything. There are things not even I can See. Your past is shrouded in mist, but I can tell you this. 'Kissed by the Mother herself' is what people once said about those with hair as light as yours," she continued seriously, her eyes seeming never ending pools of sorrow as they watched her. "And the Wizard King is looking for such a girl--a young woman with hair as white as the snow in Albion. It's been over twenty years since I've been there, but I would say your hair comes very close."

"That's impossible," Owen said, voicing the words that were going through Elora's minds. She had never been so far North. She had barely even left Westfall.

"I don't even know the Wizard King," she added.

"Perhaps not, but he knows you. If I were you, child, I would listen to the man you call your father. Your friends might not call the Black Guard to your door, but others surely will. You'd do best to run," the woman said, suddenly grabbing Elora's arm and wrapping her icy fingers around her skin. If she didn't know any better, Elora would say the Seer's touch burned with urgency. "Run, and don't look back."

"Let's go, Elora," Owen said, pulling her from the chair and leading her out of the barely lit hut. "Don't let this hag fill your head with lies."

"I have only told her the Truth, boy. You might not see it yet, but dark times will be upon us. Don't trust anyone," the Seer called after her--eyes pleading to do just that and more. To run and run and run until her feet were sore and Sendara was just a speck on the horizon.

Owen waved her away and led Elora out of the hut and back onto the open field, where the sky was already completely dark. Stars decorated the darkness in familiar, glowing patterns, creating a beautiful painting of lights above her.

As Elora looked over her shoulder, she saw that the Seer had followed them outside. She was standing beside her hut, arms folded together to protect herself from the cold of night. Elora could feel the air vibrate around her, the air heavy with something old and powerful--something she couldn't place but felt familiar all the same. In that one moment, she knew that the woman's clear, wise eyes would follow her all the way back to Westfall.

With that piercing gaze burning on her back, she couldn't help but hear the words the woman had spoken in her mind over and over, creating a mantra of wisdom, a chant of clarity--a song of power.

And somewhere far and deep inside her, something ancient and cold started to stir.

♕

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♕

Copyright © Cameron R. Lewis