Page 58 of Heir of the Autumn Queen

My return from Staghorn Forest…How odd. I’ve always thought of my coming here as an arrival, but I suppose it is a returning.“Why? Why am I important enough to be in so many visions? To shape the course of history?”

“I cannot reveal anything to you that will alter your course of action,” Priscilla says.“What I can tell you is that when your aunt killed your mother in cold blood, she was cursed, her powers all but disappeared. She has spent the last nineteen years blaming you for her downfall, her hatred becoming an all-consuming blight on the Westlands.”

“Cursed?” I ask, surprised.“As in, she doesn’t have any powers?”

“Her power has been reduced to what any common witch can do, even before a Kindling. A mere fraction of what she was capable of before,” Pricilla answers.

“Why does she blame me? It sounds like she got what she deserved.” I scowl.

“That, I do not know. Perhaps she is attempting to spite her sister, even in death,” Pricilla speculates, her white eyebrows furrowing.

“Why is she so hateful? What did anyone ever do to her to make her so angry at the world?”

“Some people are born into darkness, while others are born into the light.” I think of the stained glass in the sanctuary, of Aeron’s window.“Selena’s power stemmed from her darkest places, grown from the evilest desires of her heart that many of us possess but never act on.”

I consider her words.“But what would killing me accomplish? I don’t have any powers.”

“Indeed, your power has yet to be revealed…” Priscilla trails off; it’s obvious there’s something she’s not saying, but I don’t press.

I stay silent for a while, contemplating her vague answer. A thought occurs to me out of nowhere.“Do you have a seer here?”

The priestess eyes me curiously.“Yes. Celeste is one of the oldest oracles still alive today.”

“May I speak with her?”

“That is up to Celeste. She came here seeking peace and refuge after being used for her gifts against her will for decades. I will not force her to entertain you if she does not wish it.”

“Of course,” I say, curious, but empathetic enough to leave it alone for now. I only want to ask her if she’s able to see if Killian and Briar are safe, if they made it back to Staghorn, but I don’t want to make Celeste uncomfortable if she doesn’t want to use her power.

“Come.” Priscilla stands and makes for the hallway. We walk through the temple to the living quarters until we reach Celeste’s room.

Priscilla knocks twice, and an ancient, smoky voice calls out from the other side.“Enter.”

Priscilla opens the door but holds up a hand for me to wait in the hallway. I imagine she’ll ask Celeste if she wishes to see me alone, that way there’s no pressure on her to say yes; pressure she would undoubtedly feel if I was standing right there, looming over her with my unasked questions.

A moment later, Priscilla comes back out into the hallway and gives me a solemn nod, signaling that Celeste will see me.“Thank you,” I whisper, and she bows her head before departing. I walk into Celeste’s room, surprised that it’s extremely bright, with three large arched windows occupying the west wall.

The seer sits in the corner of the room in a wooden rocking chair, her small, frail frame dwarfed by the sheer size of the seat. Just like Sibyl, her eyes are clouded over, her hair white as snow. But unlike the seer in Staghorn Forest, Celeste looks well-loved and respected by her community. Her skin may be wrinkled and her teeth may be few, but she is not destitute here.

“So you are the Golden One everyone’s talking about,” Celeste says, and I walk over to her and sit in the chair across from hers.

“Thank you for seeing me.”

“I don’t get much excitement these days. I’m happy to help, in whatever way I can.” She gestures for me to come nearer.“Let me see you, child.” I kneel in front of her chair, and she raises her bony hands to my face, feeling around gently. Her touch is kind, the backs of her hands wrinkled and soft, like I imagine a grandmother’s would be.“You have a pure heart,” she tells me.

I smile at her, even though she can’t see my face, unsure what to do with that comment, especially because I haven’t felt very pure of heart lately.“I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I only wish to know of my brother and friend.”

“I cannot see beyond the mist of the Nevoa Mountains,” Celeste tells me simply, regret lacing her words.

“Oh,” I say, disappointed.I should’ve realized that.That must’ve been why my godparents fled there; that, and it’s literally the farthest place from the Autumn Kingdom on the whole continent.

“Have faith, child,” Celeste tells me, taking my hand.

I nod, reminding myself that worrying for them won’t result in anything productive.“What of my birth father, Valko?”

“I also cannot see the Obsidian Gap or any who dwell there.”

“I understand. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.” I stand and turn to leave, feeling foolish.

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