Page 69 of Façade

As if the monastery was attuned to my needs, one door in particular glowed upon my approach, an invitation for me to peek inside. I slowed to take in the twisting scrawl carved into the stone above it:The Hall of Prophecies. Intrigued, I pushed the door open.

My breath caught. I found myself in a dim room entirely surrounded by starlight, as if I’d stepped inside the night itself. The stars seemed to be alive, floating around me in glowing bulbs that glistened in invitation for me to reach out and touch one.

“It’s been quite some time since anyone discovered the Hall of Prophecies.”

I turned towards the voice to discover a young woman about my age with black hair that blended in with the velvety darkness and pale eyes nearly the same shade as the stars. Her entire countenance glowed, lit up by the star she cradled within her palm.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I am an oracle, a wielder of fate and prophecy…or rather, that is my destiny, though currently I remain only an apprentice.” She tilted her head to study me. “And you are?”

I sighed. “I don’t really know.”

“Unsurprising, else the monastery wouldn’t have led you here.” She was silent a moment, as if searching for the truth in the surrounding stars. A smile softened her mystical features. “I believeIknow who you are; nothing is hidden from me for long. There are many tangled threads surrounding you, invisible to you but because of my powers clearly visible to me.” She reached out, as if to pluck one of these unseen threads…before slowly lowering her hand. “I mustn’t interfere; one wrong touch could have drastic consequences.”

“What are these threads?” I glanced around in hopes they’d appear, but only starlight surrounded me.

“Your past, present, and future, each intricately woven together to form the tapestry of your life. Whereas you can only see your past and present, I can see all of them—not just those thatwerebut what could have been, as well as all the possibilities for what could be. I can manipulate this entire fabric…should I wish.” She reached out once more, as if drawn by their silent seductions I couldn’t hear…but paused. “It would go against my vows to influence your fate without reason, though reading them isn’t forbidden should you desire guidance, as I suspect you do, considering the Hall of Prophecies only appears to those in need.”

Hope swelled, leaving me almost weak with relief that I’d so quickly found the place that could answer my myriad of questions. I frantically searched for which to ask first, but she seemed to already know.

“You’re confused by the magic you’re discovering.”

I nodded and extended my hands, barely discernible in the silvery light. Though nothing about them revealed the magic simmering beneath the surface, she smiled knowingly. “The birth of magic is truly wondrous to behold.”

Magic…as I’d suspected, even as confirming this truth only left me with more questions. “But only Estorian royals wield magic. Do you know why I possess powers I shouldn’t?”

She didn’t immediately answer, her gaze caressing as she read each invisible thread of my life. I yearned for a single glimpse, understanding that could cause the sun to rise on my doubts and dispel them until none remained.

“You’re asking the wrong question,” she finally said. “It’s not that youshouldn’tpossess magic, for the fact remains that you do. Rather, what you truly want to know is what your possession of it means: either your understanding of magic is flawed, or it’s your understanding of who you are that is wrong; perhaps in this case it’sboth. Magic exists everywhere and is too complex to be limited by our finite perceptions; though that which is found within your kingdom is under the protection of the royal family, it is not limited to them.”

My mind whirled as I tried to arrange her flow of words into any semblance of meaning. “Does that mean there are non-royal Estorians who possess magic?” Such a truth would go against everything I’d ever believed.

“Such information is not mine to divulge, nor what you yourself truly wish to know, considering you possess a far more urgent question.” The oracle once more lifted her gaze to the air around me, still searching the invisible threads of my fate that her own powers allowed her to see. “What seems like a riddle or a contradiction to you actually has a very simple answer. I could show you, if you’d like.”

She saw enough of my future to know my answer before I could respond. She beckoned me deeper into the room of stars. I followed carefully, feeling as if I walked on the sky itself and that one wrong step would cause me to tumble into the sea of starlight and drown. Above us shone countless constellations, none of which I’d ever seen before; they glistened around us like fireflies.

“I’ve never seen anything like them.”

“Because these are not the constellations that compromise the night sky.” The oracle examined each carefully, searching for one in particular. “They’re the blueprint for manipulating the future, each pattern telling its unique story of history and prophecy with the individual stars as its makeup, each of which can be shaped however an oracle sees fit. I’m not here to change anything, but to illuminate what’s already come. Ah, here is yours—I knew it couldn’t be far, considering the Hall of Prophecies anticipated your visit.”

She plucked a glowing star from a nearby constellation and cradled it in her palm. The silvery light illuminated her countenance and glistened in her eyes, creating the effect that something unfolded across her vision. After a moment of watching whatever I couldn’t see, she nodded to herself and held it out for me to take.

I reached for it…only to hesitate. “What will it show me?”

“That is up to you to discover, should you truly desire answers.”

In this moment there was nothing I wanted more than to know who I truly was. At her encouraging nod, with a wavering breath I accepted the star. It created a unique sensation, as if I were holding a handful of water at the same time I cradled a non-burning flame, the contrast of coolness and warmth startling yet strangely comforting.

I wasn’t sure what to do except stare at the glowing star, waiting for it to illuminate my understanding. At first there was only this bulb of light, but it gradually rose to seep into my own vision, transforming what I saw until I felt immersed in a dream, even while awake.

I gave a startled gasp as the image of the king and queen suddenly appeared. Not clearly, but as if through a wet windowpane, just clear enough that I could watch the scene unfold. My heart swelled as I hungrily took them in. I’d yearned for them every day since our separation, loving them even without their love in return. How I’d missed them.

“The past,” the oracle murmured, and at her words the vision gradually came into sharper focus. The king and queen—Mother and Father in this moment—stood in the same parlor where I’d discovered I was a decoy, Mother in tears, Father pacing.

“It must be done.” His tone was firm even as each word seemed forcibly wrenched from him with great pain.

Mother shook her head. “While my head understands, my heart cannot accept it. There must be another way.”

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