Page 9 of A Fate in Flames

I slowed.Could they truly see what lay ahead?

But then like a ghost, my mother’s voice echoed as clear as if she stood right beside me.Stay away from Seers.They are nothing more than frauds.Dealing with them will only bring misfortune.

I should’ve walked on.I knew better.

Instead, I turned to Theo, reaching out to tug on his sleeve.

“Ooo, do you dare, Theo?”I murmured ominously, wiggling my fingers in mock mysticism.

He scoffed, unimpressed, and crossed his arms.“Please.You think some old crone can tell me something I don’t already know?”

I smirked, nudging him forward with my elbow.“Like the fact you’re an insufferable ass?I think she can tell us all about that with just one look at your face.”

“It’s not real, El,” he said, digging his heels into the ground.“I wouldn’t believe a word she says.”

Ignoring Theo’s protests, I reached into the small pouch hanging from my sash, grabbing two copper coins.With determined steps, I approached the Seer and placed the coins into her outstretched palm.Her skin felt like parchment, dry and thin as our fingers brushed.

“Sit, boy,” she commanded, her voice surprisingly strong for someone who looked as ancient as the mountains themselves.She gestured to the empty space before her on the rug.

With a dramatic sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his very soul, he obeyed.His knees cracked as he folded his long legs beneath him.

The Seer reached for his hand and turned his palm upward.She closed her eyes, her lids crinkled, lips speaking to something unseen.

A long moment stretched between them, broken only by the soft crackle of the fire and distant calls of merchants closing their stalls.

Finally, she spoke.

“I see multiple women around you,” she said, her voice taking on a singsong quality, “falling at your feet.”

Theo’s grin was instantaneous, spreading from ear to ear.He turned to me, his eyebrows raised in triumph.“I take back everything I said.I believe every word.”

The woman’s eyes snapped open, sharp and irritated.She released his hand only to smack it.“Hush, boy!”

“Yeah, Theo.Hush.” I pressed a finger to my lips, fighting the smile that threatened to break through my mock-serious expression.

I crouched beside them, the hem of my tunic gathering dust.

She squeezed his palm tighter, her knuckles whitening with the force of her grip.Theo winced, his smile dying as her expression hardened.I leaned in, drawn by the sudden intensity radiating from her hunched form.

“You will embark on a journey to lands unseen,” she said, her voice strained as if the words were being pulled from deep within her.Her brows pulled together, furrows appearing between them as her grip slackened.“But—” she paused, exhaling sharply through her nose, “your path remains unclear.I cannot see further.”

She dropped his hand abruptly.

Theo blinked, rolling his wrist to make sure it still worked properly.“Well, that was…cryptic.”

The Seer didn’t react.Instead, she turned to me, her gaze piercing.

“Come, girl.Allow me to see.”

“That’s okay—” I stammered, already backing away.“Maybe next time.”I turned, ready to flee before curiosity could override my better judgement.

My mother would kill me.The mere thought of her fury raised goosebumps along my arms.

Before I could take a single step further, Theo’s hand clamped down around my elbow.

“I don’t think so,” he said, the words tinged with vindictive pleasure as he dragged me back.“You made me do it.Now it’s your turn.”

He dug into his pocket, the fabric of his trousers bunching as he withdrew a couple of coppers.The coins glinted in the light before he tossed them into the Seer’s waiting palm.