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I happen to love Thai food, and we were in Thailand. So, even though we'd had it for lunch, I was happy to go to another, more upscale and touristy restaurant for dinner. Touristy evidently equated to less spicy. Although, that surprised me. It seemed like every restaurant I went to in America had more spicy food on the menu than not. I mean, what the hell was going on? It used to be the opposite. Now, people couldn't enjoy a meal without it burning their tastebuds. For a sensitive palate like mine, it was damn annoying. What was amusing was how much easier it was for me to find mild dishes in Thailand than in America.

“How did it go with Prince Sadka?“ I asked after the appetizers arrived.

“Poorly for him, but smoothly for me.” Daxon lifted his glass of Thai beer and saluted me. “I’ve reviewed the evidence and confirmed that the accusations are true. The man was a meticulous record keeper—to his detriment.” He sipped his beer and set it down with a grimace. “It's disgusting.”

“The beer?” Killian sipped his. “I like it.”

“No, what Sadka was up to. It's disgusting. He's from here. Which means he sold out his own people. He even set up several abductions. Those Fairies trusted him and he literally sold them out.” Daxon leaned back and sighed. “It's my fault.”

“Hey, you had to assign rulers to hundreds of undergrounds.” I took his hand. “You didn't know most of the people you chose. You had to choose rulers based on the testimony of others. People must have said good things about Sadka back then.”

“They did.” Dax squeezed my hand. “I remember them. The reports were glowing. Maybe that should have been a clue that they were false.”

“All you can do is make it better.” Killian chomped onto a stuffed chicken wing, then groaned as he chewed. “We should hire a Thai Fairy chef for the castle.”

“I wouldn't argue with that.” I scooped more of the fried, sweet noodles onto my plate. “So, have you crowned a new ruler, Dax?”

“Not yet. I'm going to take my time to investigate the candidates.”

“How did you get the candidates?” Kill asked.

“They're all recommendations from the locals.”

“So, it's sort of democratic.” I set the plate down.

He shrugged. “I feel better now that I'm here and that evil bastard is in chains. Let's not talk about it any further. Tell me about the Astaroth situation. How are you feeling, Seren?”

“So far, so good. Star seems to be doing well too. I've offered to help if he needs me on Hell. Hopefully, that will be enough to satisfy the prophecies.”

“Prophecies.” Daxon rolled his eyes. “A bunch of vague crap about what may happen. Again, I say—you can't worry about what might happen. It will drive you insane.”

“Well, that first prophecy was made by the Mad Soul.” Killian waved a spring roll at Daxon. “He was so crazy, they made it his name.”

“And yet the Devil himself believed what he said.” Dax shook his head. “Look where that got him. If Lucifer hadn't gone after you, Seren, he might still be ruling Hell. Instead, he listened to the words of a crazy person and let them drive him mad.”

I considered that. “You're right. Maybe all prophecies are a little self-fulfilling.”

“I remember how humans used to curse each other.” Daxon chuckled. “Centuries ago, when they still believed in magic.”

“They're becoming believers again.”

“Yes, they are. And that's unfortunate.” Daxon's stare went distant. “But back then, they really believed. If you were a magical person, like a shaman or witch doctor, all you had to do was walk up to someone you hated and tell them you cursed them. Suddenly, your target would grow ill.”

“It was all mental,” Killian concluded.

“Exactly.” Daxon pointed at Kill. “Mind over matter. Especially with the human body, what a person believes can strengthen or weaken them. Humans have walked across hot coals without feeling the burn, but they've also given themselves cancer merely by thinking about it.”

“So you're saying that these prophecies only hold weight if we allow them to?” I surmised.

“Yup. Let it go, sweetheart. When something happens, we will deal with it. We'll all help Astaroth because that's what allies do. But changing our lives to suit ancient words scribbled onto a wall is ridiculous.”

“Well, when you put it like that it sounds stupid.” I laughed.

But even as I laughed, I remembered Anu's warning, and it sent a chill down my spine.

Destiny, once set, is not easily diverted.