Chapter 14

After the incident, they all went back to Sylverion's house. Now that Signe had announced to everyone that they were there, she needed to think about their next step. Finding work would either be extremely hard or impossible after the little stunt in the city center. It was no secret the Elves didn't like dark magic. Or humans. And then she still had to figure out what that prophecy meant. It was just luck that Catia hadn't been there with them. At least that gave them an advantage in the job department.

      She was walking back and forth around her room, trying to think about possible solutions to their problems. Multiple times she tried to reach out her magic to find this powerful High Elf, but all she could find was the power of less powerful people. None of the energy signatures were powerful enough to belong to one of the most powerful Elves in the world.

      A knock on the door stopped her train of thoughts. When she opened it, Sylverion was standing outside. His hair fell in perfect waves down his shoulders, and when he moved it was as if the hair was a silky wave floating behind him. "What?" Signe said annoyed. Sylverion leaned against the doorway. "I was just checking in, my lady," he said. "Also, I came to tell you that dinner is ready. The others are already there. We're just waiting for you."

      He turned around and walked towards the dining room. Signe rolled her eyes and followed him. The dining room was big with a long wooden table in the middle, and too many chairs for the few friends he had. "Please, sit," he said while serving them plates of meat and vegetables. "The finest food, bought straight from the market this morning. I hope you enjoy it." Signe took a bite, not sure if she would, but the food tasted amazing. Surely this was someone else's work.

      "I didn't know you could cook," she said. Sylverion smiled. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me. But enough about that and my cooking skills. Tell me, what are you looking for. Or should I say, who are you looking for?"

      Signe put down her fork. "What did you tell him?" she asked and turned to Caine and Catia. They both shook their heads. "They didn't tell me anything. But I know about the prophecy. All Elves do. And I heard about what happened earlier at the market. That dark cloud of yours. I don't think I have to tell you to be careful. The Court of the High Elves allowed me to take you in on one condition: You can't use your dark magic here. Understood?"

      Both Signe and Caine nodded. "It won't happen again," Caine said. "And to be fair, we didn't think anything like that would happen." Sylverion waved with his hands as if the problem was already solved. "So, to the important thing. The Elf you're looking for. Her name is Corinna. She is… Hmm, I don't know what to call her exactly. She's been here for as long as I can remember. Some people even say that she's older than time itself. Anyways, you can find her in the House of the Chosen. There she's watching over the Book of Answers, which is, in fact, a book that can give you the answers to all your questions."

      "I know about the Book," Signe said, even more annoyed now. Everything with Sylverion made her shake with anger. Every time she looked at him, he reminded her of how he left her. Especially when he acted as if nothing had happened between them.

      As if Caine and Catia could feel the tension, they finished their food quickly before they excused themselves and went to their rooms. Signe looked after them, wishing she could go with them, but she knew the conversation with Sylverion was far from over.

      "How do I get a meeting with her?" Signe asked. Sylverion laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair. "You don't. As a human, especially a human with dark powers, you only get access to the House of the Chosen if you're one of the Chosen. She will decide if you get in there or not. If she sees it as important enough, she will let you in."

      Signe sighed in frustration. "How will we ever find the answers?" she exclaimed. Sylverion leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, supporting his head with his hands. "Patience, Tiger Girl. I will get you a meeting with Corinna. You will get your answers. But you need to be patient and not draw any attention to yourself."

      It took Sylverion a full week to get them a meeting. "Corinna is a busy woman even though she's stepping down as the leader." Signe rolled her eyes at his excuse. "Signe, be nice. She doesn't have to do this. She doesn't need to help you. But she decided she will. Remember to thank her for her time and be respectful. Please."

      "Fine," Signe said while getting dressed. She attached her daggers at her hips. Sylverion pointed at them. "No weapons. Signe, this is a peaceful city. And all weapons are forbidden inside the House. You should leave them here." She hesitated but took them off and placed them in the closet in her room.

      "Let's go," she said and headed outside. Caine followed. Corinna had decided only two of them were allowed inside, and they decided that Catia had to stay behind. Both Signe and Caine were wearing their nicest clothes, but even though they were fully dressed, Signe felt naked without her daggers.

      "Are you okay?" Caine asked, looking at her with worried eyes. Signe pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and looked away. They were about to go inside the sacred house of the Council's enemies. She was unarmed and vulnerable. "Of course I'm not okay," she said. Caine stopped. "We don't have to do this," he said. "We could live out our days here. Free. Catia even got a job, remember?" Signe did remember. Catia had come home three days ago, excited to say that the flower shop decided to hire her to work there twice per week. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

      "And I'm very happy for her. But it doesn't mean I don't worry. Do you remember what Sera told us about Nilfheim? I don't want it to be true, but if it is, we have to stop them. Do you know what that means?" Caine shook his head. "It means I will go against everything I've believed in for the past ten years. Do you know how hard that is?"

      Caine shook his head again. "So no. We can't just ignore this. There's more to figure out than just this prophecy. If the country goes to war, do you think the Elves will be spared? They will be forced to fight. And they will have to fight for the Council. And what do you think will happen to us? To you? You're the most dangerous person out there. There's no way they will be sparing you."

      Signe could see how her words frightened him, but he didn't say anything. He just started to walk towards the House of the Chosen, the biggest building in the city. "I'm sorry," she said. Caine turned around; his eyes were red. "I'm just tired of always running," he said. "We are safe here. Why can't you be happy with that?" Signe stayed silent while they walked up the stairs. She didn't know what to say. Maybe because staying with the High Elves was not how she thought it would end. She was relieved when they approached the guard, so she didn't have to make up some answer for Caine's question.

      "Who's there?" the guard asked. "Signe, the Tiger Girl," she said. "And Caine. We have an audience with Corinna." The guard inspected her. "Do you have any weapons, Tiger Girl?" he asked. She shook her head, and the guard crossed his arms. "I come unarmed." The guard shook his head as if he couldn't believe it. "The Tiger Girl coming unarmed to the lair of the Human Council's enemies. Ironic." Signe rolled her eyes.

      The guard looked them up and down one last time before he opened the door and let them in. His words made her feel uneasy. She knew he was right. Even though the Council and the High Elves had a pact, an ancient contract saying the Elves were on human land, it didn't mean that they liked it. Was this another thing the Council had forced upon them?

      Caine followed her inside and stopped with a gasp. "It's beautiful," he said while looking at the paintings on the wall. He stopped in front of a painting of two women holding hands. "Who are they?" he asked. Signe shook her head. "I have no idea. Let's move on."

      "Do you think they will show you the Book?" he asked. Signe stopped. "I don't know. I do believe that the Elves are reasonable though. If they think this is important, they will."

      "Do you believe in destinies? In prophecies?"

      Signe hesitated before she answered. "I don't believe in destinies. And I don't think prophecies are always what they seem. But that's why we're here. What about you, do you believe in them?"

      "No."

      "Then why are you here?"

      "I… I want to get an end to it all. To all the pain." Caine blinked away a tear.

      "What pain? What did you do?"

      "I did something unspeakable. Something I swore to never talk about ever again. I thought this could be a new start. But what if I don't deserve it."

      Signe looked at him, but Caine pulled up his hood and turned away. "Caine, what did you do?"

      "I don't want to talk about it."

      Signe continued to look at him, waiting for him to open up to her but he didn't. With a sigh she started to walk again towards the library. She had to admit that his words had caught her attention. What could he have done that was so bad he thought he might be beyond redemption? She wanted to know but she also knew that pushing him to tell her might push him away from her, and something inside her didn't want that to happen. Something inside her wanted them to be closer.

      They entered the library. It was double the size of the library back in Kaldria. Shelves after shelves were filled with books. The library was three floors tall, and you needed a ladder to reach the top. A beautiful elder, Elven woman was sitting behind a desk, reading. She had long silver hair flowing around her and bright blue eyes. Her skin was flawless, glowing with the magic that floated through the city. And through herself. Signe could feel the power even if she didn't reach out for it. The Elf looked up and closed the book. "Welcome to Hirin, Tiger Girl," she said. "I was wondering when you would come."

      She stood up and gestured for them to follow her behind the counter and through the door behind her. It led into a tiny room with wooden benches around a round table. "Who are you?" Caine asked. The woman laughed. "I'm Corinna, the all-seeing. I know all that's been, and all that will ever be. I spoke the prophecy a hundred years ago and since then I've been waiting for it to come true."

      "So you know," Signe exclaimed. "Tell us, what does it mean?"

      "Patience, Tiger Girl. Before I show you what I know, I need to tell you why you shouldn't know."

      "The first prophecies were spoken thousands of thousands of years ago. They talked about great people, that were destined to do even greater things. When a prophecy speaks of multiple destinies, they get intertwined with each other. Where one cannot be fulfilled without the other. Those are the most powerful prophecies of all. Your destinies are of those spoken in a prophecy. A prophecy about greatness. About saving and creation. But also about destruction and pain. The prophecy is neither good nor bad, it's about the choices you make. It can only speak of what can be, not what will be. What will be is up to you."

      Both Signe and Caine went quiet. "So, why shouldn't we know?" Signe asked. Corinna sighed. "Sometimes knowing things prove to be more destructive than not knowing. By giving you the knowledge of the prophecy, the meaning of it, I also give you the power to change the future, and therefore possibly ruining it. Knowledge is a dangerous path, and if you don't know what to do with it, it can be devastating. Are you sure you still want to know?"

      Both of them nodded. "As you wish. But know that it saddens me that you choose to walk down this path. Treat the knowledge carefully."

      Corinna took a deep breath before saying: "You were meant for greatness, both of you. The prophecy spoke of two people, two very different people, but also very alike. It was said that these two people would be the greatest warriors of all time, leaders that would make Antalia the leading country in the world. But the prophecy also spoke of these two people, if making the wrong decisions, would lead to the destruction of everything that's good." Corinna paused. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

      Both Caine and Signe shook their heads. Corinna sighed. "The future of Antalia lies on your shoulders. Whatever you decide to do will impact, not only you, but he whole country."

      "That's a lot to ask," Signe said and stood up, ready to leave. She was tired of listening to the bullshit of this Elf. What did she know about any of this anyways.

      "It was written in the stars long before you were born. You don't choose your own destiny; it's given to you when you're born. Do you know what's so special about you two? The year you were born, the stars were aligning in a way we haven't seen in a very long time. And that year, it happened twice. Once on your birthday," she said and looked at Signe, "and once on your birthday," she said to Caine. The last time that happened was almost a hundred years ago."

      "What does that mean? For us," Caine asked. Corinna smiled at him. "It means you were meant for greatness. It's both a gift and a curse, but it's yours anyways. No matter what you do, you can't escape it. Eventually the prophecy will be upon you, and when that happens, you need to be ready."

      "What about my sister?" Caine asked. "What role does she have in all this?"

      "Your sister. Catia. Do you know how you came to exist?"

      "What do you mean? We were born like everyone else. Right?"

      "You don't know," Corinna said surprised. "Well, how could you. If your parents never told you.

      "Told me what?"

      "Your mother had problems getting pregnant, so your parents went to a sorcerer for help. A very powerful sorcerer. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago. He gave your mother an elixir to help her get pregnant. No one could have predicted that the elixir would work too well. Instead of creating one life, it created two. The birth of two created a rift that should've never existed in the first place. It split the powers into two, the darkness, you, and the light, Catia."

      Corinna stood up. "Magic always comes with a price. You should know this. I see the darkness in you, Caine, but it's not too late. You can still get the redemption you seek." She stood up and left the room. Signe looked at Caine. She started to understand what this all meant. Why the Council was after him. And now her. "We can't leave," she whispered. Caine leaned in closer. "What do you mean?"

      "We can't leave," Signe repeated. "If we leave, we put everyone in danger. If we stay here…"

      "If you stay here, you will doom us all," Corinna interrupted. "You can't escape this; you can only delay the inevitable." She put a book on the table. The cover was of polished silver with edges of gold. Signe touched the edges, and it tingled in her fingers. "This is the Book of Answers. The Book will always try and give you the answers you seek. It knows what you want to know." She looked at Signe. "It can show you what happened with the last pair of soulmates that were united by destiny. It can also show you the result of the path you're on right now. But treat it with care. If you decide to look, to seek this knowledge, be careful with what you do with it. Remember, you can destroy it all."

      Corinna left the room. Signe put her hand on the cover. She could hear the whispers, urging her to open it. "Are they calling for you too?" Caine whispered. Signe looked at him. His eyes were closed, and he had a hand on the edge of the book. Signe was about to open it when Caine stopped her. "Don't," he said. "Let's leave it. You heard her. We already know about the prophecy, about what we can do. Let's not give ourselves the power to potentially ruin the world. If the prophecy is real, whatever is meant to happen, will happen. Let's not interfere with it."

      Signe sighed. She was so close to finding out the truth. "There's more to this than just the prophecy," she said. "It's about the Council too. About the war, about Nilfheim. Don't you want to know?"

      "No," Caine said. "I don't. If we're meant to find out, we will. You know I'm right."

      Signe knew. She always thought that knowledge was power, and she knew that was right. But this was a different kind of power, a power so great it made chills run down her spine. "You're right," she said. "Whatever is meant to happen, will happen."

      They stood up and left the room. Signe turned around and looked at the book, knowing that turning back now meant turning away forever. Who knew if they would get another chance. She could feel Caine's look on her, telling her to let it go. With a sigh she walked out, Caine following right behind. "A wise decision," Corinna said as they left. "Good luck young ones. You will need it."