But first, you and I must come to an agreement. I am no longer the woman I was, or perhaps the woman who was I should say, because I was once again becoming so. For many years I have been learning, and the knowledge is always changing. I have learned how to control my powers, learning to bend and weave them. And now my magic and my knowledge is your strength and your skill. You are the strongest I have known, both in mind and body. And yet I question if you are ready for what awaits you. Not even all of the gods can protect you from what I know awaits you. "It is a test you must endure, but only if you can master yourself. You must master your emotions, master your past, master yourself. Without your heart, without love, you would not exist. Your father gave you life, but it is you who will continue the life he started. It is you who will make his will real. I know that is not easy, and it is never going to be simple. I cannot promise you a life of peace and happiness. But I can promise you that this will be your path. "This is not why I am here. I am here for many reasons. There is one thing, however, that I was charged by the council to tell you, and that is that I have a daughter. I know you have already met. Her name is Alana. She is the one I told you about. You knew I had someone. Now you know who. "One more thing before we go. I will leave you tonight to get what sleep you can. But you should sleep away from me, at least for a time. I cannot give you much magic, and so it may be painful to you. If you will allow me to take her with me when I go, you will be able to rest." She paused for a moment. "No," she continued. "I think you should rest as well. I will leave her with you so she can see you more than once, but you should sleep separately. It is important that she has the chance to have a childhood with a father, and not just a mother. As you go forward, the fact that she is your daughter will soon become something you will have to hide. Do not make that mistake, or she will be just a slave with no future. Trust me on this, and also on this: do not fear that she will be taken from you. Those thoughts have never stopped me before, but I ask that you trust in me on this. Do you understand?" "I do." "Then you should close your eyes, get into your bed, and go to sleep. You have a long day ahead of you." For the first time in his life, he slept with a woman in his arms, asleep on his bed, and beside him. Her arm was over him, his arm was around her, and his chest was against her back. Her hair brushed his chin, and his leg lay over hers, as did her arm draped over his stomach. He was wrapped in her, surrounded by her, and for the first time in many years he felt safe. For now, there was only the night to worry about, and the dreams to look forward to. ** The dream. He had dreamed of this life before, and it never ended well for him. The dream was always the same, and he woke up after he killed his father. Always, he woke up with her body at his side, her head on his chest, one of her arms draped across him, her legs entwined with his. She looked as beautiful as ever, she always did, and it seemed as if she could feel his heartbeat. It was the most precious gift she had ever given him. She was his first love, and he would always remember her. He remembered her sitting up in his bed. "What is your name?" she asked. "Jared," he said. "Good. Now, you should be able to trust me. I know that you have seen what I do not, and that you know what it is I do. You have been inside me, but I have not let you in. I have not allowed you to take part in any of the power I have at my disposal. That is my choice, but this is your choice. You can remain here and live as a slave for the rest of your life, or you can learn to rule. You can keep your own power, and you will always know what you have, what you can do. But you will know that you cannot get rid of me. You can never kill me. The choice is yours, and the choice is yours to make now." "What will happen to her? If I join you?" "I will keep her safe. You are both important to me, and I do not want to lose either of you. I will keep her with you as long as you are awake, but if I know you are asleep, she will go back to wherever I am keeping her." "Where is that?" "I will take you. It is far away, and you should rest while you can. You will not be able to for much longer, so I have left you some blankets. You should start to get dressed. You are wearing your best clothes, the clothes you always wear. I need to know that you are dressed to receive visitors." He did not say anything to her. He could not think of anything to say, and he knew that she had spoken to him for his own benefit. She always took care of him, protected him, cared for him. She was one of his best friends. He went and pulled his clothes out of the pile on his bed. He needed a quick shower and some food, but there was no time for anything other than the basics. He would have to leave her alone with her own memories for a while. He did not mind. She had been ready to go all along, and he needed to do what he had to. It was not only the child's future that hung in the balance, it was his as well. He would be making the choice for both of them, although she could never know the details of what had happened to him. He remembered so much of it, but there was only one thing that he never remembered. He had tried to force himself to remember it, to remember it on purpose, but nothing would come to him, not the least bit. He knew the truth, but he had no way of explaining it to her. The dreams would be enough. She would understand that it was not her, that she was the mother of his children, and that she should only be concerned for them. It was all he could give her, but he felt as if he could afford to do that. He started the shower. He could barely hold himself back. She was beautiful. Every time he looked at her, he was lost. She was everything he had ever wanted. He did not understand how she could be so perfect. She was flawed, as they all were. He felt a presence at the door. "Are you sure you do not want me to take her?" "I will need her more than you." "Do you think you can get him to see reason?" "It is not him. He is trapped. He has given himself to his own fate. I do not know what he did, what could make a man so determined to live when he has no reason to do so. But he is at fault for this. I will help him, but only so much." "How long before he can see you again?" "He has to see the reality of the child. I will try to get him in the morning. I will not try to see him today. He should have some time to think." "What will you do to him? Why is he so important?" "I will do as I have been asked. Now I need you to go and wait for me in the hallway. Do not stop in the hall, and do not try to come in. I will be sending you instructions about what you are to do. If he is unreachable, you will not be able to enter this room, but you can help him get to the door. Have him show you where he keeps his key. He will need to open it himself." "Why can he not go to the door?" "Because he is locked inside. I cannot control him, or any of the doors, but I will come to him if he is inside the castle." "How long before you leave?" "It will take some time, but not much. It is important that no one suspects anything." "Are you sure you can manage this? Will you be able to hide him for so long?" "I have been doing it for several years. I have seen many things, and helped a great many. The things I have seen are for the future. I have seen a great many horrors in my lifetime, and I never forget that. We are facing the final things, and they are the worst. Nothing I have ever seen will compare to what I will witness when I get inside. I will only be in here when we have reached the new stage. I am the last hope for humanity, but that will not be true for long. They will soon understand that nothing will save them." "I will not let you do this," she said