His mother.

Those two words echo around in my empty void of a brain for a minute before I process them. I hadn't even thought Kilian had a mother— much less an imprisoned mother.

She must be his vampiric side, if his genetic pool were anything to go by.

I raise my eyebrows at Kilian and scramble to get off of his lap, more intrigued at the serious tone this had all taken.

"I have so many questions—" I start to say quickly, scooting my chair closer to him as his eyes lighten with humor at my antics. I bite my lip for a second and think about what I want to ask first— but then the worst thing happens.

My mind goes blank of any questions.

He stares at me expectantly as I swallow slowly, also waiting for my mind fog to clear. After a minute or so, I sigh, giving up on my shit show of a brain.

"Forget it, I can't fucking remember what I was going to ask." I mumble out, eyes dragging downwards in disappointment. I hear Kilian let out a chuckle, chest shaking silently.

He starts to fold his sleeves up to his elbows neatly, exposing the raw patterns of his deal markings; then, he leans toward me slowly.

"How about I just tell you a quick summary of what the plan is," He says lowly. "And when you think of any questions you want to ask, I'll be here to answer?" He finishes, the intense look in his eyes never faltering.

Oddly enough, a question raises in my mind due to his close proximity. Who do you think was in the future vision with you? I have brown hair as well— but there have to be at least a thousand others in Settrinos with that hair color. All with unrealistic beauty features; 'probably due to the levels of magic in this place' I think to myself grimly.

Instead, I give him a smile and nod— waiting for him to continue.

I fidget with my fingers on my lap, noting that my nail polish was chipping and I hadn't worn makeup since I got to holdrex. I must look like a birdcage right now— a damn mess.

But yet, he's still looking at me like I could set the world on fire and he wouldn't care. The hunger in his eyes never go away when I'm in his presence, and it makes me slightly think he might also want my blood. Yet, I'm not scared. I'm never scared of Kilian— not now. Not knowing him in this light.

He grins and pulls out a crisp golden bill from the inside of his leathers; this makes me break out of my 'Kilian stupor' for the first time in a while.

"What are you, fucking Willy wonka?" I mutter with a small snort, humor taking up my features slightly. He narrows his eyes playfully as he puts the bill down on the table between us.

"Currency down here." He says simply, and then outstretches his hand to me; strong and awaiting.

"Take a walk with me for more privacy?" He asks, his eyes growing darker as I chew on my lip in thought.

Without a thought, I blurt out a question that has been on my mind for a long time.

"What did you mean that one time you told me that Claire and Atticus aren't even supposed to be together? Am I missing something? You know, before—" I glance around the shop in caution as Kilian's smile falters slightly. I lower my voice for the next words to come out of my mouth.

"Before Echo interrupted?"

He narrows his eyes slightly and then closes them with a sigh, remembering exactly what moment I was speaking about.

"Right— one of my fathers deals." He says slowly.

"I meant simply that he'd made a deal with some creature— a woman named Celmira. All those years she'd wanted Atticus to herself, so much so that she made a deal with my maker." He clears his throat, speaking in a low tone as he went tense; scanning for any listening ears.

"King Atticus to be hers in exchange for her land. You see, her land has the perfect portal to blindside Atticus and his army if a war was ever to come. It wasn't a bad deal— it's just, my father is known to not keep deals that possess difficult even for him." He finishes, looking at me, long eyelashes framing his beautiful red eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I chew it over, not understanding what was so difficult that his father couldn't keep the deal. I finally place my hand in his, allowing him to help me stand and guide me in the direction of the cafe exit doors.

"It means," he says in my ear, baby hairs on the back of my neck start to raise in a tickling sensation.

"Not even he is powerful enough to break a soul tie. And that's what your sister and Atticus have— intertwined souls. Golden thread spun by the same hands, one in the same." He finishes.

"All this time I'd assumed that the deal was solid, but if they're together then that means that he found another way to obtain her territory." He says, opening the door for me. A little bell chimes overhead of us and it reminds me instantly of Varla's superstitious tent bells.

One thought of a witch and suddenly my mind reels back to Mahtu's past visions.

I'm an idiot.

"Kilian," I gasp slightly as we walk out to a cobblestone road.

"Mahtu was supposed to give me a door and a map for her deal to be complete and for her to gain—" I start to ramble in panic as he chuckles.

"Immortality." He finishes for me, raising an eyebrow at me.

"The old crone finally got what she wanted too— at the expense of almost everyone she's ever loved." He says in thought. Then after a moments time, he glances down at me.

"Check your pocket." His deep voice rings out from deep in his chest.

My hand is shaking in hesitation, but I do as he says, reaching into my cloak.

Not the pocket where I kept my portal grimoire tucked in and my fathers slimy eyeball. No— this was the pocket on the other side of my cloak, heavy with the weight of materials that shouldn't be there.

My fingers brush against something and my startled gaze flitters up to Kilian. The side of his lips flicker up in amusement as my eyes go wide as discs.

"Is this a trick?" I whisper as he chews his bottom lip, stretching his muscular arms to lay lazily behind his head. My gaze flickers down to his abdomen peaking out, but I focus myself again.

"I'm offended you'd even think me capable of playing tricks on you. At least— this kind of trick anyway." He grins a smile at me and shakes his head as he puts his arms back down.

"I gather she slipped it into your pocket the moment she saw and realized who you were." He says, eyeing my reaction. But all I can think— all I can hear is my father is coming home with me.

Because what my fingers are so gently brushing against at this moment is a part of the prophecy, and ten steps closer to him; along with Kilian's unknown plan of course.

My hands brush against a crinkled paper that must be a map— and then grip tightly against a door.

The same particular type of mini wooden sculpted door that I'd seen Mahtu haggling over in the first place.

The very thing that caught my attention and caused me to follow her all the way to her shop.

This prophecy ain't no joke— and right now, I was staring a line right in the face.

War and destruction will be abrupt when-

Ice and flame paired one in the same.

Cold blooded killer, might be ruin- might fulfill her.

Darkness to the light, Illuminates sight.

Grave and stone, down to the bone-

Mayhap and wonder, those who go under.

Save the war, with the spirit of the door.

Only those who go in will find their true kin-

Dark and light, those who must fight.

Join the war, with the element- Amor.

These clues are falling in like puzzle pieces, which solidifies someone's betrayal is on the way.

How exciting for us all.

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