Mark of Fate

by K. T. Webb

  For the first time, Legacy felt the jarring reality that these trees were alive. While she had burned to death in each dream, they had too. So many lives would be lost if the vision came to pass; lives she was supposed to protect.

  As though experiencing a dream within her dream, Legacy sat up to examine the woods. The dancing flames may have been playing tricks on her eyes, but she was confident she could see the dryads trying to escape the reach of the fire that would destroy them. It was too horrible to watch. She had to do something, anything to change the outcome.

  Legacy pushed herself to her feet, coughing and sputtering against the dense smoke. This was different. She had never done this in her dreams before. Somewhere over the crackle of flames, she heard someone call her name. Legacy ignored the voice; she already knew who it was, and she did not have time to be rescued. This time, she would be doing the rescuing. Dancing between the flames, a massive furry blur made its way to her side.

  “Nikita!” she croaked, her voice barely more than a whisper against the roaring fire.

  “Queen Legacy, you cannot save these spirits for they have already gone. We must flee before they return.”

  It took her by surprise for the woldigo to speak. She had always sensed intelligence lurking beneath the surface, but none of the creatures from the northernmost reaches of Alderwood had shown any ability to communicate with humans. The thrill of discovery rippled through the Queen as she recognized the wild magic at work. In the smoky haze, Legacy thought she caught a glimpse of a marking along the side of the animal. She blinked her eyes, and it was gone.

  “What are you doing? We have to get out of here.” Evander appeared beside her, crashing through falling branches as they burned.

  “Nikita spoke to me.” She gestured to the empty space in front of her.

  “I fear you are growing delirious from the lack of oxygen.” Evander tried to hoist her over his shoulder, but she wriggled free.

  Legacy delivered a withering stare to her friend, “I have to find her. She was just here. It is only a dream.”

  He nodded briefly, staying ever vigilant for potential threats. “I believe you, but I think you are mistaken to think this is a dream. Do you feel the heat?”

  Their eyes locked. The reflection of flames danced in his and was undoubtedly visible in her own eyes. How she could feel the embarrassment rise in her cheeks with the fire raging around them was a question she could not answer. There was the heat, and then there was the fire. She did not have time to handle both. Legacy took a deep breath, she focused on the moss, the mushrooms, the roots that wove their way around each other in the soil beneath their feet. She focused on the very air around them, particles of moisture that popped and sizzled before reaching the places that needed it most. She implored Alderwood to release them, to free the forest from the flames that held it captive.

  Evander slipped his hand into hers, and she squeezed it in response. Something powerful passed through them, rising from the ground traveling up their limbs and through their trunks just as the flames took over every inch of every tree. The wild magic burst forth. Water sprang from the ground, the sky, the voids of space in the woods; it took on the shape of many nymphs, launching themselves at the fire that engulfed the husk that had once been a vast forest. The two humans stood together as the water shifted and changed around them before everything faded away.

  She drew in a panicked breath. It took a moment to get her bearings straight. She was in her bed, she was alone. There had been no fire. There were no nymphs, Nikita had not spoken, Evander was safe, she was safe. Legacy moved to get out of bed only to discover she was soaked. The bed, her hair, her nightclothes, the floor around her, everything was sopping wet. The expected knock at her door still startled her as she stood dripping on the stone floor.

  “Legacy? Legacy, open the door!” Evander called from the hallway as quietly as his panicked voice would allow.

  “Hold on.” She hopped across the floor, wishing for a towel or some dry clothes.

  The door had barely opened when Evander pushed his way in. He thrust a towel at her as he surveyed her room. “This place is a mess! Are we going to clean this up or let the maid wonder what you were up to?”

  The warm vibration of his voice reminded her of the moment they shared in the burning forest. Legacy stared at him, momentarily dumbfounded by their predicament. Not only had they shared another dream, but they both bore physical evidence of the events that took place during their slumber. It was impossible for Legacy to know if these dreams were foreshadowing or if they were wholly imagined based upon her visions. At some point, they were going to have to talk about what had transpired.

  “We should go for a walk,” Legacy said suddenly.

  Evander scrunched his face, raising an eyebrow in her direction. “So, I take it we won’t be cleaning this up?”

  She shook her head and took his hand. She began to lead him from the room only to have him pull her backward before reaching the threshold. “We should probably get you into something dry. The temperature is brutal in a drafty castle, you do not need to fall ill.”

  Legacy rolled her eyes but complied with his request. She hurried to the adjoining bathroom, grabbing a dry nightgown on the way. It was still dark enough that she assumed the night had only just begun. There was time to go back to bed, should they decide they needed the rest. Once she stripped her wet clothes off and hung them on a hook, she slid the gown over her head, shivering as the fabric resisted against her still-wet skin. She quickly braided her hair, still in awe of the water droplets escaping it as she wove it together. Upon exiting the bathroom, Legacy found Evander rushing about her chambers trying to clean up as much of the water as possible. She stifled a giggle when he stopped dead in his tracks after realizing he had been caught.

  “You just could not help yourself, could you?”

  Evander bit his lip as a crimson blush crept across his cheeks; he reminded Legacy of a guilty child caught in the act. With a shake of her head, she retook his hand and led him from the room. She had a sudden urge to go to Nikita. If the wild magic allowed water to pass from her dream, why should the same not translate for Nikita to communicate? She practically dragged Evander along until they reached the door to the throne room.

  “What are we doing here?” he asked breathlessly.

  “Nikita is here. I feel it.”

  His confusion was evident as he searched her face for further answers, “What makes you so certain you will find the woldigo here? I thought they preferred to sleep beneath the moon.”

  Legacy knew he was right, but something about the strange marking she thought she glimpsed on the side of the creature gave her an understanding she had not found before. Without further discussion, the Queen pulled the doors open, exposing a moonlight-soaked room. The throne she expected to see stood as it always had, but a second throne had appeared during the night. A throne that held the brilliant white creature known as Nikita.

  “Nikita?” Legacy inquired.

  At first, she did not expect to find that anything had changed about the creature. The rush of embarrassment that reminded her it had all been a dream rushed through her again. The connection she shared with Evander was different than the moment she had shared with the woldigo. Legacy felt herself redden at how childish she had been to drag Evander through the castle in search of an oversized dog. But if it was all in her mind, how did the throne materialize without any evidence of its arrival?

  Nikita sat up straight, staring at the two humans who stood in front of her, dumbfounded. “Hello, Legacy.”

  A startled laugh escaped from the Queen before she could stop it. She looked at Evander, hoping he had understood the creature too. Judging by his slack-jawed reaction, he most certainly heard and understood Nikita. A thrill of excitement rushed through Legacy; things were changing, the wild magic was breathing life back into the forgotten places of Alderwood.

  “Nikita. You can speak!�
�� The words felt insufficient as soon as she said them.

  “I have always been able to speak, but you have not always been able to understand.”

  Legacy needed more explanation. “Do you mean other humans have understood you?”

  The woldigo shook her head, “No. For centuries my kind has only been able to communicate amongst ourselves. The ability to share my thoughts aloud has only recently been restored. I do not know what has changed.”

  “How did you come to be in here? Where did that throne come from, do you know?” Evander asked.

  Nikita glanced around her as though she was just as surprised by her current position as they were. She leaped down from the throne and came to stand next to Legacy. “I do not know how that got there or how I managed to find myself here. I was sleeping in the courtyard, as I always do. I had a strange dream. A forest was burning, but somehow, I found you there.”

  Legacy and Evander exchanged a tense look. It was one thing for them to share dreams, that was already strange enough. But, for a creature to also share that dream was something else entirely. It was not lost on Legacy that they found Nikita curled up on a throne that had not existed the day before—the throne designated for the rightful ruler of the Kingdom of Creatures. So many thoughts swirled in her head, the one that struck her to the core was the glimpse of a shaded area along the side of the woldigo.

  “Nikita, do creatures receive marks the way humans do?” She felt she should already know the answer.

  “No, why do you ask?”

  Legacy was embarrassed to mention it, in case it had been a trick of the light in the burning forest, but she had to ask if it could mean something. It had been nearly impossible to decipher the meaning or exact shape of the marking that flashed along Nikita’s side, but Legacy was sure it had been there.

  “The dream you mentioned, was not exactly a dream,” Legacy paused to glance at Evander. “It was part of a vision I have had since receiving my mark on my sixteenth birthday. Not long ago, Evander was able to join me in that recurring nightmare; he changed the outcome. This time, you were with us, and you spoke to me.”

  Expressive eyes studied her carefully, determining if her words rang true. Nikita looked back and forth between Evander and Legacy until she felt the truth in their words with terrifying certainty. “Are you telling me it was not a dream?”

  “We do not really know what is happening, only that somehow the visions our Queen experienced have now become a shared nightmare for more than one of us. The one thing I am absolutely certain of is that the danger is real, the flames are not imagined, if we do not follow the roles set out for us, someone may die.” Evander chose his words carefully, as though afraid he would bring the raging fire from their minds and into the real world.

  Nikita looked troubled, “Why do you think I was pulled into this?”

  At first, Legacy was prepared to tell her she did not know. But, the appearance of the throne and her sudden ability to communicate with Nikita told her there was a connection between them that she had not fully understood until she entered the throne room to find the woldigo sleeping in the spot once occupied by the leader of the Kingdom of Creatures. It was clear to her now; Nikita was meant to help her reunite the three kingdoms. The trouble was, Legacy had no idea how to officially install a creature on the throne beside her. Would there be another coronation? Would she have to agree to the same conditions Legacy had affirmed just days before? Legacy found herself in the same conundrum she had faced many times since arriving in Pallisaide; she was, once again, forced to recognize that she had no idea what would happen next.

  “Nikita, I—” Legacy was cut off by the impossibly loud creak issued by the door opening behind them.

  As one, the three occupants of the throne room turned to spy the interloper. In the shadows of early morning, Renata looked much older than she had previously seemed. A collective sigh blew through the friends gathered near the thrones, despite their fears, a wise ally had joined them. Legacy felt the calming presence of her mentor and knew they would soon find answers to their burning questions.

  “Ah, Lady Nikita. You have awakened. I am so relieved.” Renata seemed to wheeze with restricted breath.

  Evander rushed to her side in time to catch her as she swooned slightly. “Renata! I’ve got you.”

  “Are you okay? What happened? Are you ill?” Legacy fought to lower her voice to its usual pitch but failed miserably.

  “Calm yourself, child. I am old and tired. This was bound to happen eventually.”

  Legacy furrowed her brow. It had never occurred to her that Renata may wither and die as so many others had before her. She was needed in Alderwood. Without her, there would be little hope of winning a battle against the Shadow Mages, let alone accomplishing the nearly impossible task of restoring the wild magic.

  Inside her chest, the panic fought to escape and make itself known. Legacy pushed it back by breathing deeply through her nose. Her fate was etched into her skin. She would accomplish everything Alderwood needed her to achieve, even if it meant losing those she loved and dying in the process.

  Evander helped Renata to a seat near the two thrones that dominated the front of the room. It was impossible to know for sure in the dimly lit room, but it seemed as though her complexion had taken on a gray hue. Legacy tried to remind herself that everything would work out as it was intended to. She knelt in front of Renata, taking the old woman’s hands in her own.

  “What woke you, Renata? I did not think we made much noise when we left my room.” Legacy wondered if the Oracle had somehow been present in her dreams too.

  Renata waved her off with an impatient gesture. “You know I do not sleep much. I never have, but it has gotten worse since leaving Kilgore. I was awake. I felt a change in the wild magic. When I felt the change, I heard my brothers and sister scream in anguish. In their weakened state, their hold on the wild magic is loosening. I expect the woldigos are not the only creatures who have been restored.”

  Legacy glanced at Nikita before returning her gaze to the old woman in front of her. “That throne was not there before. When we found Nikita, she was asleep on top of it. I think she may be meant to rule over the Kingdom of Creatures.”

  Renata smiled down at the Queen. “Your intuition has not failed you. Lady Nikita has indeed been chosen by the wild magic. Alderwood needs her to reunite all creatures under her command. The two of you must work together to find the spirit destined to unite the Kingdom of Earth.”

  “There must be some mistake. My kind is not from here, many would argue that we are not of Alderwood at all. The North is often ostracized from the rest of the country because we are so different. Surely, there is someone better suited to this role.” Nikita’s voice was soft, like gentle pawprints on freshly fallen snow.

  “No mistake has been made. Alderwood has looked into your heart and chosen you, just as it chose Legacy to sit upon the throne for the Kingdom of Man. We all have a purpose, and we must work together to accomplish our mission.”

  Legacy watched Nikita with renewed interest. She had never given much thought to how much a creature’s face changed as it thought about something. Most of the animals in Alderwood appeared devoid of intelligent thought.

  As she watched Nikita, she recognized the fear and denial she herself had experienced when it was revealed to her that she would one day rule all of Alderwood. Somewhere in the forests, plains, or waterbeds, another soul was waiting to join them. Perhaps they would have to go in search of that spirit. Surely, not all would find their way to the throne room at Pallisaide. Destiny brought Nikita to Honor on her journey between Frosthaven and Kilgore. Fate had connected Legacy to the woldigo in an inexplicable way. Now, they would be bound to one another until their journey was over.

  “Now, tell me how all this happened tonight. What brought the two of you to the throne room together?” Renata broke the silence with renewed vigor.

  “Another nightmare of m
y visions,” Legacy whispered. “This time, I stood of my own accord rather than waiting for the flames to devour me. Nikita came through the trees, and I thought I saw . . . well, I thought I saw a mark of some kind on her side. Then she spoke to me.”

  “Interesting,” Renata mused. “Humans are the only residents of Alderwood who receive a mark. Perhaps your unconscious mind made the connection of who Nikita was before you truly knew.”

  Legacy considered that for a moment but was not entirely convinced. The mark had been irregular, jagged. It was just a flash of something along the ribcage of the creature. She shrugged her shoulders as though accepting Renata’s assessment. “Then, Evander arrived to save me, but I decided to try something I had never considered before. I focused on the wild magic; I willed the ground to release the moisture it held deep inside.”

  “Water came from everywhere. It was insane. I had never seen anything like it before! When I woke, I was soaking wet. I changed and rushed to the Queen’s room to see if she had experienced the same.” Evander seemed to dance back and forth on his feet like a little boy telling an exciting story.

  Renata was quiet for a few moments, considering all they had told her. “I have to think about all of this. There is something about what you have told me that reminds me of your brothers' own nightmares. He never remembers much, but they seem so real to him.”

  Renata made eye contact with Legacy, and for the first time in her life, the young woman recognized the trace of every year etched into the Oracle’s face. The deep wrinkles betrayed her age in a way the ever-present twinkle in her eyes never would. Legacy was forced to acknowledge these changes as she stared down the long road laid out ahead of her.