She went pink and scowled at the floor. "He was as confused as the rest of us. Lochlann is not weak or fickle. He had a reason for leaving, but it's hard to keep faith in such times as these. Breandan and Maeve had their own private battle as to what should be done to lead the others until he returned. But neither of them said anything directly to Lochlann's followers to soothe them. Once, when it was really bad, I touched Breandan trying to get his attention, and I saw his future." She sighed and rubbed her head. "Before I thought it through I blurted it all out. Naturally the rebels turned to him to lead."
"What did you see?"
"Breandan standing over Devlin, victorious with a fairy-girl stood beside him. I saw alternates of course, but when the fairy was gone Breandan failed and died. Lochlann comes back to his brother's body and turns his back on us."
Of course I was going to ask, "So, who's the fairy-girl?"
"Seriously? I have to answer that question?"
Pressing a hand to my throat, I searched for the invisible fingers crushing it. "How did you know where to find me?"
"I saw you and Breandan running hand in hand behind the Wall. You wore the green blazer with the Sect sigil. Oh, the fact you are training to be a Cleric went down a treat with the rebels, by the way." She sighed. "Damn that boy, I'd kick his ass if I didn't owe him. He played such a dangerous game."
I sunk to my knees amongst the leaves and settled down onto my bum, legs flopping weakly in front of me. My hands burrowed into the dry dirt either side of me, and fisted beneath the surface.
"What game? How is any of this a game?"
"Wrong choice of words." She waved her hands in apology. "Breandan sought you out, no matter how much he may try to deny it. The moment I told him what I saw, he wanted to see you, but it's screwed things up. I always saw you bumping into each other and your love growing. I told him to stay away, that the time for your meeting would happen naturally. Then I found out he was spying on you for the last month." She smiled. "This morning when you saw him, by the slope before you fell, he didn't help you up because I called him away. You were not supposed to meet like that. But when you got lost the future changed again, and in pops the vampires chance." She grimaced and looked down at her hands. "But I guess, it's my own fault for blurting out the truth."
"A few things are starting to make sense," I said, and breathless, lifted a finger to signal time out.
I thought of how Breandan reacted toward me the first time we'd met. He'd been horrified at who I was, annoyed at me, and yet so persistent. Always coming back no matter how many times I told him to back off, so sure that I had to listen and trust him. My wings curled around me, and my tail flicked about behind me disturbing stone and insect. It was daunting to hear someone you had just met and were beginning to feel something for had known you, and what you would become a long time before you knew they existed.
"And Devlin? How did he find out? I doubt Breandan would have proclaimed my existence to the Tribe." I remembered the reluctance in his expression when he held me for the first time. And I remembered his words, the white witch was right and now I'll never hear the end of it. "And as much as you tell me he wanted me meet me; I have a hard time believing it."
Ana pulled her top up and I recoiled. The skin across her stomach was a ghastly sight of lumpy flesh and pink scars. "The Tribe caught me and I was not strong enough to hold my tongue." Pulling the top back down a tear rolled down her cheek. Scrubbing it away she looked disgusted at herself for showing weakness. "Breandan saved me, and carried me to Conall for healing. But the cuts were done with magic, and Devlin's consort, Wasp," she spat the name, "is a tricky bitch with a special gift for knife work."
I yanked my hair a few times, the feeling of helplessness threatening to overwhelm me. "Only you've foretold this showdown between Breandan, Devlin and me?"
"There has been no one with such a strong gift of Sight in a long time. I'm good and my gift has yet to improve but trust me, I'm never wrong."
"You can't see things, say, fifty years from now?"
