The Council of Ten

Chapter 25 - Prophecy (Lena Foscari)

Chapter Twenty-Five – Prophecy (Lena Foscari)

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It was a dark and moonless night. The only light was that from a flickering street lamp on the corner, flashing yellow orange over the cobbles and over our faces, giving them an eerie glow. My thoughts briefly wandered to home. To my parents. What would they think when I wasn’t home? I shook my head, it had happened before and they didn’t mind. Not when I explained I’d been with Marco, anyway. And it wasn’t a lie, I was with Marco. But it wasn’t the truth either.

The ground rose, my footsteps tap-tapping along the bridge walkway. I paused for a moment and caught a shift in the shadows. My heart thudded once, loud in my head, before I turned away. Nico slowed from Paolo’s side, who carried on with a grim determination, to walk beside me. “You see them, don’t you?”

“Who?” I said, thinking back to the movement earlier.

“The Ombre,” Nico replied, “you looked then. You could see them better, if you tried. It would be better, you know, wouldn’t you rather understand what you were seeing, rather than shifting shapes?”

My voice trembled, “I don’t think I want to know what is really there.”

Nico nodded, “I suppose. But have a think on it, why don’t you? Do you want to be able to tell your friends from your enemies? They can see you Lena, they know you see them move. Those who wish you no harm will move on but those with evil intent, may go out of their way...” Nico paused, but he didn’t need to finish his sentence.

“I’ll think on it.” I said, trying to end the conversation. The last thing I needed was to be worrying about the shadows I saw knowing I was watching. I quickened my pace to come level with Marco and Paolo, but heard a small sigh from Nico. I shook it off. I didn’t have an answer.

“Almost there,” said Paolo, “stand here for a moment.” He walked a little way down the street, but even that was enough for the darkness to hide him from my sight. Nico stood a little way off and I turned to Marco, shivering slightly in the chill of the night air.

“What did you talk about?” I said, curious.

He shrugged, “nothing really. It was mainly silence, but with Paolo, it’s a strange kind of silence. It speaks to you.”

I smiled, “and what did this silence tell you, oh great Enchanter?”

Marco didn’t return my grin and said, with all seriousness, “it told me I would be involved, no matter what I did to avoid this. It told me this prophecy included you and me. And, it told me, I’m not ready to understand it yet.”

The smile had slid from my face and I nodded, “I think there’s a lot of things we’re not ready for, but will be. Sooner or later they will come around and we’ll have to face them.”

“And your offer? Are you going to take it?”

“What?”

“The Ombre, do you want to see them?”

I turned and saw the form of Paolo emerge from the street. He beckoned to us. “You heard that whilst listening to all that silence?”

Marco grinned, “everything is heard when there is silence.”

“Of course,” I rolled my eyes as we walked on after Paolo. Nico passed us, calling Paolo’s name and I fixed my eyes on the back of his head. “I don’t know, Marco, I don’t know what I want.”

The street was dark, and I clutched Marco’s sleeve so that I wouldn’t lose him. A small lantern blinked into life and illuminated Paolo’s face. “In here everyone,” he hissed, “be quick about it, can’t have any unwanted visitors.” He muttered the last part, looking directly at the shadows behind us. I hurried towards him and noticed that his door was old and almost melted in with the brick work. An inconspicuous house if I ever saw one. I stumbled over the threshold and into a dimly lit room filled with stacks of papers.