The Boon of Alon

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

By the time I see Iamon again, a couple days later, I've confirmed that the prophecies he told me about, and their consequences, did actually happen. As much as I could confirm in the archive, anyway. It occurs to me, too, that he could've found out what happened later and simply claimed to have orchestrated it, but...I'm just making myself think in circles at this point. I don't know if I'll ever quite believe him until I see a prophecy fully play out for myself.

I also haven't figured out what I could do that's so consequential that Iamon would try to bend the river of time to keep me alive, if it isn't the rebellion thing. Could I earn my boon some other way? To be fair, though, I haven't thought about it much since I last saw him. If he thinks I need to know, he'll make sure I do—if he doesn't, then I'll probably never know until he changes his mind.

So it's mostly the first issue on my mind when I approach him with my bucket of oil, on a snowy morning, with ominous dark clouds hanging over the horizon. The dragons put off an ambient warmth that melts the snow before it hits the ground, but today that mostly just makes things soggy. It's going to be a damp, miserable morning.

"Hi." My greeting is less than enthusiastic when I stop in front of him. He snorts, releasing a plume of smoke that fortunately wafts away from me.

He noses my stomach. "What has you so dispirited before the day has yet begun?"

"The fact that it's snowing up there but raining right here," I say. He chuffs.

"Nothing I can do about that, little bug." He extends his wing and I sigh and lug my bucket over.

"Oh well." I start oiling him. "Any exciting updates to my future lately?"

"Hm. Not this time. You are still on the expected path."

I guess all the time I've spent with Suthi the past few days hasn't been as monumental as it felt. But then, he does expect me to fall in love with her, doesn't he?

"I had a thought," I say eventually. "I know you can't tell me what's going to happen with any of the prophecies I can affect. But are there any going on that I could, I dunno, watch from afar? See how it goes?"

He rumbles. "You know, we don't need to talk about prophecy every time."

"Is that a no?"

"Even the act of watching can affect the outcome. I will consider it, but I don't find it likely."

Hm.

He nudges me with his wing. "You will see your own turn out, won't you? And you will see the consequences."

"Yeah..." Now I have to wonder if Suthi's prophecy will somehow have greater consequences, too. I don't see how, though. "Speaking of consequences, I still don't know why I'm still alive."

"Hm. You wanted a hint, yes?"

"Yes, please." I guess he does want me to know.

"Consider, then, what makes you unique."

I have to pause oiling to stare at him in consternation. "Huh?"

"Consider, bug."

Ugh. "Am I unique in that I managed to annoy you into talking to me?"

He chuffs. "Yes, but that is not what I meant."

What's unique about me. Gods. I don't think I'm that special. Even among the recruits—I'm not the only mage, even now that Rev's bonded, though I might be the best; I'm not even the only Royal Tourney champion. I probably spend more time in the archive than even most riders, but I wouldn't call myself unique for it. I am probably the only one here with a boon, but there are other people out there with—