Prophecies and Lies

Chapter Three

Enjoy!

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          June had to admit Terrance was right; she could stand to learn a few tricks from him. The way he handled Nadia showed this.

          At first, he was a little surprised and it had taken him a moment to realize what she was saying, but then he managed to laugh it off. Steven and Nadia were laughing as well, and it didn't take them long to figure out it was only a joke. “I can be a bit of an animal, from time to time,” he said, grinning. “But don't worry, I won't eat you—only nibble on your toes.”

          The female musician burst out in laughter, almost dropping her instrument. “D-Don't, please, I n-need my toes.”

          June and Marc stared awkwardly at them, and Steven too, watched with a wary eye at his sister. He got up from his seat and tapped on her shoulder. “I think it's about time we go to sleep,” he told her. The girl thought about objecting for a second, but then nodded. They disappeared into one of the two tents Terrance and June had pitched.

          For a while, the others were silent, as they waited for the musicians to fall asleep. Then, June punched Marc's shoulder. “Why'd you say that?!” she hissed. “We don't want the Mage after us again!”

          The soldier humphed. “Doesn't matter much, he can handle it. He can joke his way out of anything, can't he?”

          “That doesn't matter,” she said. “You shouldn't have risked it anyway. What if he wouldn't be able to joke it off? What if they'd really think we were werewolves? We don't want that. Not now.”

          Though Terrance hadn't seemed to mind it, he now nodded, agreeing with June. “It would be better for us to keep a bit of a low profile. Right now, Roy thinks I am dead. That's all fantastic of course. But Maya has disappeared—he'll be wanting to find her, of course. And now that you're gone too, he might come to the conclusion that you're with her. So we'd better watch our step, if only a little. I don't want him to find out I'm still alive; that would ruin our whole plan, Marc.”

          Marc did not answer, but June noticed the looks between the two.

          “You really planned it out from start to finish, didn't you?” she asked. “From the moment that you entered my room—no, even before that! When Deepwell sent Blake away so you could take his place.”

          “Yes. Roy can be very predictable at times,” Terrance said. “Only thing I didn't expect was that nifty little spell to blind my eyes... I am really glad that wasn't permanent though—I thought that I would be blind forever.”

          “B-But you said...” June muttered, then sighed. “Never mind. Only thing you didn't account for was me, right? That I would figure out what you did.”

          Terrance shrugged. “Not really, but I don't mind it. Festivals are more fun with more people anyways, especially with pretty girls around.”

          She blushed, and Marc threw him an angry glance. “Shouldn't you go to sleep as well?” he asked June. “We'll be up early tomorrow, so you'd better get all the shut-eye you can get.”

          “Okay.” She went to the second tent, where she would be sleeping alone. But before she disappeared, she glanced over her shoulder for a last time. “How long before we're in Oakes anyway?” she asked. “How far away is it?”

          “We'll get there tomorrow,” both men said in unison. “Sleep tight.”

          “Good night,” June muttered before finally retreating into her tent.