“To be honest, Amara, I'm not so sure now.”
“Why?”
“Many things have come to light since that day, and what I knew then was only half of what I have come to learn since.” He moistened his lips. “For many centuries, I gave this prophecy little thought. I knew it foretold a child and the involvement of knight blood, and in the back of my mind, wondered if it spoke of myself and my blood—my heir. But I never believed it would come to fruition—until Drake strangely requested I turn the boys.”
“How did that change your belief?”
“Because, for Drake to request such a thing directly contradicted the agreement he and I made in the days before I became immortal.”
“What agreement?”
“That if I was to be his loyal, eternal servant, I would honour the promise to my dying brother, and watch over his family and their descendants for the rest of eternity.”
“And not turn them into vampires?”
“Correct. My brother knew what I was about to become. He was also given the option, but he believed vampirism to be sinful lifestyle. He chose to die along with many others in those following years.”
“What did he die of?”
“The Black Death.” Arthur looked down at his open palm. “In my new state, free of human limitations, I was able to comfort many people as they passed—most of them had already watched their own children wither, and die. And when my brother took his last breath, a part of me wished I had gone with him. But I had made my choice, and I kept my promise to watch over his bloodline, until I broke it for the sake of David and Jason.”
“So, how did Drake’s request to turn them make you connect the boys to the prophecy?”
“Drake is a man of honour; he upholds his word, no matter what. For whatever reason he needed those boys immortal, it must have been of great importance to him. I concluded that it had something to do with this prophecy.”
“And, so, you thought David was the Knight the prophecy spoke of then?”
“Yes.”
“Because he was born first?”
“Yes.”
“But your interpretation of the scrolls was different to Morgaine’s, wasn't it? So why did you think David was the one?”
His eyes flickered. I could see he hadn't expected me to be so alert, and I was starting to wonder if he was getting caught up in his own lies. “I have reasons for keeping my interpretations to myself all these years.”
“What reasons?”
“I wasn't sure who I could trust.”
“Why?”
“Because Drake told Morgaine about the prophecy. He very rarely confides in a person for the sake of an eased conscience. I had no way of knowing what he had truly said or even offered her to either help fulfil the prophecy or see no one ever heard of it.”
“But you want it to come true?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think we can trust Morgaine now?”
“I'm still not sure. But as long as her aim is to see you safe and in power, then it seems we all have the same agenda.”
I looked down at my hands, seeing the history, the lineage, the ancient ancestral connections in all the fine lines. “Did…were you searching for a Lilithian—or did you just stumble across me?”
“I wasn’t searching, but I believe Drake was. However, we found you purely by accident.”
“What about Amara—my grandmother? Was finding her an accident?”
“One of Drake’s scouts found her,” Arthur said. “So I have no way of knowing.”
“Did you know David hadn't really killed her?”
“Yes. I actually went to kidnap her from the orphanage, but she had already been adopted—and her family, when I searched for them, had disappeared.”
“What happened to them?”
“Back then, I suspected that Drake had discovered David's lie and taken to kill the child and all humans who knew she existed. But, David was never arrested for lying, so I had to move on with the belief that Drake was unaware, and the hope that maybe Vampirie had found the infant, instead.”
“Okay, none of this makes sense.” I scratched my eyebrow. “Drake knew about this prophecy—told Morgaine of a child that could kill him, and then made sure the only man who was capable of fathering that child was turned into a vampire, and gave the only remaining Lilithian at the time to a newbie Council leader to kill. I thought he was trying to stop this prophecy from happening—not help it along.”
Arthur nodded to himself, then smiled. “I never quite understand why Mike has so little faith in you. You’re a very clever girl.”
“So, I'm right? He could have just killed David when he was born if he didn't want this to happen.”
“Yes.”
“Then this isn’t just about Drake being afraid of a vampire-hunting kid.”
“My dear, it would take a lot more than a powerful child to turn Drake in fear.”
“So, why does he want me dead—my child dead? And why did he kill David if he thought he was the prophecy knight?”
“What have you concluded about David's death, at this point?”
“That Drake wanted him dead because of the prophecy, but that he couldn’t let anyone else know about it, so David died under the disguise of laws he’d broken—by associating with me.”
Arthur breathed out through his nose. “The truth, my dear, is what I already told you—that David broke the law. Drake himself could not change the outcome of that.”
“But, if David's the prophecy knight, then…”
“Or perhaps he’s not.”
“Then…who?”
“There is a word in the prophecy. You saw it—saw that the whole document is written in hieroglyphics. That language has no real base. Some say the English language was based on that of the Ancients, but I see no real evidence of that aside from the pattern of words. But there was one rune, between son of and knight, that may depict firstborn, however, this could also mean many things. In my own interpretation, it can mean ‘a’ son of knight, and I believe Drake also reads it this way.”
“So, in your interpretation, the knight could even be Jason?”
Arthur nodded.
“Or you?”
He nodded again.
“Do you think there’s any possibility it could be a contract?”
He rubbed his stubbly chin. “It’s a clever theory. And, in truth, there may be some fact there. I noticed that same mark and thought nothing of it. Our laws and filing systems changed so much over the centuries that it took a person who studied our society as subject in History to point out something I should have seen. But, if we focus on that, we lose sight of what’s important, and right now, killing Drake is at the top of the priority list—especially if that is, indeed, a contract.”