Free Sovereign Hope by Frankie Rose Page B

the
bottom, by which time I was shivering uncontrollably.
    “ Come forward, Daniel,” the voice said. The figures—I counted
eleven in total—were gathered, facing towards one another,
statuesque in their stillness. It was tough to tell who had spoken
and where I should be heading, and I paused, scanning their
lifeless forms. The figure Kayden was standing by seemed like the
wisest bet. The boy watched me with a blank expression, his usual
humor and faint arrogance all but disappeared as I made my way
over.
    “ I am Emissary Nevoi, head of the Quorum,” the voice said,
“You have been called before us to discuss the matter of Miss
Farley Hope. We understand that she is currently under your
protection?”
    “ She is,” I replied warily. The way the Emissary asked the
question made it sound more like an accusation.
    At my
response, the voice spoke again from inside the cowl of the robe,
fogging the air. It was a surprise. I’d almost come to suspect that
there wasn’t really anybody inside the robes at all, but the mist
on the Emissary’s breath gave evidence to the contrary.
    “ We require that the girl be handed over to us.”
    My heart
contracted. “Why?”
    “ The girl is essential to the balance. The Quorum maintains
the balance. We fear she may be endangered if she is not cared for
properly. You are aware of the prophecy?”
    “ Of course.” A twisting feeling writhed in my gut. This
conversation wasn’t going anywhere I cared to go.
    “ Then you know what must happen in order for the prophecy to
be fulfilled.”
    “ No. I know what you think must happen. The prophecy’s a thousand years old.
It’s been translated into as many different languages. There could
be any number of different interpretations.”
    “ There is only one,” the voice replied. An edge of irritation
had grown in its timbre. Seemed the Emissary didn’t much like the
way I was talking back.
    “ Why have you brought me here?” I demanded. If they wanted
Farley, Kayden could have just taken her back in the hangar. There
had to be something else. The Emissary stepped forward into the
silent circle, still buried beneath the folds of thick
material.
    “ The girl is collateral damage. We need to make sure you
understand that. We have the same goal, you and I. The Reavers have
upset the balance and must be destroyed. You also want them dead.
The girl has been pre-ordained to sacrifice her life, but there is
another part of the prophecy that must be fulfilled, also. We
haven’t taken the girl because we require your help, and we are
aware that you harbor feelings towards this Farley
Hope.”
    “ What?” Even I didn’t understand how
I felt about Farley. There was no way they could.
    “ You know what we refer to. If not now, then at some point in
the future your emotions towards the girl will deepen. It will be
as inevitable as the drawing of breath for you. You must make an
oath before us now that you will not act upon these
feelings.”
    A cold hand
forced its way inside my chest and squeezed its frigid fingers
around my heart. The only warmth I felt came with each of the
Emissary’s words, thrusting into me repeatedly like a searing hot
knife.
    “ I can’t make that oath,” I whispered.
    “ You have no other choice. If you do not, Farley will become
our ward until the time comes when she is to die.”
    It was all I
could do to keep my teeth from chattering. “And what else? You said
you need my help to fulfill another part of the prophecy.”
    “ We do.” Emissary Nevoi stepped closer until the two of us
were standing less than a foot apart. Still I could see nothing but
the hollow depths of darkness inside the hood. A hand, female after
all, withdrew from the folds of the robe, and the Emissary reached
up and touched my face. It was a feather-light stroke, but with it
came a bewildering flurry of images and information that made me
drop to my knees, gasping for breath. When it was over I looked up
at her, feeling the