Free Prophecy's Promise (Prophecy of the Edges Book 1) by Lauren Amundson Page A

it. But then a mathematician comes along with a new bit of understanding and it all shifts into place. Undefined becomes defined. Much of my probability work completed proofs that many had thought impossible to quantify. How different could this be? Altis will be there to take care of the Warrior part and I’ll fix the logic part. I’ll learn the book, inspect The Edge, and contain it. There was a solution waiting to be found. I was selected because the Guardians knew that I could decipher the book.
    The night slowly ticked away, and I knelt, engulfed in my thoughts. The more I thought, the more scared I felt, but the more certain I was that I would find a way. Somehow.

Chapter 7
    When the door creaked open and Altis entered, bearing a huge wooden hoop, it startled me so badly that I almost fell over. The hours had flown by faster than I’d realized. Altis positioned the hoop in the door’s threshold. He cleared his throat.
    I blinked several times at the light that filtered from the hallway. The ache in my knees had become part of me. I didn’t realize how sore they’d gotten until I tried to stand up. After standing, I bent and unbent my legs a few times and rubbed my knee before I felt as if I could move.
    Once I approached the hoop, Altis spoke. “Who comes to the circle? Why do you enter?”
    “I am Hailey. I come to defend our world with the strength of the Mist.” I was fairly impressed with myself as the words spilled from my mouth and happy to note that Altis gave a slight encouraging nod. But mostly, I was happy that the words were true and that I did truly feel ready. Whether the certainty came from within me or the room had special Mist to embolden my spirit, I did not know.
    He motioned for me to step through the hoop, and then he followed after me, closing the door and leaving the hoop inside. The other Warriors cheered as I emerged from the room. I saw all the Warriors from the night before, plus many others. Several I had seen before in passing around the Keep, but most of them I had never spoken to.
    Honestly, all I wanted was a light meal followed by a long sleep, but that was not the Warrior way.
    The Warriors held a breakfast party in my honor.
    People jostled for the opportunity to shake my hand and meet their newest member, a girl they had never met before chosen by Altis himself. Altis—their hero, their scion.
    I smiled politely and graciously accepted their congratulations.
    This was much more boisterous than the Scholar parties. I could almost feel their zest for life. In the Scholar circle, people called me “spunky,” but that’s in comparison to other Scholars. A very un-spunky bunch. Doesn’t take much to claim a corner on that one.
    Altis presided over my party, seemingly unable to step away from the center. The only patterns I could sense in this room encircled Altis and shot off in various directions. As if summoned by my thoughts, Altis walked over to me. Hoppy scents emanated from his glass, which he raised. I suddenly realized that, despite the fact that it was barely hours after dawn, I was the only person not imbibing. I tapped his glass with my finger. He coughed, as if hoping the sound would push away the awkwardness that hung in the air around us. “Well, my young Journeyman, what do you think of your party?”
    “Thinking of my aunt,” I told him.
    “Oh.” I couldn’t think of a single subject to discuss, and his silence suggested that he faced the same problem. We observed the boisterous crowd. I shifted, rubbing my knees, which still ached. “Have you met all your fellow Warriors?” he asked.
    “I think so.”
    “Because there will be a quiz.”
    I scanned the room, noting all the names. Despite my exhausted state, I was certain that I'd not miss any. “Not a problem.”
    “I was being funny… There is no quiz.”
    “Oh.” The silence continued.
    Altis smiled at several Warriors, but no one approached. I imagine they assumed that we were discussing our