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

upcoming quest. I couldn’t believe that we were to leave in two days. I hadn’t realized before that moment how draining trying to decide between Adine’s offer and fulfilling my duties as a Journeyman had been. But now I knew. I was traveling with Altis. Hopefully, I would get better at conversation and not spend the whole year racking my brain for interesting topics, but we had nothing in common. Nothing to talk about.
    “I guess it’s time for you to go get some rest.”  Altis said.  He ignored my sigh of relief.  But, before I was allowed to retire, I was to give a speech. Speaking in front of a group wasn’t a problem. I had given many lectures. I thanked everyone for coming and said how truly honored I was to be accepted as a fellow Warrior. “This wasn’t a Track I had chosen for myself,” I told them. “But I will do my best to live up to it. I will not let you down.” The room erupted in drunken cheers.
    I returned to my room. None of the Apprentices were in our common room. They were all going about their daily tasks, including Meena. I thought that I’d be too introspective to sleep, but I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow. I awoke several hours later, but had nothing to do. I meandered toward Nazarie's suite.
    Sitting in her study talking to her, whiling away the day, reminded me how important she was to me. Aunt, mother, sister, and teacher all rolled into one. Our conversation bounced between gossip to politics to philosophy and back again. I wished that I could freeze time and we could keep this afternoon on a continual loop.
    As enjoyable as the afternoon was, nothing was the same as before. I could feel the weight of the secret about the book, and I wondered about the truth of Shezdon’s death. I ached to talk with her about it, but did not.
    “I’m tasked with literally saving the world, and I don’t feel prepared,” I told her.
    “You lost all your memories when you were twelve years old. You’ve accomplished so much since then. Even as an Apprentice, you’ve helped shape the course of knowledge. This is another challenge.”
    “I wish I knew more about life outside of my books.”
    “Hailey.” Nazarie’s tone became more serious. “I wanted you to hear this from me, not Altis. To continue your studies of The Edge, you will be going back to River's End.”
    “What? Why?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. River's End was my old village. The one from which my aunt helped me to escape. I wanted nothing to do with it. “Do you think he will be there?” I asked. I couldn't handle running into my father. I hadn't ever even pictured the day that I would.
    “You are a trained Weaver now.”
    “Do you think my father is evil? Is that why he killed my mother?”
    “The world is far too complex to condense to just good and evil. Take The Edge, for example. I truly believe it is a forest fire. Maybe it is not evil. I think you will help us come to terms with what it means.”
    “The Apparition said The Edge was evil.”
    “Did it say that The Edge itself was evil?”
    “Well, I guess not.” I paused, reflecting on the exact words. “Evil melting without knowing. It didn’t say who or what was evil. Maybe it was not The Edge.” I shrugged. “Maybe instead of writing that report we should have spent more time analyzing the exact words of the Apparition.”
    “I don’t think so,” Nazarie said. “I think you are plenty prepared. Do you remember anything from before I came to get you?” We’d never spoken of the past, from before I’d come to the Keep. I think she always respected that I didn’t want to talk about it. Besides, it had no bearing on my life here.
    “Bits and pieces. Over the past couple years, more has been coming back, but it’s like a painting ripped in pieces. I can see a partial scene, but there are hard edges where there ought to be something else beyond. I've always thought of it as somewhat of a blessing that I can’t remember some