“I am sure you are made all the wiser for such an attitude. I can offer you proof, however; should you take it.” She tilted her head, listening intently. “I believe were such things not a fact, then some Firebearers could not use these lines to peer along into a person’s future.”

“Firebearers can?” Vhalla interjected eagerly.

“Some,” Lord Ophain nodded.

“Very few,” Aldrik scoffed. “Most are curiosity shop charlatans with smoke-and-mirror parlor tricks.”

Vhalla decided then to keep the incident with the Firebearer named Vi to herself.

“Fine. Since my nephew seems keen on dismissing that theory.” The lord looked between them knowingly. “The ties that Bond two people together are made of the same red lines of fate.”

Vhalla’s eyes grew wide. Lord Ophain allowed himself a satisfied smile. Her heart began to race and she glanced over at Aldrik. Her prince chuckled softly and shook his head.

“Don’t worry, Vhalla. I trust him,” Aldrik reaffirmed.

She stared in shock at the prince and then back at Lord Ophain. It spoke volumes of the relationship these two shared if Aldrik trusted him with the knowledge of their Bond. Vhalla began to immediately warm up to the Lord of the West.

“To not even be Awoken and form a Bond.” Lord Ophain ran a hand across his chin. “You are a curious creature indeed. I am truly excited for your demonstration tomorrow.”

“It’s tomorrow?” Vhalla asked the room.

“Father told me earlier.” Aldrik nodded.

“Have you thought of introducing her to crystals for all this?” Lord Ophain asked Aldrik.

“No, and do not breathe a word of it to my father,” the prince threatened. “As far as he is concerned, she cannot handle them without risk of taint, just like any other sorcerer.”

“And how did you get him to believe that?” The Lord of the West seemed impressed.

“I told him I tried.” Aldrik shrugged. “I have been providing him carefully doctored notes based on my own to paint the picture I want him to know.”

“Clever,” Lord Ophain praised.

Vhalla ignored the guilt she felt for ever suspecting that Aldrik would share the intimacies of their Bond without care. “But, I can handle them ...” Vhalla thought back to the stones Minister Victor used on her after she was first Awoken. They had worked so effortlessly with her magic it was as though they’d been made especially for her.

Lord Ophain grinned broadly at Aldrik, clearly excited by her admission. The prince pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Vhalla, don’t repeat that out of this room.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Do you know how the War of the Crystal Caverns was started?” Lord Ophain asked her.