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"I know"

I twiddledthat, though I mean, I never really understood the lines before I never knew the difference bethat it felt like to love a friend and what it felt like to love someone more But it’s clear now And I think Nate is sweet and an absolute ges for hi down at his hand on"I’itation coet sick of Mike always thinking I’uards to watchtoo casually past the door--again "I’ve changed And Mike can’t see that"

"Maybe he just doesn’t want to see it" Jason ca my shoulders

"What do I have to do to prove to hiirl I hen I left hily; he pressed his lips to the back of irl He’ll see one day--he’s just gonna be the last, is all"

I nodded, touching ht on cue, Arthur walked in, carrying a set of keys He waltzed straight over to the middle of the room, shifted the oak table aside like it was plastic, and kicked the rug back, bending down

"What are you doing?" I appeared beside hi the scroll rooently and walked

Arthur pulled the giant key out froet a lantern, please"

I leaned closer and peered into the cold,into my hand "When was the last tiaine came down toin there tonight?"

Arthur hesitated "No"

"Hey, Nate?" Jason called out, passing a lantern to Arthur

"Yerp?" Nate’s head popped over the railing on the next floor

"Keep watch Anyone co" He saluted and disappeared over the railing again

"All right Leta corner of the scroll to flatten it

I leaned in to look closer, holding the candle up to see the text "That’s a lot of weird symbols"

"Yup So, I’ve interpreted these runes to the ancient language" He pointed to a sheet of paper beside the scroll "And here, I’ve translated the ancient language to English Now, see the words in brackets here?"

"Yeah"

"I’ve underlined those words on this page What that means is that there are a few different interpretations frolish We have several words that can mean what these do--" He pointed to the three underlined words

"So, this sys can e on the next page, but couldn’t even begin to pronounce thelish translation "Pure one, noble or even clean?"

"Yep"

I looked at Arthur "Do you agree with that, Arthur?"

"I’ll look over the his eyes on the few loose leafs he was reading, sitting in the armchair across the room

Jason rolled his eyes when I looked back at hilish translation reads, A tiht and hope, she will free the land of the fated curse and bear a child with great power" He grabbed the other piece of paper and placed theets tricky See, this line says so the lines of, A child, possible only if conceived of pure--" He pointed to the English words "But can also ht with a capital K"

"So, it could be any knight--any noble blood?"

"Right, and this word--" He pointed to another between the words Born as and Son "This symbol actually has no translation It’s si disguised"

A line of question marks floated past lanced up from his papers and watched us for a second He looked like an olda pipe while drinking Scotch I soes on, and this is the bit that always had inal scroll "Thissysteal documents"

"What does that mean?"

"I suspect--" He looked at Arthur "That this isn’t actually a prophecy at all, but a contract"

I frowned Arthur sat taller

"What do you ned ned you over to him--promised you’d be born"

"So, the pure blood--the noble--could that be…me?"

"Well, it clearly talks about a child that will have pure blood, but, like I said, I think this symbol means it wasn’t a foretold child, but a promised one"

"Do you think Drake made a deal with soht That’s enough" Arthur stood, duirl’s head with your stories, son"

"But, Uncle Arthur--"

"I said that’s enough" Arthur grabbed the lantern and took me by the hand "If you have even half a brain,about what these scrolls say and start worrying about an heir"

"But--"

"No buts" He ledJason behind "Your head has been filled with enough misinterpretations of that damn scroll, and I’ve had it This all needs to stop"

We reached the library again and Arthur blew the lantern out

"Why don’t you just tell me what your interpretation is, then?" I stopped and spun to face him "If you seem to know so much"

"Because my notes on the prophecy are at Elysiued "There’s no way you’d co those notes--or at least have the?"

"I have nothing to hide"

As Jason caht "Uncle Arthur, she needs to see the truth"

Arthur gazed at it, then at me, and stepped back "Go on then Read that last line to her, and you will see why I asked you to stay out of it"