The doors cracked open some time after Akamori had descended inside. The librarian once again standing before its dark entrance. It pointed to Morwen and spoke, those horrifyingly large fangs quivering with each forced word of standard spoken.

“Lt. Morwen. Your presence has been requested. This way, please.”

Morwen pushed herself up from the extra plush chair she’d been sitting on and bowed to Amara politely from behind a game of Darstrix Aryte. The two had played each other to a comfortable stalemate. With both of them playing bold strategies that countered the other’s moves nicely.

“It’s a shame we won’t be able to finish. You were keeping me on my toes rather nicely. Thank you.”

Amara smiled and shook her head before looking towards the door. “Good luck, and be careful.”

Morwen nodded firmly and gave a concerned look at Sirsir and Arjun’s unconscious form. Sirsir gave her an affirming nod. Go ahead. I’ve got this , his look told her. She faced the librarian and proceeded towards the darkened room inside the double doors. She peered back to ask what was inside, but the doors closed, leaving her with just her thoughts. She cast a small globe of light that floated above her head, casting a soft warm glow to light her way down.

While Morwen descended the stone stairs, her boots echoed loudly off the walls. Eventually she found the bottom and a soft woman’s voice greeted her.

“You’ve come a long way Morwen. Thank you for finally making it.”

“I believe you have me at a disadvantage.”

“A state of being you’ll quickly grow used to I’m afraid.”

Morwen frowned. That wasn’t terribly comforting. “Dark words coming from the goddess of fate.”

Sashlu grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs. “I knew you’d figured it out.”

“It took little to guess once we starting connecting dots. Much harder with some kind of magical spell that ran around creation hiding you. But easy enough to establish once we got here.”

“What gave it away?” Sashlu asked eagerly.

“The spiders.”

Sashlu smiled like a proud mother. “Very observant. And sharp.”

“So.” Morwen said, getting down to business. Sashlu chuckled melodiously, and Morwen paused. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing. I just love how you are always so swift to get to the heart of the matter.”

Morwen tugged her uniform jacket down tightly. “You’ve summoned us all here. For what purpose?”

Sashlu’s eyes shone with magic as she smiled. “To forge you.”

“You say that as if we’re tools.”

“But you are.”

Morwen folded her arms. “To you perhaps. But we are still mortals with lives.”

“Lives that would be snuffed out very quickly if I had not deigned to interfere. Would you prefer I allow Sauridius and his designs to come to pass? That would mean the subjugation of the sector and a lot of unnecessary deaths.” Sashlu held a hand up to snap her finger. “In an instant, I could revert time, choices, victories, and sacrifices. If that’s what you choose.”

Morwen shook her head stiffly, “No. You’ve made your point. We’d just appreciate being handled with a little more compassion.”

Sashlu chuckled softly, “My dear child. I’m the goddess of fate. Not compassion. Shall we begin?”

Morwen nodded her ascent, and Sashlu held out a hand to her chest. Magic glowed with golden, brilliant light, which turned a bright crimson as it plunged into Morwen’s chest. She clenched her teeth as fire poured behind her eyes and mind.

“If your prophecy was any sign, time is of the essence. Please.” Morwen said.

Sashlu held both hands to the Morwen’s temples. Warmth flooded into her head. Her skin tingled as the aether flowed into her, flooding her body and merging with her soul. She was forever changed now. More than she’d been. Sashlu had gifted her something beyond simple magic and additional pool. Morwen received an ability. She could feel it now, as much a part of her as if she’d been born with it.

“I have given you the ability to touch the Web of Fate. With it, all choices and consequence from the smallest to the largest actions lay bare before you. Your skill with it will be infantile at first, but the more you use the ability, the better you’ll be at being able to read your opponents’ actions or lack thereof.”

Sashlu went silent, allowing Morwen a moment to channel the ability. It used its own magic, needing none of her own aether. That alone won it praise from her. Her expression went vacant as she stared into the distance as possible actions unraveled before her like threads of a web. Each branch spun off into yet more. She could focus on the big picture or zero down to singular actions and follow specific odds.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“If I’d possessed even a fraction of this ability in some of my past campaigns, the outcome of the war would be a vastly different affair.” Morwen mused with awe.

Sashlu nodded sagely. “The ability to and predict future events is powerful. But it’s only part of the equation. You must also be able to act on what you divine. Which is why you and squad have been chosen to act as my hand of fate.”

Morwen’s focus sharpened, and she blinked several times until Sashlu’s surreal face came into sharp relief. She was both beautiful and horrifying in equal measure. Was it the fangs or the eyes? Maybe both? No one should look like that.

“I’m sorry, Hand of Fate? My squad?”

Sashlu nodded, and Morwen could tell this was the part where she finally got some answers. She was ready for this.

“You, Akamori, Amara, Sirsir, and Yasiin. You each share a divine destiny. A golden thread in my web you each walk. Each of you are necessary components to a plan older than the notion of time itself.”

Morwen frowned, her brows cinching together. Her mind went to Yasiin, the absentee member of her squad. Sashlu smiled and shook her head. “Be at ease. Yasiin’s absence has been accounted for in this potential thread. It became a necessary end to buy enough time for all this to be possible.”

“You planned for him to be absent?”

Sashlu frowned, each of her eight eyebrows pressed downwards in her jet-black eyes. “More that I foresaw the likelihood that he would dismiss Akamori’s invitation and heed the Lt.’s advice to remain behind. External factors like his family turning up on Aeryn coincidentally strengthened the possibility of selecting that choice.”

“I see. So we can’t force outcomes, but can steer them towards more desirable positions.”

“Within reason.” Sashlu cautioned. “There’s always an air of chance, regardless of how well you account for external factors. Take your crimson haired friend, for example. He abhors fate, and yet I could still navigate him into circumstances by which I would position him to meet with me.”

“Had he known we’d journey’d through the void all that way to meet you, he’d have stayed back with Yasiin.”

Sashlu nodded with the pleased smile of a mentor having imparted a lesson to her pupil. “The odds of that outcome were close. It was anyone’s guess if he’d have actually come. Thankfully, you have. That puts us in a more favorable position for the steps to follow.”

“What comes next?” Morwen asked, curiosity tinted her voice.

Sashlu frowned, having to select her next words carefully. “You face the first of many crucibles. Already, events are in motion that puts Aeryn in critical danger. I’ve moved the pieces as best as I can, but the best solution was removing you from play in order to make you better suited to the task when I finally put you back in play.”

“Which is when?”

“Soon. Our time draws short. I’ve enjoyed our chat. You’re much less resistant to me than Akamori, though his soul is tired and understandably short on patience with the path he walks. Go in strength Morwen, steel yourself. Dark times loom ahead, which will sorely test your resolve.”

Morwen wanted to stay longer. She had so many questions, both about the future and her ability, but she recognized that she’d been given everything she needed already. The rest was up to her now. A set of doors opened at the top of a long, winding stone staircase that rose into the gloom, ending at the brightly lit exit.

She let out a deep breath and took the staircase one step at a time. She knew the prophecy well enough to know what came next. The Sauridius was moving in the shadows on Aeryn. She feared for just how deeply they could sink their claws.

Her people could be arrogant, foolish and quick to dismiss warnings. Too sure of themselves and their safety. She tried to think through the pluses to having an assault take place on her homeworld. The upper class was too trapped in playing games with the families and houses to recognize the danger that was already threatening them. As usual, it would take blood, innocent blood, before action would be taken to defend the world.

She feared by then it would be too late. Petty differences and power moves would keep them too distracted. Morwen frowned as her thoughts strode into dark territories. At the peak of the stairs a large chamber stood before her with Akamori standing inside, arms folded and looking on the verge of a vigorous pace. She caught the toe of his boot tapping impatiently. Anxious energy looking for a way to vent.

She fell in next to him, following his gaze off into the distance. Before them sat a massive flat space that rather looked like a hangar area. Room enough for a corvette by her estimation. Too small for something as massive as the Crasher , but small enough to make for a small, fast capital ship. Around them, the rocky interior swept inwards towards the massive double doors that deposited them here. She scanned around some more, noticing the faint warm glow of lighting crystals floating in place at even intervals.

“Relax, or you’ll tap a dent in the stone floor. Last thing we need is someone tumbling over and suffering an injury.”

Akamori bit back a laugh, unable to hold back a sigh, before looking at her. “How do we get home? I feel like we were in such a rush to get here that we might have overlooked the most vital part. Getting back.”

“A fair point. Things have moved according to the prophecy so far. So I have to trust that there is a plan.”

“Almost as if you should have faith in fate.” A soft melodious voice said from behind and all around them at the same time.

“Get bent.” Akamori grumbled.

Morwen punched him in the shoulder armor. “Akamori!” she hissed. “Please do not blaspheme fate in her own temple.”

A soft chuckle faded from hearing as Morwen pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. A beat passed before she broke the silence. “So. What did you get?”

“Some memories, and fire magic. You?”

“Divine foresight if I had to boil it down. Tell me about these memories?”

“It’s a fighting style. My body and soul knew different parts of the same whole. She mashed them together.” Akamori said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at the doorway. “What about your foresight? How does that work?”

“I can see the web of fate. Any and every choice and result. All possibilities laid bare. With time and practice, it could become nearly impossible to move, in a way I can’t predict.”

“The queen of possibilities, then.” Akamori said with a nod.

“The what?”

He shook his head. “It’s an old fairy tale from home.”

Morwen’s expression shifted to one of thoughtfulness. She could see elements loosely coming together from a great distance. Coming together into what, however, she wasn’t sure. This had Fate’s fingerprints all over it, however. She resolved to keep her suspicions silent for the time being until she could better determine how things were designed to take shape. Doing so now would only make Akamori harder to motivate into action. For now, she only had his sense of altruism.

The doors cracked open behind them, and soft boot steps echoed up from inside until Amara emerged, blinking the sudden blindness away.

“I can see everything now…” she said in awe.

‎