"One heart beats to a dial, two hearts beat to an eternity," I turn to him with downward twitch of my lips before gagging. "This is an actual prophecy? Someone actually wrote this?"  His dark eyes crease at the corner as his gaze drifts to the ancient tablet. His hands are folded behind his back and his tongue clicks softly against the roof of his mouth until it stops with a quiet chuckle. "I believe so, in fact I believe it was someone we both knew," he smiles softly over his shoulder at me. "Someone who loved-."  "Maliki!" Liam never yells but whatever Maliki says must've angered him because his voice comes out strained as he glares at the Alderman. "Do you not have decrees to sign and treaties to forge," his impatience tone is not hard to miss but Maliki merely smirks at him.  "Of course, Liam McKnight." He bows his head and leaves without another word, whistling the same odd tune as he makes his way through the halls.  I watch Maliki's fleeting back with my eyes burning for some reason and I can feel the hall getting warmer. When I turn back to Liam he's starring at me with those baby blues, desperate to bring some serenity to the chaos that's brewing. My heart is hammering and before I even announce my displeasure of him dismissing Maliki he smiles sadly before gesturing to a weathered book sitting right next to the tablet.  "Would you believe me if I were to tell you it all started with a fairytale?"  The anger subsides and a new coolness of curiosity overcomes me as we draw closer to the book. "Maybe, if I were there to witness it first."  Liam smiles and nods slowly before reaching out to flick the medallion hanging around my neck. "Because the truth is only-."  "Ever the truth if you were there to witness it." *** "Or the one in which a girl learns her past, future, and present all at the same interval."