If I hadn't happened to be sitting on the bench that late at night, trying to sort out my runes, I wouldn't have been able to change history.
It happened this way:
Princess Santia sent to the temple for me. It was already past sunset, but that happened sometimes. Whenever she felt uneasy in the world, she sent for her favorite diviner.
It helped that I had a true gift.
I knew her betrothed would arrive tomorrow and they would marry on the anniversary of her father's army defeating his father's troops in battle.
I had tried to hint that it was an inauspicious choice of date for the wedding celebration. For King Telthe, Santia's father, it was a day of jubilation. For King Cosin -- well, he had no say, having lost the battle. He didn't have to be happy about it.
The joining of the two families and the promise of joint rule of both countries was the best future any of us could hope to see.
A shame the reading for that night didn't promise anything good.
As a member of the Sisterhood of True Seers, I dared not even whisper how bad the event would go. No one wanted to listen to me. However, in tonight's reading, I had seen nobles on both sides taking affront at references to the battle.
Weapons drawn. Blood spilled.
The war would restart. I saw devastation everywhere, and Santia's prince never returning to her.
By the Rules of the Temple, any of us with true powers were forbidden from giving more than hints about what we read in the runes. The more serious the reading, the less we could say. I understood. We could change the world by urging people into actions to counter a bad reading. That often didn't mean a better future.
I left the palace in a hurry when Santia was called away by servants. I shoved the rune stones into their silk bag and gathered my shawl. I didn't stop until I sat on the bench outside the temple gate.
I needed to wrap each of the runes in their own small cloth and pack them away properly. Taking unprotected runes into the temple could be dangerous. I paused, though. It was a warm night with a slight breeze, a haze of high clouds, and a full moon. Such an atmosphere would help clear the runes of troubling energy that had built up tonight, both from the reading and from my hasty retreat. I laid them out on the bench beside me, troubled when a couple slid into different spots.
I kept up the battle with the runes for several heartbeats until I realized they were creating a reading, and I wondered if it was meant for me.
I drew my hands back, and the runes kept moving, and I had the impression that I must ask a favor. I had no idea of what favor I needed or whom I needed to ask.
And then Lapril walked up to the bench.
I had neither seen nor heard him nearby. That's not unusual. His work as the King's Assassin required a level of stealth that touched on magic. I had no idea what he was doing outside the temple this late at night.
"You called me?" he asked, his voice soft.
"No, I didn't," I protested. Then I looked down at the runes that still jumped and slid across the bench. "Or maybe I did."
"They seem more active than usual."
I suppressed a hysterical laugh. "It is not a good sign. I am sorry they called --"
Ask for a favor.
"They want me to do a favor?" he said, surprising me.
"You can read the runes?"
"I can hear them."
I found that fascinating. I wanted to ask more, but he shifted slightly, and I realized that the two of us might draw unwanted attention. That's when I realized the favor I needed.
"Because I belong to the Temple, I abide by their rules. I cannot tell you why I want this done. I can only ask that you trust me. I would not do this for a minor reason."
Lapril looked at me and then at the runes I was trying to catch and put away.
"I trust you."
"First, I do not want you to kill anyone."
Lapril gave a sigh of relief. I told him the basics of what I needed and let him work out the details. There wasn't much time.
By evening the next day, I knew Lapril had succeeded.
King Cosin and his party had stopped for the night at the last caravansary before the city. They would have arrived midday, but instead, a messenger delivered the tale of a goat on the roof and the area over the king's table collapsing onto his group.
There were no serious injuries. Even the goat survived, although there was still some question of how it got up there.
King Cosin broke his leg and couldn't travel for at least ten days and probably more. King Telthe sent supplies and gifts, and made certain they wanted for nothing. He even went to visit.
By the time they arrived, the kings were fast friends. The wedding took place ten days later with as much pomp and festivities as could be managed. I even danced with Lapril, much to the delight of Santia and her mother. Lapril seemed to enjoy it as well.
At the end of the dance, I quietly thanked him for his help. Lapril had a nice smile.
At midnight, I gave Santia a reading and could promise her everything bright and beautiful I had hoped to see in the previous reading. This time there was no doubt.
Well, there was the problem with their future children, but I had time enough to figure that one out. I trusted it would not require an assassin this time.
