I watched the tent and took in a deep breath as I waited for Tito to exit and let me in. My whole body was tense as I anxiously waited for the right moment to get in. I needed to get this done. I needed to see what he had to say and prayed that he would be in better condition to answer me.
'Would you relax?' Charlie asked, causing me to snort. 'You already know that Tito has to push him around a bit. He won't do that too hard.'
'I know,' I said, checking the band on my wrist to see the time. I pursed my lips feeling very annoyed with him taking so long, but I understood that he had to make sure that the Soothsayer was safe as well as making sure that no one would be able to know that we were communicating with him. 'But, we still have places to be and don't have that much time to do the shit we have to do.'
'I know,' Charlie said. 'Also Sergio has finished stuff that you wanted. When do you want to start handing everything out?'
'Closer to the battle,' I replied. 'We don't want anyone to know about the bands.' I watched as Tito stepped out of the tent and held it open. 'I think you might be able to connect the others to the call, except for May. They might need to hear this, too.' I walked into the tent, giving Tito the signal that I was in and causing him to close the tent.
'Hey, we are finally connected to the line,' Sergio said as the person in this filthy tent groaned and moved closer to the back wall. 'Are you going to let us see?'
I rolled my eyes and took out a small glow stick that could turn this dark room brighter. I broke the stick and shook it before tossing the stick near the door, filling the room with this brilliant white light.
'That is not letting us see,' Sergio said.
I rolled my eyes again and took out some of the small balls just as the Soothsayer whimpered and moved away.
"Don't hurt me, Master. I am sorry. Don't hurt me," he said. "The light blinds. The light hurts, Master. I can't go near the light. Too bright." He covered his head with the "shirt" that he had on.
I raised an eyebrow and tossed the balls into the air after turning them on. I watched as they hit the tent and disappeared, now having my own eyes on the Soothsayer.
'It's connected,' Charlie said. 'I'm dimming the lights a bit.' He dimmed the light until it was bearable for the whimpering man in the corner.
"Thank, Master," he said. "Show, Master, show." He moved his cloth down until he was looking straight at me with brilliant brown and blue eyes.
'Can he see you?' Sergio asked, sounding shocked. 'How?'
'Soothsayers were said to be connected to the Ten,' Charlie said. 'If the Ten's blood is running through her veins, then...'
'Then it wouldn't be hard for him to see me,' I said. I moved to the left and started to walk forward, watching as his gaze stayed on me.
He moved his lips but no sound came out. Sometimes his body convulsed and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, but it didn't last long. It was concerning to watch, however, and made me quicken my pace towards him.
I stopped when he backed up and curled into a ball after one of his episodes. I was halfway near him, but that didn't help me at all. I needed to be closer to him if I wanted to help.
'Take off the hood and mask,' Commander said. 'Let him see you. That might cause him to calm down.'
I did what I was told to do and reached for the hood. I pulled it off before pulling down the mask that covered my face.
The Soothsayer relaxed immediately and sat up. His head looked like it would fall off at any moment, moving back and forth as if it wasn't screwed on right. "76-24-24-32," he mumbled over and over again. "76-24-24-32."
'What is he talking about?' Hank asked. 'What is this code?'
I didn't reply as I studied the male before me. 'I think he knows about the electric device thing,' I said, finally. I took the device out of my belt and opened the top to reveal the dial and some wires.
'Wait, you don't have the right credentials for that,' Sergio said, panicking. 'You aren't even allowed to know how t-' He stopped talking when I turned the dial to '76.' 'Of course you know how to do it,' he muttered.
I rolled my eyes and moved closer to the Soothsayer. I stopped in front of him and knelt down. Gently, I grabbed his chin so that he wouldn't move his head on accident while I did the device. "76," I muttered, pressing the thing to his forehead.
"24-24-32," the Soothsayer said. He grabbed my hand and closed his eyes, waiting for me to do the other three numbers. His grip was strong, stronger than I thought would be possible, and I was curious as to why it was so. "24-24-32."
I slid the dial to 24. "24, 24." I placed the thing to either side of his temple and clicked it. I watched as he started to relax a little more and his ramblings started to become less and less.
"32," he mumbled. "32."
I looked at the device and moved it to the thirty-two. "32," I said, pressing it to his chest. I dropped the device when he started to fall over and grabbed his arm. "Easy," I warned, helping him sit up again.
"Sorry, sorry," he grunted, clutching my arm. He groaned and almost toppled, but I made sure to have a tight grip on him and helped him stay up. "This is the first time in years that I have a clear mind." He moved forward off balance, gripping my arm tighter. "You don't happen to have anything to help me, do you? It'd be best if we are to discuss everything in the amount of time that is given to us."
I rolled my eyes but didn't reply as I grabbed one of the things that Tito had given me before I met this man before me. "Open," I said, causing the male to open his mouth. "Chew." I tossed it into his mouth and watched him.
The Soothsayer did what I told him to do and chewed the piece. His whole body became relaxed, and he didn't fall around as he had before. "Thank you, Alpha Beta," he said. He let go of my arm and sighed with relief as he leaned back, looking stronger and more alert.
"What do you know?" I asked, cocking my head. I studied him and could tell that he was very hesitant about what he could and couldn't say. "It's safe. The Warlock made sure that it was."
The Soothsayer narrowed his eyes at me. "Are we talking about the Warlock that had promised to... make me talk?"
"Did he?" I asked, cocking my head. "Make you talk?"
The Soothsayer paused before shaking his head. "He didn't," he confirmed. "He "tried" to use some spells, but they didn't work. There were some that did, but they weren't directed towards me."
I nodded my head an amused smile playing on my lips because I knew how Tito could make his spells not work even though he was a very powerful Warlock. "I fondly call him Tito," I said, slowly. I nodded my head again in confirmation when the Soothsayer raised an eyebrow. "I trust him a lot. Both he and his king had sworn to help me with whatever I need doing here. I know that he won't go against his word in hopes of keeping me alive."
"They like you," he noted. "The other species. I can see it."
I shrugged my shoulder, my cheeks turning slightly red. "What can you tell me?" I asked, again.
"You are a descendant of the Ten," the Soothsayer said. He shifted until he was comfortable and held out his hand. "Hand, palm up."
"I am guessing you want my gloves off," I said, pulling both gloves off and pushing the sleeve until it reached my elbow. I gave him my left arm and noticed that his touch was warm and brought me the comfort I craved.
"You know two of the four that helped create you," he said, gently rubbing his thumb across my palms. Concern filled his eyes, and I could tell that he was worried about something.
"Wait, four?" I asked, shocked. "You're kidding, right?"
The Soothsayer looked up and slowly blinked, unimpressed. He scowled and tightened his grip on my hand afraid that I would leave again and not come back. "Yes, four," he said. "Are you willing to listen to me this time?"
I hesitated but nodded my head. "Yes," I said. My voice shook with uncertainty, and this caused the Soothsayer's eyes to soften.
"You are scared to be considered a threat, again, aren't you?" he asked. He squeezed my hand reassuringly when I hesitated but nodded. "You won't," he promised.
I didn't reply and looked down. I could tell that the others were silent as they watched everything that happened between me and the Soothsayer.
"You don't believe me, do you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Will you believe your group?"
I hesitated and looked up at this male. I let him see the fear, the uncertainty that I had always carried after being locked up all of those years ago. "It's... hard to get past the self-doubt, Soothsayer," I said, softly. I licked my lips and shrugged my shoulder. "But, which four am I?" I asked, changing the subject.
The Soothsayer scowled and studied me. He wanted to continue with what I had brought up, but he understood and didn't. "You are descended from Fia the Kind and Shilan the Vengeful from your father."
I smirked, tiredly, and watched as he traced their symbols into my skin. They were gold and white and looked like the diagonal mark that went through the traitor's mark. I looked up at him and was about to point it out when he stopped me with a look.
"Now, now, we can talk about that later," he warned. "We are almost out of time. Hand me over your other arm so I can mark you. We can discuss everything else later."
I huffed but obliged. I stayed silent as he started to mark my skin, both marks familiar to me.
"The other two are Tula the TruthSeeker..." he gave me a pointed look and smirked when I scowled, "and Ingford the Chosen."
I looked at the four symbols and watched as they disappeared. I felt... powerful like... I was finally connected to a part of me that had known the information from the beginning.
"Those are the four that you are descended from," he said, causing me to look up at him. He smiled tiredly. "And, now, we are out of time. We will discuss everything later." He reached down and picked up the electronic device and placed it in my hands. "Here, it is time."
I looked at the device and looked at him. I knew that he wanted to stay and be insane, but I didn't have the heart to cause him that pain. "Are you sure?" I asked.
He nodded. "I am," he confirmed. "Now, hurry up. We don't have much time for you to be contemplating this. Don't come here tomorrow. You will know when it is safe."
I nodded my head. "Be careful and not a word. We'll make sure that you stay as safe as you can with a psycho maniac wanting revenge."
"I trust you," he replied.
I nodded and did the device to him going backward. I couldn't help but let the tears fall as I watched this man lose his sanity piece by piece until he was insane.
Before the Soothsayer toppled over and acted as he did, he placed his hand on my cheek and wiped some of the tears that fell from my eyes. He looked shocked, and I had no idea what he could comprehend as he toppled over and went through one of his spells.
I wiped my eyes and cleared my throat as I stood, watching him mumble complete and utter nonsense. 'Get a recording of everything he says,' I said, placing the gloves on my hand.
'Already started,' Sergio said. 'You'll know soon.'
I nodded my head in confirmation and walked to the entrance. I slid my hood and mask back over my face but stopped walking when the Soothsayer said 'Master.'
The Soothsayer was sitting up and looked more alert than he did a few seconds ago. His whole body moved as he tried to keep himself up in a seated position. "Trust, Master," he said. "Trust."
He wanted me to trust in myself. He wanted me to be ok with myself and not listen to the self-doubt that moved through my head.
I sighed and picked up the light. "I'll try," I whispered, not sure if he could hear me or not. And with that, I left, not wanting to hear another word from the insane man that I had made happen.