“Not yet.” That was what the female said who appeared at her side, crouching down to peer at her. Her violet eyes were hard and narrowed. Her shiny mahogany hair was braided down her back, and she wore close-fitting black clothing. “Lost for so long, but not much longer. Fate changes, moment-by-moment, and I can’t keep up. But it is not time for this, for chaos and death. Much can change. Much will change. That war will come.” She reached out and placed a hand over Tessa’s heart, and faint light flared as she murmured, “It slumbers still. Now is not the time for this. Not yet.”
