I discovered that Shaylee had entered foster care when she was three months old. She’d been bounced around to four different homes by the time she was two. That was when Andrew Hastings’ petition for guardianship had been granted by the courts. She’d been with him ever since. What did Andrew want with a human child? He’d been petitioning the court to get her out of foster care for nearly two years before it was granted.
As for Andrew himself, there was nothing extraordinary. He’d been in education for a long time. He got his current job at Ardara four years ago and owned a small house in Salem. He had no living relatives and no connections to the Resistance that I could find.
There was nothing, perhaps too much nothing. Someone at this school had contacted the Resistance and it seemed to me that person had to be Andrew Hastings.
***
The next day, I followed Andrew from the school to a small cafe in town. It was rare for me to go against what the Council wanted as it would severely damage the access I had to secret Council information if I was found out. If anyone discovered what I was about to do, it wouldn’t just affect my job, it would get me killed.
I walked into the cafe. Andrew Hastings sat with his back to the door, sipping a large coffee and reading a book. I paused just inside the door, once again contemplating my decision. I took a deep breath and determinedly walked over to his table. I slid into the seat across from him and attempted to look as non-threatening as possible.
Andrew glanced up at me, surprised. I caught no hint of fear or suspicion in his gaze, but his body was tense.
“Do you know why I’m here?” I asked, keeping my voice low to avoid any potential eavesdroppers.
“Well their coffee is excellent, but you don’t really strike me as a coffee drinker,” Andrew replied.
“I’m here because the Council has a recording of someone at this school attempting to contact the Resistance about the Prophecy.”
I watched his face carefully as I spoke. Other than a slight twitch in his left eye, he gave nothing away.
“I wouldn’t know anything about that,” he replied.
“Really? As someone with a human ward who bears a striking resemblance to someone the Council feels constitutes a real danger, I would think you’d be the number one suspect.”
Andrew’s face turned red.
“Shaylee is none of your business,” he said through gritted teeth.
“What are you doing with a human, Andrew? Not only are they going to kill her, but by associating with her you’ll likely be eliminated as well.”
“Don’t threaten me,” Andrew spat.
“It’s not a threat. I have no desire to hurt you or the girl. If I did, I would have already reported both of you. Council Mages would be swarming this place if I wanted them to, but I don't. However, I won’t be able to hold off the Council forever. They will come looking and when they do it’s not going to end well.”
The color drained from Andrew’s face.
“Why are you warning me?” he finally asked. “It’s no secret you’ve been doing the Council’s bidding since the Exodus.”
“It’s true. I’ve done my share of dirty work for the Council, but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything they do. You and Shaylee don’t deserve to die just because she shares a resemblance with Sophia.”
“I take it you don’t believe in the prophecy,” he said.
“The prophecy isn’t real.”
“You’re a fool if you really believe that and I’ve never thought you to be a fool.”
“What makes you so certain?” I asked.
“Because Shaylee is the daughter of Alain and Braeden Fallon, or Alain and Braeden Neale as they later became known.
“That’s not possible,” I argued. “I knew them before the Exodus. They tried to have children for years.”
“And do you remember what Sophia told them. She said they would one day have a child and that child would change everything. And then they finally managed it around eighteen years ago. They kept it a secret for as long as they could, but eventually word got around to the Council. Dominic sent Mages after them. They died protecting Shaylee from the Mage fire that consumed their home.”
Andrew sounded so confident about his information that I felt the first feeling of doubt about the Prophecy.
“How did you end up with Shaylee?” I asked.
“Her parents designated me as her guardian in their Will, but there were some legal issues and Shaylee ended up in the foster system. It took me nearly two years to get her out, but it was enough time hidden from the Council in the human world that I’ve managed to keep her safe. I’ve even kept the truth hidden from her to protect her and I cast a charm on her so that others will believe her to be human.”
“If that’s true it’s going to be quite the shock for her when she Transitions,” I observed.
“I thought she’d be safer that way,” he shrugged.
“You should just take her and leave,” I said. “I can only hold them off for so long. When they do come, I might be able to convince them that she has nothing to do with the Prophecy, but they will still kill her.”
Andrew shook his head and said, “If I run now, they’ll know for sure that she’s someone worth tracking. If I can make it to her Transition, she’ll be able to protect herself.”
“That’s assuming everything you’ve said is true and that the prophecy is real, which it isn’t. When Shaylee transitions all you’ll have is a confused Mage who has no idea what she is or what to do with her power.”
“I’ve hunted the prophecy since the Exodus. If the Neale’s believed in it, then so do I.”
I admired his conviction and there was a significant part of me that was desperate to join him in his belief.
“Do you
