Vander sat between the two witches without moving a muscle. Lucile and Sibyl seemed to find this prophecy to be a major sign of things to come.
As for Vander, he could take it or leave it. He was not and had never been a superstitious man.
Prophecies were something to listen to with a detached curiosity. Most prophecies were so broad and general that its meaning could be ascribed to almost anything.
He was not unfamiliar with witches and their wily ways. There were witches in his kingdom too, but to be perfectly honest, he only trusted them as far as he could throw them.
They played by their own rules, and they quite often broke their own rules when it suited them. Still, one of these witches was Talia's mother, so he could make concessions for her.
Unfortunately, at this moment, she was saying things which made little sense to him.
Interestingly enough, what Sibyl said didn't make much sense to the second witch sitting on his other side. She was writing down the prophesy and wrinkling her brows in confusion.
"Wait a minute. Slow down." Lucile muttered as she continued scribbling furiously. "You're saying that the Coven Queen Bride that Vander must take and mark is Talia?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't make any sense Sibyl." Lucile scratched her head. "First of all, Talia is not the Coven Queen. She will be the Queen of Faria, but I'm assuming that's not what you're talking about."
"No. I said Coven Queen and I mean Coven Queen."
"But then you said Talia is a Bride."
"That is what she is. Athena and I are working day and night to get the wedding organized at the moment."
"But nothing makes sense!" Lucile waved a hand in protest.
"I mean—why her? Not only is she getting married in a few weeks, she's also pregnant with Cedric's child, which brings me to the next question. Why does Vander have to mark her?"
Sibyl narrowed her eyes in deep thought and turned to Vander.
"You are not kicking up a big fuss. It seems to me that you are not completely against this idea of marking Talia and taking her to another world."
Vander leaned back and regarded her with a lazy eye. He was not an unreasonable man but there had to be a modicum of logic within the conversation because otherwise, his eyes would simply glaze over in boredom.
"This is your prophecy—your vision." He pointed out. "I have no opinion because I am waiting, like your friend here, for some reasonable explanation to all of this."
"Fair enough." Sibyl nodded. "I may be able to clarify your questions, so ask away."
He nodded and held up a finger.
"Firstly, why Talia? Why can't another witch come with me? And secondly, why do I have to mark her?"
Sibyl pursed her lips as if she was debating on whether to say something to him, but then she sighed.
There was no choice, really. He needed to know exactly what he was getting himself involved with.
"There is something about Talia that most people do not know." She leaned back and looked away into the distance.
"She is a changeling."
"What?" Lucile's eyes widened, even as Vander gasped out loud.
Sibyl turned and gave Lucile a sad smile.
"I'm sorry I never told you. I didn't tell anyone, actually."
"But why?" Lucile cried.
"It was solely for my daughter's protection. If people found out that she is a powerful changeling, they will treat her with distrust and suspicion. They may even try to hurt her."
"Ugh!" Sibyl growled under her breath. "I am so fed up with the close-mindedness of the general population."
Sibyl sighed. "You see how most people treat us witches. They only tolerate us because we are able to do things which are beneficial to them, but they truly do not like us."
"You don't have to convince me,' Lucile rolled her eyes. "I am in constant fear that one cursed day, the general population will rush up Chartreuse Mountain with pitch forks and torches and burn us alive for being witches."
"It's much worse for Changelings, Lucile. They are not treated well in most places." Sibyl shook her head with sadness. "Most people are afraid of them."
"Talia is a sweet and gentle woman." Vander insisted. He had observed her from up close and what he saw of her had caused his heart to ache slightly.
"Yes she is, but only a few people truly know her." Sibyl gave Vander a knowing look. "It seems to me as if you understand my daughter quite well."
Vander gave her a guarded look. "We've had…dealings, yes."
"And those dealings were sufficient so that you are sympathetic towards Talia."
"Yes."
"Enough to mark her?"
Vander sighed. "As much as I would like to mark her as mine, do you know how much of a hassle that would be for me when I have to face Cedric? There is no man who would want someone else to claim their wife."
"And besides," he shrugged. "I don't think she wants me in that way."
He was also hardly desperate.
As much as he felt a strong attraction for the beautiful Talia, he was also not someone who ventured where he was not absolutely wanted. He was a Prince, after all.
To mark a woman who was going to be married in a few weeks was something that Vander did not feel was appropriate.
Only fools rushed in before grasping the totality of what they were getting into, and Prince Vander Greyson was no fool.
"You must mark her so that the two of you will have the mind bond when you are going through the veil between worlds."
"Again, why?"
"She is a changeling. She will change and meld into a likeness of the local natives. If you are not bonded to her, there is a high likelihood that you will not be able to recognize her when she changes."
"Ahh. I understand." Vander nodded. "You are afraid she and I will become separated during our travels and will not be able to find each other."
"That is part of the fear, yes."
"But I gave her a tracker band. As long as she wears it on her wrist, I will always be able to find her."
"Vander." Sibyl stared into his dark eyes. "It is too dangerous to go there without the ability to communicate mentally. If you are not willing to do this, it's not safe for either of you to enter into that world."
"I don't have a choice. I have to bring my brother back."
"And Talia must bring Viviene back as well. You both need to make this sacrifice."
Vander rubbed his face. "I don't feel comfortable bringing a pregnant woman into an alien world."
"This is probably the best time to make this attempt. If you wait until she is heavily pregnant, you will have lost your chance to go and it will be years before she can embark on a journey such as this."
"We don't have years." He scowled. "At most, we only have a couple of months."
Sibyl gave Vander a sympathetic look.
"Then I suggest you go talk to Cedric and explain the situation."