Prompt: Fate Weaver, Part 1

Renaudin rinsed his hands in the bowl of refreshing lemon water and splashed some on his face. As he closed his eyes, the gastrings arced from both outer edges toward each other, and he felt his eyes cross trying to watch them. He lifted his eyebrows with interest. What were the Fates bringing?

A page knocked and pushed open his study door. Renaudin wiped his face dry and turned as the page led in a young couple, the woman carrying a toddler in her wiry arms. The young girl, Renaudin guessed by her long blond ringlets, turned in her mother’s arms and looked ahead, but did not seem to watch the page moving in front of them. He stopped, bowing to Renaudin, and the couple abruptly stopped behind him and clumsily bowed in turn.

Renaudin waved the page away as he moved closer to the couple. He schooled his deep baritone to neutrality. “Why do the Fates bring you here, my children?”

The woman glanced back to the man, who gulped, then straightened his shoulders. Good, Renauldin thought. He despised simpering fools.

“It’s our girl, Hawisa. Midwife says she’s blind. But she seems to see, sometimes. Priest Ingrannus said bring her to you. We brought a goat to offer…”

Renaudin nodded thanks. Ingrannus was aan old friend, and no fool. He wouldn’t have sent the girl without reason. Renaudin motioned them forward. “Bring her over to the window, and let’s have a look.”

As they neared, the girl leaned forward in her mother’s arms, reaching out to Renaudin. Both the mother and father looked surprised, but Renaudin took her without comment, resting her slight body on his forearm and bracing her back with his palm. He tucked his other hand under her chin and tilted her face up to his.

They locked eyes, and he was gone. His study disappeared, only the girl remained in his arms. Together, they were floating still and moving through brilliant-colored space at breakneck speeds. Lights flashed and arced all around them. Renaudin struggled to find the patterns, anything he recognized. The girl laughed and pointed. She stretched out her hands and lights flew into them, swirling up her arms and glowing around her body until Renaudin had to close his own eyes, or go blind.

He drew in a ragged breath, and they were back in the study. Renault stared at the girl, avoiding looking into her eyes again. He glanced at the parents, standing slack-jawed in front of them. The woman wrung her hands and reached toward her child. “Please, father, what is it? Is she—”

Continued in Part 2…

Dogs in House	Houdini
Music	Jordi Savall, The Celtic Viol, Vol 2
Time writing	~1 hour
May word count	2,971