Since the update day is officially scheduled for (probably every other) Thursday, the first part of chapter i will be out two days from now. Until then, enjoy the prologue! (:)

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Prologue

The first thing she was told after climbing this gods forsaken mountain was, "You're late."

"And hello to you, too."

The Progenitor just continued sipping her tea as the curly-haired brunette collapsed into the chair sitting across from her with an aggrieved sigh. "What kept you?"

"Besides this ridiculous mountain that you call home?" the Soothsayer rhetorically replied as she snatched a cookie before the other woman could stop her. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

The redhead glared but held back her retort, knowing that the shorter woman needed to keep up her strength to maintain the spell. "Well, I asked you to come because the time to reveal ourselves is fast approaching."

The Soothsayer nearly spit crumbs as she exclaimed, "Really?!"

"You really shouldn't talk with your mouth full," the Progenitor replied. "By Hera, sometimes it truly feels that it is me who is - "

"Where's the gigantic purple brute, anyhow?" she quickly cut in, not wanting to hear yet another complaint about her "decidedly immature" behavior or "childish decorum."

"If you mean my dragon, she is busy sulking about her hatchlings having to leave."

"But you'll be following close behind, surely?"

Setting her teacup down, the Rider tucked a single red strand back into her neat bun in a practiced gesture that had the brunette rolling her eyes. "While we will be soon revealing ourselves, as I have said, we shall be fighting on a different front than the others."

"Why'd...they...let...you...now?" the Soothsayer asked, taking bites of her fifth cookie in between words.

"Balance is coming. Can't you feel it?"

Scarfing down the rest of the confection, she admitted, "Thought I felt something earlier, but I didn't have time to check it out before I had to rush over here. Hold still; you've got some tea on your lip."

The Progenitor struggled not to grin as the brunette fussed over her face with a napkin while ignoring how crumbs still covered her own. "Thank you."

"It's my job. Now, tell me how you got involved in all of this! I'm the one that's the Soothsayer."

"That is true," the redhead said with a laugh. "Well, it all began when I first met this elven princess."

"Was it Arya?"

"No, her name was..."