"Did you know, Mother?" Lara pressed.
Helen froze. For a moment she only stared.
"Moonguard?" she murmured. "I… well, I…" Her fingers trembled slightly. "The truth is, I don't even know what a Moonguard truly is. Why do you ask me this, child?"
Lara's eyes narrowed. "But you have heard it."
A flicker of guilt passed across her face. "Perhaps… once or twice."
"Mother," Lara said. "Please, don't hide anything from me. I need to know the truth."
"Before you were born," Helen began slowly. "One night I became very ill. Your father took me to a soothsayer. She told us that the child I carried… which was you, was no ordinary child. That you were marked for something greater than either of us could understand. She said I needed to protect you, and to keep you hidden until the time was right."
Helen rose from the bed, and crossed to the table. For a long moment she stood with her back to Lara. Then she turned.
