I had more dreams then; visions of partially hidden pathways leading to unknown places. In the far distance, I saw a castle sitting atop a hillside. A moment later I found myself closer to the hillside, directly in front of the castle. Crouching on either side of the large arched entryway to the property, giant ornate statues of lions stood guard. Perched on the top of the brick archway was a huge carved sculpture of a raven. His head cocked to the right, endlessly watching over the roadway. I wondered whose property this was and immediately knew: it belonged to Ambrose and his family. At the same time, I realized that this memory came from Tansy, the woman who not only helped raise Amrita, but also turned Emrys. This was unbelievable! A memory that had been imparted to Emrys during his transformation! Tansy had been brought to the castle as a young woman to help care for Ambrose when he was a child, and this was her first vision of the estate. Seeing only a few images of Tansy’s memories during her stay was enough. What a good feeling to discover she truly cared about Amrita and Emrys when they were children. I was glad to know they had not grown up completely without the compassion and guidance of a gentle woman’s touch. But for now, I much preferred to know more of my one true love, and how he spent his long lifetime before finding me.
A second later, I was in the window seat of an airplane, looking down on the earth. Far below loomed nothing but endless acres of the deep, dark ocean. Emrys sat alone in first class. He seemed apprehensive, unsure of an idea forming in his mind. He tapped his foot as he thought about it, feeling a bit anxious. He toyed with the idea of changing the rules that the Ravens had in effect for well over one hundred years. Although something this big would require a unanimous vote, he doubted that could ever happen. Too many of the Ravens were set in their ways, unwilling to bend or change; and he felt his hands were tied.
Leaning to reach for a magazine, his black hair fell forward. Two women sitting behind him whispered to each other, although not quite soft enough, and he heard everything they’d said. He chuckled to himself as he listened. Their remarks, for the most part, sounded positive, exclaiming how handsome or poised he was, how distinguished and elegant he appeared, even though his hair was longer than most women’s were. Their conversation reminded him of how women often gawked at him and some were even brazen enough to approach him. But I sensed his disinterest. He waited for something deeper, something real; at the very least, he wanted a love similar to what Amrita and Larkin seemed to have together. Or, the same as what his parents used to have. He remembered the last time he put his sign on a woman, and when she had chosen another, he vowed never to be that gullible again.
But here he was, on the way to Providence, wondering if he was breaking his own vow. Would it be worth all the effort it would take to find the one Sibelle had prophesied about? Sibelle had told him that this one would be different. She was the one he was meant to be with, that if he had sought Sibelle’s guidance earlier, he would have known that the other girl was not. He had a lot of doubt, even though this time he had done it differently.
He remembered watching as Sibelle drank the small vial of his own blood. She had explained to him the promise of The Veinvedia. A true Raven prophet was given a glimpse into the future of the individual whose blood she drank. Blood vision she had called it. Afterwards, she gave him her prophecy, which came in the form of a riddle. It was up to him to decipher, and find his true love.
As he left her cottage her words rang in his head over and over: “May the Veinvedia guide ye, Emrys!”
And now he found himself on a plane heading for America. Unbelievable as it seemed, his destiny just happened to live in the same town where the next Gathering was to be held. He had only a few months in which to locate and place his Signatus on her. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small notebook and started looking for the page where he had scribbled the words as Sibelle gave her prophecy. He believed he had most of it figured out, and he had re-read her riddle so many times, he knew it by heart. Nevertheless, he found the entry, and read it once again:
True fortune told with no pretense-
Your fate is sealed in Providence.
Tho’ on this eve ye shall see two-
A single Rose calls forth to you.
Ye shall spy yon dark haired lass-
When ye gaze beyond the glass.
Eyes of blue, hair liquid black-
Flowing freely down her back.
Many eyes shall turn her way-
When she smiles at end of day.
Listen! Thoughts of innocence-
Still ye seek more evidence!
Have ye seen such beauty; rare?
Fear not when it draws your stare;
For she sees deeply in your eyes-
And knows within you are no lies.
The truth revealed with proof ahead-
When the raven’s eye glows red.
And when ye drink down her last breath-
This lass shall never taste of death.
Trust your instincts, and two shall be-
As one - for all eternity.
Living Immortality.
* * *
At this point, knowing I was dreaming, I thought about how very weird it would be to see myself from Emrys’ perspective. I pushed further into the future: to his memory of seeing me for the first time.