It is early afternoon and I dress and head into the living room. I notice that all the windows are now covered for my protection. The air is cooler today. I walk over to the chest with the quilts in it and open it. Under the blankets, I see a notebook bound in leather. The pages are very old and yellowing. I see more notebooks in the bottom of the old trunk. I realize that Malachi has written years upon years of journals, and I know that my past is in these pages. Flipping through the first book, I see mostly words about Arthur and Merlin. He has spells written down. I do not wish to recall my time spent with them. I know most of it anyway. When I start to close the book, I see something that catches my eyes. I walk slowly to the couch, reading the pages as I go. I snap the book shut. I close my eyes when I realize that he has written the truth. I was pregnant with Jacob’s child when I was first kidnapped by Arthur’s men. Hiding my secret well, Arthur thought the child was his.
