"Did you know, Mother?" Lara pressed, rising her head to gaze at her mother's face.
Elowen froze. For a moment she only stared, as though the word itself had struck her. "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. "So you have heard it."
A flicker of guilt passed across Elowen's face. "Perhaps… once or twice."
"Mother," Lara said. "Please, don't hide it from me. I need the truth."
"Before you were born," Elowen began slowly. "One night I became very ill. Your father took me to a soothsayer. She told us that the child I carried… was no ordinary child. That you were marked for something greater than either of us could understand. She said I needed to protect you, to keep you hidden until the time was right."
