The Xidoran Prophecy

by Elaine Bassett

  The Prime Minister stood and walked to his home office. He sat down in his soft leather chair. He pulled the key to the desk from its hiding spot and inserted it in the hidden keyhole on the inside section of the middle drawer. His whole office changed at the turn of the key.

  He thought to himself about all the sacrifices his family had made for him to be in the position he was in now. It wasn’t a financial sacrifice they had suffered. The sacrifice was that a part of him was always missing from whatever his family was doing. He was always somewhere else, or never fully giving his attention to them. Now he missed them. He’d taken a great cabinet position and increased his wealth before being recommended for the Prime Minister’s position. Once he took office he made sure the Prime Minister’s position was secure for the future. He had elevated the job to an even greater worldly standing than it was when he took office. He had successfully taken a passé position and made it relevant for all time.

  He opened the file cabinet and took out Charles Brookfield’s file. He put on his Sojourner glasses and began reading over the information. He made a few notes to discuss with Dimitrios. He wanted to be sure he had a part in this young man’s future. What happened to Charles would reflect on his office and legacy. Anthony wanted to be able to leave his office in capable hands. Nothing less would do. The future making of a prime minister took careful consideration and a lot of planning. Every detail was of importance. He sifted through the updates. Several items caught his attention. He liked that Charles was a quick learner. Despite what the Sensei had reported to him, he knew Charles was the chosen one. He placed the file back where it belonged and secured it.

  He then picked up an all-black file folder. He opened it and read the information pertaining to the next prime minister. Dimitrios had been through this file, just as his predecessor had been through it about him. Dimitrios, just like Xavier, had the knack for precise decision-making. The Prime Minister worked until dawn on his paperwork. After looking at the clock he decided to get a couple of hours rest before his morning meeting. Sometime in the middle of the night an official letter arrived with a request for a Guidance Hearing. Anthony read it, signed it and forwarded it on.

  CHAPTER 66

  While Dolores was in the hospital, Maureen had been coming to the house to help with Sterling. She noticed changes around the house Joseph’s mother had made in order to help things “run more efficiently”, as she put it. Dolores spent an entire day going around the house putting things back where she could find them. Dolores didn’t think anything more about it until Joseph’s mother came over to visit, bringing dinner. Upon her arrival she began setting dinner on the table. She noticed when she reached for a potholder; Dolores had moved things back to where they had been. This made his mother agitated. Dolores tried to help, but his mother made it very clear she didn’t need her help. Maureen encouraged Dolores to go sit down so she wouldn’t exhaust herself. When she finished Dolores thanked her for taking care of Sterling and bringing dinner over for them. Joseph’s mother turned to Joseph and asked that he walk her out to the car.

  Later Dolores peeked out the window to see what was taking him so long. His mother had his back turned to the window. She could see Maureen was upset about something. She had her handkerchief out and was wiping her eyes. Joseph appeared to be consoling her. Dolores scowled and went to find Sterling. He needed to get ready for dinner.

  Joseph gently patted his mother on her back. He hugged her and thanked her for bringing dinner to them.

  Maureen half turned and pointed to the house, “She’s crazy. You know it Joseph! I tried to help her but she won’t take any help or advice.” She blew her nose.

  Joseph agreed with her saying, “How do you think I feel, having to live with her every day?”

  She sighed. “That doctor should have known it was too early to let that crazy woman out of the institution.”

  Joseph laughed. “Mother, it was a hospital and Ruthie is the one to blame…”

  His mother sighed. “That’s another crazy one if you ask me. The stories you’ve told about her. The ideas she has put in Dolores’ head. Neither one is right in her own head, but by putting the two of them together spells disaster. I’m just glad you finally see it. It’s about time.”

  Joseph nodded. “We just have to watch out for Sterling.”

  His mother gasped. “Oh, I know. The boy’s a mess. Mama this, Mama that!” She whispered, “He thinks he’s so smart.” She laughed. “That’s what she’s told him. Imagine, filling his head with lies. He’s nothing but a twerp. He has terrible manners.”

  Joseph said, “Now Mother, you know Dolores doesn’t make him say ma’am or sir. Just please and thank you.”

  His mom fanned the air. “I know, I know. Don’t remind me about all her faults. She never was good enough for you. You married beneath yourself. I’m sorry for that. I know your father and I tried to warn you. Well, at least I reared you correctly.”

  Joseph bit his tongue on that lie. His mother and father were never around. His nannies took care of him from the time he was born. If his mother had her way, he’d probably still have a nannie. Except he remembered they couldn’t keep nannies very long because his mother was so bossy and jealous. Maureen ended up accusing his father of having an affair with over half of them. Joseph knew it was an exaggeration. He could only prove his father had an affair with one of them.

  Finally his mother had found a new scapegoat. If it was one thing Maureen loved to do, it was blame Dolores. He was thankful for that. His father blamed him enough for both of them.

  Joseph opened the car door for Maureen. He could tell she didn’t know what to think of that gesture. She patted his cheek. At that moment he thought his take-charge mother looked vulnerable for some reason. A shiver went up his back. He shut the car door and she drove off, leaving him standing in the driveway waving to her as she drove away. Joseph smiled to himself.

  CHAPTER 67

  After Charles left the office, Bev and Carson agreed that they would have to think long and hard about the best way to responsibly proceed given the recent turn of events. Carson thought they should consider seeking the advice of the Council. Bev agreed. They sent an official letter to the Sojourners’ Council asking for a Guidance Hearing. That way if something went wrong, the burden wouldn’t be all on the Jones’ family to rectify the situation.

  Charles found it difficult to sleep. He tossed and turned. He was excited about the prospect of Caroline’s family actually being royalty. He had brought Fiona’s book to his room last night and began to read about Caroline’s lineage. Thoughts kept flashing in his mind as to what her future would be like. During the night Charles dreamed of Caroline as the queen of a faraway land. He woke up missing her. He stretched, as he put one leg and then the other out of bed. Could that really be a possibility? He walked quickly to the bathroom to start his day.

  When he walked into the kitchen Carson was reading a letter on parchment paper to Bev. He stopped when Charles entered the room. Carson raised the letter. "We received a response early this morning to our request. I was just reading it to Nana." He cleared his throat and started reading it over again to Charles. When he finished reading, he smiled and said to Charles, "I believe we proceeded in the correct way." Charles nodded.

  Bev said, "We'll see. Another Sojourner to train right now will be a strain. Not that we wouldn't fulfill our responsibilities. It's just a lot to consider right now." Charles agreed.

  Carson reminded them. "The hearing will be held in two days. That doesn't give us a lot of time to prepare."

  CHAPTER 68

  The only other time in his life Joseph saw his mother as vulnerable, was at his wedding. Looking at their wedding album you’d think it was the worst day of her entire life. Things were out of her control, and she nearly had a break down when she didn’t get her way. She threw a tantrum like nothing anyone had ever seen from her before. Joseph and his cousins received a good laugh out of it. Everyone felt sorry for he
r. When it was time for Maureen to take her seat, she could hardly walk she was so distraught that Dolores had put her foot down and declared it was her day--her way, no exceptions. His mother had lost.

  Maureen once again tried at the reception to boss the band around and change the order of Dolores’ playlist. He was alerted to the situation by a relative. Joseph didn’t see the harm in giving his mother a little say in what the band played. Joseph went to find Dolores.

  He pleaded with Dolores, “Come on Honey. What do you want me to tell her? Your way or the highway.” He shrugged as if he was put in the middle.

  Dolores didn’t even have to think about that. She sarcastically said, “Okay. Thank you Sweetheart for telling her. It’s better that it comes from you, and not me this time.”

  His best man tried to keep from laughing. As they walked away he put his arm on Joseph’s shoulder and said, “Well man, I have to say you walked right into that one. Just think of how lucky you are today. You married one of the most beautiful blondes on campus.”

  Joseph retorted, “Uh huh, but not the most brilliant.”

  He pulled Joseph closer as they walked toward the reception hall. “Did I ever tell you the one about the blonde that…”

  What was bad about the incident was that his mother saw him laughing across the room at the joke. When he made his way around the room to tell her the bad news she thought he was mocking her.

  As soon as he finished telling her what Dolores had said, Maureen shot back, “You think that’s very funny don’t you?”

  Joseph looked at his friend and then at his mother. “No.”

  “I saw you both over there across the room laughing.”

  Joseph pointed at his best man and said, “No, he told me a dumb blonde joke.”

  His mother didn’t look amused until she realized the joke was on Dolores. “Well, tell it to me. I want to laugh.” That night Maureen made sure the joke circulated around the entire room. His mother always had to have the last laugh.

  Now that Dolores was home again it was time for him to go to the law firm. He had work to catch up on. He went inside and ate dinner. When he finished he announced he was going to the firm to catch up on the work that he’d been neglecting.

  Sterling turned to Dolores and said innocently, “That’s right. Grandma’s been here the whole time.”

  CHAPTER 69

  Dimitrios sat at his desk, picked up the sealed folder and opened it. He sank back in his chair as he read through it. He was right all along. He was on to them now. The Jones requested a Guidance Hearing. Too late, the secret was going to be out. Why hadn't they confided in him? His head hurt. He would pay them a visit today and get to the bottom of this. If it was revealed that the Jones were the rightful heirs to the kingdom, that would be a problem for the Sojourners’ Council. If the Jones held unused Mystic Papers... that was an entirely different piece of the puzzle. Most of the Sojourners’ Council members would have no idea the power of the prophecy that could be unleashed. The priceless question that needed to be answered was: had all the journal pages been used? He gathered his coat and left the office without a word to Cassia. When he arrived at the Jones' Passageway, he made his announcement and waited to see if he would be received. He immediately heard back from Carson.

  Carson and Charles shook his hand as he entered the office. "We are so glad you’ve come to join us. Please come in and have a seat," said Carson. Dimitrios sat down.

  Bev brought him the Mystic Journal. His face lit up. "So it is true!" He studied and stroked the worn cover. "Do you know what this is?"

  Carson hesitated. "Kind of, but not really."

  Dimitrios put on his Sojourner glasses, opened the pamphlet and gasped. Only one page had been used. How could that be? "Oh my goodness! Quick put this in your vault, and under no circumstances take it out!"

  Carson, with a sense of urgency, did exactly what Dimitrios advised.

  "Why?" Bev asked.

  "It's a long story. One that I will summarize for you." Dimitrios took a deep breath. He began the tale.

  “Centuries ago when Prince George the II became a Sojourner he made a pact with the sorcerers. He promised that they would be able to live in peace in a New Kingdom, in the New Dimension, if they helped create eternal borders. They agreed. Once the Hub metropolis was cleared and things began to become orderly, the Prince went to Evan Porter Montgomery, the man in charge of overseeing the construction and development of the Hub metropolis. Prince George II informed Evan that the time was at hand when he should fulfill his word. He would soon escort the sorcerers out of the Hub to a new land.

  “Evan had some concerns about allowing the sorcerers to depart to a new land, since work on the Hub was not entirely complete. The Prince agreed and promised the sorcerers’ help would still be made available to Evan should the need arise. After receiving the Prince’s promise, Evan agreed to the plan.

  “Prince George II gathered the sorcerers and his followers. They set out past the eternal borders in search of land to create their own kingdom. Because the Prince, the sorcerers and their followers no longer had free access to the Time Warp Tunnels, they devised a Sojourner tool known as a Marble Track to travel back and forth from this dimension to the New Dimension.

  “Then one day Prince George II was crowned King of England. He had two kingdoms to rule over. It became a taxing burden. He eventually decided to leave his confidant in charge of the New Kingdom in his absence. His confidant was his cousin. This made him next in line to the throne in the New Kingdom. He was a good and loyal man. The people loved him even more than the King of England, who was also a good monarch.

  “When the King of England died, his cousin was the man the people of the New Kingdom chose as their king. The cousin was soon crowned King. He aged very slowly because he spent most of his time in the New Dimension. His reign would be very long, even though he was an older man before he came to the New Kingdom. He had chosen a very capable Queen. What wasn’t known about him throughout the New Kingdom was that he was a sorcerer himself. The record of his reign ends after many decades, but it does not reveal why he died.

  “His son, the Prince, was crowned King over the New Kingdom. The new King was beloved by all the villagers in the kingdom. They had watched him grow up and they knew he was a man of integrity. The kingdom thrived. He married young while he was still a Prince and now the Princess became Queen. She was very beautiful and naïve.

  “A year before the Prince was crowned King, he killed what was thought to be the Last Dragon. The story of the Prince’s victory over the beast spread throughout the Sojourner World. Visitors came to visit his kingdom and to hear the tale of his dragon slaying. They brought the finest of treasures for trade with the kingdom. One night, a mysterious visitor came to the kingdom. The visitor fell in love with the Queen, and convinced her she was in love with him. He sent her remarkable treasures and secret love letters. It turned out that the visitor was actually a King from another land. He decided he would secretly come for the Queen. He attacked the kingdom during the early hours of the morning. The Queen fled the kingdom not knowing what was going on, other than they were under attack. The King stayed to command his army, and tragically all lives were thought to be lost in the kingdom. When the Queen fled, she took the secret treasures with her. One of the items she took from the kingdom was a gift from her husband. It was a Mystic Journal.”

  When he was finished Dimitrios looked at his audience. Bev sat with her mouth open. Carson's eyes were wide. Charles was on the edge of his seat, Airabelle beside him. Airasten was perched on the back of Dimitrios' chair. Then Dimitrios explained how he tried to locate and rescue one of the Mystic Journals from the Caperson Estate. Bev and Carson looked at each other. They simultaneously looked at Dimitrios. He jumped up from his seat and exclaimed, "Is this the Caperson Estate Mystic Journal?"

  Carson answered, "None other."

  Dimitrios raised his hands, then looked at Carson and asked, "Is the Caperson Estate
part of your family lineage?"

  Carson slowly shook his head. "No."

  Dimitrios grew very pale and very hoarsely asked, "No?"

  "No," Carson repeated.

  "Then how did you come across this bit of prophecy?" Dimitrios asked. Carson explained the circumstances. Dimitrios threw himself back in his chair as if defeated. Charles seized the chance to tell him about Caroline. He explained that she was able to read the journal writing and passed the crystal test. He explained their dilemma.

  Dimitrios shook his head. "The Council will be very clear that she may not Sojourn, even if she is a pure bred, without a sponsor. Who would be foolish enough to take on someone like that? Rarely is this allowed to happen.

  "You only have two days to find a respected and suitable sponsor now that the Council will hear your case.

  "Charles, get your rule book. Check it for avenues to use on sponsorship for a new Sojourner without family Sojourning sponsors or mentors. We need to present the best possible case. It's a possibility the Council will grant us more time. Since your friend's grandparents and parents show no signs of the ability for Sojourning, they will be overlooked.

  "I must go research some possibilities on your behalf. I will join you later with the results. I understand why you took the steps you did. It was the right decision. However I am your mentor Charles and you should have full confidence in my discretion." Charles nodded.