Tom grins knowingly. “Appearances can be deceiving.”
Maria laughs. “Well, that’s a cliché if ever I heard one, but you are right. I was comparing two very different situations.”
Tom agrees. “Not to belittle what we had, but our love was not the forbear to prophecy.” He smiles wistfully. “But it did bear a child.”
Maria puts her hands over her racing heart. “Oh, dear. Why had I not thought of it before?”
Tom leans forward in concern. “Maria, what’s wrong?”
She claps her hands over her mouth in tearful joy. “Through our love we fulfilled part of the prophecy. She was born with the gift that has only just begun to manifest itself.” She recites, “As the seven stars descend from the heavens the seven keepers of the sight must guard them with their holy light. What better way to guard one of the stars than with a mother’s love?”
Tom shakes his head. “Those were the sentiments of Lady Aurora.” He recalls the precursor to a conversation nearly twenty years ago. “You remind me of Lady Aurora.”
Realizing this connection to the past, Maria feigns affront. “My lord, one must not speak such blasphemy.”
Laughing, Tom once again takes her in his arms. “Only in the presence of a lady such as yourself.”
Maria puts her arms around his neck. “You scorn my good reputation. I will not allow you to despoil either my name or that of Lady Aurora with your vile words.”
“How will you silence me?”
“Oh, I have a few ideas.” Maria kisses him.
After they kiss, Tom bows deeply and receives Maria’s hand. He gently places her hand in the crook of his arm and leads her up the hill. Smiling at her, he whispers, “I see you remember well how we first met, although at the time there was much more venom to your words and circumspection in your actions.”
Maria rests her head against his arm as she gently admonishes him. “You, however, have not changed one bit.”
* * *
Jessica quietly sits at the kitchen table with her hands clasped together as she waits for Maria and her friend to come inside. Joel is straddling a nearby chair with his crossed arms resting on the back of it. He looks intently at Jessica.
“Jessy, are you sure you want me to be here?”
She only nods. “This involves you, too.” She looks up expectantly as the front door swings open. Maria and the stranger walk in holding hands. The stranger smiles at Jessica with his blue eyes, and for an instant Jessica feels as if she has seen those blue eyes before. Both he and Maria enter the kitchen, but they remain standing. Without pretense, Jessica speaks, “Sir, forgive me for being so forthcoming, but you are stranger to me and yet I seem to know you.”
Maria looks at the stranger. “See what I mean?”
The stranger nods. “Manifested gift indeed.” He smiles at Jessica and gestures towards a seat, tacitly asking whether or not he could sit down. Receiving permission, he nods to Joel and pulls out a chair for both himself and Maria. He guides her before taking his own seat. His brow furrows as he makes eye contact with Jessica. “It intrigues me that you are so adept at cleverly interjecting straightforward remarks in carefully framed decorum.”
Jessica smiles mischievously. “And you, sir, ingeniously frame reprimand in compliment.”
Joel laughs at this little game. “Ooh, let me try.” He rubs his hands together as he briefly contemplates over the matter. “Will you, sir, choose to reprimand the compliment she made to you upon noticing the subtle interpolation of her opinion or compliment her on reprimanding your deceptively complimentary reprimand?”
Maria puts her hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to stop from laughing. Gathering her composure, she has the final word. “Well, I for one reprimand any compliment regarding this absurd behavior, even if the compliment serves to reprimand the reprimand by way of framing such honest dissertation in propriety.” She folds her hands before her. “Now, there are matters that must be addressed. I do not expect the actions we took to be understood, but please bear with us. I had hoped for this confrontation to be delayed until you two were older, but circumstances drive us to act now.” She looks over to the stranger.
He continues, “After we are done, please feel free to ask us any questions,” he looks at Jessica, “and do not be afraid to be blunt. We want for you to understand the enormity of the situation and the role you play in all of this.
“First, let me introduce myself. My name is Tom Sylvan.” He notes the slight intake of breath that both Jessica and Joel make, but each remaining silent so that he could continue, “This is my home, and Maria is my wife. For the past eleven years I have been on a mission whose sole purpose is to locate enemies of the dream of a united Ilia that we are trying to realize. One such enemy is Mala, whose forces tried to invade Smithee just yesterday. Thankfully, the attack was squandered before it could escalate. These are perilous times we are living in, reminiscent of the conditions surrounding the Lion Wars that eventually sundered the united kingdoms of Ilia as we know it. Another war forebodes certain doom.”
“But hope rests in the legend of a savior who will rise above the ashes to once again bring peace to Ilia,” Maria explains. “In truth, such foretelling has been distorted over the centuries, with the original translation being lost. There is rumor of a sacred cave upon whose walls the prophecy was scribed, but the secret of its location was buried with the ancient kings of Ilia. What we have ascertained with our limited information and insight, however, is that our salvation is not in the form of one person, but of seven. There is also reason to believe that in order for salvation to come, Ilia must first be destroyed, ravaged by flames that consume the world.”
Jessica becomes more and more withdrawn, as the recollection of visions of the future that had imprinted themselves in her memory are once again brought to life with Maria’s words. She looks to Joel and sees in his eyes that he remembers well what she had told him she had seen.
Tom clears his throat. “Maria and I are members of an organization that calls itself ‘Oracle Seven.’ There are only seven senior members, but there also exist several others who play key roles in helping us to accomplish our ultimate goal: As the seven stars descend from the heavens, the seven keepers of the sight must guard them with their holy light.” He nods to Jessica. “Similar to the visions you have, we are able to see the future, and with prophecy as a guide, can manipulate events as a means to achieve the desired outcome of a united Ilia at peace.”
“Our sight is limited, however, and there are some things that have happened that were never planned.” Maria takes Jessica’s hands in hers. “That is where free will comes in. I fell in love with Tom, and bore a child to him.” Tears well in her eyes as voice trembles with regret. “For three years we raised that child, but one dreadful night would serve to not only tear apart our family, but countless families across Ilia.” She regains her composure. “Tom had been in service of the Assyrian Royal Navy but what he did that night also served the purpose of Oracle Seven.”
Tom puts his hand on Maria’s shoulder. “I was the one who brought all the orphans to this place, my own child becoming one of them in light of the need to safeguard them from their pasts. I brought them here, to this cottage that was sheltered by the landscape with the mountains to the east and west and the forests to the north and south. And in this cottage have they lived for the past eleven years, myself being absent from my own home and my own family so the past could be left undisturbed.”
“And I stayed here, taking on the responsibility of raising the orphans and the child that I could not call my own. Each of us in Oracle Seven had our specific responsibilities to attend to. My responsibility, however, was never looked upon as such because I was given the chance to share their childhood, and from the shadows watch my own child grow up. It was necessary to hide the truth of their pasts because of the inevitability of their futures. We offered them a chance at a normal childhood, before prophecy would steal even that away from them.
Already, you each have encountered your own special abilities, abilities that define the seven orphans that were brought here that night as the saviors of legend.” Maria inhales deeply as tears threaten to blur her vision. “Those abilities have manifested themselves in ways that I could never have imagined. Ways that have haunted my conscious for some time now and make me question the decision that we had made in denying our child the right to know their own parentage. Jessica, when you had your first vision, I had nearly lost you.” She doesn’t bother wiping away her tears as she continues, “The first vision is always the hardest, and although I knew this, seeing what it had put you through nearly killed me. And if Joel hadn’t been there, it could have killed you. He had helped you through it, just as Tom had helped me.”
Jessica’s jaw is set. “So we are all illegitimate children who will one day bring salvation to Ilia through the use of some supernatural ability that has the initial power to kill us? And Tom here is my father who, together with you and the members of Oracle Seven, has seen the future as laid out by an obscure prophecy written on the walls of a cave whose location no one knows, and have manipulated not only events but children in hopes of fulfilling this prophecy?”
Joel adds rather incredulously. “Not to mention, that Mala’s minions stalk our borders, and this war that is upon us will most likely bring about the end of the world, only to allow for its salvation by the seven of us stars who have descended from heaven that are to be guarded in the holy light of the seven keepers of the sight.”
Maria wrings her hands nervously as she risks a glance at Tom. “We deserve your anger, but please do not let it cloud the task at hand. As difficult as it may be, you must understand that we had your best interests at heart.”
Jessica grimaces. “We don’t have to understand anything. I have just one question. Am I the only child you have had, either together or with different people?” Joel puts his hand on her shoulder, in part to calm her down, but mostly as reassurance.
Maria and Tom definitively nod their heads then look down in exhaustion, emotionally spent.
Jessica rises from the chair and Joel follows her lead. Without so much as a Thank you they leave the room, having found the answer they initially sought but losing so much more.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ashe looks back at Cole. “You’re awfully quiet.”
Cole sighs, “Do you think that that Old John fellow was actually calling me a flagrant idiot, or was he warning me of what I will become?”
Ashe puts his hands on his hips and shakes his head. “The vicious cycle he spoke of ignores the fact that even though your parents could very well be flagrant idiots, children are also a product of their environment. We all were raised together in the Sylvan cottage. And in spite of the first twelve years in which we were around our parents, through your actions I have seen that you have made the choice to not be a flagrant idiot.”
“How can you be so sure that I have made such a choice? Perhaps the time has not yet come when the choice is to be made.” Cole rubs his temples in frustration. “I just don’t want to make a mistake that will cost us everything. I mean, we are heading into war for crying out loud.” He exhales deeply. “And it doesn’t help that I feel we are also heading into a trap.”
Ashe takes a drink from his water skin and then passes it onto Cole who then takes a drink. “One can’t anticipate everything, so making a mistake is inevitable. Given this, worrying about what might happen only gives rise to undue stress and creates a very irritable traveling companion.” He slaps Cole on the shoulder in jest. “I am not saying that we should walk blindly into the path of danger or that we should not prepare for possible scenarios, but you should trust in who you are. I believe in you. Do not doubt yourself; then you only create problems where there are none.” He smiles and catches the water skin as Cole passes it back to him.
Cole feels something rub against his leg. He looks down to see Shadow staring up at him with her amber eyes. Cole kneels down and scratches her behind the ear. “You believe in me, too?” Shadow grins her wolf smile as her tail enthusiastically wags from side to side. Cole laughs. “I guess you’re right.”
Ashe smiles. “Of course I am right.” He starts off again down the trail and calls behind him. “You’re lagging behind. I would hate to leave you here. Especially if Old John or some other character mysteriously shows up and fills your head with nonsense again, then just as mysteriously disappears.”
Cole yells as he runs to catch up, Shadow right beside him. “This wouldn’t take so long if we had taken the horses.”
“And then what, leave them on the shores of Cape Terna? I would rather they stay at the cottage so at least the girls could make use of them. Besides, Lara would kill us if we took her horses away from her.”
Cole once again states his doubts. “That is, if we survive this war for her to do so.”
Ashe shrugs and instills some lighthearted humor on the matter. “Oh, believe me, even in death she’ll find a way to make her revenge.”
Cole laughs, presently forgetting his worries. Shadow takes a defensive stance as a low growl resounds from her throat. The laughter is cut short as the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise. He holds up his hand in a “Halt” gesture and looks cautiously around him.
Ashe silently comes up beside him and observes their surroundings before risking a glance at Cole. He whispers, “What’s wrong? I don’t sense anything.”
Cole whispers back, “That’s because whatever is out there is not natural. The air reeks of magic.”
Ashe furrows a brow. “What do you know of magic?”
Cole’s eyes focus on an area to their right. “I know enough.” He cocks his head towards the wolf at his feet but his eyes remain fixed. “And do you doubt her senses?”
Ashe cautiously looks around again. “What do you think it is?”
“I am not sure, but I am going to find out.” He leaves the trail, cutting through the forest to the right, in a tacit request for Ashe and Shadow to follow.
Ashe calls after him, “This could be the trap you are so wary of.” If Cole had heeded the warning, he gave no indication of doing so. Sighing, he leaves the safety of the path and follows Cole and Shadow into the woods.
Cole stops at the edge of the forest and looks out onto the vast meadow before them. He motions for Ashe to wait as he removes his pack and takes a few tentative steps forward. He lowers to his haunches and presses a palm to an area of trampled grass. Looking back at Ashe, he speaks, “A battle was fought here today.”
Ashe frowns. “By whom?”
“Twenty against three thousand.”
Ashe takes a step forward. “That was not a battle. That was a slaughter.”
Cole nods. “Three thousand bodies were strewn across these meadows. They didn’t even have a chance.”
Ashe stops dead in his tracks. “Three thou….”
Cole stands up and retrieves his pack from where he had left it at the edge of the forest.
Ashe storms after him. “How is such a thing possible? And where are all the bodies?”
Cole looks blankly into Ashe’s troubled green eyes. “Magic.”
Cole and Ashe watch quietly as Shadow walks to the center of the meadow. She lowers her tail and howls a lament for the men lost this day.
* * *
“Hyah! Hyah!” Cara encourages her horse as she casts nervous looks behind her. She snaps the reins and leans forward farther, her pounding heart threatening to escape her chest. She can hear the labored breathing of the horse as it continues its run on sheer adrenaline. Cara frets in fear of the moment when this reservoir of energy will give way to exhaustion, causing the horse to fall dead beneath her. Tears sting her eyes as the inevitability of it all threatens to consume her. After meeting up with Old John, the vile creatures had appeared out of nowhere. And now they were chasing her on their stumped little legs that should have made it physically impossible for them to even catch up to her, much less gain distance
.
In a single moment of desperation, she pulls up on the reins, bringing the horse to a sudden halt. She quickly jumps off and fumbles to remove the harness. Taking the horse’s face in her hands, she commands, “Return to Pete. Be swift. Let them know of my failure.” She smacks the horse on the rump, sending it north towards Verdana. They will be upon her soon, but as she dies she will look into the hideous face of evil and show no fear. Standing alone facing east on a path through the Southern Woods, she clutches her crystal and sends a silent prayer to the heavens.
A wolf cry reverberates through the forest. The doleful sound seems to have originated just through the line of trees on her left. She looks down at the crystal still held in her hand. She was given this upon initiation into Oracle Seven. They struggle to keep the hope for the human spirit alive, and they keep fighting to the bitter end. Old John had told her that Shadow had found her charge. He had also warned her that the charge was a flagrant idiot. Taking her chances, Cara runs for where she had deemed the wolf cry to originate, admonishing herself for consigning herself to defeat. She is not running from the fight, only evening the odds.
She sees two men up ahead, both tall, one with brown hair and the other black. She calls out, “They are coming!” The two ruggedly handsome men turn in astonishment and Cara immediately singles out the one with black hair as Shadow’s charge. She runs to them and screams urgently, “To the center of the meadow. Hurry!” Without hesitation they follow her command. Upon joining up with Shadow, the three stop and face their enemy.
The striking man with wonderfully dark hair yells to his friend, “Protect her. Let me handle this.”
As one of the creatures breaks through the line of trees, Cara pulls out her dagger and with a deftly accurate throw, buries the blade in the head of the monster. It bursts into a cloud of black dust as an ear-splitting death wail escapes from its lungs. The dagger drops to the ground. Cara pulls out another dagger and casts a wry grin at the black-haired man. “I don’t need protection.”
Book One: Beginnings Page 12