Surviving Prophesy: The Immortals

by Frances Howitt

  ‘Don’t you want to kiss me?’ she whispered. He didn’t bother speaking but acted to show her his answer.

  ‘What?’ Zacharias grumbled hearing a knock at the door. Unfortunately he hadn’t bothered to close the door fully and Julius’s knock had pushed the door wide open, he realised on lifting his head.

  ‘Lunch is ready,’ Julius announced with a grin. He glanced round; Schubert and Yolanda had followed him up the corridor and had seen everything too.

  ‘We’ll be right with you Julius,’ Megan responded.

  ‘Will we?’ Zach asked her.

  ‘Yes. I’m hungry. I did miss breakfast.’ She felt his disappointment and Julius’s amusement. ‘Some things are better with sufficient time to savour them, don’t you think?’ she added and his spirits rose again.

  ‘Absolutely,’ he agreed.

  ‘We could delay lunch half an hour,’ Julius suggested helpfully, noticing Megan’s half-clad body clasped close.

  Megan realised Julius was only saying this because of how Zacharias appeared to him. She too could tell Zach was very keen to take this further, but to his credit he wasn’t pushing. Zacharias remained silent waiting for her to decide and she stroked back his hair. ‘Thanks for the thought Julius, but I don’t think half an hour is remotely adequate. We’ll see you in a minute,’ she added and waited for them to leave. She went back to the bed and found the skirt he’d set out for her. Dressed, she felt less vulnerable somehow.

  ‘What are you looking for?’ he asked.

  ‘My brush, I must be a mess.’ She’d gone to bed with damp hair; it was probably all over the place now.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ he assured her but put the brush in her hand. In moments she’d dragged the brush through her hair, straightening the snarls and her curls shone down her back. ‘Ready?’

  ‘Yes, let’s eat.’

  He took her hand, leading her to the kitchen. He wondered if he should have made any reference to what had nearly happened between them. Maybe Julius had done him a favour by interrupting them before she pushed him away. Certainly she hadn’t misunderstood Julius, and her quick, composed retort had impressed everyone. He just wondered what she’d been thinking and if she’d ever let him get as close as she seemed to be suggesting.

  7

  After lunch Megan checked again on Yolanda.

  ‘You seem to be improving by the hour,’ Megan told her in admiration. There were large dents in her thigh where Megan had extracted the larvae. It was grim to know the creatures had been eating Yolanda alive. ‘I think this is going to heal fully and fill in completely,’ she told her. ‘Your other leg was more damaged of course, and without food to fuel your healing ability, it hasn’t been able to heal properly. I bet it too will markedly improve as you regain weight and strength. Don’t worry that it is going to stay that way forever. It’s already altered since I first saw it, so it must still be healing.’

  ‘You really think so?’ Yolanda whispered and Megan nodded. She now dared to hope she wouldn’t be permanently badly disfigured, not to mention physically weakened from her ordeal. Looking in the mirror this morning had filled her with despair. ‘May I speak with you on another matter?’ Yolanda asked.

  ‘Privately?’ Megan asked aware all three men were closely gathered around them as usual. Obviously they wanted to listen and hear Megan’s prognosis of Yolanda’s health.

  ‘Can you give us some privacy gentlemen?’ Megan asked in her best no-nonsense professional voice. She looked towards each of them so they’d know she knew they were still present. They reluctantly left the room, Zacharias closing the door properly behind him. ‘They’ve gone.’

  ‘Properly?’ Yolanda asked.

  ‘Yes. Well, Zacharias is down the corridor, but he’s far enough away not to hear us,’ Megan told her.

  ‘Zacharias tells us you’re a healer. Is that right?’

  ‘Yes. I’m not what you’d call officially qualified though. I might be a wizard but they didn’t think training a blind woman worthwhile.’

  ‘You consider yourself a healer. Therefore you must have senses that identify things that are wrong?’ Yolanda persisted.

  ‘Often yes. What is it?’

  ‘I can’t have children,’ Yolanda told her in a bleakly flat tone. ‘I’ve been to see healers and they know something is physically wrong but haven’t been able to help.’

  ‘Why do you think I can then?’

  ‘I’ve never been to a wizard healer. You might find what they could not. Will you try?’

  ‘Of course I’ll try and help if it’s at all possible. What have you been told so far?’

  ‘Well, they all seem agreed that it’s something to do with my not having periods.’

  ‘You’ve never had them?’

  ‘No. One woman thought I was a pre-adolescent teenager and hadn’t developed yet! How could that possibly be right? I hadn’t the heart to tell her I was old enough to be her great grandmother!’

  ‘That must have been awkward,’ Megan agreed. ‘I need to run my hands over you, if you don’t mind? I can’t see ordinary details you would take for granted.’

  ‘Go ahead,’ Yolanda said.

  Megan soon determined what the others had, that Yolanda’s figure was childishly straight and her breasts tiny flat nubs like a girl’s.

  ‘You’ve found something haven’t you?’ Yolanda asked watching Megan’s face. She was frowning in concentration as her hands moved very slowly over her abdomen.

  ‘They were right; you’ve not gone through puberty. Something has halted it and until I figure out what it is I’m stuck like the others.’

  Yolanda sat for a few minutes absorbing Megan’s explanation. ‘Do you think that’s why I don’t enjoy sex too much?’ she whispered.

  ‘That’s highly likely. Your body is telling your mind you’re too young and not ready for it. I am sure it’s not truly a physical problem because you’re immortal. Any actual injury would heal.’ She moved her hands and thus senses slowly up Yolanda’s body checking every organ as she went. ‘Aside from being very thin and weak still, you’re remarkably healthy. Your heart is strong and pumping properly. Let’s see if I can detect anything in your head. It’s the most difficult place to check because there’s so much that’s delicate and also unique to each person.’ She let her hands rove slowly from the top of the head down in stripes so she didn’t miss anywhere. Nothing. She sat back on her heels for a moment considering, then came back. She moved to Yolanda’s neck and suddenly felt something odd. ‘Hello, what’s this?’ she murmured feeling about under one ear.

  ‘What?’ Yolanda whispered as Megan dropped her hands.

  ‘Do you remember ever being examined by a wizard as a child?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Some bad things did happen that I don’t like remembering. Why?’

  ‘You’ve been touched by magic. I suspect your condition is the result of a rather deliberately focussed and designed spell,’ Megan said slowly feeling some of the markers.

  ‘Can you undo it?’ Yolanda asked eagerly feeling encouraged to at least know she was not damaged or defective. There was surely hope now a cause had been identified.

  ‘I don’t know to be honest. I need to think about it. I may have to do a certain amount of experimenting. But I assure you, this is an abomination of magical use. I will try my utmost to remove it.’

  Yolanda hugged her tightly. ‘It’d be nice to simply feel like a whole woman. Thank you for at least identifying why I’ve never felt complete, never felt I could be what a man needed.’

  ‘Is that why you left Schubert?’

  ‘I told him we needed a chance to grow up,’ she laughed sourly. ‘I never knew how right I was.’

  ‘Seeing him again has reminded you of thoughts for a family?’

  ‘Partly, but actually it’s seeing you with your lover. I’m quite envious.’

  ‘Zach and I aren’t lovers.’

  ‘Aren’t you? Well why not? There’s such passion in the
way you two look at each other, I thought you must be. You’re not going to convince me you don’t want him that way,’ Yolanda remarked boldly.

  ‘I don’t know how we look at each other. I know he’s keen, but we really haven’t known each other long.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘Being blind and homeless is a serious disadvantage when thinking of taking a lover. He knows I’m not immortal like him. What happens in a few weeks if I get pregnant and he loses interest? I’d be rather stuck. I don’t have friends or family to call on.’

  ‘You think he’s the type of guy to split and run?’ Yolanda asked.

  ‘No, but as I said, I haven’t known him long enough to be sure. What if he values me just because he thinks I’m the one prophesised about? What if he drops me as soon as that prophesy has been fulfilled? He’s going to remain young and beautiful for decades to come but I will not. He’s not going to want to be saddled with an old blind woman.’

  ‘So you’d rather be alone and make him miserable in the here and now? Honestly Megan, you worry too much.’

  ‘You think I should live for the moment?’

  ‘You have the ability to love and be loved and have children. What more do you really need? You’re also a very resourceful woman; I can’t see anything fazing you for long.’

  ‘Thank you Yolanda. I forget how simple my life must seem to someone who has seen it all before.’

  ‘I haven’t experienced your particular problems, but I wish I was in your shoes right now. And you’re wrong about friends; any one of us would take you in. I’m sure Julius would take Zacharias’s place in a heartbeat if you became single. You’ve won an admirer in Schubert too. He’s told me of your courage. They all liked looking at your body too,’ she added enviously knowing none had looked at her with a man’s appreciation the way they had Megan. She’d always been embarrassed by her body for its lack of curves. At least she now knew there was a reason. Who had done such a thing to her as a child she didn’t know, and bearing in mind Megan’s assertion it had to have been done by a wizard, it was likely that person was now dead. Certainly over a hundred years had passed since “the bad times” in her youth. She had no interest in digging up painful memories from so long ago. She was far more interested in what Megan would do next and whether any of her trial and error treatments might succeed in cancelling the original spell.

  ‘We should tell the others,’ Megan told her, aware Zacharias was now outside the door, worried at how long they were taking in private.

  ‘It’s rather personal,’ Yolanda objected.

  ‘I know, but Schubert probably has a good idea you have a problem. If we tell them, they can help me figure out how to treat you. They’ll also want to know. Schubert and Zacharias are outside the door right now, fretting at not knowing what we could be talking about for so long. They don’t like secrets, and believe me, when I successfully remove that spell, they are going to notice big differences in you. They’ll ask questions and be hurt you didn’t feel you could trust them.’

  ‘You can be quite forceful, can’t you? I’d hoped to keep it quiet.’

  ‘You don’t have to tell them yourself if you’re embarrassed. I can do it. I can also tell them not to talk about it if that would help?’

  ‘Very well. I’m going out to the stables,’ Yolanda said opening the door. The two men were there just outside the door as Megan had said and Julius then popped his head round from the kitchen doorway proving he’d been keeping close too.

  ‘Come in gents,’ Megan called as Yolanda hurried out. ‘Schubert,’ she called and held out her hand towards him, aware he was torn with wanting to follow and check on Yolanda first. ‘I have something important to tell you,’ she said to him. He crossed to her then and took her outstretched hand. ‘Sit down. Yolanda wasn’t very keen for you to know but I persuaded her it would help.’

  ‘She sought you as a healer?’ Schubert asked.

  ‘Yes. Do you know why?’

  ‘Not truly, but she has visited many over the years. None have ever satisfied whatever the concern is though. Have you?’

  ‘Yolanda can’t have children.’

  ‘I know,’ Schubert said quietly.

  ‘What you probably won’t know is why.’

  ‘You’ve found out?’

  ‘Yes. Physically she’s still a pre-pubescent girl. Her body stopped developing just before adolescence.’

  ‘How is that possible?’

  ‘Someone cast a very specific spell on her as a child to achieve this. It’s been designed specifically for an immortal’s different physiology and is very clever. Because of this, her body doesn’t think there’s anything wrong to heal.’ She felt waves of anger and outrage pouring off them along with their angry words.

  ‘Can you get rid of it?’ Zacharias asked and Schubert stopped swearing to listen.

  ‘To be honest, I don’t know. To tailor the most effective counter measure it’s best to know exactly what a spell is designed to do and how it’s structured. It’ll be tricky to figure out what exactly was done. Whilst whoever did this is likely to be dead by now, I’m hoping some of you will have knowledge of the time when this must have happened. Discovering who the people likely to have been involved were and thus their possible motives, could give me clues.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Zacharias asked coming to her other side. ‘Surely she can tell you who did this?’

  ‘No. She admitted something bad happened to her as a child but I suspect it traumatised her and she’s buried it deep. Some things are painful to remember, let alone talk about and the mind does its best to forget. She isn’t looking to blame anyone or to seek vengeance anyway. What’s done is done. She wants to put it behind her and deal with the now.’

  ‘She’s burying her head in the sand?’ Zacharias said.

  ‘Zach she’s had a hell of lot of trauma to deal with recently and that’s on top of what has happened over the years. To be coping now probably means she’s very good at forgetting or bottling things up. How would you like to be stuck in a child’s body? Having everyone around you think you’re a grown woman when your mind tries to tell you you’re a child and not ready for adult activities.’

  ‘For over a hundred years?’ Zacharias whispered aware Schubert had kind of folded in with his head in his hands.

  ‘She didn’t suspect, how could you?’ Megan said softly, her hand on Schubert’s shoulder. ‘She doesn’t want apologies or pity. She just wants to become the woman she always should have been and to have the chance to settle down with a family of her own.’

  ‘Meg,’ Zacharias whispered and wrapped an arm around her. He didn’t think she’d noticed the tears running down her face.

  ‘How could someone be so cruel? This is an abomination.’ She then turned to burrow into Zacharias’s shirt.

  ‘You were right to insist we know about this,’ Schubert said heavily. ‘I’ve known something has been bothering and depressing her for years but never knew what. I thought the lack of children didn’t upset her greatly, although she knew I’d have liked them. Is that why she left me do you think?’

  ‘Yes. She probably didn’t feel ready then. She said she knew she couldn’t be what you needed, but I’m sure she would have hoped it’d come. I suspect she’s been feeling inadequate deep down ever since.’

  ‘This all sounds rather a personal attack on a helpless young girl,’ Julius commented. ‘Schubert you know her history best. Any clue who might have targeted her?’

  ‘There is royal blood in her veins, illegitimate, so she might once have been deemed a threat to succession,’ Schubert told them. ‘Her mother took an immortal lover when her husband the king failed to give her children. Yolanda physically took after her father so no-one could fail to see her mother’s indiscretion and her stepfather’s embarrassment. I believe she had quite a miserable childhood as a result. When she was eleven there was a challenge by the king’s brother. The king and queen were killed and Yolanda was turned out into a nunn
ery. I always wondered why she wasn’t killed too. Now we know a wizard performed a spell to prevent her tainted lineage threatening the future hierarchy.’

  ‘Maybe, having murdered the existing rulers, he sought to curry favour by appearing to show benevolence towards the child?’ Zacharias suggested and the others nodded, considering that.

  ‘Do you know who her father is?’ Julius asked.

  ‘I believe she said his name was Lemoyne. She met him a few times when she was small. He disappeared when her mother was killed. She doesn’t know whether he was put to death too or simply went into hiding. Any of you heard of him?’

  ‘The name seems familiar,’ Zacharias said slowly. ‘But I’m not sure why. I don’t think I’ve met him or if I did, it was long ago.’

  ‘So her mother was mortal, but she could still become fully immortal simply because her father was?’ Megan asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Zacharias told her, knowing this was not just of academic interest to her. ‘Such pairings can of course produce completely mortal children too. Yolanda could certainly have a mortal child, but it’s more likely to be immortal, especially with an immortal father.’

  ‘And me?’ Megan whispered.

  ‘As you know, our immortality stems from a form of magic that heals. Having magic of your own, you and I would most likely have immortal children,’ he told her. ‘Lots of them.’

  ‘Lots?’ she snorted softly. ‘You’ve thought about this then?’

  ‘Of course. I look forward to that day.’

  ‘I thought it was the practicing you were looking forward to?’ she asked archly.

  ‘Well, one doesn’t usually happen without the other,’ he said and laughed. Megan laughed with him but felt a little uneasy.

  ‘That’s nice to hear,’ Yolanda said from the doorway. Schubert had been out to bring her in and coming in on the end of Zach and Megan’s banter made re-entering the room easier somehow. As soon as Yolanda sat down however Megan got up and approached.