Her eyes fell upon the people traversing the city and she was struck by how uniquely dressed they were. Though some wore clothing similar to her home world, others sported loose fitting togas and tunics. Some of them, she realized, were dressed not unlike the people who had been in the meeting she’d barged in on. She could only pray she was not in that land.
“No sign of him,” the stranger said as he drew onto the shore. “Is there somewhere in particular you were meant to be visiting?”
She shook her head. “I do not know. He only said he wanted to take me somewhere marvelous. And, well, he’s done that… if ‘take’ is the word for it.”
“Well, why don’t I escort you into the city? You can meet my wife and sister and we will see what is to be done.”
She hesitated, not at all liking the idea of going anywhere in this strange world without the prophet. “What if he expects to find me here?”
“Latos can take care of himself, trust me. He’ll find you.” When she continued to waver, he held out a hand, “I’m Necoli, great-grandson of our former realm leader, Latos, your… er, prophet of the Kierelian kingdom.”
Former Realm Leader… the prophet? She took his hand without realizing, utterly bewildered. “I’m… Wynn… his apprentice.”
“Aaaah, that makes a great deal more sense. We have heard about you. It is an honor to meet you.”
She could not imagine why it should be an honor but replied, “Likewise.”
“Well, will you not follow me? I can show you around and if the prophet has not found you by the time we reach my sister, she will likely know what to do… She always does.” He said this with a smile that conveyed both admiration and irritation this was so.
“You said you have a wife?”
He nodded. “Nimua. She’ll like you. She’s my sister, Ivi’s, closest friend. You remind me of her a little.”
“Who?”
“Ivi.”
So, she was something like the prophet’s great-granddaughter… that explained why he liked her so much.
By the time they reached one of the smooth-surfaced roads, a better view of the city was revealed and she found herself overwhelmed by the sparkling, dynamic splendor.
“Welcome to the formerly lost city of Atlantyss,” he said grandly upon noting her reaction. “She is a pretty sight, isn’t she?”
Wynn nodded. There were so many people in one place, dressed in various colors and styles. Dragons lounged about while children crawled over them, a shocking sight for a Kierelian girl. But more notable than all she saw—the architecture, dragons, clothing and roads—was the atmosphere. It was thick, tingling and dancing upon her skin, making her feel more alive and free than ever she had in her life.
“The Spirit of the Great One,” Necoli explained when he caught her rubbing her arms. “It dwells very densely here, more so than on most islands. Only one that beats it is the Isle of His Glory, but as that is where it all began, it is to be expected.”
“Where what all began?”
He eyed her as if weighing whether he felt up to explaining. “Ivi could tell it better than I. She’s the one who did it, after all.”
“Did what?” Her curiosity was soaring. She wanted to know everything about this place and its people.
He started forward and gestured for her to follow. “Come on. She can tell you herself.”
As they continued, Wynn recalled what the prophet had said about this being a planet of islands. “Is every island like this one?”
“Not really. There is a wide variety of island cultures. There even used to be a cannibal island… but that is now what we call the Isle of His Glory, as I mentioned.”
“Cannibal?” She had never heard the word.
He smirked. “Er, never mind. The important thing is, they’re reformed.”
As they moved through the streets, many people waved to her escort while casting curious, though not unwelcoming, glances her way. As many of their garments loosely resembled hers, she assumed it was her red hair that caught their attention, for not a single one of them possessed even an orange shade.
Just as they passed a sizable building, a large group of young people raced out, swarming around her. Necoli was soon forced to pull her from the frenzy and onto another path.
“Classes must be out,” he explained.
“You mean they were all being tutored at once?”
“That’s about the gist of it, but there are all sorts of classes to be taken there, so they split off.”
“What sorts of classes?”
“Oh, Dream Interpretation has recently become quite popular. Then there’s Reinvention, Paradise Culture 101...”
She scarcely knew what he spoke of, so merely nodded and refrained from asking more questions.
“Wynnie!” a warmly familiar voice called.
She turned to find the prophet standing upon a grand set of steps before an elaborate structure. Without another thought, she raced to him.
“Where have you been?!” she demanded as he pulled her into a relieved embrace.
“I am so terribly sorry. I had some trouble transporting here. I’m very glad to find you all right and on the very island I wished us to visit.”
“Trouble?” She pulled away. “Is that normal?”
He lifted a brow. “Normal? Perhaps. Usual? No.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
His face grew somber before he sighed out, “It means things are changing, my girl. Now, I must say you have done well to get here and I am terribly proud of you. To be honest, I had not really expected your efforts to transport to be so fruitful upon your first attempt. I can assure you it was not so easy for me even after years of practice.”
“Well, I ended up in the middle of the ocean, underwater and unable to swim. I wouldn’t have been all right at all if it hadn’t been for Necoli.”
“Necoli?” He turned to find the man striding toward them. Holding out his arms to meet the him with an embrace, he cried, “My favorite grandson! I must thank you for saving my dear apprentice from such a dreadful fate!”
“Oh, it was no trouble at all! She doesn’t bite much.”
Wynn found herself laughing with this man she did not know who, now she saw them together, reminded her very much of the prophet. Both were warm and open and possessed thin faces with large blue eyes.
“Prophet,” she began with arms crossed, “Necoli has just told me your name.”
The prophet was shamefaced. “Oh. Should I have told you?”
With raised brow, she nodded. “Does Phillip even know it?”
He smiled and shook his head. “It is our little secret now.”
“But why should you conceal it?”
Necoli drew beside her and folded his arms likewise. “Yes, why should you hide who you are in Kierelia?”
The prophet appeared gloomy for a moment, then threw on a wide-eyed smile and chuckled over their stance. “You darling ones ought not to question a little child such as I,” he said. Endearingly, he linked an arm through Wynn’s and started up the stairs.
“But where are we going?” she inquired.
“To the council headquarters. That is where some of the people are whom I would like you to meet.”
“Oh, they’re not in session today!” Necoli called as he raced after them.
The prophet turned. “Well, where ever are they?”
“They had their session this morning and dispersed for the day. Ivi’s at my place with Nim and the others.”
“Is Darist with them?” he asked eagerly.
“Yes, he should be there.”
“Ah! I’ve a score to settle with him. My dragon beat his fair and square, but he vanished at the end of our race.”
Necoli chuckled. “Yes, he claimed his required urgent care.”
The prophet laughed and smacked his grandson on the back. “Yes, well, we shall learn what sort of ‘urgent care’ kept him from admitting my dragon had the better bloodline after all
.”
All this was most assuredly talk of another world to Wynn. Dragon races? Better bloodlines? In her world, dragons killed people. Here, they appeared to be family, if the way children played with them revealed anything.
At last, they reached an older building at the edge of the city, located near the beach. Upon stepping through the door, the three were met by a lively, chattering room of people who appeared to enjoy more than their fair share of happiness from simply being together. When no one noticed their entrance, Necoli called out to them.
“Uh, greetings, friends. We’ve visitors!”
Cheers sounded as their eyes fell upon the prophet. He was soon overwhelmed with greetings and embraces.
“Now, now, I wish you all to meet my apprentice!” He stepped aside to reveal her. “This is Wynn of Kierelia.”
The entire group looked to her, some of whom she recognized… quite unfortunately. Three of them had been in the meeting in which she’d humiliated herself.
Others who greeted her and introduced themselves as Darist, Marquen, Brenna and Felix, but the last of them exclaimed, “We have met before! Perhaps you did not catch our names the last time. I am Iviana, this is Flynn and this,” she gestured to the comely girl, “is dear Era.”
Wynn noted the emphasis on the word 'dear’… as if to say, this girl would never harm a child of mine.
“But how can you know one another?” the prophet asked, dumbfounded.
“The vanishing door,” Wynn explained, hoping he would let it go at that.
“Yes, she gave us some advice,” Iviana added. “Some of which we found ourselves quite grateful for. I took it upon myself to look into Lyric, Wynn, and discovered some rather disturbing details. Therefore, he was not invited to join our council.”
Wynn raised her brows, utterly surprised to have been correct in this, at least. “What is your council exactly?”
Before an answer could be given, a stunning blonde woman stepped forward and took her by the arms. “Oh, come in, won’t you? It’s silly, all of us crowding around this door. The council is an altogether too dull a subject to be discussing at great length in any case.” She stopped abruptly to add, “I am Nimua, by the way, Necoli’s wife.” She continued leading Wynn through the house until she had seated her before a large circular table and handed over a cup of a sweet, honey flavored beverage. “But if you must know, the council is the leadership of this entire realm. How you got an invite to one of their conferences is beyond me since I’ve yet to have been allowed to set foot in one.”
“That is only because you haven’t been around for months, you silly ninny,” Iviana defended, coming over to put an arm around her friend. “You must ignore half of what she says, Wynn. She tends to exaggerate.”
Wynn was astonished to find herself among people who governed an entire planet. The work the vibrant Nimua had put in to make her feel at ease began to unravel. Therefore, she merely sat with nothing to do as the others fetched food from stone ovens and countertops and placed them upon the table before her.
She began to regret having enjoyed her filling breakfast when her eyes took in the array. There were bowls of exotic fruits, most of which she had never even heard of. Other trays hosted grilled peppers and tomatoes, as well as other bits she did not recognize. There were two plates of hot, sticky honey rolls with an aroma that reminded of the ocean she had nearly drowned in. At last, a large cake soaked with cream was placed at the center of the table. It was then her mouth began to water.
Thankfully, she was not forced to wait long, for soon they had all taken a seat around the table and began serving themselves. She feared she would not get a chance at the cake so far across the table, but once it was passed around, she enjoyed perhaps more than her fair share.
“So, what brought you here, Latos?” Iviana asked. “I had hoped to see you again ages ago, as you’d promised. You are rather late in keeping your word.”
Wynn was puzzled by the fact that both Iviana and Necoli called their grandfather by his name rather than by some endearing term.
“I know, Ivi girl, but I’ve been busy with the handful that is dear Wynn. Not to mention, I’m certain you’ve been occupied yourself.”
“Not too busy for my own grandfather, Sir Excuses. Now, how long do you plan to remain with us this time?”
He winced. “Not long, I’m afraid. We have plans for later, but I wished Wynn to make contact with you all. One day, she may be on her own in that little cabin of ours and I want her to have allies who possess giftings and understanding of a supernatural nature should she need you and vice versa.”
Wynn was rather taken aback by this. Not only did she dread the thought of ever living alone in the cabin, but she had never thought to need allies “of a supernatural nature” nor to be one herself.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking, Wynnie,” he said. “But Iviana here has a great deal of experience when it comes to the supernatural. And Nimua and Necoli actually spend most of their time in Kierelia as missionaries. They had, of course, promised to stop by some time to meet you…”
“Just as you promised to return soon,” Necoli reminded. “Life runs away with one sometimes.”
“Prophet, there is something I am not certain I understand,” Wynn broke in. “Are you from this planet?”
His eyes grew stormy as he appeared to be remembering across his lifetime. “Why, yes, in fact, I am.”
Seeing his reaction nearly stopped her from posing her next question. But finding out he had lived this whole other life, had been married (she’d imagined him single all his life), had children and grandchildren… she needed to know. He meant too much to her to go on knowing only the small portion of his life that he’d thus far revealed. “How did you end up on Kaern?”
All in the room looked to one another but offered no explanation. Therefore, it fell to the prophet.
“All right…” he said. “I will tell the tale… but only if no one attempts to interrupt with some correction or other. I think I know the story of my life better than anyone else and I am too old to be making excuses for myself.”
The assemblage agreed.
He took a few moments to sort his thoughts before, “I was Realm Leader here at one time. In this time, it would have been just over a hundred years ago, though for me, it happens to have been much longer…”
A hundred years ago? her mind squealed. Well, he had always told her he was terribly old. She was rather confused by his mention of it having been longer for him, but she was more curious about this term “Realm Leader.”
“I was anointed leader of the planet, like Flynn here.” He gestured to the young man Wynn was certain had feelings for Iviana. “And I was given the agelessness—that is, I ceased aging at a natural rate. I then unified the divided territories of this world, bringing peace to the realm... until I made a very grave mistake.”
She was fascinated by this account but raised her brows at the last. Truthfully, she had thought the prophet incapable of making mistakes.
He swallowed hard as he gazed out at the vision of the ocean sparkling through the window. “An old friend, Aradia, claimed she loved me. But I was married, so, of course, I rejected her advances. Unfortunately, she took it very poorly... and attempted to take my life. As a result, I banished her into Kaern.”
“I should say so!” Wynn exclaimed indignantly.
The prophet smiled sadly and continued, “Unfortunately, she learned the dark art of witchcraft in Kierelia. She then responded by luring the dragons of this world into an insipid fire where they were transformed into foul beasts. These are the dark dragons that now devastate our Kierelian villages from time to time.”
“Oh.” So… her prophet had been part of the birth of the dangerous dragons of her homeland? This was terribly difficult to believe. It made her wonder just how much of the kingdom’s history had been affected by his decisions.
“Regretting my brash behavior, I rallied an army to defend the Kierelian territor
y as well as the Greater Archipelagos, vanquishing every dark dragon I could unearth until the few remaining had fled and hidden. In my final effort to make up for my error, I faced down Aradia, one on one, with the objective of returning her to this land in order to bring her to justice.
“Instead, she performed an incantation that sent me through time, into an age before men walked the planet Kaern and before the world on which we now stand was even created. Therefore, my journey to this moment has been far longer than for others.”
Wynn’s mouth dropped open.
He paused for a time, possibly waiting for some word from the apprentice who had no words. Receiving none, he went on. “Nevertheless, the Great One employed me through the years and never removed the agelessness that was granted me as Realm Leader. That is, of course, the reason I’ve remained alive all this time.
“Through the ages, I’ve aided the Great One in the building up of kingdoms and the tearing down. I’ve mentored rulers—scolded, encouraged and adored them. I’ve watched princesses slay dragons while knights ran in terror and I’ve seen more battles than I ever care to recall. I taught a great deal and learned much more. I have lived longer than any man should, becoming the one I am today, who feels, in truth, hardly a man... rather a creature of another world.”
She gawked in stunned wonderment of her dear prophet-friend. It had seemed as if he had always been the hermit living in the woods, healing and loving on those who visited him while sending important messages to the nobility of the land. To hear he’d lived a whole other life—several, in fact, if he had been cast into Kaern before mankind tread there—it was nearly too much to take in.
Silence commenced and she knew he craved some reply from her. Gulping a few times in an effort to clear her throat, she reminded herself she ought to be feeling sympathy for him rather than wonder. To him, this was simply his life—not a fascinating impossibility. Retraining her thoughts for compassion over astonishment, her mind raced. At last, she asked, “You were ripped away from your family?”
The Prophet's Apprentice (Chronicles of the Chosen) Page 20