Myth

by Terri Todosey

  “I am Cory Phaeus if it is a name you want.”

  How did he get inside my head like that? He was listening to my thoughts - and without my permission. I had to stop thinking.

  “Tell me Tali Tali Jacobson, Prospexi mentioned that you have traveled here from Lockhart. Is this true?”

  “Yes! And if everyone would just leave us alone, we would return there peacefully.”

  He didn’t say anything for a while as he stared deeply into me, the same way Prospexi had done the night I was in Green.

  “Don’t you believe me?” I finally asked.

  “The other female? Is she from Lockhart as well?” he continued without answering me.

  “We all are! Listen, I swear to you, all we want to do is get back there if everyone would just let us,” I pleaded, but it was obvious that he was trying to get into my head, as he continued to stare at me. I kept my mind pinched shut, not wanting him roaming around in there, and hating him for trying.

  “You speak half-truths, and hide much,” he finally said. “I must travel to the temple at Montis this evening to meet with my other daughter, Willow. There I will search for more answers, and hopefully a fresh review of the heiroglyphs will make things clearer. I shall return tomorrow with your fate.”

  “But we just want to go home!” I blurted.

  “My daughter has briefed me on some of your troubles, but unfortunately we have troubles of our own, now that the fire demons are awake. I cannot let you leave here tonight, even for your own good, as you can imagine there is much danger outside of these woods. Now wash yourself, for tonight you will stay and break bread with the others.” With that he stood up, grabbed a nearby vine and jumped off the branch, swinging himself into the undergrowth below. A chipmunk on the next trunk over scurried up to greet him, and the Chief hopped on its back and rode off.

  ‘Yeri was right,’ I thought. ‘The men have no wings and they’ve enslaved the animals for their own benefit.’

  “Oh please tell me you cannot be that naive, and who pray tell is Yeri?” the voice of Prospexi came from behind me. She carried something wrapped in a large leaf.

  “What do you mean I’m naive?” I replied, wiping the thoughts of Yeri from my mind.

  “It’s common knowledge that the males don’t grow wings,” she replied. “And if you weren’t so simple-minded, you’d know that the animals are here by their own choice and can leave whenever they want to. We provide food and protection for their valued services, and they have become good friends of ours.”

  “Is it also common knowledge that you can hear people’s thoughts?” I asked, gritting my teeth into a fake smile.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, most are privy to that knowledge, however I can see that the list of things you don’t know continues to grow at an astonishing rate,” she said smartly. “Not much different from a worm really.”

  I sat silently with my forced smile, wanting to say something, but afraid of the consequences.

  “Perhaps it’s best if you just hurry up and wash your wounds,” she finally said, handing me the leaf-wrapped bundle. I took it reluctantly, but opening it up I found a soft, warm cloth inside that had been saturated in a fragrant solution. Holding it up to my nose, I breathed in the comforting smell of lavender and rosemary.

  “It’s for your wounds!” Prospexi said sharply. “Not your nose!”

  Just for spite I thought, ‘Seeing as you can read my mind, I’d like you to know that you are the sourest faery I’ve ever met!’

  “Hmf.... and to think, I only came to help,” she said and swiftly flew off, calling back over her shoulder, “Have fun getting down from there on your own!”

  Maybe I should have kept my mind shut? I was tired and once again alone, in a tree thirty feet above the forest floor with no apparent way to get down. Lively music rose from the undergrowth below me and I leaned over the edge of the platform, trying to see where it was coming from. I saw some moving lights gathering in a large grassy area beneath the trees. The lights illuminated a menagerie of faeries surrounding two larger beings. Justin and Emily sat at the centre of the gathering, apparently eating and thoroughly enjoying the festivities. I wondered how long it would take for them to notice that I would not be joining them tonight.

  “Pssst,.... are we alone?”

  Remembering that Yeri had been hiding in my knapsack, I took it off and placed it on the platform beside me.

  “Yes, you can come out now,” I whispered. “Can you believe how rude she is? I would have never guessed from all the stories I’ve read about faeries.”

  “Yes, but Tali, you should learn to hold tongue better when speakink to one. Dey are filled with ancient magic and for most part dey may have good spirit, but when in mood, dey would not tink twice about using it in way dat only dey find funny.”

  “Is that why you’re so afraid of them?”

  “I rather not find out how afraid I should be,” Yeri replied as he zipped closed the knapsack and scurried down to the platform. “Sorry to leave you up here, but I must try to find news of family. Maybe few of woodlander have seen dem and know deir whereabouts.”

  I looked down at Mr. Yeri and hated for him to go. He was the only companion that shared my dislike for faeries, and I envied him being so small and capable of climbing down the tree and out of sight. It was ironic how he had selflessly come to help me find my family, and suddenly he might have been closer than any of us to finding his own.

  “I understand,” I said. “I hope you find them. They’ve got to be out there somewhere - maybe even waiting for you?”

  “May Maker be with you,” he smiled as he climbed down to the trunk of the tree. “If you have chance to escape, do not wait for me. You should find way west now through forest to Montis. Lockhart lie in valley direct on other side.”

  I watched as his tiny nails bit into the crevices of the bark and he scurried quietly and easily down until he hopped into the undergrowth and out of sight. The branchless trunk offered no such escape for me though, and I slunk back on the platform, alone again and frustrated by the world that seemed to have given up and abandoned me.

  ‘My friends don’t even care,’ I thought. I could be dead for all that matters. I leaned forward and peered over the edge again to see them dancing and laughing with the faeries. A small tear trickled down my cheek. Hating it I quickly wiped it away and covered my thoughts over with those of my family back home.

  At least they wouldn’t have given up on me. Would they? The thought sat uncomfortably in my head. ‘No!’ I assured myself. Dad would have put up posters throughout town and mom would be sitting awake in bed, not able to sleep with me gone. They would never forget me and for as long as I remained away from home they would keep looking. Even now, they were probably on the street, calling my name. Would I ever make it back?

  My mind then drifted back to Lily Palus, and the boy with the bright green eyes. How lovely he was. He wouldn’t have left me up here by myself. He had cared enough to save me, and I imagined reaching out to take his hand. He was looking at me with that same curious smile over his face, but then he did something unexpected.

  “Tali,” he whispered.

  ‘How can he speak?’ I wondered, and I realized that we weren’t in water like I remembered. Clothed in a cotton shirt and rugged pants he was fully human this time. His face was bathed in sunlight and his golden wavy hair blew freely in the breeze. He stood before me, our gazes intertwined. Stepping towards me, his bare foot sunk deep into the soft sand. My eyes found their way back to his emerald eyes that glowed luminescent in the light of the sun. An energy radiated between us and I felt those same strange feelings come flooding back to me as his hand pulled me closer.

  “Tali,” he breathed into my hair. His voice made my name sound so beautiful. For the first time I felt grown up.

  ‘What is it?’ I thought, but my voice wouldn
’t come. I was suspended in the moment, unable to speak. I tried again but no words came out. He must have seen the frustration in my face because his curious smile lifted and apprehension sparked in his eyes.

  Suddenly something pulled him away as I tried to hang on to his hand. What was happening? My hand tightened its grip on his, but I was not strong enough and his hand slipped out of my grasp.

  “Tali!” I opened my eyes and found Emily staring at me in the dimly lit night. “Why didn’t you join us?”

  Looking up past Emily, I could see Justin giggling as Prospexi hovered near him with a lantern.

  “Arghhh!” I pinched my eyes shut again in hopes of going back to my dream. Back to where the boy was, but he was gone. My mind was blank and I was miserable to have been woken.

  “Get your rest,” said Prospexi. “The sun rises early here in Saltus.” I opened my eyes and watched her fly away seemingly cheerful and singing.

  “Isn’t this place awesome?” said Justin with a big grin on his face. “Who knew they could magically help us fly all the way up here in the tree?”

  “And who knew you could dance like that?” giggled Emily, poking his side.

  I groaned.

  “What’s wrong with you?” asked Justin.

  “What’s wrong with me?” I said sitting up. “Did you not think to ask where I was during your little love fest? Helloooo! Your best friend doesn’t show up, but you don’t even think to care? Oh wait! I forgot, you have a new friend now and no longer need me. So glad you could come Em!” I smiled a fake smile at her.

  They stood there, silent with wide eyes and apparent disbelief that I had called them out on exactly what was going on.

  “Actually, I did ask where you were,” said Justin. “and Prospexi told me you were resting.”

  “And you believed that lying little bug?” I snapped.

  “She’s not as bad as you make her out to be,” said Emily. “Here!” She held out a large red apple. “I brought you this, figuring you’d be hungry.”

  I looked at her simple expression and delicate face. ‘Of course she’d be nice,’ I thought. No wonder Justin liked her!

  “I’m fine,” I replied tersely, but immediately hated myself for being so cold. Feeling tears begin to pool in my throat, I rolled over to my side and hid my face, quietly quelling my hunger by nibbling on one of the remaining taste buds.

  “I don’t know what’s gotten into her.” I overheard Justin whisper to Emily.

  But I didn’t feel like explaining myself. I had already been woken up from one of the best dreams I’d ever had, and all I wanted was to go back into it. Back to my dream of the boy I met in Lily Palus. It seemed that Emily and Justin had also had enough for one day and they laid down beside me and fell asleep.

  It was difficult to find my way back to sleep that night. So many thoughts swirled in my head. So many unanswered questions. Why did the faeries have to keep us here? Why didn’t they believe us? And why did Prospexi have to be so mean to me? I felt alone in my misery, and depression seeped in cold and hard. I wrestled with it, pleaded with it to leave me alone. But it didn’t oblige. It quarreled deep inside my head throughout the night, leaving me broken and fatigued.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Fate of Three

  The most beautiful song echoed through the trees as a tiny orange bird sat singing on a branch nearby. The sun stretched its fingertips down through the forest ceiling and reached deep into the dewy undergrowth, lighting the air that was thick with dancing pollen and buzzing insects. Each breath was fresh and sweet.

  “Greetings this good morning,” the voice of Cory Phaeus whispered peacefully. He was sitting on a branch above me, while Justin and Emily remained asleep on the platform beside me.

  “It appears the battle within you was won during the night, and peace has finally come to you this new sun,” he continued.

  “Peace will come to me when I’m back home in Lockhart with my family,” I said.

  “Then you should rise and wake the others,” he said. “For the sun rises early here in Saltus, which is good, as you have a long flight ahead.”

  “Flight?”

  “Yes. Today you will fly to Montis,” he replied.

  “We will?” yawned Emily as she sat up.

  “You are free to go.”

  “Did you hear that Justin?” she nudged him.

  “So your trip to Montis proved us innocent after all, huh?” I asked.

  “My trip to Montis only proved one thing,” he explained. “That you are not the Myth, as I thought.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t waste a trip all the way to Montis just to find that out,” I said. “Can’t you see that we’re real and not a make-believe story?”

  “Not a myth, THE Myth,” he corrected me. “The title can be deceiving, and although I myself have not seen her, I assure you that the Myth is real. A human, like yourself - female in form - her destiny richly entangled within the stories of the Troth, but I can see that you are not knowledgeable about such prophecies,” he sighed. “It is a shame as we do our best to encourage each species and generation to teach their young the history and prophecy that is written within the Troth, so that it is never forgotten. I would have assumed that Lockhart of all villages would have been best prepared for these days, but clearly I am mistaken.”

  “You must send a messenger to them!” blurted out Prospexi, who now floated down to sit on the branch beside her father. “The elders of Lockhart are neglecting their responsibilities. I should think the Maker would be displeased if he knew....”

  “Quiet!” her Father interrupted to my surprise and delight. “Do you not think the Maker already knows?” the Chief continued. “I agree that perhaps more messengers should have been sent, but the time is too late for that. The great battle will soon be upon us and we must now focus our energy on that if we are to survive.”

  Justin sat up. “I thought no one knew where the Maker was?”

  “It is true. He has not been seen for thousands of suns.”

  “Then how do you even know he’s alive?”

  “Don’t be deceived by the rumours out there that have already claimed his life,” said the Chief. “The prophecies within the Troth reveal that he will be here during the great battle. It is he who will lead us to victory!”

  “What’s the Troth?” I asked.

  Prospexi rolled her eyes, but her father noticed.

  “Prospexi!” he scolded.

  Her face was instantly solemn, and she drew near him reverently. “Yes father?”

  “Go fetch me one of the scrolls about the arrival of the Myth,” he said. She flew off into the forest without question.

  “The book of Troth is the most ancient book of Evoluii,” he began. “Written by the Maker’s own hand it chronicles the stories of everything you see - events that have already taken place and things yet to come. Some even believe it was the Maker’s written words that were born first, forming images from his imagination and giving life to this world that was once void.”

  Prospexi returned with the scroll, which seemed to be too large for her petite frame, yet quite small for a human’s hands to manage. She handed it to her father who untied the leather strap that fastened it and then rolled it open for us to see. The yellowed paper inside was covered in what looked like some sort of ancient language built from symbolic pictures and shapes. They were simple pictures, some no more complex than stick drawings of people, animals, the sun and moon. Some figures even had wings which I assumed represented the faeries.

  “So this is the Troth?” I asked, looking over the scroll with him.

  “No,” he laughed. He was more patient with us than Prospexi had been as he tried to explain. “This is one of the scrolls that has been translated from the Troth to our language. The Troth is a much larger book, written in a language only a few
can read - and I am not one of them.”

  “So let me get this straight,” I said. “You haven’t seen the Myth, but you’re sure she’s real, even though she’s called the Myth, and no one has seen the Maker in thousands of suns, but he’s still alive... somewhere, and you can’t read the Troth, but you’ve somehow translated it into these scrolls?”

  “Yes,” he replied shortly.

  I looked at Emily and then at Justin, who just shrugged his shoulders. The Chief continued.

  “Many years ago the Maker himself would come to us every midsummer and read us his own stories right from the Troth. The scribes of that day decorated the walls of the temple with elaborate pictures of the stories he told, and we have copied some of them onto scrolls like this one, to better teach our young.”

  “So, if this isn’t the Troth, then where is it?” I asked.

  “It’s hidden,” he replied, not lifting his eyes off the scroll.

  “Hidden? Why?”

  “It needs to be in a safe location, where Ludo will not find it.”

  “What would she do if she found it?” asked Emily.

  “Understand that the Troth has knowledge, both former and latter.” His hand skimmed over the symbols. “If she were to take control of that knowledge and destroy it, nothing short of the Maker himself would be able to stop her deceptive powers.”

  “What kind of knowledge are you talking about?” asked Justin.

  “The knowledge of her own doom for one,” he replied. “Ah, here it is.” He pointed to a line of symbols. “Keep watch, for the Myth, a human of seven thousand suns will arrive from a distant land, far from Lockhart,” he read, his hand following along. “Noticed by the Maker, she was there at the great fire - her countenance a mystery to all. Be alert when the fire demons are roused from their slumber, for this moon will not pass until she appears and the dawn of the red sun will shine out on her, making her known.” Then skipping several lines he stopped again and continued. “Adored by the Maker, she is despised by Ludo. Do not be deceived by her name, for it is birthed in disbelief and desire to turn truth into lies. Rest assured, the Myth is real. She will come and fear will consume deception, even unto death.”