by Kristen Pham
Chapter 23
As they approached the Roaming City, Valerie could see a circle of tall, white pillars surrounding an oval pool that reflected the night sky. Beyond the pool, clusters of pale brown huts blended with the sand so well that, if it were not for their shadows, the dwellings would be invisible from a distance. The city was still except for a solitary figure who approached them rapidly. Whoever it was wore a long, dark robe that brushed the ground and a hood that hung low, concealing the face beneath it.
When the figure was a few yards away, a deep, haughty voice bellowed, “Who presumes to enter the Roaming City uninvited?”
Valerie was embarrassed. Were they not allowed to be here? But Cyrus stepped forward confidently and flashed his widest smile. “I’m Cyrus, and my friends are Valerie and Kanti. Valerie is here to receive her prophecy. May I ask who you are?”
The figure threw back his hood dramatically, revealing long, dark hair held back in a ponytail, and eyes that flashed with irritation. “I am the First Prophet of Ephesus,” he said in a ringing voice. He gave them a look, and when they just stared back, he said through gritted teeth, “I assume you have brought me a gift to honor me.”
“I’m sorry, but we —” Valerie began to stammer, but Kanti interrupted her.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but that’s not how it works. We’re not giving you anything.”
“Then you had better return to where you came from,” he said, struggling to keep his voice calm.
“You know that is not our way, Putrefus. These travelers have found us, so they have a right to be here,” said a light musical voice. A slight woman who stood no taller than Valerie’s waist stepped out of the shadows.
“Stay out of this,” Putrefus snarled.
The woman approached, smiling. “Excuse him. Since he was named First Prophet, the title has gone straight to his head.” Then she turned to face Putrefus, and Valerie saw that dark wings were folded against her back. “But even you cannot ignore the laws of this city or else you will answer for it. The Roaming City has allowed these travelers to enter, which means that their need for help is great, and their hearts are deserving. To deny them a prophecy would be punishable by banishment.”
“We’ll see about that,” he replied, and then stormed off in a huff. Kanti laughed outright at his tantrum.
“Kanti, get a grip. We’re guests here,” Cyrus admonished. Kanti made a face at him.
The woman swiveled back to face them with a bright smile. “Allow me to welcome you to the Roaming City properly. I’m Sibyl. You’ve picked an unusual night to arrive. You will have the opportunity to witness an Illyrian immortality ceremony.”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t stay. I need to talk to one of the Oracles immediately to hear my prophecy. There is someone who’s depending on me, and I need to help him right away,” Valerie said urgently.
“I’m afraid that’s impossible. There will be no prophecies until dawn. We haven’t had an immortality ceremony here in fifty-nine years, and the entire city has taken the night off to witness it and celebrate. And there is another problem.”
“What’s that?” Valerie asked, worried.
“Well, if your need is as great as you say, you will want the most gifted Oracle to deliver your prophecy.”
“Yes, of course. Where can we find him or her?” Cyrus asked impatiently.
“You met him. Putrefus is First Prophet, and you may have some work ahead to convince him to help you.”
Without another word, Sibyl began making her way back toward the shadowed huts.
“Wait, won’t you help us?” Valerie called after her.
“I must assist with the preparations for the ceremony. I recommend you approach Putrefus tomorrow, and don’t be afraid to be particularly complimentary. Also, don’t wake him too early. He likes to sleep in after rituals, and he doesn’t prophesize as accurately when he’s irritable.”
Then, before anyone could respond, Sibyl left, leaving the three alone again. “We’re stuck here for tonight,” Valerie sighed.
“Way to make a good impression, Kanti,” Cyrus hissed.
“Whatever, Ambassador. Why don’t you turn on that magical charm you’re always bragging about?” Kanti retorted.
“Relax, you two! On the bright side, we’ll catch a few zzz’s. We’re not going to be much help to anyone without some sleep.”
Kanti nodded reluctantly. “Let’s set up camp on the outskirts of the city. Then we’ll try to suck up to that snob, Putrefus, first thing tomorrow.”
“Tent!” Kanti called, and then, in a blink of an eye, a roll of canvas, pegs, and poles appeared on the ground beside them from their call box.
“I brought it for you, Val. I know you always wanted to go camping. So I brought an old-fashioned tent, like the kind you use on Earth,” Cyrus said with a grin.
“Should’ve packed the houseplant,” Kanti said. “It would have grown into three nice weatherproof canopy beds in three minutes. That would be much more comfy than sleeping on the ground.”
“Well, I think it’s really nice of you to remember,” Valerie said, before Cyrus could get annoyed by Kanti’s comment.
“Hey, where are the directions for this contraption? Did you pack them?” Kanti asked.
“You don’t need directions,” Cyrus said confidently. “You’ve got me.”
Thirty minutes later, Valerie, Cyrus, and Kanti were still struggling to set up the tent.
“Forget it. We’ll never get this up. Let’s sleep under the stars,” Kanti said, frustrated.
“I would’ve had it up by now, but there’s a pole missing. Not my fault,” Cyrus snapped back.
“Look,” Valerie said, pointing to the Conjurors trickling out of the huts to gather around the pool. It was just as diverse a group as Valerie had seen in Arden, but everyone wore long robes. “They must be here for the ceremony.”
A man with bushy, gray eyebrows made his way across the expanse of desert toward them. When he reached the group, he gave them a friendly smile. “Seems like you could use some help with that.”
“It’s no use,” Kanti said, throwing the pole she was holding onto the ground.
But the man only smiled and worked quietly on the tent, sliding the poles into the canvas sleeves expertly. In a few deft moves, the tent was standing.
“See, I told you there wasn’t a missing pole!” Kanti said triumphantly.
Cyrus pointedly ignored her comment and turned to the man instead. “Hey, thanks! That was impressive.”
“Leo, at your service,” he replied.
“How did you get so good at setting up tents? I don’t know anyone who uses them on the Globe.”
Leo smiled and changed the subject. “You three must be here for a prophecy.”
“Yes. But we have to wait until dawn, after the ceremony,” Valerie said with anxiety in her voice. What is an Illyrian immortality ceremony, anyway?”
“All of the Conjurors who live in the underwater city of Illyria are immortal. Every once in a while, they allow someone to join them and live forever. That person must enter Illyria through the Sacred Pool,” he said, pointing toward the pool of water by the pillars.
“Sibyl said it’s been more than half a century since the last immortality ceremony. What does someone have to do to be allowed to join the Illyrians?” Kanti asked, curious.
Leo rubbed his neck like he was a little uncomfortable. “Legend says that if a Conjuror performs one truly selfless act at great personal cost, he—or she—will be offered an opportunity to become immortal. But joining the Illyrians means leaving behind the rest of the world forever.”
“They can never leave?” Valerie asked, intrigued. It reminded her of her own choice to leave Earth forever.
“Illyria can only be entered once. If an Illyrian ever chooses to rejoin the world above the water, he will have no second chance at immortality. He will finish his life, and then die like everyone else.”
Valerie met Leo�
��s kind eyes. “The ceremony is for you, isn’t it Leo?”
“Yes.”
“But won’t you miss your life on the Globe?”
“My family is lost to me,” he said, and a shadow fell over his face. “I can’t go on with life as usual without them. I believe it’s my destiny to help the Illyrians with their work.”
“As a keeper of the Akashic Records,” Valerie said with reverence.
“Yes,” he said, sounding surprised by her knowledge. “I may finally find the answers I have been seeking for so long.”
“I hope you do. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing. Sometimes you have to leave behind everything you’ve ever known in order to really start living.”
“You are really very mature for one so young,” Leo said. Valerie blushed. Noticing her discomfort, he changed the subject. “There is one thing I’ll miss. All of the light! It will be very dark in that underwater world. I can always swim to the surface, of course, but I’ll miss waking up to the sunrise.”
Valerie thought hard, and then her face lit up. “I have an idea! Cyrus, couldn’t you make Leo something to take with him? Something that would glow underwater so that he has a piece of light with him always? Cyrus made me this,” Valerie explained, taking her flower out of her pocket. “It always glows, night or day. Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
Cyrus beamed with pride, and Leo said, “Incredible. What a powerful gift!”
Cyrus was already busy pulling starlight to his hands and shaping it. He concentrated, and his hands moved like lightning. Several minutes later, there was a flash. “There,” he said, and in his hands was a glowing orb that shone so brightly it made Valerie squint. “That will stay lit for several months. Then bring it up to recharge it for a few hours. It will last a long time—maybe even forever.” Cyrus handed Leo the orb. “Look inside.”
Leo stared, and Valerie and Kanti crowded closer to see it as well. Inside was a roaring, golden lion.
“It’s a lion, since you’re Leo,” Cyrus explained.
Leo blinked back tears. “Thank you, children. I don’t think you understand what this means to me.”
The high, sweet sound of singing filled the air. The mournful music came from Sibyl, who was fluttering in the air with her wings spread wide. Though the song was in a language Valerie had never heard before, she somehow knew that it described all of the things that Leo would never experience living underwater among the immortals.
“The farewell song, to make sure that I don’t take this decision lightly,” Leo murmured. “That’s my cue. I won’t forget you three.”
Every cell in Valerie’s body was responded to the poignant beauty of the music. It made her think of everything she had ever yearned for but never had: a mother to hug her when she was sick; a father to pick her up from school and ask her about her day; a family that was tied to her by blood, who loved her no matter what.
Meanwhile, Leo walked solemnly toward the pool. The orb that Cyrus had created lit up Leo’s face softly. The Oracles who were crowding around the pool parted to make a path for him. They joined Sibyl in song, and when Leo stepped into the water, the song reached a crescendo. A wave of emotion crashed over Valerie, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
When Leo was waist deep, the singing grew softer. He took one last look around at everyone. Then he gazed at the stars and dipped beneath the water, leaving only a solitary ripple to mark the spot of his passing.
Then suddenly, cheers burst out from everyone at the pool, and from somewhere the sound of lively music filled the air. “Now, we celebrate! Celebrate the life Leo lived, and the life we all have yet to experience,” Sibyl shouted joyfully.
The weight of farewell and loss that hung heavy in the air lifted. Like magic, the atmosphere changed wildly, and Valerie’s feet were suddenly light, as if she could walk on air. Everyone began to dance around the pool, and she was pulled into the swirling mass of Conjurors. With Kanti holding one hand and Cyrus holding the other, she let herself go, joining in the dancing and singing.
Something about the dance was mesmerizing, and somehow, her feet seemed to remember the steps, and her voice knew the tune. The crowd moved as one, racing around the still pool. Valerie and Cyrus both started laughing from sheer joy. She had never been so full of life.
The rest of the night was a whirlwind of spinning, singing, and feasting. When she finally collapsed inside the tent, she could still hear the music inside her head.