by Erin Forbes
“I saw you in the library this afternoon,” she responded with a brief nod. “You appeared to be leaving with a great number of books.”
The headmistress was beginning to make me feel self-conscious, but it was evident that her pursed lips were holding back a grin. Zara hoped I was beginning to decode the prophecy.
“You know, Alice,” she continued in a hushed tone of voice. “When one finds themselves with the task of solving a challenging puzzle, the best way to understand the solution is to avoid overthinking.”
I remained silent. The headmistress was remarkably good at reading people. She had noticed my wandering focus and pensive gaze.
“You must trust yourself, Alice,” said Zara. “When the time comes, I believe your heart will know its task and your spirit shall guide you to your destiny.”
Zara seemed to speak in her own prophecy. Her wisdom often caused me to forget about her young age. I admired the advice she gave to others, and the simple way words flowed from her like poetry when one needed it most. I had no doubt this was one of the many reasons Zara had been chosen as the headmistress of the Academy for Gifted Youth.
◆◆◆
I stood before the entrance of Lancaster Hall, reaching out to place my hand where the doorknob might have been. I thought back to my very first day at the Academy for Gifted Youth and realized it was not so long ago. The time passed with swift strides, and it didn’t care enough to give notice. I had made several extraordinary friends, and the prophecy was keeping my thoughts busy.
I closed the door behind me and hurried through the lounge. After grabbing one of the books from my bedchamber, I climbed the sturdy ladder of the loft. The old hardcover was coated in dust and silver lettering. As my fingers trailed down the inky pages, each separate word danced gracefully in my mind.
The Four Lone Towers are one of the most famous mysteries in all of Aisling. They are the trademark of the Academy for Gifted Youth, which is settled in the lush, green valley that many know to be the barrier of the Night Oak and White Birch Forests. Each tower was built shortly after the castle of the Academy for Gifted Youth.
The founder of the Academy, Professor Silas Casper, spent much of his time in each of the four towers. It was there he studied art, literature, astronomy, and magical Gifts.
Boredom began to linger in the back of my mind. The library books did not seem to hold any additional information about the prophecy. As I glanced down, two individual flames kindled in the palm of my hand. I watched carefully as they dashed down my line of fingers and leaped into the air with freedom. I smiled with the knowledge that these flames would always be a reflection of my soul.
Professor Hawthorne’s words were true. I did not need to drive myself mad with the objective of comprehension. Fate intertwines with everyday life, even when people fail to pay attention. Such a truth is comparable to the art of climbing mountains; the struggle is greatest before you reach the summit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Several days later, dust began to collect upon the old hardcovers. I decided to return the books to the Academy library, as there was no use in allowing them to sit any longer.
“I will be back in a few minutes,” I called to my sister, who sat cross-legged on her bed. She nodded without taking her eyes away from the novel in her hands. I watched for a moment as her blue gaze traveled quickly down the lines of ink.
As I hurried down the hallway, my shoulders began to feel the weight of the heavy books gathered in my arms. I adjusted the pile every few minutes, quickening my pace in an attempt to reach the library sooner. The castle appeared to be deserted; however, a familiar face appeared as I rounded the corner beside the stairwell.
“Can I help you?” Ronan smiled at me behind the mountain of books.
I remained silent for a moment, contemplating my few options. My friend did not wait for a response, as he removed half of the volumes from the stack. Without a word, we sauntered down the wooden stairwell. The morning light shone through the castle windows, leaving each step with the reflection of faded colors. The hallway echoed with the sound of footsteps, breaking the silence with every reverberation.
“Something fascinating occurred to me yesterday,” said Ronan.
“What was it?” I asked, attempting to keep the silence from creeping back in.
“There are four elementally Gifted students in the Academy at the same time. Each of you share the same birthday,” stated Ronan. “Isn’t that odd? After all, the four elements are very rare Gifts.”
As I watched him, my heart pounded like a drum in my chest. Ronan was beginning to discern my secret. I always assumed Zara intended to keep the prophecy unknown, though I did not know what would happen if the truth began to leak out.
“I’m sure you have thought about it, as the four of you are such close friends,” Ronan continued as he became conscious of my stare. “I just thought it seemed a bit strange.”
“I’m sure it is just a coincidence.” I laughed, opening my hand to reveal a bright orange flame.
◆◆◆
I sat with the other girls at lunch in the afternoon. The world seemed to fade into a blur of colors as I became lost in the forest of my mind. The past few days seemed like pieces in a never-ending puzzle. The prophecy was beginning to remind me of a broken camera. The lens would come into focus at certain times, but everything seemed to blur in the moment when I needed clarity.
Violet and Kade rushed toward us as we stood up from our chairs. I wondered if they were purposely late for lunch or simply lost track of time. Either way, relief washed over Kade’s face, as she was waiting for us to leave the table.
“You must have arrived early,” Violet laughed as though she weren’t late.
As we left the dining hall, the eyes of our friends bore through the back of our necks, like poison seeping through the skin. They were full of suspicion and wonder, which I had grown to recognize as two very dangerous things. The voices of our classmates were deafening. As we stepped outside the castle walls, the shelter of nature seemed to hold its hands over my ears.
“What is the plan, Alice?” Ariadne questioned.
“Follow me.”
After a synchronized nod from each of them, my friends followed me around the side of the castle. The air was silent. The majority of the students had been wary of leaving the castle since the day of Juniper’s disappearance. The Night Oak Forest appeared to be very welcoming in the daylight hours, although we each knew better than to stray down the shadowed path.
Once we reached the edge of the presentation meadow, I gestured to one of the Four Lone Towers in the distance. The other girls gave an occasional sigh and groan of irritation as we trekked across the vast acreage. The wind buffeted strongly against the ancient tower walls, and our hair blew wildly through the air as the four of us gathered silently near the old tower doorstep.
“Why don’t you give it a try?” Juniper prompted my sister.
After a moment, Emery wrapped her snow-white fingers around the doorknob. As she turned the handle, it refused to open. A faint trace of frost leaped from her skin, swirling across the useless keyhole. My sister stepped back with a small expression of disappointment.
Ariadne glanced at me with hesitation before turning the old doorknob. I heard the familiar clicking sound of a lock before the entrance swung open with the wind. The girl stared through the doorway with an expression of astonishment. My friends wanted nothing more than to explore the interior of their towers; however, we knew such an adventure would have to wait.
Juniper’s tower rested near the other corner of the White Birch Forest. Its vine-covered walls faded away into the clouded sky. Beneath every bit of green, a tiny pink flower was hidden amongst the stones. The door swung open on the first attempt.
On the other side of the castle grounds, my sister’s tower stood almost directly across from mine. A small creek babbled near its base, and sunlight dappled beneath the shadowed waters. With a radiant smile on her fa
ce, my sister opened the unbreakable door.
◆◆◆
As the four of us ate our dinner, we each contributed a piece of artwork to my new map of the Academy grounds. We did not mention the towers or speak a word of the prophecy until the meal was finished. The castle was far too busy, and we were sure to be overheard.
As Emery placed her hand over a steaming cup of peppermint tea, the silence seemed to envelop the room. All conversations died down. My sister must have grown distracted, as her cup of tea eventually iced over. Her blue eyes stared past me with an unreadable expression.
Glancing over my shoulder, I caught sight of the headmistress standing in the doorway. She was accompanied by a rugged-looking man. His shaggy brown hair looked desperate for a shower, and his boots were equally as dirty. Across his shoulder was an arrow quiver; he held a longbow in his right hand.
After a long moment, they strode across the floor, toward the center of the room. I assumed there was going to be an announcement; however, my suspicions were wrong. Zara hurried directly toward my table and placed her strong hand around my shoulder.
“Alice,” she whispered urgently. “Gather your friends and meet me in the entrance hall.”
Her sapphire eyes bore through me with an expression I had never seen before. Her face held a distinct look of urgency and dread. Something was very wrong, and the headmistress did not dare announce it to the entire school. Her gaze darted around the room, unable to settle on the character of a single student.
I nodded without question.
As the headmistress hurried back through the doorway, Emery glanced down at her frozen cup of tea. Reaching across the table, I tapped one finger on the ice, and the tea melted back into a liquid form. Gathering her novel and steaming teacup, Emery followed me toward the entrance hall.
Juniper and Ariadne greeted us beside the doorway. They seemed confused, anxious, and slightly concerned. It was evident that each of us had experienced the apprehension that gathered in the back of my mind. We stepped through the heavy doors and into the marble hall. Beside the castle windows, Zara was pacing back and forth. The archer stood beside the stairwell, examining the feathers on each of his arrows.
“What is going on?” Ariadne inquired.
“This is Lachlan. He is one of the head archers for the Guardians of Aisling,” Zara explained as she gestured to the man beside her. “He has come to inform us that four of the Academy students have been targeted by the Creatures of the Night Oak Forest.”
Juniper and I exchanged a look of uncertainty before shifting our gazes toward the archer. Despite his appearance, Lachlan seemed trustworthy. Nevertheless, we could not be certain.
“The Guardians of Aisling know everything about the prophecy.” Zara waved her hand to dismiss our concerns. “It is part of their job to protect you.”
“The Creatures of the Night Oak Forest know you are here. They have made it their mission to destroy the Four Elementals,” Lachlan informed us. “They will do everything in their power to stop you from ending the curse.”
“What are we supposed to do?” Ariadne questioned.
“You must complete the prophecy,” Zara responded. “You must do everything in your power to finish what you have started.”
“The Guardians of Aisling will be watching the castle,” said Lachlan. “As long as you are here, you will be safe. But the moment each of you steps outside these doors, you will be putting your lives at risk.”
“We cannot complete the prophecy from inside the castle,” Emery sighed. “We need to go to the towers.”
The other Elementals nodded in agreement. The prophecy was destined to be completed in the Four Lone Towers. Although we did not care to venture out into the open, it was impossible to hide behind the castle walls. The fate of Aisling dared to carry us on a perilous journey, and we needed to risk our lives to save the realm.
Zara was carefully watching me. She was quite talented at reading my emotions, and she knew exactly what I was thinking. Although she cared for our safety, the headmistress would need to place her trust in our hands.
“At dawn, we will make our way to each of the Four Lone Towers… alone,” I announced.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The next morning arrived with a sudden start, as I awoke to my sister’s icy hand upon my cheek. My eyes opened to greet her pale face and anxious blue gaze. An eerie silence hung in the air, like a heavy chandelier in the house of a nobleman. The morning dew soaked against the castle windows, reflecting the faint light of day.
“It’s almost dawn,” Emery whispered. “We really must leave.”
My sister was right. She opened our stained- glass window to reveal the early morning sky. Streaks of pink and blue lined the horizon as the sun rose gently above the trees. Anticipation had formed a knot in the center of my stomach, but I allowed my mind to focus on the beauty of the sunrise.
◆◆◆
There was a moment of silence as we entered the hallway. Each of our eyes stared blankly into the faces of Violet, Kade, and Ronan. Our minds were clouded with countless wistful dreams, although nothing had prepared us for the terrible moments we were destined to brave.
“What are you doing here?” I inquired.
“We know about the prophecy,” Ronan responded.
“Zara told us about it last night,” Violet confirmed.
“What are you talking about?” I raised my voice slightly. “Zara wanted to keep this a secret.”
Nobody responded as Kade looked me in the eyes. Her wings were shaking slightly as a reflective tear dropped from her face. She gathered me into her arms, unable to contain the emotion that brimmed in her broken spirit.
“This is important,” Kade spoke to me in a whisper. “Even if you don’t care to admit it.”
Her voice overwhelmed with sorrow as the sleeve of my shirt was soaked in tears. The others watched with expressions of sympathy. I realized I was fortunate to have such a remarkable group of friends.
“I’m so sorry,” Kade whispered as she released me from her embrace. “I never should have held such a terrible grudge.”
Her deep blue eyes were tinted the color of strawberries as she continued to wipe the tears away from her skin. Her freckled face held a frightening expression of remorse.
“You are not the only one who should be apologizing,” I responded, allowing my gaze to wander across the floor. “It was perfectly rational for you to think we had forgotten about you. I should have told you that we were leaving.”
Ronan’s eyes appeared almost identical to those of his sister; however, not a single tear ran down his cheeks. His anxious laughter hid something strange beneath its core, and his eyes held a glimmer of worry. My friends watched me for a moment before each of us gathered into a lofty group hug.
◆◆◆
Parting with my loyal companions left my mind in a state of shock. The four of us continued down the passageway and over to the giant stairwell. It was difficult to believe that many of the students were now asleep. Although the castle was silent, my heart was beating loud.
As we reached the blue carpet that rested on the floor of the entrance hall, a voice came from outside the castle. The morning light flooded across the room as we pulled open the doors. Zara and the Guardian stood quietly upon the castle steps. After Lachlan cleared his throat, the headmistress turned to look at us.
For a long moment, no one spoke. I gazed out upon the panoramic landscape that rested before us. At the beginning of the year, I may have assumed nothing was wrong; the meadows were silent, and the Night Oak Forest seemed to be natural in appearance. However, that was a time when I had not known about the prophecy. After months of wandering the forests and meadows of Aisling, I was able to recognize that something was very wrong. The sun hung low in the sky, and the surrounding meadows drenched in the typical morning dew, but the air was silent, and the curious songbirds were nowhere to be found.
“Those monsters already know we are here,” Lac
hlan grunted as he scanned the distant tree line.
As my eyes followed the Guardian’s gaze, they settled on the deserted border of the dark woodland. It suddenly occurred to me that I had never even seen one of the Creatures of the Night Oak Forest.
“Where are they?” I asked.
“We don’t know,” Zara explained.
My eyes widened slightly before glancing at the other Elementals. Juniper and Ariadne did not seem at all surprised, but my sister looked back at me with an expression of horror.
“What do you mean?” Emery questioned.
“The Creatures of the Night Oak Forest are invisible,” Juniper explained. “This is merely one of the things that make them so frightening.”