by W. D. Newman
CHAPTER 26
DIFFICULT DECISIONS
The oracle raised his head and, for the first time, they were able to look upon his face. Casey gasped and put her hand over her mouth, while Ben slowly scooted back. When Marcus told them the oracle did not have any eyes, they were thinking that the Creator, or the Immortals, took his sight and that he was simply blind. However, his eyes had actually been removed; where his eyes should have been, there was only smooth skin. There were no scars, no eyebrows, nothing. It was as if he had been born without them.
“Hand me the wizard’s stick,” the oracle whispered.
The Keeper picked up the broken staff and, very reverently, handed the two halves to the oracle. The old man took the pieces from the elf and joined the broken ends together. The spell catcher flashed a brilliant green. It was so bright and so blinding that Ben, Casey, and even Marcus had to close their eyes and turn their heads. When the light in the spell catcher winked out, it took a moment for everyone’s eyes to adjust to the dim light in the cave.
“Look!” Casey gasped.
The staff was whole. Marcus reached out to take it, but the oracle pulled it back.
“It is not for you,” he whispered.
“Who then?” asked the Keeper, with a puzzled expression.
“Ben Alderman. The staff belongs to Ben Alderman. Through him, the spell of confusion will bring about the fall of Zoltan. By his hand, the dragon shall be destroyed.”
Marcus sat there stunned. He had been correct all along; Ben was the one and now the prophecies were unfolding right in front of him. But still, Ben was a child. What chance did he have of facing a dragon, one as evil, wicked, and powerful as Zoltan?
“Is there no other way?” he asked, knowing full well the oracle would answer no more questions today. Then to his great amazement, the oracle slowly began to stand. Marcus hopped to his feet and grabbed the children up too. He pulled the kids aside as the oracle took a shaky step toward the cave entrance. He watched speechlessly as the oracle took another step and another. Soon the oracle stood at the threshold of the cave and there he paused.
“It is finished,” he whispered.
“Venus?” said Marcus.
“Yes,” said the oracle looking over his shoulder and smiling, “it is I,” and with that, Venus, the last Immortal on Faerie, for the first time in over a thousand of years, stepped out of the cave. When the sun fell on him, a radiant burst of white light temporarily blinded the Keeper and the kids.
When they looked again, the old man was gone. Standing on the path, in front of the cave, was a towering man with bronze skin and flaxen gold hair that fell about his shoulders in loose curls. The man was even taller than Amos. He was clothed in white robes, but the attire did nothing to hide the powerful built body beneath the garments. He turned and smiled at Marcus and the children. His eyes twinkled. They were the most remarkable eyes too; they were like chips of blue sea ice. They were like… elfin eyes; bright, piercing, and fierce. He turned and walked to the edge of the path. He stood there for a moment, looking out at the great city that was named after him. Then he leapt from the mountain. The Keeper rushed out of the cave and peered over the edge of the drop-off, just beyond the path. There was no sign of Venus anywhere. He had simply vanished.
“Where did he go,” asked Casey, leaning out and staring at the rocky slopes below. Ben grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her away from the ledge. Heights made him queasy.
“He has gone home,” Marcus answered, “and we should be on our way home too. Rather than the answer I was seeking, I seem to be returning with more questions and, now there is no one to answer them.”
“Do I have to face the dragon?” Ben asked.
“NO!” Casey answered quickly. “Do you think for one minute that Grandma would let you do something like that?”
“I guess not,” Ben answered, looking somewhat relieved. “What do you think, Marcus? Do you think there is any other way to defeat Zoltan?”
“I agree with Casey. Louise will not allow it. Don’t let it worry you now. We’ll talk about it when we return to the lodge. Get the staff from the cave and let’s be on our way.”
