The Acolyte: Magicians of the Beyond

by Victoria Murata

  She took a shaky breath and knelt next to the mound. Clasping her hands together, she looked up into the night sky.

  Mother help me. I’m frightened. You were so strong. Help me to be strong.

  After a few moments she took a deep breath. She grabbed a rock from the top of the mound and placed it to the side, then another. She continued removing rocks until she saw a frayed piece of fabric underneath one.

  Here you are, mother.

  Danica took a deep breath and continued removing rocks. The fabric was the white color of the robe her mother had been wearing in her dream and in the film. Soon more of it was revealed and wrapped within it were bones.

  Danica made herself continue until she had removed all the rocks. Her hands were covered in dirt and a few of her nails had split. She stood up unsteadily and looked down upon the skeletal remains of her mother, visible through the fraying material of her gown. Tears slid down Danica’s cheeks.

  “Oh, Mother, I wish I had known you!” Her body succumbed to grief and she didn’t try to quiet her sobs. When her tears finally stopped, she wiped her face with the sleeve of the cloak.

  She knew she had to find the map and she was loath to search the bones for it. Gingerly she picked at the fabric, trying to move it away from Astrid’s remains. When she was able to move enough of it away, she saw a paper scroll that had been tucked into a fold of the fabric, but it looked badly decayed. She used two fingers to grasp it at one end, and when she gently pulled, it disintegrated into pieces.

  “No no no no!”

  She picked up a few pieces of what she was sure had been the map. Whatever had been on the paper was now illegible.

  Oh, mother! Have I failed? How will I ever find the hidden temple now?

  She sank down on the grass next to the open grave. Tears slid down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. She pulled her cloak close around her against the chill of the night. The glow from the talisman dimmed and then was gone, and she was in darkness. A slice of moon slowly slipped behind clouds, taking its small light with it.

  She felt the weight of the day and the previous night heavy upon her. Exhausted, she could barely keep her eyes open, and soon she sank to the soft grass of the glen, oblivious to the night noises that barely disturbed the darkness around her.

  Sometime later she sat up clumsily, shifting the cocoon of the cloak which she had burrowed into. The moon had disappeared, and the darkness was close around her. She looked up at the stars. The clouds were gone, and millions of points of light sparkled like diamonds against the velvet sky. She recalled her ascension and how the stars had looked.

  Just like this.

  Suddenly one separated itself, streaking across the sky, and at the same time her birthmark on the underside of her arm burned. She threw off the cloak and looked at it. The star that had marked her all her life was glowing like a live thing. She gasped aloud. The talisman in her pocket pulsed and when she removed it, its blue light shone on the gravesite.

  Danica got to her knees and looked at the remains of her mother. The light softened everything, giving the scene a gauzy veneer. Danica could almost see how Astrid had appeared before her death. She seemed at peace. The more Danica gazed at her mother, the more substantial the body was becoming. It seemed to be growing flesh, and the few strands of moldy hair were multiplying.

  Danica stared in amazement, unable and unwilling to pull her eyes away. The dry bones were taking shape: the body was coloring and rounding with flesh. The scraggly hair on the skull was growing thick and lustrous, and a crown of fresh blue flowers adorned Astrid’s dark tresses. The decaying threads of the robe knitted together. The bloom on her mother’s cheeks belied the pallor of death, and Danica stared longingly at the visage. Before her was a young woman, a few years older than herself.

  “This must be a dream because you look as alive as I am,” she said, “like you’re asleep, not dead.”

  She wasn’t surprised when her mother’s eyes opened, and she looked at Danica and smiled. Astrid stood then, or rather drifted up from the grave, her robe billowing softly around her body. She was slightly out of focus, and everything was moving in slow motion, dreamlike.

  I must still be asleep. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.

  Astrid drifted toward her and beckoned for Danica to follow. She glided away from the glen and Danica followed her illuminated visage through the forest. After traveling for what seemed like an hour, the trees opened into a clearing and in the middle stood a stone chapel. The heavy wooden doors looked impenetrable, but at Astrid’s touch they swung silently inward. Danica followed Astrid inside.

  Many candles lit the interior space, and Danica felt the mystery of it. The small space was bare except for a stone altar covered with the cloth Danica remembered from her previous dream. On top of the altar was a heavy black stone surrounded by a circle of candles. Everything was quiet.

  Astrid went around the altar and placed her hands on the stone. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. Soon the stone began to emanate light from its center. It spread across the stone to Astrid’s hands and up her arms. Soon she was encased in light, her whole body glowing so fiercely it was hard for Danica to look at her.

  Astrid raised her head and beckoned Danica to come forward and she moved to the altar. Danica placed her hands on the stone and felt the calm energy course through her body. She needed the answer to one question, and in a trembling voice she asked it.

  “Who is the High Priestess of Lymonia?”

  The light in the stone dimmed and seemed to be sucked back into its depths. Danica moved her hands to the sides of the stone. As she watched, a vision was taking shape. It swirled around and an image slowly came to the surface of the stone. At first it was cloudy, but as she watched, the image became clear. Tears came to Danica’s eyes. She looked from the image to Astrid. The ethereal image of her mother smiled gently as it faded, and she was alone in the chapel.

  Forty-Five

  Dawn came late to Crown City. When the heavy clouds split apart, the sun seemed too bright. Those who had stayed up most of the night had finally found their way home, or they found dark nooks and crannies to curl into and sleep off the effects of too much celebration.

  Jimmu, Emma and Neith had been offered beds in the abbey which they gratefully accepted. Sleep had evaded Jimmu. The memory of the evening before in the stable with Danica haunted him. He still felt the kiss. His lips tingled, and he felt his body stirring with the memory. He tossed and turned and wondered where Danica was. He told himself that the danger was over, and she was safe, but he knew there were other dangers. The usual ones that plague most places where an unsavory segment of the population was always trying to better themselves through theft and larceny. And worse.

  He finally slipped into fitful sleep and woke when dawn’s herald was still below the horizon. Shortly after, Danica returned. She looked tired but calm.

  Semiel gathered the Coverts together for breakfast in a private room away from the abbey population. Lucas was there also.

  “Were you successful, Danica?” Neith asked when they were all seated at the round table.

  “Yes. I will be presenting the High Priestess to the citizens this morning. Semiel said the ceremony has been arranged.

  “That’s right, Danica. The platform from the lakefront is being set up in the courtyard,” Lucas said.

  “Who is she?” Emma asked. “Who’s the High Priestess?”

  Danica smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see.”

  Jimmu grinned. Normally he would have been annoyed, but his relief in having Danica back safe and sound buoyed his spirits. He was looking forward to the morning’s announcement and then leaving Lymonia and going home. He wanted to spend more time alone with Danica. As if reading his mind, Neith cleared her throat.

  “Is there anything else that needs to be done before we leave Lymonia?”

  “One more thing,” Danica said.

  “It’s being taken care of right now,�
� Semiel said.

  “What is it?” Emma asked. She, too, was impatient to return to the Beyond and put the recent events behind her. She was enjoying her breakfast, having been deprived of food during her captivity.

  “Astrid’s and my father’s remains will be reburied in a place of honor. The citizens of Crown City and all of Lymonia will honor them in a memorial service in two weeks’ time.”

  Emma gasped. “We’re not staying!”

  Danica smiled reassuringly. “No. I will visit their graves before we leave this afternoon. I’m more than ready to return to the Beyond.”

  There was an audible release of breath from at least two of the Coverts. Neith was digging into her eggs. “I want to make sure we return before Wilder and Liam show up.”

  “I wish you would stay, Danica. Our city needs you now more than ever. There’s so much to do to re-establish the Court,” Lucas said.

  “Gloren’s father will be helpful with that. And you and Semiel will help.”

  “Who is Gloren?” asked Neith.

  “She was one of the Countess’s attendants. Her father was a high official and wealthy landowner when the Count came to power. The Count stripped him of his lands, and his family was sent to an outlying area where he was given the job of tax collector. The Count ensured his cooperation by essentially keeping his daughter prisoner at court. He’s a good man, and Gloren has the presence of mind of a much older woman.”

  “I’ve sent word to him of the overthrow and asked him and his family to return to court,” Semiel said. “And now I think we should prepare for the announcement about the High Priestess. The heralds have been sent through the city and everyone will be gathering in the courtyard.”

  They all pushed their chairs back and stood. Danica hadn’t eaten much. She was still reeling from her experience in the forest, and she wasn’t sure if it had been a dream or if it had really happened. She had awakened next to her mother’s grave with no recollection of walking back from the chapel. Maybe she had never actually been to the chapel. But then how had she known how to find it later?

  Did I actually see my mother? Or did I want to so badly that I dreamed it all happened?

  Semiel said, “Danica and Emma, come with me. There are baths ready, and clothing that more becomes this momentous occasion. Jimmu, Lucas will show you where you can bathe and change.”

  A half hour later they walked outside attired in beautiful court clothing befitting the high-ranking status of respected officials. As soon as they walked outside and the crowd saw them, the people began nudging each other and exclaiming over Emma, who they believed to be the one prophesied. Semiel led Emma and the Coverts up the steps to the platform which was draped in a dark purple cloth. Here they could be seen by the thousands of people who had come and crowded the courtyard at the herald’s summons.

  The citizens broke into cheers. The celebratory mood of the day before still had its hold on the city, and they were enthralled to know that the prophecy, the legend they had told their children and had kept alive with hope for seventeen years, had come to pass. They were also certain that the one prophesied was also the new High Priestess.

  Semiel stepped up and held his arms aloft for silence. The crowd quieted.

  He addressed them in a loud, clear voice. “Yesterday the Count and his family were overthrown, and a new order will take their place.”

  The crowd broke into wild cheers. After a few moments, Semiel lifted his arms again for quiet.

  “The Gordon family will return to court.”

  Danica caught Gloren’s eye as this announcement about her family was made. She nodded to Danica, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

  “Conroy Gordon will be reinstated to his former high court position and his lands will be returned to him. He will organize an election where all citizens will vote for our next ruler.”

  The crowd erupted in cheers and Semiel allowed the happy celebration to continue for a few minutes before he raised his hands again.

  “And now, I will present to you the one who was prophesied so many years ago. Her mother, Astrid, was beloved by everyone. In fact, her daughter looks so much like Astrid, some of us thought our High Priestess had returned from the dead. She and her friends have travelled from afar to save our land and restore order. Allow me to present Danica.”

  He turned to where Emma and the Coverts stood. Danica stepped forward looking regal in her flowing green gown. A hush fell over the crowd. They had all thought Emma was the fabled one. Then someone from the crowd exclaimed loudly:

  “She looks like Astrid. She looks just like her mother!”

  Another called, “High Priestess Danica!” and the crowd cheered.

  Danica spoke in a clear voice and the crowd fell silent. “I am Danica, the daughter of Astrid. I have been kept safe in another world for seventeen years. I have only recently learned of my true parentage. I met my mother last night.”

  The crowd gasped and hung on every word.

  “She was buried in the forest and I found her grave. She appeared to me and led me to the hidden temple where the Prophecy Stone has lived for centuries. I am not your High Priestess.”

  There was another gasp from the crowd. People murmured to each other in confusion.

  “The Prophecy Stone revealed to me who your High Priestess is. Before I present her to you, I want to take a moment to honor my parents. They were young when they died, and they were beloved by all of you.”

  A murmur of assent went through the crowd.

  “For years, their burial sites were secret. Last night I found my mother’s grave and early this morning I found where my father rests.”

  She reached into a pocket and drew out her talisman. She held it high, and a blue light emanated from its center.

  “This talisman led me to my parents’ graves. Soon they will be reunited. They will be buried together here in Crown City in a place of honor. In two weeks’ time, a memorial service will be held for them. Time enough so that all citizens of Lymonia can come here to honor them.”

  A crescendo of sound built up from the crowd. Soon the people were cheering again. When the noise subsided, Danica spoke again.

  “For seventeen years there has been no High Priestess. The Count and his family did not want to share any of their power, and their fear and suspicions led to many deaths and much destruction. I am sorry for those of you who have lost someone you loved.”

  The crowd murmured their agreement. Danica saw Finian standing close by and he nodded to her.

  “The Prophecy Stone has revealed to me that there is one among you who is your new High Priestess. Before dawn on this day, she and I went to the hidden temple. She laid her hands on the stone and she was blessed with its wisdom, the wisdom that has come from centuries of ancestors who have extended their love and service to the people of Crown City and all of Lymonia.”

  The crowd cheered wildly. Danica turned and signaled Jimmu. He descended the steps and moved behind the platform emerging shortly, leading by the hand the slight girl with the light hair and amethyst eyes. They walked up the steps together, and he led her to where Danica stood. All became quiet, the people seemingly transfixed with the vision of Lucina.

  She was luminous. Her platinum hair fell to her waist in soft waves. The deep purple of her gown enhanced her remarkable eyes. Danica would have expected her to be frightened or nervous, but she merely smiled and looked out at the crowded courtyard. The people cheered.

  Danica lifted the talisman above Lucina’s head. Blue light enveloped the girl. Lucina moved her arms forward as if making an offering to the people, and the light streamed from her hands igniting the adoring faces.

  Danica shouted, “Lucina, High Priestess!” and the crowd picked it up, chanting her name louder and louder until their cries were deafening. Lucina laughed joyfully and clapped her hands. Danica lowered the talisman and bent her head and whispered something to the girl. She nodded.

  Danica held up her hands and the crowd qui
eted.

  “Your new High Priestess would like to address you.”

  Lucina smiled and bowed to the people. Her voice was gentle and yet it travelled through the crowd. “I am happy to be in your service. Lymonia needs time to heal from the tyranny we have lived with since the death of Astrid. I will help to ease your pain.” Her eyes traveled over the people and came to rest on an older man. “Josep, you lost your wife and your son. Together we will find your peace.” Tears streamed from his eyes, and he nodded his head.

  She looked to a young woman. “Mirium, your parents were taken from you and murdered. I see your heart and I know your pain.” The young woman buried her face in her hands.

  “Noam, your family is gone, and I am your new sister.” The young man in the middle of the crowd lifted his hand to her and smiled through his tears.

  “So many of you have lost so much. The time of loss and pain is over. I look forward to many years of growth and prosperity for all citizens of Crown City and all Lymonia. Thank you for your welcome.” Her hands went to her heart. “I love you.”

  The crowd cheered wildly as Lucina and the Coverts exited the platform. It looked like another day of celebration was just beginning for the citizens of Crown City.

  At the bottom of the platform, Lucina turned to Danica and handed her the charm bracelet. “Here’s your bracelet. It saved my life. Thank you.”

  Danica took it from her. “Jimmu said you weren’t afraid under water.”

  Lucina looked nonplussed. “You told me how it would protect me. I trusted it. I trusted you.”

  Danica pulled the girl close, embracing her. “You will be the most amazing High Priestess. I’m so glad I got to meet you.”

  “I’m the fortunate one, Danica.”

  Semiel told Danica the gravesite of her parents was ready. She left the other Coverts to prepare for their leaving and followed Semiel. He led her to a cemetery behind the abbey.

  “This is an ancient burial ground, Danica, where all of our High Priestesses and royalty have been buried. Your parents are over here.” He led her to the new gravesites. Two mounds of dirt indicated where the remains of her parents lay. “I’ll leave you. Please don’t leave for home without saying goodbye.”