The Elysian Prophecy (Keeper of Ael Book 1)

by Vivien Reis

  Scattered people milled about near the huts, and a group of younger students were eating underneath the food pavilion as she passed. She fought the urge to run, but didn’t want to draw attention from anyone.

  For several minutes, the trail was dead, not a soul in sight, and she ran again, the expanse of her loneliness pressing in on her.

  The library came back into view and she passed it, relieved there were more people on the lawn out front, and headed toward the market district.

  She entered the hospital, which reminded her too much of the one in Logan's Bluff. A young woman sat behind the counter, and Abi wondered how best to ask for Myra. Abi didn't even know her last name.

  "Oh. You must be Abi. Myra's in the break room all the way down the hall and to the left."

  Abi gave her an odd look and then followed her directions. Had Myra told everyone there about her? Each hall was the same—white washed stone walls with doors that seemed anachronistic and to the aged walls. Finally, she reached the breakroom, which had several chairs, a mini-kitchen area, a sofa and a TV.

  Myra was lying on the sofa, half-asleep.

  Thank god.

  "Jesus!" Myra nearly screamed and bolted upright with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

  Abi's feet had stopped working and so had her voice. Why was she so upset?

  "Abi! I'm not upset. Where the hell is your thought stone? You're practically screaming at me, and there's some horrible energy shooting off you like fireworks."

  "I—I have it right here." Abi reached into her right pocket. There was no stone. She checked her left. No. No. Her back pockets were empty, too, and she patted them all again to be sure.

  She’d dropped it. The clink she’d heard, the object that hit her leg.

  Thanks to her loud thoughts, whoever had been in that cave knew exactly who’d been listening in.

  # THIRTY-SIX

  "Good afternoon, Mrs. Cole." Ravi stepped inside her home, immediately spotting Ben in a chair facing the TV.

  A news channel was on, detailing yet another attack on a private building, this time in London. Rescue workers were running into the smoky building. Ravi didn't think it was something Ben should watch in his state, but he said nothing.

  "How has he been?" He didn't need to ask this to know, though. Reaching out with his mind, Ravi could feel Ben was far away, separated from his body. Not unlike how Mary's mind had once felt to him.

  "I don't know," Meredith whispered, stepping into the kitchen and out of earshot of Ben. "He has some moments of lucidity but...they're not normal. He's not been himself, and he's just been giving me these looks. I know it sounds crazy, but...I feel like I don’t know who he is anymore."

  "And what did Dr. Brandon say? Did he have any recommendation for treatment?"

  "To keep him doped up." Mrs. Cole rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, leaning in to say, "I don't think they have a clue what they're doing anymore. He's practically a zombie right now and they can't find a trace of a stroke, or evidence of drugs in his system, or a tumor or anything." She covered her mouth with a shaky hand. "I'm sorry. I've just been—I just thought he would get better. I thought the stress surrounding Adam and Mary and Abi had worn on him, but I never imagined he would get worse."

  Ravi nodded. He would have to find a way to perform an incantation while he was there. "I'll watch him for a bit. Go lie down and I'll keep him company for a while."

  "Oh, I couldn't—"

  "Mrs. Cole." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You've been under a lot of stress yourself. Let me sit with him."

  "Okay. Thank you." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it between her own. "I'm so glad you came over. These past few days..." She shook her head, seemingly unable to finish her sentence. "He had to spend the night in jail before I could post his bail. He hasn't said a word since then."

  Of everyone, Ravi had been the most surprised at hear of Ben's outburst. He should have been able to sense something was happening, that things were moving too quickly. He should have been there to stop it. All he could do now was try to patch Ben up as best he could. Now that he had a chance to be alone with Ben, he had to do everything he could to ease the pressure on his fragile mind.

  Ravi put his hand on Mrs. Cole's back, ushering her forward. "I'll sit with him. We'll get this sorted out together, okay?"

  “Thank you again, Ravi."

  "It's my pleasure. Go rest now."

  They rounded the corner, and she shuffled down the hall. Ravi waited until the door clicked closed before reaching out to Ben with his mind.

  "Are you there?" he asked.

  Ben's eyes flitted to his. Yes.

  "How are you feeling? Are you up for another incantation?"

  His lazy eyes turned back to the TV, staring over Ravi's shoulder.

  "I can perform one that will detoxify your blood, clearing that medicine from your system. Once I do that, you'll need to remain calm, and I'll follow up with a cast that will soothe your mind. Okay?"

  Ben gave no acknowledgment. Ravi stretched his mind out until he touched Mrs. Cole's, leaving the thread connected so he would know the moment she came back down the hallway

  "This one might hurt a little."

  He’d prepared for this in advance, bringing a tonic of oily herbs to spread on Ben's wrists and at the nape of his neck. It had been a long three days since Ben had attacked the other students, and Ravi worried that Ben's mind could have suffered irreparable damage by now.

  Ravi spread the oils out, dabbing a little of each onto a cotton ball he then lit on fire and dropped into a ceramic bowl from his bag. The smoke burned an earthy and flowery scent around them. He spread the oil on Ben's wrists and neck and sat cross-legged in front of him, taking out a smaller version of his crystal casting sphere.

  He recited the incantation several times to ensure it took, before moving immediately to the casting. If he didn't calm Ben's mind before it regained full consciousness, he risked putting Ben in even greater danger. Since he was out on bail, if Ben attacked anyone else or endangered another life, they would lock him up.

  The soothing cast seemed to go well and within ten minutes of its completion, Ben's eyes came into focus.

  "Mr. Flynn," he mumbled, his voice weak.

  "How do you feel?" Ravi moved to sit on the couch across from Ben, leaning in to hear him.

  "I don't know...like I've been gone for a long time. And my head, it—it hurts. I think," he paused, eyes scanning the room, "Something's happening. I've been having these visions, but not like the ones I had before with Abi." Ben's shaky hand wiped at the sheen on his forehead.

  "I think it's become clear your mind isn't handling this transition well at all. To tell the truth, we've reached the limits of my expertise." Ravi put his head down, resting his elbows on his knees. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't been foolish enough to believe I could do this on my own, you might have gotten the help you really needed."

  Ben seemed to hardly process what Ravi was saying. The cast hadn't completely sunk in yet, something that might take an hour or two more.

  "I reached out to my Oracle contact, and I'm awaiting a reply from them. I should have done so weeks ago and I'm sorry. You wouldn't be in this predicament if it weren't for me."

  Ben's green eyes flitted to Ravi, and he swallowed several times before speaking. "I would have been far worse had you not been there for me. None of my doctors would have known what was wrong with me, and I would've rotted away like my mom had. And your contact, is her name Evelyn?”

  Ravi sat back. “What did you just say?”

  “Evelyn. Rouge I think was her last name. She found me at the school…” he seemed to struggle to recall when.

  “You are not to speak with her. Do you understand me? She can’t be trusted.”

  “She said she’d be able to find my mom.”

  “Ben, she might be behind the attack on your dad in the first place. Even if she could find your mom, I don’t think she’d be leaving it at that.”r />
  Ben’s head lolled so Ravi could no longer see his face. “I just want this to be over. I want to go back to the way things used to be. I want to worry about stupid tests I might fail, and which party I’m going to on the weekend. I want my old life back."

  Ravi felt the guilt and the sorrow rolling away from Ben and gritted his teeth as he shielded his mind from it.

  "This cast should give you clarity for a couple more days. By then, the Brethren should have responded and they can help us. They have hospital facilities and doctors better equipped to treat people with your condition."

  "What if I don't make it that long?" he choked out, and Ravi could sense the sincerity of his question. Ben had lost all hope and didn't believe it possible to survive this any longer.

  "The Brethren will fix you. You can't give up, Ben. Your family is relying on you. Your mom and your dad, Abi. If you give up right now, you're giving up on all of them."

  The weight of his words seemed to push Ben further away from him, down toward some dark abyss. He wanted to encourage Ben, to keep him fighting, but he didn't know how.

  Giving up on words, Ravi conjured up feelings of courage and bravery, strength and stubbornness. One at a time, he sent these emotions toward Ben, feeling as his mind tried to absorb them. Ben lifted his chin ever so slightly, perking up in his chair.

  "You have to fight, Ben. You're the best hockey player I know, and right now these are the playoffs. You can't give up. The team—your family—is relying on you."

  Whether from the cast or his motivations, Ben gave a determined nod. Ravi could feel the weight of what Ben's mind had been through lately, stresses that Ravi knew his mind had never handled all at once. If Ben's mind completed the transition, he would be far stronger at his age then Ravi had been.

  The news channel still droned on in the background, saying that no terrorist organization had stepped forward yet to claim responsibility for the recent bombings. Ravi picked up the remote and changed the channel to a hockey game.

  They sat together in silence, the cast on Ben slowly wiping away the haggard lines on his face. The sun had long ago set by the time Mrs. Cole came back out into the living room. She had changed and her hair was wet.

  She thanked him profusely, and he did his best to reassure her. He left, praying that all of his plans would fall into place.

  Ben only had to make it two more days before this would all be behind them.

  # THIRTY-SEVEN

  Myra and Jesse paced the room, the wood floors of Abi’s hut creaking.

  “Are you sure it was Vikar?” Myra asked yet again.

  “Yes!”

  “Their voice—you didn’t recognize it at all?” Jesse asked.

  “Don’t you think I would have mentioned that?” Abi was getting frustrated by their inquisition. She’d said the same story to them again and again.

  “I just don’t know how this is possible,” Myra said. “The Consul operates on an open-mind system, meaning their thoughts, their memories are open to one another. It’s how they’re able to make sure no one gets too greedy or is biased when it comes to decisions.”

  “Well the system is broken. I know what I heard.”

  “We can’t tell the Consul then. The only thing we can be sure of is that the voice was male. I think we should tell the Grand Vikar,” Jesse said.

  Myra put her hand on her hip. “If they have an open-mind with one another, the other Vikar will know as soon as they reconvene.”

  “There has to be a way for her to keep it quiet from the rest,” Abi said. “We can’t not tell someone about this. They were talking about me and my brother!”

  “I know,” Jesse said, rubbing his hands through his hair.

  It had been over eight hours since Abi had last eaten, but she ignored the burning growl in her abdomen. She couldn’t eat.

  “We’ll chance it. We have to tell someone. Maybe Cecelia can keep the others from seeing into her mind.” Myra looked to Jesse for approval.

  “Then we agree,” Abi said. “What now?”

  “Do your training with Benning tomorrow morning. We can’t let any of the other Vikars know something is up,” Jesse explained.

  “I’ll ask Cecelia for a meeting,” Myra chimed in. “It won’t look suspicious. I have to speak with her all the time about my training with Vikar Gowri.”

  They nodded in agreement.

  Somehow, the next day seemed impossibly far away.

  "Well, look who's on time." Benning had too much energy for her right then.

  "Good morning to you, too." She hadn’t slept a lick the night before, and had no idea how she was going to make it through training.

  They worked through the morning, and each time Benning made an offensive move to her mind, she either blocked it or dulled it significantly, despite how tired her body was. She was catching on fast and found herself squaring up to Benning before every attack.

  Now that she was familiar with the sensation, she could feel him in her mind like a spider web strand grazing her skin.

  Benning also seemed pleased with her progress, his lip twitching several times like he’d almost let a smile crack through. The tasks weren't as mentally draining, and she liked to think her hours of research at the library seemed to be helping. If her mind was a muscle, she had been pushing it as far as she could every day.

  "Tomorrow we'll start you on offensive attacks. And I'm taking this," he said, plucking her replacement thought stone from the table where she had left it. "You need practice keeping up your mental barrier, and there's no better motivator than social embarrassment." He hopped away before she could protest.

  Panic squeezed her. She had to speak with the Consul later that day. What if she slipped? What if the Vikar she’d heard knew that she had told Cecelia?

  It was lunchtime, but Abi couldn’t eat just yet. Since the intensity of her training had gone down, her appetite had diminished. She solidified her mental barrier, something that came easily to her after Benning's intense training.

  Blocking his attacks forced her to push back on his mind, a similar sensation to blocking her own thoughts, but in the reverse. But she hadn’t gone a full day keeping that barrier up yet, and wished Benning had just left the stone with her.

  The shore of the ocean pulled her in, a place she hadn't explored yet. It was strange—she had been on the island for so long and hadn't gone down to the water. She wondered how far into the ocean the island's protection reached as she descended the sandy steps.

  She slipped her shoes off and sat on the last step, wiggling her toes into the coarse white beach. Tall palm trees shaded the stairs, but the warmth of the sand radiated up her feet and into her muscles.

  "Hey, stranger."

  Abi jumped, but immediately recognized the voice without turning around. "Hi, Jesse."

  "Benning go easy on you today?" He sat down on the steps beside her, his cologne wafting toward her on the wind.

  "Yeah, I guess so. He seems surprised I'm doing so well."

  "You need to record him saying that, otherwise no one is going to believe Benning complimented you." His dimple appeared as a smile spread on his lips. "I'm not surprised at your progress though. I imagined you would catch on quickly."

  "Well, it’s not like I’ve been lazing around on the beach this whole time."

  He caught her hidden meaning and said, "About that. I didn’t get to ask last night about your library research."

  She blew a hair out of her face and sighed. "It's going. I haven't found much, but it is interesting reading about this stuff. I would have never imagined a crystal could be so versatile."

  "You should really pick Gertrude's brain about that stuff. That woman knows it all."

  “I’ve been meaning to tell you—"

  A dragonfly flitted in the air between them before landing on Abi's right knee. It seemed to stare at her, and the thin strings of its mind danced over her, not in the aggressive way that Benning's did, but in a spirited way.


  She opened her mind to it and felt something else there with her. Jesse. He was connected with the dragonfly just like she was.

  Jesse looked at her as if waiting to see what she would do next.

  Her mind stretched as the insect's consciousness poured into hers, melding into her being like another limb. She could see herself looking at the dragonfly through the dragonfly's many eyes. The world was pixelated and oblong, but it didn't tax her like Benning's sessions did. She was like a passenger in the bug's mind, along for the ride.

  The little bug's thoughts also came to her, but not as words. They were a mixture of feelings and images, flitting thoughts that came and went rapidly as the creature surveyed its surroundings.

  Like a breath of air, Abi felt Jesse's thread pull away from the dragonfly and she pulled hers back as well.

  Blinking several times, she looked at the little bug as it took flight and bobbed up and down, flying up the stairs behind them.

  A part of her was flying up the stairs with that dragonfly, carefree and in the moment.

  Jesse gave a sideways grin and nudged her with his elbow. Now that her mind was more attuned, she could feel his excitement for her through her mind, a tiny thread connecting them. She basked in it, feeling weightless for the first time in weeks.

  "That went well." He said it like a compliment. "Benning hasn't practiced transmutation with you, has he?"

  She shook her head. "Are you kidding me? Benning doesn't believe in fun."

  "You looked like you enjoyed it."

  "I did." Her heart was lighter, her mind clearer. The emotional chainmail she’d so steadfastly clung to had cracked, and she was emerging renewed. It was like she was seeing the world for the first time, what it really was, and not just what it looked like.

  "I never thought a dragonfly would make me feel like that."

  He chuckled and glanced down at his feet, almost bashful. "It usually doesn't. We might have just discovered your affinity."

  "Animals?"

  "Yeah. Stitching your mind together with another's."