He took her nervousness in stride—“My apologies. I know it must be odd for the people of this world to know so much about you when you didn’t even know we existed. But I promise you, these are good people. They’re just a curious folk, you know? You’re a bit like our own little fairy tale.”
She briefly wondered if their fairy tales were quite as strange as her own. Her father interjected, “Leo—I’m afraid this is much more serious than a family reunion. We may have trouble coming our way sooner rather than later. Have you heard anything new from Libra?”
“I’m afraid not, Brother. You know as well as I do that Libra will not help us. You know, she requires balance in all things and all that nonsense. Says she’ll not help either side with information. That she stands by her original prophecy, vague as it may be.”
Visibly irritated, Sagittarius stalked off to gaze out the window over the vibrant city he called home. Shiloh could tell her father was upset. Not liking the answer he received.
Shiloh saw an opportunity, hoping she could get some more information out of her father’s friend. “So, this prophecy…” she ventured bravely, now that she was alone with Leo, more or less. “Does it get any more specific? Could I speak with Libra?”
Leo stood wide-eyed, glancing briefly over his shoulder at her father. “Your father didn’t tell you?”
“He just told me that I was meant to unite the people or something.”
“Oh. Well then. Libra can be very vague. Plus, she’s almost never in the mood for answering questions. Could throw off the balance, you know. Anyway, would you like some tea?” He smiled nervously, before exiting the room in a hurry, not waiting for an answer. Shiloh glared at the back of her father’s head, suddenly full of annoyance again.
There was more he was keeping from her, she knew it. “So. Dad. What aren’t you telling me?” she ventured loudly.
“I’m sorry?”
“Leo just about scurried away when I asked about the specifics. What aren’t you telling me?” she repeated, her eyes narrowing at him. Wasn’t she supposed to be able to trust her own father?
He turned back to the window. “It’s not going to be easy, you know. Your part in this, or mine. That’s all you need to know right now,” he said firmly. “We’re done talking about this today. You did just meet me, after all.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious. This must all be quite a shock to you, and the two of us have missed 16 years together. I don’t think it wise to spend your first day here hashing out any more negative things. It can wait. I can protect you and the kingdom until it’s the right moment.”
Shiloh stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She had been so angry with her newfound father that she’d all but forgotten that she was in a castle in a mystical world, and that slamming doors was probably frowned upon. She only regretted it for a second, though, before stalking out into the back garden. She ignored the beautiful greenery and the chance to see what strange plants were inside the massive greenhouse and walked back into the trees until she found a small pond that seemed solitary enough for her needs. She sat on the rocks that were placed carefully on the edge and buried her face in her hands.
Chapter Four
Her mind was running wild. She wondered how much change one person could take in a day before they lost it. She wondered if her adopted family was searching for her. How long had she been gone now? It felt like days, yet she hadn’t seen the sun go down. Would they have called the police by now? Were they distraught and worried that she’d been hurt, or kidnapped? Was this all even real?
She reached down and dipped her hands into the cold water and splashed it onto her face. It was all still here—not just some hyper-realistic dream that had gotten the best of her.
She was really in this.
So, it was true. Now what?
She was in a strange world, with no one she could trust—not even her father, and no one would tell her the whole truth? She was supposed to save these people, without even knowing how? She felt hot tears begin to stream down her face. Tears of anger, of betrayal, and of helplessness. She felt so small, how could she do something so huge?
The sound of leaves crunching behind her made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and she stumbled into a standing position. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” she shouted, trying to sound frightening but thinking that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to stalk off into a strange world alone when she knew someone wanted her dead.
“Hey, hey—it’s okay. Just me. Hi.” A tall elf walked slowly through the shadows, his hands held in the air in a sign of surrender. He had long, reddish brown hair that hung shaggily over his shoulders and pale, almost translucent skin. Green eyes shone brightly through, seemingly playing off all of the greenery in the garden. “Hi there. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Bellamy. I work on the gardens here sometimes in my free time. I heard something over here and—hey, are you alright?” he asked.
She wiped at her face with her sleeve, suddenly embarrassed at the sight of herself. “Yeah, no—I’m fine. Thank you,” she stuttered.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I don’t believe you.” She matched his gaze for as long as she could before admitting defeat, sitting back down and burying her face back into her hands.
“Do you know who I am?” she asked.
She felt the light touch of a hand placed delicately on her shoulder. “Hard not to,” he said quietly, as if ashamed. “I know it must be hard.”
“Hard?” She twisted up to look at him, ready to snap at him that this was a little more than ‘hard’, but he had kind eyes, and her anger melted away to a small sense of guilt. There was no use snapping at a stranger who was just trying to be sympathetic. “I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” she muttered dejectedly.
Bellamy frowned and fumbled with his hands. Shiloh could see she had made him uncomfortable and she felt like a jerk for suddenly putting the burden on the first stranger to come along like he was going to give her all the answers. “No one expects you to. Just take some time. Aeôs is an amazing place. I know you’d just love it if you gave it a chance. Everyone does.” It was very cliché, but she appreciated how genuine he seemed about it. And Shiloh couldn’t have any doubts about it. Aeôs looked like a dream. But dreams ended. There was no textbook for this, no rulebook for what she should do next.
“What about my family? They’re probably worried sick.” She imagined her mother sitting at the kitchen table, too anxious to do anything but stare at the phone. Her father out driving aimlessly, hoping for a miracle. They looked like tragic movie scenes in her head.
“Sagittarius didn’t tell you?” He looked surprised. “He created the bridge between the human world and ours. To watch over you. I mean, you must’ve crossed it. But your human family will not have seen much--if any--time pass by at all. It is all part of the magic.”
“I guess he had other things on his mind.” Her bitterness towards her father was mixed with relief, but her heart still felt heavy in a way that made it difficult to breathe. Worries about normal human things, like school or homework, felt a million miles away. Which she should have been grateful for, but
“So, you’re the gardener?” she asked suspiciously, half-jokingly. Anything to get her mind off of the answers she didn’t have. “You know an awful lot for a gardener.”
He laughed warmly and shook his head. “No, no. I am a scout—I work for your friends up there in the castle, actually. I am quite in tune with these forests, and familiar with the terrain, so I come in handy now and then. Especially for your father.”.
“My father?”
“Yes—I helped him find the world stone for that bridge. It allows travelers to pass between the two worlds. It was no easy task, mind you. But it’s a story for another day.” He smiled sheepishly.
“Not up for bragging right now?” she asked him. Was she flirting? She was unsure. She had never
even met anyone she wanted to flirt with. Flirting with an elf when she was in a flannel shirt and torn jeans seemed to be a bit presumptuous, but he was being kind regardless. And distracting.
He went on, ignoring her comment as a dimple appeared on the left side of his mouth. “The garden, though—that’s just a passion project,” he said as he squatted down on his heels. He placed his palm over the grass by her feet, and a delicate yellow flower grew in mere seconds, just before her eyes. For a moment, she forgot all about her distress and gazed in wonder, reaching out to touch the soft petals to confirm that they were real.
But soon, he brought her back down to reality. “I know it is not my place—but had you stayed here as a child, you would not have been raised by your parents. You care very much for them, no?”
“I do—I just. I don’t know.” She despised the thought of being ungrateful for her parents. Still, she hated that her whole life—even her destiny—was being decided for her. And she hated even more that even after everything, Sagittarius was withholding truths from her when he had already spent sixteen years doing that.
“Why don’t I show you around the city? Take your mind off of these things, if not just for a little while?” he offered. Shiloh nodded unsurely, excited to see what she had missed out on but scared of the reaction that the people may have to her presence. Brushing the thought away, she stood, and Bellamy guided her out of the garden, around the castle. “Because “I’m guessing you don’t want to go in there, right?”
Shiloh nodded in confirmation as they headed back towards the city.
***
Sagittarius couldn’t just sit and wait out the prophecy. Waiting and hoping wasn’t in his blood. Something had to be done.
After alerting Leo of his plans and asking for his help in watching over his daughter while he’d be gone, he set off.
He arrived in Azyda with plenty of light still in the sky. On another day, he might’ve strolled around lazily and enjoyed the views. Azyda was a beautiful city—slightly larger than his own, and much more structured. Many of the gods preferred it for residency or at least long trips. It was the first city they built before they even separated their realm from the human world.
The architecture was simple, looking much like what the world appeared before they separated; likened to ancient Greek or Egyptian buildings, but incredibly awe-inducing with clean lines and minimalistic design. The buildings were mostly stark white, glinting in the sun.
The people here in Azyda valued order and knowledge. Rarely would you find the city square filled with partiers or drunks. Even the arguments weren’t arguments at all, but rather cooled debates. Sagittarius liked to imagine that in a different world, he’d be a scholar here—using his time to gain knowledge and wisdom. Maybe that was the main appeal of Leo’s castle; the library. But today, he didn’t have time for even the fantasy of it. He stalked through the city purposefully.
The building he was aiming for was stark white, matching the city perfectly, but it had massive arched windows that took over almost the entire front of the structure. A low sloping but staggeringly long staircase jutted out of the front, making it mildly inconvenient for visitors to enter. Upon hiking the stairs, one would meet two griffins staged at the door, well-known as guardians of the divine. Luckily, Sagittarius had no trouble with these guards, though anyone else may find themselves out of luck.
When he entered, a long hallway greeted him. On either side, doors all but covered the walls, and one had to know what they were looking for when they came here. Only one door was allowed to be entered, and if one were to try otherwise, the griffins would drag you out with their beaks, and not in an attractive or painless fashion. He had heard rumors of what was on the other sides of these doors—anything from demons to djinns, places for healing or places to harness darkness. He didn’t know for sure, and for all he knew there was nothing on the other side at all.
It didn’t matter, though, because the only door he was looking for was the one on the very end of the hall, marked with a golden symbol—the scales.
He knocked softly. She wasn’t ever surprised, but she valued a polite manner in her visitors. “Come, Sagittarius.” Her voice sounded like a soft whisper directly into his ear, despite the reality. When he entered, she stood to meet him. She wore a flowing, soft, white dress, and her light hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders. She walked over to him, reaching out her hand for his. He kissed her hand gently in greeting and guided her to sit. She didn’t need the guidance, though she was blind. A thin strip of white cloth covered her eyes, but it didn’t take away from her beauty.
“I’m sorry you have made the journey, Sagittarius,” she said softly, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “But I cannot give you what you have come for.”
He knew that she could feel his disappointment, and he didn’t have to say a word.
“I cannot tell any more than you already know.”
“Please, Libra,” he begged—and Sagittarius was not often reduced to begging, if ever. “I know your rules, I do. But this is my daughter. We’ve known each other for a long time, you know you can trust me.”
She sat stone-faced. Despite her beauty, she was incredibly intimidating, even to Sagittarius. Though she did not look like a fighter, she was clearly very powerful and unflinching. He briefly wished that he could see the color of her eyes underneath that blindfold.
“I am not a fortune-teller, nor will I sacrifice my values. The prophecy does not lay out every action and inaction for a reason,” she paused. “I understand what you must be feeling, Sagittarius, but it is not your place to control fate, just like it is not mine.”
He didn’t know what he expected—maybe a miracle. Maybe this time, the stakes would have been so high that Libra would make an exception. The fate of two worlds were at stake, and yet, she still held true. She stood, placing one hand on his shoulder and gestured the other toward the door in which he came. “There is nothing more I can give to you, and I am sorry. But please, do not ask me again.”
He said his goodbyes and walked out, feeling disheartened. Logically, he knew before he came that he probably wouldn’t get anything out of Libra, but he had to try.
***
When Shiloh and Bellamy arrived in the city, the pair was greeted by a full-blown celebration going on in the square. Music unfamiliar to her ears was played by a pair of dwarves on stringed instruments, and children of all different species danced along. Adults chatted amongst one another excitedly, drinking and singing along. Colorful banners and lights were hung between the buildings, announcing “GAUDIUM FESTIVAL”. She could practically feel the energy of the celebration in her bones, the music seemingly interwoven into the very air itself. Before she could even get her bearings, a living tree passed by and placed a crown made of tiny, baby blue and pink flowers on her head and walked away happily without a single word. Shiloh’s eyes widened in shock, gently feeling at the crown atop her head with her fingertips. Bellamy chuckled at her surprise and adjusted the crown on her head. “Don’t worry, it’s lovely on you,” he said before continuing onwards and beckoning her to follow.
There were several tables placed on the outskirts of the square where citizens were selling their goods to the patrons of the festival. She stopped at a table littered with enchanted weapons, eyeing some of the smaller daggers curiously, wondering if maybe she’d need one. Bellamy ushered her away quickly, though, citing that “fighting isn’t always the best way,” and “those weapons have weak, cheap charms that could do their wielder more harm than good”.
They passed by a table of spell books, but again, he warned her against them. She asked, “Could I learn magic by reading those?” But he replied saying that without a mentor she could seriously hurt herself trying spells she wasn’t ready for.
A woman with a table out in the square selling handmade jewelry beckoned her excitedly, and Shiloh nervously walked over, unsure of what the woman might want. The woman immediately took her hand and placed a
necklace in her open palm. It looked like copper wire, beautifully intertwined and braided, with a blue-green teardrop shaped stone set in the middle that seemed to almost glow. “Did you make this?” she asked, in awe of the delicacy and intricacy of the piece.
The woman nodded feverishly. “For you. For you.”
“I don’t have any money, I’m sorry,” she said as she attempted to hand the necklace back over, but the woman pushed her hand away.
“No,” she shook her head, “Yours.” Taken aback and confused, Shiloh gave the woman her thanks and clasped the necklace carefully around her neck. The woman grinned excitedly. The stone within the necklace glowed one time, faintly, once secured around her neck. Somehow it seemed to match with her mother’s medallion perfectly, like two sides of the same coin. “Beautiful,” the woman said, as if she agreed with the necklace itself.
Bellamy appeared beside her with a cup of something close to wine that smelled fruity and tasted delicious. When she took a sip, she felt bubbly and light immediately. Heat ran straight through her body, as if being transported through her veins.
Maybe she shouldn’t have accepted it, but, then again, Bellamy didn’t seem to be a person who would lead her astray. It was likely simply a custom, even for younger people, to drink this at festivals.
After seeing so many things she was almost overwhelmed, and the sun began to go down, Bellamy led her to a group of people gathering around an older man who looked rather normal compared to the others.
“This is Gerund, the only descendent left here of the Greenwald family. They were the humans caring for the library,” Bellamy explained as they both took a seat to listen.
“Human?” she whispered. “So, there’s a human here?”
Bellamy shook his head. “Only partially. His grandmother was a nymph.”
Shiloh opened and closed her mouth in shock as she processed this before deciding just to listen to him speak. She wanted to know more about where she came from, after all.
Destined (Prophecy of the Stars Book 1) Page 4
