Prophecy (The Destiny Series Book 4)

by Christine Grey

  Brint rolled his eyes at her, as if to say, “Fine, you were right…this time.”

  “I’m glad you’re back,” Holly said. She moved to stoke the fire a little higher. “Did you get any rabbits today, Brint?”

  “No. Not a one,” he said. I checked all the snares, but they were empty, and there wasn’t even any sign that anything had passed by. There might be something in the area scaring the game off. We should probably keep an eye out. Logan might be able to talk to them, but that doesn’t mean they care for the rest of us all that much.”

  “Just because I can talk to them doesn’t mean they are all safe. Not all of them are friendly, just as not all people are friendly,” he said.

  “Hey! Logan said doesn’t!” Holly said.

  Logan sighed loudly and dramatically. “Yes, I do all kinds of tricks. Want to see me roll over, maybe sit up and beg?” He stalked off, grabbed the container they'd been using for water, and headed in the direction of the stream.

  “What’s the matter with him?” Holly asked.

  Brint gave her a smile. “Don’t worry about it. He’s a little sensitive, is all. He thinks of it as having picked up a bad habit. Poor fellow, now he has to be one of the commoners.”

  “Anything happen while we were gone?” Tabitha asked Holly as she started collecting small sticks of wood to add to the fire.

  Holly paused for what seemed to Tabby an unusually long time. It wasn’t a difficult question. She looked up from what she was doing and waited for her answer. “Well?”

  “What? Oh! Sorry, Tabitha, I was daydreaming.

  "No, nothing happened.”

  Tabitha nodded and went back to her chore.

  Chapter 14

  “This is it,” Logan said. His voice betrayed no hesitation or anxiety, but his eyes were wary. “This is the farthest I have ever been.”

  “So, no one comes this way?” Holly asked.

  “I am sure that they do. I only said this was the farthest I have ever gone. Women often take journeys of exploration, especially when a girl comes of age, but where they go and how far they travel is a personal matter that is not discussed. Still, it is unlikely that all of Etrafa has been traveled. The farther we go on, the less inviting the land becomes.”

  “What does ‘less inviting’ mean, exactly?” Brint asked, scanning the woods for he knew not what.

  “It means,” Logan said with a shrug, “that you would do well to keep your eyes and ears open.”

  “This is all ridiculous, if you ask me,” Tabitha said. “We don’t even know what’s happening back in…back in… Do you know, I have no idea what to call it. Is it the capital, the city, or something else?”

  “Etrafa,” Logan answered her in a distracted sort of way as he continued to look around them.

  “I thought the whole place was Etrafa,” she said.

  “The country is Etrafa, and the city is Etrafa,” Logan responded with a grin.

  “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

  “No. Listen. Etrafa. Etrafa. Do you hear the slight variation?”

  “Are you serious? You’re teasing me now, right?”

  “Oh, for Cyrus’s sake,” Brint interrupted them. “Does it matter? Tabitha, you’re right, we don’t know what’s happening in Etrafa, but that can’t be helped. Aesri told us to find the prophecy. It seems an impossible task, but it’s the one we’ve been given. Besides, we can’t risk going back, not yet, anyway.” Brint looked at Holly fleetingly before returning his attention to Logan.

  “Which way should we go from here?”

  “No idea,” he answered. “As you so aptly pointed out, we are on an almost hopeless mission. One way is probably as good as the next.”

  “Wonderful.” Brint drew his sword and began to hack his way through some dense brush.

  Logan winced. “It is not necessary to do that. There is another way through over here.”

  “Sorry,” Brint muttered, and he sheathed the sword. “I don’t know why I’m so touchy. It’s not like me.”

  “What we need is a break,” Holly said. “We’ve been wandering for weeks, and we’ve accomplished nothing, unless you want to count blisters, bruises, and bramble scratches.”

  Brint looked at Holly eagerly and encouraged her to continue with a nod.

  “Would it be so bad to try and enjoy ourselves a little while we search? I don’t know…maybe a swim. I know I haven’t been this dirty in…well, forever.”

  Tabitha’s mood brightened considerably, and her opinion of Holly went up several notches. A swim! What a marvelous idea. Up to this point, bathing had consisted of washing up in water they'd heated with the meal. A thorough soaking in something more substantial than a stream sounded amazing.

  “I do not know—”

  “Come on Logan,” Brint said. “We’ll have no peace if we don’t. They have their hearts set on it, and you could do with a wash yourself.”

  Logan lifted the fabric of his shirt, took a hesitant sniff, and wrinkled his nose. “I will go up and see what I can find. There must be something nearby.”

  ***

  As it turned out, nearby was a bit of a stretch. They had to make their way through three miles of dense brush to reach the lake, and by the time they had, they were even more in need of its services than they had been when they'd started out.

  Tabitha parted with some of her soap, but Brint had to shame her into it. She hadn’t brought much, and she was sure they should hold on to what they had for when they really needed it. Brint took an exaggerated whiff of his sister and assured her that that time had come. In the end, she took the bar from her pack and whittled four very stingy pieces from it, handing them out as if she were parting with a treasure.

  “Don't worry too much about it, Tabitha,” Holly soothed. "I’ve seen plenty of soapwort around. Tomorrow we can dig out some of the roots. The bulbs can make a nice lather.”

  Tabby was surprised, both by the fact that Holly knew about soapwort and even more that she, herself, had not thought of it. It wasn’t a plant she used for healing, but roots, leaves, and the like were more her purview than Holly’s.

  “Thanks, that’s a really good idea,” she said, not wanting to begrudge Holly the praise when it was due.

  They wandered around the lake for a while until they found a place that offered easy access to the water, as well as a good spot to lay out their clothing to dry after they'd cleaned it.

  They stripped down to nothing, out of necessity. They weren’t particularly shy about their bodies, but a certain amount of modesty prevailed, and they took pains to be looking somewhere else until everyone had scrubbed undergarments clean with soap, sand, and rocks. They quickly donned the now clean garments, and laid the rest of their clothing out to dry.

  By late afternoon, an impromptu game of “come find me” had broken out, and the girls shrieked and giggled as they hid amongst the rocks, or dove deep to grab someone’s ankle, upending them until they were spitting water and laughing so hard they could barely catch their breath.

  “Ta-bi-thaaaa…where are you?” She heard Logan call out in a deep, slightly menacing voice.

  She pressed her back even tighter against the rocks behind her. It was the perfect hiding spot. The sun was setting behind where she stood, and her side of the lake was already resting in the shadow of the trees around it. A thick veil of long, wispy branches, more like vines than real branches, hid her from view. Still, she held her breath as he drew nearer to her.

  “I know you are here somewhere,” he said. His voice was almost a purr, as if he were a cat stalking its prey.

  She could almost hear the sound of her own heart, muted only by the gentle lapping of the waves around her.

  There was silence, and she wondered if he'd moved farther away. She didn’t wonder long. There was the slightest tickle at her ankle, and her feet were swept out from under her. She was momentarily pulled beneath the surface, but in the next instant, she felt his hands at her waist, and she was once again
able to draw breath.

  “Got you!” he crowed.

  She laughed despite herself, and reached up her hand to try and remove the dripping tangle of hair obscuring her vision.

  “Here, let me,” he said. He ran one finger though the curtain of hair and swept some to each side of her face, tucking it behind her ears. “There. Much better.”

  His hands rested on either side of her face. He was standing motionless, and Tabitha thought if the world suddenly split in two, she still wouldn’t be able to look away from those eyes. Even in the dim light of their hiding spot, the green of his gaze called out to her, and then he kissed her. It was not rushed, nor was it hesitant. He'd simply decided and seen it through. It lasted only a moment, and he pulled away, reading her expression. He must have been satisfied with the story it told, for he smiled, and kissed her again.

  Tabitha wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. He was exactly the right height, and she didn’t have to adjust her stance at all. All she had to do was to be in the moment, be in the embrace, be in the warm touch of his lips. With the rest of her body chilled by the waters around her, the heat of his lips was even more thrilling. She shuddered, though whether from the cold of the water or the excitement of the moment, she could not say.

  “I think I saw them come this way,” Holly said, her voice intruding on the moment.

  Logan pulled away. Tabitha was reluctant to let him go. She tightened her hold around him for a second before realizing the futility of the gesture and releasing him. He held a finger to his lips, took a deep breath of air, and disappeared below the surface. She saw his first strong kicks as he glided away, and he was lost in the deepening gloom. She forced herself to count to ten before answering the calls coming from both Holly and her brother.

  “Here I am,” she called out in a shaky laugh that sounded forced to her ears. She came out of hiding and made herself smile at them.

  “Tabby, you had me worried,” Brint said. “Still, that was a good spot. I guess you win. Have you seen Logan?”

  “Here,” Logan answered from some distance away, saving her from lying. “We should head back to shore. It is getting dark.”

  Brint nodded his agreement, but seemed to scrutinize Logan closely before looking at Tabitha once more. She was wise enough not to meet her brother’s eyes; he always knew when she was hiding something. Instead, she was already turning away, and she lashed out with sure strokes in the direction of her clothing, while her heart pounded from more than the exertion of the swim.

  Chapter 15

  A meeting had been called, and every Etrafarian who was able was in attendance. There were a couple dozen, still too injured to be moved, who had been taken to the large shelter protecting the dragon. In that way, the healers could see to everyone in one place.

  Vast sections of the Great Tree had been cleared away, but what remained made it seem as though nothing much had been done. The first priority had been to remove the wreckage from the tops of homes, several of which had collapsed under the weight. Had the tree fallen while they slept, it was likely the loss of life would have been far greater.

  Siusan stood near the back of the assembly. Her arms were crossed, and she tapped one foot irritably. She had stayed with Brin, day and night, through his recovery. He seemed to be progressing, but not nearly as quickly as she would have liked, and there was no way to tell if the heat coming from him was fever or a natural event. Who knew how fire dragons healed? With Brin still unconscious, there was no way to ask, so she kept giving him the medicine Meeshe had brought and praying. She prayed to Rah. She prayed to Tolah. She would have prayed to the mermaids if she thought it would help. Had Aesri not come to personally ask her to attend, she'd be by Brin’s side at that very moment.

  The council came forward and arranged themselves on chairs on a slightly raised platform. Siusan thought Aesri looked unhappy. No, that was not right. They were all unhappy; Aesri looked worried.

  There was a murmur of anticipation. Aodh stood and shuffled forward a few paces. His shoulders were hunched, as if he carried a great weight, and when he spoke, his voice made him sound weary. “The council has conferred. We are not all in agreement.” Here he paused and turned to look at the rest of the council.

  He spread his hands, addressing himself to the group seated behind him. “I implore you, brothers and sisters. Let us talk this through some more. There can be no benefit to this course. Rah would not want—”

  Trina, one of the women on the council, scowled at him. “We have talked. We have talked until there were no more words to say. The decision has been made, Aodh. If you cannot or will not commit yourself to the course, perhaps the time has come for another to take your place.”

  A ripple of confusion passed over the assembly. The council was their guide in all things. Though everyone knew they did not always agree in private, once they made a decision, they worked together, supporting each other, and presenting a unified front to the people. For them to speak out openly in disagreement was unheard of.

  At this, Aesri stood and moved to stand beside Aodh. “Trina, Aodh’s is not the only voice who disagrees. You know where I stand. I think—”

  “Yes, Aesri. We do know what you think. You have made it abundantly clear, and as usual, you chafe at the bit. We have decided, and you will support that decision, or you, too, may resign your position.

  “Fine.”

  “Fine?” Trina asked.

  Aesri stood a little straighter. “Yes, fine. I resign my position on the council.”

  Now there was a din. Voices that had previously been speaking in hushed whispers were raised until shouting ensued. There were those who called for her not to do it, while others said she was a disgrace, wanting to know how she could abandon them in their hour of need. Some only sat wide-eyed, unsure of what was happening. The trauma of recent events was still fresh, and Aesri’s defection was not something their minds were willing to accept.

  “Is there nothing we can do to sway you?” Trina asked. She sounded bored. The words had been said because they were expected, not because she had any interest in changing Aesri's mind.

  “No. I know just how much this affects you,” Aesri said, giving the woman a knowing look, “but I am afraid that my mind is made up.”

  “As you wish. And you, Aodh? Will you now support the council?”

  Aodh looked from Trina to Aesri. His resolve was not as strong as Aesri’s, but he shook his head mutely, just the same.

  Trina nodded, and for a moment a look of triumph flashed across her face. “I am very sorry to see you go, my brother, but as you wish.”

  Aesri and Aodh stepped from the dais and joined the throng of people who were standing silently, awaiting the will of the council.

  Thus, elevated from third on the council to first, Trina stepped forward and offered what was probably meant to be a benevolent smile, but came off instead as insincere and condescending.

  “Dearest brothers and sisters, we have gone through a great ordeal. Our hearts are heavy. Our losses cannot be counted only in lives, but also in the pain and fear we are even now suffering. The council, as it stands now, is unanimous in our decision. It is clear to us that Rah is displeased. We have strayed too far from His plan for us.”

  There were some nods of agreement. People were looking for any sense of reason, any chance that their lives could be returned to normal.

  “The Great Tree has been sick for a long time. We believe that we have discovered what the cause was. Through careful study, it has been revealed that the troubles started when we allowed our line to become impure.”

  Siusan hissed in annoyance. That was not the way of it at all!

  “Let me continue!” Trina said loudly, trying to make herself heard over the confused rumble of the crowd. “There are some who have perpetuated the false notion that the Great Tree’s downfall started for other reasons, but I can assure you all that that hypothesis is utter nonsense. It is the existence of the cine m
easctha and our tolerance of them that has doomed us to this.” Here, Trina spread her arms wide.

  “Therefore, the only recourse we have is the complete eradication of anything that is not pure Etrafarian from our lives. The girl, Holly, must be retrieved and made to pay for her crime. Anyone else who is impure or tainted in any way, will be held for questioning, and then…we will see.”

  “And who is to say what is impure?” Aesri shouted.

  Trina did not look put out by the question. If anything, she appeared as though she had expected it, welcomed it, even. “Why, the council, of course, sister.”

  “And you will lead the council?” Aesri shot back

  “Someone needs to be the voice of reason. I am willing to take on that mantle to ensure fair and impartial decisions for the benefit of all of Etrafa.”

  Aesri issued an unladylike snort. “Yes, yes, very impartial. You have made your feelings well known, Trina.”

  Now, Trina’s face betrayed a crack in her carefully crafted facade, and her lips drew downward in a dark scowl. “You had your chance, Aesri, and you stepped aside. Now we will do what should have been done long ago.”

  Siusan felt her heart constrict painfully in her chest. This was it. This was where it all began to go wrong. It was a surreal and helpless sensation, like seeing a star falling from the heavens and having no ability to step out of its way. And even if she could, where would she go?

  “Kellen!” Trina called out, and the Etrafarian man scurried forward to await her command. “My son, you will find the traitors for me. Bring the two cine measctha to me, and the foreign twins as well, if you can.”

  “You have my word, Mother. I will not let you down.”

  Siusan watched Aesri make her way through the crowd, touching a sleeve here, whispering a word there. The people she approached slipped quietly from the throng and disappeared into the trees. No one seemed to be paying much attention. They were all listening to Trina, who was now rambling a long-winded oration on the importance of returning to the old ways, and making sacrifices for the good of all. It made her sick. Why could they not see that it was time to change? Things could never be as they once were again. If the Etrafarian people were going to survive, they needed to adapt.