Chasing the Prophecy
Page 91
Slowing her breathing, Rachel fought the rising panic. What would she do without Edomic? She was stuck here. There was no sure way back! She thought of her parents, and her panic receded.
Turning in a circle, Rachel spotted a glow that suggested a farmhouse. Leaving the weights behind, she started walking.
Some of the lights were on in the house. Rachel opened the squeaky screen door and knocked. A middle-aged woman answered. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Rachel said. “I’m lost.”
Looking Rachel up and down, the woman placed a startled hand against her chest. “Another one? How can—never mind—you poor thing! You’re drenched! Come inside.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t tell me you lost your memory.”
Rachel realized that she had better play it up. “Actually . . . I’ve felt really confused lately. Everything has been . . . hazy . . . disconnected. What year is it?”
The woman told her. Rachel nodded vaguely. It had been more than three years since she had disappeared. Rachel felt relieved that it had been long enough to explain why she looked older. The oracle had not let her down. “Can I use your phone?” Rachel asked.
The woman led Rachel to a telephone. Rachel had not punched digits into a phone in roughly six years. The number had not faded from her memory. She called her home. Her mother answered. The sound of her voice left Rachel momentarily frozen. Then, with a fluttering stomach, Rachel explained who was calling. Her mom freaked out, but in a good way. Rachel held the phone away from her ear during the worst of the shrieks and shouts. Soon her dad was on the line as well. Rachel could not resist her growing smile. Within the first thirty seconds their overflowing relief and joy made the decision worth it. Speaking with them made Lyrian recede. Within minutes she felt much more firmly home than she had upon her arrival in the cornfield.
While she talked, Rachel fingered her satchel. Inside was the note Jason had let her read. Once she had developed her photos and made sure the appropriate pictures and valuables were bundled with the message and delivered to his parents, her obligations to Lyrian would be officially concluded. She did not need to open the letter to recall the contents.
Dear Mom and Dad,
You probably think I was eaten by a hippopotamus. I did jump into the hippo tank at the zoo, as I’m sure witnesses have reported. But the hippo did not kill me. This sounds unbelievable, but the hippo was a magical gateway to a place called Lyrian. I realize that no evidence can prove something so seemingly ridiculous, but I have included some jewels and photos to help.
My problem is that there is no sure way for me to travel back and forth between our worlds. I could come home, but it would probably mean never returning to Lyrian. I have built a good life here. I’m one of the leaders of the most powerful kingdom in this world. I have many close friends and important responsibilities. Lots of people count on me. I have a future here. And so I am never coming home from Lyrian. Instead, I am sending this message as both explanation and apology.
This is probably the last you will ever hear from me. I don’t expect another chance to send a message. Please don’t waste your energy looking for me. I am truly beyond your reach. I have risked my life many times to help save this land from a terrible threat. Several of my closest friends gave their lives. In the end we succeeded. As a result there is now so much potential here.
Please don’t worry about me. I miss you, but I am also very happy. The first time I went to Lyrian was by accident. It was what really happened when I vanished. The amnesia was a cover story. I was never content after returning. This second time I came to Lyrian on purpose, and I am staying voluntarily. This is where I belong now. I love you both. My only regret about being here is that I will never see you again. Everything else is better than I could have hoped for.
There is no need to let others know about my true fate. It would just make us all look crazy. But I wanted you to know. Use your best judgment on whether to tell any other family members. If you talk to them, tell them I love and miss them, too. Please take good care of Shadow.
You are wonderful parents. I appreciate all you have given me and all you have done for me. I’m sorry if my disappearance seems ungrateful. Please know that after everyone I have met here, and everything I have gone through, I never could have been satisfied in our world.
Sorry if I come across like a lunatic. Sorry if this note somehow makes my disappearance worse. I sent this with good intentions. I had to try.
All my love forever,
Jason
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Wow! I can hardly believe I finished Beyonders. This was the first story I set out to tell as an author. I wrote the first draft of book one right after graduating from college. About four years later, the first book I ended up selling to a publisher was Fablehaven, and I wrote all five of those, plus Candy Shop War, before returning to Beyonders. By the time I got back to it, I had learned a lot as a writer, so I wanted to make some major adjustments, and my editor, Liesa Abrams, gave me a bunch of great suggestions that changed things even more. As a result, I totally rewrote the first Beyonders book, although I kept most of the same characters and problems. I feel lucky that the original version of Beyonders was never published, because I’m very pleased with how it turned out.
Thank you, dear reader, for sticking with me through this series. Your interest lets me do this for a living. Thank you for buying my books, for downloading my books, for telling people about my books, and for asking for them at the library. I love telling stories, and you enable me to keep doing it. I dedicated this book to you, and I meant it.
I need to give lots of thanks to Liesa Abrams, who worked long and hard on this book with me. This was a big story, and this last book had more extensive edits than any other I’ve written. Liesa did tons to make this story better. Simon Lipskar, my brilliant agent, not only helps keep me employed, but also contributed some really smart ideas that improved this story.
I owe a lot of thanks to the whole team at Simon & Schuster. This includes Mara Anastas, Bethany Buck, Anna McKean, Fiona Simpson, Paul Crichton, Lucille Rettino, Carolyn Swerdloff, Mary Marotta, and the entire sales team. They got behind this book in a big way. Thanks as well to Lauren Forte, Lisa Vega, Jeannie Ng, and James Riley.
Other early readers who gave feedback include Mary Mull, Sadie Mull, Bryson and Cherie Mull, Pamela Mull, Summer Mull, Jason and Natalie Conforto, Chris Schoebinger, Liz Saban, Wesley Saban, and the ever-diligent Tucker Davis.
My family deserves special thanks. My job makes me travel a lot, and I often have to write long hours, but they’re supportive and patient, and my wife helps me work through all sorts of story issues. I love them very much.
Beyonders is over, but I have more stuff coming. It won’t be long before some new series begin. I have really exciting ideas for future stories, and I can’t wait to share them. You can find out more at brandonmull.com, fan me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @brandonmull.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Wow! I can hardly believe I finished Beyonders. This was the first story I set out to tell as an author. I wrote the first draft of book one right after graduating from college. About four years later, the first book I ended up selling to a publisher was Fablehaven, and I wrote all five of those, plus Candy Shop War, before returning to Beyonders. By the time I got back to it, I had learned a lot as a writer, so I wanted to make some major adjustments, and my editor, Liesa Abrams, gave me a bunch of great suggestions that changed things even more. As a result, I totally rewrote the first Beyonders book, although I kept most of the same characters and problems. I feel lucky that the original version of Beyonders was never published, because I’m very pleased with how it turned out.
Thank you, dear reader, for sticking with me through this series. Your interest lets me do this for a living. Thank you for buying my books, for downloading my books, for telling people about my books, and for asking for them at the library. I love telling
stories, and you enable me to keep doing it. I dedicated this book to you, and I meant it.
I need to give lots of thanks to Liesa Abrams, who worked long and hard on this book with me. This was a big story, and this last book had more extensive edits than any other I’ve written. Liesa did tons to make this story better. Simon Lipskar, my brilliant agent, not only helps keep me employed, but also contributed some really smart ideas that improved this story.
I owe a lot of thanks to the whole team at Simon & Schuster. This includes Mara Anastas, Bethany Buck, Anna McKean, Fiona Simpson, Paul Crichton, Lucille Rettino, Carolyn Swerdloff, Mary Marotta, and the entire sales team. They got behind this book in a big way. Thanks as well to Lauren Forte, Lisa Vega, Jeannie Ng, and James Riley.
Other early readers who gave feedback include Mary Mull, Sadie Mull, Bryson and Cherie Mull, Pamela Mull, Summer Mull, Jason and Natalie Conforto, Chris Schoebinger, Liz Saban, Wesley Saban, and the ever-diligent Tucker Davis.
My family deserves special thanks. My job makes me travel a lot, and I often have to write long hours, but they’re supportive and patient, and my wife helps me work through all sorts of story issues. I love them very much.
Beyonders is over, but I have more stuff coming. It won’t be long before some new series begin. I have really exciting ideas for future stories, and I can’t wait to share them. You can find out more at brandonmull.com, fan me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @brandonmull.
BRANDON MULL is the author of the Beyonders series, as well as the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling Fablehaven series. He resides in Utah, in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon, with his wife and four children. Brandon’s greatest regret is that he has but one life to give for Gondor.
BRANDONMULL.COM
Jacket design by Lisa Vega
Jacket illustration © 2013 by Jason Chan
Author photograph by Laura Hanifin copyright © 2013
by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Aladdin
Simon & Schuster, New York
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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First Aladdin hardcover edition March 2013
Copyright © 2013 by Brandon Mull
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Designed by Lisa Vega
The text of this book was set in Goudy Old Style.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mull, Brandon, 1974-
Chasing the prophecy / Brandon Mull. — 1st Aladdin hardcover ed.
p. cm. — (Beyonders ; bk. 3)
Summary: Jason and Rachel’s adventures and friendships have made Lyrian more of a home to them than they could have imagined, so now, armed with the prophecy of a dying oracle, they are ready to become Lyrian’s heroes whatever the cost to themselves.
ISBN 978-1-4169-9796-2 (hardcover edition) — ISBN 978-1-4169-9800-6 (eBook. edition)
[1. Space and time—Fiction. 2. Prophecies—Fiction. 3. Revolutions—Fiction. 4. Wizards—Fiction. 5. Magic—Fiction. 6. Heroes—Fiction. 7. Fantasy.] I. Title.
PZ7.M9112Ch 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2012035223