Prophecy Girl (The Five Orders Book 1)

by Holly Roberds

  When her eyes met mine, her smile faltered. She knew my thoughts before I’d said a word. “I’m coming with you,” she said, her voice tight, an unnaturally high pitch to it.

  My features hardened, and I shook my head.

  “But you said…” Her words faltered before anger flashed in her eyes. “You lied to me.”

  “No, I changed my mind. It is for the best.”

  Sensing a scene coming on, Travis grimaced and took a couple steps away from us. He shoved his hands into the deep pockets of his puffy camouflage trench coat and looked at the ground.

  Emma shook her head vehemently, her eyes now glassy. “Don’t do that. Don’t talk like some kind of brainwashed soldier. I can’t go back now that I know so much.” Then in a quieter voice, “You need me.…”

  I kept my mask of indifference on. I needed her to believe there was no chance of her going with us, in order for her to give up. Any chink in my armor and she would dig in and rip it all away. It’s what she did. It’s who she was.

  “No, Emma. I need to take Travis to my Masters. You need to go home. You’ll go on with your life. You can’t help.” I clenched my right hand into a fist to keep from reaching out and dragging her into the portal with me.

  “Help us.” The words seemed to come on the wind in a quiet, childlike warble.

  Emma hadn’t heard it. “This is bullshit. I’ve helped save your ass multiple times. You say it’s the fate of humanity against the darkness. You’ll need all the help you can get.”

  “Quiet,” I ordered.

  “No.” She stomped her foot. “You can’t order me around. You don’t always know best. Hell, you don’t even know what’s good for you. You refuse to allow yourself to think outside your stupid orders.”

  I thought I heard the childlike warble again, but Emma was on a tirade. I swiftly crossed the distance between us and clapped a hand over her mouth, which stunned her into momentary silence. The warmth of her startled me, too. It always did. Touching her was divine. Being able to smell her was intoxicating and so tempting, but that wasn’t what had me to distraction now.

  “Help us.”

  Emma ripped my hand away and was about to give me what for, but this time she heard it too and stilled.

  Travis looked around, searching for the owner of the voice. “Who was that?” The sun was high in the sky lighting the forest and vestiges of snow in a white, cold light. There was no one around.

  I said quietly, “The birds.”

  A few minutes ago they had been happily chattering with one another but they’d gone silent. Emma and I searched for the speaker as well.

  “Help me?”

  This time the words came clearly and close by. Travis and Emma whipped around to look behind them. Though I had already been facing that direction, the girl seemed to appear from thin air. It was a child with long, straggly dark hair standing twenty feet away. The sheet of her hair obscured most of her face, and her gray dress was covered in a print of small flowers, and what looked to be grease and dirt stains.

  “Oh, hi there,” Travis responded, obviously startled. “Are you alone?” He looked around as if an adult would appear next.

  “Help me.”

  “Are you hurt?” Emma asked, taking a step toward the girl, but I grabbed Emma’s arm and yanked her against my chest.

  I said in a calm, even voice. “Travis, walk slowly toward me and the portal.”

  He looked back and forth between me and the little girl but did as I said. He was learning to trust me.

  “Help me,” the girl cried out as soon as Travis began to retreat. She threw out her hands as if in anguish but didn’t move from her spot. Her nails were broken, black dirt caked under them.

  Emma flinched against my chest, still watching the little girl. “What is it?”

  “It’s a She,” I said, quietly. “Shes were once little girls who brutally murdered someone close to them, like childhood friends, or their families.”

  The She pulled out a gray balloon from her back, like a magic trick. It had a smiley face drawn on it, one eye bigger than the other, giving it a manic look.

  “Occasionally one will cross over from the Stygian. They lure people by asking for help before ripping their entrails out and feasting on them.”

  Travis’s voice shook as he finally reached my side, still watching the girl. “What is it about this Stygian place and babies and children?” He shivered.

  The She moved the balloon to and fro, giggling as it glided through the air.

  “The Stygian loves to subvert the innocent. Now we must go. She doesn’t look it, but the She are incredibly fast. On the count of three, we jump into the portal. I’ll go last.”

  “Are you going to leave me behind to have my entrails ripped out?” Emma asked in a bitter tone.

  “Of course not.” I gripped her shoulders more firmly. “I would never let anything happen to you. Now, on the count of three. One, two, three.”

  We turned around but stopped short, when we faced another She standing just to the side of the portal. Her fingers dipped into the portal, as if she were testing the temperature of a pool. Panic seized me. A black eye peeked out from beneath the sheath of hair, darting back and forth between each of us. I sensed more than saw her smile.

  “Help us.”

  “Help us.”

  “Help us.”

  I turned my head and suddenly found there weren’t just two Shes. Thirty of them stepped out from behind the trees.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “Gods,” I whispered, before throwing up the holy triangle, “Luminatos treahgo eearhovotas.” I said it quickly, so the energy burst was short and weaker than if I had taken my time, but it blasted the She in the face enough that it stumbled back and away from the portal. The rest leapt into action. Some had dropped into a distorted crabwalk and scurried across the pine needle covered ground. Others ran straight for us. I grabbed Travis by the lapel and threw him into the portal. He yelped as he disappeared.

  Just as I turned to throw another power blast at a She, I saw out of the corner of my eye the She I had just blasted recovered and was climbing into the portal. “No,” I dove for the portal.

  “Calan,” Emma screamed and I stopped in my tracks. Three She had dug their dirty long fingernails into her legs, tearing away at fabric, pulling her away. I whipped out my broadsword and swung. One head rolled away. With another few chops, two hands dropped to the ground. The She reared back, but I couldn’t stop them for long. I grabbed Emma and threw her into the portal, following behind.

  I hit the ground on my feet, but Emma coughed hard, having fallen flat onto her chest on the antique tile floor. Looking up at the portal, I watched two more She scramble in.

  "What is this?” A familiar voice boomed. Master Ylang had been sitting in one of the red tufted chairs facing the massive fireplace, and for a moment I wondered if I could maneuver the She into the fire. I didn’t want a bunch of She enveloped in flames running around, so I reconsidered the idea.

  “Stay back, Master.” I cried out while looking for Travis. I knew I should close the portal but I had to protect the Propheros. I found him on the ground, wrestling a She who screeched and clawed over him. But he had her by the wrists, keeping her at bay.

  “Little help,” he managed to get out. Sweat dripped down his Temples as he tried to hold the She back. She giggled wildly, like she was about to tickle him. More like tickle his liver after tearing him apart.

  I ran forward. With a lunge, I sliced the She’s head off, then pivoted, assumed my holy position, and closed the portal. Yet five of the She scurried about on the walls like spiders, two of them bleating for help while the other three laughed their heads off. Feeding my faith, I chanted and directed my light to two of them in a powerful wave. They squirmed, their laughter reaching the pitch of hyenas. They were rooted in this world more firmly than was right. As I continued to wear them away, I sensed movement from the corner of my eye.

  “Help him,
” Emma cried to Master Ylang who remained unmoved by her pleas. She didn’t understand that it was my place to protect my Masters and she was doing me a disservice by begging him to intervene.

  The two Shes finally melted away under my powers into black muck. Before I could refocus my attention, another She was upon me. Her long nails pierced through my shirt and into my stomach as she let loose a delighted shriek. The She rocked back and forth as if in unhinged ecstasy as she clawed through my flesh. I grabbed her wrists to keep her from digging in, but I didn’t have the leverage to throw her off.

  That’s when I saw Travis come up behind the She with my broadsword and I knew I was saved. My relief dissolved instantly when I watched how he wound up his blow. His swing had too much momentum. It would cut through the She then straight through my own jugular.

  I watched his eyes widen as he realized his mistake, unable to slow down his swing. The blade cut into the She’s neck, slicing through and continuing its path down toward me. I closed my eyes and thought only of Emma’s sweet kiss.

  The blade sliced the skin of my throat. Then it stopped. The blade was pulled back and away from my flesh. Opening my eyes, I watched Travis stumble backward as he had jerked back to retrain the aim of the blow. I swallowed and licked my lips. Rivulets of blood seeped down my neck, but other than the disconcerting sting of a cut on my throat, I was fine. Throwing the dead She off me, I leapt up and grabbed the sword from Travis’s hand, plunging it into the two remaining She who thought they were sneaking up behind him. With two quick swipes, that was the end of the She.

  Still panting, I touched my neck. My fingers came away wet with red.

  “Oh god, Calan,” Emma rushed to me. “Are you okay? Your- your throat.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Then seeing my Master behind her, I dropped to my knee and bowed deeply. “Master Ylang.”

  Master Ylang was four inches shorter than me but carried a presence that demanded respect. He wore a long blue robe with ornate gold trimming. Master Ylang seemed to glide forward. My Master waved me up to my feet with slim yet knotted fingers. His bald head was almost as knotty as his knuckles but long hairs fell, like waterfall whiskers, from beneath his nostrils. Waterfall whiskers were what I always thought of them as. His eyes were wide but clouded over. Anyone might mistake him to be a blind man, but I knew better. He’d swat your hands before you even thought to steal an apple.

  “Chevalier,” he addressed me with formal authority, “Why have you brought these people here?”

  “Master, a soul eater came to physical form before my very eyes. And you saw the She. They have amassed in unprecedented numbers.”

  The skin over his eyes rose where there should have been eyebrows. “That is impossible, my son.”

  I shook my head. “It is not for me to speculate on what it is possible, but I have witnessed it all the same.” My shirt was soaked. I held a hand against my stomach where the She had tried to disembowel me. I would need medical attention, but it could wait. I glanced down at Emma’s legs, her pants were torn and stained dark with her blood.

  The sight of Emma bleeding sent a trill of fear through me I’d not known before. I’d seen her in danger, but seeing her flesh marred hurt more than my own wounds. My insides went cold.

  Emma boldly stepped up. “I saw it too.” As if sensing my distress, she came over and put a hand on my shoulder.

  My Master rose another non-existent eyebrow at her. “And who is this?”

  Before I could say anything, Emma continued. “My name is Emma, and that’s Travis.” She waved to Travis who turned and gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. He had migrated to the lit fire place that was as tall as he. Travis hugged himself near the flames, probably cold from shock, but he seemed to be keeping it together.

  Emma went on. “We were attacked by a soul eater, but Calan saved us.”

  My Master looked into my eyes. I closed my thoughts and feelings until there was nothing on the surface but the need to fulfill the mission and obey my Order. From the outside, I could appear to be the same faithful servant of the Light. He folded his hands into either sleeve of his robes. I knew he was displeased I had named myself to these civilians and I expected due discipline.

  “Travis there is the Propheros. We’ve been trying to get him to you for days.” Emma added, putting everything out on the table. My Master looked displeased with her forward nature, which made me want to squirm, but I remained still.

  My Master’s head snapped to Travis. “Is this true, Chevalier?”

  Travis was warm enough to turn around so he could give his backside some attention from the fire.

  I nodded carefully, “The creature indeed named the virgin.”

  Travis’s hands flew up. “Whoa now, what did you just say? Did you call me a virgin? I’m not gonna stand by and let you accuse me of being a virgin. What’s wrong with you, man?” Betrayal shone in his eyes, though I didn’t understand why he was so upset.

  Emma crossed her arms. “For heaven’s sake, what is it with guys and their manhood? It’s perfectly alright to be a virgin. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Travis scowled. “Hey, I didn’t say anything about there being something wrong with people who are virgins. I just don’t happen to be one of them.”

  I chanced a look at my Master who was now staring at Emma. A cold stone dropped in the pit of my stomach.

  The two went on bickering as if we weren’t there.

  “Oh yeah?” Emma said. “And who exactly have you slept with, big roller?” she glanced over her shoulder at Master Ylang. “We went to high school together.”

  “Jeanine Stalwart for one,” Travis said, hands on his hips now. “Peggy Lipton, and oh yeah, Tawny Johnson.”

  Emma’s lips twisted but she seemed to believe him. She turned around to face my Master and me. “Well, your Propheros has been sullied by some of the loosest women in Smoky Badger, but you win some you lose some. Why are you both looking at me like that?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  No.

  My heart thundered in my ears.

  My Master waved a hand to her. “Where were you, my child, when the soul eater named the Propheros?”

  No. No. No.

  My hands balled into fists.

  “Travis was trying to pull me off the ground when…” her mouth turned into that small ‘o’ again. She understood the importance of her proximity.

  Travis guffawed. “No, seriously? You’re still a virgin, Em?”

  First she blanched, then she went red in the face.

  “It’s not her.” My denial came out in a low rumble.

  She blinked at me as if she didn’t recognize me for a few seconds. “Destined to stop the coming darkness, huh?” she said in small voice.

  “It’s not me?” Travis asked. He had unzipped his coat and clutched the front of his shirt. “For real, I’m not the Propheros?” Tears of relief welled in his eyes and his shoulder sagged. “Does this mean I can go home?”

  I wouldn’t believe it. I refused to believe it. Travis was the Propheros and he was destined to die to protect us from the Stygian. I would continue to act as Chevalier after his sacrifice, and Emma would return to her life and live to an old age. I’d never see her again, but she would be safe.

  She should have never come. It was confusing the truth of the situation.

  “Are you well, Chevalier?” Master Ylang asked. To Travis or Emma’s ears he no doubt sounded sympathetic, but I knew better. It was a warning. I straightened my stance.

  “Of course, Master.”

  He waved a hand spotted with pigment of age. “Regardless of who you have brought to us, you have successfully brought the Propheros.” He walked over to Emma, examining her with cloudy eyes. The urge to grab her and run was almost overpowering. Then Master Ylang’s attention swept toward me.

  “It took you days to deliver the Propheros to us?”

  Looking straight ahead, I answered, “Yes, Master.”

&
nbsp; Slowly, he made his way toward me. “And what could have delayed your journey for so long?”

  My lips tightened, but I forced myself to speak. “I met with a complication.”

  “What complication?”

  “I temporarily lost my ability to use my magic.”

  Master Ylang stood in front of me, nearly nose to nose, yet I maintained my blank stare. He didn’t speak or move for a long time.

  “Well,” he finally broke the silence and moved away from me. “We must make our guests comfortable so I may gather our House to hear of all we have missed. Days can provide an eternity of information.”

  I bowed my head. Master Ylang clapped. It wasn’t loud, but less than a minute later a servant of the House appeared in a brown robe. He was instructed to take Emma and Travis to guest quarters.

  Emma tried to catch my eye, but I kept my head bowed, aware that my Master was closely watching. It still felt like a building was falling from the sky, crashing onto my head. Thousands of tiny invisible needles pricked at my forehead causing it to break out in a sweat. As Emma passed by, my feelings of shock intensified ten-fold. I knew in that moment I was experiencing her feelings as well, like I had when I felt the heat of her desire. She knew the Propheros was a sacrifice for the greater good.

  As soon as the doors shut, my Master held his hands behind his back.

  “How many days, Calan?”

  “Three.”

  He allowed the alarm to show on his face this time. “You lost your abilities for three whole days?”

  I shook my head. “Less than two days, but we met further complications.”

  I proceeded to tell him about the soul eater, the Crib, and the agents from Veritas up until we reached the She and our dramatic entrance into the Temple.

  He nodded but kept staring at me in an unnerving fashion. I told myself it was a paranoid thought of the guilty. I hadn’t told him about my familiarity with Emma, but it felt like he was looking right through me and into my transgressions.