”The Huryl tribe swept across the plains,
spreading the word of the Prophet Jad. The other tribes fell in line under the
sword of the Huryl and all tribes joined as one under the wisdom of Jad. The
Prophet spoke thusly: ‘From the heavens will the warrior descend, earth in
hand, water under foot, air in breath, fire in eyes. The warrior shall tear the
world asunder, in the name of the Huryl, and bestow upon the mightiest the
power of the world’.”
I paused in my reading, blinking in surprise. The book in my hands was old and crumbling, having sat exposed in the damp cell for who knows how long. My back was aching from sitting on the rickety wooden chair and I rose to my feet to stretch. I left the book on the chair and moved to stand in front of the window. The sky was blue and cloudless, the horizon blocked by the peaks of the nearby mountains. I strained to catch a glimpse of the Spirit Wood. I realized we could not have traveled very far from the city of Oponoe, and certainly we had passed through the Wood on the way here. I sighed and slid down the stone wall to sit on the floor. The green of the forest was gone, replaced by the coldness of the mountains.
My mind wandered, first to Damaeon and then to Fynn. Tears came unbidden to my eyes. When I was alone, Fynn had been there for me, I thought. He saved my life several times and guided me. As charming as Damaeon was, Fynn was the only one I considered my friend in this strange world. He was the only one who demanded nothing of me. I was the Promised Child of the Dyrel, I had been promised to the spirits, and now I was supposed to be the warrior of the Huryl prophecy. I was being torn in three ways, except when I was with Fynn. I pressed my head in to my arms, letting the tears flow freely. How I missed him!
I heard a clatter of hooves in the courtyard. Scrambling to my feet, I tried to see who was there. Had the Huryl King come already? I felt a knot of dread forming in my gut. I had no idea what to say to the Huryl King, or what he wanted of me. I was not the warrior the prophet Jad had promised. The lock that kept me prisoner slide to one side, and the door swung open. A man wearing silver armour entered, smiling chillingly at me.
“Commander Mattis,” I said, ignoring the terror rising in my throat.
Mattis bowed. “Leila. Nice to see you again. I was – upset to hear you had left my hospitality.”
“I don’t find spells to be very hospitable,” I snapped.
Mattis chuckled. “Our kitten has grown claws. I honestly meant you no harm.”
“Could have fooled me.”
Mattis held up a hand. “Peace, Leila. This is not the time or place for arguments. I’m here as your escort.”
“Escort?”
“The King demands the honour of your company this afternoon,” Mattis shrugged. “He believes the prophecy of Jad has come to pass, but you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
His eyes strayed to the abandoned book on the chair and back to me. I didn’t move a muscle. With an exaggerated gesture, Mattis motioned for me to walk through the open door.
“His Majesty awaits,” he said.
Keeping my head high, aware that I was filthy and my dress torn, I marched by him and into the hallway. The snake-like man was standing there, fawning over Mattis as he led me outside.
“The young lady was not touched, my lord,” the man assured Mattis. “We gave her the best treatment possible.”
“The King will be pleased to hear it,” Mattis replied abruptly.
The Commander pushed past the man, one gloved hand firmly on my shoulder. I felt his fingers digging into my skin and knew that escape was impossible. Mattis led me through the hallway and into the bright sunlight. I blinked against the light and Mattis’ hand moved to my arm, holding me steady as he dragged me to the waiting carriage. A servant opened the door and I was practically thrown into the gloomy interior. Mattis followed behind him and the door was firmly closed. With a sudden lurch, we were moving down the uneven road, away from the Tower. In spite of my current situation, I felt relieved to be away from the horrible prison. I sat back against the soft cushions of my seat and sighed.
“Pleased to be free, Leila Sinclair?” a female voice asked.
I glanced at the seat across from mine and saw the sorceress Ellena, a smile on her delicate features. I pressed myself back into my seat, trying to put as much distance between myself and the woman who had bewitched me. The shock was evident on my face, and Ellena’s porcelain features creased with a distressed frown and Mattis patted my hand gently.
“Don’t bolt, skittish kitten,” he murmured.
“I am truly sorry for what I did,” Ellena said, her head bowed. “It was essential for me to discover the truth.”
I kept my mouth shut and my body tense. Mattis chuckled and Ellena turned her head to gaze out the window as the carriage plodded along. For a moment, I thought I saw pointed elven ears peeking out from her long hair, but it was gone in a split second. I was unsure if what I had seen was real, or if my exhaustion from being in prison was taking its toll on me. The rest of the trip passed in silence until the carriage reached a valley of green grass. A palatial tent had been erected in the centre, garishly coloured in greens, yellows, and purples. The carriage pulled to a halt in front of the tent and the door opened. Mattis exited and held out his hand for me to take. As I descended from the carriage, I looked around my new surroundings.
The valley was not as large as I thought, a plateau among the cliffs and mountains. Above us rose the tall grey peaks, some with snow caps, and I thought if I peeked over the edge I would see the mountain foothills still far below us. There was no escape for me, nowhere I could run without being found. As my eyes passed over the rocky terrain, I saw several figures staring at me. They were large and seemed to be made of stone, their faces human and their dark eyes full of curiousity. One of them caught me staring and it’s eyebrows raised in surprise at being spotted. I felt the mark on my palm begin to itch as Mattis took me by the arm.
“Come, little warrior,” he said almost gently. “The mightiest King in the world awaits.”