EPIC: Fourteen Books of Fantasy (152 page)

“She can read clouds, like the prophecy states. Johna and I saw her do it.”

“How long have you known about her?” Roc asked.

“I met her a couple months ago,” Mark said. “But we didn’t know she was the Prophet until yesterday.”

“I didn’t know myself,” I interjected. I didn’t like being talked about as if I wasn’t sitting at the table with them. “I was told I had the potential for a gift, but I never had any idea what it might be.”

“How can that be?” Roc asked, stroking his messy beard. “You should have known when you looked at the cloudy sky. It can’t be hard to miss.”

“I was Kandek’s slave since I was a baby. We think he knew about my gift because all these years I was never allowed outside unless he was with me and we were always alone.”

Roc’s eyes narrowed and bore into mine. Didn’t he believe me? Maybe I didn’t fit the hopes he’d had his whole life. Would I fit in to anyone’s idea of a great prophet? I wasn’t even sure I believed it myself.

“I would relax upon seeing the sky and he would ask me to tell stories,” I continued. “For years I believed I had a knack at storytelling. He made me believe I had a good imagination.”

Roc’s staring did not cease. I wanted to squirm on the stool but I had a feeling that convincing him would take more than just telling the truth. I needed to show my strength.

“I know it seems hard to believe, but it’s all true. I’ve been hiding at Johna’s house for the last couple of months since I was rescued by a gifted couple.”

“You aren’t the same girl I saw behind the counter when I came to get herbs from Johna a month or so ago,” Roc said. “Who was she?”

“That’s my best friend Ivy. She and I escaped Kandek’s house with the help of the same woman, who sent us to live and train with Johna.”

“Where’s Ivy now and does she know about you?” he asked. “Is she going to be a problem?”

“Ivy left,” Mark said. “She moved on already. And no, we don’t think she knows about Reychel’s gift.”

I stared at Roc just as hard as he stared at me. There was no backing down now, too much had been revealed, and too much was at stake. I would make him believe my sincerity. He dropped his eyes to his folded hands on the table. With a sigh he ran his fingers through his hair. Roc looked at me again, his hair now as wild as his beard. His lips parted in a smile.

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Prophet,” Roc said with a smile and a nod of his head. He took my hand in his, but he didn’t shake it. He held it gently, almost as if he was afraid of me, or unsure of how to treat me.

I blushed. I still was not used to being called the Prophet. It was hard, especially since I wasn’t convinced I was the one they were waiting for. But I pulled myself together, knowing if I didn’t have confidence in myself no one else would trust me.

“It’s wonderful to meet you too, Roc. Mark said some lovely things about you last night. He told me that you’re leading the Sons of Silence here. Do you think there’s some way you can help us?” His approval meant so much to me. How could I fulfill this supposed destiny if people didn’t believe in me?

“Reychel wants to turn herself in to Kandek.” Mark put his hand over mine. “She wants to protect the petty criminals in his custody.”“We can’t let the Prophet turn herself in,” Roc said. Mark’s hand on mine did not go unnoticed, as Roc’s eyes flickered down quickly. “Not when we’ve just found her.”

“That’s almost exactly what Johna said,” I said.

“Of course, Johna. I knew there was something off about her. Well, off in a good way.” Roc smiled. “She’s gifted, I suppose.”

“Yes, she is,” Mark said.

“Now that doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “I think there are probably more gifted people out there than anyone realizes. If we were free, people wouldn’t hide it anymore.”

“And that freedom is what we’re here for. I can’t stand the thought of letting those men languish in prison if there is a way to free them. They did so little wrong. They were only trying to provide for their families,” I said, leaning forward. “We have to find a way for me to surrender and then escape Kandek. I think once he has me back, I’ll be no better than a prisoner.”

“How long do we have?” Roc asked.

“It’s six days until his wedding,” Mark said. “The deal expires then. Reychel has had visions of people massing together to hunt her down. We need to plan, but we also need to keep Reychel safe.”

“That can easily be done. I have use of a maid in my house since my wife is busy taking care of the children. Reychel’s safer here with me to protect her than at Johna’s house,” Roc said. “Unless Johna can shoot fireballs from her hands or something.”

We all laughed.

“Hardly,” Mark said. “She can read minds.”

“Useful, but not much good in a battle,” Roc answered.

Chapter XV

W
HEN
M
ARK
AND
I
ARRIVED
back at Johna’s to collect my few possessions, we were surprised to find the cottage door locked.

“I didn’t even know she had a lock on the door,” Mark said, jiggling the handle.

I reached around him and knocked.

“It’s a common way to get someone’s attention when a door is locked rather than yanking on the knob,” I said with a wink.

The door opened just enough for us to see Johna’s right eye peeking through a crack.

“Is it just the two of you?” she whispered.

“Yes,” I whispered back, intrigued by all the secrecy.

“Go around to the back door,” Johna whispered. “It’s unlocked.”

I shrugged as Mark followed me around to the back door. We opened it and were whisked inside by a few sets of reaching arms.

“Close it, quickly,” I heard a man say. I gasped in fear. I’d never seen so many people crowded into the cottage before and most of them were angry-looking men. I felt Mark’s arms encircled my waist.

“Johna,” he yelled, craning his neck and peering through the masses. “Are you okay? Where are you?”

“Stop yelling, child, I’m right here.”
 

Johna pushed through the crowd, jostling elbows and even stepping hard on one man’s foot. He responded with a grunt, but Johna ignored him.

“I told you I had to consult with the council,” she said. “They’re all here. All eleven of them.”

The scene lost its menacing atmosphere once I realized they were friends and not enemies. And only eleven people? They took up so much space in her little cottage! I wriggled out of Mark’s protective embrace, giving him a little smile.

“Reychel,” a familiar voice said, “I didn’t know when I’d see you again!”

“Tania,” I exclaimed, looking for and then focusing in on the face of my friend who was hidden among all the men. “I’m so happy to see you too.”

We hugged and as I stepped back, I pulled off my wig. It was irritating me so much and I couldn’t bear to wear it any longer. If everyone here was in the council, then they all knew my story. I was safe among them.

“It’s beautiful,” Tania said, giving my hair a little ruffle.

“Thanks,” I answered with a smile. I wondered how many of them had been slaves before. I knew about Tania, but she couldn’t be the only one.

“How did everyone get here so quickly?” Mark asked. “We only left a couple of hours ago. You can’t all live in this town.”

“We don’t,” the man whose toe Johna had squashed stepped forward. “I am Nemison, head of the council. Johna called us here and we came.”

“How did that work?” I asked, amazed at the new things I learned every day.

“Not part of the council, don’t need to know,” answered a gruff voice from the back.
 

“Don’t be so grumpy Gerrold,” Johna said. She turned to me. “It’s a simple thing with the proper magic and tools.”

“Just like the cloak,” Tania whispered in my ear.

“We’re here to talk about her?” Gerrold whined, his parrot nose wrinkling up as his eyes narrowed. “She’s just a child. What can she do?”

“How do we know she’s truly the Prophet?” a voice from the crowd asked. A few others mumbled in agreement.

“She should be tested,” Nemison said. “Did you test her, Johna?”

“Yes,” Mark interjected. “Reychel showed us that she could read the clouds.”

“Who are you?” Nemison asked, finally taking note of Mark’s presence.

“He is a friend.” Johna stepped between Mark and Nemison. He was old, but I sensed something dangerous in him. I wasn’t sure if Mark’s skill with a blade would save him in that battle. “That is all you need to know now.”

Johna patted Mark gently on the shoulder, probably trying to keep him calm.

“No, Nemison. I did not test Reychel. I assumed you would want that privilege in front of the entire council,” Johna said.

“Come here, Reychel,” Nemison said. “Sit down on this chair here in front of me so we can begin.”

I looked around at the unfamiliar faces in the cottage and settled on Tania’s soothing smile. She nodded at me, giving me the confidence boost I needed to walk over to Nemison.

I sat in front of him, my hands on my lap.

“How does this work?” I asked, but before anyone could answer, Nemison’s hands were on my face, his fingertips on my temples and eyelids. His thumbs met on the space between my eyebrows and his smallest fingers rested on my jawbone. My mind went silent.

In my head I could feel Nemison’s probing thoughts. He touched me with his mind in a way that relaxed me. I no longer cared that my mind was being entered by another person. In fact, I was eager to show him where the root of my gift laid quietly sleeping. A light touch pushed on my gift and it responded by flashing pictures of every story I had ever told.

Instead of feeling violated, I felt powerful, as if my true gift was finally coming alive, aware. I knew I could believe in myself. I wasn’t just a slave girl, stuck in my master’s castle for the rest of my life. Now I had choices, and I chose to help my people.

My eyes lazily opened and I saw Mark watching me. Concern flashed from his eyes, but the smile that spread across my face caused him to relax. My heart fluttered as he returned the smile.

“Reychel,” Nemison said, his arms crossed in front of him. I hadn’t even realized his hands were no longer on my face. “I never thought I’d say this in my lifetime. But, welcome Prophet of the Clouds. We’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”

The room erupted in excited conversation. Tania waved her arms around wildly as she told the person next to her that she knew I was special from the moment she laid eyes on me. The gruff Gerrold shook his head as he listened to the man next to him go on about prophecy.

Johna just stood to the side and smiled at me. But there was something on her face I couldn’t place. Was it worry? Or was it confusion? I didn’t know, but I did know that for the first time in my life, I could feel my gift. I understood why the light found in the eyes was called spark, but I could now feel that same spark inside myself. But was I the one they were waiting for? I knew I was gifted and my talent showed itself each time I gazed at the clouds, but I didn’t feel like a prophet.

“Are you okay?” Mark asked, kneeling down next to my chair. “When he touched your face, your eyes rolled into the back of your head and your body jerked.”

“Really?” I asked. “I don’t remember that.”

“It was a little creepy.”

“Sounds like it,” I said. “But I’m fine. He probed my mind and found my gift. Anyone who trusts him won’t doubt me.”

“You’re acting like he offered you a cup of milk, you drank it and it was good,” Mark said.

“Sorry if I’m making it seem so simple, but it was,” I giggled. “I can’t really explain it. I guess it’s one of those things you just have to experience to understand.”

“If that’s true, then I’m fine not knowing. I’ve spent so many years hiding my gift that I can’t stand the thought of anyone seeing in my mind, much less probing it,” he said.

“I don’t blame you,” I said, placing my hand on his.

He looked at me in surprise and I smiled as I laced my fingers with his. I wasn’t sure I could believe that I was the one everyone had been waiting for. Me? The Prophet just because of the luck of my gift?

“Well, if she is who Nemison says she is, what do we do now?” Gerrold asked.

“She must come with me. She needs training,” Nemison said. He turned to Johna. “What does she know?”

“Practically nothing,” Johna said.

“She must be taught now,” he said. “You’ll come with me today.”

Chapter XVI

“I
CAN
’
T
,” I
SAID
,
STANDING
up and letting go of Mark’s hand. “I have prisoners to rescue from Kandek.”

“Not while the Prophet stands in front of me like an uneducated ninny,” Nemison said. “No, my girl, you have too much to learn. There is too much resting on you. Their fate is of no concern to us.”

“It means something to me,” I said. “I will free them. Then I will train with you.”

“You will do no such thing,” Nemison roared, raising his arms in the air. “How dare you defy me?”

Everyone stared at me, including Johna and Tania. I observed their faces, searching for the right answer. Since Nemison had probed my gift, I felt more confident but I didn’t want to offend the very people I needed to teach me. Focusing in on Tania, I saw her eyes were wide, but I also saw a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth.

Perhaps no one was used to telling Nemison no. I hoped defying him wouldn’t cause a serious rift.

“I will attend to the prisoners first,” I said. “Then I will train with you. I won’t be long. I only need six days. Will the fate of our people, which includes these people I might add, be decided in that time?”

I stared at Nemison, hoping he could see reason. I didn’t want to embarrass or alienate him. He was obviously their leader and I thought the most powerful of them all. I would need his help, but I would not leave people behind to suffer. Not when I believed I could help them.

“Six days. No more. On the seventh day you will report to me.”

“Thank you,” I bowed my head to him.

“How are you going to free these prisoners?” Gerrold asked. “You’re barely out of childhood yourself.”