Prophecy of Death

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: A SILENT WISH

She felt tired. After the long talk she had with His Majesty, Prince Christopher, the queen and the holy priest, she felt like she lost twenty thousand of her brain cells. Reaching her chambers, she plopped on the bed, rewinding everything that happened.
“You must find the other three in time.”
“Two have reached the castle. The third must arrive.”
Her head swirled.
“The fourth and fifth will come soon enough. They must stay.”
And with the previous encounters in mind, she fell into a deep sleep.

“I am the one too?”
He nodded. “Yes.” And with a pause, he continued. “You must be very confused. Let me explain. Long ago, during King Alexander’s reign, a prophecy was deciphered. He meant to the treasure it well, but fate was not something he could go against. Each part of the prophecy stated which end to go to. The whole prophecy together would only complicate matters, so he was forced to break it to pieces and hide it well in the five nations of Algavia. Find the rest of the pieces of both the prophecy and the key. It will be the end of the shadows and witches. No more torment, no more killing, no more pain.”
She thought for a moment, then summarised, “So you mean to say that it is treasure hunt. We will have a piece of the prophecy with us, and we will have to journey to the lands to gain another piece of it, along with a part of some magical key that is supposed to somehow assemble itself when all the pieces are found and kill every shadow it comes in contact with?”
“Precisely. However, this must remain in secrecy to you and you only. No one else must know about it. What we must disclose to others is the fact that this key will bring prosperity to all.”
“But it is not going to bring any sort of prosperity!” She cried. “The only thing it will do is massacre every shadow regardless of the fact whether they are innocent or not. Little children, old people…”
“Does not make them any less of the monsters they are.” He sharply cut in.
“Witches have not done anything to us. They live rogue, away from us. We haven’t seen them in centuries, they don’t know if we exist!”
“There has been recent siting of them caught on the border. They even came into our villages.”
“We have maintained peace. Why must you pick up weapons now?”
“For safety precaution. They clearly tricked humanity once before for their ‘so called-peace’.”
“That was centuries ago when we were once at constant war!”
“What of the shadows then? What of their creatures? You of all people, must know exactly what it means to live in fear of beasts who have horrible control over you.” He said.
She hesitated. She knew, she really did. There were many slums, going on and on, covering lands. She was lucky enough to live on the brighter side of it, nearer to the city. The darker parts consisted of monstrous creatures who’d feast on animals and humans alike. Monstrous, shadow beasts, made from the very dark of the night. Made from shadows. Made by shadows. Any who’d go there would have no better a fate than a tortured man whose only escape was death. Even a madman or a drunkard wouldn’t dare make that mistake.
But she did. She went into the forest. She made that mistake, that honest mistake of a little, lost child. She had been incredibly lucky to escape out alive. She saw the mane of the growling beast growing larger. She saw its hunger, bloodlust. It’s red, glowing eyes. Most of all, she saw that old man getting devoured, torn limb by limb as she ran for her life, crying for the old soldier who gave his life to protect her.
“Tell me.” The priest purred. “Are they really so innocent? Giving birth to such creatures who’d kill anyone in site?” He said.
She made up her mind. Shadows were killers, they gave birth to such things that could take away even a child’s life. Her life. She almost died by their hand when she was a kid. They didn’t show mercy. They didn’t care. She wouldn’t let anyone else live in fear. She wouldn’t let any other unlucky child be devoured so mercilessly. She wouldn’t. Not if she had a choice.
“I agree to your terms.” She said.
He gave her a serene smile, like he knew beforehand what she would say. “Good.”

Her eyes felt heavy. She couldn’t sleep very well these days. It must have been her nerves. She got dressed. Apparently, they had caught hold of the third and fourth. They were present in front of His Majesty at the moment and she was called. ‘Great.’ She thought. ‘It hasn’t even been two days and I’ve already been called there twice.’
She’d expected them to be strong, good men from the court. She definitely didn’t expect it to be a scrawny, thin man her height and a beautiful girl her age. Surprisingly enough, the man didn’t look like someone from the palace, or someone the court would generally accept either. He looked… different. He definitely wasn’t very strong, with the lack of muscles and somewhat short stature. But his eyes screamed of mischievousness and talent. Something told her he lived a life on the streets. She had lived that life once, she’d know if he belonged to the slums.
Amara didn’t think he came from there, but he definitely was of a very low status. And the girl. Something felt off about her. Her features were delicate, but her eyes were sharp and focused, as if ready to take down anyone who stood in her way. She’d often see that look in the general’s eyes when he talked to Gaius about successful battle strategies when he was off to war or won a victory over the neighbouring kingdom. The girl was beautiful, certainly, but it was that very beauty that mislead many. Amara was sure of it. And, was that a maid’s outfit? So she worked here at the castle? Perhaps Amara was wrong about her and judged her too quickly. But her instinct told her to stay wary of her. And she trusted those instincts far more than she trusted a simple outfit.
“You are all here, I see.” The King said, assessing them. Beside him stood Prince Zayn and Prince Christopher.
She bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.” She looked to her companions. The scrawny man looked bored. The girl on the other hand seethed. None of them bowed. All in all, it was a very awkward atmosphere. Amara wished she wouldn’t be here, but anywhere else.
“You are to bow when addressed by the King.” Said an annoyed head priest.
“Oh?” The girl spoke. Unlike her appearance, surprisingly, her voice was sharp and cut right through the hall with an air of dominance. She cocked her head and said, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware. Why must I bow to him again?”
“Because he is the king and my father. If you do not, I won’t hesitate to take that submission out of you.” Spoke an angry Zayn.
“Well, he is not my king. I have no allegiance to him. I dare not bow. Try to make me if you can.”
“Calm down, Prince Zayn. The girl is merely flustered and embarrassed by all that attention. She did not mean to disrespect. Surely, she knows that god will not be pleased by that.” The head priest stated calmly.
She seethed. “Really? How do you know that? I don’t think God specifically came into your chambers at midnight, dancing tango, only to tell you that every being to disrespect this king will go to hell.”
“God lives in every one of us. He is a part of us. There are things that need not be said by him. There are few who God deems worthy to talk to. The King is one of God’s blood. The King knows that I am appointed by God himself, that is why I am here to help him understand God’s messages.”
The man barfed. “So you mean to say that the King is not worth enough to talk to, that is why, despite a major part of God being inside the old guy’s blood, he still can’t talk to God and you turn out to be more worthy than the King himself?”
The girl snorted. The head priest coughed. “I did not mean that…”
“Silence!” roared a voice. “I am sitting right here. Do not forget whose court you are standing in. I can crush you with a command if I wish.”
“But you wouldn’t.” The girl said fearlessly. “Because of you do, the prophecy goes down the drain because of a decision you made. The people of your kingdom wouldn’t like that, would they?”
The king’s eyes blazed. He fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, “I would bow down if I were you.”
It was not a threat, but a warning. A warning that showed exactly how much dominance he had. He wouldn’t spare them a single glance, as long as they were in his kingdom, they were nothing but his pets, dancing on his commands and will. No sort of rebellion or power could change that. The girl’s eyes narrowed. She understood that. Amara saw it, the clearance of defeat in her eyes.
Begrudgingly, the girl bowed, even if only by a little. A little shove from a guard’s pointed spear was all it took for the thief to bend down.
Everything was getting back on track, when- BAMM!
The door suddenly burst open and in came a somewhat giddy looking Virgo, priest of the lands of Inferno.
“We have found the last son of prophecy. I have found the last son of prophecy.”
And in came another man, with a sleek cloak, dressed in fancy clothes.
“He turns out to not only be the last son of prophecy, but also the most prominent foreign merchant in the kingdom.”
The king nodded, expression neutral and said drily, “Ah, who would have thought a foreign merchant to be a part of such a prophecy. “
He snorted. “That’s the welcoming you give me? Pardon me, Your Imperial Highness, but I would have thought of you to have a better speech for me.” And with that, he bowed down on one knee, a smirk on his face.
“Who would have thought a foreign merchant to have more respect than a pack of delinquents.” Prince Zayn snorted, looking at the girl. 
Somewhere behind him, the head priest’s eyes narrowed at the unexpected arrival of the so called merchant. He looked uncomfortable, suspicious. She didn’t bother to know why. She was too pre occupied in the amusing interaction between her two near future companions.
She glared. He glared back. Amara simply observed with interest. It definitely didn’t seem like their very first meeting. She wasn’t the only one to think so.
“Wow. Frenemies much?” The boy next to her said.
“Have they met before?” She asked. She was whispering to herself, but he seemed to have heard.
“That’s what I thought. Who are you?” he asked turning to her.
“M-my name is Amara. I work here, as Sir Gaius’s apprentice and disciple.” She said, flustered.
He offered her a gentle, friendly smile, one that lit up his face. “I’m Reuben, the shaggy guy who roams around the streets.”
She frowned. “Are you unemployed?”
He shrugged. “I don’t need work to make myself a living or money.”
What does that mean? How can he not work and make money? Is that even possible?
He smirked at her, then winked. “Don’t worry that pretty little head of yours. I’m not broke. Nor am I a penniless man. If I were, I wouldn’t be here talking to a pretty little lady here, would I?”
She blushed. She already had enough nerves around people, if he kept saying that, she was sure she’d run out, making an embarrassing excuse for herself. She really wasn’t good with people.
She looked to the rest of her companions. Apparently, all it took was a large sum of gold to bribe the assassin into this mission. She was sure the others, aside from Prince Zayn, were also bribed in some way, money at most. She herself would receive enough to last herself a lifetime, along with a promotion to becoming a full-fledged member of the court. The king went on about how priest Virgo would receive honour and gifts, the latter looking happy enough to pass out.
She glanced at the man, Reuben, and said, “Do you think we can all work together?”
He stared at her for a moment, surprised by her sudden question, then smiled, “I don’t know. Time will tell. But I do know that I’ve just found a pretty little lady to become friends with. And I do hope the pretty little lady would not disappoint.” He winked again.
She grinned. She felt so happy. She’d never had any friends before. A nod here and there to the people she knew. Other than that, she’d only talk to Gaius and her mother. The prospect of a friend never presented itself before. She was too shy to go and talk to others. She’d rather read a book or learn new ways to solve a scientific mystery.
Perhaps this journey may not be so bad. Perhaps she may find someone to trust in. They were to leave in a few hours. She happily fled out of the room. That grin soon faded when she visited her mother.
The woman’s pale skin and chapped lips only proved the desperate need of medical attention. There had been a pandemic in the kingdom. Currently, there was no visible solution to it. Nor were they lucky to find out the reason of such poison. Only that it spread through water. Her mother had been a poor victim. Amara had tried her best for a solution, even if only for her mother’s sake, but had yet to succeed. Other leeches had far more success than she. As smart as she was, she clearly had a long way to go.
The king had promised her mother would be taken care of by the best of leeches in the kingdom if she were to go. This was her bribe.
“First father, now you. Why must you succumb to such illness? Fight it, mother. Please, live.” She whispered, drying a lone tear from her eye.
Hours passed by in eerie silence. The bells rung. It was time to leave. With a last caress to her dear mother’s cheek, she left behind a silent wish.