Amantha and the Last Song

Chapter 4 - Prophecy

"What's he like?" Amantha asked.

"Wait till you get there," her father replied.

They were travelling to the temple on Mount Elar, as a rumor had been heard throughout the kingdom that the Oracle had returned. Mount Elar was adjacent to mount Haji, and Ceil's summer home was the closest place she knew that she could fly to. The spirit of the Oracle was rumored to return after every seven years once it left. The Oracle knew the future, it was said. Amantha pestered her father till he agreed to go. The thought of it had made her restless. Someone who was supposed to know the future.

"But you must have seen him before."

"I have."

"What's he like?"

"Bald,' said the king, after a moment.

Amantha couldn't help laughing. They were on horseback, halfway up the mountain. It had taken them two days to reach there. The peak of the mountain was covered in snow, and looked a pure white from the distance. Amantha had dressed up warm. Half of her face lay covered by a scarf. Earthsinger wasn't too happy about the journey. He flew low over the path cut in the mountainside, and often walked on all fours beside them. He was a terradragon. He didn't feel comfortable so high up above ground level. He felt out of his element, climbing up the narrow paths, as they slowly kept gaining altitude. And most of all, he couldn't hunt properly, which worsened his mood. He moped about without much energy, and on two occasions, even tried to forcibly stop Amantha's horse. Amantha had been forced to ride past him.

Subzero was nowhere to be seen. She had convinced Ceil to comme along with her, saying that the journey would be worth it. Ceil had agreed to it. But he had a half day head start on her.

The boy had been in bed all day after the Trial, but the next day, he was completely back to himself. So much so that he agreed to Amantha's proposal to go to Mount Haji. It seemed like a good idea. But what Amantha hadn't expected was him getting a head start on her. He and his uncle, with a few men accompanying them had left when it was late evening. The king, elaborate and careful as always, started the journey with his daughter the following morning.

Amantha wanted to scream.

He would reach before she did. She had warned him repeatedly not to go into the temple without her, that she would never forgive him if he did. She didn't think Ceil would break his promise. He had sworn on his first badge. Though they hadn't got it yet. Her second Trial was years away, nothing to worry about.

The breeze that had been blowing grew stronger. It would begin to snow, when they were near the top.

When the large temple and spires finally came into view, they were crunching through thick snow. Subzero was the first to greet them. The white dragon plummeted down from the skies and spread his wings at the last moment, swooshing over their heads, causing them and several of the royal guard to instinctively duck.

He's growing faster than Earthsinger is.

Earthsinger raised his head and shot up into the sky as well, but landed before long. True to what Amantha had thought, the white dragon had grown larger than the blue one it was nudging.

Once the party had reached, the horses were led away by priests and watered. Kargesh Temple was more impressive than Amantha had imagined. The temple had a sub part in front of it, one-third as tall as the main temple behind it was. The roofs were tiled and sharp spires rose up with regular symmetry. They were all identical, ball like lumps of metal evenly situated along the length, each spire ending in a sharp point.