A Promised Prophecy

Chapter Fifty-Three

I wanted to share my newly honed magic with James but now was not the time nor place. If king Cetus gave his approval, it was time for us to get back to the Vault. I grabbed my travel stone, ready to head home. While I hadn't known Coralis existed previously, knowing it exists now meant that I could use my travel stone to return here if needed. This advantage was crucial, considering we were about to speak with Cybill again.

My hand closed on the glowing travel stone and, in the blink of an eye, I was back in the vault. I put the dull magic stone back in my pouch at the same time James arrived.

"Why weren't you answering?" Est questioned James. He didn't respond to her so she looked over at me. "We were calling you all night."

"I slept through it," James answered, taking the pressure off of me. I felt my cheeks heat up, considering that we probably weren't sleeping while she called. We should've been more receptive to phone calls in the moment, and missing her calls is exactly what James had wanted to avoid initially. "Cybill doesn't need access to me in the middle of the night, anyway. I'm certainly not her whipping boy and it's best I don't start responding to her in a way that makes me seem too enthusiastic to meet her every need."

"He's right," Callisto offered in a casual tone.

Est still huffed as she sat on the table and stared at James. It felt as though James had let her down more than just ignoring Cybill. And, maybe he did, the one thing I know definitively about James is his attention to detail when it comes to being a leader. He is trying his best, even if he's not always making the wisest decisions. James was probably overly communicative to Est before, providing mentorship to a younger apprentice in a difficult time. She didn't have his guidance last night and obviously something bothered her.

"I know, it was just scary." Est held back tears as she responded. "You left and went somewhere unknown. What did you expect when you didn't answer?"

On the other hand, James didn't respond at a time when no response could potentially mean someone was dead. Even if she didn't worry about mentorship over whatever happened, she very likely could've been worried about her friend.

James moved as if he was going to comfort Est, but Callisto was faster. Quiet and swift, he stood at her side and put one simple hand on her arm. Est reached a hand across her body to touch her hand on his. Even though it wasn't the most intimate form of comfort, it calmed her instantly.

"What do I need to know before meeting Cybill?" James finally asked.

"She wants to meet with all of us," Callisto clarified. Then he looked at me, "All of us."

"Cybill prophesied the destruction of Silverleaf," Est whispered.