Oracle Convergence

Chapter Three: Tanzanite Village

By midday, Serapis was standing in the middle of the village square on a raised platform, feeling the eyes of her villagers on her. Dimitrium stood a little ways off to the side, anxious for news of the oracle's prophecy. She cleared her throat.

"As most of you well know, last eve I was called away to the Grotto deep within the Forest. And it was there that I received a prophecy that bodes ill for us all." Gasps went through the crowd when she paused, murmuring beginning to pick up. She raised a hand to quiet them, continuing on.

"A convergence of timeplaces, a meeting of ill fate. When the Moon blocks the Sun, They will rise again. Eyes of grey will be Their undoing, but only when the age is ripe. He Who Knows will speak the words to call forth the One to bring about Their fall. The Sun will block the Moon on that day, and peace will reign the moment They fall again.

"However, should he be made impure before his age of time, the lands remain dark for another years nine."

The murmurs started up again as the villagers talked amongst themselves.

"What does this mean?"

"'He Who Knows'?"

"'Another years nine'?"

"'They'. Surely not them...?"

The oracle waited patiently while watching them try to piece together the prophecy.

"Eclipses! But the next one isn't due for another few months..."

A woman stepped forward, her appearance that of one who had come straight from the stonesmith workshop. "There is something else, Lady Jackal. You saw things in that cave, I'm willing to bet. You wouldn't still be standing up there if you didn't."

Serapis smiled slightly. "Aye, I did, Lady Arcal." Her demeanor shifted into something harder when she spoke again.

"Darkness, fire, and other great calamities will plague our beloved lands when the Lunar Eclipse comes to us; I have seen it. Things we have long since forgotten will return and thrive; angers, wars and mistrust will ensue; famines will strike with such voracious ferocity. And all at the hands of three. Three shadows I saw rise from beneath a mountain, bringing and ruling these dark times ahead.

"But the Eyes of Grey... They belong to a boy, He Who Knows. I've not seen his face, only his eyes and hair, hair of the deepest wood brown that we find in our soil and trees." She chose not to mention the second pair of grey eyes, knowing them to be different from the first.

"I believe him to be alive now in these lands. But where? I do not know. For all of our abilities combined, it is only He who can call down the One. The One is ancient, dear friends, one of the Old Ones..."

Serapis paused, realizing that her fists were clenched tight. She inhaled and exhaled slowly. "In three months time the Lunar Eclipse will be upon us again. We must find and protect the boy until he is of age, groom him and hone him in preparation for his inevitable battle with Them. He will need it."

Some of the villagers nodded in agreement with the oracle's words, fully understanding their weight.

Another stonesmith beside Lady Arcal spoke next. "Let's protect our village and warn others of the prophecy. The tanzanite we built our lives around could help us during the dark time." Serapis gazed around at the various homes and buildings beautifully made of stone and the bluish purple crystal that was also embedded in the walls of the grotto, nodding to the stonesmith. They began organizing small working parties of miners and smithers to begin fortifying their village.

As more of the villagers broke off into groups to discuss building plans, Serapis stepped down from the platform to where Dimitrium waited. Determination was set on his face.

"You're going to find him, aren't you?" he asked as they began walking back to her home.

"What ever gives you that idea, Dimitrium?" she asked lightly.

"I don't know, actually. But you're going to, aren't you? Since you know what to look for."

Serapis shook her head. "The whole village knows what to look for: I described both his hair and eye color."

Dimitrium wasn't convinced."Yes, but I'm willing to believe that you Saw parts of his appearance alongside everything else you've told us, making you the only one here that truly knows what to look for when itcomes to the boy," he reasoned.

The jackal-eared woman smirked. "You may be of use yet. Come. The journey will be a long one, and it could mean the loss of your life; however, it must be made and it must be done. When we reach home, you'll need to pack your things. I have to get a few things myself, and then make contact with Balmorne before we go."

Her apprentice raised an eyebrow as they avoided a few children at play. "Balmorne? On the Isle of Talomet?"

"The very same," she confirmed. "Nothing you need concern yourself with."