Zodiac Academy (Draft 1)

Chapter 6: The Prophecy, the Council, and a promised cookie

Trey and Alix exchange glances.

"The Prophecy has awakened." Garrett announces.

"Prophecy?" Hushed murmurs spread like wildfire throughout the whole court, whispers floated around the air, it felt like a cold draft had suddenly settled over the assembled crowd.

"How can that be possible? The Prophecy is centuries old!"

"What are we talking about?"

"How did the Prophecy go again?"

"Quiet down," Garrett barely had to raise his voice, but it was easily carried throughout the room. There were still murmurs rippling across the audience, but the majority silenced their voices.

Leaning over to Alix, I whisper, "What's the Prophecy?"

Without taking her eyes off of Garrett, she quickly mutters out an answer. "It's this ancient Prophecy that was made centuries ago by one of the Zodiacs. I don't really remember how it goes, but basically it was about the Zodiacs going into a deep eternal slumber, and would only wake if the rightful twelve came. Something about needing them to...um...I think it was saving the world or whatever."

"Eternal slumber? But...if it's an eternal slumber, then wouldn't they stay asleep forever? Hence the word eternal?" I point out.

"Shut up, Prophecies don't make sense! They never do."

"Shh, guys." Trey looks pointedly at Garrett, who had begun speaking again.

"Yes, the Prophecy has spoken for the first time in nearly seven centuries." Garrett nods, his face solemn. "We assume that it will take place very soon."

Someone from the front row raises their hand, Garrett nods at them, "Who's the twelve that the Prophecy is about?"

Hushed agreements fill the room once more, "I am not sure. We do not know anything more, other than it will be in the near future. Perhaps in the next year, or maybe even in the next month."

Somewhere from the back, a chanting arises: "Show us the Prophecy! Show us! Show us!" The chant spreads across the whole chamber, until nearly everyone is on their feet demanding. Alix grimaces, and Trey shakes his head, muttering something I didn't catch.

I can barely see Garrett from where I'm sitting, the rows in front of me standing and chanting. There's a small clear opening that I can still see through, amazingly enough. Garrett studies the crowd, probably thinking that he should've saved this for last. Finally, after another moment, he spreads his right arm in an arc over his head, and the crowd goes silent.

A wispy blue light appeared in front of him, it was like vapor, its tendrils of light unfurling towards the ones in the front row, who cringed away, inching back as far as they could. The light seemed to suck the warmth from the room, making it several degrees cooler than before. All the braziers went out, and the court was drowned in an ominous blue light. People sat back down. "You wish to hear the Prophecy? Then hear it you shall!" Garrett said in a booming voice.

Then the wispy blue light did something that scared the crap out of me.

It spoke.

Everyone stared at it as if in a trance, silent. Still. Unbreathing.

The wispy blue light whispered and hissed, its voice seeming to come from everywhere yet nowhere, it was neither a woman nor a man, but some otherworldly entity:

Twelve united under different stars

Journey to world's end afar

Waking the guardians from deep slumber