Destiny (Volume I: Shur'tugalar)

Chapter Four Part XXVII (ED)

"What's going on?" whispered Rosaminda, her face pinched with worry.

"I don't know," Nia replied, her eyes still on the fairy queen who stared back at her. "We seem to be staring at each other, but our eyes aren't meeting..."

Nicholas gasped. "I know; they're looking at you mark, Nia."

"Brunskulblaka," said the fairy queen, voice echoing throughout the glen and quieting her subjects. "We have long awaited your coming. I am Queen Elodiâ of the fairies, and I bid you welcome."

"Brunskulblaka...dragon-browed?" Ren asked curiously.

Elodiâ nodded regally. "Yes, child-with-the-wise-eyes. Your friend is fodhr abr skulblakeya, marked of dragons, and her arrival has been foretold eons ago when Alalëa was first visited by them. I did not know they had returned until the creation of a Skulblaka-Elöriyæ."

"A what?" asked Nathan.

"Elöriyæ is the name of our people," Elodiâ answered. "A Skulblaka-Elöriyæ is a dragon fairy."

"Oh, you must be talking about Jeshindû," Niaomi piped up. "He's partnered with Vani!"

Toparien interrupted the conversation with a snort, and his Rider grinned before he suddenly frowned. Eragon watched the silent conversation in amusement as the fairy queen continued speaking in the reminiscence. "So, your father is a Rider? Then fate has made a fine coincidence. Please, come with us."

The kids stepped out from behind the bush and followed Elodiâ into the meadow, the flowers reaching their waists as they waded through the tall grass. In the middle, obscured by the blossoms, was a small fountain. It was shorter than Nate, and water cascaded out in a broad arc into the porcelain base. Above the water floated a tiny, white house with columns and small windows.

Nick examined it with awe. "Wow. You can actually use magic to manipulate the gravitational pull of the earth? I mean, I knew the theory was proved by dragons' ability to fly, but I didn't know you could create an actual spell and place it on an inanimate object."

The queen seemed surprised but impressed, and all the kids but Renata looked confused.

Nathan told his brother quite seriously, "I want to ask you what that means, but I'm afraid to."

"He is right, though," said Elodiâ before turning to Nicholas and adding, "Look in Du Breoal Abr Kvaedheya's section titled Vanyali, halfway down the third bookshelf at your height. You'll be surprised with what you uncover. But for now, onto the prophecy."

Elodiâ settled onto the roof of the house before continuing. "In the time when Alalëa never moved, dragons visited the island. This was far back, before the elves came into existence and before the Grey Folk of Alagaësia bound magic to words. During this period, dragons lived on the island. They absorbed the magic of this place, enabling them to become smarter, stronger, and more powerful. With this increase of knowledge also came the certainty that they could not stay here forever, as the other creatures of the island began to grow sentient as well, including those they preyed upon.

"Before they left, their oldest and most respected elder came to my people. He told us that he'd had a vision, in which the sky was storming, the thunder becoming words that told him to give us a gift. When the elder, whose name has been lost with time, awoke, this very fountain was in front of him. He took it and put it in our meadow, and when it touched the ground, a house appeared above of it. And inside, these words were written: 'Atra du dautr iknol hethr du skulblaka brun taune thornessa adurna un medh du adurna waíse fodhr.'"

Elodiâ was silent for a second, then asked, "Do you know what that means?"

"Let the daughter who has the dragon brow take this water and with the water be marked," Nia said quietly. Her hand went up to touch her brow, finger tracing the star. "But what is it about this water? And why me?"

Suddenly, the clearing darkened. The perspective shifted to show storm clouds appearing, swirling around the center of the glen. A crack of lightning sounded, and in the boom a masculine voice could be heard.

"Your fate, my daughter, is connected with the dragons. Your destiny is about to unfold. A Dragon's Kiss you wear, and seer eyes you have. But those silver flecks stand for the blessing you received before you were born, when I touched you in your mother's womb and gave you your gift, my child. Now complete the prophecy, fulfill your destiny, and live your fate."

As soon as the storm had arisen, it vanished. The sky returned to its normal blue color, and the birds and animals began to cry once more as if nothing had happened.

The fairies had scattered among the fronds of the meadow, and the children were crouched down. Niaomi's eyes were wide with understanding, but her face like the others had paled in the amazing display of power.

"And with the water be marked," she whispered as she stood back up. Reaching out, Nia dipped her fingers into the water, swirling them gently before touching them to her mark.

As soon as the water touched it, the Dragon's Kiss blazed with light. Niaomi fell down to her knees, eyes squeezed shut tight as the light flashed so bright, Eragon had to look away. When he returned his eyes to the screen, a woman stood there. She seemed to be made of light, the contours of her tall frame and a short dress glowing a white-blue. Her eyes were two slanted orbs, and her hair was long and writhing above her, the waves moving as if they had a mind of their own.

"Finally, I am freed!" yelled the figure, seeming to blaze even brighter. Dimming slightly, the woman smiled at the little girl crouched in awe a few feet away. "Thank you for fulfilling the prophecy, Brunskulblaka. I am Hekate, goddess of magic."

Blinking, Nia whispered, "You're a...god?"

"Goddess," she corrected. "In exchange for being able to create my own people, the Elöriyæ, Zeus said I must grant my blessing to his blessed one."

"Zeus?" Nate piped up. "Who is he?"

"Ruler of the gods," Hekate replied. "You have witnessed his power already."