The Oracle of Avalbane

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 --  Zach

As the discussion between the three went on and on, I realized my stomach was growling. Kate noticed and pulled out the sandwiches.

               “Concessions for the show,” she grumbled. I could tell it was making her crazy not to know what they were saying. It was bugging me too, but the thick ham and cheese sandwiches distracted me. We had a lot to talk about but the way Kate was watching the Elf made me a little uncomfortable so I just looked at the fountain instead.

With my stomach full, and the light show and tinkling of the fountain in the background, I drifted into a kind of…I don’t know, daydream. I was flying with Tania which was awesome, and even though part of me knew it was just a daydream, I could almost feel the power of her wings and my magic holding us aloft. The land beneath us was beautiful and I thought maybe she was just showing me Avalbane from the air. I smiled and pointed at Kate, Garrick and Elys, at how small they looked so far below us. Suddenly, I looked up and saw a dark shadow approaching from the north. It felt ominous and I shuddered as we began to fall. Tania looked at me in confusion as she tried to hold us in the air.

“We have to get help,” I said, frantically pointing at the threatening cloud. “It will destroy everything!”

Then I woke up—or came to, I’m not sure which. Three faces were staring at me with concern. Elys, however, had a knowing look on her face.

“What?” I said. “Did I fall asleep or something?”

“Um, you were yelling,” Kate said. “One minute you’re staring at the fountain, the next you’re yelling like you just missed the winning goal in the last game of the tri-city tournament.”

“Zach, this is important,” Elys interrupted. “Were you dreaming? And if so, what did you see?”

“We were flying,” I said, looking at Tania. “It was great, but all of a sudden I saw this dust cloud, or shadow or something coming from the north. It was hideous. Like some kind of enormous evil thing…” I stopped there when I realized I sounded like a little kid trying to describe the monster under his bed.

“Does it mean something?” Kate asked. “I mean Zach daydreams all the time; just ask his teachers. It’s usually about girls or the next soccer game, but really, it’s no big deal.”

The three of them looked at each other, and again I had that feeling that they weren’t telling us everything.

“Somehow I can’t help thinking there’s more to this whole thing than you’re letting on,” I said, aware that I sounded irritated.

No one said anything for a few seconds. Elys sat down in front of us and started rummaging in her pack. She handed Tania and Garrick, who by now had joined her, a piece of something that looked like a big granola bar. I was doubly thankful for the sandwiches.

“The thing is, I was truly taking you to meet my father. But something else has come up…” She hesitated, but Kate was tired of waiting.

“Go on,” she said, with a note of impatience in her voice.

They looked at each other again, and Tania reached into Elys’ bag and pulled out Cole’s picture.

“Garrick and I were cursed because we tried to release this man from Orla’s dungeon.”

“I knew it!” Kate yelled, jumping to her feet. “I knew Cole wasn’t dead. So where is he now?”

She was so excited, but I’d heard the words “tried” and “dungeon” so I wasn’t surprised at the look of sympathy that Tania gave her.