chapter 4, part 2

Chapter 4

            The clearing was not as I expected. I had expected the three sky high pillars with the gold columns between each. I had expected a black brick floor or some form of floor besides the earth.

            There were no pillars, just three circles where grass wouldn’t grow. The repulsive dieing grass was the only thing that remained of what might have been.

            “Well, where is it?”

            “Look through your fairy’s eyes.”

            I let her crawl from her perch on my shoulder to my outstretched palm. Athea stared back at me. His or her green skin had changed to blue to red and now back to green. Athea had never changing blue eyes that revealed intelligence.

            I let her feel my palm, she was drawling in the dirt on my hand. Her pure fingers repelled the brown sand like a disease. The symbol was a circle with a dot in its center. Two lines penetrated the circle from opposite ends stopping just before the central dot.

            I looked up from her work, the towers were amazing. It was just as I had dreamed. The seemingly impossibly high pillars, the grass had become a perfect green hue with neatly trimmed edges, and in the center there were no orbs.

 

            “Good God almighty, are you sure that is what it says? If you are wrong, not only your life will be taken.”

            “Yes Commander, it is as I have said.”

            “Good, pack up your things and take cover then if you will, dismissed.”

            The rune-reader had done his job well. It was the very least he could do to let the man have a chance to run.

            “Commander, what are our orders” the ever inquisitive general he had.

            “Kill him, and fetch my orbs when the job is done.”

 

            “But, where are the orbs?”

            “Orbs?” the tone in her voice was that of one calming a child who had asked a stupid question, “Mithin, I see no orbs.”

            “They should be there, in the center of the Three Pillars. I know there should be two here.”

            “Why is there only two, why not three? After all, there are three pillars.”

            “The third orb takes the form of a soul, or so the legend goes.”

            “Where do you think the other two are?”

            “I haven’t the slightest clue.”

 

            Just another corridor, the second door to the right, and he would be safe. The Rune-Reader knew they would send troops. If he could get Ezuil to safety, he would be safe. He knew the guards he could trust and those he couldn’t. Ezuil was his friend, a trapped friend. If Ezuil was safe, he could be safe. Just another corridor, the second door to the right, and he would be safe.

            He could see the door. The columns to either side were stained red and black from dried up blood. He reached for the door handle. He never touched it. The invisible sniper had him cornered. “Stand where you are, I will kill you if you take one more step.”

            “Ezuil, is that you?” the Rune-Reader cried in surprise.

            “Rune-Reader, what are you doing here! You get your a*s safely out of this palace before I kill you.” Ezuil stepped out behind the column.

            “Ezuil, you don’t understand…”

            “I understand that you have read the prophecy falsely, a terrible mistake. The Commander will cross-reference your work with others, and kill the liars.”

            “How does he know I lied?”

            “He might, he might not, but liar or not, he always kills his first source.”

            “Then let’s go!”

            “No, I have some business here with some unfaithful guards.” The code had a dark meaning: there were guards here that weren’t faithful to Ezuil or their Commander.

            “You mean they’re already here?”

            “Yes.” That grudging tone meant only one thing, revenge.

            “You mean to take their lives?”

            “No, I mean to take this palace to ruins.”

 

            “Well, what do we do now?” the girl was pacing the edges of the triangle.

            “I don’t know; what do your people normally do when they perform this sleeping ritual?” I was leaning against the Blue Pillar, my rightful place.

            “Oh, right you especially wouldn’t know. I still keep thinking you’re an angel. Every time I ask an adult, they either pretend they didn’t hear me or say that I’ll know when I need to know.”

            “What do you think we should do?”

            The girl sat down in the center of the pillars and closed her eyes, “Uuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.”

            “What?”

            She didn’t respond, instead, she raised her cupped hands toward me, no, the Blue Pillar. I stepped away from the pillar as all of them started to glow. In one quick fluid motion, she had unfolded her legs, leaned back so she was lying on the floor, and spread her arms out wide.

            Her fairy flew out of nowhere and landed softly on her forehead. Artemis curled up like a cat, and went to sleep.

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