Eranithia: Prophecies: Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Jennifer's heart raced as Seth ran through the forest. She didn't know how he moved so quickly. The trees were a blur as they sped past. She felt like she was back on one of the horses they were riding a couple days ago.

Is Mark this fast too? I know he's strong but... she wondered.

In a matter of minutes they reached Seth's small cabin. When they approached, a large cougar, about the size of an African Lion, stood up on the porch it had been laying on, growling at them. Seth said something in a foreign language, then the cougar stepped down from the porch to find a new place to lay down.

Inside the cabin, Seth sat Jennifer down in a wooden rocking chair, then pulled a footstool over to sit on. He placed her foot in his lap. Jennifer winced in pain, trying to hold in a scream as a white hot pain shot up her leg from her blackened foot. She was seeing spots floating in the air around her.

"Hang the kettle over the fire," Seth ordered someone as they finally made their way inside. Seth had arrived with Jennifer a minute or two before everyone else.

Mark acted first, hanging the kettle from a hook directly over the fire that was already going, then stood next to Jennifer.

Seth sat staring at her foot, studying it as if he'd never seen one before. He squeezed her foot around the ball, then wrapped his other hand around Jennifer's ankle, just above the snake bite. She began screaming and instinctively took Mark's hand. He let her squeeze as hard as she needed. She had never felt pain like this before.

Jennifer watched as Seth muttered foreign words over her foot. Then her foot glowed like a light had been turned on inside and a thick, white liquid began to pour out of the puncture wounds. The blackness faded from her foot as the poison leaked onto the floor, sizzling and smoking as it burned through the wood. Slowly her foot turned back to its original color and relief came over her. The puncture wounds even closed up as if they'd never been there.

"How do you feel?" Seth asked kindly, out of breath.

She looked at him, tears leaving her face sticky as they dried.

"I feel fine," she said, astonished.

She pressed down on the floor with her foot; it even felt stronger than before.

"How does your foot feel?" he asked.

"Better than new. You healed me," she said, looking back at Seth.

"Yes, if I hadn't you would have died in the next day or two."

"The snake bites kill in three days, not one or two," Garandol said.

"No, not with this snake. It wasn't one of Tharoth's offspring, but it would definitely be considered one from her ancestry. The venom of those snakes gets worse every few generations."

"Thank you," Jennifer thanked him, with a smile.

He looked at her but didn't return the smile. "You're welcome."

There was a moment of awkward silence as Seth went to the fire, knelt down and began poking at it as the kettle full of water continued to heat up.

Jennifer turned her head as Arland entered the small cabin and looked around at everyone. He seemed to pick up the heavy tension in the room. Garandol was the only one brave enough to speak to Seth.

"Seth, the time has come for you to begin the steps to take your rightful place on the throne."

Seth continued prodding the coals. Jennifer couldn't tell if he was just ignoring Garandol because he'd given up or because he was angry or both.

"The prophecy is being fulfilled as we speak. We have the twins from another world who are to help you in that process."

"I don't care about any prophecy," he said quietly.

"The prophecy was spoken through me by Sol Himself!" Garandol argued, nearly shouting.

Jennifer heard the anger rising in his voice. It was the first time she'd heard him get frustrated about anything. Mark had prodded him with questions for so many days, non-stop, but he never once raised his voice at him. Now, Garandol was red-faced, his eyes were narrow; they looked like fire or lightning would shoot from them at any moment.

"It's been ten years since my parents died,” Seth started, his voice quiet and bitter. “I have waited for this prophecy to be fulfilled.” He stared at the fire for a few seconds and then said, “I've given up, old man."

"I first gave that prophecy one hundred years ago. I prayed that it wouldn't have to come true, but when Arnath killed your parents I prayed to Sol every day that He would fulfill his promise to send those who had the power to help. And He has! Mark has shown that he has power given to him by Sol, he just needs someone to teach him how to use his abilities to their fullest. The right teacher will make him a great warrior. You said it yourself."

"What has he shown?" he asked, barely looking over his shoulder. Jennifer could hear the doubt in his voice very clearly. She wanted to slap him upside the head for doubting her brother's strength and speed.

"He dodged one of my arrows," Arland said.

Seth turned on the balls of his feet to look at the Elf. Jennifer caught a glimpse of surprise in Seth's eyes. But then he turned back to the fire again, "It was by chance I'm sure."

"I heard the arrow coming," Mark said in his own defense.

"You heard it, eh?" Seth said, standing up and facing Mark.

"Yes."

Seth slowly stepped towards Mark as he said, "You should have heard the stretch of the bowstring. Then you could have stared the arrow straight on and caught it." Seth finished his sentence by catching an imaginary arrow from in front of his face.

"I can do that if someone teaches me."

Seth didn't respond to Mark's comment. He looked at Jennifer for a few long seconds then walked back to the fire.

"What about the girl?" Seth asked, staring into the flames as if they had the answer.

They all looked at each other, then Garandol answered, saying , "Her abilities have yet to be seen."

"Then they're not the chosen ones. If your prophecy is true, then they should both have powers to help me. Speed and strength from a child are not enough to defeat Arnath's army."

"I'm not a child!" Mark protested, defeating his own statement.

Garandol raised a hand to silence him.

Seth looked back, grinning. "Not a child? Your response betrays you."

Jennifer saw how Mark was almost seething with anger, but he did his best not to show it. She felt like she should do or say something. But no ideas came to mind. She looked around the room for any kind of idea to prove herself. She knew she had it within her. Ever since she'd heard the prophecy, she knew it to be true. However, she denied it because of her selfish desire to return to the home she was raised in.

"Regardless if you believe that they're the chosen ones from Sol's prophecy, we have Broc, the leader of Arnath's army. He will be sending a party to retrieve him and you know it." Garandol said.

Seth stood up, pointing at Garandol, shouting, "Then you have left me with no choice, have you?"

"We couldn't just let Broc go, not when he turned himself over to us so willingly. Broc loved your parents. It was only by trickery did he serve your uncle. He served Arnath until the day Arnath killed your father and mother. When Broc knew the truth, Arnath took control of his mind. He has no memories of the last ten years."

Seth lowered his arm, turning to the fireplace again. Leaning against the mantle, head against his arm, staring at the flames he said, "I saw you probe him earlier. This is no news to me. But Broc did help Arnath build up the army that was to defeat my father's. If he hadn't done that, Arnath never would have been able to get away with what he did. They turned men against my father and were ready to begin a civil war. Which would have been better than the murder and trickery Arnath used to gain control of the kingdom."

"Yes, exactly. And you are the only one strong enough to defeat your uncle. You have the advantage. He doesn't believe you're still alive.”

"Are you blind?” Seth said, glaring at Garandol. “Why do you think he has Serina locked up in that dungeon? He's trying to get me out in the open."

"Then for her sake you better stand up to him!" Garandol said.

Seth stared hard at the old man for a moment, then walked past them and out the door. Mark and Jennifer went to a small dusty window and watched him walk up to Broc. He was talking to him. He looked like he wanted to hurt him but he never laid a hand on him while he spoke with him.

"What are we going to do?" Mark asked as he watched..

"Be patient," Garandol said.

When Seth returned he didn't say anything but just sat in front of the fire again while everybody stood, staring at him, waiting for him to say something.

Jennifer was losing her patience. She looked around the room. On the mantle stood a small wooden cup. Suddenly it lifted off the mantle and flew a couple of feet, hitting Seth in the forehead.

"Who did that?" he asked standing and spinning to look at everyone in the room.

Jennifer glanced at the faces in the room. No one answered. No one seemed to know.

"Who threw the cup?" Seth asked angrily.

They wanted to laugh but they were afraid to.

“I didn't see anyone throw it. It looked like it flew on its own,” Mark said.

Seth's face reddened a little more from Mark's comment.

Jennifer took a deep breath, stepped forward and said, “I did it.”

Seth looked at her, surprised. He wanted to say something but no words left his mouth. Her secret was out. She felt ashamed for having kept it for so long. Her ability was something she had been ashamed of until now.

"Do you believe now?" she asked pointedly.

Everyone stared at Jennifer, dumbfounded. She felt awkward but didn't show it. She had to keep her composure to convince Seth to help.

"How did you do that?" Seth asked after looking at the cup again. He picked it up and replaced it to the mantle.

"I wanted it to hit you so it did," she said confidently.

"Have you always been able to do that?" Mark asked.

Looking at him, she nodded sheepishly then said, "Even before we were in this world."

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped. She couldn't tell if he was hurt because she had kept it a secret from him or if he was impressed by her ability.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"Because, I didn't want anybody thinking I was a freak. You've always been strong and fast. You just never realized your gifts. I didn't want mine...until now."

Looking at Seth again, Jennifer said, "I didn't want to be here. I wanted to go back home to my parents, but now I believe that I'm part of this prophecy. I didn't want to. I refused to believe it, but after everything I've seen, I can't deny it. I also believe that you're the only one who can ultimately bring peace to this place. You're the true king of Eranithia, not your uncle. You need to stand up and take what belongs to you. Save Serina and take the throne."

Seth was speechless. Instead of agreeing with her, though, he continued staring at her. His staring made Jennifer uncomfortable, but then he looked at the floor. She saw the sadness return to his eyes. He turned slowly, sat in the wooden rocking chair he'd been sitting in, and resumed staring at the fire.

"What happened to you?" Jennifer asked in a softer tone as she sat on the footstool Seth had sat on when he healed her foot. She grasped his forearm tenderly. Her touch seemed to have an effect on him. He turned towards them to tell his story.