Eranithia: Prophecies: Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After the big meal at Garandol's cottage, Jennifer was able to take a bath like she had been hoping, then she went straight to bed. Mark stayed up a little while longer with Garandol. They both sat in wooden chairs facing the fireplace, staring into the flames. Mark let his mind wander, falling into a slight trance as he watched the flames dance before him.

"So, what exactly does the prophecy say?" Mark asked as his curiosity got the best of him yet again.

"I already told you the prophecy," Garandol stated simply, taking another puff of his pipe.

“What did it mean by 'together they will bring about peace again'?”

Garandol blew out a ring of smoke as he challenged Mark, asking him, "What do you think it means?"

Mark stared in silence for a moment, wondering what the prophecy could possibly mean. Had he been given powers necessary to bring peace to Eranithia? Was there something only he knew that could set things right? Was he losing his mind?

Looking at Garandol, he said, "Yesterday after you broke us out, I noticed as I was carrying Jennifer, she felt lighter than she is. I mean, she's only a little over a hundred pounds, but she felt like half the weight. Do I have supernatural strength?"

"If by supernatural you mean stronger than most men your age, then maybe, but if you mean powers unheard of for a mortal man, I can't answer that for you...yet."

"So I am stronger than I normally would be in my world?"

"Or you're realizing the strength you already had," Garandol pointed out.

Mark thought about that for a minute, then asked, “What about Jennifer? Does she have anything powerful about her?"

"She may. We just haven't seen her use it yet."

Leaning forward as he stared at the fire, Mark frowned as he absorbed everything Garandol told him. He wondered what would happen to Jennifer and himself in this place. What kind of dangers they would face. Would they have to fight? Kill or be killed? And what about this girl he kept dreaming about? Would they be able to rescue her? Was she someone they wanted to rescue? What if he was helping the wrong side? What if this old man was making up this whole story about a god named Sol? What if Sol was real and he was denying him? What if he died not believing he was real and found out the hard way, when it was already too late? What if he ended up in Underworld?

So many questions went pervaded his mind as he sat, entranced by the flames.

“Does Seth have powers?”

Garandol nodded slowly, saying, “Seth possesses a strength no man has had in many generations. His father, Damien, was a great man and a great king, but he didn't possess the powers that were given to Seth.”

“Seth is the true heir to the throne?”

Garandol simply nodded.

“So is that how we're to bring peace to Eranithia then? By putting Seth on the throne?”

Garandol continued to nod in silence.

"Do you think that maybe Jennifer and I will have powers like this Seth? Not exactly like him of course, but similar to him?"

"Nothing is impossible. Especially if Sol wants it of you. Anything is possible with Him. He gives everybody different gifts and abilities. And those He gives those talents to, should use them to benefit others more than themselves."

Mark continued to soak in Garandol's words as he stared into the fire. His mind wandered back to his home. To his parents. He wondered if they knew they were gone. Of course they knew they were gone. They didn't understand him, but they still cared about him. Or so they said.

“What's on your mind?” Garandol asked, blowing a large puff of smoke out of his mouth, which took the shape of a castle as it dissipated into thin air.

“I was just thinking about how I feel like I belong here more than where I'm from.”

"Have you wondered why that is?"

Mark looked into Garandol's eyes questioningly.

"Your sister loves that world, and perhaps she was made for it. But you, you're different. But you have to ask yourself, why do you think you were made for this world?"

Mark pondered on this question as he turned back to the flames. He leaned forward in his chair again, staring deeper into the fire as if it held the answers he was looking for.

"There are many things to ponder on, but you need to rest. We have a long journey ahead of us. We are heading for the Blood Mountains in a few hours, and you'll need your strength."

The next morning, before sunrise, they hurried through a quick breakfast, and then were off. They didn't bother packing any cooking supplies since Garandol would be able to conjure up what they needed with magic. The extra weight would slow them.

The first leg of their trip was tedious. Nothing but tree after tree, rock after rock, stump after stump. Sometimes Mark thought they were walking in circles, but he trusted that the wizard knew where he was going.

A few hours into their trip, a small, brown bird fluttered around Garandol's head. The old man tilted his head as the bird landed on his shoulder. Garandol nodded a couple times as if the bird was speaking to him. Mark cocked his head to the side as his forehead scrunched up.

Do animals in Eranithia talk like in Narnia? He wondered.

When the bird flew away Garandol whistled a long sweet note. It didn't sound like a whistle from a human at all. It sounded more musical and magical. A moment later, a hawk flew down landing on Garandol's arm. He spoke quietly to the large bird, which was larger than any hawk Mark had ever seen in his own world. Then the hawk flew off again.

"We must hurry," Garandol said without turning to them.

"What? Why?" Mark asked, picking up his pace to keep up, Jennifer on his heals.

"The king has sent men after us. A regiment led by his General and the Forsaken."

"What are the Forsaken?"

"I will tell you later, for now we must put a greater distance between us and them. We only have a day's head start. I would feel much safer if we extended that distance," he said. Then they began to run.

Garandol swung his staff behind his back at their feet. A soft light glowed and suddenly Mark felt lighter. He looked at Jennifer and she seemed to be feeling the same sensation. They looked down and saw that they were moving much faster than normal. They could just barely feel the ground.

Then they heard Garandol mutter something in another language and a couple of badgers came out of the ground, running past them in the opposite direction. Mark looked back and saw that they were clawing at the ground.

They're erasing our tracks! That old man is a genius! He thought excitedly.

They continued at their accelerated pace for a couple of hours until Garandol stopped them. Mark wondered why they'd stopped, as he thought he could keep going, but then hunger attacked him. Hunger like he'd never felt before.

"We need to eat," Garandol said. "And sleep a little. That expended much of my energy."

"But what if they catch us?"

"With how quickly we moved, we put an extra day or two's hard ride between us and them. We have time. Besides, if we don't rest and eat, we won't make it at all."

Mark didn't argue any further. He waited as Garandol prepared a small meal and as soon as they finished eating they laid down and slept.

Mark didn't know how long he'd been out when a noise woke him from his nap. He stood up, looking around for what made the noise, but he couldn't see anything. But something drew his attention to a bush nearby. He stared at the bush as if there was a hidden message within the leaves.

Then everything seemed to move in slow motion. An arrow was flying straight at his face. Twisting and leaning back, like a move out of The Matrix, he felt the wind from the feathers as it passed by, striking the tree behind him. He couldn't remember ever moving so fast before.

Garandol was on his feet faster than Mark could see. Mark followed Garandol's eyes to the tree the arrow was stuck in. A grin spread across the old man's bearded face.

He's smiling at the arrow that almost killed me? Mark thought. He couldn't believe Garandol was in any way happy about this.

"Come out, Arland. It's all right. They are friends," he called out into the woods.

Mark saw Jennifer pop up, startled by Garandol's voice. She squinted at them, annoyed that they'd disturbed her sleep. Mark grinned briefly until his attention was directed to a tall, slender man, if you could call him a man, with long, dark red hair and pointed facial features coming out from the bush Mark had been staring at. Then Mark realized what Arland was. He was an Elf. What Mark didn't know was that Arland was the last known Wood Elf.

Garandol and Arland embraced like old friends, then the Elf turned to Mark, grabbing his shoulder and saying, "I apologize. I wasn't sure if you were a friend or foe of Garandol. But I must commend you on your speed. I never miss."

Mark detected a slight Irish-like accent in Arland's voice. His attention was diverted as he saw Garandol look again at the arrow in the tree then at Mark again with amazement. Mark felt awkward from Garandol's gaze and gave an uncomfortable grin, rubbing the back of his neck.

How did I do that? Mark wondered. What else can I do?

"Arland, this is Mark," Garandol said, introducing them, and they shook hands. "And this is his twin sister, Jennifer. Mark, Jennifer, this is Arland."

Arland turned to Jennifer with a smile, then took her hand and kissed it. Mark hoped Arland's greeting to Jennifer was only customary among the Elves, as he was suddenly feeling overly protective of his sister in that moment.

Jennifer blushed and smiled at Arland. Mark knew that look and rolled his eyes at her. She caught his look and scowled at him.

"Did you say they are twins?" Arland asked Garandol.

"I did."

"Are they the twins?" excitement grew in his voice.

"It's too early to tell, but I believe they are."

Mark had mixed emotions about the hope he heard in Garandol's voice. There was a mixture of fear and pride all in one.

"This is great news, Garandol! We have been waiting for them for a decade now! You prophesied about them a century ago!"

With a smile Garandol said, "Peace, Arland. It is yet to be seen just how they will help us, if they really are the chosen ones."

"Of course, Garandol. Forgive me. Sometimes my excitement gets the best of me."

Garandol smiled and nodded at him.

"I see you're traveling somewhere. Where are you heading?" Arland asked.

"To find Seth in the Blood Mountains ultimately, but first we are going to stay in Fortuna. We will be able to rest there in safety. Arnath wouldn't dare attack us in that city. It's one of his greatest sources of revenue."

"What's in Fortuna?" Mark asked.

"There they have mines of all precious stones. Eranithia is still very much full of riches yet to be found, even after these many millenia."

"How old is this world?" Jennifer asked.

Mark glanced at her, subtly. It was the first she'd shown any interest in where they were, or really said anything for a while. In the back of his mind, Mark wondered why she had been so quiet that day.

"Recorded history tells us around thirty thousand years old, but man has only been in Eranithia for three thousand. This world is much older than your world."

"Are we the first from our world to come here?" Mark asked.

Garandol smiled and said, "No, there are many stories of strangers from other worlds coming here by Sol's command and helping right a wrong in some way. And they almost always go back to their own world in the end of the tale."

"Have any come back again?"

"Yes, sometimes to stay, sometimes not."

“How did they get back to their worlds?” Jennifer asked.

Garandol studied her for a moment, then answered, saying, “As I told you before, only Sol can send you back home. He decides when your time in Eranithia is complete.”

They all stood in awkward silence for a few moments before Garandol finally spoke up, saying, "We had better be on our way before Broc and The Forsaken catch us."

"Broc?" Arland asked, face red with anger. "How do you know it's him?"

"Who else would Arnath send?"

Arland looked at him, then said, "I have an engagement in Ashenland with the elves, but your need is greater than this engagement. I will accompany you to Fortuna, but from there I must run for Ashenland."

"I will send Arrow to deliver a message to the Elves of how you are aiding us, then."

"Thank you, Garandol," said the Elf.

Garandol made the same whistling call he'd made earlier. The hawk swooped down from the sky and landed on his arm. Garandol spoke to the hawk in a strange language. Mark looked at Arland to see if he could read his reaction to what Garandol said to the hawk. He looked like he was just waiting for the task to be done. Arland didn't look as curious as Mark felt.

I guess he knows what Garandol's saying, he thought, shrugging.

Then Arland stepped aside, making his own call that reached deep into the woods. As soon as Arrow flew away, two horses trotted up to them. One was a beautiful, white stallion, on which Garandol climbed onto. He offered his hand to Mark. Mark was surprised at the old man's strength as Garandol lifted him right off the ground and onto the back of the horse as if he weighed nothing. Mark looked back and saw Arland lifting Jennifer just as easily onto the back of his brown mare.

Mark almost slipped off the back of the horse when they took off, so he grabbed onto Garandol, wrapping his arms around his waste, holding on for dear life. He'd never been on a horse before, so this was a new and awkward experience. He looked over at Jennifer. She looked a little scared, but she seemed to be enjoying holding onto Arland as they sped through the forest.

Mark wasn't sure how he felt about this sudden crush Jennifer was developing. If he knew anything about Elves, it was that they were usually immortal. So Arland, even though he didn't look more than twenty years old, could easily be much older. He decided to keep a close eye on them.