Into the Dark (The Conjurors) (23 page)

“Will we meet Pythia?” Cyrus asked.
    “That’s very unlikely. She rarely leaves her bed,” Sibyl replied, her eyes filled with grief. “Pythia is coming to the end of her days.”

    “I’m so sorry,” Valerie said, putting a gentle hand on Sibyl’s shoulder. Sibyl squeezed her hand and then led them into the temple.

    The inside of the temple was as unassuming as the outside. The walls were bare, and the only decoration was a spiral staircase at the back of the room which swept up to the second floor. The temple was filled with a quiet bustle as the Conjurors in their many-colored robes went about their tasks. In the middle of the room were three concentric circles. At the center was a three-legged stool. Valerie noticed that no one stepped inside the circles.

    “No one can enter the rings unless they are delivering or receiving a prophecy,” Sybil explained. “The space inside the rings is holy.”

    “There he is,” Kanti said, nudging Valerie and distracting her from her examination of the room.

    Putrefus, wearing a deep purple robe, stood by a window talking to a small group of Conjurors wearing blue. Putrefus said something, and then the group looked over at Valerie, Kanti, and Cyrus and sneered.

    Valerie took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” They walked over to Putrefus with Sibyl lingering behind them. “Good morning, Putrefus. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. I’m Valerie. I heard that you are the most gifted member of the Oracle in the city.”

    “You heard correctly,” he said.

Valerie saw Kanti start to roll her eyes, and she nudged her hard in the ribs. “I brought you breakfast. I heard this is your favorite,” Valerie said with a smile, handing him the muffin. “I would be so honored if you would deliver my prophecy. I have a great need. You see, there’s a boy in trouble and I have to save him. Please, help me.”

    “I already ate,” Putrefus said, tossing the muffin to one of his friends. “So if I help you, what’s in it for me?”

    Valerie turned to Cyrus, confused. “I thought we didn’t need an offering.”

    “You don’t!” Sibyl burst out indignantly. She had been hovering a few yards behind the group, but now she pushed herself forward so that she was standing inches away from Putrefus. “It is our duty and privilege to help those in need.”

    “I’m very busy. Why don’t you ask one of the lower level members of the Oracle to deliver your prophecy?” Putrefus said, turning away disdainfully.

    Before Valerie could react to Putrefus’ rejection, a sudden hush fell over the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and fell to one knee with their hands over their hearts. To her surprise, even Putrefus grudgingly knelt.

    Valerie followed the gaze of everyone in the room, and saw an ancient woman in a red robe at the top of the staircase. Slowly, she descended, stair by stair. She moved as if each step took great effort, but when she reached the bottom, she spoke in a voice so booming that Valerie couldn’t fathom how it came out of her small frame.

    “She’s here!” The woman announced, looking in Valerie’s direction. “At last, I can deliver my final prophecy.” She wound her way through the kneeling group and stopped in front of Valerie. Up close, Valerie could see that her darkly tanned face was covered in dozens of deep wrinkles. Her pure white hair hung to her waist. “I have waited for you. Your need called to me across the universe, across the centuries. I was so afraid you would not make it to this place to hear your prophecy until after I was gone.”

    A murmur of astonishment rushed across the room. Valerie felt hypnotized as she stared into the woman’s wide blue eyes, the widest she had ever seen. Without asking, she knew that this was Pythia, and that after meeting the original Oracle, her life would never be the same.

    “Guess you weren’t too good to deliver Val’s prophecy after all. Turns out she was too good for you,” Kanti whispered to Putrefus. Putrefus grunted, but he didn’t reply.

    Pythia clasped Valerie’s hands in her own and pulled her gently inside of the circles in the middle of the room. Then she sat on the stool in the center, sighing with relief as she rested. Only then did she release Valerie’s hands.

    Valerie knelt before Pythia and looked up into her face. Pythia’s eyes darted around the room, as if she was watching a scene unfold before her eyes and she was trying to absorb every detail. Then, all of the frailty that Valerie had seen in her dropped away, and before her eyes was not an old woman, but a force of nature, the Oracle. She exuded power, and Valerie felt it humming inside of her more strongly than she had ever felt before, causing her entire body to tremble. Pythia now sat board-straight, and her voice echoed as she spoke.

“Before your eyes two destinies unfurl.

Both are full of adventure, love and loss.

The path you choose impacts both of your worlds,

But be forewarned, all choices have a cost.

“The cry for help across the universe

Is your own brother’s frightened, desperate peal.

Answer his call to save a life that’s cursed.

A family divided now can heal.

“When sister and brother their powers unite

And loyal friends complete their family core

Together they paint the Globe’s future bright

At last these misfits are alone no more.

“When blood calls blood your adventure will start

At last you will fill the void in your heart.”

As Valerie listened, her heart seemed to expand in her chest. Did this mean Henry was her brother? That she wasn’t alone in the universe, as she had always thought? Terror and joy clashed inside of her as Valerie realized that she had one family member left after all, but he was in terrible danger.

But before she could process her emotions, she saw Pythia slump on her stool. She swayed, and Valerie leapt up and caught her before she crashed onto the floor. The hush in the temple disappeared in an uproar. The Conjurors rushed to the edge of the circle, but no one stepped inside the rings.

“Help! Someone help her!” Valerie cried in horror. Then she looked down at Pythia’s face and said softly, “I’m so sorry.”

“Do not fret, child,” she replied weakly, putting her hand on Valerie’s face. “I’m content. I foresaw what would happen if you never heard those words, and it was terrible. But I lived long enough to tell you, and the future of the Globe is in your hands now. I know you have it in you to follow the path that will save us all.”

Valerie realized that Cyrus and Kanti had ventured inside the circle and were now beside her. Kanti, like Valerie, was crying. Sibyl sped through the crowd, fluttering through the air at a speed that Valerie wouldn’t have believed she was capable of. In seconds, Sibyl was by Pythia’s side.

“Tell me what you need. Anything, and I will do it,” Sibyl said, her voice trembling.

Valerie looked down at the woman in her arms. Her blue eyes looked peaceful, and she smiled softly. “There is nothing to be done, my Sibyl. It was you who foresaw my end. Is this not how you pictured it?”

Sibyl gently took Pythia out of Valerie’s arms. She cradled her close. “This is how I saw it. With you in my arms,” she said, and tears spilled out of her eyes. “I can’t bear for you to go.”

“I’ll be waiting for you when your time comes, precious one.”

“I love you, Mother,” Sibyl replied.

With a faint smile on her lips, Pythia’s eyes fluttered to a close. Sibyl released a melancholy wail that echoed off the walls. It was heartbreaking. “Pythia has departed us forever,” she said to the room, and her cry of pain was echoed by dozens of other voices. “The circle is broken. Enter and help me to prepare her for the beyond.”

The city was in chaos for the rest of the day as the members of the Oracle prepared for Pythia’s funeral. Valerie and her friends would have left, but Sibyl asked them to stay, saying that it was what her mother would have wanted.

Valerie felt guilt lying heavy on her heart. Her tongue felt like lead, and she couldn’t bring herself to talk about what had happened, even with her friends. So they stayed in their tent most of the day, saying little to each other.

As the sun began to set, the flap on their tent was pushed aside, and Azra pushed her head inside. With a sob, Valerie rushed over and wrapped her arms around her neck, weeping into her mane. “It’s my fault. My prophecy killed her. I took too much from her, and I drove her away, like I eventually drive everyone in my life away.”

No, no, child, that is not true. It is like the room inside the Great Pyramid that crumbled behind you when you were launched into space. Pythia was waiting for you. If she hadn’t needed to deliver your prophecy, she would have died long ago.

“How do you know?” Valerie said tearfully.

I knew Pythia well. I know how hard she struggled to hold on to life when death was calling to her for her next adventure. You can’t take responsibility for nature taking its course. And though I will miss my friend, I am happy that she is at peace at last. And it was you who gave her that peace, Valerie.
The weight on her heart that Valerie thought would never disappear seemed to ease slightly, and she felt her breathing calm.
Say goodbye to her tonight, and when you do, let go of your guilt as well.

“How did you know to come here?” Cyrus asked.

I felt all of her power released into the universe. Chern bent space and created a door for me so that I could be here tonight to say goodbye.

“Chern?” Kanti said with disbelief. “I didn’t even know he had a power.”

Yes, he can bend the laws of physics. I sense much power in him. I wonder if he has any idea how much,
Azra added thoughtfully.

In the distance, Valerie heard the sound of bells that seemed to be moving closer.
Come, it is time for the ceremony to begin.

They left the tent and saw Conjurors walking down the street in a long line. Most wore the long robes of the Oracle, but some, like Azra, were Conjurors from other cities who had sensed Pythia’s passing and had come for the funeral.

At the front of the procession, six Oracles, each wearing a different color robe, held a platform that held Pythia’s body. Sibyl fluttered above her mother, her face now calm. She saw Azra, and she nodded to her. Azra returned the greeting, and Valerie saw tears standing in her eyes. The procession reached the pool, where light from torches flickered on the water. The platform was placed on the pool, and Azra moved closer, her hooves making no sound. Valerie and her friends followed.

Azra made her way through the crowd and, as she did, her words filled the minds of everyone who had gathered to say goodbye to Pythia.

Pythia was my oldest friend. She was by my side when we first imagined this world. Her sense of honor and capacity to love have been my inspiration, and I often think of her when I make difficult choices. She was a powerful, wonderful person who valued integrity above all.

She accomplished so much in her life. But the memory that is closest to my heart has nothing to do with her power as an Oracle. When we first came to this world, my husband died. I lost the love of my life, and also became the last of my kind, with no chance of ever having a child of my own. Pythia stayed with me for many years as I worked through my grief. She helped me to see that devoting my life to shaping the Globe would give me purpose and be my legacy when I die. Without her love and guidance, I don’t think I could have survived. I will carry her memory in my heart forever.