The Second Prophecy (Part 1 of the Dragdani Prophecies) (37 page)

“
Fine,” said
the boy’s mother, finally giving in and sounding beaten. It really
was the thought of her son hating her that did it in the end. “But
if anything happens to him, I swear Euol I’ll -”

“I know,” said the Wizard rolling his
eyes.

“
Don’t you
dare roll your eyes at me.”

“
I’m sorry.
It’s just that you worry too much. There’s nothing to worry about,
and nothing’s going to happen to him. We’ll be sending him with the
most power being ever born. I think he’s going to be
okay.”

The woman
still looked a little unconvinced, but said nothing more about
it.

“
You should
tell him I’m going back to work,” said Kireth. She always worked
harder when upset about something. Sometimes she overworked, but it
helped her forget about it, at least for a short while.

“
No,” said
her husband, “I think you should at least be here, or he won’t
believe it.”

She gave a
short sigh because she knew he was right, though she would never
admit it.

They went
back to the others, and Euol told his son that he could go and
train to be a Wizard at Cayer-Huld. The choice was his.

For Kireth,
this was one of those times that felt as though it would last
forever.

“
DID YOU HEAR
THAT?” shouted the boy joyfully. “I’M GOING TO BE A
WIZARD!”

“
Good for
you, boy,” cheered Jert.

“
You’ll be
able to show mum and me around, dad. It’ll be great.”

Suddenly,
there was silence, and within that time, Kireth had seriously
considered saying yes, it will. Then came Euol’s voice. “Braten,
your mother and I aren’t going with you.” Euol’s voice full of
regret, though the Wizard knew this was something his son would
have to do without them.

The boy’s
mother was ready to throw everyone out lock the doors and pack her
bags. However, she didn’t. Instead, she stood there fighting back
tears. That’s all she could do.

“
I better get
back to work. Huwoi and Gemoil won’t be able to manage on their own
much longer,” she said, hoping to get away.

“
That’s fine,
dear. You go on,” said Euol sincerely. He knew that if she didn’t
get away, she would start blubbering in front of them, and
afterwards, she would be so embarrassed for it. So she left
swiftly.

“
How am
I getting to the
city?” asked Braten
slowly.

“
Well,
” said his father, “I was
hoping that you would take him with you when you’re going,” he said
to Peter.

“
I… I don’t
even know if I am going,” replied Peter.

“
What do you
mean, you might not be going?” Jert said. “You have to go. He has
to go, right Euol?”

“
You mean
because of that stupid Prophecy the Good Wizard told me I had to
fulfill,” said Peter scornfully.

“
You mean the
Grand Wizard,” the farmer corrected the young King.

“
Yeah, the
old guy with the staff,” said Peter.

“
Old guy! Old
guy! Let me tell you, the Grand Wizard is the most -”

“
Jert,
please! Can’t you tell the boy’s confused and scared about what’s
happening?” said the innkeeper.

“
Sure, I’m a
little confused. Who wouldn’t be? But I’m not scared.”

“
The
n what is it?” asked
Euol.

“
How would
you like to wake up one day and find out that who you thought you
were and everything that you thought you had were nothing but big
lies? And those you thought were your family were the ones that
lied to you,” said the Draga-Wizard-Elf. “I mean, is my life just
for rent or something? The people who need me the most get me. Is
that it?” the words were spat from the boy’s mouth like fire from a
Dragon.

“
I don’t
know,” said Euol. “The only person here who knows your family is
you. So ask yourself, do you think that your family would put you
to the highest bidder?”

“
No. I mean,
I don’t know. I don’t know what to think anymore,” said Peter
weakly. “I mean, what am I, or better yet, who am I?”

“
As for what
you are, I’m sure that you’ve already been told, but to understand
it, you’ll have to ask someone who knows more about it, and the
only place you’ll find someone who knows about your kind is
Cayer-Huld,” said the innkeeper. “Now as for who you are,” he put
his finger to his lips, “that’ll be a little harder to find out,
for only you can find the answer to that particular question. I
think that the only way you’re going to find out who you are is if
you go to the home you were meant to have all along.”

“
Cayer-Huld,
right?”

The innkeeper
nodded. “I’ll tell you what,” said the tavern owner, “we’ll give
you time to think about it. How’s that?”

“
Sure.”

“
Good. And in
the mean time, you’ll stay here with my family and me.”

“
But I don’t
have any money,” said Peter.

“
Drago, in
order to serve your father, my King, I swore an oath to the entire
line of the Kings of the Wiz-Wit kind. Only then was I allowed into
his service, and in doing so, I am bound to his children and their
children, if I life that long. Let me say that I will be honored to
do so. And hear me when I say that you are now my King and I am
your servant whenever you need me.” The Wizard bowed his head as a
sign of respect.

His son and Jert did the same. This made
Peter all the more restless.

“
Please don’t
bow,” he said.

The three
obeyed immediately by lifting their heads again.

“
Braten, go
help your mum out in front room would you?” said the innkeeper,
turning his head to meet his son’s glance.

When his son
was gone, the Wizard turned his gaze back to Peter. “Right, Drago,”
he said. “Let’s get you a room.”

The two
friends took Peter and his wooden chest, which Peter took the
liberty of pretending to carry again. Up the slender stairs they
went. When they got to the second floor, Euol turned to
Peter.

“
You don’t
need to pretend to carry that anymore,” he said, pointing to the
chest.

Peter gladly
let it go and continued to climb the steps with it in front. They
soon reached the fourth floor of the inn. That was also the last. A
long, well-lit hallway awaited them. They went straight down the
hall.

There were
doors of rooms stretching the length of the corridor, but they just
kept going straight. Finally, they stopped when the end of the hall
came, and the young man saw the thick, varnished pine door of his
room. Euol tapped his wand against the lock; they heard a click.
The Wizard turned the door knob, opened the door and one after the
other, they entered.

The room was
plain-looking, with cream-colored walls and a single pine bed. The
rest of the furniture consisted of a table and chair, an old wooden
stool, a pine chest of drawers, a small clock, and landscape
pictures on the walls.

“
This isn’t
the nicest room in the place, but it is the biggest,” said the
innkeeper.

“
It’s fine,”
said Peter happily.

“
We can leave
it like this, if you want, or I can make it better,” said Euol,
shaking his wand a little.

“
Knock
yourself out,” said Peter with an impish smile.

The Wizard
lifted his hand and waved his wand then spoke a few words in the
Wizard language.

A yellow
spray radiated from the tip of the wand and spread around the room,
wall to wall, ceiling to floor. The room changed almost
immediately. The room and everything in it became more luxurious,
and it, along with every pace of furniture, grew to three times
their original width. Even the images on the walls changed from
scenery pictures to portraits of Wizards and Witches. The clock
also changed into a giant grandfather clock.

“
It’s great,”
said Peter delighted with his new room.

“
So you’re
happy with it?” asked Jert.

“
Yes,
very.”

“
Good. I had
to use two other rooms,” said Euol. “But it was nothing to a Wizard
like me,” he said raising his eyebrows and waving his wand
comically. “Let’s get back down to the lounge and get something to
drink.”

“
Wait,” said
the King, “who are these people?” He was pointing to the portraits
of the Wizards and Witches.

“
Those are
your ancestors,” replied the innkeeper. “The first is of the very
first Wizard, Cayer, and the Warlock Huldcend and their families.
They were the ones that built the Wiz-Wit cities. They go from
there all the way up to Queen Thoucil and her husband and son King
Dragdani. And last of all, your father,” said the Wizard, pointing
to the picture of John Stark.

Peter recognized the man immediately and gave
the depiction a small nod before turning to leave.

He looked at
the portrait next to his dad’s, and his eyes nearly fell out, as he
saw someone who looked exactly like himself, only the man in the
picture looked a little older. He looked as if he were in his early
twenty’s. Beside him, there was a pretty woman with long brunette
hair. It didn’t look as though there was much of an age difference
between them.

“
Who the hell
is that?” Peter asked, pointing at the man.

“
That was
King Dragdani,” said Jert. “I thought you knew that you look
alike?”

“
Yeah, that
Grand Wizard guy told me that we were alike,” replied the boy, who
stood completely flabbergasted by what his bright green eyes were
showing him. “But look at him. We could be bloody
twins.”

There were
two children also in the picture, a boy around five years of age
and a small girl about three. The girl looked the picture of her
mother, and the boy looked like his father and Peter, having the
same hair, eyes, and pale skin.

Euol could see Peter staring at the boy.

“
That
was P
rince Dreguel, and the girl was
Princess Qeuren, and the woman beside Dragdani was his Elven Queen,
Nevur.

“
DRAGDANI,
SAVE US!” screamed Jert.

The other two
whipped round to see what was wrong, and there was the portrait of
another man. This man looked fearsome, with his dark, intimidating
stare, yellow eyes, short dark hair and black, flowing robes
filling the bottom of the picture.

Sitting on
the man’s robes was yet another girl; this one was at least twelve
years of age, who, unlike the man, was very pale. In fact, by
looks, this girl was nothing like the man except for the stare
(that was the only thing they had in common in the looks
department). She had the sweetest angelic face with very long
beautiful blonde hair and deep alluring blue eyes that could
entrance the darkest and coldest of hearts.

“
Who are
they?” asked Peter.

The two
Wizards stood there staring at the picture, their hands shaking
with fear at the sight of the Lord Salith and his daughter
Kilamen.

“
I dare not
say their names here,” said Jert.

The farmer’s
words sent a cold chill up Peter’s spine, for he remembered that
the Wizard had not been afraid to say the name of Ulicoth. The boy
could see the pure fear in his companion’s eyes, which meant
whoever these two people were; they were surely not to be taken
lightly.

The innkeeper
looked at Peter, though he said nothing for a few moments, as
though he was drawing strength from the sight of his King. “That
was the Dark Lord Salith,” he said finally. “And that,” he pointed
to the girl, “is probably the most wanted and hated women in the
whole of this world. Her name is Kilamen, and she was the one that
helped Ulicoth kill your father,” the Wizard said
resentfully.

“
That girl
killed my dad?”

“
She was
younger there, though I doubt that would have made any difference,
for it was said that ever since she could walk, she could kill,”
said Euol. “Oh yes. There is no doubt in my mind that that bitch is
the True Spawn of Salith,” the innkeeper ranted.

“
Are you
okay?” Peter asked Jert, who was still slightly shaking.

“
I’m fine,”
replied the farmer. “I’m fine.”

Peter looked
back at the portrait. The reason for this was not exactly clear to
him. He just felt he had to look again. This time he, like Jert,
stared blankly at the illustration. His line of sight was directed
at the young Kilamen. She was so beautiful, he couldn’t resist. He
couldn’t believe that someone who looked so cute and innocent could
do what his new friend had said. He felt as though he wanted to
find her and help her with her troubles, if he could.

Peter was
suddenly aware of what he was thinking, and it scared him, and when
he stared at the portrait again, she no longer looked beautiful.
Now she looked angry and vengeful with her yellow Dragon eyes
showing.

The boy felt
as if he had just awakened from a dream. Then to his wonder, the
young girl’s face changed. Now she looked pretty again, and this
time she smiled right at him.