DESCENDANTS (THE DESCENDANTS SAGA) (19 page)

-39-

“W
ell, what do you propose your royal majesty?” Iresh asked.

Sollara glared at him for his choice of title but decided it was not worth arguing over. “First, I would like to read a copy of this prophecy. Then I think we figure out how to make it work. Aurora died to protect it. She sacrificed everything that mattered to her to save me and honor it. She was the only person who cared for me and protected me when I grew up. I want to honor her and not let her death be in vain. So I say we fulfill the prophecy, and when we are done, we destroy Mari and Sugoi!”

“I will go get the prophecy,” Phoebe said as she turned to leave the room.

“You have the sacred book of Prophecy? It has been missing for years. Why do you have it bloodsucker?” Iresh growled.

“Calm yourself. I have no such book. I have the prophecy written down as Aurora told me it was. She said when the time is right I should give it to Kai and he would respect it.”

Phoebe left to get the prophecy and the room fell silent. Everyone was deep in his or her own thoughts. For some reason, Sollara’s brought her back to dancing with Elian in Atxondo.

“Coeus, what towns have Mari and Sugoi feasted on?” she asked, hoping Atxondo was not one of them.

“We have heard every village surrounding the Deep Kingdom has been hit.”

Sollara started shaking. “Oh no! What about Elian and his uncle? And all those other people?” Tears blurred her eyes.

Kai pulled her to his chest, comforting her in his embrace.

“...all their dreams, shattered because...because of bloodlust.”

Kai stroked her head and whispered reassurances in her ears. All they could do was sit and wait for Phoebe to return. When the door finally opened, the room seemed to get tense with anticipation. Phoebe walked straight to Kai and handed him a folded piece of paper.

“Are you going to share it?” Oya whispered, her eagerness to hear the prophecy reflected in the bold way she watched Kai.

He looked at Sollara with trepidation in his eyes. Placing her hand on his knee, she hoped to bring him any ounce of comfort she could.

“Do you want me to read it?” she asked.

“No,” he shook his head. “My mother wanted Phoebe to give it to me, so I will read it.” He cleared his throat and began reading the words that had cost him the life of his mother.

“Two sisters, not from blood but by the bond of elements, will bear children. The first-born will be a male child gifted with the powers of water and sky. The next
,
a daughter of the sun, she will control its fire and harvest the powers of others. If the children bind their hearts in love, they will have the authority to obliterate the Dark Shadow that threatens to destroy life.”

“So tha
t is me it’s talking about? I’
m supposed to be the daughter of the sun? It can’t be me. They must have the wrong person. I can’t do any of those things.” Sollara pleaded as her fears took hold.

Oya walked over from her place at the back of the room. She rested her delicate hand on Sollara’s shoulder and spoke to her in a soft voice. “The prophecy never has the wrong person. You may not be ready now, but when the time comes you will be.” She did not smile or offer any other reassurance, but something about her meekness comforted Sollara. 

“That prophecy is scary cool,” Hannah interrupted in her attempts to lighten the heaviness of the room. “When we caught you two
making-
out on the beach, the white flames that were on you were pretty bright. No dark shadow could stay dark around those things.”

Phoebe rose and walked to the middle of the room. “Even though Hannah jokes, she has a point. Your powers combined seemed to do unique things. Things I have never seen before. We need to learn all we can about your gifts. After Sophia's funeral this evening, we will begin school,” Phoebe instructed. “In fact, let us all put this to the back of our minds and prepare to honor the life of our friend.”

…
The girls left to get ready for the funeral together. Sollara wore a simple black dress, form fitting with a tulle ruffle under the short skirt. She accented her outfit with dark purple high heels and eye shadow. She then tied her hair back into a tight bun. Hannah also wore black. She chose a straight thin-strapped satin dress with matching slipper shoes. Her hair flowed loosely down her back. Normally getting dressed up was something she would find fun. But under the circumstances, honoring a death and knowing many more loomed over their heads, getting dressed up seemed like a chore.

When they met up with Andrew and Kai in the hallway, they were taken aback at how well the boys clea
ned up. They both wore black-on-black
suits. Kai chose a thin, dark purple tie.

“You look stunning Sollara,” he smiled.

“You’re not so bad either, H!” Andrew winked. “I guess we should get going, don't want to be late,” he instructed as he offered his arm to Hannah in a gentlemanly fashion. Kai followed suit by grabbing Sollara’s hand and pulling her after the others.

Dark Ones from all over were there
. Not all of the
attendees believed in
mingling with humans. Some nervously looked around, scouting out escape routes if bloodlust took over at any point. But all were instructed to properly feed before attending, and as a further precaution, a private blood room was set up for the guests.

Everyone was on high alert. Security around campus had tripled, and only those invited were permitted to attend Sophia's funeral. The scouts had only
found some of her remains. I
n the casket lay an arm, her head, and a section of her lower body. It was extremely difficult for Sophia's family not to have an open casket. So large pictures of her adorned every wall. Funerals were a very hard time for Dark Ones especially, as it reminded them that even though they were gifted with long life, they were not invincible

Strange music started to play. It had low rhythmic beats and eerie horn sounds. It was beautiful and deathly all in one. All the Dark Ones in the room dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. The humans and the four Elementals soon followed them.

Sollara turned to see the back door to the auditorium open. There before them stood Phoebe and Coeus dressed in the Royal attire, blood red velvet robes with black roses embroidered into them. Phoebe's hair was down in long ringlets that flowed to her waist. Coeus's hair was slicked straight back. Upon both of their heads were crowns carved entirely out of what appeared to be black diamond.

For the first time Sollara thought they looked like ancients. Assuming the role of Royalty
, demanding
fear and respect. Tonight they did not look young
—
they looked beyond age. She had taken for granted their power and viewed them as kin, something Sollara did not think she could do again.

Maybe Iresh was right all along. Maybe they couldn’t be trusted.

Murmurs rippled over the crowd as the King and Queen of the Dark Ones stood before them, all-powerful beings that controlled one of the most deadly creatures. Coeus raised his hand to silence the crowd.

“Ladies, Gentlemen and f
aithful subjects,” he began, “It is with great sadness that we are gathered, to bear witness to the loss of a daughter, a sister, a comrade, a fellow student, and friend. Please join us in our traditional ceremony in a remembrance of Sophia, daughter of Andreuss.”

Coeus nodded to Kai. Releasing his grip on Sollara he walked through the crowd and to a small stage. A guitar leaning against a stand and microphone greeted him; he picked up the guitar and started to pluck at the strings. His fingers danced over the frets as he played a commemoration song.

When he opened his mouth to sing, his voice melted the solid exteriors of everyone in attendance. A group of Sophia's friends preformed a beautiful dance symbolizing the journey of a Dark One as they spun long blood red silk ribbons. Following the dance, Sophia's family spoke of her accomplishments and of how they would always remember her.

A warning from Phoebe came next. “The next part of our ceremony may not be advisable
for those with weak stomachs. A
ll who are not prepared to witness the remainder may be excused now.” Many people left, mostly humans but a couple of Dark Ones also joined them.

Sollara’s curiosity was triggered. Wanting to see what was about to happen, she stayed. However Oya turned and left the room, and Iresh followed after her.

Phoebe walked up to the casket held up her arms demanding order. The room was instantly reduced to silence.
She
then summoned Sophia's family and one by one they walked up to Phoebe, forming a line in front of her.

On a pillow next to the casket lay a long curved knife.
             
There was intricate carving all over the handle and the blade. Phoebe held it above her head with both hands.

             
“Sacred blade, bring our offerings to our dear friend Sophia. Allow our gifts to grant her peac
e from her eternal thirst. L
et blood’s healing bring freedom to her eternal slumber.” With that Phoebe ran the blade over her right wrist drawing blood. She then held it over Sophia's casket and let it pour over the black wood, staining it a dark crimson.

Each family member followed after Phoebe, and soon the casket was completely painted in the blood of her family and Queen. It was a disturbing sight to see as some of the blood rolled off the sides and dripped to the floor, inching toward the feet of the onlookers.

The bittersweet
coppery
stench filled Sollara’s nostrils, and she held back a gag. Kai had made his way back to her side and held her hand in support. She whispered in his ear, “That was amazing; you are so talented, I never knew you could play the guitar.”

“I wanted to surprise you,” he whispered back as they turned and watched the remainder of the ceremony.

-40-

T
he funeral was over and guests lingered, offering their condolences to Sophia's family.

“Students, you have five hours before we meet in the gym and begin training,” Phoebe instructed.

Sollara was tired

it was hard keeping up with the Spawns of Darkness. They never remembered to schedule sleep for those who need
ed
it. But despite her exhaustion, she understood the gravity of what the near future indicated and they needed to be prepared.

“Kai, Sollara, meet Hannah and me in the lounge,” Andrew whispered as he nudged her in the side gaining her attention.

Kai turned to Sollara and shrugged before pulling her after him as he followed Andrew toward the lounge. When they got there they found Iresh, Oya, and Hannah seated on the big couch.

“We brought supplies,” Hannah beamed as she held up various bags of junk food.

“You need some modern culture lessons. Like badly,” Andrew said as he pulled Sollara out of Kai’s hand and walked her over to the couch. “Good thing I brought these,” he said as he slung his backpack onto her lap.

She raised an eyebrow as she opened it to look inside. It was full of curious looking books with colorful pictures on them.

“I love reading, thanks,” she said and she rummaged through the different ones in the bag.

“Are you kidding me? Please say that was a joke. Those are not books, Sollara, those are DVDs.” He raised his hands in surrender.

“I have no clue what that is. I can’t help that I wasn’t raised like you with all your
technology
magic. It was beyond my control.”

“Then it’s about time we educated you, so let’s get this party started.” Andrew flopped onto the seat next to Hannah.

Sollara didn't argue

she needed a mental br
eak after the funeral. H
er trepidation toward Mari and Sugoi, and what that really entailed was weighing heavily on her heart. Yes, forgetting herself in front of the television would be a welcome distraction.

After begging Andrew to not start her education with “Carrie,” as she couldn't handle more blood at the moment, he settled on the movie “Grease.” She liked it, but more than that found it entertaining listening to everyone sing along with the music. It definitely did the trick, and before long she had forgotten her worries and was engrossed in the TV.

“How do people not get addicted to television? Seriously, if I had discovered this earlier, you probably wouldn't be able to take me away from it. I would be so fixated that I would watch anything and everything I could find. I would probably neglect my family, friends, and the outside altogether.”

The others started to laugh.

“What did I say now? Why do you always laugh at me?”

“We think it’s funny because you just described the majority of the earth’s population,” Andrew answered.

“Really? I mean I can see how, but really? People actually choose television over life?” She was shocked and looked around the group, waiting for someone to correct Andrew, but no one did.

After watching “Grease,” Sollara clapped and bounced in her seat mimicking Hannah. “I want to watch more!”

“We can't, ”Oya whispered. “We have to meet Phoebe.” If it weren’t for the fact that Sollara had been looking right at her, she would not have know Oya had spoken.

“Teacher’s pet,” Andrew taunted as he poked Oya in the side.

Oya ignored A
ndrew and started for the door.
Begrudgingly the remaining five followed after her.

They made it to the gym just before Phoebe. And naturally while they waited, they returned to bantering back and forth.

Phoebe came up from behind and scolded them. “You guys are acting like this is a game. If you expect to beat Mari and Sugoi, let alone survive, we must focus and work together.”

“Sorry Phoebe, we didn’t hear you come in,” Andrew confessed, feeling the need to take responsibility, as he was an instructor at the school.

“There are many things you do not hear, Andrew,” she growled. It was apparent she was gravely serious. After the funeral, Phoebe had not had time to relax as the others did, and she was still in the same frame of mind.

“The walls of this gym are protected from powers, so you cannot harm them. I want to start by focusing on basic attack. Sollara has already demonstrated how to summon fire and project it from her body. Kai, you will focus on water, Oya you will focus on propelling wind, and Iresh....” Before she could finish Iresh interrupted her.

“This is an unfair playing ground for me; there is no nature in here.”

“Iresh, what is under this room?” Phoebe asked as she snapped her head at him and glared.

“Earth,” he replied nonchalantly.

“Then try to use what you have even if that is less than you are used to.”

Iresh closed his eyes to focus. His face contorted and his fists clenched so tightly that he was losing circulation in his hands. The room started to shake, really shake, and the tree carved into Iresh’s body began to glow. Sollara could see it shine through his shirt, and she began to wonder if all Elementals had a mark that represented their gift.

“Earthquake? Amazing!” Hannah squealed.

“See Iresh, you always have access to your gifts. Now to continue, Sollara tell us how it feels to summon your fire.”

“I always feel electricity running through my blood. If I try really hard, I can somehow single out the electricity and direct its course.” She turned up the palm of her hand and summoned the red flames. “I mentally picture my electricity to appear as flames in my hand. It’s easier than you would think.” The mark on her wrist glowed as the flames appeared, and her theory that the marks related to their gifts seemed to prove true.

“Kai, Oya, and Iresh, what do you feel in your blood? Andrew and Hannah, there is no reason why you cannot try as well. Often times Dark Ones can have a trace of a gift within,” Phoebe instructed.

“It kind of feels like cold or ice,” Kai said.

“That's good. Concentrate on that feeling and try to direct it to your hand like Sollara did. Anyone else?” Phoebe asked.

“I don't know how to describe what I feel. It’s as though it tickles,” Oya admitted as she hung her head, embarrassed by what she had confessed.

“Concentrate on that. Iresh, you
keep working on commanding the ground to move. Have either of you two been able to sense anything?” Phoebe directed to Hannah and Andrew.

“I don't feel anything, like
absolutely nothing. It’s weird

shouldn't I at least be able to feel my blood moving?” Hannah asked.

“I’m not sure, Hannah, keep trying. Maybe focus on the feeling of nothing, and something will come,” Phoebe suggested offhandedly.

“Yeah, I’m not sensing anything but hunger,” Andrew joked. Phoebe sent him a glare before turning back to the group.

Kai was deep in thought trying to summon water. Wanting to help him, Sollara went to his side and rested her hand on his shoulder. “You’re t
hinking too hard. Just feel it

it’
s a part of you.” She offered him a smile of encouragement before leaving him alone to his gift.

“Iresh, the marks on you and Oya, are they the same as this?” Sollara held up her wrist as she approached him.

“Yes. It’s simple really. Just your body confirming that you have activated your gifts. Every Elemental gets one when they first use their abilities,” he explained.

“But Kai doesn’t have one.”

“He will.”

He was confident in his words and that sparked a deeper curiosity in Sollara.
Agonizing screams filled the gym and she turned to see Kai cradling his arm and
screaming for Phoebe.

“Phoebe, what’s happening?” he called out as he clutched his
left forearm
and rolled on the floor. Sollara ran to his side. The first thing she noticed was that his arms were covered in ice-like crystal. Kai had finally figured out how to activated his gift.

“Where does it hurt?” she asked. By this point, everyone else was crowded around him trying to see what had happened.

“My arm
,” he said as he
held it up.

Sollara began picking the cold ice crystals away from his flesh.
Everyone
stared in anticipation at Kai
.

“Told ya,” Iresh said nonchalantly as he shrugged and turned to leave.

Kai stared at his throbbing arm
. His eyes fixated on the image of a tidal wave that wrapped around
from wrist to elbow
. After a few moments he looked up at the group in astonishment.

“I’m the only one who has to have the mark on my face!” Oya muttered, but no one paid any attention to her; they were all too busy examining Kai’s mark.

“Kai,” Sollara cut in. “You did it!” She ran her hand over his ice-covered arm.

“Yes, I finally did.” He held up his hands for Phoebe to see.

“Good, Kai. And how about you, Oya?” Phoebe asked.

Oya turned around and the feather on her face glowed. The shimmering mark distracted Sollara at first. But when she followed Oya’s eyes to her hand, a miniature tornado danced between her fingers and swirled around her palm.

Phoebe next instructed the four to project their powers at the wall. “Focus on hitting a target.”

It took them all a few tries, but soon they were actively shooting their gifts at imaginary targets. Sollara looked around and noticed that Andrew seemed distracted in the corner and that Hannah was missing.

“Andrew, where did Hannah go?”

“She was just here. We must have missed her slip out.”

“You guys are hilarious,” Hannah said.

“Hey, who said that?” Andrew whirled around.

“I said that! Why are you guys acting like I’m not standing right here?” Hannah asked.

“Because
you’
re
not
standing right here. Where the heck are you?” Andrew asked.

“Hannah, stop focusing on your blood,” Phoebe directed.

Instantly, Hannah materialized out of thin air.

Sollara stared wide-eyed at her friend blinking multiple times. “You can make yourself invisible?”

“I guess when you said you felt a void in your blood, you weren’t joking,” Andrew snickered.

“Darn,” Sollara grumbled. “Now I will never be able to sense you coming up behind me.”