portal prophecies 01 - keepers destiny (3 page)

All of the house inhabitants were in the main room, going over what looked like a long list of rules. The Council had been coming down hard on the children lately for playing unsupervised outside and had threatened to, '
Put the whole lot to work keeping the castle clean if they had nothing better to do than pester people
.' That meant reduced outdoor time and strict rules for behaviour in the presence of others. The majority of the children were sitting on the floor in a semi-circle around the adults as if it were story time. Off to one side, Willow noticed a boy leaning against the wall staring at her. He was short with brown hair and a few freckles or dirt spots, it was hard to tell which. His brown eyes held no emotion whatsoever and a long blade of grass hung out of his mouth to one side as he chewed on the other end. His clothes were old and patched over patches with some stains that would never come out.

“His name is Arnold,” Jessie said breaking the silence between them.

“I know, but shouldn't he be with the others?” Willow asked, her gaze never straying from the sight of the boy.

“The new arrangements probably have him going stir crazy. It has to be rough hardly ever leaving this room,” Jessie whispered.

Looking around the room she agreed that would drive her over the edge too. Still, she couldn't help but feel there was something else behind that chilling stare.

Micca noticed them standing at the doorway. He hurried over to thank them both for bringing the food out to them and apologize for not meeting them sooner. Then he excused himself to head back to his discussion with the children.

It was almost dinner time so they retraced their steps out of the building. Just walking outside it felt like a weight had been lifted from the air around them. It was so much more fresh and free.

Jessie, feeling the uneasiness in his friend offered, “Diana is having story time tonight. She asked me to tell you there is going to be something special she insists you need to hear.”

Willow smiled all the way back to the market place. That was definitely the best news of the day and after the two parted, she headed home to clean up the mess for tomorrow and wash up for the evening's excitement.

Chapter Two

In the distance, sitting on a slightly higher elevation and to the north of the town, was the great castle made completely of different types of carved stones and metals with coloured glass windows. High peaks boasting elaborate statues of great majestic birds in flight enhanced the grandeur of the building. The large doors of the front entrance were big enough to allow for a giant to enter and were elaborately decorated with a carving of a magnificent tree boasting beautiful sweeping limbs. On either side of the doors, stood two very large statues, the first of a large feline lunging forward and the other looked similar to a cross between a wolf and bear standing on two feet with arms outstretched and growling fiercely.

Inside, the carvings told stories like a picture book as they danced across the walls. Ask a question and the answer may be revealed or in the event of disaster, prophecies could be uncovered. The floors resembled polished marble boasting golden accents, with lights twinkling above like stars in the ceiling. A grand stairway, in the middle of the room, twisted magnificently in a circular motion to the upper levels where the sleeping quarters were located.

There was enough space and living quarters to house more than ten times the town's population, but only Council members, their families, the guards and some entertainers were permitted to stay anywhere on the grounds.

Looking to the right from the stairs, you could see two golden doors open wide to a glorious ballroom with a ceiling made of rare gems and crystals. Past that was a hallway leading to the dinning room which was decorated with crisp fine linen on tables set using only the finest porcelain dishes. Further down were food preparation rooms including a door to outside brick ovens for cooking. To the left of the stairs was a hallway which led to the common use rooms. These were mainly used for sitting and furnished with all the comforts one could hope for. Soft, golden coloured cushions lined every chair and grand vases filled with delicate flowers from the gardens sat on top each of the beautiful brown polished marble tables.

At the end of the hallway were two blue glass doors opening to a walkway, which led to an adventure through the gardens that tantalized the mind and offered utopia to the senses. Floral aromas filled the air, a beautiful array of colours caught the sight and a sweet taste danced on the tip of the taste buds of anyone who was lucky enough to walk through. Stone benches and smaller versions of the statues out front added additional beauty throughout.

The path ended at a large iron gate. The highest point of the gate was a semi circular shape containing what appeared to be words '
E Pepvo Eco Glay Callum
' written in an ancient language that no one, currently living in the castle, could read or write. Malarchy had told people that the meaning was, '
The Council above all others.
'

In the hours before sunset, a humming, musical in nature, would whimsically rise from the garden as the beautifully coloured flowers of the day transformed into bright, glowing blossoms that lit up the pathways at night. The sun always set in the same place slowly disappearing behind the great hill, but not before setting it ablaze in a brilliant glowing green.

A stone wall surrounded the grounds with one iron gate leading into the property from the town merging with the path heading to the front doors of the castle. Four guards were always posted at the opening, two on each side, to ensure only invited people were allowed to enter. Behind the gates sat a building which housed the guards and entertainers. It was also made of stone with carved pictures of guards standing by open doorways, not like any of the doorways in the castle or the iron gates, but smaller ones with carved stones in each corner. In some of the pictures it appeared the guards were defending the opening from something coming through. There were twenty-six guards who rotated shifts covering the front gates.

They were permitted to send two people to town daily for food and other needs, for both the guards and entertainers. Other than that they remained in the building unless called for by the Council or on duty. At special events they were instructed to have extra guards inside the grounds to keep control at all times.

The entertainers were permitted to practice on certain days, at certain times and performed something different daily for the benefit of the Council's amusement. They were not permitted to leave the castle grounds at any time. Any entertainer who disobeyed was not allowed back and would have to return to their former life, which of course none of them wanted to do.

The grounds themselves were vast and included a practice area for all the different types of abilities, a courtyard for dances and events, and a games area for entertainment. The practice area had targets for shooting at, an obstacle course, an arts and crafts section, an invention studio, a stone patio, a grass area, and a fenced in area. It was mainly used by guards keeping their combat skills sharp and any entertainers preparing for a show.

The games area consisted of an outdoor arena where two or more people could test their abilities against each other. The arena had been closed for use for as long as anyone could remember.

The courtyard was the most used area outside, with a beautiful stone patio surrounded by stone benches for sitting. At the front was a stage type area where instruments and entertainment props were kept. Although the castle contained a beautiful ballroom inside, the courtyard was the popular place to hold dances and other nightly entertainment.

During the daytime the younger children from the castle were allowed to play outside. They were rarely heard of, or seen by the townspeople and never stepped foot outside the castle gates. The majority of times the youngsters were in a common use room away from everyday activities. At most large events, they would be paraded around for their cuteness factor, giving moms and dads a chance to beam with pride over their little bundles of perfectness. This didn't always have a good effect on the older children who, occasionally, would become jealous over the toddler spot light. In particular, Jade, wished many times her younger brother, Jordan, would go away or disappear. She craved attention so much that it didn't matter if she never saw him again as long she could have the full attention of her parents, mostly her mother, to herself.

Just outside the garden gates sat a large stone table and chairs where, almost every evening after dinner, the Council would meet to discuss current events, business, if any, and laws. There were six chairs on each side and one at the end. A giant glass bowl of water sat in the middle of the table.

The Council itself was made up of thirteen people and although they were all deemed to be equal, Malarchy and his wife Nebulah clearly lead the meetings and decisions.

“Old business?” Malarchy's voice rang out over all of the small talk going on at the table as the rest of the Council scrambled about to take their places for the meeting. He had claimed the single spot at the end of the table. Behind him the glow of the sun setting beneath the great hill illuminated his head and face in an eerie green aura, adding to his illusion of power over the rest of the Council.

Malarchy was one of the oldest on the Council although he looked no older than thirty. He wasn't remarkable by appearance standing at 5'10' with a slim build. His head was shaved bald and his teeth were uneven creating the appearance of fangs when he spoke or smiled. He dressed flamboyantly in fine linens of bright colours with golden trim and gemstones adorning every place possible. Most of the town weren't sure exactly what his abilities were and were too frightened to find out.

“None,” replied his wife Nebulah to the left of him. She stood only 5' tall with golden blonde hair. Her most noticeable feature was the size of her chest, doubling the size of any other woman in town and was matched with a small waistline and hips. It was a wonder she didn't lose her balance from being top heavy. Whenever she spoke a noticeably fake smile crossed her face directed at whomever her audience might be.

“New business then?” Malarchy's voice sounded again loud and confident.

“The children have asked we consider a dance to celebrate their sixteenth cycles,” his wife answered immediately.

“We haven't for others before, why now?” argued Aurora. She was one of the newer members of the Council and had been appointed only four cycles ago as cousin of another Council member Zebulon. Seated directly to the right of Malarchy, she was medium height but the thinnest lady at the table. As usual she was wearing a crisp white suit which was illuminated by the natural glow that radiated from her body. Her hair was short and spiked at the top with gold, silver and copper tones and her eyes shimmered the most electric hues of blues and purples. Unlike other Council members she never felt the need to wear jewelry or to add anything flashy to her appearance.

Aurora was known as a '
light
'. She was able to read energies and could lend energy to another person to enhance their natural abilities. Unfortunately, the lack of training for her talents meant she couldn't control them properly and would often misread an aura. Since large groups of people caused her headaches and pain, she hardly left her room except for some meals and daily Council meetings. She avoided events and trips to town at all costs. Her lack of knowledge of her craft also meant she was a target for exploitation of her energy enhancing abilities and was rarely aware when someone was tapping into them, often left wondering why she would become very tired some evenings.

“There are an unusual amount of children this cycle who will be coming into their powers. Jade has suggest it may be a nice gesture and the girls are happy to see to all the details. I don't see any reason not to allow them a small celebration for their generation. Of course all of the castle will be invited to join in the fun,” Nebulah rebutted.

“And the children from the town?”

Nebulah's face seemed to have to work a little harder to keep the smile while she answered. “Of course the boys of town will receive invites and can bring a date of their choice. There are a few young ladies who don't own a dress or know how to dance. We don't want to pressure them into something they may find uncomfortable to say the least.”

Malarchy interrupted before anyone else could reply. “To vote then, in favour?” he counted the raised hands then added, “Against?”

Nine of the thirteen voted in favour, three against, being Aurora, Zebulon and Lynnea and one, Ozias, was asleep.

“A dance it is, but before the new cycle begins, so no unusual abilities arise at the event. I think that is best.” After a slight pause Malarchy added, “Is there anything else to discuss this evening?”

Zebulon stood and asked to speak from the other side of the table. He was a short round man. One could not deny that he enjoyed the bakery a lot more than the vegetables. He had brown curly hair and a full beard, well trimmed and tidy. His clothing wasn't exceptional but he did adorn his fingers with rings of various gems, which he claimed aided him in his interpretation of the skies and the meanings of symbols and signs.

“I think we should revisit the prophecies.”

The faces of all the others became stern and uneasy as each one turned and stared at the man still standing. Zebulon took his seat to wait for an answer, which didn't take long.

“We have dealt with the prophecies already,” Malarchy snapped.

“I agree, we took steps to try to change the course of the future, but there are no longer any prophets left in our world to ask if we succeeded. What if we set in progress the fate we so desperately tried to avoid? Should we not take some action to prepare in case? Perhaps a Plan B, since we are talking about the complete destruction of our homeland.”

Malarchy looked as if he was becoming more and more annoyed. Red slowly crept into his cheeks as he answered, “Are you not the symbol interpreter? What do the skies say? The pictures on the wall?”