Helen blinked, staring at the woman standing before them as Richard shouted, “Hey!”.
The woman stared, before raising her hands above her head in surrender.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, “I’m sorry, I do not come here to cause any harm.”
Richard’s breath was in a staggered panic, the hairs on his neck visibly standing up. This woman, whoever she was, had scared him awake.
Putting a hand on his shoulder, Helen asked her, “Who are you? What…what are you doing here?”
“I mean no harm,” the woman repeated again, before lowering the scarf to show her face, “I’ve merely gotten lost.”
“When I saw the smoke from your fire,” she explained, “I thought, maybe you could help me.”
Helen glanced at the others, who seemed groggy and confused. Finally, Peter was the one to ask, “Who are you? Can you tell us your name?”
Lowering a hood from her face, the woman stated, “My name is Christine Day,” she continued, “And I am a servant of the Great One.”
There was a moment of silence, but it wasn’t one in awe or magnificence. One in confusion.
“The great-what-now?” Peter blurted out, obviously confused.
“The Great One,” Christine repeated, “A mystical force that binds Iddenu together, prophesied in many religions of this world. They go by many names.”
“Like Luna,” Helen heard Skylar breathe, and, despite herself, the wolf’s ears pricked up. She had been eerily silent during this encounter, much like the horse Midnight.
It was odd. Usually, when met with new people, the animals would at least acknowledge the visitor’s appearance, and oftentimes, Luna would growl in alarm.
But with this woman, the animals acted as if she was no stranger. Her mere presence seemed to bring a sense of calm among the animals.
“Or Mkubwa,” Alice said in silence, to the others’ confusion. Alice rarely spoke of the names in her religion, the only times she mentioned parts of it were when it came to meal times or if she had to pray.
She seemed to keep that part closer to her heart.
“Mkubwa,” she explained to the confused children, “Is our creator and god. He is a peaceful man and created Iddenu as an act of kindness ending in a sacrifice greater than we could ever know.
Therefore, we respect his sacrifice by respecting his creation. That is why we cannot kill, we cannot hurt, as it hurts Mkubwa. We become peaceful as he is.”
Helen sat in awe at Alice’s explanation of her religion. Although she hadn’t mentioned it much before, Helen had always admired Alice’s strength and determination to keep her beliefs sacred.
She had not once broken her oath of being vegetarian, and only got close to harming people as an act of self-defense. Alice had not once given up, despite the events of the past few months.
“Yes,” Christine agreed, “The Great One, although they take many forms, is the being that binds our world together. And I am their servant.”
“How can you be a servant to something that isn’t even real?” Richard thought aloud. “I mean, if they don’t have one singular form, how can you serve them?”
“I offer guidance and wisdom to those who believe in the Great One’s many forms,” was Christine’s answer, “and their other servants.”
A look passed between the group as more questions appeared than answers.
“Do you know any of these servants?” Adalene asked, breaking her silence while masking her accent once again. Apparently, she didn’t trust Christine as much as the others.
“There are few,” she nodded in return, “But amongst them are some with great power. Some you yourselves might know.”
“Who?” Helen found herself asking.
“One you might have heard of, the great Sahir, a wizard from years ago.”
At the sound of the name, Peter’s eyes widened, and Helen remembered it, too. Sahir had been the wizard who had blessed the secret exit in Old Joe’s house, an exit they had used right before Old Joe had been killed.
“Another, Nimue, is the current head sorceress in Bellona, and a powerful one at that. She is the one who imprisoned the dark force that consumes this land.”
“You mean-”
“Yes,” Christine continued, making sure that Helen or the others didn’t say her name. They all remembered the story Adalene had told them before they arrived on the shores of Dueglestein.
All, that is, except for Skylar.
“Nimue?” she asked, her eyebrows knit in confusion, “Why…why does that name sound familiar?”
“Perhaps the great sorceress Nimue, and her power call to you,” Christine suggested, staring into Skylar’s eyes, “Do not fear the connection, for she may guide you to a greater level of wisdom and understanding.”
“However, not all of the Great One’s followers are so kind,” Christine’s voice undertook a dark tone, “Andromeda and…her, are two of the darkest followers of the Great One Idennu has ever seen. They draw their power from places you shall never journey, places that even the curious should stray away from.”
“It is best not to poke the hornet’s nest if you do not know what rests inside,” Now Christine’s voice was barely a whisper, her tone foreboding and eerie as the others stared at her.
“And because of this, the country you stand in no longer lives as it used to.”
“Well, we know about the War of Fools-” Richard started, remembering what Adalene had mentioned when they had first met the Rising Sun.
“No,” Christine shook her head, “Even before that. Long, long, before that. Before even the likes of you-” she pointed to Adalene, “Were born.”
Now it was Adalene’s turn to look shocked. “How…how could you know zat…”
“As I have mentioned before,” Christine said as she looked at Adalene, “I offer wisdom and guidance. The Great One offers me insight into knowledge others may not have the eyes for.”
Richard, who seemed up for anything, challenged her. “Prove it.”
Christine smiled and made her way around the group. She started with Skylar, who was the closest to her and stared straight into her eyes.
“You, my child…have more to your heritage than you realize. But do not let that define you. You are your own person, Skylar.”
Skylar looked just as perplexed as she had been before, but this time, she held a little hope.
She moved on to Luke, next.
“You, my boy, hold courage and love in your heart. You put the needs of others before your own, and although your loyalty is admirable, I would not let it lead me too far if I were you.”
Luke’s face betrayed his emotions, a look of guilt and shame. Why did her words affect him so much? What was he thinking?
With Richard on Helen’s left, Christine stared into his eyes.
“Ah, a man with great pride, but just as great a heart. The girl beside you has made you whole, and you would do anything for her. Beware those who attempt to harm her.”
Helen saw Richard gulp, his adam’s apple bobbing with panic.
As Christine moved over to Helen, she thought she would be prepared for her prediction. But as Christine stared into her eyes, Helen realized she was not.
“The princess of a nation that betrays her,” Christine mused, “But do not fret where your country’s loyalties lie but instead keep trust in your friends, and in time, you will understand how much you were fit to rule.”
She couldn’t help it, but Helen felt a pit in her stomach. She had always thought she might not truly be the princess of Hilgaria, and that she had blindly followed the people who said they were her parents. But now, Christine’s prediction confirmed who Helen was.
She was the princess of Hilgaria, and one day, she would have to rule.
Finally, Christine moved on to Alice, who was on Helen’s left.
“I see great pain in you, darling,” Christine’s hands reached for Alice’s shoulders, causing her entire body to stiffen up. “Although the one who has hurt you is gone, the scars remain. But scars heal with time. Allow your mind to heal as well.”
And although Christine had offered Alice wisdom, Helen could tell by the look in Christine’s eyes that she had left something out. She had not mentioned one part of the prediction, and it troubled her.
Then, it was Peter’s turn. He bit the inside of his lip, thumbs patting his knees as he anxiously awaited Christine to look into his eyes.
“A child born from fire, although not as great as the fire that burns in your heart. You are a brave and loyal friend to the ones around you, yet I see that in your future, you may gain another gift.”
Peter’s eyebrows raised, anticipating what Christine would say next.
“Wisdom.”
That was when Christine walked over to Adalene, and Helen cocked her head to the side to see the two better.
“My queen,” Christine said, “You carry within your heart a deep pain and sorrow. I fear that your time is limited, but your mind seems to be at peace. Trust me, when the time is right, you will see your moment, and you will shine brighter than the brightest stars.”
As Christine moved away, Helen saw that Adalene’s expression hadn’t changed. It was almost as if she had been expecting what Christine would say, and it only set her mind harder on what her “time” would be.
“Heed my word,” Christine said as she stood, “And remember these predictions. They may not help all of you on the current leg of your journey, but they will be fulfilled by the end of your quest.”
“I must take my leave,” she began as she pulled her hood over her head, “Do not fret, my dear friends, for I was never lost. The light of the Great One guides me. With them, I am never lost.”
Before she could turn, though, Richard ran after her. “Wait!” he shouted.
As Christine turned to look at him, Helen followed to understand what Richard needed.
“You said that scars heal,” he told her, and Helen immediately understood what he needed to ask. “I…I would like to understand your wisdom.”
A smile crossed Christine’s face, and she reached up for Richard’s face without protest. His eyes closed as Christine began to take off the bandages.
Helen didn’t know what to expect. Would Christine magically heal Richard’s face with the power of the Great One? Would she offer him some ointment that would help over time?
But none of those happened.
Christine unwrapped the bandages and gently touched Richard’s scars. They were an angry red color, the skin as bumpy and rigid as ever. Helen could only imagine the amount of pain Richard was in.
“Scars will heal with time,” Christine repeated, “although some never go away. At least not physically. However, your mind may heal before your body. It is time you accept your scars as a part of yourself.”
Richard looked like he wanted to protest, but Christine pulled a coat off of herself before rolling up the sleeve on her right arm. It was entirely covered in burn scars. Some looked worse than Richard’s.
“I was lost for a long time,” she explained, “Before the Great One saved me. They taught me how to live with my scars, and that they do not define me,” she rolled her sleeve down and returned her coat around her shoulders.
“Just as your scars do not define who you are,” her hand cupped Richard’s face again before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a thin piece of fabric connected to a string. Christine placed it in Richard’s hand as he looked at it, puzzled.
Only then did Helen realize what it was.
“Find the courage and the wisdom to accept yourself,” Christine said to Richard, “Scars and all. You may find you are more beautiful with them than you were without them.”
And with that, Christine walked away, leaving the children alone.
Helen looked down at the object given to Richard by Christine once again before he gripped it in his hand.
“I’ll help you,” Helen offered, but Richard stopped her.
“No,” he said, “No, I have to do this myself.”
He closed his eyes again before placing the eye patch over his eye, adjusting the band around the rest of his head.
Although the scars were still visible, Richard looked prouder than he ever had before as he stood there with an eye patch...
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