Chapter 20
T he next day, the Priestesses arrived early in the morning.
I could watch them enter the grounds from the balcony in my chambers.
I found myself surprised to see them enter with a full traveling coach and horses.
My thoughts trailed back to where Juniper said that they were winnowing everyone across the lands to speed up their travel.
I supposed I had imagined them to be arriving without a normal travel ensemble, which was ludicrous.
It would look absurd to arrive on foot after traveling such a distance.
I chuckled at imagining the reactions to seeing people from across the country just walking up to our gates with no beasts or coaches or signs that they had been traveling long distances.
How tiring it must be to carry all those wagons, the horses, and people across such a distance.
I concluded these priestesses must be powerful to have achieved so much so quickly.
I watched Juniper open the carriage door and welcome five women while I sipped on my tea.
I was too far away to hear what they were saying, but I could imagine the urgency they feel.
As I tried to lip read from this distance and failed miserably, Ivy came out to the balcony.
“There you are! I was about to send for the guard to look for you around the grounds.”
I didn’t normally take breakfast alone on my balcony, and Ivy knew my habits better than me. She knew I would have been in my chambers, trying to avoid starting the day.
“Come, let’s get ready. Juniper wants you in her office as soon as you can this morning. Spencer will be there, too.” She picked up my dishes and started shooing me inside.
As I prepared for the day, I saw Amyra still sleeping.
My heart broke all over again that I could never make her my Consort, though I still selfishly hoped she would always be at my side.
As I watched her breathe peacefully, smiling through her dream, I decided in this moment that I would behead any king that came between me and her.
I didn’t think that Spencer would, but it’s always good to have a solid backup plan.
Maybe once the King was dead, the Council might allow me to take a wife and make her my queen.
“Hurry!” Ivy rushed me, snapping me out of my daydream. “You can come back to her later.”
I checked my hair in my mirror to ensure that all pieces were in place and then opened the door. I came face to face with Spencer’s fist, ready to knock. He froze, and I covered my mouth to hold in the laughter and not wake Amyra. I stepped out the door, Ivy right behind me as she closed the door.
“Nice timing, Spencer.” I winked at him.
He blushed. “Ready to head down to the meeting?” He offered his arm to escort me.
“The other two are still out training, right?”
“Yes, of course. They left half an hour ago to meet with the Captain.”
Once he had reassured me, I took his arm.
I felt a spark of excitement run through me from my hand as soon as I touched him.
I glanced up through my lashes, biting my lip to hold back my smile.
He looked down at me like he felt it, too.
He placed his other hand on mine, holding me on his arm. “This way, my Queen.”
The way he called me his queen settled deep within me. I felt the same energy that I felt when Amyra was around, flirting with me. I didn’t know what to make of it.
“Your soul is speaking some interesting things, Princess. ”
I could hear the smirk in his voice as he said that and blushed so hard. Biting my lip, I answered, “What is my soul telling you, Prince?”
“Many interesting things about what must be going on in that head of yours.”
“Well, I guess you’ll have to tell me what you can read in my mind after this.”
“Your place or mine?”
I would have playfully smacked him for that, except that we rounded a corner and could see Juniper and her guests coming down the opposite side of the hallway. It seemed we were arriving at her office at the perfect time. We paused, allowing Juniper and her guests to enter her office first.
Juniper started pulling out her tea set, letting us know she needs to speak with the Priestesses privately before they meet with us. She invited us to make some tea for ourselves while we waited.
The Priestesses disappeared into that side room that all her courtiers were hiding in the other day.
Spencer and I lost the flirty energy we’d shared in the hallways; a more nervous mood, reflecting the gravity of our upcoming discussion, replaced it.
We each poured our own cups, and then swirled them, staring into the shifting liquid, waiting for the Priestesses to join us.
It didn’t take long, thankfully. The six women filed out of the room briskly, and one took charge, speaking immediately.
“And you,” she pointed at Spencer, her green eyes swirling with emotions, “you’re the one with the sight?”
He nodded, almost afraid to speak. Her command of the space was intimidating, to say in the least.
“Tell me what you saw on that boy.”
Spencer explained Egan’s haze. They interrogated us about the altercation with Frederick, asked if Frederick knew anything about Spencer’s gift, and everything else that they could think of about what we have seen or heard.
They asked me if I’ve had anything manifest. When I answered negatively, the one with eyes the color of chocolate looked me up and down and made a slight face of disapproval.
The leader told me I’ll spend time with that priestess to see if there're any gifts preparing to manifest. I felt dread at the idea of spending time with someone who seemed to think lowly of me already.
“Why are you so certain that I’ll also have magic?” I asked. The Priestesses all appeared to freeze, while the leader turned to Juniper.
“What does she know?” She asks Juniper.
“She doesn’t. I didn’t know how much to share.” Juniper confessed.
I watched as the two seem to have a silent conversation.
Then the leader relented. “I’ll teach you two this as well, though it’s not high on the priority list. A prophecy reveals when the land’s magic will return. It speaks of a gifted king and queen.”
“I… wait, you’re telling me that someone long ago saw that I’d marry Spencer?”
“Perhaps. If you’re gifted. We’ll have to test you. Have you ever gardened before?”
“No, I spent more time in the classroom as a child, preparing to lead a country. I mostly just admire the gardens.”
With that, the brown-eyed priestess rolled her eyes, and the one in charge tsked at me. I felt small, inadequate.
“What about his mama seeing that we are both change makers? What does that mean?”
The Priestesses exchanged looks, and while it seemed wild to believe, they looked like they were talking within each other’s minds again.
Finally, Juniper nodded and turned to me.
“This is the prophecy. This paper cannot leave this room. You can read it here, but we don’t have time in this meeting to explain what we understand it to mean.
We must start understanding what threat Egan poses.
Once we’ve dealt with that, we can focus on this. ”
She had reached into an inner pocket of her coat, though I see a slight shimmer suggesting she pulled something through with magic. She handed me a folded, aged paper with handwriting on it. I unfolded it and held it for Spencer and me to read together.
When the Queen of the realm binds her fate to a King who sees the depths of souls, she shall cause the land’s heart to bleed flames into the sky and will herald a change in the realm itself.
When the earth trembles and rivers of fire reshape the ocean, the Gods will wake from their celestial sleep. Amidst the tumult and the awe-inspiring spectacle, they shall bring life into a new Goddess, born not of flesh but of magic, destined to weave balance into the very fabric of existence.
She will destroy the way of life, her steps resonating with power older than time itself. Through her touch, greed and envy will find their match, and the realms shall know an era of unparalleled enchantment.
Thus, the ancients foretold, their voices a whisper carried on the winds of destiny, for in the union of Queen and King lies not just the union of hearts, but the awakening of powers that shall reshape the world.
I stood up and moved towards the window as I contemplated the meaning.
Spencer most certainly fit into this; I could tell why they accepted him.
I couldn’t see how I fit in. I didn’t have magic within me, and even if I did, it would be magic to grow plants, not to cause fire and destruction.
Sure, I had the luck of being born to the sitting king and queen, but they couldn’t possibly be speaking of me, could they?
I took a deep breath. I needed to play through this game to understand what they were trying to tell me.
“Ok, so we need to find out how this magic works within me. How do we do that? Do we just go to the garden and try?”
The brown-eyed priestess scoffed. “Absolutely not. We know there is evil within these walls. We will go outside the walls to the temple to try.”
My face twisted in confusion. “There are no Oracle temples in town. I’ve lived here all my life and haven’t seen one.”
Juniper smiled. “My sweet Princess, that’s only because you weren’t invited in.”
I looked at Spencer, apprehensive. This plan was feeling quite dangerous. His eyes swirled, reflecting his fear. But what choice do we have? We were in too deep to back out now.
“OK, let’s do this.”