For My Sister

Chapter 10

Thank goodness for my father. He did help my mother and aunt to see some sense. They agreed to drop the issue but when school started I would be required to spend an hour a day with either Mother or Aunt Gina, which was fine by me. That would give me plenty of time to orient myself with the Palace and not get lost between my room and Jolene's room. You know you're really a small village kind of a boy when you get lost and your rooms are right across the hall from each other.

We had our share of humble pie nearly two weeks later when Valentia showed up in a panic with news that we were no longer in the camp and surely Bhavani must have gotten to us and killed us. The calm looks on my parents' faces as she ranted was a beautiful and hilarious sight. But it didn't last long as Father said, "We know they're gone, Valentia. Come out from behind the door, you two. I can hear you snickering from here."

Ashamed, my sister and I stepped out from behind the door. I had every reason to be ashamed of myself. I mean, we basically ran away and scared her in the process. If Jolene had any shame, she did not show it as she was still snickering at Father's way-too-cool facial expression.

"You think this is funny, young lady?!" Valentia nearly screamed at Jolene running to her and shaking her shoulders. "To run away like that when you knew why we were keeping you hidden in our village?!"

"She was already there! She possessed Lackamoran and would have most definitely killed us if we hadn't run!" Jolene said scornfully.

"Nonsense!" Valentia said again. "We hid you very carefully! We even cut off communication with your winged gaurdians to keep you safe!"

"Bhavani raised herself in dark magic off of some book that her father had at one point-"

"Book?!?!" Valentia went from angry to frightened. "Where is that book now?"

"The last we saw it, it was sitting in Lackamoran's kitchen. Why?" I asked not too concerned about it. I knew it could easily be found as it was still sitting on the table. So I was very surprised when Valentia started rubbing her forehead as if she was worried.

"Did you not find the book?" Mother asked her with wide eyes as she stared Valentia down.

"Do you think I would have asked if we had?"

"Then that will become our new priority!"

"What's the big deal with some magic book?" Jolene asked flippantly that made me think 'you shouldn't have said that, sis.' With a look, Father quickly put his arm around Jolene's shoulders and dragged her aside. I never heard her say anything about the book in that voice or about the book in general ever again. But I still turned to my mother and asked her in a quiet voice, "Seriously, why is it so important that we find the book?"

Mother whispered in my ear, "If that book is not destroyed the essence of evil will continue to look for a host to work through. It's been doing so since Vladwick and since it found a home in the Snow Islands and seems to be targeting us, it's our responsibility to contain it and get rid of it for good if we can."

"For now, let us celebrate!" Another voice said from the doorway. Its owner looked scarier than Lackamoran ever had been. She seemed to be nothing but purple skin over bones and the skin sagged terribly where fat and muscle on a normal body should have been. Her teeth were yellow and her blue hair was practically a rat's nest. Considering how decrepit she was, I was surprised by how by bright her eyes were, like a teen's eyes when they've seen a particularly delicious meal set out on the counter and they know it's for them. "For a third has stepped forth to show us what it means to cherish life as seen by the actions he took on behalf of his sister."

I just looked at her wondering what on earth she was babbling about and Mother gaped at her in the most unladylike way possible. At that moment, my grandfather came in looking for my aunt and when he saw the ugly snow woman he gaped too and said, "You again! How do you keep showing up like this?"

"I am a prophetess, my child!" The woman said nonchalantly. "I am allowed to see each bit of my greatest prophesy come true!"

"Mother, does Grandfather know this person?" I whispered in my Mother's ear.

"This is the third time he's seen her. She spoke the Prophesy over him as a baby and I'm starting to think she's going to keep showing up every time someone in our family fulfills it."

My poor children.

And so life kicked into high gear, I really didn't like the whole idea of being trained into the role of being a king. There were many early mornings and late night meetings put on by both my mother and Aunt Gina that I was required to attend. It annoyed me, but when I was completely honest with myself, I found that I didn't care. I had longed to be a part of these people's lives and now I was. Being a part of something filled in empty places I had felt in my life before. I grew to love my whole family very much. And when Aunt Gina died from her cancer almost three years later, I cried without shame.

I look back on my life and I am amazed at how far I've come and all that has happened to me simply because of a notebook. Words are a powerful thing and there weren't many written in that tiny notebook. But it was enough to make me ask, who is this person and what is the quickest way I can get to them? The experiences I had when I let those words influence me shaped me into a person that my sister needed me to be for her when the time came. Words are still continuing to shape me into the king that Lieydan desires me to be. It's a valuable lesson that I'm glad I've come to learn and one I hope to share with others: especially those who fulfill the prophesy after me one day.