Post 36: Sacrifice

 

Adrian was weary by the time they’d reached the home of the prophet. She glanced up at the beautiful waterfall that hid the entrance to the home. Here, where the water touched the grass, everything was brighter. It looked as if the essence of the water healed everything around it. The crushed grass, along the path, lay in the dirt the prettiest green they’d ever seen. The dirt was a dark red, as opposed to the soft brown she’d previously seen on the planet, and turned burgundy the closer it got to the stream. The water was a clear blue that ran over soft white rocks. The crowd stopped just behind her and shouted their encouragement for her to continue. Turning, Adrian smiled at those around her.

            “If I am your Healer I will do everything in my power to heal your land. I do have to go home though.” She paused at the sound of disappointment that rang through the crowd. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave without figuring something out!” She spoke above the murmurs. Turning back to the waterfall, Adrian climbed up the bigger rocks until she could get as close to the entrance as possible. Taking a deep breath, waiting for just the right moment, Adrian closed her eyes and jumped.

            With a thud, she landed on soft red dirt just behind the water. Looking down, she noticed that the cloth that still clung tightly to her body was completely dry; so was her skin. She stepped forward and looked around. The area was calming, clean. A house had been made out of the rock that formed the cave. Before her she noticed a small set of carved rocks that formed a circle of chairs low to the ground surrounding a table. To her right a small kitchen like area. She smiled as she recognized the books that sat in a carved bookshelf. One was The Essence of Earth, Arinth’s book she’d discovered in the library. A few others with binding just like the one she knew were next to it on the shelf. They each said The Essence of but they read other planets names. Respectively, they read: Arinth, Spiritian and Jungelus. Reaching out to touch the books, Adrian was unaware of the woman that had appeared from behind a rock wall further into the home.

            “I see you’ve arrived.” She spoke; her voice rang out in beautiful low tones. “I’ve waited here for you for a long time.”

            “Me? I hear you’ve been waiting for a Healer for two centuries.” Adrian spoke slowly, especially when she spoke the time.

            “I’ve waited longer for others, there was no rush. I knew in time you’d come.” The woman held out a hand beckoning Adrian to her. Adrian crossed the distance and placed her hand in the woman’s.

            “No rush? But I thought the planet was dying, Devl…their leader was going to steal Earths life source.” Adrian’s voice sounded out, exasperated.

            “You can say his name here, Adrian. I hold no fear for him. You are correct; their planet is dying. I spoke that there is no rush because it is fated for you to arrive. Malvroy would not have been destroyed without you. You make the decisions as to whether this planet will survive.” Once seated, the woman crossed her legs, clasped and placed both hands in her lap.

            “Wow…that is serious.” Adrian unconsciously lifted a hand and ran it through her hair. The soft honey brown curls bounced against the movement.

            “You have to understand, Adrian. Fate and the Light Warriors help decide things that will happen but it isn’t everything. The reason they end up having to fix things is because mistakes are made. Just because it was fated for Malvroy to be saved doesn’t mean that it will be.” She tilted her head, her hair fell over her shoulder and lay against her breast.

            “I want to save them. I do. I also want to go home. Is there a way that I could do both?” Adrian felt the tear gather and stream down her cheek but she didn’t care. Dashing it away with a quick hand, Adrian sat up straighter. “Is there a way in this that I could save Malvroy, be with Chase Hunter and also live on Earth?”

            “There might be. The answer is in the Prophecy.” Adrian leaned forward and touched a knuckle to Adrian’s cheek, catching the tear that dripped there. “Do you know it?”

            “The people told me when I arrived but it seemed to be incomplete as some where saying more than others.”

            “I will tell it to you now. A Healer of three worlds would heal the land. A woman with emeralds as eyes would appear in the sky and heal the skin. She will not appear until symbols under skin burned red and all eyes became that of devils. Then she would appear from the sky with a hunter at her side. She would be a conduit of white and through her blood and soul a world would be restored. Two with blood would share a burden of the sick and ill. Separated they have been and distant it will be but together they will work miracles.” The woman settled back into her seat. “They are correct. Two centuries ago, when I still lived on Senatus, I did prophecy that their world would be healed. I, Prophet Egeria Shen, made a point that every able spoken person would learn the prophecy and speak it aloud should the Healer arrive.”

            “It sounds like I would be here, not that I could be somewhere else. I don’t understand though, it says that a hunter would arrive at my side. Hunter isn’t here though! Should he have come as well?” Adrian’s voice cracked at the end and her breathing deepened. What if something happened to him to where he couldn’t come with me?

            “You have no need to worry, Adrian. He is with you.”

            “I don’t understand.”

            “You carry him with you. Did you think that once you’d completed the Codra Mauma that Transcending would end your connection?”

            “I…I’m not sure. I hadn’t thought. I didn’t know that anything could end the connection.” She inquired.

            “You would nearly be correct but the abilities of the Codra Mauma are a story for another day.” Egeria Shen rose to her feet and crossed over to Adrian and sat beside her. “Before you try, you must make your decision.”

            “I have a question then. If I have to stay here to heal Malvroy and Chase and I are still connected…does this mean that will be the only way I will see him?”

            “Chase has been placed on Earth for a reason Adrian. He is to protect Earth, it’s life source, it’s inhabitants and fulfill his destiny.”

            “I guess I’d have to take that as a yes.” Adrian huffed and then straightened her shoulders again.

            “Would you do that? Sacrifice being with your mate, sacrifice your sanity to heal Malvroy?” Egeria Shen tried not to smile, as this was the most important part of the prophecy; sacrifice.

            “Yes, yes I would. I love him, I do.” Adrian looked Egeria Shen in the eyes and nodded her head. Her tears clouded her sight but she continued to nod.

            “Very well.” The prophet rose from where she sat, touched a soft hand to Adrian’s forehead and exited the cave. Adrian was too shaken to follow; her chest shook as the tears overcame her.

            “Don’t worry about the people of Malvroy, Adrian. I prophesied that they would have a Healer and a Healer they will have.” Egeria had walked back into the cave; her clothes had the same reaction Adrian’s did to the water. She smiled and held out her hand.

            “Alright.” Adrian didn’t want to go out in front of the people with tears in her eyes. She wanted them to believe that she was happy to be their Healer. Standing and wiping her face, Adrian walked toward Egeria Shen and grabbed her hand. They walked forward to the entrance together, Adrian held her head high.

"The only way to be a writer is to write, write and write. The only way...is to write." -Jade Elyzabeth