Chapter 33
“Wake up, children, we don’t have very long.”
Mayra’s eyes opened onto a field of white. There was nothing there, just whiteness as far as the eye could see. She turned her head and found Nojan staring at her.
“Hello,” he said, his expression as confused as she felt.
Mayra turned back and noticed that where there was nothing but white, a woman now stood. She was a petite woman, small even, with blond hair and kind eyes. Her garment was the pure gold of sunrise reflected in water.
“Hello,” Mayra said, feeling foolish.
The woman smiled. “I’m sorry to rush things, but what we’re doing is very dangerous. It won’t be long before Sanri recharges her powers and snares you both again in her illusions. And my being here is sure to set off all kinds of alarms among the Seekers. So let’s cut to the chase, shall we?”
“Who are you?” Nojan asked, recovering his wits before Mayra could.
“My name is Sveta, but you probably know me by my official title, the Goddess of Light.”
Mayra’s mouth fell open. “You’re… you’re the Goddess of Light?” The woman was nothing like she would have expected. Sure, she was beautiful, and her voice was like music, but could a goddess be that short?
“I know it’s amazing, but we’ll have to assume some basic level of belief here, guys. After all, you both prayed to me.”
“And you came.” Mayra felt a sudden welling of hope and it scared her.
“But I can’t stay. I can only stick around long enough to give you some much needed information. I know you’ve located my daughter Jazmine, and that you seek to rescue my son, Caleb. I cannot thank you enough for your aid. Unfortunately, I cannot get near Danzmin, not so close to the final battle.”
“The Battle of the End?” Nojan asked.
“Yes, that’s what the prophecies call it. And you, my friends, are very necessary allies in the coming conflict. But you’re not the only allies. When my twins were still in my womb, I sought to assemble a group of Guardians to protect my babies. I called upon the Partinthians, angelic beings who had foregone the flesh to exist as pure spirit. Seven of them agreed to protect my offspring, and in return, I granted each a special gift. One of these gifts was the ability to see into the future.”
Mayra gasped. “Like an oracle?”
“Exactly. Unluckily for them, the Crown Prince of Hell learned of my plan and he devised his own special task force, one that was created to hunt down my children and those who had promised to guard them. He called them the Seekers, and these demons came to Partinth not long after I departed, and using the powers bestowed upon them by the Crown Prince, they scattered the Guardians to the winds of space, their memories wiped, their powers forgotten and locked inside them. Every now and then, these Partinthian spirits manifest in earthly bodies, and when they do, I try to unlock their memories, often to no avail.”
Nojan’s eyes widened. “Are you saying… You’re saying that Mayra is a Partinthian? One of these spirits in human form?”
“You know, you’re a very smart man,” the goddess said with a smile. “Yes. I believe the spirit might have come into you in the womb, perhaps at the moment of conception. I think it was drawn to you, as the last of the line of Arth. It chose to imbue you with the real version of the fraudulent power your family had claimed for ages. You literally are the Great Oracle of Territh. But you’re also one of the Seven Guardians.”
The white field around them began to pulsate. “And that’s my cue. I’m sorry, kids, but I’ve got to be going. Any longer, and I risk being detected by the Crown Prince’s minions. Sanri has almost recovered her strength, and you’ll soon find yourself trapped in another of her illusions. That’s her power as a Seeker. To bind people in hallucinations of her making. But be sure, they are not real.”
“Goddess, don’t go. You have to help us.”
“There’s nothing I can do,” the goddess said, shaking her head sadly. “It’s up to you to break free of the illusion before the ship you’re both on reaches Danzmin.” She stepped forward, suddenly close enough to kiss them both on the foreheads. “I have faith in you both, just as you had faith in me. Fight Sanri and you can defeat her. She’s overtaxed, embroiling you both in separate illusions. Don’t give up.”
Suddenly, the lovely girl in the golden dress was gone. Mayra felt Nojan grab her hand and she turned to him, desperation writ large on her features.
“We can do this,” he said. “We can defeat her. Believe in us. In yourself. You’re stronger than her.”
“I’m scared,” Mayra said, blinking back tears.
“So am I,” he answered. “But my love for you is greater than my fear.”
Mayra let out a sob, ready to say the words back, but suddenly, she was thrust into darkness. She blinked, and she was back in the garden courtyard, watching as Demaylia paced in front of a bound Nojan.
“Perhaps if we cover his body in a million tiny cuts,” the princess was saying to her father, who was licking his greasy lips in anticipation, “then we can accomplish both our goals. I will bleed him slow, and you can enjoy the torture that it brings.”
This isn’t real.Mayra could see now how shabby the illusion was, how it frayed at the edges. The characters were two-dimensional, the plot trite and overblown. “I’m not going to fall for this Sanri,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
The feline princess came skipping over to where Mayra still rested on her knees. “What’s the matter, oracle? Has your mind snapped like before? Still hearing voices?”
