Corym removed a key from around his neck and unlocked a drawer. He pulled out a scroll and handed it to me.
I unrolled it carefully, afraid the aged paper would fall apart in my hands. “I can’t read this,” I said, holding the fragile papyrus gingerly with the tips of my fingers.
“Of course, apologies,” Corym said. “That scroll contains the rest of the story which has been withheld from all of Rivella since the time of the first Diamond King.” He paused, as if letting anticipation build. “Would you like to know what it says?”
I was pretty sure I didn’t.
“Yeah, okay.”
Corym clasped his hands together and settled back against his desk. “The scroll details the rest of what occurred between the Walker and the Diamond King. How they decided that the fate of their magic could not be left to chance. The Walker called upon his most beloved human, a silver-haired female, and placed a dormant kernel of his Walker magic into her blood to be passed through the generations. Within the king, he placed a kernel of his stolen creation magic. He said that one day, when the two came together, the powerful child would be born. Only this descendant of the king and the silver-haired female would be strong enough to stand before the rifts and separate the ley lines, restoring magic throughout Rivella once more.”
Tense silence filled the library after Corym finished speaking and he watched me for any response to his life-altering words.
I wanted to say it wasn’t possible. I wasn’t some chosen savior of a far off land. That was fairy tale garbage. I was just an orphan from Passaic, New Jersey.
But as my hand slid to the top of my head where the silver streaks that I religiously dyed would soon begin showing at my roots, I knew in my gut that I was the one who was wrong.
Chapter ten
I always hated the word destiny. And fate. They were just flowery ways of saying you have no control of your life so nothing you do matters.
“No,” I said, giving Corym my best defiant glare.
“Apologies, Princess, but I do not understand," he replied, furrowing his brow.
“Did I stutter? I said 'no.' As in, 'no, I don’t give a shit about some ancient prophecy.' Or maybe 'hell no am I going to get sucked into this madness.' Take your pick, but it still comes out as 'no.'”
I knew I was being a bitch, but I didn’t care anymore. I’d been at the whims of these people ever since I landed in this strange world, and I was done with it.
Shock didn’t really describe Corym’s expression so much as horrified. Like the thought of someone not wanting to fulfill a prophecy was unfathomable.
“But… but…” he sputtered, at a loss for words.
I handed him the scroll, then wandered back over to the chairs where I slumped down, leaning my head back to view the mural again. It really was spectacular.
“Look, I get it. You guys think I’m the one all this refers to. And maybe I am. I’m willing to accept that the king of this place is my father because he looks just like me, and I’m not surprised to hear my mom was human. But none of this means anything to me. I have a life back home and someone who needs me. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. You’re going to have to wait for the next human and king offspring.”
Dey joined me, kneeling beside my chair. “Princess…”
“Stop. I’m not a princess. I’m not a savior. I’m just Rain.”
He shook his head sadly. “You are wrong. This…” he gestured to the mural, “…is who youare. You are not just some girl from the Other Realm. You never were. Surely you must have realized at some point that you did not belong there?”
I hated that he was right. I always thought I didn’t fit in because I was an orphan. I didn’t know anything about my parents, and by extension I didn’t know anything about me. I had no siblings. No grandparents. No one to tell me how I might turn out based on my genetics. Of course I would feel lost.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” I croaked out, trying to hide the catch in my voice. “I get it. You grew up with all this. It’s very real for you, but it’s just a story for me. Saying I’m the chosen one doesn’t magically make me believe it.”
I stood up, threw back my shoulders and faced Corym, giving him a look of firm resolution. “I can’t help you,” I insisted, staring him down and daring him to say anything to the contrary.
“I am afraid it is not that simple,” came a voice from behind me, and I whipped around to see my father standing in the doorway.
“Thank you for your help, old friend,” he said, crossing the room to clap Corym on the shoulder. “I will take over from here. Raynella and I have much to discuss.”
“Yes, of course,” Corym said, rolling up the scroll he had been clutching for dear life. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Raynella. If you have any questions after speaking with your father, I am most often here in the library.”
“Thanks,” I said, then left to follow my father, leaving Corym sitting on his desk looking a little like a lost puppy.
“Where are we going?” I asked as my father led Dey and I back up into the castle proper.
