"Please, sit." Saphir waved a hand in the direction of the table.
We soon discovered that the stone stools were attached to the floor and therefore immovable. I chose one at random, and Alar immediately claimed the one beside me. Codric and Shovia sat across from us, with Morek between Shovia and me on one side, and Ravel between Alar and Codric on the other. That still left three stools.
Saphir closed the door, and a click echoed. I wondered if we were locked in.
The shaman returned to the table, but instead of choosing one of the remaining stools, he circled the table while we all watched and waited, and the silence stretched.
"Are we waiting for something?" Ravel asked.
Saphir smiled. "Patience, Commander." He sat with a sigh that seemed to carry centuries. Moki climbed down and curled up on the table in front of him.
More silence.
I felt Morek shift restlessly. Codric had stopped examining the walls and focused entirely on Saphir.
Alar took my hand, in his warm one, and when he realized how cold it was, he reached for my other hand and sandwiched them between his. He knew what was coming and was trying to give me comfort the only way he knew how. But I wasn't the one who needed it.
I'd already made my peace with my role in saving the world, and Alar hadn't had a problem with it from the moment he'd learned about it. The guy had been born to be a savior. The others, though, wouldn't accept it with the same stoicism.
"You probably are wondering why I brought you all here," Saphir said. He waved around the chamber. "There's nothing truly remarkable about this room except the privacy it provides thanks to its intact door. The knowledge of smelting the metal it was made from is lost, which is a shame. It has stood for thousands of years without crumbling or corroding. All I had to do was manufacture a key for it."
His smile was probably meant to be reassuring, but it wasn't working.
I could feel Ravel's impatience. Or maybe I was sensing it through my connection to Onyx, who in turn had a connection to his rider. Then again, I didn't usually sense Ravel's moods unless I was close to Onyx, so perhaps the connection was more direct than I wanted to believe it was.
The one who connects—the words echoed in my head. Perhaps in time, I would feel the connection to all six members of our savior team.
"I see that you are impatient." Saphir put his hands on the table. "So, without further preamble, I'll get straight to the point. The six of you have been prophesied."
Stunned silence from four of us.
Alar's hands tightened around mine.
"Prophesied by whom?" Ravel asked.
Saphir cast him an incredulous look. "By Elu, of course."
"I thought all of Elu's original writings were lost," Ravel retorted.
"Not all. I found a book of prophecies written in the common language—likely transcribed by a shaman before the First Extinction War. It was preserved in a sealed metal container that was made from the same alloy as this door."
"Did you find it in this chamber?" Morek asked.
Saphir shook his head. "The labyrinth under the temple is vast, and many parts haven't been explored yet because of collapsed walls and ceilings. I found it in another chamber several levels beneath this one. It was maintained at constant temperature by geothermal heat, and the seal prevented any moisture from entering. The prophecy about the seven was on the first page."
"There are only six of us," Ravel said.
"The seventh is still missing." Saphir leaned forward. "My first indication that the prophecy was manifesting was the unprecedented event of an entire quintet qualifying for the dragon bond. Once I got to know each of you better, the designations became clearer."
"What designations?" Shovia asked.
"Oh." Saphir smoothed his hand over his beard. "I thought that I'd already recited the prophecy for you." He closed his eyesand lifted his face toward the ceiling. "Five would come as one, bound by threads of destiny, to join the one who was here first and wait for the seventh who would come in last. The one who tracks, the one who connects, the one who senses, the one who detects, the one with an impenetrable mind, the one who moves faster than thought, and the one whose destiny is shrouded from my sight."
Shovia sucked in a breath. Codric leaned forward. Morek went very still.
I'd heard the words before and had told them to Alar, but hearing Saphir speak them aloud to the group made them solidify in my mind.
"Which one am I?" Shovia asked.
