Bakkian Chronicles, Book I - The Prophecy (27 page)

Sarah blinked. “Truth? Your jhorun makes you tell the truth?”

Smiling, the queen shook her head. “I have the ability to cause others, in my presence, to speak the truth.”

Steve was amazed. So that was why he had felt compelled to tell the queen all those things about his past and his family. That was a very powerful jhorun and a valuable one at that, considering her status.

The Nayan looked at Sarah. “Did ye mention what jhorun ye possess or did I miss it?”

Sarah shook her head. “You didn’t miss it as I haven’t mentioned it to anyone yet. I’m still learning to control mine. Steve has more control over his than I do. Mine appears to be teleportation.”

Kri’Entu whistled. “A fire thrower and a teleporter. The Bakkian could not have predicted a stronger pair of jhoruns to protect our son.”

Steve held up his hands in protest. “Now wait, just wait a damn minute. You haven’t even asked if we’re willing to take on the role of these Nohrin. You don’t know us, and we’re certainly not prepared to take care of a kid, let alone yours.”

“
There is no need. The Bakkian is unfolding right before our very eyes. Ye see, tension has been rising in the north, with Ylani,” the king explained. “The threat of physical harm to our son is greater than ever. Even abduction is a strong likelihood. As ye can imagine, I will do everything in my power to prevent that. So as elements of the Bakkian began to appear right before my very eyes, I had begun to wonder if it was time for the
Nohrin
to appear. Much to my delight, two foreigners appeared in our midst.”

Steve snorted. “The two of us appeared because there’s some damn portal in my grandparents house that we accidentally activated, and now we’re here. I doubt very much we have anything to do with this ancient prophecy of yours.”

The Kri’yans looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.

Steve was literally at a loss for words. How could he make them understand? They were American, not Lentarian. There’s no way the two of them could be mixed up in this. Struggling to come up with some other avenue to
argue
, Sarah stepped in.

“
Maybe you could tell us about this prophecy. Can we hear it? If this concerns us, as you believe it does, don’t you think it would be prudent to let those affected hear it for themselves?”

Already liking this foreign woman immensely, Callé put a restraining hand on her husband’s arm. Kri’Entu appeared poised to argue as well, and she was getting a headache. With each of them desiring to steer their husbands away from imminent hostilities, the queen met Steve’s gaze and silenced him without saying a word.

“
Ye have no doubt travelled a great distance today, and probably have been doing so since arriving in our kingdom, of that I am certain. Have ye supped yet? Perhaps the two of ye would like to rest. We have much to discuss.” Without waiting for an answer, she looked at her husband. The king nodded. He had not fathomed this aspect of the prophecy, namely that the Nohrin would blindly stumble into their midst and be completely unaware of their own destinies. It was a lot to digest. Best to give them a while to come to terms with their newfound responsibilities.

“
Tristan.”

A tall, bald soldier standing so quietly he was practically invisible in the shadows, stepped forward immediately. He bowed.

“
Sir.”

“
Please escort the Nohrin, er, our new guests, to a suitable chamber.”

“
Aye, sir.” The soldier bowed once more and held out an arm, directing them out of the Great Hall.

“
If ye feel up to it,” Ny’Callé called out after them, “return in an hour’s time. I’m sure the two of ye will have many questions.”

“
Ain’t that the truth,” Steve muttered.

The husband was very direct, not masking his emotions well at all, Callé mused. This was someone she could trust her son with. “We will talk later, I promise ye, Steve. Ye deserve to know everything, and ye will.”

Following the soldier from the Great Hall, they walked silently through the castle, pa
ssing bustling kitchen maids, servants, and soldiers patrolling the halls. Ascending a large spiral staircase, they came upon a wide hall with large archways, lit by torches on either side. Each archway had a large, wooden door recessed into the wall. Leading them past the first dozen or so doors, they finally came to the end of the hall. Two torches were lit, illuminating a large portico and an even larger wooden door.

Tristan opened the door for them and gestured for them to go inside.

“
This will be yer quarters for the duration of yer stay in the castle. I will have some provisions sent up. Once ye are ready, ring the bell,” he indicated a rope hanging down from the ceiling in a corner on the far wall, “and I will return to escort the two of ye back to the Great Hall. For the record,” he added, “I am very glad the two of ye are finally here.”

With that, he gently closed the door, leaving the two utterly baffled Americans staring at each other.

“
Okay, what the hell just happened here?” Steve demanded. “We just became babysitters, didn’t we?”

Sarah walked over to the closest seat, a large plush green couch, and sank down onto it. The surreal moment still hadn’t passed for her, ever since being informed that she was one of the
Nohrin
, the royal babysitters it would seem. How? How could they be the ones from that prophecy? It was by sheer accident that they stumbled across the portal to Lentari, wasn’t it?

Moments later, Steve joined her on the couch. There was so much going through his head that he didn’t even know where to begin. Clearly these people have made a serious mistake. How could they, who hadn’t even been here a week, be the people from this centuries old prophecy? This had to be nipped in the bud, and done so rapidly.

Staring straight ahead, Sarah sighed heavily. “So what do you think about all this?”

“
That they’re all off their rocker. Just because we happen to be outsiders does not mean we fit this
prophecy
thing. They have clearly made a mistake. Plain and simple.”

“
But what about your jhorun? If what they say is true, then you have a super strong, super rare jhorun! I can see how the king and queen might see that as being the perfect jhorun to compliment the responsibilities of caring for their son.”

“
Are you telling me that you’re buying in to all this? You believe we’re the people from this prophecy?”

Sarah leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, which happened to be display a very masterful fresco depicting several groups of griffins in flight. Admiring the handiwork, she slowly surveyed the room, taking in the tastefulness of the decorations, the carvings, and the paintings. The fireplace appeared to have carved marble figurines decorating the mantel. The three windows in the room (suite?) had thick, dark green drapes drawn across, thus allowing as much privacy as was possible. In the far corner sat a plush chair, also dark green, next to several bookcases full of old tomes. Rising up off the couch, she wandered over to the bookcases to see what types of books they contained. Books on history, care for exotic creatures, and the like met her eye. There, next to the chair, was the rope Tristan had referenced before. Must be the medieval equivalent of a telephone, she mused.

“
Well?” Steve prompted.

“
What does this room tell you?” Sarah’s hand swept the surrounding area. “Do you think that we’re in a simple guest quarters or do you think we just might be in the best room of the castle?”

“
What does that have to do with anything?”

“
It tells me that they truly believe we’re the Nohrin. They believe we’re here to protect their son. And I have to tell you,” Sarah admitted, “I actually think that we are.” Seeing her husband’s shocked look, she took his hands in hers. “Listen to me. Look at the facts. We have powerful jhorun. We’re outsiders, and once we figure out how to get back home, who best to care for this boy than us? We can take him to a completely different world!”

The final piece of the puzzle slid into place. She was right. They alone in this kingdom could offer this endangered child the best level of protection. They could keep him safely on their world where nobody from this one could touch him.

He sighed deeply. Sarah angled her head to study his expression. Yes, it looks like we finally have some comprehension in there.

How was it possible, Steve wondered, that it could be foretold several hundred years ago that they would be here in this place? More magic, he presumed. If he had the magical ability to control fire, then it’s feasible that someone might have the ability to predict the future, see premonitions, etc. He sighed again.

Sarah smiled at the man she loved more than anyone else. “Tell you what, let’s have something to eat, freshen up, and see what the king and queen have to say, okay?”

He nodded. “I don’t feel that hungry. But-” he held up a hand as Sarah took a breath, “let’s have something to eat and then we can go down and chat with them. The only real thing I want to know is how the hell to get home.”

****

An hour later, the two of them were ready to confront the Kri’yans once more, so
Sarah
tugged on the rope. She cocked her head, expecting to hear some type of sound. Nothing. In less than five seconds, there was a curt knock. Walking over to the entrance to their room, she opened the door to reveal Tristan smiling at them. Had he been waiting out there all this time? Could he have heard anything that they had talked about? As discreetly as possible, she ran her fingers over the door. Very solid. No eavesdropping here.

Steve rose from the couch. “We’re ready to see the king and queen.”

“
Excellent,” came the crisp, clear tone of his voice. “If ye would follow me, please.”

This time, the efficient solder took them to a richly decorated chamber away from the Great Hall, and away from prying eyes and ears.

“
Where are we?” Steve asked.

“
We are in the Antechamber. There is protective magic all throughout this room, so ye may talk freely. Oh, I should mention to the two of ye that this room is enchanted against virtually all jhorun.”

Steve stared at the soldier. “Why did you tell us that? Do you think we’ll try to hurt someone?”

“
I mention it only to warn ye, friend. If ye try to use yer jhorun, and nothing happens, then ye will know why.”

Steve visibly relaxed. “Oh, my misunderstanding then. Sorry.”

Tristan left the room, closing the doors behind them. Steve and Sarah looked at each other.

“
Think our jhoruns will work here?” she whispered to him.

“
I’d like to try,” Steve whispered back, eyeing the burning logs in the hearth.

At that moment Kri’Entu and Ny’
Callé
entered
the room. “Steve, Sarah, ye appear much more relaxed than when we parted.” The king gestured to four plush chairs set in a circle by the fire. “Please, sit, rest. We have much to talk about.”

The queen looked at her two guests. Steve wasn’t fidgeting, or rolling his eyes, or showing any signs of the skepticism that he had demonstrated from their previous meeting. He and his wife must have had a long talk.

As the king talked with Steve, chatting about what his world was like,
Callé
observed her
future
babysitters. They were completely at ease with one another. They were holding hands! Clearly these two get along well together. The perfect Nohrin.

Sarah felt as though she was being watched. She glanced over to the queen and met her eyes. The queen smiled at her. Feeling nothing but kindness emanating from the refreshingly direct queen, Sarah felt herself trusting her more and more. When the men paused in their conversation about wildlife native to the kingdom, the queen took the opportunity to ask a question she was dying to know.