The Prophecy of the Gems (6 page)

“What’s inside this country? What is it called?” asked Jade.

“It’s called Fairytale. Magic creatures live there, and warm-hearted people … But I can’t really tell you about them, because I’ve never been there. You’ll have to ask my son. I only know all this because of his letters. He told me that any child may enter this land, because what is unreal to adults is normal to a child.”

“What did your son do there?”

“What did he do? He helped people, he had unbelievable adventures, risking his life and battling against evil forces.”

“It sounds like something out of a storybook!” said Jade incredulously.

“Anything can happen in Fairytale. But my son began to miss his own country and, turning his back on the glory and happiness of Fairytale, he decided to come home. Not many people just decide to leave like that. Some simply stop believing in everything that surrounds them and wake up one day back in their own beds. They can never return to Fairytale. But with Jean, it was different. He just wanted to see his childhood home again.

“Now, it just so happened that the Council of Twelve decided to outlaw travellers. Jean was arrested by the Knights of the Order and spent three long years in prison. Afterwards he was obliged to find a profession. Since he could no longer travel except through reading, he became a second-hand-book seller. Ten years ago, however, the Council of Twelve forbade all communication by letter, and since then I’ve received no news from him. He is not allowed to leave the city of Nathyrnn, where he is being watched constantly.”

“I was going to give you one of my priceless pieces of jewellery to thank you for your hospitality,” said Jade, “but I think I can do better than that. Although it might take a while, I promise I’ll send you news of your son.”

ONCE MORE, THE
three girls found themselves walking across the dukedom of Divulyon. To avoid drawing attention to themselves, they made a detour around the villages and avoided fields where peasants were working. Nathyrnn was still very far away.

Amber carried the basket filled with provisions that Jade had brought. During the night in the stable, she had been so worried! She and Opal had spent a long time wondering what Jade was getting up to. Thanks to her active imagination, Amber had come up with a thousand different scenarios, and she shivered at the
possible consequences of what Jade might have done. Opal had remained her usual calm self, however, explaining to Amber that she lived only in the present, never looked back on the past, but did not fear the future, either. Jade could do whatever she wanted, and worrying about it wouldn’t change a thing.

Gradually the conversation had taken another turn. Amber had spoken freely, describing with feeling the world she had left behind. She recreated her daily life for Opal, who was astonished at the love Amber showed for everything. Amber talked about how she watched the moon and the stars, breathed the perfume of every wild flower, ran barefoot in the cool grass, swam in the clear water of the lake. She also explained how much she loved sunshine, and making up marvellous stories, listening to other people and helping them, and reading tales (which were forbidden, it was true, but which she had secretly enjoyed in the home of a generous and learned man). Opal drank in every word. Amber had been happy, she admitted, even though she had lived in the most abject poverty. She had suffered, it was true, but that had only made her happiness more precious. And then, her
mother had died … Amber did not tell Opal about her sorrow; it was still too soon for that. But she thanked Opal for listening to her, and realised that by confiding in Opal, she had established a bond, albeit a fragile one, between them.

Now that they were on their way to Nathyrnn, Amber studied Opal. She was certain the girl was not as heartless as she seemed. The night before, Opal had been awakened by a nightmare, and Amber had seen terror in her eyes, as if she were hoping to be rescued. Opal had murmured feverishly about dark, threatening faces and a danger that was very near.

“They’re out there, quite close to us! I’m the one they know about — I should never have gone into the room. And now it’s too late.”

Amber had soothed her in a soft voice, and the two girls had quickly fallen asleep again.

Now Amber turned wearily to Jade.

“Have we still got far to go?” she moaned.

“Yes,” came the curt reply. “I’ve already explained three times that we have to go to Nathyrnn to find this Jean Losserand, to talk to him about the symbol and make him tell us about his journey to Fairytale.”

“I don’t believe in tales and in that magic land,” said Opal bluntly. “The Council of Twelve has outlawed fairy tales. I’ve never read any and I’ve done just fine without them.”

“Well, I believe in that place,” declared Amber. “I’ve always made up stories like that, and I love to tell them. I’d really like to go there — to Fairytale! Jade, what about you?”

“Of course I’ve read fairy tales! In my palace, there was an old philosopher named Théodon. He obeyed the Council of Twelve — in his own way — and I don’t think he was afraid of them. He’s the one who gave me tales to read and taught me lots of things.”

“Lots of things?” jeered Opal. “You’d never know it!”

Jade was about to reply when Amber intervened.

“Calm down! We can’t start squabbling like children every time we talk. Jade, you hadn’t finished. You believe in this country, in magic, in the unreal?”

“I’d like to believe,” answered Jade, after a moment’s thought. “This land does exist, I’m certain of that. But who lives there? Is Fairytale a magic place or simply a legend? I need to hear about Jean Losserand’s experiences, and then perhaps I’ll be truly convinced.”

Since no one could think of anything to add, the conversation was over. Once again a stubborn silence reigned.

Jade tried to think about what Nathyrnn and Jean Losserand were like, but she couldn’t imagine the stories he would tell them, so she began considering instead the questions she would ask the former traveller. She was consumed with impatience and exasperated at having to walk so far — too far, in her opinion.

Amber was thinking back to that morning, when she’d been so worried about Jade; only to see her turn up with a basket laden with food and announce, with a disconcerting smile, “We’re leaving for Nathyrnn.”

Questioned eagerly by Amber, Jade had told them everything. Opal had listened quietly, but Amber had caught her breath in surprise: the old woman at the farmhouse had behaved so cordially — that didn’t sound like her at all!

Jade had spoken at length about Fairytale. During that part of her report, Amber had drifted into a daydream. She saw herself crossing the magnetic field of that wondrous land, in a truly magical setting, and
she began to invent detailed adventures that drew her into this enchanted world.

“Amber!”

Startled from her reverie, Amber gave Jade a puzzled look.

“Amber, can’t you see that something’s wrong with Opal?”

Turning towards Opal, Amber saw that she had stopped a little way behind them: her face was frozen in fright, her eyes fixed and vacant.

“I tried to shake her — she didn’t move,” continued Jade. “And you just kept on walking!”

“My mind was somewhere else,” protested Amber.

“Opal seems to be somewhere else as well. Personally, I couldn’t care less, but I suppose it might be serious.”

The two girls spoke to Opal and tried to rouse her from her trance. In her distress, Amber felt overwhelmed with remorse, even though Opal’s plight was hardly her fault. Then all of a sudden, Opal seemed to return to reality. The mask of terror vanished, but when she tried to say something, she abruptly fainted. With a cry, Amber fell to her knees beside her. Jade merely stood there watching, but her eyes betrayed a
concern she would rather not have felt. Luckily, Opal regained consciousness in a few minutes.

“What happened to you?”

Opal hesitated, trying to find exactly the right words to describe everything she had experienced.

“Someone sent me a message, but he did not reveal his identity. First, a dreadful pain flooded through me, and I felt helpless as my body grew rigid. I was numb with suffering. Then a man’s voice spoke to me: it was harsh, and echoed inside my head, saying that I would be the first to die. Each word hurt me. Then the voice said that I was under its control and that there was nothing I could do to change things.”

“One of our enemies who hadn’t anything better to do than torment a poor girl,” interrupted Jade. “That’s pitiful!”

“No,” disagreed Amber. “This does look serious: someone has contacted Opal using telepathy.”

“The voice also sent me some images,” continued Opal. “First, a vision of a city. I’m certain it was Nathyrnn. And then, on top of all that incredible pain, I started to feel unbelievably sick. Then the voice said, ‘We will meet in this city.’ Next I saw an
enormous book with gold letters stamped on it: it was called
The Prophecy.
It was covered in blood. The voice invaded my mind and said: ‘The Prophecy will not come to pass the way others would have wished, but on one point, it tells the truth: you will die! As for the Chosen One, he will fall as well. But you will be the first to succumb, and it will be you who betrays them all. You are in my power and you will obey me automatically.’”

“It has to be a lie!” cried Amber.

Suddenly Jade felt she couldn’t hate Opal any more, and she didn’t want to humiliate her with a cutting remark. Perhaps Opal was not as unfeeling as she tried to appear; in fact, at that moment, Jade found her almost touching, for Opal was quietly crying.

“I know that every word is true,” she said in a muffled voice. “I’m convinced of it.”

“Not at all,” replied Amber reassuringly. “Opal, you know perfectly well that voice wanted to hurt you and was certainly lying to you.”

“No. I’d like to believe that, but I know it was all true. The voice told me even more things.”

Opal’s tears were flowing faster now. She had
managed to calm down a little, but she was too terrified by the message to be completely in control of herself.

“The rest of it!” demanded Jade brusquely. “Tell us what else the voice said.”

“If it doesn’t upset you too much,” added Amber quickly.

“The rest of the message was absolutely true. The voice tried to use a softer tone, but it was hoarse and rough. It told me that it knew me better than I knew myself and that I had never excelled in anything at all, that I’d never felt love, or sadness, or joy, or compassion, or fear. It added that I had never been considerate of other people, or taken an interest in anything. That I had only been a burden for those around me, that I was nothing. Nothing! Its last words were that no one had been able to love me and that no one ever would. And all that is completely accurate. It’s the truth.”

Surprisingly Opal did not burst out sobbing. On the contrary, she choked back her tears and held her head up with dignity.

“I won’t be that girl,” she declared. “If no one loves me, that’s too bad! But at least now I don’t need to pretend any more that I have no feelings.”

Impressed and a little embarrassed, her two companions said nothing. Jade’s earlier compassion had vanished, and she had almost laughed at the whole scene, but Amber had silenced her with a warning look.

Unable to keep quiet any longer, Jade finally said, “It doesn’t change a thing — we’re still going to Nathyrnn! And we should get going again right away We’ll deal with this message later. In any case, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

“I’d like to consult our Stones,” replied Amber. “I don’t like this business with the voice.”

“You’re scared!” said Jade mockingly.

“Yes, I am — so what? Don’t you reckon I should be? I think I have good reason to be scared, and anyway I’m not like you.”

“Like me?”

“Yes, so high and mighty that I never admit how I feel.”

“Excuse me? Are you criticising me, or what?”

“No, I’m simply making an observation. OK, OK, let’s get out the Stones. End of discussion.”

Jade’s green eyes flashed for a second as her fury began to kindle, but then it quickly died down. Each
girl took her Stone from its purse and held it tightly. Nothing happened. Disappointed, Amber and Opal wondered what had gone wrong, but Jade’s anger flared up again.

“We have no choice: we have to go to Nathyrnn,” she insisted.

Amber agreed, but Opal protested immediately.

“No! Absolutely not! Whoever sent me the message told me I would meet him there. I can’t go. It’s impossible.”

“That’s right,” admitted Amber. “Perhaps you’re in real danger. Let’s avoid that city.”

Jade held her tongue for a moment. She could have been stubborn, explaining once more her desire to meet Jean Losserand, to understand the mystery of Fairytale and the meaning of the symbol. And yet, she kept quiet. Even if she was incredibly selfish (which she would never have believed, let alone admitted), even she did not want to put Opal’s life at risk. No matter how shallow she was, Jade was also intelligent. She realised that there was something odd about what the voice had said. She stood there, lost in thought, and all at once found the flaw in the message.

“We’re going to Nathyrnn,” she announced confidently. “Trust me, no one is in any danger.”

Satisfied to see his authority respected by the Council of Twelve, the Thirteenth Councillor began to speak, and the walls trembled at the hollow sound of his voice.

“Opal is under my control,” he announced calmly. “It all went just as I had wished. She believed every word I said.”

Admiration now joined the fear felt by the councillors. He stared at them haughtily for a moment, considering their greedy faces, their white hair and dull eyes. He himself did not know what old age was.

“What will happen now?” the Third Councillor ventured to ask. He was an elderly man, but still naive and easily influenced.

“There is no need for you to know.”

“Of course, naturally,” stammered the Third Councillor.