**** Chapter Nine: THE PROPHECY

**** Chapter Nine: THE PROPHECY

I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. I looked down. Amazingly, the grounds were even larger than I had thought. There was even a maze made out of thick bushes – just like in all the wizard movies I’d ever seen. I hated mazes. I could never forget the time I was lost in a maze of one of Killen's botanical reserves. I was five at the time and it was the longest ten minutes of my life before Daddy found me.

The castle was now in full view from the sky. It was very regal but also very ugly. It was a big gray cubical fortress with no high tapered towers or carvings or engraved designs; no gargoyles or angels or demonic statues anywhere and no eerie misty blankets wrapped around its high balustrades.

A long passageway on the castle’s east side disappeared into a large body of water. That must have been the tunnel we had been in. Was that the sea or a really, really large lake the passage disappeared into? It was only on one side of the castle. I wondered how it would be to swim in that gelatinous water.

Then I noticed the graveyard, extending beyond the borders of the meadows and into the scanty blue hued woods. I shivered as I recalled what Demon had told me about the graves there. Had he really? I shivered again.

Demon’s horse and Azure soared higher. I couldn't see anything below now, which was because I had my eyes closed tight. I had the heebie-jeebies.

We hadn't flown for long when Azure shouted over the wind, "We are there, Dee." I could feel his voice resonating through my legs to my head. It was so weird!

I opened one of my eyes to take a peek. We were flying between – mountains? It seemed to be another country, or possibly an entirely different continent. What continent was the Realm in anyway? Australia? Or the Indian Subcontinent? I’d read many exotic tales about those regions. But Demon said Realm was a different universe. And Volttus was the country that Demon ruled. It must be a huge country because the landscape here was very different from what I’d seen at the castle. Thick woods cloaked the lower slopes of huge white snowcapped peaks.

I opened my other eye too. How fast had we been traveling?

There were numerous trees below, all ancient and very tall; so tall that had we been flying just a little lower, we could’ve touched them with our feet. The mountains in the backdrop were snow-covered and yet the trees were spring green. I didn't feel cold and yet I felt the wind biting me. Bizarre!

I grabbed Azure’s silken blue mane tightly as my stomach churned with butterflies. I was afraid I’d slip. I’d never ridden a horse bareback and if this was the way they did things around these parts then I’d better train myself in their ways. Who knew how long I’d have to put up with all this freakishness?

We started our descent down toward what seemed like a thick blanket woven from thousands and thousands of trees. There was a small clearing in the middle. My stomach did a dance of its own as we dropped lower and then as softly as one puts a baby down, we touched ground.

No one had said a word for a while now. Demon dismounted. I would’ve done the same had my legs not gone to sleep. So Demon, with one swift but gentle move, had me in his arms again and set on the ground without giving me a chance to object.

“Is that your power? You have the ability to pick up women?” I said sarcastically.

“Not really. Women usually just sneak into my bedroom and throw themselves at me.” He gave me his typical smug me-king-you-nothing tone.

I turned my attention to Azure. He had just morphed back into his real self in one quick smooth motion. The tail went back in with a sucking motion, the neck and protruding mouth shrunk, hind legs became human legs. It was really cool. There was just a small ‘Shlurp’ sound and there he was.

"This is where we leave you,” Demon said to me. “We can walk no further. About half a mile ahead is the Lake of Lorez. It –”

“Lorez? What’s that?”

He stared at me for a second then continued as if I hadn’t interrupted at all.

“The lake,” he said, “holds the Elixir of Life. You must drink from it to unleash your powers and break the threat of being enslaved by anyone.”

"Okay – what?” I felt my head spinning with information overload. “The lake does what? And what do you mean you can’t walk any further? What’s Lorez? Why can't you come with me?”

“Because only Syhlains and Phromaz are allowed near the lake,” he said. “If I were to go near it, the water would spread onto the land and take me under.”

“You can’t fly and now you can’t swim? Or is it that water can kill you because you’re so evil? Don’t you have any powers?” This wasn’t merely funny it was annoying me now.

Demon shot Azure a stern look. “Kindly remind me again why it is so important to tolerate her – before I torch both of you!”

“Aoife! Honey!” Azure used an extra sugary voice. “All you have to do is drink the water. That’s it. You’ll unleash all your Syhlain powers then.”

I looked at him and then Demon. “I am not going anywhere alone. I am not drinking anything. And what the hell is Lorez?” I said it firmly. Who knew what these people were getting me into? Besides, why should I do what Demon wanted if he didn't have enough courtesy to answer simple questions – okay, all of my questions?

“Aoife, you need to drink the water. A sip is all you need,” Azure pleaded. “And that water will also make sure that you can’t be a slave to anyone. That’s the effect it has on

Syhlains. They get their powers and become immune to spells of enchantment.”

“How do I know that I can trust you?” I folded my arms, squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. “How do I know it won’t do the opposite and Demon here isn’t trying to kill me?”

“If I wanted you dead, you would be dead.” Demon ground his teeth. “What part of me being Demon King don’t you understand?”

“What part of me being able to whoop your ass don’t you understand?” I looked at Azure to confirm that statement. I had no idea what it meant but since Azure had said it back at the castle I presumed it was something I could throw at Demon if I needed to.

And I needed to throw something at him bad!

Azure nodded vigorously with a big toothy smile. Encouraged by his endorsement, I turned back to Demon. “And what do you mean being Demon King? What are your powers? What can you do?”

Demon turned to Azure and spoke icily. “Azure. Educate her. Handle this before I lose my patience.”

When he looked back at me, I froze. His eyes weren’t aqua or dreamy anymore. They were fierce like jagged crystals reflecting burning flames of an angry fire. He wasn’t a man then. He was a demon who – so plainly written in his seething stare – hated me. His hard heart danced naked in his scarlet eyes.

He hated me.

Stunned by his glare and stuck in the moment, I couldn’t look away from him. I wanted to. But I was stuck. I couldn’t look away. So he did it for me. He glanced back at Azure for one last time before he mounted his horse and took to the skies. I watched him leave as my eyes slowly began to flood. They stung sharply as I blinked back the tears and tried to be brave. It was tough. No one had ever disliked me let alone loathed me so viciously. I was the sweetheart where I came from. People loved me!

“We have no way of making you trust us, Aoife. Except if you want to trust us.” Azure’s voice seemed to be coming from inside a deep dry well. I heard him but I didn't hear him.

“He hates me.” I turned to Azure and whispered. “Why? What did I do?”

“Aoife –” Azure started to say but stopped, as if searching for proper words. “It’s complicated. I mean – he’s a demon and you’re a demon-slayer. At worst it was an instinctive reaction to – to – but you know – if you just go to the lake just one time! Just go to the lake and –”

“Fine!” I gave him a stiff smile. It was no use asking him. He was the freaking slave who got me into this mess! “I’ll go but you’re coming with me. Demon said Phromaz can go and you’re one so you are coming!”

“Indeed, I am one and the lake won’t affect me but I can’t go with you.” He took a deep breath. “Listen to me carefully. My race was entrusted by Lorez, the princess of the Syhlain Kingdom of Enth, to protect the Lake only until the appearance of the prophesied last Syhlain heiress. She would bear a red crescent on her body. And now, that heiress has arrived.”

“Red crescent? My birthmark?” I sucked back all my tears and tried to get back into the moment.

He nodded. “The prophecy was about you, Aoife. This is all about you. So you have to go alone. Just this once.”

I nodded though the narration hadn’t fully sunk in. I was what? A prophecy? Last Syhlain? What happened to the others? So Lorez was a princess but what did that have to do with me? And exactly what powers was I gonna get?

“But how do I know you won’t leave like Demon did?” I swallowed hard to push out my drowning voice. I didn't like Demon at all for making me feel this way.

“On my honor,” Azure said. “I’ll wait for you here.”

I sighed and with a defeated farewell nod to him, went into the woods.