Chapter Fifteen

“When are you sending me away?” Tagor sat quietly in the atrium waiting for the druid to arrive. It had been several months since he had a vision to write, but the last one had left him not ever wanting to write one again.

“Once Mora’s child is born you will be heading far north where I stayed during my solitude.” Amadagu’s eyes locked onto his as he spoke. “You will have to take your writing with you.”

“I don’t ever want to have these visions again. Ever since I met you I find myself lost.” Tagor stopped suddenly holding back the emotions.

“Seeing death is always hard, particularly when it is someone you care deeply for. Even worse is seeing someone you care about become something you abhor. It is a terrible price we pay. It is not something you can run from. For this reason alone you will be leaving.” The druid set his hands upon some other volumes and dropped his head in a sigh.

“Why don’t we simply stop it? I have seen what you can do. Why do you not simply stop it all?” Tagor questioned as a flash of anger swept across his face. “You move mountains, literally and you don’t bother to stop this. Wipe that demon from the Terra and end all of this damn you.”

Amadagu spun druid fire flamed from his eyes. “You don’t think in the eons I have tried that? I have wiped out entire races of creatures and people. I have scorched more earth and torched more skies than any creature should ever be allowed. No matter the course, it has not swayed. The names change, the actions do not. Over and over again the cycles continue.”

“Then what is the point? Why do I bother to write this?” Tagor questioned, his voice booming suddenly. “I am tired of living in service; I just want to be left alone.”

“And this is why you must go.” Amadagu immediately calmed. “You have been gifted something that will cause your mind to wretch and twist. If it is done around others, you will do things to those around you. Things that will twist your very essence into a blackened tar you will never be able to clean yourself of.”

“Then Xhuri is a cruel God and deserves no devotion at all. He is no better than Rhiya!”

As the words left his mouth, Amadagu was on him, slapping him with a fiery hand. The air around him crackled as the druids hand hit his cheek. In his mind it felt as if lightning was ripping through him.

“Never again will I hear you speak such. All you see around you is a part of something larger, much larger. Your words hold more power than that of the common folk around you. You have a duty, like it or not, to see whatever happens to its end. How it ends for you is still completely up to you.” Heavily Amadagu sat down still looking at Tagor.

“To the shadows with it all.” Tagor muttered as he turned away and saw Delvakhan and Mora watching them both.

Dropping his eyes from them, Tagor attempted to quickly leave. Passing Delvakhan his hand for just an instant touched his arm. Instantly he fell to the ground and screamed out holding his head. As each of them attempted to help him up, he continued to push them away roughly continuing to scream out.

With a strong grip, Amadagu took Tagor by the shoulders. The air around them condensed as Tagor became calm and finally dropped his hands from his head. Opening his eyes, Mora and Delvakhan gasped while Amadagu swore under his breath. Tagor’s eyes were milky white orbs, all color drained from them. For several moments he stood still looking off into an unknown distance.

A strange language escaped from Tagor’s lips catching Amadagu off guard. As Mora began to question, Amadagu held up his hand. Waiting another moment, he began to translate.

“The Seer awakens while an empire crumbles and a child is born. She who would be a God marks her cycle of birth as the plague claims her old debt. Chosen of the South shall be lost and then found as the Guardian betrays. That which is dead will find life and that which is life shall entrench within death.

Fiend of Death fears only Bohr Wethrin, yet so long as it sleeps the devout will suffer. Fear not the Fathers for in the sons all are set right. If the sons are broken She who would be a God shall be born as the sky emits her fire.

Seek the Daughter of the Seas and Book of Souls she guards and know the life read. Protect what is hers as the First Brood slumbers only so long as the Book is not read. Mark this as the era ending and the façade takes its power.

Only as the world erupts can the façade break and the true end be sealed by the final combination of blood. Yet the Siblings will sunder Terra and only in that wake shall the Will of the One be done.”

Emotion was drained from Tagor’s face as he finished his speech and moved toward the table he typical wrote from. Taking the book without opening his eyes, he flipped to a particular page and handed it to Amadagu.

“It matches the Boh Modrin doesn’t it Timewalker?” Tagor asked directly but calmly.

“Yes it does.” Amadagu answered without reading it. “I am sorry Tagor; there was no way I could tell you.”

“I have no anger Timewalker. Heed the words and maybe this time they will save you.”

Tagor turned from the druid and stood in front of Mora. Carefully he took her sash and made a blindfold for himself. Saying nothing more, he left the atrium in slow careful steps.

“What was that?” Mora questioned, standing in one place stunned.

“That was the trigger of the most dangerous prophecy beginning. My student becomes the Seer of Terra and the Apocalyptic Prophecy engulfs the world.” Amadagu said as he closed his eyes.

“And what does that mean exactly.” Mora asked both anger and fear filled her eyes.

“It means the war has begun and many many people are going to die. At the end is the end of everything, existence itself wiped from Terra.” He stated. “We have to figure out the references.”

“Mora help me get every tome with my sigil on it we have to search for the references. Delva, get your Uncle we need all the help we can get in finding what we need.”

“Why not just get everyone?” The young man questioned.

“Because only those involved in the prophecy are safe in reading it.” Amadagu waved the young man away as he began looking over tomes and pulling some out. “Hurry up Lord Delva, go.”

Already Mora had a small stack of records growing on the table nearest to her. Suddenly she took a knee and groaned; one hand steadied her while the other immediately went to the low part of her stomach.

“By the Light now?” Amadagu yelled as he saw Mora. “Delva get the nursemaids and hurry.”

“It’s not possible... to be having birth yet.” Mora stated behind painful breaths.

“A bit early isn’t uncommon considering how active you have been. But trust me; the child is coming right now.” Taking off his robe exposing a great deal of his skin, Mora gasped as she saw all the scars.

“Ama, what is that?” She continued her labored breathing as she absently touched a few of the scars.

“Memories Mora. Now try to keep breathing and whatever you do, ignore your instincts a bit. Your body will want to push the baby out; you have to not do it.” He stated as calmness returned to his voice.

“It’s gone now.” She stated as she went to sit back up. “What is that?”

“The fluid holding the baby has been released. Your baby is entering this world today.” Amadagu stroked her hair as she suddenly squeezed his hand as another flash of pain filled her body. “That damnable lad had better hurry.”

“Tell me the baby won’t be a demon Amadagu.” Mora suddenly snatched his head and looked deep into his eyes. “I know you won’t lie to me, but tell me this child won’t be a demon.”

“No Mora she won’t be a demon.” His kind smile calmed her.
Mora’s face was filled with a smile. “Will she be free of all of this?” Once again she winced and gripped his hand tighter.

“No, she is a child of Prophecy. But she will change the world in your name dear child.” His soft smile continued to radiate warmth. “She will be everything you are and more. Now be calm, you will be a mother soon.”

Delva ran into the atrium with several women behind him. Immediately each began barking orders. Quickly Amadagu got out of their way and allowed them to work their craft.

“So is that the demon child Tagor spoke about?” Delvakhan asked as he watched the child being born.

“No and you had better never say that again. You will protect that child King of the South, for that child being born is hope.”

****

Thundering rain, normally a calming event for her, but tonight it was anything but. Mora awoke drenched in sweat but it wasn’t the sweat that woke her. She could smell him on her, heard his voice and felt his rough touch. Joliel clouded her dreams for almost a week now. Most nights she struggled to wake from the nightmares.

Breathing slowly, she laid her hands upon her belly and swore she could feel the heartbeat of her child right against her skin, slow and sure. Yet the flatness of the stomach reminded her of the bundle beside her.

The soft warm breath of her daughter brought her peace each day. Whenever Aura moved, yawned or cried, all Mora’s fears were calmed. Small soft red curls framed the chubby face. Nothing in the face reminded her of Joliel.

Thunder rumbled, snapping her away from wondering thoughts bringing her right back to her dreams. They weren’t like dreams of her past. They were terrible vivid and Joliel seemed to be taunting her with the touching. Reaching up to wipe some sweat from her face, she let out a scream as she felt metal once again in her nose.