(Last one for today, more tomorrow! Sorry for being such a tease >.< I'm going to throw in a postscript at the end for my intentions regarding this series.)

Confusion was evident on his face. Hym immediately calmed. No wonder he hadn’t announced the woman’s presence. He wanted to know, before he did anything. “No, that is not your mother. I’m sorry Vip.” Crestfallen, Vip nodded slowly. “She says she wants to talk to you.” Hym nodded.

It was a boon from the gods that they at least spoke the same language. He needed to know if anyone else knew they were here. Rubbing his face, Hym crawled backwards from the tunnel, and looked around. The woman had moved over to the table Hym had been attempting to eat on. She sat down in the same place he had, and waited for him to walk over.

Getting closer to her, Hym could clearly se just what she looked like. Her features were royal, like Hym’s. High cheekbones, a thin, razor blade of a nose. Lips that were full, without being too much so. Her charms were as ample as her waist was thin, which was to say, much so. Most important of all, her wings were folded across her back. A beautiful, cyan shade of blue sheathed her back, slightly transparent, and shiny like a sheet of smooth water.

Hym stopped about five feet away. “Why are you here? Don’t you know that Skaldians are killed on sight within these lands?” The woman’s face remained passive for a moment, and she then said, “I am here to tell what must be told, so what must be done can be done. Death’s gates are closed to me, as are they to you, should you fail.”

Hym understood what the words meant. “You need me to do something, otherwise you cannot pass beyond this realm. I too will remain until your task is done. Is that right?” The lady shook her head in the affirmative. “I am glad you comprehend so easily. Most would question me.” Hym smiled weakly. “I know it is odd, but I trust you. More than words can describe. I want to understand why.”

“It is natural to trust me so. It is born into all of us to know that the spirits cannot lie, nor circumvent the truth through silence and half answers. I would tell you now of what must be told.” Hym nodded. What harm could words do him? “It is told by those of most power, whispered down through dark corridors, that a prophecy has once more stricken the land. As of yet, the one it speaks of is unfound. You are the one it speaks of, and your self-imposed exile is at an end. Not now, but soon. The prophecy, as it is heard in the realm, is told so:

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“From a darkened grove, a phoenix shall come.

It shall father the dragon,

Mother the people of Utharan,

And it shall be of the blood.

If the phoenix should live, two kingdoms shall crumble.

If it should die, one realm shall endure.”

“Thus is it spoken, for better or worse. I leave it to you. Two kingdoms, balanced on your shoulders. I am sorry…my son.” The spirit’s face twisted, as if in agony, and her corporeal form jerked into the air, contorted, and slowly disappeared, as if sucked through a tube three times too small for her body to fit.

My son… Hym stared at the spot where she had vanished. Typical of a spirit. Vanish, right when you learned something important. Still... Hym looked away from the spot, and walked back to the cave. Under his breath, he said,

“Goodbye…mother?”

P.S.

(Just an author's rant, feel free to skip.)

[Hello, everyone! First off, thank you for reading, so, so much. I only posted this afternoon, and already have got rated, and have received comments from people enjoying what I have so far. Sorry for this short chapter >.< I didn't realize that the third chapter was so close, it's been awhile since I've looked over this work. I wrote this about 2-3 years ago, and am interested in finishing it off. I stalled out about halfway through the book, but I've recently started writing again, and am interested in finishing this book. I'll try to post thicker chapters in the future, feel free to read them. Seriously though, feedback is what lets me know what I'm doing wrong, and what I'm doing right. I'm actively editing my own work, before I post it, to try to make sure everything I've written doesn't contradict, ( trust me, if it seems contradictory, it'll make sense eventually ^^) and tells like a story should, Let me know what you think. I'll try to post 2 - 3 thicker chapters a day from here out, without the pt 1 - 2 breaks. Sorry for the lengthy diatribe, thanks for reading!]