-Sun and Dual Moons-
They swam until the waters were frigid and the sun had been devoured by the dark waves.
Jordan had probably noticed Callan’s blatant disregard for human necessities like breathing, but he’d been too absorbed with the new world below them to bother surfacing more than a handful of times. After all, with Flage’s gift he could easily keep the water out of his lungs and create a pocket of breathable air.
If Flage had revoked the gift now that their promise was fulfilled, Callan might have been the one crying. The way it allowed him to see and influence the world around him—it felt like he had always had this ability now.
Tomorrow morning they would dock in Trucesa. At least, he would let Jordan off at the docks before stashing The Heightened in a hidden location and joining her. The ship was far too valuable to leave at the bustling docks, ships competing for space as captains competed for work. But that didn’t mean he would have to go far to camouflage the ship.
The Heightened was capable of more than just breaking through the clouds.
The past couple nights Callan had taken to joining Jordan in the nest, where she pointed out different constellations and explained their names and origins. He had spent more time studying her face than the night sky, only stealing glances when she was too preoccupied teaching to look at him.
For her part, Jordan was more open than she’d been since Callan had found her on the island. The time and simple friendship they’d developed in the last couple weeks seemed to have softened her rough exterior. Like him, she seemed fascinated by the sheer abundance and variety of life surrounding them. Ealias was a gorgeous, wild world, and Callan was determined to explore every inch of it before he died some day.
Hopefully in some courageous way and not choking on some subpar meal.
Jordan’s teeth were chattering now, although she seemed determined to dive back under the icy waves. As the sun had faded into the deep and night had fallen, they’d made the amazing discovery that the coral and its inhabitants glowed in the dark, as though they had absorbed the sunlight during the day and were reflecting borrowed light.
It was stunning, but freezing to death would make the discovery a little bittersweet.
“We’d better head up,” he said as soon as she surfaced once more.
“Why, is it a little too cold for you?” she teased, but she was already making her way over to the thick rope attached to the steel anchor grounded on the sea floor.
He followed her up, and soon they were huddled in thick blankets, their clothes still slightly damp from their swim, a thick quilt spread out on the deck of The Heightened, eating a meal Jordan had actually helped him cook.
He took a bite of the meat mixed with sweet berries and found himself pleasantly surprised.
“So, did you ever find out anything in Flage's prophecy book?”
“The book seemed to be intentionally vague, like half the words throughout were missing. There were even blanks where the words should have been. Almost like the book was split in half, even though the physical cover was undamaged.
“But yes, I know where I need to go to find out more about this prophecy,” she said, pushing a long blonde lock out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. Her gray and brown eyes looked exceptionally stunning in the lantern light.
If he wasn’t careful, he would lose track of the conversation he’d started.
“And what does the prophecy lead to?” he wondered out loud. “Prophecies usually involve some great climax or resolution. If you fulfill the prophecy, what happens?”
She frowned, clearly frustrated.
“I wish I knew. The book was completely silent on that topic. The little I know involves three people and a visit to a strange group called ‘The Forgotten Trio.’”
“I’ve never heard of them, and I was a frequent visitor of the academy archives,” Callan said.
“I had never heard of them either, but to hear Flage talk, there is so much more to Ealias than the academy knows or is willing to admit.”
“And the three people? Which three people?”
Besides me and you, obviously.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Jordan took a bite of her meal before answering, clearly also happy with the results of their combined cooking experiment.
“Maybe you should have written the book, Cal. You could have at least tied the few facts together in a more complete narrative. The author wrote the little he or she did as though the information, in the wrong hands, would be devastating.”
“Well, given that we don’t know what the prophecy is or what the endgame would be, it could be devastating.”
“I should add though,” Jordan said quickly, as though determined to tell him before losing her nerve, “that the book gave subtle clues as to the identity of the chosen three.”
“And what are those?” Callan leaned forward, intrigued. “Are you one of them?”
If only you knew the knowledge I traveled far to obtain…
She looked at him, one brow cocked quizzically. “What makes you ask that?”
“Because why else would you feel compelled to leave the comfort and safety of Hyasin and chase the trails of a half-told prophecy?”
“Did anyone ever tell you you’re a little too smart for your own good?” Jordan asked ruefully, stretching like a linx before she asked, “Do you have a charcoal piece? Anything I can write with?”
It took Callan only a moment to rush down belowdecks and fetch a charcoal stick.
“Will this work?”
“Yes, thanks.”
That large book Callan was growing used to seeing near Jordan at all times was laying open to a blank page in front of her. She gestured for him to take a seat next to her, and as soon as he was settled she looked at the page hesitantly.
“I was going to show you the symbol in the book, but I’ve never been very good at sketching.”
“Allow me, oh talentless one,” Callan smiled, extending his hand dramatically for the charcoal.
“Now, tell me what I need to draw.”
Jordan smiled and said, “Start with a sun, there, in the middle.”
Callan began sketching, drawing a simple circle with radiating lines coming out from the circle like rushing waves. In the middle of the sun he began adding lines to add depth to the image.
“And here I thought you were nothing more than a bruiser!” She was clearly impressed. “Where did you learn to draw like that, Cal?”
“I’ve never been good at paying attention to lectures or instructors without something in my hand to draw with. The many years at the academy taught me more than how to beat things up with my magic sparkly green light.” He winked at her.
“Fair enough. And on either side of the sun draw two half moons, each facing in toward the sun.”
Like the sun, Callan couldn’t help embellishing the simple request. He shaded one of the moons in until it was almost black and left the other a gleaming white, nothing more than a faint outline on the clear parchment.
“How did you know?” Jordan asked after the drawing was completed
“Know what?”
“The moons. In the book one of the moons was white and the other was black, as though filled with shadows. How did you know?”
He frowned. Playing this precarious game of half truths was taking all of his focus. “I don’t know, honestly. It just felt right. But what does this have to do with the prophecy?”
“This is what the prophecy is named after,” Jordan explained. She was sitting close enough to him that her long hair brushed against his arm. He didn’t complain.
Pointing at the drawing, she said, “It’s called ‘the prophecy of the sun and dual moons.’ Apparently without the sun and the two moons, one dark and one light, the prophecy will never be completed.”
“The prophecy that does something unknown.”
“Right.”
Callan studied the drawing again in light of Jordan’s brief explanation. He waited a minute or two, as though realization was dawning on him like the blazing sun standing center stage on the page before exclaiming,
“You’re the sun. Of course! Your name—Guildedsun. But how old is this prophecy?”
Jordan looked equal parts excited and apprehensive. Excited to have a task, a purpose, but apprehensive to discover the secrets behind the prophecy.
“Apparently this prophecy has existed for hundreds of years, although after the birth of Ealias.”
“And you think it has to do with you? Why?”
She looked up at him, the warm light dancing in her eyes, which looked suddenly ancient, as though they’d seen unspeakable sorrow.
“I have this,” she said simply, resting a hand on the scabbard at her waist.
“And what does the sword have to do with the prophecy?”
“This is the sunsword.” She held the hilt up to the flickering light from the handful of lanterns resting on the deck around them. For the first time since Jordan had come aboard The Heightened, Callan was able to study the intricacies of the sword—at least a fraction of it. The hilt was made of thick, polished metal, most of which was expertly carved into the rays of the sun. The detailed depiction was almost identical to the drawing Callan had done moments before, and he felt a shiver of excitement and apprehension run over him at being this close to the legendary blade.
“The sunsword? From millennia ago?” He had noticed the moment he saw her facing off against the Answerer that she wielded the sunsword, but he kept the knowledge to himself, excited to see her thoughts on the sword.
“Yes.”
“But, how did you come across the sunsword? I heard the same rumors as everyone else at the academy, that your sword was extra powerful and unique, but I had no idea…”
“It chose me. I resisted, but I couldn’t deny that it felt right. The sword was supposed to be with me.”
Jordan didn’t provide any more details about how she’d come to be in possession of the sword, and Callan didn’t press her.
“How can I help?” was all he said, his words drifting off the ship and resting on the surface of the Glacian Sea like falling leaves, pulled toward the distant shore.