Three more days they rode and when the sun rose up for the fourth one since they left Arba, the city of Tálas appeared far ahead on the horizon, still at least half a day from them. They were now riding along the shoreline with the sea breathing peacefully to their left. As far as he was concerned, Daniel had never actually seen the sea agitated, yet another curious detail of this wondrous world.
They’d slept fewer hours that night; their bodies were now getting used to the new regime and they did not feel as tired as during the first couple of days. Daniel found it interesting that before the bracelet, he had never really felt tired in this world, no matter what he did. He wondered what else had changed since that day.
They rode non-stop the whole day under the warm sunlight and the sweet company of the sound of waves. As always, Séraphin flew ahead of them, while Hëna rode in front of them, leading them on the ground. By now Nemo was feeling comfortable enough riding Alma, though he had begun to complain that his bum felt numb from riding all day long.
Daniel sympathized with his younger friend, yet he felt that such trivia were unworthy of even claiming his attention, let alone sharing it with the others. No, he had more important things to occupy his mind and time with. Try as he might, he could not help but think of Autumn’s warning about how much time he had before his body gave up in his world. Not even Diane could give him any answers on this. She was the only other person to ever wear the bracelet, yet she could not say how long it had taken for her body to let go. And even if she could tell him, he wasn’t sure that would help; every individual was different and they experienced the dreamworld in different ways. He could only hope that they would find this Great Lord soon enough.
As the day wore on and they got closer to Tálas, the city began to take shape and rise before them, presenting Daniel with yet another wonder like nothing he’d ever seen. It was built entirely above water, at the foot of a tall white cliff where a huge bay was formed that hosted the whole city with its hundreds of houses and buildings. On top of the cliff he could see a single house standing at its very edge, as if defying gravity and the city below.
‘That’s where the oracle lives,’ Hëna said, stopping to wait for them. A light breeze blew from the sea, trying to play with her long black hair, which was tied hastily in a single braid.
Daniel and Nemo stopped where she was and looked ahead at the amazing city lying before them. It was past midday and it would take another half hour for them to reach its outskirts. The oracle’s house however was an entirely different matter; they would have to go back and around the cliff in order to easily climb up there, and that might take them a good two hours extra on their horses.
Daniel wanted to waste no time in meeting the oracle, but he could not let the opportunity to visit Tálas go to waste. He might never again have the chance. Besides, Nemo was looking forward to meeting with his people, who made up more than half of the population down there. So they agreed to visit the city first and spend a few hours there, before climbing up to see the oracle.
Nathaniel’s father kept walking back and forth in the living room, while his mother sat next to him, pondering what their son had just shared with them. Nobody spoke for a good while and Nathaniel was getting rather nervous. He could sense his parents’ disappointment at his actions, or rather lack of, and he did not blame them. He felt ashamed of what he had done and how he had handled Azariel, but there was no turning back now. The wheels had been set in motion and he needed to decide what he was going to do from here on. For that, he needed his parents’ advice.
His father’s light grey and blue wings twitched every few seconds behind him, as the old wingman considered how to best respond to his son. Without raising his eyes from the living room floor, he spoke slowly and with half a voice, as if to himself at first.
‘I will not deny that I am gravely disappointed with you, Nathaniel. I thought we raised you better than this, I thought I...’ He stopped there. Then, as if a different thought crossed his mind, he shook his head and resumed speaking, this time louder.
‘No, I will not take the blame for this. We’ve done our job properly, your mother and I; others are responsible for this. This is your friend’s doing, his influence has always been too strong on you.’ He paused there and when he spoke again, his voice was softer. ‘Still, I’m glad that you’ve finally acknowledged this and want to set things right. Perhaps, not all is lost.’
His father’s words weighed heavily on Nathaniel. His mother took his hand in hers and caressed his cheek, as she looked at him with pain in her eyes.
‘This is indeed grave news you have given us, son, even more so as you are partially responsible for what’s about to happen. I never thought I would live to see this day. You have to do all you can to make things right again. You need to tell the truth.’
‘Yes, but to whom?’ his father asked. ‘Who will listen to him? Who will believe him now? Even if he manages to get to the queen, which I highly doubt, will she take his word over that of Azariel, the son of her best adviser and friend? She has gone too far to question her own actions on the words of a young wingman with dubious reasons; she’ll want to believe that she’s done the right thing. No, he cannot go to the queen, not directly anyway. Someone else must be the one to get to her.’
‘What about Ariel? He’s an honorable man; I believe he would do the right thing even if his own son is involved.’
‘I don’t know, mom. This was difficult enough telling you; I don’t know if I can tell the father of my best friend that his son is plotting to send us to war with the mermaids and is doing it all for him.’
‘You don’t have to put it in so many words, Nathaniel,’ his father suggested, apparently pondering the idea. ‘In any case, it’s to be expected that whatever you tell him, Ariel will go to his son first, before he decides to talk to the queen. He’ll want to hear it out of his own mouth; I would. Still, I think your mother is right, you should go to him. Tell him what you did, only what you did, and let him get to the rest of the truth on his own.’
‘But Azariel will know that I’ve betrayed him father. He’ll come for me; he’ll come for you both if he can’t have me. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.’
His father now sat beside him and looked in his eyes for the first time that evening. He put one hand on the boy’s hands and the other on his wife’s, positioning himself next to her and speaking for the both of them.
‘And we couldn’t live with ourselves if thousands of innocent wingmen and mermaids were to die, because we were too afraid to do the right thing. Understand this, Nathaniel, there is no turning back from here; someone will have to make sacrifices in order to stop war from happening. And if that were to be our fate, we would willingly and gladly accept it.’
He looked at his wife as he said this. She did not speak, but merely nodded in agreement, with a brave smile on her troubled face. Then they both looked at their son, who put his head down in shame and despair.
‘I’m so sorry...,’ was all Nathaniel managed to say, with tears rolling down his face. The thought of losing his parents were now more than a possibility. He felt angry at himself for letting things come to this; whatever he did now, he risked someone getting hurt. It was only a matter of choosing the lesser evil and though he hated it, his father was right; it was better to sacrifice a few in order to save many. He just couldn’t deal with the fact that his parents might be the ones to end up paying for his mistakes.
It was almost evening when they finally climbed the cliff and approached the house of the oracle. Outside it, Daniel saw the familiar face of a woman hanging her laundry out to dry. Her curly brown hair, held back by a yellow ribbon was unmistakable as she moved between the white sheets with her sleeves rolled up. Whatever doubts he might have had until then about the oracle helping them, they were gone as Daniel realized that Veronica was his wife. She would surely help him get some much-needed answers.
The horses galloped into her front yard and Veronica
turned around, her eyes lighting up as she spotted Daniel.
‘Daniel darling, you came. What a wonderful surprise! Come down here and give me a hug.’
Daniel climbed off his horse and passing the reins to Nemo, walked towards her. Veronica met him halfway and locked her arms tight around him, causing him to blush from head to toe. Hëna, Nemo and Séraphin got their own dose of Veronica right after him.
‘We knew you’d visit us at some point, but did not expect it to be so soon. It is so lovely to see you again. How was the trip? Did you enjoy it?’ she asked directing her questions mainly at Daniel.
‘I did,’ he answered, ‘thank you. I enjoyed it very much; especially since I had such great company.’
‘Surely you’re not talking about Nemo,’ Hëna teased. ‘The guy never stops talking.’
‘I do too,’ Nemo responded in his own defense. ‘I only speak when there’s something worth saying. The moment I’ll have nothing to say, I promise you I will shut up.’
‘That’ll be the day,’ Hëna replied laughing.
‘Veronica,’ Séraphin stepped forward, ignoring the others and bowing ever so slightly, showing his good manners. ‘Always a pleasure to see you.’
‘Lovely to see you, Séraphin, as always. How is your mother?’
‘She is well, thank you. She sends her regards.’
‘Why, thank you; that’s very kind. Please, do give her my love next time you see her.’
She looked behind them on the horizon, as if waiting for something or someone, and then opened her arms, nudging them towards the door to her house.
‘Why don’t we go inside? It will get dark soon and my husband will be home any minute now. This will be such a nice surprise for him. He’s been looking forward to meeting you, you know?’
She slipped her arm inside Daniel’s and directed him towards the house.
‘So tell me, any luck getting my ring to my Sam?’
Daniel was more than happy that he had at least some good news to give that day.
‘Oh, I didn’t even have to look for her, you know? She found me. She looks so much like you, that I knew who she was the moment I saw her.’
They all headed towards the house, while Hëna stayed behind, rolled up her sleeves and began hanging up the rest of Veronica’s laundry, all the while listening in on their conversation. She could not help but wonder who it was they were talking about.
‘That’s my Sam alright,’ Veronica said, her eyes glistening with happy tears. Looking back casually she then noticed Hëna staying behind to finish her job.
‘Oh dearie, there’s no need to worry about those; they can wait until the morning. Come inside.’
‘I’ll be there in a minute; there’s only a few left,’ Hëna replied, hoping they didn’t think she was eavesdropping.
Daniel watched as she maneuvered with ease between the hanged sheets, as if she’d been doing it all her life. Seeing her riding her horse every day and leading the way with that authoritative air about her, he kinda thought of her more as Xena, the Warrior Princess, rather than her more ordinary friend, Gabrielle. But it was clear that there was more to this girl than met the eye.
‘Come, Daniel,’ Veronica pulled on his arm. ‘Tell me all about my Sam.’
Daniel went on to tell her everything he thought relevant as they made their way inside the house and sat down talking like old friends.
The oracle returned home not long after their arrival. As had become the norm by now, he was not at all what Daniel had expected. Whenever he’d read in his books about oracles or prophets, they were always associated with temples, powers, or celibacy. They were most often people isolated and set apart to worship and serve their gods. But as with everything else in Endërland, what was going on here was far from what he thought he knew. This was no temple, just a simple house where two people lived; and the oracle was nothing but a common man, seemingly in his early forties, dressed as commonly as everyone else and with nothing apparently special about him. What did stand out though, to Daniel anyway, was his face. From the moment he saw him, Daniel could swear he had seen this man before, and not that long ago. He just could not recall where.
‘Darling look, we have visitors,’ Veronica exclaimed as soon as he set foot inside the door. The man proceeded to take off his shoes and place them by the door with the rest, and then walked into the living room, where the four travelers were gathered next to the fireplace.
‘Hëna, Séraphin, Nemo, so good to see you all,’ he greeted them, shaking their hand one by one, and leaving Daniel for last. ‘And you must be Daniel. It’s really an honor. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had the pleasure of entertaining a Visitor. I’m the oracle, as you might have guessed by now, but you can just call me Alfie, or Al.’
Now there’s an unusual name for an oracle, Daniel thought to himself, but out loud he said.
‘The honor is mine, Alfie. Thank you very much for your hospitality. I know it’s a bit late, but we just had to visit Tálas on our way here.’
‘Yes, the city is amazing, isn’t it? And don’t worry about it being late; Veronica is going to prepare some dinner for us, we’re going to eat and then we can talk business. I’m sure you did not come all this way just to see us. Of course, you’re going to sleep here tonight and that’s non-negotiable.’
They feasted on a bountiful selection of pies, fruits and cakes that Veronica put on the table for them, everything scrumptious to the last bit. Having been a homemaker all her life, she knew a thing or two about cooking, even though she now practiced it mostly for pleasure.
Daniel ate until he was full and could eat no more, then he sat back, watching Nemo help himself numerous times. Even Séraphin seemed to enjoy the food very much, especially the cakes. Hëna ate very little, always looking out the window, knowing that soon the sun would go down and she would have to leave.
Sure enough, daylight grew dimmer as the sun dived west into the sea, and Hëna got up from the table, thanking Alfie and Veronica for their hospitality and a delicious dinner. Saying goodnight to the rest of the guys, she walked out of the front door and left for the night. Daniel was always glad to see Heli, but he could not help but feel an emptiness creep in every time she had to leave.
Soon, Heli joined them, looking blissfully happy at the sight of the table full of delicious goods. The oracle and his wife welcomed him like an old friend and showed him to the seat Hëna had previously occupied. They all waited for him to finish eating, before moving back to the fireplace, sipping on a hot cup of tea.
Time had now come to talk business, so they let Heli tell the oracle everything that had been going on since the celebrations and why they had come to see him. Séraphin sat there quiet, listening to Heli recount everything and making sure his face did not betray his emotions, while the oracle took his time digesting all the new information. Daniel had to remind himself that his role as an oracle was to simply pass on messages from the Great Lord to the people, so it was only natural that he didn’t know everything.
The oracle was silent for a short moment, before he decided to voice his thoughts aloud.
‘So, it has finally begun.’
His tone reflected the sorrow that suddenly overshadowed his face. Veronica put one hand on his shoulder, sitting beside him as she was, and tried to comfort him.
‘You knew this day would come darling; it was only a matter of time.’
‘That still doesn’t make it any easier,’ he replied.
Daniel had a feeling of déjà-vu, as once again others around him seemed to know things he didn’t. This time though, he intended to ask.
‘Excuse me, but how did you know?’
The oracle looked at him and simply said.
‘Let’s just say that being the oracle of the Great Lord, I have access to certain information that a normal person does not.’
‘You mean, the Great Lord told you this would happen?’
‘Not in so many words,’ the orac
le answered, but did not elaborate. Daniel was not satisfied by his answer though.
‘Does this have anything to do with all the changes that are happening in Endërland? The bad weather in the north, people and animals disappearing?’
Séraphin looked at Daniel, taken aback; this was all news to him. Heli on the other hand did not look surprised.
‘It has everything to do with it,’ the oracle replied, ‘and many other things happening around us that you are unaware of. Endërland is changing by the minute and you are not going to like what it is becoming.’
‘But what does this all have to do with Nemo and me? Why are we being framed for something we didn’t do?’
Séraphin snorted at the question in disbelief. The others ignored him.
‘I wish I knew how you fit into all of this, Daniel, but unfortunately I don’t. It could be that you were just caught in the middle of something planned long time ago; or maybe someone has other plans for you. I’m afraid, my guess is as good as yours at this point.’
‘Can’t you talk to the Great Lord?’ it was Nemo who spoke this time. ‘Can’t you ask him to show up and help us sort things out? Or at least tell us how to find him?’
The oracle looked at the faces in front of him, expectant and hopeful. He sighed and got up from the couch, turning his back at them for a moment.
‘I’m afraid, it is now my turn to give you some bad news. I have told no one of this until now; I wish I wouldn’t have to, but I see no other choice.’ He paused for just a moment and then turned around to face them again. ‘I haven’t heard from the Great Lord in a very long time. I do not know where he is, or even if he is still around. For all I know, he may have left us for good and we’ll never see him again. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to help you.’
Nobody spoke. A cloud of desperation hovered in the air above them, as they began to realize that their mission had just failed.
Daniel lowered his eyes on the floor, while his hand instinctively went to his bracelet. He was doomed; he would never get back home, see his father again. His body would eventually give up and he would die. And if Winter took over Endërland, he stood no chance of living for long in this world either. It was so unfair; after all, he had done nothing wrong.
‘He can’t have left us.’ Nemo was the first to break the silence, refusing to believe the oracle’s words. ‘We need him.’
‘We haven’t needed him for a very long time, Nemo,’ the oracle corrected him. ‘He created a near perfect world here for us, so much so that we never had need of him or anything else. He’s probably gone somewhere else where he is wanted.’
‘But we need him now,’ Nemo insisted. ‘He can’t just abandon us.’
‘I’m not saying he has. My dear Nemo, the fact of the matter is that I simply do not know. I’m as much in the dark here as you are.’
‘He could still be around, guys.’ This time it was Heli who spoke, trying to inject some of his optimistic attitude to the rest of the group. ‘We can’t assume that he’s gone forever just like that. Maybe he’s retreated somewhere in the kingdom and we just need to find him.’
‘Yeah, like in his secret castle,’ Séraphin said mockingly.
‘Why not?’ Heli replied.
‘There is no castle, son of Autumn; it’s just a legend, a fairy tale.’
‘Actually, that’s not quite true,’ the oracle intervened. ‘I have it on very good authority that his castle does exist. It was the first thing he ever built when he came to Endërland; before he banished all evil in the Shadow Forest. That is where he lived in the beginning.’
‘Where is it?’ Nemo asked, filled with new hope. The oracle looked at him, sad that he’d have to disappoint the young boy once again.
‘I do not know. I have never been there myself, nor have I been told where it lies. I know of only one who has come from there and is still around. But alas, you have as much hope of getting the secret out of him, as you have from the Great Lord himself.’
‘Why? Who is that?’ Heli asked.
The oracle exchanged looks with Veronica, knowing the kind of reaction that this next answer would cause. She nodded her head, encouraging him to answer.
‘He is the Great Lord’s oldest and most faithful friend; the first being to have ever been brought into existence in Endërland, his stallion.’
He stopped speaking and just stood there staring at the faces of the young ones sitting in front of him, all stunned and speechless. He had expected this and worse.
The next words came from Séraphin.
‘A horse? And just how is a horse supposed to tell us where his master’s castle lies? That’s assuming he even knows at all.’
‘I wish I had an answer for that, Sky-Prince,’ the oracle said, ‘but I don’t. I can tell you this however, this is not just any horse we’re talking about; this is the Great Lord’s long-time companion and friend. He is no mere animal; he is a free spirit, smart, as he is strong and fast. He lets no man ride him and is impossible to catch, running around the kingdom as he pleases. Something tells me that he knows the castle and he can help.’
‘I guess it’s just a matter of catching him then,’ Heli said standing up, as if getting ready to go after the horse right away. ‘I think I know just where we might find him.’
‘This is crazy,’ Séraphin exploded, now losing it completely. ‘You’ve all gone mad. First they claim they’re being framed by some great conspirator, who is apparently plotting to destroy the whole kingdom; then you want to go after the ghost of a horse who cannot be caught, hoping he will just lead you to a legendary castle that may or may not exist, and that even if it did it will probably be impossible to find. And if by some miracle we manage to find it, what then? We have absolutely no guaranty that the Great Lord will be there, waiting for us. This mission has turned into a joke overnight. I don’t want any part in this.’
He got up and made for the door, but the voice of Daniel, who had remained silent until then, stopped him halfway.
‘I don’t think you have a choice, Sky-Prince.’
Séraphin turned around slowly to face Daniel, anger reddening his noble face. The others looked at Daniel, taken completely by surprise.
‘What did you just say to me?’ Séraphin asked. Even if his face didn’t betray him, his menacing tone said it all. Daniel continued to speak, seating where he was, appearing untroubled by the wingman’s reaction.
‘As I understand it, you were sent to follow us and keep the Council informed of our progress at all times. The choice of the direction and path we take does not lie with you, but with Nemo and myself. We were the ones charged with finding the Great Lord and that’s what we intend to do. If you turn back now, you will be disobeying the Council, and I just don’t think you want to do that. So, why don’t you take your anger, your hate, your superiority complex and whatever else you can manage to cram inside that bird skull of yours and just fly along as we go wherever we must?’
Without realizing it Daniel had gotten up and was now standing face to face with Séraphin, who was a good deal taller than he was. He was furious. All this time he had just been sitting by, listening to Séraphin talk the way he did about him and Nemo, and though he had tried his best not to let it get to him, he could take it no more. Enough is enough, and he was done taking everything Séraphin dished out like a loser. This stopped here.
Still he regretted getting angry and insulting the wingman as soon as the words left his mouth. But he was not going to step back; this prince needed to know that he could not just treat them the way he did and get away with it.
Séraphin’s face grew redder than cranberry sauce, and his eyes got even smaller than they usually looked. He marched in the direction of Daniel, wings rising up as if ready for flight. With a booming voice that he seemed to gather from the bottom of his lungs, he screamed.
‘How dare you talk to me like that? You are nothing compared to me; less than that, you are...’
‘Enough,?
?? the oracle shouted, cutting Séraphin’s words in the middle. ‘This is my house and there will be no fighting in here.’
The boys stopped advancing towards each other, severing their eye contact, as if suddenly realizing where they were.
‘Daniel, that was not a nice thing to do, talking to Séraphin that way. It is not our custom, nor a common practice to insult one-another. I had hoped for better from you.
‘As for you Séraphin, tell me please, what did you expect? You speak of these two boys with such disgust and hatred right in front of them and then are surprised at their reaction? Don’t you see what you have become, how you have changed? Do you still doubt that things are not what they used to be?’
‘Well, if things are changing, it could only be his fault,’ Séraphin snapped. ‘All this started to happen when he showed up.’
‘Are you sure? Would you bet your life and that of your fellow wingmen on that?’
Séraphin did not answer. He wanted to say ‘yes’, but he couldn’t. So he drew back and did not speak again. The oracle who had positioned himself between them, sat back down looking despaired.
‘This is how it begins, you know. A small fight between friends and brothers, and then punches are thrown, weapons are drawn and very soon somebody gets killed. Before you know it, we have a whole war exploding and nothing is as it used to be. Stopping this from happening is your real mission. You need to find the Great Lord; only he can restore order to the kingdom.’
Nemo, who’d stayed back during the confrontation, now stepped forward and faced Daniel.
‘What do we do, Dan? Where do we go from here?’
Daniel looked thoughtfully at the oracle for a moment and then turned to Heli.
‘Did you say you know where we might find this horse?’
Heli smiled; glad that he could share some good news at last.
‘It’s a curious thing, actually. For the last two days now I’ve noticed a pitch-black horse sprinting like crazy all the way down from the Northern Mountains. It appears his general direction is the western seaside. I’ll talk to Hëna, though she might have trouble locating him in the dark, but if I’m right, he should be in the area as we speak.’
‘That’s Lightning, alright,’ the oracle said, a smile forming on his face, as if brought on by fond memories.
‘Lightning?’ Daniel asked.
‘Yes. He is completely black, except for a white patch on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. And he is lightning fast and tireless. This is good news indeed, Daniel; I think Lightning is coming to meet you. The Great Lord might not be gone after all.’
‘So, what do we do, Daniel?’ Nemo repeated the question.
Daniel looked down at his bracelet again, then at Nemo, the oracle and finally Séraphin, on whom his eyes rested. He made two steps towards the wingman and spoke to him directly.
‘I am sorry for what I said to you; it was wrong of me. I hope you’ll forgive me and continue to fly with us, because we need you.’
Séraphin just stood there, completely ignoring what he said, but Daniel didn’t care. He turned to Nemo and proceeded to answer his question.
‘I do not know how much time I have left, or what chance we have at finding the Great Lord, but I’m going to follow hope wherever it leads us, and I will not give up until it fails us, or we have succeeded. Are you with me?’
Nemo beamed at him and gave him a high-five.
‘You bet I am. This is our adventure, remember? I won’t let you have all the fun without me.’
‘Good,’ Daniel said and then turned to Heli. ‘Lead the way, son of Autumn. Let’s go meet Lightning.’
Lightning & Thunder