“Néophileus also felt that a day would come when times would change and the world would be transformed. He foretold that there would be a deep disturbance of some kind but, for the first time in his life, his powers failed him, and he was unable to make out any details.”
“I don’t understand,” said Amber.
“In other words, at a certain place on the curve of time, the future was unclear to Néophileus. He saw that instead of following a single, distinct line, the future divided at that particular point into several paths. Only one path would be taken, and all of humanity would follow a course that would change the world as we know it. And so, Néophileus wrote The Prophecy.”
Jean Losserand stopped. He had said enough.
“We absolutely must go to Fairytale to consult Oonagh,” said Amber. “How can we cross the border of Divulyon?”
“I don’t know what to advise you,” confessed the bookseller. “When I went to Fairytale, the border existed only in theory. Now, it’s quite a different matter.”
“We’ll get across,” said Jade confidently.
“How?” insisted Amber.
“I cannot help you,” replied Jean Losserand, “but go and see a young man called Adrien of Rivebel. He is only sixteen, but he has already spent three years in Nathyrnn’s dungeons. And he has just been set free.”
“But why was he locked up?” cried Amber.
“This young man lived in Fairytale, where he was born the son of a noble family of knights. When he was thirteen, Adrien wanted to explore the outside world, so he left his homeland. The Knights of the Order seized him at the border of Divulyon and threw him in prison.”
“That’s not fair!” exclaimed Amber.
“Of course not,” agreed Jean Losserand. “But rumour has it that he isn’t like the other prisoners. Locking him away hasn’t broken his spirit at all. In fact, people say that he’s indomitable and that the bars of his cell, far from destroying him, have toughened him instead. He has been condemned to spend his life here, in this grim and hopeless city, yet everyone is saying that he’s trying to incite a rebellion to liberate the citizens of Nathyrnn.”
“I love rebellions!” crowed Jade. “What a good idea.”
“Unfortunately, it’s impossible,” sighed the bookseller.
“No,” said Amber. “Nothing is impossible.”
Jean Losserand smiled sadly. He no longer had the heart to even dream of the impossible.
“Go and see Adrien of Rivebel,” he repeated. “Perhaps he can help you.”
Jade tossed back a stray black lock of hair and said, “We don’t need any help, but we’ll go and see this Adrien of Rivebel. Nathyrnn must be liberated.”
“I’m telling you, it’s impossible,” groaned the bookseller.
“Your mother is waiting for you, Mr Losserand,” replied Jade, “and I promised to send her news of you. The best thing would be if you took it to her yourself, don’t you think?” And she added defiantly, “Nothing is impossible!”
CHAPTER TEN
Adrien of Rivebel
AMBER HAD EXPECTED to see a charming prince straight out of a fairy tale, gallant and poetic, but Adrien looked more like a young knight with hard, chiselled features. He seemed thoughtful and self-possessed, and only his dark eyes revealed the courage and fire that burnt inside him. His tousled chestnut hair added to the aura of brooding mystery which surrounded him. Adrien knew how to feign indifference and disguise his deepest feelings: that was what had enabled him to withstand those three years of prison. He had not committed any crime, but rather than allowing himself to be overcome by fury, he had survived by holding on to the knowledge that his conscience was clear. Realising that anger was useless, he had ignored it, even though in his heart he cried out for justice. Now that he was free again, he had let his true nature reassert itself. He had planned the revolt of Nathyrnn down to the last detail, and now he was seeking allies to join his cause. He was sure that his plan would succeed, but he had yet to find anyone who could help him carry it out. Almost all the inhabitants of Nathyrnn had been “broken”, either by prison, or simply by habit and submission. There were not many left who held on to their hopes and dreams. Only a few approved of Adrien’s revolt, but even they did not dare to join him. They were not won over — yet.
So Adrien of Rivebel had not despaired, but he was still waiting for help. It came to him in an unlikely form when he met Jade, Opal and Amber. He was not in the least surprised to see them burst into his tiny room at the inn where he was staying, and he welcomed them cordially, waving them towards some rickety chairs. Adrien of Rivebel was educated and intelligent: he had known at once who his visitors were, for he had heard many stories about them in Fairytale. He himself, on his tenth birthday, had consulted Oonagh to learn what path he should follow, and the magic creature had advised him: “You are not the Chosen One. But you cannot remain in the shadows. Your heart is proud and passionate: find water to dampen that devastating ardour, and not fuel to kindle its flames.”
“But why?” Adrien had asked in disappointment.
“You are capable of provoking great danger. You must be extremely careful, or other lives will be placed in peril. Do not listen to your heart — it is too impetuous. Open your eyes and be guided by your reason.”
“This is all very confusing,” Adrien had murmured.
“One day you will encounter those whom all are waiting for, and you will understand.”
Now that the three Stones of the Prophecy were standing before him, he was not entirely sure that he knew what lay ahead, but he sensed clearly that together they would be able to take a step in the right direction. Of course he said nothing to them about what he was thinking.
At first the girls studied him in silence. They each soon recognised him as someone they could trust; as the one person who could help them escape Nathyrnn and enter Fairytale.
Jade understood immediately that she had found an ally, someone like herself. In his eyes she read the revolt of Nathyrnn that she might organise with him. She paid no attention to the intensity with which Adrien returned her gaze, but it did not escape either Amber or Opal.
Amber was impressed by the young man. She guessed that he was headstrong and determined, like Jade, but capable of much more self-control.
Opal’s reaction had been different. The very instant she laid eyes on Adrien, a profound change came over her. She was deeply affected, and experienced a sudden warmth spreading through her being. She could not resist this feeling and, if she were honest, she did not wish to. She felt pleasantly strange, and wondered vaguely what was happening to her. She stared openly at Adrien’s face. And then it came to her: she understood, she knew, that she was made to love those grey-green eyes. She was certain that she and Adrien were meant to be together — it was unavoidable. She, who was normally so cold, was flushed with warmth. But Adrien’s eyes were riveted on Jade. Opal saw this, yet felt no jealousy, no resentment. “It’s a mistake,” she thought calmly. “Adrien cannot look at Jade that way. And if he’s feeling for her what I feel for him, then… he’ll have to change his mind.”
Meanwhile, delighted at the prospect of stirring up a revolt, of defying the law and proving her bravery, Jade had launched into an excited discussion about the uprising in the city.
“A friend has told us that you’re plotting revolution in Nathyrnn!” she told Adrien, flashing him a knowing smile.
She addressed him with easy familiarity. He was only two years older than she was, and politeness had never been her strong point.
“I don’t want to spend my life within the walls of this sad city,” replied Adrien. “I’ve come up with a plan of escape, to return to Fairytale. But I want all the inhabitants of Nathyrnn to be free. And I know I can do it, although it’s quite complicated. We would have to use magic, but I haven’t found anyone in this city capable of doing what I have in mind.”
Jade was impatient. “And what’s that?”
“Someone must cast a
spell and all those who find themselves outside the magic circle must be put into a deep sleep.”
“What is a magic circle?”
“It’s a small protective spell that forms around a sorcerer when he recites magic formulae, to shield him from the effects of his own magic. The circle helps him to stay awake. Once the circle is formed and the recital is finished, the sorcerer may leave the circle without being affected by the spell.”
“I see the problem,” mused Jade. “The Knights of the Order would fall asleep, but so would the inhabitants of Nathyrnn!”
“Exactly. And only an experienced sorcerer could conjure up a vast magic circle. It would have to be huge to contain all the people in the city.”
“And then everyone could escape without being in any danger,” added Jade.
“Not quite. The enchantment would last no longer than ten minutes, which barely leaves us enough time to open the gates of the city and flee. But to reach the border of the dukedom of Divulyon, we’d have to renew the spell several times. And that really is an insurmountable problem. It’s exhausting enough to use such powerful magic even once, but casting the same spell repeatedly in such a short time is almost impossible.”
“Almost,” said Jade meaningfully. “Therein lies the difference.”
Suddenly, Opal spoke up.
“Adrien, you said you haven’t found a sorcerer who can carry out your plan?”
“That’s right,” confessed the young man.
“We could do it — well, I think we could,” she said.
“Us? How?” asked Amber.
“The Stones!” replied Opal. “Since we need a source of powerful magic…”
Adrien didn’t bother to feign amazement at Opal’s words, because he had been waiting for just such a moment to arise.
“Let’s suppose that this is possible,” he said. “There’s still a second problem. We also have to let everyone in Nathyrnn know exactly when the escape is going to happen, so that they’ll be ready.”
Adrien knew that the revolt could not succeed without some bloodshed, but he did not want to frighten his new allies unnecessarily.
“When will the escape take place?” asked Amber.
“Let’s say, in one month.”
He watched for Jade’s reaction. It was the one he had hoped for.
“No!” protested Jade. “I’m not going to wait a month. I want to reach Fairytale as soon as we can.”
“What do you mean by ‘as soon as we can’?” asked Amber uneasily.
“Tonight.”
“Tonight?” cried Amber and Adrien in unison.
“It should be possible,” replied Jade. “Our enemies contacted Opal using telepathy. Let’s use this same method to alert the people of Nathyrnn!”
“To reach every mind in the city,” began Adrien, “we’d have to–”
“We’d have to try!” interrupted Jade. “If we let ourselves be held back by doubt, we’ll stay in this place for ever, and that is out of the question!”
“It’s not that simple,” warned Adrien. “It will take a huge effort… Oh, well — you’re right. If you’ve managed to get here, you’ll manage to get us out of here!” he concluded, carried away by Jade’s enthusiasm.
Amber took a deep breath. She wasn’t completely convinced, but Jade and Opal had already taken their Stones out of the black velvet purses. Amber hesitated, wondering whether their confidence in Adrien had been a bit premature, after all, they had only just met him. But she took out her Stone anyway. The prospect of remaining imprisoned in Nathyrnn didn’t thrill her any more than it did Jade.
“Just think of your objective: to warn the citizens about the escape,” said Adrien. “If your message is clear enough, and your will strong enough, people will be convinced. Concentrate all your strength on that.”
Opal nodded in assent, but Amber grew tense without knowing why. Holding tight to their Stones, the three girls focused their thoughts on liberating Nathyrnn. They had no idea how deeply they were concentrating, and their cheeks flushed with the effort. Then something completely unexpected happened. The girls closed their eyes simultaneously, and before Adrien’s astonished gaze, out of nowhere a translucent sphere materialised around them and began to rise into the air, while the girls floated lightly inside. The sphere seemed as fragile as a bubble about to burst, but in reality it was more solid than metal armour. The girls themselves noticed nothing. An image had come to them of a crowd streaming out of the city gates. The girls murmured words they did not know, saw visions they did not understand. Something had possessed them, and yet this something seemed to come from their innermost being. Without knowing it, they were sending these thoughts to the entire population of Nathyrnn.
Impressed, Adrien watched the scene unfolding before him. He heard the silent words that Jade, Opal and Amber were emitting, and was certain the inhabitants of Nathyrnn would now join the revolt, such was the persuasiveness of the girls’ voices echoing in his mind.
After a quarter of an hour, the sphere containing the three girls slowly descended and landed on the ground, vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared.
Jade and Opal did not seem at all affected by the miracle they had just performed, and quietly returned to their chairs. Jade smiled, proud of herself, but Amber’s eyes had a vacant look. She sat down heavily on the floor and began to cry.
“Never… I’ll never see her again… I never should have… and without a word of apology… I won’t survive…” Then, abruptly, her tone changed, and she shook her fist threateningly. “I don’t want to!” she shouted violently “No! I want to be free! Stop!”
“Amber!” cried Jade. “What’s going on?”
Adrien sighed and said, “This can occasionally happen, although I assumed with your powers you would be immune to it. In making contact with every single inhabitant of the city, Amber has absorbed all their thoughts. She will have to experience each person’s emotions before she can get rid of them. It will take several hours.”
“Why didn’t it happen to Opal and me?” asked Jade.
“Amber must be very sensitive,” explained Adrien. “But don’t worry. She’ll come out of it, and she’ll just be left with a few bad memories.”
“You’re sure?” said Jade.
“Absolutely. The most important thing is, you succeeded! It’s quite a feat, and it means that we have a real chance. Well done!”
“Thank you,” said Jade smugly. “That wasn’t so hard.”
“So much the better. What’s ahead of us will be.”
“We’ll see,” said Jade, and added rather loftily, “I’m not afraid.”
PARIS, PRESENT DAY
I woke up: after what seemed like an eternity, I had finally emerged from my death-like slumber. For the first time in a long while I could hear my heart beating; I felt alive, and happy to be so. I could just make out, barely visible, a glimmer of light at the end of this black tunnel of pain and sorrow, this hopeless daily gloom.
Before that night, I had not been able to forget that death was stalking me, and would snatch me away without pity. I was frightened. I was cold. My life had no meaning. I wasn’t dead, but might just as well have been. The days were all alike: desperate, useless, and filled with suffering. My disease was eating away at me. I couldn’t take it any more. I had run out of tears, and courage; I had nothing left. Everything had turned out to be in vain. In the end, my existence had been reduced to nothing, and I hadn’t even enough strength left to see the injustice of my own despair.
Just another night, exactly the same as those that had preceded it and those that would follow. At least I had thought so as I drifted off to sleep. Usually, I never dreamt. I slept very little, and badly. But that night something extraordinary happened. I had a fantastic dream — about an unbelievable reality. I had the feeling that somewhere, in a distant world, the dream was being lived out. How did I know that dreams weren’t actually messages from some other real existence, while my senseless life was in f
act just the imaginary reflection of that unknown world?
I was overcome by a fit of coughing. The dream — i clung to it as hard as I could, with every thought. Jade, Opal and Amber… Strange! The initials of their names formed my nickname, Joa. Before, everyone had always called me that, even though my real name was Joanna. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. I had thought I was over the time when tears of longing and regret would well up in my eyes without warning. That belonged to the past. Over and done with. I had no name any more, because no one bothered to talk to me. I was nothing, just a body, almost motionless, on a bed in a room. Nothing.
I closed my aching eyes. Hope would get me nowhere. But I would have liked to have continued my dream.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Rebillion!
JADE AND ADRIEN had prepared a detailed escape plan and were convinced it would succeed. After feverishly searching for a particular magic formula in the few books of sorcery hidden in the city, the young man had at last waved in triumph a yellowed sheet of ancient, crumbling paper, which Jade had examined. Together they had agreed their plan of action. Now the time had come to cast the spell.
“It’s too late to go back,” thought Opal. She would have to go through with it. And yet something inside her kept trying to persuade her otherwise.
Amber had emerged from her torpor, but still felt weak. Jade and Adrien were anxious to begin.
Jade picked up the formula. Opal went over to her. Still feeling dizzy and a little muddled, Amber joined them.
“Right,” said Adrien, his heart pounding, “this is it. You have to recite the formula over and over, without stopping. The magic circle is invisible. The magic will draw strength from your own energy.”
The three girls took out their Stones.
“If all is well,” continued Adrien tensely, “the people of Nathyrnn should be gathering at this moment before the gates of the city. I will go and join them. Meanwhile, you recite the formula, I open the gates, you join me, and everyone is freed.”