16

A Few Hours Before Present Time

Rebecca rode into the family yard. Her grandparents were in the carriage and ready to leave.

“Rebecca dear, there you are,” Tony said. “We’re going now to see Field Marshal Foster. He asked for us urgently!”

“And guess what,” Lisa said. “Your parents have arrived with your other grandparents! They’re all here to see you receive the Flame.”

“Oh, Grandma, it’ll be great to see them all again! It’s been a month now!”

Rebecca excitedly waved them off before heading into the house to prepare herself for the Ceremony.

***

The tiers of Utopia’s amphitheatre filled up with the families of the hundreds of new Orizons sitting in the front, but Rebecca’s seat remained conspicuously empty.

There were three thrones on the dais by the Flame. Princess Felicia, regally attired in pure white, was already waiting and looked up as Pegasus appeared in the sky carrying Lord Life and her mother, the Lady Danae, both of whom were dressed in the elegant white robes of ancient Greece. As he landed on the dais, a huge cheer rose from the crowd. Felicia hugged her parents as they dismounted and they all sat together.

Bull entered carrying the huge crystal plate with the Torch and the Flame of the White Sun. Lighting the crystal lantern from the Flame, he placed it on a table in front of the Wise Tree and cast his gaze over the assembly before walking across to Felicia and bending down.

“Princess, Rebecca is missing,” he whispered in her ear.

“Let’s wait a few minutes,” Felicia said, a frown flickering across her brow. “Ask if her family knows anything.”

Bull nodded and walked down to Tony. “Do you know where Rebecca is?”

“We came on ahead. Don’t you worry, Bull. She won’t be long.”

The minutes continued to pass and Rebecca was still missing.

“We can’t wait any longer,” Lord Life said, standing up to a surge of applause.

“Dear citizens of Utopia, we are gathered here today for the ceremony of the Flame. Only a few of the trainees have chosen to return to Earth and, with our special advanced technology, we have erased the Land of the White Sun from their memories, replacing these memories with earthly experiences. What they lived through here will seem to them like a blurred memory from a dream. All the rest have chosen to join us in our fight against Evil.”

Felicia crossed to the table, took up the crystal lantern and held it high above her head as Lord Life continued.

“One girl who has chosen to receive the Flame has not arrived yet, but the hour grows late and we need to proceed with the ceremony.”

“It is time.” Felicia announced. “Let the young Orizons approach now, one by one.”

One after another, the hundreds of trainees received the Flame, inhaling it deeply for a few moments before taking their places in front of the thrones. As the last one passed by, Felicia shot an anxious look over the crowd - hoping to see Rebecca running forward - before gently setting the Flame down.

The crowd roared their approval and the Wise Tree rattled its branches excitedly. Lord Life stood up and hushed the crowd once more.

“That you are now Orizons is a secret you must never reveal to anyone. We often feel the urge to discuss our secrets with a friend or a lover or someone with whom we share other things in our lives. This is an error that no Orizon must ever make.

“The moment that even one other person knows our secret it is sure to leak out. That is absolutely certain. If we, the very ones it concerns, cannot keep the secret to ourselves, how can we expect another person to keep it when they have no reason to do so?

“If you feel the need to share the secret, if you absolutely have to unburden yourself, then tell it to the rivers, the flowers, the trees and the moon.”

The crowd once more broke into cheers and applause, the peoples’ spirits warmed by the afternoon sun. All, that is, except Rebecca’s family, who were now exchanging worried looks, and Bull and Felicia, both of whom were frowning as they constantly scanned the crowd for a glimpse of her face.

Once the ceremony was over, Lord Life, Felicia, Bull, Foster and Rebecca’s family came together at the farmyard to discuss what might have happened.

“It’s sad,” Foster said, “but I can only think she must have changed her mind and decided not to take the Flame. Perhaps she’s embarrassed about it and has ridden off somewhere to compose her thoughts.”

“It doesn’t sound like her,” Tony said. “Maybe she was a little troubled, yes, but she had chosen the Flame. I don’t believe she would have changed her mind. God, I hope she isn’t hurt. I’m getting very worried.”

“I’m going to look for her by Domus,” Bull said, gathering the reins of his powerful warhorse and spurring it to a gallop. Foster jumped up onto his horse, nodded respectfully but curtly to Julius, and rode after Bull. Adrianna ran into Julius’s arms. As he hugged his wife to his chest, he felt her shivers of apprehension and wished he could find the words to comfort her.