The temple monks went about their daily tasks as the girls walked through the atrium towards the main room. Novices were assigned to cleaning and general maintenance around the wat before attending afternoon classes. Elders often conducted lectures or escaped to meditate or study in the various shrine rooms.
Sofia enjoyed the serenity of the wat. In here, she could simply be Sofia, which was exactly what she needed now that she was starting to feel comfortable in her own skin. She rarely felt pressured to excel or bothered by her title within these walls.
The girls found the Oracle in the shrine room waiting for them next to his work table.
Sofia apologized, “Sorry we took a while.”
“No problem. Come, come. Let me show you.” The Oracle had a box of dusty scrolls next to him, with one pulled out and unwound on the table. He waited for the two princesses to stand next to it and had them take a seat. “I know you’ve had some basic lessons about Tropos, but I’m not sure if you’ve heard about the Royal Prophecy. Have you learned this yet?”
Sofia looked at Cara, who shrugged and shook her head. “We’ve never heard of it,” Sofia said, turning back to the Oracle. “What is it?”
The Oracle grinned. “The Royal Prophecy is a vital part of Mehk history, and it forewarns us about the different perils that we might face. It was written many, many, many centuries ago, but I believe the time for the prophecy to be fulfilled is now.”
“Why now?” Cara asked with a tilt of her head. She was wholly skeptical of fortunes and superstitions. “I mean, isn't it just an old prediction about something that could happen in the future? Why do you think this is gonna happen now?”
“That’s an excellent question, Princess Cara,” the Oracle replied, seeing Cara shiver at the title. “It’s true that prophecies are normally predictions about what will happen in the future. Many of these scrolls contain predictions that have yet to occur, but some are very accurate. Take this one for instance.”
The Oracle sorted through the box of scrolls before pulling one out to help illustrate his point. “You see, this scroll tells us about the battles that took place between our people and the other realms, including Lok Klang. We all used to move freely between the realms, and those on land would visit us just as often as we visited them. Knowledge and goods were freely shared, but this prophecy predicted for the Veil to be brought down to halt an eminent war.”
Sofia trusted the word of the Oracle, but Cara’s eyes glazed over at the impromptu history lesson. The Oracle continued, much to Cara’s dismay.
“Many lives were lost as we chose to ignore the warnings of that prophecy. Had we heeded them, we could have prevented the war. To protect our people and maintain peace, the Veil remains in place to this day to keep Tropos hidden.”
Sofia felt a bit disheartened at the thought of not returning to Lok Klang, but Tropos was growing on her more and more each day. She didn't feel the need to hide her giant frame or ignore the whispers about her bushy eyebrows and dark skin. Even without horns and wings, Sofia could stand tall and be proud of who she was—flaws and all. And for the first time in her life, she felt this world was where she truly belonged.
The Oracle continued, “Resentment runs deep, and the people of Lok Klang are not ready to embrace us. This is why we must take the Royal Prophecy seriously. Would you like to take a look?”
Both girls nodded in unison as they knew it would be unwise to disagree with the Oracle. Cara knew he would read it without their approval anyway. Slowly and gently, the Oracle further unraveled the scroll on the table. He cleared his throat and read the prophecy aloud.
When bonds are broken
Through and through,
The love of one
Who is Pure and True,
Will reign supreme
Above the night,
And mend the wrongs
For all to unite.
Two halves made whole
From air and sea,
Joined down on land,
Where once they flee.
Together, they remain a pair,
Until the time they’re made aware,
Of destinies proclaimed in stars,
Of harrowing journeys both near and far.
Upon a quest, the two must venture,
To find the hidden wand of Centur.
With staff in hand, the pair shall lead
The final fight to fix past deeds.
For when the broken bonds are restored,
Division will survive no more.
Our people will be reunited,
Under the banner of the Flighted.
Sofia and Cara stared at each other, uncertain what their response should be. They waited for the Oracle to explain, but when he remained silent, Cara gestured for Sofia to say something. Sofia made the same request of her sister, and the Oracle patiently observed their mime act. When the pair realized they were being watched, they smiled and laughed uncomfortably. Cara elbowed Sofia to take the lead.
“I don’t really know what to say about this,” Sofia admitted. “Poetry isn’t my strong point. What’s so important about this prophecy?”
“You truly don’t see it?” The Oracle tilted his head.
Again, the girls shook their heads with confused expressions on their faces.
“This prophecy is about you,” the Oracle said, his face filled with seriousness.
“Me?” Sofia reeled back in shock. “You want me to believe this ancient poem is about me?”
“Yes and no. It’s about both of you.” The Oracle skimmed the scroll again and pointed to a specific line. “See? Two princesses of air and sea, raised on land where once you flee.”
Cara laughed out loud, unable to hold in her disbelief, and ignored Sofia’s nonverbal chastisement. “You’re so wrong, Mr. Oracle. I’ll buy that Sofia’s the air princess, I guess, but we don’t have any sea princesses here.” Cara waited for his agreement as she was thoroughly confused.
The Oracle smiled at her disbelief. “Are you certain? You are also a princess, are you not?”
But I’m not from the sea. Cara sighed and nodded, trying to be as open-minded as possible. She honestly thought the Oracle had gone crazy and lost his mind and smiled respectfully to hide her thoughts.
“Were you not raised on land, not far from Princess Sofia?” The Oracle looked at both girls and continued after they nodded. “Then it’s clear that this prophecy is about both of you.”
Sofia considered the possibility, but Cara could not fathom the idea.
As slowly and clearly as he could, the Oracle pronounced, “Jao Ying, you represent the air as a princess of Tropos, and Cara, you represent the sea as the princess of Bathypel.”
“Uh, with all due respect, Mr. Oracle, there’s no way I am a princess of the sea.” She couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at the thought. She’d never even been to the ocean before. Sofia elbowed her sister again to make her stop.
The Oracle watched calmly as Cara discredited what he was saying. “If you at least consider it—”
“First,” Cara quickly interrupted him. “I barely acknowledge that I’m a princess. Second, for this to be true, my mom has to be like the Queen or something from Bath and Pee.”
“Bathypel, Your Grace,” the Oracle corrected her. “The kingdom of Bathypel is well known to those in Tropos, and we often traded freely before the Veil was brought down and portals were closed. Some ngueks even remained here in Tropos.”
“Ngueks?” Cara looked at Sofia, unfamiliar with the word.
“I think it means mermaids?” Sofia mumbled and glanced at the Oracle, who nodded in confirmation.
“This is crazy and absolutely not possible. Now I know you’ve got the wrong person.” Cara backed away, unwilling to listen to anything else the Oracle had to say. “This prophecy may be about Sofia, but it’s got nothing to do with me.”
“I see. Perhaps I had misjudged you.” The Oracle rolled up the scroll. It was clear the young princess was not ready to face the truth. “I am feeling a bit tired, Your Grace. I hope you will forgive me for not showing you out.”
Without a word, the Oracle left the shrine room, leaving his precious scrolls on the table. Cara turned to leave, agitated with the Oracle’s prophecy. She already had to deal with the idea of being King Tongfaa’s daughter. Now, the Oracle wanted her to become a sea princess. And mermaids, too? Cara continued walking out of the temple without waiting for Sofia. Hearing her sister catch up, Cara refused to say a word during the entire walk back to the palace.
The oversized halls felt empty. Since their return from the Banished Lands, many guards were given leave during this treasured time of peace. Even the Sawaan brothers felt more at ease lately. The echo of the girls’ shoes rapping along the marble floors sounded especially loud today as they walked on without saying a word. Sofia and Cara finally arrived at their respective corridors when Sofia broke the silence.
“Hey. Feel like a sleepover tonight?” She elbowed Cara, hoping she’d agree. "Like old times?”
Cara stared at Sofia, then shook her head. “I’m not really in the mood for a sleepover tonight. I’m sorry, Sofe. I’m just gonna head back and talk to my mom. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Same time, same place, right?”
“Sure thing, Care Bear. See you tomorrow.” Sofia watched Cara trudge down the corridor, lost in her thoughts. Once she saw Cara turn down the hall, Sofia headed back to her room in the opposite direction. Walking through the corridor, Sofia thought about the Oracle’s words and the Royal Prophecy. Sofia and Cara arrived in Tropos during a decade-long war with Muet and her Night Army. Now that Muet was missing and her troops disbanded, Sofia believed that was the end of the fighting. Is the Royal Prophecy talking about us?
Because if it was true that Cara was a sea princess, then it was also true that a greater war was coming.
When she reached her room, Sofia stopped to greet the guard on duty and asked him where the Sawaan brothers were. Apparently, they had been suddenly called on a special mission for the King and would be returning by the week’s end. Sofia nodded her gratitude and entered her room. Sofia tossed her bag on the bench in her sitting room and flopped down next to it. Things were changing so fast, and Sofia was afraid she couldn’t keep up. While she was getting better at speaking her mind, adjusting to all the changes still took time. She touched her necklace and twirled it through her fingers. If only this necklace granted wishes, things would be so much easier.
Sofia grabbed her bag and got ready for bed. She rubbed her head to fend off the looming headache and closed her eyes to let the day dissolve in her mind. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed into pajamas. Walking up the steps to her bed, Sofia tucked herself in and began her nightly routine. First, she opened the locket and talked to the pictures of the Queen and Muet. As silly as she felt, the nightly talks helped her feel connected to them.
Sofia would then reflect on her day and think about what she would have done differently. Today, she would have liked to be more comforting to Cara, be a better confidante to her sister. Whenever Sofia was in trouble, Cara was always there for her, to the extent that she traveled to an unknown land just to rescue her. Sofia vowed to be a better friend and sister to Cara and help her through her new revelation.
Finally, Sofia would search for Muet in the mirror every night. Sometimes, the mirror would show Sofia an empty room or the dungeon cell in which she was imprisoned. On other nights, Sofia would be shown aerial shots of the Banished Lands that would zoom into her lair. No matter how often she tried to find her, the mirror refused to show Sofia a direct image of Muet—only places associated with her.
Tonight, Sofia’s mind was on the Royal Prophecy and their imminent quest. She thought about the wand of Centur, what it looked like, and maybe how she could find it. As she sat in bed, Sofia opened the mirror and waited for an image to appear. Slowly, a picture of a large silver staff tipped with a deep sapphire orb appeared. The image continued to waver in and out as if it were trapped inside a watery bubble. Strange. A never-ending ripple flowed through the center of the vision to hint at the location of the desired wand. Sofia brought the mirror up closer in an attempt to remedy the scope of the vision.
Just when Sofia became frustrated, the image in the mirror slowly panned out to reveal more details. However, the details were not of the wand’s location but rather a clue to someone’s existence. Sofia realized the vagueness of the visions were due to the mirror’s limits. Its frame grew wider and revealed a picture of Sofia holding the mirror, staring at the image of the wand within. Little by little, the image in the mirror widened again to include a scrying bowl on a table in the private study of someone Sofia had been desperately seeking.
Sofia saw a woman’s hand wagging her finger and then splashing the water of the scrying bowl, dissolving the image altogether. The vision in the mirror vanished, and Sofia was left staring at her reflection. She shut the trinket and clasped the necklace again.
With absolute certainty, Sofia knew that Muet was watching her every move. She lay on the bed and pulled the covers over her, heart racing and mind frenzied. Unsure if Muet meant well with her spying or if she intended to do her harm, Sofia fell asleep clutching the closed pocket mirror in one hand and the necklace in the other, with the haunting sounds of Muet’s laughter ringing in her ears.
THE END
of book one