Chapter IX
Sullie swam away, unaware that Aaron wasn't following. The city neared closer even as the girl she held grew colder. He had said her name was Kitty; she was special to the boy, she knew. But one question remained, why had they been at the lake? She pondered it uneasily.
At the city gates, Sullie stopped. A guard floated into her way. ~Princess Sullie, The King and Queen are looking for you.~
~Then let me through; they are with me.~
~They?~ The guard looked questioning around.
~Yes, this girl and her friend here.~ Sullie turned and found Aaron gone. ~Aaron, where are you? Aaron! Guard, did you see a young man with me when I approached?~
~No, your Highness. It was only you and the girl you hold there.~
~He may have gotten him. I'll speak to my parents. Open the gates!~ The guard obeyed and Sullie swam through them.
The mermaid princess ignored the magnificent buildings that rose on either side of the road on which she traveled for she was headed for the most beautiful of them all, the Palace of the Lake, her home. It towered above everything else with spires and ramparts and battlements a plenty. She cared for none of those now, only for the life dwindling in her arms and the one she had left to die.
Trumpets heralded her arrival as the royal guards opened the palace gates. She ignored all and continued straight to the throne room, her parents were sure to be there. On the way she ran into the King's Squire and her best friend.
~What's this, a new human to keep in the menagerie?~
~You know very well, Jonathan, that it is strictly forbidden by the High Law to enslave those of other races. It so happens that He attacked her. I have to find my parents so she can be cured. Then I must find the boy that was with her; he is needed by our city, our people.~
~Your parents are in their quarters, not the throne room. I've been summoned as well.~ Jonathan took Kitty from Sullie and led the way through the palace to the Royal Apartments. Two mermen guarded the doors and open them at the pair's arrival.
~Mother, Father, I need some help!~ Sullie said to two adults as she approached, Kitty and Jonathan in tow. ~Actually, she needs help immediately!~
The Queen rose from her seat and glided over to where Sullie had stopped. Golden hair flowed behind her in a wave of light. ~Sullie, what is the meaning of this? Bringing an outsider into the palace.~
~Mother, she is hurt and only we can help. He got he for a brief moment; I slowed the poison but you hold the key to her life. Please help her.~
~Why should we help her? Is there something special about her?~ the King asked.
~Not her directly, but the boy that she was with. He went missing just after we left the shore; if we help her she might be able to lead us to him. He is the boy in the prophesy, the one who will rebuild the ancient city of our allies. We must revive her to find him.~
~Is she the girl mentioned in it?~ her father asked. Sullie nodded and her father went to a cabinet beside the great bookshelf. He opened it with a key that hung around his neck and removed a tiny vial. He then motioned to Jonathan. ~Bring her here. It will do you no good to hold her once she swallows this.~ Jonathan laid Kitty on the table to which the King had motioned and floated back a few feet. Then, opening the vial, the King poured the contents into Kitty's mouth. ~Now we wait.~
Sullie settled into a nearby chair to wait. She had a strange sensation that something was about to happen. Kitty's eyes fluttered open at the same moment a voice filled Sullie's mind. It was a single call for help, then another that faded uneasily into silence.
Kitty sat bolt upright and cried, "Aaron!" She then tried to run for a door that she saw, but felt two strong hands restrain her. "Let me go! Aaron needs me!"
~Hold it young lady, this is no time to go running off into the lake.~ Kitty looked back at the King and Johnathan restraining her; her brain worked overtime as she pulled from them and fell to the floor.
"Please don't hurt me. I beg you, don't hurt me," she pleaded.
~We will not hurt you, child. My daughter has told us about you and the boy. We will find him, alive hopefully~ The King placed a hand on Kitty's shoulder and pulled her up. When she tried to reply, she choked on water, showing that the spell was ending. ~Here, let me help~ The King moved his hand over her face and muttered a few strange words, allowing Kitty to breathe deep. ~Better?~
"Yes, thank you. But I must find my friend, Aaron. I fear he is in great danger and may die.”
~Yes, I heard it as well. Is he a-- ~ Sullie paused trying to grasp the right word.
“Telepath, yes. He has telepathy and extreme speed at certain times of day. This is one of those times he does not have that ability and he is not a good swimmer anyway. We must help him!”
~We know this my dear.~ the queen said gently as the king called in one of the guards.
“Then let's go after him! He is dying as we speak!”
~Don't you think we know this! He is the only person that can save our race!~ Sullie cried to the girl. She saw Kitty's eyes widen in surprise. ~You didn't know?~
“No, I did not; neither of us did. If we had we would have know what lay ahead, we were never told though. Could you tell me of it later maybe?”
The king talked with the guard and dismissed him. He turned to the rest of the gathered people apon hearing his daughter's comment. ~How about now? We are still trying to locate the boy and the monster. It may take some time but we will find him. Sullie, Johnathan, tell Kitty the prophecy as we know it. She may find it disturbing though.~
~ Very well. Jonathan will you begin, you know that part better than I.~
~Yes, Your Highness.~ He got a stern look for that comment; Sullie didn't like to be called Highness by her friends. ~Over three centuries ago, when this prophesy began, the kingdom of Rowdor was great. It's power was equal those such as the Romans and Chinese. Early one spring, at the annual gathering of the People, a soothsayer was brought forth by the King of Rowdor's guards. The sayer was babbling about a boy and the ruin of the kingdom; when forced before the King, he begged the man to listen. This man was Ellion, greatest and last king of Rowdor. He listened paitently to the sayer, ignoring the jeers against the man, for he had had this vision as well.~
~The vision was of a young man with extrodinary talent.~ Sullie continued. ~He was accompanied by a girl of his own age; she too was gifted. They would appear in a time when they were needed by the people of Rowdor. The exact time was unknown to both the King and the soothsayer. They would have magic equal to our own.
~It was shown that they would abandon their friends to search for a city. That city, like the time, was unknown. My grandfather, King of the Lake at that time, foresaw the need of this boy's help to save our city. But when Rowdor and our city needed him the most, there was no one. You never came; even in our drearyest times, we held hope that you would come, but you never did.