ELEMENT

Chapter Seventeen: Lone

The palace was quiet, and no one was there.

Peter was off someplace, so no one was there.

Not a single living person was in the palace at this time.

"So, what now?" Meadow's voice echoed through the pillars.

And another voice was there. A woman's. Not quite a child, but not quite grown. "There's nothing else we can do at this time."

"Nothing?" Cole piped up this time, his voice sounding persistent. "This can't be the end for us, right?"

"No, of course not!" Another male's voice, slightly older than the mysterious woman, laughed to himself. "Your story doesn't end here."

It sounded like Meadow stood up from the ground, but no one could tell for sure. "...Who are you?"

A pause. Then the woman spoke again. "I forgot. You've never really heard of us."

"You're the Mage, aren't you?" Cole didn't sound so surprised.

"Yes." There was a smile in her voice. "I am. And this is the Paladin."

"I didn't know there was a Paladin in the prophecy."

"Well," said the Paladin, "words get twisted. It was almost like I never existed to those people out there."

"Sounds like a sad afterlife."

"We've been here just as long as you have." The Mage and the Paladin sounded familiar to Cole and Meadow, like a distant dream. "10,000 years is a long time to be dead, but we'll be finished here soon."

"What does that mean?" Meadow spoke again after listening for a while.

"It means that the timeline's gonna loop again, and the living Mage and Paladin are gonna take their place." A voice, Harry, spoke with slight annoyance. "I've been here long enough to get filled in."

"He's here? Really?" Cole enunciated, clearly not thrilled with Harry.

"He's not as bad as you think he is, really." Mage nodded to him. "I've known him longer than he's been born, and while he's done—many inexcusable things—" Passive aggressiveness. "It wasn't entirely of his own volition, so cut him some slack."

"Yeah, cut me some slack." Harry snorted.

"...So where are the girls?" Cole asked.

No one was there, but someone pointed, and all spirited heads turned to two lone ghosts a ways away from where they were. Mage put her hand down again. "They're not ready to face their actions yet."

To a human eye, everyone here was invisible. No one was there, but Meadow smiled. "You're beautiful."

"No, you're beautiful." Mage put a hand on Meadow's shoulder. "A child's worth is in her heart, but you're a double threat, if I say so myself." She looked back at Paladin, who smiled.

Meadow's smile grew wider, until she looked up. "I can't see your face."

"Oh, that's on purpose," Mage pointed out. "Paladin and I aren't exactly ready to let people know who we are." And that was true. Some secrets are best left kept. At least for now.

"Mage! Paladin!" Another woman's voice, sounding older, came closer. "Any word on Sage?"

"None yet, your Majesty." Mage responded. "From what I see, she's still in the forest with Ethan and Robin. Resting, for they strike tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" An older man next to the woman echoed. "Will she be prepared?"

"There's no need to worry about her." Mage took both their hands comfortingly. "Your child is an incredibly strong person even without that necklace. She gets it from you."

"You're Sage's parents?" Meadow asked.

"Oh, right." Paladin came behind them. "Meadow, Cole, meet King Anson and Queen Hazel. They're the predecessors to the throne."

Silence. Then, when Anson looked to Mage, he looked back at Meadow and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I've heard great things about you."

"Oh, you're such a darling girl!" Hazel gushed at Meadow. "And your brother, such a strapping young man! This kingdom has good things coming for it at last!"

"Well, we're dead. It's not exactly our decision now." Cole sounded somber.

"Ah, not exactly." Mage smiled, turning to the hallway. Peter was coming down the stairs as a bird landed in the entryway. "Did you know that your friend Sage is a very smart person?"

No one was there in the palace as Peter came down the stairs, seeing a blue bird land from the broken windows into the rubble of the castle.

He raised his hand, summoning a spike, and stabbed the bird throughout the body, letting go as it plunked to the floor.

"Dammit." He hissed. "Wasn't them."

And he turned around and walked up the stairs again.

To Be Continued in Chapter Eighteen