The Grove(109)
Keleseth opened her mouth to argue, but Guardian Sheren got there first. “Oh give it up, Kel. You know you’ve been looking at possibly retiring in the next few years. I’d be retired myself, if I had a successor I could count on. Guardian Dominor’s promised me that his younger brother Koranen and my apprentice Danau can somehow combine their abilities to make up for Danau’s deficits, but I won’t rely on that until I’ve seen it for myself, and tested it for a good year solid—I suggest you start casting around for a good male successor for your own needs, and follow the prophecy.”
“I already have a perfectly good female successor,” Keleseth replied.
“But if you follow the prophecy exactly, we have a chance of success,” Guardian Koro reminded her. “That means picking a male successor, not female.”
“If that is true, do you, Guardian Koro, really think the Dragon Empire will bow to the Voice of the Moonlands?” Guardian Ilaiea asked him archly. “Since you seem to be on their side.”
Saleria couldn’t be sure, given the hood and the tinted lenses, but she thought she saw Guardian Koro narrow his eyes at the older woman. Guardian Kerric cleared his throat firmly. “Gentleladies, gentlemen, we are getting off topic . . .”
“I’ll keep an eye on the verse that mentions the Dragon,” was all Koro said to that. “It may not be within my jurisdiction, but I do know something of the Draconan Empire, being a sort of . . . neighbor . . . to the Five Lands.”
“As will I, since it involves a Voice of the Gods,” Ilaiea stated primly. “And I can think of no better than myself, or my daughter. We are, after all, the Singers.”
“That’s just fine, but that leaves us with two verses I personally cannot place,” Guardian Sir Vedell told the others, capturing their attention. “Something about harpers and something about jinxes, a king being led astray, and a royal mask or disguise of some sort. Does anyone know what any of that means?”
The others shook their heads, save for Kerric. The Guardian of the Tower flicked his hand out in a vague gesture. “Possibly the seventh stanza refers to the old Fountain of Garama. If I remember correctly, Garama has a sect of quasi-priest-mages called Harpers, and that would tie into the Synod Gone prophecy, which speaks of the line, ‘By eight who are kin, by six familiar, one runaway, one unknown.’ If we take the ‘eight who are kin’ to mean Guardians Dominor, Rydan, and their six brothers, then that leaves six of us who have been able to identify our verses, plus a ‘runaway’ and an ‘unknown’ Guardian.”
“About the only advantage we have,” Pelai stated, “is that those last two verses are indeed last. Two have come true so far . . . but if I recall correctly, Guardian Kerric, your verse took place almost half a year ago. Guardian Saleria’s is only just now coming true. We do have some time, still, before knowing who the unknown and runaway Guardians need to be becomes important to the prophecies.”
“Some time, yes,” Kerric agreed, “but just because there have been a couple turnings of Brother and even Sister Moon between my situation and Saleria’s is no guarantee it will take another six months between hers and Alonnen’s, since he’s the closest Guardian to Mekhana and that verse. In fact, it could be another six months from now, or it could be only six days. But you are right, in that those two verses appear to be at the end of the chain of events leading up to the lot of us hopefully thwarting a Netherhell invasion.
“Guardian Saleria, do you have copies made of both prophecies in question?” he asked her, turning back to the Keeper.
“Yes. My scribe spell-copied a good dozen prophecies onto these scrolls,” she said, lifting the one in her hand. “It starts with the ‘Guardians of Destiny,’ since that one speaks the clearest of the problem, then moving on to the Synod Gone, one that seems to speak of Senod-Gra and demons, and a few others of lesser importance. The Guardians one is the most significant, so Daranen put it at the top. I can pass them through the Fountainway to you, Guardian Kerric, for distribution.”
“If you would send them now, I’ll make sure they get rerouted. Is everyone ready to receive a copy of these Katani prophecies?” Kerric asked.
Saleria watched the miniature scrying windows flanking either side of Kerric’s face. When all nodded, she murmured a levitation spell, lifting one scroll after the other up into the air, then muttered a second spell to open up the Bower Fountainways. With a tumble of the rods and a flutter of the ends of the silk ribbons tying each scroll shut, they vanished into the Fountainway, headed for Kerric’s hands.