Megan stacked the firewood neatly against the little house that she had shared with Larissia the prophetess for the past fifteen years and stretched luxuriously, yawning as she did so.
"Dinnertime, Meg!" Larissia called from inside the house.
"Coming." Meg gave one last stretch before she made her way into the little house that she had called home since the day Larissia found her unconscious at Crystal Reach.
Sensing untapped power within the little girl, Larissia then made Megan her apprentice but made her promise never to tell anyone what had happened that day at Crystal Reach.
"Arthenia is still in danger, Megan." Larissia explained after she had told her all about the Dark Adept and his ex-colleagues, "The jewel which you picked up that day is no ordinary jewel but the Orb itself. I have no idea why it chose you as Orb Bearer but no one must know of it or this world will cease to exist."
"What must I do then?" Megan had asked, her green eyes grim.
"What must I do then?" Megan had asked, her green eyes grim.
Larissia gazed at her with fathomless blue eyes, then reached out to smooth her auburn curls.
"Such a burden for one so young." She murmured, then sighed, "You must guard the Orb with your life and what arts I can teach you. There will come a day when the Orb will reveal where the three remaining Adepts are and we must find them or we can never defeat the Dark Adept when he rises again."
"When will Glennas rise again then?" Megan wanted to know but at the mention of his name, a cold wind seemed to fill the little house and the candles flickered madly.
"Such a burden for one so young." She murmured, then sighed, "You must guard the Orb with your life and what arts I can teach you. There will come a day when the Orb will reveal where the three remaining Adepts are and we must find them or we can never defeat the Dark Adept when he rises again."
"When will Glennas rise again then?" Megan wanted to know but at the mention of his name, a cold wind seemed to fill the little house and the candles flickered madly.
Larissia threw a nervous glance around but maintained her composure.
"We don't know, Meg but it will be nice if you don't mention his name so often. Names are often the catalyst to inviting unwelcome shades...if you know what I mean."
Megan never mentioned his name again but in her mind, the image of the beautiful but cruel face often rose unbidden and she wondered how a mere human like her could stand against so powerful an adversary.
"We don't know, Meg but it will be nice if you don't mention his name so often. Names are often the catalyst to inviting unwelcome shades...if you know what I mean."
Megan never mentioned his name again but in her mind, the image of the beautiful but cruel face often rose unbidden and she wondered how a mere human like her could stand against so powerful an adversary.
