“I see,” she answered. “And it was a good thing, too. Were they just as evil as King Sethor?”
“You have no idea,” answered Medea.
“I agree it was a big mistake to go to Macada Castle. Big.” Elric appeared from nowhere as usual, climbing atop a bench. “Your stupid actions are now going to cause a war between Sethor and the rest of Mura. What were you fools thinking? The gods and goddesses of Mura are not happy about this at all.”
“Who are the gods and goddesses?” asked Persimmon. “We don’t have any on Lornoon.”
“Yes, I’d like to know the answer to that, too,” said Aithrod, eating as usual as he talked.
“We don’t have deities on Taelgonoth, either,” added Stone.
“I will answer that,” said Talia. “Zoroct is the main god and the most powerful. He is god of power and might. Cnoir is the goddess of love and wealth, and Hapsren, who is my favorite, is the goddess of home and the hearth.”
“Where are they? I haven’t seen them,” said Persimmon.
“They are not seen unless they want to be, which isn’t often,” explained Rhys.
“They can only be contacted by visiting the pyramids of the gods, which are temples to them,” continued Talia.
“And where are these temples, or pyramids?” asked Stone.
“They’re on the other side of the island. The magical side,” said Elric. “Don’t worry about it since you will never be going there. Now, back to the problem at hand. The war that you fools have obviously stirred up.”
“Hah!” chuckled Rhys. “A war won’t happen. Even if it does, we’ve got twice the amount of soldiers than they do. Not to mention, we have magic on our side now. If a war starts, we have no real chance of losing.”
“Don’t get cocky, Blackseed,” warned Elric. “And don’t think I’m going to risk my neck for the rest of you if a battle breaks out because I have no plans of doing so.”
“It could happen, Rhys,” Darium told his brother. “I mean, if King Sethor manages to take over the throne in Taelgonoth like he threatened to do, we will be at a disadvantage if he returns with help.”
“Nay, we can’t allow that to happen,” said Aithrod, shaking his head. “If Sethor manages to get through the portal, kill our king, and return in command of King Helix’s army, there will be many who will die. We need to stop this before it starts.”
“It’s already started,” said Elric under his breath.
“You don’t really think that this will really transpire, do you?” asked Talia.
“No one even knows when the portal will open again or if it’ll appear in the same spot twice,” Zann’s wife, Lira pointed out.
“Don’t say no one. Someone does know.” Elric crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Persimmon. “Someone who can see the future, that is.”
“Me?” Persimmon’s heart leapt into her throat. This was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. These people needed help. Real help that she couldn’t give them. She only wished that she could.
“Yes, you.” Her father looked angry at her or mayhap it was disappointment. “You have Luna’s gazing ball to see the future, so use it. What are you waiting for? You’ve said you’ve used it before.”
“Yes, please do.” Medea came to her side. “I’d like to find out just how your magic works. Mayhap you can even teach me to use it in time. I’d like that.”
“If nothing else, you can tell us where to find Rancor when he’s unprotected from King Sethor,” added Aithrod. “That would help us out a lot.”
“You can also tell us more about the son of the elderly couple. Mayhap if we can get him away from the king, he’ll come to see his dying parents. Oh, do it, Persimmon, please,” begged Talia. “We are all counting on you.”
“I—I don’t know.” Persimmon looked down and ran her hand over the outside of the velvet bag feeling so nervous that she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t faint. She couldn’t do what they were asking, but didn’t want to tell them so. She had never actually told them she’d seen visions in the gazing ball precisely. Then again, she hadn’t stopped them from thinking so either and now she regretted her action. They all depended on her for so much. In a way it was nice that someone needed her. Growing up, no one ever needed her and she felt so alienated. The only problem was they were counting on her for something she could not deliver. It terrified her and saddened her at the same time. She didn’t know having friends and family would put her in such an awkward position.
“Please, sister.” Lira’s eyes showed desperation as she placed her hand on Persimmon’s shoulder. “Don’t push us away. Use your magic to help us. We’re your family now. Family does not abandon each other.”
Persimmon’s gaze immediately flew to Elric. Her father was her family but had abandoned her just like her own mother had when she put her in the abbey. She was sure this wasn’t the way family was supposed to act, but it was something she had no control to change.
Elric saw her looking at him and purposely turned his head the other way. She didn’t care, she told herself. Just because her parents weren’t there to teach her how family was supposed to support each other, didn’t mean she should follow their ways and abandon the new family she had just found.
“Go on, it’s all right.” Stone looked over to her and smiled, making her feel as if he believed in her even though she knew she was about to let them all down. “Just hold up the crystal orb and look into it. You’ll see the future just like you did when you saw us kissing.”
“You kissed?” asked Aithrod in surprise.
“Oh, you kissed.” Lira’s face glowed. “How nice, sister.”
Now Persimmon really felt uncomfortable. She didn’t want everyone to know that she and Stone kissed. Her feelings for the man were private. And she really didn’t want to have to pretend she saw something in the gazing orb when she didn’t. My, how her deceit by first lying was getting her into a terrible tangled position.
“It is not that I don’t want to help, it is because I can’t control it,” she blurted out.
“Can’t control what? Yourself from kissing that big oaf?” asked Elric in disgust.
“Father, stop calling him that,” Lira scowled at the elf. “Stone is our guest and we need to treat him with respect.”
“That’s right,” agreed Zann. “At least until he’s family. Then you can call him an oaf the way you do to me and my brothers.”
“Enough with all this nonsensical jibber-jabber,” snapped Elric. “Persimmon, use the orb to tell us what we need to know. Do it now. It is your destiny to step in and take over the skills of your late mother.”
“Yes, Father,” Persimmon found herself saying, only because she wanted to please the man and hopefully make him like her. She wasn’t sure why this was so important to her, but it was. She’d always hoped to have a relationship with her father. One like he had with Lira. She wanted to feel close to him. And she longed to feel loved. It was something she’d wanted ever since she was a child. Now that her mother was gone, it was even more important to her than ever.
Persimmon plucked the orb from her pouch, feeling her nerves shaking from the stress. Holding it up to her face, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. What was she doing? She couldn’t go through with this. Nay, she didn’t want to deceive all these nice people. Persimmon couldn’t fool them since they’d all been so kind to her. They were family. Her family. A family whom she respected and trusted. Didn’t they deserve the same from her?
