“You should see all four of us perform!” He squeezed Piranha with one arm. “We’re going to be the next big thing!”

Ivory clapped her hands, her sunset-colored aura enveloping the entire area. “A fantastic rendition. If you don't mind, I'd love to explain the origins of this song to begin this important conference. Please take a seat.”

I sat with my friends at the end of the tree, facing our potential allies. The song was over, but its melody lingered in the leaves and the light.

Willow leaned in and whispered, “It's working now.”

The breath made me shiver. “What’s working?”

“Charm. For some reason, the doctor convinced me to trust her, and now… well now I guess I do. Strange, huh?”

The Divine leader’s voice dripped with gravitas as she weaved her story. “A long time ago, before the rise of Wyvern, the reigning King of the Wind first discovered the power deep in the Wilds, and he wanted all of it for himself. His fighters greatly outnumbered those of the Dark, putting them in a desperate situation.”

She tapped a finger on her temple. “But our king refused to be outwitted. Those Of-the-Wind are used to wide open spaces, so the Dark King and her council created these hidden tree meadows, with entrances accessible only to the Darkly Divine. The secret places allowed the king and her subjects to hide and avoid fighting while planning counter-offenses. The song was written to serve as a warning for others to hide, as well as a way of sending secret plans. In the end, the Wind Army retreated, giving us the victory.”

Her tone turned sorrowful, as if it wasn't much of a victory at all. “And now we're here, hundreds of years later, and we’ve been forced to hide here again. The difference is, now we’re fighting amongst ourselves.”

On Ivory’s signal, Olivine sauntered over, her posture straight and important. With careful hands, she placed two rolls of old leathery paper on the ground. “We’re not supposed to show these to anyone, but you’ll soon see why you’re the exception.”

I couldn’t tell which of us she was referring to.

“What is this? A poem?” asked Willow, already putting his hands on the delicate document.

“Since the beginning of time,” Ivory explained, swinging in a friendly breeze, “there has always been two people granted the ability to interpret the future. Fortune is the only power in the Divine Pantheon that can be held by more than one person at a time, existing in both the Wilds and the Wind.”

Olivine took the papers back from my sheepish friend and flattened them on the grass. Suddenly, the joy in Willow’s eyes dissolved, replaced with something bleak and distant, as he processed the implications of Ivory’s words. We were being shown something rare and important. A Dark Prophecy.

I took a step over the mysterious document, a sinking feeling taking over me. “This is… look I know you need help, but we're just some kids. All we want to do is save Pyrite.”

From the highest point in the meadow, the leader lowered herself to stand even with me. Her expression was so intense I had to stop myself from disappearing. Charm made Ivory’s feelings transparent, and I sensed she was about to cause me fear. “It’s too late. You are very much involved.”

Sharp looked at the pages like they were going to come to life and attack her. I really didn’t like the sorrow in her voice when she asked, “How so?”

Ivory sighed, “Because of the fortune I just spoke of. Badger is mentioned in it, by name.”

After a heavy silence, I stuttered, “R-really? By name?”

She knelt by the pieces of paper and ran her hand over the closest one. “Here, let me show you. These are the authentic words pulled from the bark of the prophecy room.”

The first page looked as if someone had used a stick of charcoal to capture the message on an indented surface. The second page had the same words transcribed with ink.

“Do you mind reading this out loud?” Ivory tapped a finger on the transcribed fortune.

“Uh, okay.” I cleared my throat and recited:

“The wind takes the little Badger

By the tail into the trees

And the little creatures

Scatter round

To little destinies

Savage Wild is the darkness

It burns the light of youth

Fumble frightened past the

Fool's gold

Through the door to reap the Truth.”

Without being asked, Sharp took my place and read the next two stanzas:

“Onward graceful silver wolf

Go grip the glittered sun

Take the world into

Your hands

The dire dance is won

The music breaks the air in two

The dancer keeps the beat

Tempo, pirouette, resolve,

Rhythm,

Rise, retreat.”

Something made her freeze here, so Piranha read the next two with a jaunty rhythm:

Mighty little monster

Fight the silence, fight the lies

Keep your feet flat on the ground

On the horizon

Keep your eyes