Read Online Beyond the Prophecy by Meredith Mansfield - Free Book Online Page A

they called it. The place where Tabeus had
slain the sea dragon. Vatar had spent a day and a night here—and on Dragon
Skull Islet, the largest of the sea rocks scattered in the cove—for his manhood
test six years ago. He did his best to keep from looking at the water now,
concentrating instead on his footing among the loose cobblestones of the beach.
He shuddered as he had to splash through the surf on the far side of the cove,
but then a wide sand beach opened before him.
    The main fishing fleet, along with the merchant ships, would
be on the far side of the bay. Likely too far to be of much help now. But
smaller fishing skiffs were pulled up on the beach below the markets. Dozens of
them. Enough, if he was still in time. The tingling between his shoulder blades
was nearly constant, now. There wasn’t time to persuade the fishermen one by
one. Vatar climbed up on a point of rock that jutted into the beach and
shouted. “Fishermen! A giant wave is about to descend on us. Get your boats off
the shore and into the water. Your help is needed to evacuate the residents of
Palace Island before the wave descends.”
    “Is this a warning from the Sea Gods?” a young man asked.
    “Or a sign of their displeasure?” someone else shouted.
    Vatar squirmed. He should have anticipated that these people
would immediately turn his warning into something to do with the Sea Gods. He
didn’t want to further the Lie by confirming that the Sea Gods had anything to
do with this. And he couldn’t explain how he really knew.
    “Can’t the Fasallon rescue themselves?” a grizzled old man
asked.
    Vatar breathed out. That was a question he felt much more
comfortable answering. “Most of the people over there are servants.” Vatar had
seen several of the members of the High Council among those already on this
shore, so that was likely true.
    “Why don’t the Sea Gods rescue them?” another man called.
    Vatar huffed. “I don’t know. Maybe the Sea Gods are busy
with greater things and rightfully expect us to deal with the things that are
within our power.” He looked at the waves for the first time since he’d leapt
down the steps to Dragon Cove. Were they getting higher? Was that just the
change of the tide? Or something else? “Tell me the truth. If a massive wave
does sweep this beach, are your boats safer here—or out there, beyond the surf
line?”
    That seemed to do the trick. Dozens of men sprinted for the
boats and pushed them off into the water. Others ran farther up the shore,
spreading the warning. Good. Vatar watched as the fishermen rowed past the surf
and the beach emptied. Then, twitching his shoulders again, he climbed up
through the seaside market and beyond it to the third street trending back
north, putting several rows of buildings between himself and the sea.
Hopefully, this was far enough. He walked back toward the Temple compound.
    Vatar knew when the wave struck. There was another tremor,
first. Not nearly as strong as the one earlier, but something gave way farther
out, beyond the island. He heard a distant crash like a landslide and then
moments later, the other crash of falling water. That one was too similar to
the one that sometimes haunted his dreams of a wall of water rushing down the
river bed, carrying off anything—or anyone—in its path. The flash flood that
had killed Torkaz and nearly killed Vatar. He shrugged that aside and picked up
his pace, eager to know if everyone had gotten to safety in time.

Chapter
8: Distant Manipulation
     
    As he neared the Temple boat dock, Vatar saw his father
standing with Thekila. He hurried forward. “Father, did everyone get out all
right?”
    “Yes. Thanks to you.” Father’s voice sounded weary. “We just
had time to get everyone to safety. The lower floors of the Palace are flooded.
It’s too soon to tell if there’s any structural damage. Unfortunately, the wave
seems to have been caused by some large rocks falling from the peninsulas that
guard