Reading · Realms & Reflections

A reluctant prophetess must survive a dark king’s temptations and shadow-bound horrors to claim the one relic that can save her dying people—if the prophecy doesn’t destroy her first.

The story so far…

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Idenia spun about. She felt a flush spread across her face, surprised by the silent arrival of the high priest in the doorway behind her.

“Your Grace, I didn’t hear you enter.”

“And I did not mean to startle you.” Jarska waved Idenia back to her chair. He seated himself and studied her for a few moments.

Idenia inclined her head in respect and returned to her seat.

“The Most High has smiled upon you,” the high priest said. “In Gelm, you heard the voice of the Spirit call. You obeyed and the Most High has honored you for it.”

“In truth, Your Grace, I came more out of obedience to my grandfather,” Idenia said with chagrin, looking down at her hands in her lap. “I’ve not been as blindly obedient to the Spirit as you would suggest.”

Jarska smiled. “Yes, but by honoring your grandfather’s wishes, you obeyed the Spirit. Do not fault yourself for that. The Spirit called you through a manner in which He knew you would hear His voice. As of today, I can see that much is true.”

Surprised into silence, Idenia considered the high priest’s words.

“Think on what I have said,” he continued, “but take care that your accomplishments do not bring pride to your heart. In our obedience, we must remain humble. It is not through our own goodness that we persevere, but it is the Most High who enables us to do so.” After a moment of silence, Jarska continued. “He speaks to us in many ways. You heard His voice last night, did you not?”

“Forgive my words, Your Grace, but how could I not hear the voice of the Most High when his Spirit had literally consumed me? I don’t know how it is possible that I am even here! I thought I died last night in the Sacred Place.”

“And therein lies one of the key secrets of the Spirit,” Jarska replied. “Whoever enters the Sacred Place dies in one form or another. The obedient die in their spirit, the disobedient die in their flesh.”

The reality of the high priest’s words sank deep into her heart. “Then my fears of death were well-founded.”

“Oh, yes, my dear. The Most High is to be greatly feared, as you have discovered. But the obedient can rest in the knowledge that He has burned His mark on their hearts. It is good to recognize His almighty power, yet still realize our capacity for sin and weakness. Only in this way can we be of any use to Him.” After a pause, Jarska continued, “If I might ask, what did the Spirit say to you last night?”

“Did you not hear?” Confusion pricked Idenia’s mind. The voice had seemed so clear.

“No, Idenia. In the Sacred Place, the Spirit speaks to each one in the privacy of their own heart. I only heard Him speak to me. I did not hear His words to you.”

Idenia pondered this for a moment before replying. “The Most High told me that His light would be with me always and would guide me, even in the darkness.”

“Hmm. The fact that you survived the ceremony speaks to the fact that your heart is right and that the Most High has indeed called you. I even sense this in my spirit. And now, when I hear what the Most High said to you, I believe that I know what He asks of you.”

Idenia looked up at the high priest. Finally she would know the truth behind her grandfather’s prophecy.

“Many years ago, High Priest Onor foretold the coming of the shianin. He wrote in the sacred texts:

“…When the days become evil, the shianin shall come to retrieve the Lightstone of Power and return it to its place of honor that it might bring strength to the Keeper of the Stone. Take heed! Only the purest of heart can find the Stone, for the seeker must possess an undivided heart. Beware lest it fall into the hands of evil for if that day should come, true anguish will be felt throughout the land.”

“I believe,” he continued, that you, my dear, are the long-awaited hunter of the Lightstone of Power. You are the shianin.”

Idenia stared in disbelief. “Me?! How can that be? I cannot be the shianin. And I thought the shianin was to be a warrior. I am not a warrior! Surely there is someone more qualified than I.”

“Ah, but the prophecy does not call for a warrior,” Jarska said, his gaze softening. “Only someone with a pure heart. The Spirit seeks only a willingness to serve.”

“But is it not true that all who leave the Sacred Place have a pure heart? I am not the only one, am I? How does this make me the shianin?”

The high priest nodded. “What you say is correct. After years of sacrifice and meditation, a few have entered and left the Sacred Place in purity. Nonetheless, that which you have experienced is not typical. I have never seen nor heard of that which I witnessed last night. Never have I seen the Holy Light consume a person in such a manner and let them live.”

Idenia listened, her mind in turmoil. And yet, deep down inside, a part of her spirit resonated with what the holy man was saying—and that resonance terrified her more than anything. Maybe he was right, but as yet, she was not willing to wrap her mind around the possibility.

“Believe me when I say this,” the high priest continued, “the prophecies say that the Spirit will miraculously identify the shianin as His own. Do you not know that all can see the holy light resting on you? Still glowing on your face? This is why the castle is astir. Although the glow is slowly fading, the Spirit has left its mark on you for a short time that all may see that His favor rests on you. All who look on you see remnants of the fire lingering on your countenance.”

Idenia looked down at her hands to find a tinge of cerulean blue hovering around the edges of her form, almost as if she sat under a waning moon, and she wondered how she had not noticed that before.

“There’s more,” Jarska said. “Only two fortnights ago, one of our oldest, most venerable priests foretold that soon the shianin would come and would be marked by His Spirit of Light. Make no mistake. You are the one. I do not need to proclaim this for all to know it is true. You have been given a task the likes of which has not been seen in hundreds of years.” After a short pause, he continued. “I’m sure your grandfather has told you of the Lightstone. Has he not?”

Idenia began to grasp the reality of the high priest’s words. Feeling a bit numb, she simply nodded slowly.

“Then, as I’m sure you recall, the Lightstone was given to us long ago by the Most High to be an oracle between Himself and his people. The stone glowed with the presence of the Most High and wherever it went, the people were blessed. For many years, it was kept in the east, in Besmontolai, and the region along the eastern coastline prospered because of it. The seaport there became the kingdom’s crown jewel. But High Priest Onor feared for its safety and ordered it hidden. Those who accomplished this task took the secret of its location with them to their graves. Now Moltanon has taken the rich lands of Besmontolai and set himself up as king. Now he seeks the power to take the rest of Perlan as well.”

A feeling of dread stole over her. “Moltanon seeks the Lightstone?”

Jarska nodded. “Years ago, it was prophesied that in a desperate age, the Lightstone would be returned to us in our hour of greatest need. Moltanon knows the prophecy and is determined to keep it out of our hands and thus deprive us of the strength it would bring. The only way the stone will be kept safe is for it to be brought back to this temple, to rest in the Sacred Place. Such is the task of the shianin.”

“But…how can that be? Who am I to...?” Idenia stammered. “What could I do? I mean, how would I...” She could not find the words to express the thoughts that whirled through her mind, and she fingered Hali’s pendant hanging from a thin chain around her neck. In truth, she would rather return to the comforts of home to take care of her ailing grandfather. But somehow, she had known inside that her world was changing. Now if her mind could just catch up.

Jarska smiled. “Such are the mysteries of the Most High. I will give you whatever help I can but he has called you and, as such, he will guide you.“ He leaned back and the mirth drained from his face. “Nonetheless, you still have a choice. You can serve the Most High in the role He has chosen for you or you can walk away from His presence. Obedience is always a choice. What do you choose?”

Even though every fiber of her being wished to return home, the decision remained easy. Something new stirred inside Idenia. The Spirit had awoken something in her that would not be quieted and she knew in her heart that the call was true.

“After yesterday,” Idenia said, “I will never be the same. I cannot walk away from the Spirit of the Most High. I will go.” Even as she uttered the words, her mind shouted no, but her heart soared, jubilant with expectation and energy she’d never known before.

The high priest nodded. “I am relieved that is your decision. There is no time for a proper dedication, but you must have my blessing before you go. Kneel, child.”

Idenia gathered her skirts and knelt on the floor in front of the high priest, eyes cast downward, her mind racing as to what this would mean for her future.

Jarska stood and placed his hands on her head. “I commission you to serve the Most High as he decrees. May you always speak His words and may His Spirit always go before you. Rise, daughter.”

Filled with emotion, Idenia stood to her feet and Jarska took her hands in his own.

“I know the task before you seems daunting,” he said, “but the Most High has been molding you for this purpose your entire life. This is your destiny. Trust Him.”

The emotion of the moment brought tears to Idenia’s eyes, and they spilled over to trickle down her cheeks. The high priest wiped one away with his thumb, just as her own grandfather might have.

“Time is short,” he said. “You will need to leave as soon as possible. As I said earlier, the actual location of the Lightstone has been lost, but it was last known to be in White Hawk Bay. To find it, you must travel there and begin your search in Helmport.”

As Idenia rose to leave, Jarska added, “Seek the Most High and He will show you the way.”

Idenia nodded, pressed her lips together, and with determination, headed to her room to pack up her belongings. Time to get to work.

Next Week—Chapter 16: An Unlikely Mission.

Fiction Friday: Lightstone of Power, Chapter 15

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