Part 2

I was just too excited about this next part to wait any longer. Tell me what you think!

Miss Heiden sighed, “I’m not sure the bored would want me to tell you,”

Collin let out a laugh with no real humor “so we’re supposed to go on a dangerous mission without even knowing what it is?”

Miss Heiden looked pained “you are all children, you can’t possibly know the evil you are up against.”

“Um, hello?” Said Drew with as much derision as she could muster.

Miss Heiden nodded to her, “of course, but we’re not too eager to put all our secrets into four recklessly loose bags.”

I was so outraged at this point that I stood up.

“We’re going on this mission to save the school right?”

“In essence, yes.”

“And yet we have no clue what we’re supposed to do, no idea what we’re up against?” “Ignorance can be a powerful shield.”

“Ignorance could get us killed! What is it we’re supposed to do?”

I was shouting now, not caring that I was the least experienced person on the team and I was making a spectacle of it.

“We won’t leave you with nothing, we trust that you are all capable enough to handle the dangers you face.”

“Then why choose me?”

Everyone was silent. Miss Heiden threw her hands up exasperated.

“Fine, you do deserve to know the truth, at least part of it.”

I sat back down as she continued.

“You all know of course, of our position in this world. Years ago the bored director appealed to the president of these United States. He wanted help and protection for the school and it’s students who were being attacked by Feren and his army. President Carter was most inhospitable but there were some in the government who pitied our situation.

You must understand that we told the president everything, how could we not when so many were being killed.

“Had the few senators not helped us we would have shut the school down for good, forcing our students and those of us with the talent into hiding. Quietly the senators went to work, discovering everything they could about Feren. They infiltrated his ranks of solders and stole something from them. A stone tablet, or half a stone tablet, that had only a few verses of script on them.

Four will go, of each division.

One will make a life decision.

One will find the courage to speak,

 One will prove not to be weak.

The last of these shall not hide,

And finally destroy the dark side

“They read it before they realized how important it was, but even they knew the stone was incomplete. But before they could escape, Feren himself caught them and killed thirteen of them, the last managed to escape.

“When the senators found out their men were dead they withdrew their support vowing never to tell another soul about the magic of the school. Instead they allowed us to remain in the land they had given us, but the funds and protection ceased immediately. And so from then on we have been training our students to fight to protect themselves.

“We deduced that we only had the second half on the stone the man had stolen from Feren, but we have no idea if he had the first half. The stone explained a great deal to us, first and foremost was that Feren feared what it foretold and was trying his hardest to destroy all element workers so that the school would truly fall. The writing on the tablet was obviously some kind of prophesy. Many believe as I do, that it was foreseen by Plithe himself. Possibly recorded by Constance Ash.”

“Whose Constance Ash and Plith?”

Drew answered my question “Plithe was a dragon living in the 15 ½ century. He had the power of divining the future. Constance Ash recorded all the events of the 15 ½ century. That’s the only way we know it existed.”

Miss Heiden continued. “Beside the point Plithe was notoriously long winded. Any prophesy as short as the one on the tablet must have been incomplete. Feren’s goal had been to extinguish all hope of the prophecy coming true. He had been targeting those of the water talent. Maybe because that was Thaea’s original talent, or maybe because fire hates water. Whatever his reasons he was determined to destroy all those with that gift and whoever stood in his way so the writing on the tablet could not come to pass.”

There was silence again.

“That’s why he attacked again isn’t it?” I asked breaking the silence.

“We believe so. And if Feren wanted Kevin and Trevor dead, it must mean he fears the time of the tablet. It’s time to send out the four.”

“So why not just tell us?” Asked Collin.

“Without proof that the tablet is legitimate we were not prepared to send any students on this mission, but now that things are more dire that is the least of our concerns. The bored didn’t want you to know just how hard Feren would try to stop you.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” put in Sam.

Miss Heiden looked relieved, “the keepers,” she nodded at Drew “have spent many years trying to decide where the four would ‘go’ and the bored has agreed.

“Feren has always been after nothing short of world domination, but he isn’t strong enough to reach that goal. When he started creating more Element Workers the Heaven’s gem must have over heated, like a computer with far to many jobs running at once. It exploded into eight pieces and killed the five people standing nearest to it. The whereabouts of the eight pieces has been unknown for centuries but if they were reassembled they would once again have the power to bestow magic. That is why you four must recover all eight pieces.”

“How the heck do we know where they ended up?” Collin was leaning back in his chair looking astonished.

It was a lot for me to take in as well.

“Feren returned to the forest to find the grove where the Heaven’s gem had been, burned down. There was no trace of the jewel anywhere. We believe it was a thing of such incomprehensible power that the shards flew several miles away. Records tell of magic crystals being discovered all over the world. I’m sure one greedy merchant found several pieces and decided to sell them. But magic always finds ways to make trouble. We’ve been able to track a few of them and believe discovery of some will lead to the others.

“So now you know everything, are you willing to take on this mission? Are you prepared to try and race the most powerful man on the earth for the fragments of the Heaven’s gem?”