Chapter 3
The brothers paddled swiftly towards the glowing light that had appeared on the shore of the Great Divide. Uncertain of what could have possibly caused the lamp to light up. Their curiosity was unquenchable. What, or who, could have done it? It had been a long time since the brothers had to ferry anyone across Holy the Sea, longer than they knew. Deftly their oars sliced through the calm pristine sea and moved them ever closer to shore.
It was a most curious sight indeed. The lamp that had been dormant since the Great Flame was lit and glowing with soft brilliance. Near the lamp the brothers found a body lying in a heap of dirty robes. As their boat docked into the dusty blue sand they peered closer upon the body.
"It appears to be a lady," Baba pointed out.
"Not only that," said Baruka, "but you don't suppose she came from… well you know," as he gestured to the top of the Great Divide with his oar.
"Aye, now wouldn't that be something."
The brothers were never allowed to leave their boat as O instructed them during the Great Flame. They were never to root in land and grow together as one and become the next oracle. They were supposed to wait for the prophecy to play itself out. Perhaps the time had come.
Aira awoke to the sound of two voices calling out to her. She opened her eyes and looked about curiously for she had forgotten where she was. Lying in the cold dark sand she looked up and saw two strange creatures in a boat. They were not seraphs but they were not animals either.
"M'lady, I believe you called upon us," Baba spoke clearly fearing that maybe she would not understand his language. For further emphasis he pointed at the lamp that still glowed.
"Ah, yes… that is, I wasn't sure how to cross the sea. I need to return." Aira spoke while fumbling over her words. Who or what were these boatmen?
"Please take a seat then m'lady and we shall ferry you wherever you wish. That is our purpose after all." Baruka smiled at the young seraph and welcomed her into the boat.
Picking up her pack Aira joined them in the small wooden boat. The coldness of the night had enveloped her and she felt rather uncomfortable.
Noticing at her shivering Baba said, "Sorry m'lady we don't have anything to keep you warm. It would seem to be unreasonably cold this evening wouldn't you say?"
Aira wasn't at all sure what to say. Anything could give her away; perhaps this was normal weather for the Dark and the boatmen were trying to trick her. "I suppose," was all she managed.
They had begun to sail and Aira felt even more wary about her choice. She had not come from the Dark, what if seraphs in the Dark never travelled and they thought it odd. But they were skilled at boating and so she figured they must have done so quite often.
"You are quiet m'lady, long journey?" Baruka finally asked her.
"I suppose," she said again looking out into the sea.
"First time on a boat miss?" Baba asked.
Indeed, it was Aira's first time on a boat. She knew how to swim all right, but a boat was a whole new experience for her. "Yes, it is," she said still avoiding eye contact.
"Well the journey is still longer ahead of us, you won't mind if we sing to pass the time do you?" politely Baba asked Aira.
Interesting creatures, thought Aira. "I don't mind."
The brothers began with a slow song about the tale of something called Holy the Sea of which Aira had no knowledge of. Her scripts and scrolls had made no mention of it. She recognized a few references in the song like O the Scientist and the Great Flame but anything else was all new to her. By listening though she came to understand that Holy the Sea was the sea she was sailing on now. It was part of the divided terrain just as much as the Great Divide was.
The next song they sang was about a prophecy that Aira knew well. It was about Ahrima and the lamps and how Toba the Tura fought Ahrima and banished him further into the dark. It was quite a long song and by the time it was over Aira had burning questions.
"You know the prophecies?" She questioned, unsure if it was a smart thing to ask.
"Aye miss," answered Baba, "We know many prophesies like the back of our hands."
"We know the true prophecies as laid down by Gargul himself. Nothing is rumored or twisted with the words of seraphs," Baruka said and confirmed Aira's suspicion that they were not seraphs.
"Are there more like you two then? I don't suppose you are a seraph," Aira asked them in more words than she had spoken since they left the shore.
"No miss, we aren't seraphs, rather, we are more oracular beings than anything else." Baba said not hinting at much. Again, Aira had to keep guessing.
"But where do you live, are there more of your kind where you live?" Pressing the matter Aira became very serious. The brothers shifted but kept rowing.
"M'lady," Baruka began, "This, this boat, is where we live."
There was silence only interrupted by the sound of water flowing over the oars and under the boat.
"How did you end up here? Don't you ever want to leave?" She felt sympathy for the creatures.
"Would that we could m'lady but we cannot leave, not until the prophecy is fulfilled you see." Baruka explained.
"Aye, 'tis true miss. We were put here by O himself and cannot leave even if we wished it." Baba sighed and looked out into the sea.
"But that would make you… over 97 years old!" Aira was astonished. Nothing she knew could live that long. All living things die Aira.
"97?" Baba asked. "I suppose that's how you look at time m'lady."
"Hasn't it been 99 years since the Great Flame?" Baruka inquisitively directed his question at Baba.
99 years, Aira thought. So time did pass differently in the Dark. That meant 100 years was upon them and then the prophecy was at hand. She wondered how they measured time though, and how long it would take for 100 years to arrive. Perhaps she could wait long enough until 100 years of the Dark had passed and finally return to the Light with the Prince of the Dark.
She tuned out the brothers as they chatted. Eventually it turned into a heated discussion about fish that she didn't know anything about, and then Baba started reciting what Aira figured was poetry, although she did not recognize that either.
Although it was no time to be contemplating her own happiness it finally hit Aira that perhaps she had made the wrong decision. It had already been decided whom she would marry in the Light and eventually they would rule together and a new year would begin. What if going to the Dark was a bad idea? What if the Prince had no love in his heart whatsoever, for her or the seraphs of the Light? What if they were all had tainted hearts like Ahrima? What if…
"M'lady?" Baruka asked her suddenly. Aira started.
"Yes?" she responded looking about. It seemed they had made it to the opposite shore.
"We've arrived miss," Baba pointed out.
On this shore there was another creature. Aira could not be sure if he was a seraph or something like the boatmen.
Aira stepped deftly out of the boat and reached into her pack to give the brothers a token of her appreciation. She wasn't sure what these creatures liked, she knew that they ate fish but she didn't suppose they had anything besides that. She handed them three wrapped, baked wafers and a little bottle of the palace's finest liquor that warmed one up from the inside out. The brothers thanked her gratefully and kissed her had.
The creature onshore watched her carefully and Aira was wary. She waved the brothers off as they rowed back into the now misty sea.
"The lone shore man is warning ya' miss. All living things must die miss. All things die." The creature was the lone shore man and he grumbled deeply as if he had not spoken for years on end.
All living things must die
Aira gave a slight gasp and briskly turned while wrapping her dirt-encrusted cape around her body. Then she walked quickly towards the rolling mountains that awaited her.
"So brother, you think she is from the Light?" Baba and Baruka watched as Aira made her way past the lone shore man and towards the Valley of Hills.
"I dare say that she is of royal blood Baba," Baruka responded.
"This is not what the prophecy predicts, I don't think anything will come of this venture. Although she is courageous for trying, I think it a tragedy." Baba solemnly noted.
"Yes, somehow I get the feeling we will not be ferrying her back." And with that the brothers lost sight of Aira as the mist grew thicker and she became a speck in the distance.