As they drew near to the town Lara and the other shoppers found a small
café on the outskirts where they were able to leave the horses and carts
and make their way on foot.
"Right then." Said Daniel, the leader of the group as they stopped in the market place. "James and I will buy the building equipment we need. Jessica and Amanda, you do the food shopping. Annabel, you have to pick up the cloth that we ordered last week. Lara, I need you go make these orders for products to be delivered." He said, handing Lara a piece of paper with a list of goods on and where to order them. The group dispersed, promising to meet back at the café for lunch at midday. Lara noticed the length of her list and realised that she had a lot to get done. She hurried to her first three shops, placing the orders and arranging deliveries with ease.
At lunch time the group met, as arranged, for lunch and compared their purchases. They then loaded up the carts with the products they had bought before heading out again to finish their work. Lara found the rest of the day fairly easy. She made her last few orders and still had time to browse the stalls for herself for about an hour until she had to meet the others again. She fingered her pocket in which she had placed a few silver coins. Now that she was being paid for her work she could shop for herself and buy things, and she had been looking forward to this for ages.
She browsed the stalls, chatting with the shopkeepers and trying on necklaces. In the end she bought a few lengths of material with which she hoped to make herself a nice dress. She was walking down a street, looking at all the stalls, when she saw a smaller stall outside a dark barn. Curious, she moved over to the stall to see that nothing was being sold, but a man in a purple-black cloak sat on a small chair behind the small table.
Lara was inquisitive about what this stall was selling, but she knew better than to pry. She was about to walk away when the man spoke to her.
"Care to know your future my dear?" He asked in a gravely, deep voice.
"Excuse me?" Asked Lara, looking at the stranger suspiciously.
"Would you like to now what the fates have in store for you? Only five silver pieces to know your future!"
"I'm sorry but I only have two pieces." Said Lara.
"Well, for a lovely girl like you, I will give you a discount." Replied the man.
"I would, but I don't know if I can trust you." Confided Lara. "You could be nothing more than a liar."
"Then come inside and I will tell you about your past to prove that I am a seer. Let me see your past, present and future."
"I'm still not convinced." Said Lara, backing off slightly.
"Then pay later, upon your satisfaction." Said the man quickly.
Reluctantly Lara let herself be led into the dark barn. A round table and two chairs were set up in the centre. Lara took a seat in one of these and the man sat opposite her. He revealed a crystal ball in the centre of the table and placed Lara's hands on either side of it. The ball glowed an unearthly white and Lara could not help but feel nervous.
"Let us start with your past." Hissed the man. "I see great sorrow in your life, around six years ago. The death of a loved one? No, two loved ones! I see a pretty woman and a strapping man. Your parents perhaps?"
"Yes, my parents died six years ago." Whispered Lara, enthralled.
"I see a broken chariot, did they die in an accident?" He asked, Lara nodded. "But I see that they watch over you. They are proud of you, especially of the way in which you have befriended the Pharaoh!"
Lara gasped. This man really could read her mind and possibly see her future.
"Please continue!" She begged.
"I see that you are happy now. But I see an even greater happiness ahead. You shall be reunited with your parents."
"No!" Lara said. "That is impossible. They are dead."
"They may be dead, but it is not impossible to bring them back." The man stood up and began walking around the room, constantly talking to Lara.
"I am not just a seer, I have magical knowledge. I now of circumstances surrounding the death of your parents that could help you to bring them back. Their death was no accident, at least it was accidental and unfortunate but it was avoidable."
"How?" Asked Lara, feeling tears prick her eyes at the memories of her parents' deaths.
"The carriage in which they rode had a faulty wheel. The King would have had it replaced, except at the time the family were in financial difficulties, instead he spent the money that should have fixed the carriage on a new toy for his son."
"Yami?"
"Yes, Yami. It is his fault that your parents died, because he begged his father for a new robe and eventually his father gave in. The carriage remained un-repaired, and this caused the accident. But the fates and the spirits know that your parents were innocent and should not have died. They have informed me that they are willing to do.an exchange."
"I don't understand." Whispered Lara.
"The spirits that guard the spirit realm wish the world to be fair. Yami's happiness caused your parents to die and the spirits are not happy with this. They are willing to make an alteration to the world, to redress the balance. In return for the life of one, you parents will be returned to you."
"Really?" Asked Lara. "But how?"
"First you must convince me that you want your parents back. Tell me that you want them returned to you, that you will do anything to make them live again."
"I do." Relied Lara, tears streaming down her face. "I miss them more than you could ever imagine. I would do anything to get them back and to see them again."
"Anything?" Asked the man, leaning closer to Lara.
"Anything." She said firmly.
"You solemnly make this promise to me that you want them back and will appreciate their return to you?" Asked the man, suddenly he became scary again, but Lara could hardly notice this.
"I swear upon my life." She promised.
"It is not upon your life." Whispered the man to himself. He turned back to Lara and said, "An offering must be made to the spirits to appease them. They will return your parents to you, all you have to do is hand over Yami to them!"
"I don't understand." Said Lara quietly.
"Here." The man said, handing her a curved, silver knife. The blade glinted malevolently in the darkness. "Blood for blood. Kill Yami with this knife, and the spirits will return you parents to you."
"No!" Lara cried. "I could never do that, it is murder!"
"The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many, Lara." Said the man. "Two lives in exchange for one, the spirits are being more than fair. You know that Yami would say the same. He will feel no pain. Don't you think he feels guilty that your parents died because of him? He wants you to be happy Lara. He wants to get out of this world of pain and misery. It is mercy killing Lara. He will feel no pain and your parents will be returned." He placed the knife into Lara's hands. "I am a seer. I see that if he had the chance to kill in return for the lives of his parents, he would kill you!"
AN - Whoa, major cliffhanger! Sorry but you will have to wait to see what Lara does next!
"Right then." Said Daniel, the leader of the group as they stopped in the market place. "James and I will buy the building equipment we need. Jessica and Amanda, you do the food shopping. Annabel, you have to pick up the cloth that we ordered last week. Lara, I need you go make these orders for products to be delivered." He said, handing Lara a piece of paper with a list of goods on and where to order them. The group dispersed, promising to meet back at the café for lunch at midday. Lara noticed the length of her list and realised that she had a lot to get done. She hurried to her first three shops, placing the orders and arranging deliveries with ease.
At lunch time the group met, as arranged, for lunch and compared their purchases. They then loaded up the carts with the products they had bought before heading out again to finish their work. Lara found the rest of the day fairly easy. She made her last few orders and still had time to browse the stalls for herself for about an hour until she had to meet the others again. She fingered her pocket in which she had placed a few silver coins. Now that she was being paid for her work she could shop for herself and buy things, and she had been looking forward to this for ages.
She browsed the stalls, chatting with the shopkeepers and trying on necklaces. In the end she bought a few lengths of material with which she hoped to make herself a nice dress. She was walking down a street, looking at all the stalls, when she saw a smaller stall outside a dark barn. Curious, she moved over to the stall to see that nothing was being sold, but a man in a purple-black cloak sat on a small chair behind the small table.
Lara was inquisitive about what this stall was selling, but she knew better than to pry. She was about to walk away when the man spoke to her.
"Care to know your future my dear?" He asked in a gravely, deep voice.
"Excuse me?" Asked Lara, looking at the stranger suspiciously.
"Would you like to now what the fates have in store for you? Only five silver pieces to know your future!"
"I'm sorry but I only have two pieces." Said Lara.
"Well, for a lovely girl like you, I will give you a discount." Replied the man.
"I would, but I don't know if I can trust you." Confided Lara. "You could be nothing more than a liar."
"Then come inside and I will tell you about your past to prove that I am a seer. Let me see your past, present and future."
"I'm still not convinced." Said Lara, backing off slightly.
"Then pay later, upon your satisfaction." Said the man quickly.
Reluctantly Lara let herself be led into the dark barn. A round table and two chairs were set up in the centre. Lara took a seat in one of these and the man sat opposite her. He revealed a crystal ball in the centre of the table and placed Lara's hands on either side of it. The ball glowed an unearthly white and Lara could not help but feel nervous.
"Let us start with your past." Hissed the man. "I see great sorrow in your life, around six years ago. The death of a loved one? No, two loved ones! I see a pretty woman and a strapping man. Your parents perhaps?"
"Yes, my parents died six years ago." Whispered Lara, enthralled.
"I see a broken chariot, did they die in an accident?" He asked, Lara nodded. "But I see that they watch over you. They are proud of you, especially of the way in which you have befriended the Pharaoh!"
Lara gasped. This man really could read her mind and possibly see her future.
"Please continue!" She begged.
"I see that you are happy now. But I see an even greater happiness ahead. You shall be reunited with your parents."
"No!" Lara said. "That is impossible. They are dead."
"They may be dead, but it is not impossible to bring them back." The man stood up and began walking around the room, constantly talking to Lara.
"I am not just a seer, I have magical knowledge. I now of circumstances surrounding the death of your parents that could help you to bring them back. Their death was no accident, at least it was accidental and unfortunate but it was avoidable."
"How?" Asked Lara, feeling tears prick her eyes at the memories of her parents' deaths.
"The carriage in which they rode had a faulty wheel. The King would have had it replaced, except at the time the family were in financial difficulties, instead he spent the money that should have fixed the carriage on a new toy for his son."
"Yami?"
"Yes, Yami. It is his fault that your parents died, because he begged his father for a new robe and eventually his father gave in. The carriage remained un-repaired, and this caused the accident. But the fates and the spirits know that your parents were innocent and should not have died. They have informed me that they are willing to do.an exchange."
"I don't understand." Whispered Lara.
"The spirits that guard the spirit realm wish the world to be fair. Yami's happiness caused your parents to die and the spirits are not happy with this. They are willing to make an alteration to the world, to redress the balance. In return for the life of one, you parents will be returned to you."
"Really?" Asked Lara. "But how?"
"First you must convince me that you want your parents back. Tell me that you want them returned to you, that you will do anything to make them live again."
"I do." Relied Lara, tears streaming down her face. "I miss them more than you could ever imagine. I would do anything to get them back and to see them again."
"Anything?" Asked the man, leaning closer to Lara.
"Anything." She said firmly.
"You solemnly make this promise to me that you want them back and will appreciate their return to you?" Asked the man, suddenly he became scary again, but Lara could hardly notice this.
"I swear upon my life." She promised.
"It is not upon your life." Whispered the man to himself. He turned back to Lara and said, "An offering must be made to the spirits to appease them. They will return your parents to you, all you have to do is hand over Yami to them!"
"I don't understand." Said Lara quietly.
"Here." The man said, handing her a curved, silver knife. The blade glinted malevolently in the darkness. "Blood for blood. Kill Yami with this knife, and the spirits will return you parents to you."
"No!" Lara cried. "I could never do that, it is murder!"
"The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many, Lara." Said the man. "Two lives in exchange for one, the spirits are being more than fair. You know that Yami would say the same. He will feel no pain. Don't you think he feels guilty that your parents died because of him? He wants you to be happy Lara. He wants to get out of this world of pain and misery. It is mercy killing Lara. He will feel no pain and your parents will be returned." He placed the knife into Lara's hands. "I am a seer. I see that if he had the chance to kill in return for the lives of his parents, he would kill you!"
AN - Whoa, major cliffhanger! Sorry but you will have to wait to see what Lara does next!