There was something about Erina that Garinor admired and he couldn’t help but want to accept her counsel. He ate well and then sought her in the sewing room to tell her he would accept her generous offer and work to earn his chance to visit the Seer.
“Very well,” she smiled. “I’m glad you’re taking my suggestion. But I do hope you understand that you must work hard to earn what I’ve offered.”
He did and he proved it. Garinor barely rested that day except to eat. Every task that was given to him, he met with abandon. His arms pumped furiously, scrubbing plates and utensils. He carted heavy, water-logged blankets and other laundry onto the drying cords, making sure they didn’t overlap and so would dry fully. He even spent time on the cycles that powered the fans that dried the wet cloths. In the kitchen he was a bit out of place, but he managed to get things where they needed to go. The knife he was given for chopping was soon taken away by an admonishing woman who thought he was more likely to lose a finger than slice up carrots. He didn’t take advantage of being removed from the kitchen. Instead, he went right into the next job he could find. He was determined to earn that gold nugget.
He slept well that night and woke early the next morning. Werrn was still asleep but Garinor took a head start to the day. He ventured back into the kitchen to help prepare breakfast, for which he was better suited than chopping vegetables.
Word spread that it was raining outside, which set a slight damper on the mood. When Garinor asked why, it was explained that they were particularly busy on rainy days. More guests stayed indoors and more visitors dropped by for shelter. This became all too apparent as he saw the wares of food in the kitchen multiply.
For all the tasks he was given, Garinor was never allowed to venture into the other parts of the place. Erina had left instructions that Garinor was to be kept behind the scenes, and though he didn’t understand why, he adhered to the directive. He wasn’t about to take chances with the great gift she offered him. He folded towels and cleaned out the bathing cubicles, scrubbing the bins deeply. He emptied the dishwater tubs and refilled them from spouts in the ceiling set up for the purpose.
Being indoors all day, Garinor would never have known it was raining if people hadn’t kept talking about it. Many coats were brought into the laundry room for drying. A fragrant perfume was sprayed onto these to help ensure they didn’t take on a foul scent as they dried in the blowing fans.
The shifts ran a little longer on the rainy day because of the increased labor that was needed. Garinor pushed hard into the late evening hours, long past his scheduled time. He still had energy and he was determined to use it. When he at last collapsed in his bed, it was a sound sleep that claimed him.
When he awoke the next morning, Werrn told him to eat and then visit Erina in the sewing room. She was working on reattaching a lace frill to the edge of a tablecloth when he entered. She set down her work silently and escorted him out of the room to the sitting area they had spoken in previously.
“I don’t want to give you the gold,” she said bluntly and then smiled wide when Garinor’s face fell. “You’re an amazing asset and I would hate to lose you!” She added a lilting laugh. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m keeping true to my word, but I’ve rarely had one who has done so much for me in such a short amount of time. It will be a real shame to see you go.” She held out her hand and gave Garinor the gold nugget she had promised him. “For services rendered.”
Garinor’s eyed opened wide. He had seen gold before, but this was unlike it. The shiny metal sitting in his palm was large enough he could barely make a fist around it, plus it was heavy and hard to hold up. It was more gold than he ever thought he would see in one place in his lifetime. He looked up at Erina, whose warmth pervaded the room. “Thank you.”
She sighed wistfully. “Yes, well, I suppose you should be off then, though I do hate to see you go. If you are ever in the area again, I would love for you to visit.” She then gave him directions to the Seer’s place and escorted him outside.
Garinor tucked the gold into his pocket and then wormed his way through the streets, seeking out a darkened corner of the vast city where the Seer was hidden. He found it easily enough, though he felt unsafe there, surrounded by all the people watching him go.
“Enter,” said a raspy voice as he approached the door. He pushed the portal open and walked inside.
He had expected to see many fantastic things inside the Seer’s abode, from crystal orbs to beaded curtains, but all he saw was a wizened old man seated at a rickety table with a cup of tea in his hands. Garinor noticed there was a steaming cup on the table opposite the man.
“Sit and drink,” he said. Garinor did as he was told, amazed that the man had known he was coming. He noticed the old man shook terribly all the time and he didn’t even seem to realize he was doing so.
“Thank you,” he said, sipping the mint tea.
“Your coming was foretold to me, though not all things come to pass as they should,” the man began. “Yet you managed to remain on the path which led you to me and so I can fulfill the task for which I was brought to Kallinoria. And after this, I may finally retire to my home.”
At a loss, Garinor merely thanked him for being there for him.
“Oh, child,” the Seer laughed, “we are all called for different things and though fate may try its hand at guiding us, we are all still free to do as we choose in the end.”
“Fate,” Garinor muttered.
“Yes. Fate. And it is time that you knew more about your own fate so you might decide best which path to follow.” The man clutched his cup with a trembling hand and sipped from it delicately. “It was nearly one hundred years ago that the threads of fate spun together into a Vision.”
He emphasized the word ‘vision’ and Garinor heard the distinction clearly. “What do you mean?”
“There is a prophecy, young one, and I have seen that you are bound into that prophecy. So it was I guided Erina to prove your determination and to lead you to me.”
“So that’s why she bargained so easily to my favor.”
“It is to her favor as well,” the Seer claimed, “but worry less of that for now. And stay your hand for the moment. I don’t need that gold nugget just yet.”
Garinor pulled his hand from his pocket and shook his head, reaching for the tea again. “What else can you tell me?”
“I can tell you what I have Seen, though my Sight is not as clear as it once was.” The old man shakily drank from his cup and then continued. “The prophecy, then. It’s why we’re here at this moment. It’s why you’re not living a calm day in your own town with your friends and family.
“There are three key figures in the prophecy, though four of a sort. There is a prince in power, a secret heir to the throne who could take the prince’s power, and one chosen by the heir to find a scepter so he may choose between them.”
Garinor’s face went pale. “And I’m one of them?”
“Oh yes, that much is certain. But I have also foreseen a difficult and treacherous path for you, one full of peril.”
His complexion went even more pallid. “Peril?”
The Seer smiled. “You didn’t think fate would envision some path for you and not load it with challenges, did you? Of course you must watch your step along the way.”
The old man stood up unsteadily and Garinor saw then that his back was badly hunched over. It looked painful.
“There are two places you may go to now and one will put you out of your way, but it is one that I think is worthwhile, though I am not sure why I feel that it is. Your choices are ‘serene’ or ‘seen.’ Oh, it’s nothing mystical, just something I devised to help you remember.” He chortled to himself for a moment and then continued. “In ‘serene’ you will go far southeast until you find a pile of rocks. Under one of the largest rocks you will find something that looks useless but is quite useful. From there you will head east, then north, then east again. That’s ‘serene’ if you put all the directions together; southeast, rocks, east, north, east.
“For ‘seen’ you will only briefly go southeast until you reach the trees, then you will ride east a ways, and then finally you will travel north. Both choices will ultimately take you to your destiny, but I think the ‘serene’ path is a better one for you, though as I mentioned, I don’t know why. That, then, is my counsel and now you must decide.”