The Lost Prophecy

  THE LOST PROPHECY

  THE FALCON CHRONICLES BOOK 2

  MARJORIE LINDSEY

  Dedication

  To the young girls who are finding their voices in the world.

  To the young women who are testing their voices in the world.

  To all women whose strong voices pave the way for others.

  THE FALCON CHRONICLES NEWS

  Please click here to sign up for the latest news about special book offers and for details about THE GENETRIX STONE – The Falcon Chronicles Book 3.

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  Copyright © 2018 by Marjorie Lindsey

  Contents

  The Falcon Chronicles News

  1. Far From Home

  2. Road to Nuvega

  3. Captive in Utopia

  4. Sing For Your Supper

  5. The Second Diary

  6. The Genetrix Arrives

  7. Risky Business

  8. A Safe Patch

  9. On The Road

  10. The Price of Fame

  11. Best Laid Plans

  12. Revelations

  13. Tarvek’s Compound

  14. The Battle Plan

  15. On the attack

  16. Unexpected Resistance

  17. Final Assault

  18. The Healing

  19. The Joining

  20. An Unwelcome Guest

  21. The Prisoner

  22. Road to Haven

  23. Calia’s Escape

  24. An Old Friend

  25. The Deadly Crossing

  Reviews and Sign up

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  1

  Far From Home

  I awoke to dark, sweet oblivion before reality barged in and took my muddled brain hostage.

  Nausea drenched me in a shivery sweat as I lay on my side, lurching back and forth. A soggy mass clogged my mouth. I pressed my tongue against it, but couldn’t dislodge it. It was cold, dark and my head felt as heavy as a watermelon. Where was I?

  Gradually memories returned. Mother, Jarryd, Circe. Tears stung my eyes when I remembered Father’s death at the hands of the Delio’s.

  Other memories quickly surfaced. Hypor City, Steepchase, the rebellion, Kaaluk, the diary. Then our island. I’d used my voice and escaped the guards. I remembered feeling a sharp prick on my neck and guard’s voices. A drug-filled dart must have knocked me out.

  Bound at my back, my arms were numb. My ankles were also tied. A gag pulled tight across my lips, cheeks and circled my head. A waft of briny air confirmed I was on a ship.

  Despite my persistent queasiness, all I could think of was my mother; kidnapped by Delio’s guards and vulnerable to their savageries. I strained against my captivity. I had to escape, find my brother and rescue my mother. But how?

  “Check her. Commander Delio will want her alive.”

  The voice was muffled but the kick to my shoulder was a clear message. I rocked forward as a spear of pain shot to my fingertips.

  “Hey. Are you dead?” a second gravelly voice demanded.

  Not wanting to tempt a second assault, I grunted as loud as my restrained mouth allowed and shifted my numb legs.

  “She’s alive,” the voice confirmed as footsteps receded.

  With each sway of the vessel, the side of my face scraped the hard deck. I’d been enveloped in what felt like a juba. The heavy material covered my head and face, making the air stale, and breathing difficult. I shifted and saw a sliver of light. I tossed my head, sending my senses spinning. The first time, the rough material didn’t budge. The second time, it gaped open.

  I greedily sucked the fresher air into my nostrils. Several deep breaths cleared my head. I straightened my legs as best I could and arched my back to relieve the numbing pressure of the ties and deck. Something rustled beside me. I went still when I heard a faint whisper.

  “Are you awake?” The female voice sounded friendly.

  I couldn’t respond so I wiggled and rolled in her direction. Lifting my head, I poked my face from under the black hood. My senses spun again.

  Under a mop of pink hair, two gray eyes widened when she saw the cloth tied over my mouth. “I’m Trill. We’re on a ship transporter, going to Prima Feminary.” She lifted her hands and showed me the ropes on her wrists. “I’m tied as well, but one of the older women can help with your gag. Only their feet are bound.”

  I lifted my head but was overcome by dizziness. The material closed over my face as I flopped back down. I felt someone press my side. A woman started to hum. Tears filled my eyes when I recognized the melody and the voice. It was my mother’s.

  Gently she pushed away my hood. My heart swelled when she cradled my face in her hands. Her fingers moved to the knotted gag, finally releasing it. A gentle smile curved her lips. The faint light of a deck lantern revealed every familiar feature and swelled my heart with love, but her dull eyes held no recognition.

  For several moments, my dry, sore throat wouldn’t work, even though the gag was gone. Finally I managed a croaky “Mother”. It was enough.

  A sweet smile of recognition bloomed on her face. She reached out to me again, but stopped when heavy steps shook the deck.

  A bulky form approached and a burly arm threatened to strike her. “Get back, old woman.”

  She withdrew to sit with Trill and another woman. Once the man departed, she returned. While caressing my cheek, she hummed a familiar folk song.

  As she sang, my stomach settled and my body relaxed. I had questions and fought to remain awake, but her soothing tones lulled me into peaceful sleep.

  “Brynna?” Mother’s voice intruded into my dream of home and my warm bed.

  “It’s too early,” I moaned.

  The pressure of a finger against my lips brought me fully awake. “Quietly or the guards will hear us,” she murmured.

  Awareness settled around me. I hadn’t slept long. It was still night. I couldn’t see her, but I felt Mother’s breath fan my cheek as her arms clasped us together. Salty tears coursed down my face and stung my parched lips. I savored her loving embrace until I remembered.

  “Father.” The memory pierced my heart.

  “Yes, he’s gone.” The words were simple but her tone was drenched with loss.

  My tears welled again when her wet cheek pressed mine. I wanted to soothe her hurt and grieve for my father, but we both understood the gravity of our situation.

  “Can you release my hands?” I suspected her eyesight had deteriorated further when she didn’t look down as she groped my wrists and worked at the bindings.

  “They’re too tight and caked with salt. If only I could see.”

  I remembered a cloaked figure hunched near Trill. “Isn’t there another woman nearby? Perhaps she can help.”

  “Trill’s aunt, but arthritis has gnarled her hands and she’s extremely weak. Seasickness.”

  I nodded. The rocking motion wasn’t far from my thoughts. I took several deep breaths, trying to relax. There was little I could do to get free at the moment. Even if I could get free, was there any chance of escape from a ship in the middle of the ocean? I shuddered at the thought of miles of frigid water.

  I squirmed and lay my cheek on Mother’s lap. “Tell me how you got captured.”

  A sobbing breath rattled her body. “Hypor guards arrived yesterday morning. I heard their voices and smelled fire so I ran from the greenhouse to confront them. Roddy was in the falcon muse and heard the commotion. He stopped me before I reached the house and convinced me to go to the village. I hid in Old Joe’s fishing hut. When the soldiers came, Joe tried to distract them. I overheard him deny my whereabouts. There was blaster fire and then nothing. I think they killed
him,” her voice trembled. “I couldn’t risk another life being lost, so I surrendered.” After a pause, she sighed and shook her head. “I suspect everything is gone.”

  I shuddered as images of the charred remains of my childhood home flooded my mind.

  She straightened and lifted her chin. “Tell me what has happened in Hypor City.”

  Not wanting to linger in sadness, I followed her brave lead. “After Steepchase, the rebels exposed Premier Delio’s deception. The people revolted but the Delios escaped. Perhaps they ordered your kidnapping, hoping to use you as a hostage.”

  “I think the Genetrix wanted me apprehended too,” said Mother. “On the island, as the guards passed the greenhouse, I overheard one of them mention her. I suspect she’s working with Prince Delio and his father.”

  I cringed at thought of that alliance, especially when my mother was their target. “I don’t know about the others, but Premier Delio is dead. Jarryd saw Prince pull a blaster and shoot his father.”

  She gasped. “A despicable act. Your father always suspected the son was hungry for power.”

  “There’s a rumor that Prince was mistreated by his father.”

  “I’m not surprised. Your father’s reports of Delio’s erratic outbursts at council meetings and his paranoid behavior pointed to the possibility of madness in that family. The son must be similarly afflicted.”

  “I don’t understand why he would want to hurt you?” I pressed my cheek to her hand as it stroked my face.

  “Delio’s twisted mind probably wanted revenge. As for the Genetrix, I’m not sure what she wants.” She paused. “Have you learned any more about the solar threat?”

  “We’ve been focused on exposing Delio. Now that he’s dead and the rebellion is over, I’m certain the scientists will resume their search for a solution.”

  My mind returned to our present situation. I glanced around the deck. “How many more women are on board?”

  “Just the four of us, I think. I haven’t heard any others.”

  “How were Trill and her aunt captured? Were they also somehow connected to Hypor City?”

  “She told me the guards landed on her island. Her uncle tried to fight them off but suffered the same fate as Old Joe. I’m not sure why Trill and her aunt were taken.”

  A punishing gust of wind burst across the deck. The boat pitched wildly on rough waves. Bile rose and soured my throat. I closed my eyes and gulped for air, trying to stem the sickening.

  Anticipating my discomfort, Mother started humming. She paused between songs. “Were you kidnapped in Hypor City?”

  I shifted my head and rolled my aching shoulders. “No. After the rebellion, Jarryd and I escaped and stayed with the rebels. We were captured when we returned to our island.”

  “Why did you return?”

  “To make sure you were safe. Jarryd went to check the village while I took the path to our home. When I couldn’t find you and I saw what Prince’s men had done, I headed back to meet Jarryd after releasing Circe. On the way, I decided to find the cave where we discovered the first diary. It didn’t take me long to locate the second one that you had mentioned. I was in the cave when Delio’s guards surprised me. I don’t know what happened to Jarryd.” I nudged my legs toward her. “I put the second diary in my right boot. Can you feel it?”

  She felt for my legs then prodded my calf. “Yes, but why risk your life for it?”

  “I need to find out more about the prophecy. I want to know if I’m the one destined to destroy the sisterhood. It’s been haunting my thoughts since I read your note. The second diary might hold some answers.”

  “It’s an old prediction. Probably nothing to do with you and best forgotten. In light of what’s happening now, it’s unimportant.” She paused briefly, then her voice choked. “Do you think they arrested Jarryd?”

  “I doubt it. He’s resourceful and reliable, no longer the easy-going joker.” Infusing hope into our dire situation was preferable to adding to her worry. “I’m sure he’s searching for us right now.” I resisted speculating what might happen if he had been taken prisoner. Of more immediate concern was what would happen when we reached Prima Feminary.

  “Listen,” Mother whispered.

  The boat rolled heavily to port. Repeated thuds shook the deck, followed by the rapid pounding of weighty footsteps. Harsh male voices ripped the air. Sounds of struggle and weapons fire shattered the quiet night. Shafts of light from swaying lanterns bounced over the deck.

  “Search the ship and take the young ones,” a male voice commanded. “The old are of no value.”

  I clung to Mother as forceful hands dragged us apart.

  “Your voice is your power.” Her words filled my senses, sharp and clear. “Remember this always.”

  “Shut up, old woman.” A man kicked at my mother, forcing her back toward Trill.

  “Don’t hurt her!” I protested.

  I opened my mouth, ready to sing then closed it. The risks were too high. If I used my voice to subdue our attackers I might injure Mother. I’d already lost Father, Jarryd, Circe and my home. I couldn’t lose my mother as well.

  Salt-stained boots stopped near my head. One foot lifted and jabbed at my chin. “Look up,” the man

  I turned my head and was blinded by a flash of light.

  “This one’s young. She’ll bring a good price. Gag her first.” He flicked his light at Trill. “That one’s young too. Take her as well.”

  A second man swore loudly when he lifted Trill over his shoulder. “Little cat, she bit me.”

  Others sniggered, but the man who approached me was more cautious.

  “Only two?” one of the boarders complained. “They won’t bring much profit in Nuvega.”

  “The night is the scavenger’s friend. We’ve still time for another raid, provided the weather holds and the Hypor City drones don’t find us. Hurry and lower the women over the side before the waves crush our boat!”

  Two men climbed over the ship’s railing and disappeared. A sudden pitch of the ship sent us tumbling to the deck. A blast of wind grabbed my hood and flipped it onto my back. We were dragged toward a group of men illuminated in a ring of light. One slipped a metal hook under Trill’s bindings, then tied it to a rope.

  “We’re ready down here,” a voice yelled.

  Several men pulled on the rope and hoisted Trill over the side to a vessel waiting below.

  “We’ve got her,” a man hollered from sea level. “Lower the other one.”

  I glanced back, hoping to see Mother, but she was swallowed by the darkness.

  Bound and helpless, hooked and roped, I was hoisted into the air. I dangled above the smaller boat. It tossed wildly on pitch-black water that seemed somehow less fearsome than the unknown fate that awaited me.

  A succession of brutal waves pummeled both vessels. They pitched and collided, screeching along their lengths.

  I plunged like a rock. My heart convulsed with dread.

  Several men hollered. “Grab the rope. She’s slipping!”

  I plummeted toward outstretched arms—but none reached me.

  “Save her.” Trill’s scream faded as the water’s icy tentacles curled around me.

  I gasped for breath, certain I was about to die.

  In silent terror, I drifted in the cold black void.

  2

  Road to Nuvega

  Luminescent faces—terrifyingly familiar—float in an inky vortex. Bloated, twisted in anguish, vacant eyes curse and accuse. First one man, then another, then the woman: tattooed, a reddish crown and metal studs. Her head angled on a broken stem. Clawed hands reach for my neck. Muffled sounds become voices.

  “It is a gift. It is your power. You are a healer.”

  “It’s a weapon. You’re a killer.”

  “No, No! I didn’t mean to harm anyone. I didn’t understand.”

  The images loom larger, distorted and menacing.

  I lift my hands and attempt to flee. My soundless screa
ms leave me gasping in the blackness.

  “Brynna, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”

  I jolted awake then felt sick, debilitated by the guilt that always followed the dream. It had been haunting me ever since Steepchase. I felt for my necklace. As I clutched the stone, the negative emotional onslaught started to lessen.

  “Brynna,” the female voice persisted.

  A finger poked my shoulder, launching arrows of agony down my arm. The pain was excruciating, and my body ached as if beaten with a stick. A constant bumping and jerking only intensified the onslaught.

  The air was hot and gritty. My mouth was parched. Wedged into a corner, lacking the strength to move, I winced as I edged open my lids. Blinded by a shaft of sunlight, I turned my head to avoid the glare. A second quick glance revealed rusted walls and barred window slits. I was in some kind of vehicle.

  “It’s good to see you awake.”

  My eyes focused on the pink-haired pixie crouching beside me. She looked familiar.

  She lifted strands of matted hair off my face, and then recoiled in shock. “Something’s wrong with your eyes. Are you blind?”

  “No. Of course not.” I grimaced when I noticed my crushed, salt-stained tunic, but I was thankful the heavy juba was gone. Glancing at the woman again, I wondered why her brow was still furrowed. “What’s wrong with my eyes?”

  “One is amber and bloodshot. The blue one looks okay.”

  I blinked several times, but couldn’t feel my concealing lens. My last recollection was plunging into the ocean. The water must have flushed it out. Instinctively, I draped my hair over my forehead and covered my amber eye.