Grand High Priestess Sacer sighed and rubbed her aching eyes. Life in the human realm was draining for those with an overabundance of magical and divine powers. To ease the ache she had retreated to the deepest part of the High Knob Forest with the rest of the priests and priestesses. Once they had left their first place which was near the palace, the suffocating feeling had eased. Thanks to human technology, they kept in contact with the palace and the surrounding areas. The traveling priests and priestesses let her know that the state of the lower classes was the same as before.
Sacer wanted to scream in frustration. King Bayrel and Crown Princess Amanah refused to change. Things were growing worse. She didn't like the reports she got about Bayrel's treatment of Princess Serenah. The king was a fool. Serenah was god-blessed by Autem himself. To harm her was to invite disaster. Not that King Bayrel or the Crown Princess cared. The evil in their hearts and souls was infecting the land and the lower classes.
She knew Princess Serenah was trying to survive and couldn't focus on the lower classes. That would soon have to change. Sacer kept receiving dreams from Autem warning of a bleak future. She tapped her finger absently on the Scroll of Founding. When Autem first created their world, other gods helped him. There was harmony until one goddess, Tilsheen, desired all the power. She corrupted the other gods and waged war against Autem and the mythical guardians.
The battle waged for a long time and Autem and his allies prevailed. Tilsheen and the others were banished from the world. Autem's love and grace helped soothe his creations and the world as they knew it prospered and lived in peace. Everything was fine until Bayrel became king.
He was a good ruler in the beginning. After the birth of the twin princesses, he slowly began to change. His personality and governance drastically shifted after the death of Queen Ciela, his fated partner.
Sacer had done her best to mitigate the growing darkness in Bayrel and Amanah. Her efforts were rebuffed at every turn. Bayrel had turned his back on Autem and his representatives. Sacer had made the decision to nurture Serenah. Bayrel's youngest was nothing like him or his oldest child. Added to Serenah's gentle and kind nature were outstanding healing and farseeing abilities.
Sacer's mentor and former grand high priestess, Pira, told her the prophecy of Serenah's destiny. Her mentor had begged her to keep watch over the child and become a shelter for the youngest princess when needed. Then her mentor was killed and Sacer began planning how best to help Serenah. The foreboding dreams over the past two weeks had reminded her of her mission.
She needed to summon Serenah and warn her. She also needed to see if Serenah had found her fated one. If so, they would need to protect him as well. Autem told her Serenah's light would only thrive and shine when joined with her fated one. He was also bestowing a quest on the princess: finding the four mythical beasts who now resided in the human realm.
The darkness was coming and they needed to be prepared. With her thoughts in order and a plan firmly in place, Sacer grabbed her phone. She dialed Serenah's number and waited for her to answer.
~***~
Serenah was in the middle of doing Amanah's homework when her phone rang. Frowning, she grabbed the phone. When she saw the name, she gasped and quickly answered.
"Good evening, Grand High Priestess Sacer. How are you?"
"As well as can be hoped for, Your Highness."
"I wasn't expecting a call from you. Is something wrong?"
"Perceptive as always, Your Highness. Can you come see me tomorrow after school? If I recall correctly, you have school Monday through Friday. So visiting tomorrow is fine since it is the last day of the school week."
"That should be fine. The same place as last time?"
"Yes. An acolyte will be there to meet you."
"I will see you tomorrow then, Grand High Priestess." She hung up and sat there.
Serenah stared at her phone confused by the unexpected call. The last time she met with Sacer in the old world, things went horribly wrong. When she awoke in the human realm and visited the priestess, good and bad things happened. She worried this time it would be all bad. She longed for good things but that didn't seem to be her fate.
"Well, that's not exactly true," she muttered. Romeo was one of the best things to ever happen to her.
She wouldn't trade him or their time together for anything. He completed her on so many levels. He brought safety and love to her when she got none from her family. He was her greatest treasure. Her mother always told her and Amanah that when they found treasure to hold on to it tightly. Never let it go. She intended to do that.
With a sigh, she returned to working on her sister's homework.