Albrek's Tomb, стр. 77

“You willbe the oracle,” Alex said again.

“How can you be so certain?” Kat questioned.

“Why else would you be traveling with a dragon?” Alex laughed.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Oracle Returns

It was almost midday before Alex found a hiding place for them near the city of Darvish. He’d managed to slip into the trees near the road without being seen, and he left his friends there to make camp. Alex took flight once more and deliberately flew low over the city. He let out a great roar as he circled the empty tower and watched as the people of Darvish ran for their houses. When the city guards began to gather and form into groups to defend the city, he turned and flew back toward the mountains, vanishing behind the clouds and taking the shape of an eagle.

“An impressive show,” Arconn said as Alex changed back into himself by the campfire. “The people in the city must have been terrified.”

“Perhaps,” said Alex with a wicked smile. “We’ll give them a few hours to shake off their fear and remember the legends about the tower.”

“Do you suppose all legends come true like this?” Barnabus asked as he handed Alex a plate of food. “Crafty wizards doing things so the people will believe?”

“I don’t know,” Alex answered. “I think most legends come true because people believe in them and want them to come true, with or without the help of wizards.”

“I think most come true because they are meant to,” Arconn said. “I’ve been around for a long time, and I’ve seen and heard many legends. All the legends that have come true have done so more by luck than anything else.”

“Perhaps,” Thrang said. “Though I don’t really believe in luck or chance. I think there is something more—something we haven’t found a name for yet.”

“Whatever it is, I’m glad you are all here with me,” Kat said with a weak smile. “I don’t think I could do this alone.”

Later that day, Alex flew back over the city of Darvish, but this time the people did not run and hide as they had before. Once again he circled the tower, and once again he roared, but the city guards did not assemble to fight him. The people watched him, pointing and whispering to one another as he flew off toward the mountains.

When Alex returned for the third time, the sun was setting. He wasn’t surprised to see that several people had gathered in the large square next to the empty tower. They looked up at him as he circled the tower, and he could tell that they wanted him to land. They all wanted, more than anything else in the world, for the dragon to deliver the oracle to the tower.

“The city looks ready for your arrival,” Alex said to Kat when he returned to their camp. “People are already gathering near the tower.”

“Yes, your plan is working perfectly,” said Kat. “I hope it doesn’t fail tomorrow when I try to enter the tower.”

“It won’t,” Alex said reassuringly. “I’m sure you can enter the tower, and I think you know you can as well.”

“Perhaps,” said Kat with a slight smile.

None of them felt much like sleeping that night, but they all tried. Alex felt no need for sleep, having spent most of the day in the dragon’s shape. He sat beside the fire with Arconn, watching the stars move across the sky. It was well before sunrise when Thrang roused the rest of them, and they all prepared to go to the city.

“We’ll see you at the tower,” Thrang said, bowing to Kat. “May fortune smile on you this day.”

“You are most kind, my friends. I am in your debt,” Kat answered with a bow of her own.

As the others left, Alex turned to Kat. She looked a little nervous, and perhaps a little pale, and her clothes looked worn from the long journey.

“I don’t think you should enter your tower looking like that,” Alex said, trying and failing to frown.

“No, I suppose not,” said Kat, smiling weakly. “But I don’t have anything an oracle would wear.”

“With your permission,” said Alex, bowing slightly and raising his staff.

He touched Kat lightly on top of her head with his staff and a ball of white light covered her for a moment. As the light faded, Kat looked down at the long silver-white gown that Alex had created for her.

“It . . . it’s so beautiful,” Kat said, tears filling her eyes. “I’ve never owned a gown as fine as this.”

“It seems correct for the occasion,” said Alex. “Your friends may always remember you as Kat, but from this day on, you will be Katrina, the Oracle of the Empty Tower.”

“Yes, and I owe it all to you, my friend,” said Kat.

“You owe me only your friendship,” said Alex. “You are an oracle—or will be before this day is over. You are in no one’s debt, and all that you owe anyone is the truth.”

“I will remember your words,” said Kat. “And I will have to learn to hide the truth with words.”

“It will come to you in time, I think,” said Alex.

Alex and Kat sat quietly, waiting for the sun to rise and their friends to reach the city. Finally, Alex stood and walked away from the fire, preparing to take his dragon form. Kat stood back and watched, a fierce and determined look on her face.

As the dragon, Alex lowered himself and stretched out his leg so Kat could easily climb onto his back. He took flight gently, knowing that Kat would not be tied to him as she had been on their speedy journey from the south.

The square near the empty tower was full of people when Alex flew over the city, and all of the faces were looking up at him. He easily spotted his friends in the crowd, standing close to the tower gate. Alex circled the tower once, and then gently glided down to a large area that had been kept clear of people, apparently so he would have a place to land.

Alex lowered himself and stretched out his leg so Kat could climb down. The square sounded like it was full of bees as Kat, in her new gown, climbed off the dragon and looked up at the tower. Alex was pleased to see the surprised looks on his friend’s faces. They had obviously not thought about what Kat would be wearing.

“Go, my friend,” said Kat, turning back to Alex. “If I need you again, I will call.”

Alex bowed his dragon’s head to Kat and leaped back into the air. He saw that Kat stood watching him go, and the people in the square all watched as well. He flew up around the tower, roaring as he went. He sped away toward the mountains before the echo of his cry had faded from the city.

It took only a few minutes for Alex to reach the mountains, and as soon as he passed over them, he changed into a falcon. Like an arrow, he shot back over the mountains and toward the city. It was slower than dragon’s flight, but fast enough. When he reached the main square, Kat was speaking to Kathnar, the old man who had first told Alex and Arconn about the tower.

Alex settled on Arconn’s shoulder as if he belonged there. Arconn looked a little surprised, but he did not call out or draw attention to Alex. When Alex felt certain that his arrival as a falcon had not been noticed, he worked a little more magic. A shadow seemed to cover the empty space beside Arconn, and anyone who happened to be looking at the shadow suddenly felt the need to rub their eyes. In the blink of an eye, Alex returned to his own shape, standing next to Arconn as if he had always been there.

“Kathnar seems unwilling to accept her,” Arconn said in a lowered voice. “He seems determined to prevent her from entering the tower.”

“That’s odd,” said Alex. “He seemed so eager for the oracle to arrive when we were here before.”

“Yes,” Arconn agreed. “Now he seems like a man about to lose his power.”

“And perhaps he is,” said Alex thoughtfully. “He’s been the guardian of the tower his entire life. That responsibility is something he will have to give up now that the oracle has come.”

“You don’t think Kat would throw him out, do you?” Arconn questioned.