Fate

Prologue

'Gather around,' a warm, earthy voice called out as a figure stepped from the shadows, 'It is time.'
The woman, average height with a body many women could only dream of, and a head full of tightly held auburn curls that fell about her shoulders with a light bounce, made her way gracefully into the centre of the vast cavern. A squeal penetrated the tranquil atmosphere as a smaller, livelier woman bounced into view, the spluttering crackle of fire accompanying her.
'It's a boy, isn't it? Tell me it's a boy!' she asked repeatedly as she came to a stop in front of the first woman who now stood with a knowing look on her face that quickly turned into a disapproving smile at her companion’s enthusiasm.
The two women were so different in appearance that it was a wonder they had anything to do with one another. The first had an earthy appearance that gently echoed the sound of her voice. From her vibrant hair to her rich brown eyes set against coffee skin as smooth as satin and a dress that appeared to be made entirely of foliage; fern branches and stems of bracken formed the structure and leaves in every shade of autumn filled out the strapless bodice, with bright flowers neatly lining the hem.
The second woman however, was the total opposite; her shiny black hair streaked with a fiery red fell straight and choppy around her face and down her back, her eyes blazed red around dark iris' and her porcelain white skin crawled with flames that seemed to lick against her body to form her dress.
The only thing these two seemed to have in common were the unearthly and magical set of wings that each of them bore at their backs, though to say they were similar was in no way accurate. Each woman's wings added to the overall appearance that they seemed to be portraying.
'Yes, it's a boy; Dylan,' the earthy voice answered eventually, ‘Please try to contain yourself; his procreation is hardly worth your excitement,’ she added with a flicker of disgust on her face.
A small squeal of excitement escaped the second woman’s lips, cutting off the first’s warning, but before she could respond to the outburst, a third woman fluttered to the ground beside her, folding another delicate and exceptional set of wings behind her, and distracted the original pair’s attention from their quickly developing argument.
'Ah, you're here, shall we make a start?' the first said, dismissing the fiery one’s excitement instantly.
The third woman, who was as different again as the original two women were from each other, nodded as she landed, her silky hair glistening as if it was wet where it tumbled down her back in a cascade of silvery waves. Liquid pearl wrapped around her body and dripped down her arms and legs to create a sleek jump suit that hugged her perfectly, showing off a stunning figure.
The earthy one ushered the others towards an open space within the cavern and they congregated in the swath of heavenly light that streamed in through the roof and joined hands. A milky white mist, that had been lingering harmlessly on the ground, suddenly came alive with colour and began to swirl around the women, winding between them and cloaking their bodies in colours that matched their appearances.
All three women closed their eyes, but it was clear that the fiery one was not quite taking the situation as seriously as the earthly one had been doing. She began to speak anyway, her voice earthy and warm, and the third woman, the watery one, joined in, her musical voice adding a layer to the first that harmonised beautifully.
'Spirits of the worlds, we call upon you.'
'Fire,’ the fiery one said, though the giggle broke through her voice and the earthly one snapped open her eyes and fixed her with a stony glare.
The mist dropped suddenly, as if aware of the change in mood and returned to its neutral milky white on the ground as the earthy one let go of the other’s hands and spun on her companion where she stood smirking.
‘Pull yourself together,’ she spat, her eyes flickering to the watery one for the briefest of seconds as if to ascertain where she stood on the matter, ‘This is serious. Keep your personal feelings out of it.’
The fiery one straightened at the reprimand and her smile fell from her face with the barest of nods.
‘I'm sorry.’
The look on the earthy one’s face didn’t look like the apology would be accepted, and she shared no words that would determine it either, but she reached out and took her other companion’s hand once more, then held her hand out for the mischievous one, her mouth set in a firm line.
‘Are you ready, now?’
The fiery one nodded solemnly and slipped her hand back into her chastisers’ harsh grip. The mist instantly jumped to attention once more, swirling with colour and moving around the women’s bodies to cloak them whilst they spoke.
‘Spirits of the world, we call upon you.’
‘Fire,’ She said clearly this time, the look on her face more sombre than it had been before.
'Water'
'Earth'
'Bound by the Air we serve you,' they chanted together.
As they finished they went quiet and stood perfectly still, their faces still tilted upwards into the light and towards the Heavens.
For several minutes nothing happened, the mist continued to swirl anxiously around them, yet they stood as if waiting, then the original one, the earthy one, began to speak, though her voice was much lower than before, and her tone was more abrupt, like it wasn’t truly herself that spoke out loud.
'Dylan is destined to challenge the curse's limitations, to defy its expectations and alter the way it is perceived; no matter the personal cost.'
Silence descended upon the trio as they released one another’s hands and leant forward with deep breaths, as if they'd been holding them before and released them unexpectedly. Their bodies went softer somehow, as if the little ritual had severely drained their power. When they righted themselves, still breathing deeply to recover from the inordinate amount of power they must have exerted, they looked at one another, identical smiles breaking out on the fiery one and the watery one’s faces, but the earthy one looked displeased.
'This is what we have been waiting for; I told you it would be him. It had to be him,' the fiery one squeaked, the obvious excitement returning to her voice too much for her to contain.
‘Enough,’ the earthy one demanded, ‘A trouble-maker, just like his father.’
‘But to challenge the limitations could mean to break it. He could free them,’ the fiery one implored.
'I said, that’s enough. I’ll hear no more about it,’ the earthy one spat, her opinion on the matter clearly a strong one, ‘It’s bad enough that we still have anything to do with him. With any of them.’
‘He could save them. Everyone deserves a second chance.’
‘No. Not everyone,’ came the harsh reply, and the earthy one turned as if to walk away.
The watery one, who seemed much more laid back than both of her companions, let out a bored sigh, as if used to the bickering that had erupted around her once more.
'It’s all opinion, you don’t know what this means, just like he didn’t know what his meant. Don’t you think we should have learned our lesson on assuming anything. I imagine it’s still used as a teaching method with angelic children, a warning to those who might take their prophecy just a little too seriously. Only time will tell now,' she stated calmly, her outlook appearing much more level headed and reasonable.
The mist that had fired up between the other two beings, becoming their vibrant colours, settled back into a neutral milky white on the floor and the earthy one smiled gently. The watery one smiled back, as if happy that they'd calmed down, but the fiery one continued to mumble about how this could be their saviour.
As if realising that the argument wasn’t going to get them anywhere, the earthy one spoke over her, clearly in charge of whatever the set up they had going on. She left no room for argument, then turned and walked away, leaving only the rustle of her wings and the echo of her words in her wake.
'It is time; summon him.'