Act II
Greetings, Florian --
As you well know,
I departed in haste
following Chiara's
tragic and unexpected
death,
so now I would like to
update you on all
that has happened
since I left.
After a long journey,
just after sunset,
I found the old prophet,
Petrio,
in a cave,
in the Magic Mountains.
With a gruff yet gentle voice,
the old man abruptly said,
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
I hardly knew what to say
because I was so taken aback;
there is no way that
he could have known I was coming.
So I engaged him in conversation,
and I very much welcomed
having someone to talk to
after so many weeks alone.
We spent all night
and most of the next day
talking together,
and I learned that
he was very close to Chiara
when she was a child.
I felt so comforted
by his words
that I was almost ready
to return home
to resume my life
without Chiara
when he suddenly said,
“It is your destiny
to follow her.”
Then he calmly added,
“You will see her again, alive,
if you listen to my words.”
When I first met Petrio
I honestly thought he was just a
crazy old man,
but the longer I was with him,
the more his words got
inside of me,
and I knew that he spoke
the truth.
A fire was burning in my heart,
as it still is now,
as I write to you
from an inn,
here in a little coastal
port town called
Mai Tornar.
So getting back to my story,
Petrio picked up
a little candle
that was within arm’s length,
and he gave it to me.
He also gave me
a scroll
that was rolled up,
and it looked like
it was made out of vellum.
Lastly, he gave me a
stunning, sparkling diamond
that was the size of my fist.
He said I needed to
follow his instructions
precisely.
Then he gave me a stern
yet kind warning, saying,
“When you cross
to the eastern side
of the Magic Mountains,
you will be severely tested.”
He told me to go to
Mai Tornar
and take passage on
the first ship I came upon.
Petrio said the tempests
on the Sea of Shadows
are notoriously perilous,
but I should light this candle
only if and when I encounter
the embodiment of evil.
As for the scroll
and the diamond,
he said I would learn
in good time how
to use them both.
Then he added,
“The Dark One
isn’t interested in
the diamond,
but he will try to steal
the candle and the scroll.
Resist him!”
Then he paused,
and looked with intensity
into my eyes and continued,
slowly but with great emphasis,
“You will meet a lady,
the Lady of Stellamare.
This scroll belongs to the King,
so make sure that she gets it,
because she will be
his messenger."
I have never before met
someone so resolute,
and pleasantly stubborn,
in fact, almost bordering on
friendly defiance.
But it was clear to me
that this old sage was indeed wise,
and there was something
utterly trustworthy
in his eyes.
I was both physically
and emotionally
exhausted,
and I slept for what
felt like days.
But I awoke refreshed,
and invigorated.
Petrio then gave me
his last words of warning
before I left.
With eyes alert like
a great warrior’s,
he told me to avoid
Inferno Island.
He said,
“If in spite of all
your efforts,
you find yourself
on this enchanted isle,
do not touch its fruit!
If you even so much as taste it,
you will certainly die.”
Petrio concluded by saying
that as soon as I would get
on the other side
of these mountains,
I would be crossing the frontier
into the territory of
the Dark One.
His last words to me were,
“Never underestimate his powers!”
To be continued tomorrow…