miniature tornado came from his mouth, picking up water from the nearby waves and creating a waterspout about a foot in diameter that swirled up a few feet before losing cohesion and disappearing. A moment later, gray wind coalesced around his vacation outfit. Billy—and everyone else—breathed a sigh of relief at that.
Tempus turned to Billy. “I think you have some explaining to do, my boy.”
“But, but I didn’t—I mean, I don’t think I did anything,” stammered Billy.
“He was dead, Tempus. Remember?” said Mrs. Russet. “At least for part of what happened. So he’s not likely to be able to answer any of our questions.” She paused, frowning. “Still, I think this merits a trip, especially given what was happening to you in the cave, Tempus.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tempus. “I don’t remember anything until all of you were looking at me and then a second later we ended up here. You said I was knocked out.”
“I also said you started screaming,” Mrs. Russet reminded him.
“You don’t remember what you said?” asked Ivy, surprise clear on her face.
“What I said ?” Tempus’s confusion visibly continued to grow. “What are you talking about, Ivy?”
“He doesn’t remember,” murmured Vester to Mrs. Russet.
She nodded in agreement, then said to Tempus, “You were Prophesying, Tempus. You were saying, ‘He is coming. He is here.’”
“Who’s coming? Who’s here?” asked Tempus.
“Exactly what I’d like to know,” responded Mrs. Russet. “And that’s why we’re going to take a trip. I think we have to tell the Council what’s happened here. To see if anyone else has Prophesied, or if anything else unusual happened on Powers Island during Billy’s Gleaning.”
She turned to face Billy. He fidgeted under the force of her stare. “Because of what happened, we couldn’t tell if you Glimmered or not, Mr. Jones. But regardless of that, one thing is certain: what happened during your Gleaning has never happened before, to anyone.”
“You’re forgetting something,” said Vester quietly. All eyes turned to face him. “Tempus didn’t just say ‘He is coming, he is returning.’ At the end, the last thing Tempus said was ‘He is here.’” The fireman turned to Billy. “And I don’t think he was talking about me.”
“An Object of Prophecy,” whispered Ivy, awe clear in her voice as she gazed at Billy.
Mrs. Russet pursed her lips. “All the more reason to get this before the Council.” She picked up a handful of the sand below them, then blew on it. It swirled in her palm, drawing more sand from the beach below. The mass grew and grew, until finally it took the shape of a long flat plate the size of a small boat or car. Its shape shifted fluidly as more sand swept up to join it. Billy felt like he was watching a sand sculpture build itself.
At last, the lines of the sculpture solidified into an aerodynamic shape that reminded Billy of a high-powered race car. Five deep grooves or slots marked its topside, but other than that the shape was featureless. Clearly its maker didn’t care one bit for unnecessary decoration or complexity, but nonetheless Billy got the impression that it was a ship of some kind, and he suddenly realized that the grooves on top of the craft were deep enough and about the right size and shape to fit one seated person.
“Vester?” Mrs. Russet asked. Vester nodded, then touched the sand mass. Fire ringed it, a flash of light so bright and heat so sharp and intense that Billy was sure his eyebrows must have been singed off.
What was left after he blazing heat died down was a craft of perfectly transparent glass, glowing bright red with the heat of Vester’s Fire.
“And Tempus?” Mrs. Russet continued. Tempus raised his hands, and a cold breeze came from nowhere, cooling the glass structure. The wind then warmed, and swirled around the group on the beach.
Suddenly, Billy felt the same wind like strong arms beneath his
Tempus turned to Billy. “I think you have some explaining to do, my boy.”
“But, but I didn’t—I mean, I don’t think I did anything,” stammered Billy.
“He was dead, Tempus. Remember?” said Mrs. Russet. “At least for part of what happened. So he’s not likely to be able to answer any of our questions.” She paused, frowning. “Still, I think this merits a trip, especially given what was happening to you in the cave, Tempus.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tempus. “I don’t remember anything until all of you were looking at me and then a second later we ended up here. You said I was knocked out.”
“I also said you started screaming,” Mrs. Russet reminded him.
“You don’t remember what you said?” asked Ivy, surprise clear on her face.
“What I said ?” Tempus’s confusion visibly continued to grow. “What are you talking about, Ivy?”
“He doesn’t remember,” murmured Vester to Mrs. Russet.
She nodded in agreement, then said to Tempus, “You were Prophesying, Tempus. You were saying, ‘He is coming. He is here.’”
“Who’s coming? Who’s here?” asked Tempus.
“Exactly what I’d like to know,” responded Mrs. Russet. “And that’s why we’re going to take a trip. I think we have to tell the Council what’s happened here. To see if anyone else has Prophesied, or if anything else unusual happened on Powers Island during Billy’s Gleaning.”
She turned to face Billy. He fidgeted under the force of her stare. “Because of what happened, we couldn’t tell if you Glimmered or not, Mr. Jones. But regardless of that, one thing is certain: what happened during your Gleaning has never happened before, to anyone.”
“You’re forgetting something,” said Vester quietly. All eyes turned to face him. “Tempus didn’t just say ‘He is coming, he is returning.’ At the end, the last thing Tempus said was ‘He is here.’” The fireman turned to Billy. “And I don’t think he was talking about me.”
“An Object of Prophecy,” whispered Ivy, awe clear in her voice as she gazed at Billy.
Mrs. Russet pursed her lips. “All the more reason to get this before the Council.” She picked up a handful of the sand below them, then blew on it. It swirled in her palm, drawing more sand from the beach below. The mass grew and grew, until finally it took the shape of a long flat plate the size of a small boat or car. Its shape shifted fluidly as more sand swept up to join it. Billy felt like he was watching a sand sculpture build itself.
At last, the lines of the sculpture solidified into an aerodynamic shape that reminded Billy of a high-powered race car. Five deep grooves or slots marked its topside, but other than that the shape was featureless. Clearly its maker didn’t care one bit for unnecessary decoration or complexity, but nonetheless Billy got the impression that it was a ship of some kind, and he suddenly realized that the grooves on top of the craft were deep enough and about the right size and shape to fit one seated person.
“Vester?” Mrs. Russet asked. Vester nodded, then touched the sand mass. Fire ringed it, a flash of light so bright and heat so sharp and intense that Billy was sure his eyebrows must have been singed off.
What was left after he blazing heat died down was a craft of perfectly transparent glass, glowing bright red with the heat of Vester’s Fire.
“And Tempus?” Mrs. Russet continued. Tempus raised his hands, and a cold breeze came from nowhere, cooling the glass structure. The wind then warmed, and swirled around the group on the beach.
Suddenly, Billy felt the same wind like strong arms beneath his
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