Emily Windsnap and the Falls of Forgotten Island by Liz Kessler

Author:Liz Kessler [Kessler, Liz; Farley, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9938-3
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2018-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

If there had been any remaining doubts about the Prophecy in that hut, it seemed my admission went quite a way to clearing them up.

Saul had reason to want them to believe him. He had staked his leadership on his belief in the Prophecy. Me, I was an outsider who came to them with nothing. No plans, no opinions, no power, and no need to try to convince anyone of anything.

And if the shakiness I felt inside was matched by the shakiness of my voice as I told them all what had happened to me, I guessed they would know I wasn’t sharing my story lightly.

“I knew it. I knew it!” Saul announced when I had finished. “This was the only significant picture we couldn’t identify as more than an abstract pattern. It was the only one that opened a tiny crack in my mind to let the doubt in. Now I am more certain than ever.”

The response was a round of grudging acknowledgment that turned into mumbles and chatter.

Then the man who had been standing silently next to Ella by the door unfolded his arms and stepped forward. The room hushed instantly.

“Dad!” Joel whispered next to me.

“Saul is right,” the man said. His voice was deep, smooth, and certain. “It’s time to put our trust in our leader and follow his instructions.” He held out a hand. Saul grasped it, and they shook hands almost fiercely. The man — Joel’s dad — turned to the group. “From now on, anyone who disagrees with Saul also disagrees with me. You hear me?”

Silence.

“Marc, thank you,” Saul said warmly. Marc stepped back into the shadows, and Saul spoke again, this time more softly.

“Go back to your day. Sharpen your wits. Gather all your resources. Prepare for whatever may lie ahead. Leave us to work out our next steps, and be ready to follow us when we take them.”

With those words, the hut responded with an awkward round of applause.

Gradually, people left the hut, until the only ones still there were Saul, Ella, Joel, Marc, and me.

Saul indicated for us to gather around. “OK, we have no time to waste,” he said. “Ella, take Emily on a walk through the forest and show her the drawings on trees.”

“Will do,” Ella replied.

“Joel, get a full inventory of the Prophecy’s drawings. We need to study them with Emily, fill her in on our interpretations of them, and arm her as fully as possible with knowledge of what will be needed from her.”

Joel did a kind of salute. “Got it,” he said.

Saul turned to Marc. “You and I will work together to sort and order the objects we already have.”

Marc nodded sharply.

“Let’s all meet back here in an hour,” Saul said. “And between us, we will form a strategy. Any questions?”

We all shook our heads. “OK, go! See you in an hour.”

I left with Ella and followed her along the track that led back into the forest. As we walked, she pointed out trees with odd markings and boulders with lines carved into them.

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