The Quantum Prophecy - Ryan Matthew Harker (best management books of all time TXT) 📗

to know what Jeshux is up to,” the black mage mused. “Send a small force to investigate the situation.”
“Master, Neebling and I have already ordered the troops ready for departure,” the short goblin snarled as he indicated his companion.
“Excellent work Snoregg! You and Neebling make sure they depart at once! I expect reports from the preliminary force as soon as possible. Keep me informed of every detail, you hear! I want to know everything down to which men aren’t sleeping well at night. Understand?”
“Yes sir!” they both chimed.
“And what of the man and his bear?” asked Snoregg.
“I’m sure I’ll receive reports on their whereabouts from my contacts on AnEerth,” Harmony replied. This story would be confirmed in time and he would not trouble himself with the implications of the matter before it was. “As the only beings to cross the threshold of existence in over sixty years I’m sure they will become instant celebrities. I only want you two to concentrate on Jeshux for now. Understood?”
“Yes sire!” they both chimed again.
And knowing full well that they did, all Harmony had to say was, “Good!” Then he took the left fork at the next ‘T’ intersection and left his minions to their orders.
Turning towards each other the two goblins exchanged mutual grins of malice and then hurried off down the right fork to carry out their orders.

*****

The courtyard was enormous. The palace itself was even bigger. Neither Candlelite nor Absinthe had ever seen anything like it before in their lives. Although neither of them had ever been out of the United States castles were hardly uncommon. Both of them had a lot of book experience and had seen castles depicted in many ways, but nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.
Unfortunately they had little time to enjoy such a magnificent sight as their hosts hurried them into the interior with due haste.
“Come,” Nefarious motioned to Candlelite. “The king awaits an audience with esteemed guests such as you. But first your companion’s lack of attire leaves nothing to the imagination. ” He made a quick gesture towards Absinthe with his hand and the beautiful young woman found herself suddenly clothed in a plain but finely crafted dress that complimented and enhanced her natural beauty until she nearly glowed.
Absinthe gave a small squeal that was partly surprise, all delight and looked as if she were about to hug the glowering magician.
Candlelite squeezed her hand tighter to keep her from making a possible error in etiquette. “Would you mind filling us in as to why we are such ‘esteemed guests’?” he asked with bravado to cover his shock at the very personal displays of magic.
“All will be explained presently,” was Nefarious’ answer.
Candlelite bent down and whispered in Absinthe’s ear, “Man, you’ve got to love the hospitality of this joint. I hope the whole planet is as gracious as our ‘esteemed hosts’.”
“Come on, be nice.” Absinthe slipped her arm around his waist and squeezed. “All will be explained presently.”
“Now you’re starting to sound like Arch Druid Mono-tone.”
She smacked him playfully. “I am not!” They both laughed.
“Silence!” intoned Nefarious as they stopped in front of a set of double doors. They were easily the largest doors that the dimensionally displaced duo had ever seen. Towering at least fifty feet the giant portal was guarded by twelve heavily armored soldiers with swords sheathed and rifles at the ready.
“Within this chamber sits the most powerful man in all the civilized kingdoms of AnEerth, never before in recorded history has there been anyone wiser, fairer, or more respected than our great King. This is the man who now holds the fate of your lives in his hands. Tread softly.”
Nefarious crossed his arms and let his words sink in before turning towards the great barrier that blocked their path. With a sweeping gesture of his arms the magnificent doors swung silently inward revealing a reception hall that did its gate justice.
With the sudden bleating of a hundred trumpets a man dressed in green robes stepped forward from atop a flight of emerald steps and made the welcoming proclamation.
“To our honored guests, the Werewolf Candlelite and the Nameless She-Bear, we of the Cobalt Kingdom bid you welcome. As the foretelling of your arrival predicted over a thousand years ago, so have you come, from our world yet not of our world, traversing space but not distance, before you stood beside us in time and now you will aid us in our time of need; here as a blessing on all of AnEerth. And here to greet you, as such illustrious individuals deserve, are our great leaders- Lord King Zakeriah and Queen Mother Mega’N!”
The court barker stepped to one side of the sparkling stairway just as the ruby studded curtain behind him swept apart and revealed two beautiful thrones of solid silver. Sitting on these thrones were two impressive looking individuals. On the left was the king. Atop a shorn scalp sat a plain crown of gold. His features were grave on his thin face but a smile played at the corners of his mouth. A mischievous light twinkled in his eyes, the color of which was reflected in a goatee that hung limply from his chin. His queen sat with an air of arrogance, a look of amusement portrayed by her posture as a whole. A natural beauty she had no need for makeup and was an object of desire for the entire kingdom.
Candlelite cast a sideways look at Absinthe as Nefarious ushered them forward but she was intent on the sights before her and did not notice. Still having no clue as to what was going on, he steeled himself and moved forward.
“So this is the pair that is said will save not one world but two,” the king mused as they were stopped before the emerald staircase.
“Not much to be impressed with my liege,” the queen sounded bored.
“I could say the same of you, if your crown was mine,” Absinthe announced hotly.
“Why I never,” the queen sputtered as she rose to her feet in outrage.
“Sit down, Mega’N!” the king boomed without seeming to raise his voice. “These two young travelers are our guests and deserve respect as such.”
“Yes milord,” the queen grumbled sarcastically.
“There now, no harm has been done,” Zakeriah said, ignoring her snide tone. “And as for you young She-bear…”
“The name is Abbie,” she retorted giving Candlelite a fond smile.
The king’s paternal smile vanished instantly and his eyes narrowed just a touch.
“What is this? Our ‘Nameless She-bear’ seems not to be as nameless as was reported.”
Candlelite noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and looked slightly to his right just in time to see the witch Farewethor shrink into the shadows a little.
“Oh no your highness,” Absinthe interjected. “Until just after Farewethor left I couldn’t remember my name.”
“Hmmm,” Zakeriah began to entwine his fingers in his goatee. “And how is it now that you stand before us newly named?”
“Well sir, after Witch Farewethor left we,” and she grabbed Candlelite’s hand in hers. “Well, we realized that I would need to have a name. So I asked Candlelite to give me one.”
A general murmur began throughout the court as this revelation was made.
“Silence!” the king boomed, again without seeming to raise his voice.
As the crowd quieted Zakeriah spoke to Candlelite, “And what was the name that you chose son?”
Candlelite could feel his face going red as he mumbled, “Absinthe, sir.”
This time the court erupted into chaos as the people of the Cobalt Kingdom digested this news.
The king let the talk go on for a moment before again calling for silence.
“Absinthe is the name the prophecy speaks when referring to the end of the She-bear’s life.”
“What do you mean the end?” Candlelite asked as if the King had a knife to Absinthe's throat.
“No need to be alarmed son, at least not yet. I offer no harm to your beloved.”
“You don’t veil your threats very well Zakeriah!” Candlelite dropped all propriety from his speech.
A troubled look overcame the proud visage of the king as he pondered this turn of events and then stated firmly, “Not my threats Candlelite but the threats of a thousand year old prophecy. You must trust me when I say that I would never harm you or your lovely companion in any way and it pains me to hear that you think otherwise. Furthermore I would like to say that as for my own doubts about your identity, and believe me I had many, they have been firmly abolished by the very words issued from your lips.”
“I too may have judged you unfairly,” the queen looked straight at Absinthe but spoke to them both. “I waited not for the light of honesty and instead attacked from a place of ignorance. This ignorance was born from the belief that never in my lifetime would the prophecy be fulfilled.”
“If this prophecy has predicted so much then how could you not know it was going to happen now?” Absinthe asked.
“Nowhere in the details of the prophecy had it ever revealed the time of its passing.” The king sighed. “We have been forced into the study of its passages for many centuries and while many minor details were divulged to indicate the when of it, no major events were recorded to make them stand apart from any other random moments.”
“Aye,” Mega'N's frown only made her more beautiful. “The events that the prophecy told us would precede the coming of the Chosen Ones, were events that held a spot at almost any given time in our lucid histories.”
“What about Absinthe’s death!” Candlelite sounded desperate.
The queen’s hard features softened as she looked at Candlelite for the first time and spoke directly into his eyes, “Forgive us my friend. We have been told that such a thing may pass but as to the when of it, well that we just do not know.”
“Enough of this though,” Zakeriah interjected. “The two of you must be exhausted after so much excitement. A room has been prepared for your comfort. Please rest now and later we will be honored to have you both at our right hands for a dinner celebration.”
“Thank you your highnesses,” Candlelite and Absinthe almost said in unison before being led out by Nefarious.

Although the room that had been prepared for them was absolutely exquisite, Absinthe were not about to stay cooped up for long.
“Oh come on!”
Candlelite was sitting on the massive bed and shaking his head emphatically.
“No Abbie. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Come on!” Absinthe begged. “Who knows if we might get another chance? It’s not like we were told we couldn’t.” She came over and knelt in front of Candlelite and took both of his hands in hers. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”
Candlelite had told her everything that had happened to him while they were descending the tower earlier and now he replied, “I don’t know. I just want some time to let everything sink in. So much has happened and I’m starting to have a hard time dealing with it.”
Absinthe could only recall vague bits and pieces from before their crossing through the wormhole and was completely enthralled with everything that was currently happening, Candlelite on the other hand was starting to feel a little overwhelmed by it all and now to top things off she was pressuring him to go exploring. He just was not very comfortable doing that right at the moment.
“I’m sure there will be plenty of time to check things out later,” he said trying to reassure her.
Absinthe though, he was soon to find