The Path Of Destiny by Mike Shelton

ship
that is?”
    All of a sudden, the herd started neighing and putting their
forelegs up in the air. They seemed frantic about something. Haman tried to
make soothing noises, afraid they would overrun him. He’d never seen them this
way before. The lead horse came back to him and bumped into his hand.
    Another one comes on the ship. A wizard. A wizard of evil
power. One that is not natural, but learned. One that could destroy the
prophecy. Keep him away from us .
    Haman covered his head with his hands. The words were more
frantic and louder than he had ever heard. He tried to soothe the worried horse
by running his hand over the horse’s mane and nose. “I will always protect you.
I will open the back gate and you can run inland. No one will hurt you.”
    Thank you, caretaker. Make sure that man doesn’t go out
of the village on his own. He is dangerous.
    “ Who is he? How will I know which one is him on such
a large ship?”
    You will know. A pure heart like yours will sense the
evil in his.
    Haman ran to the wooden gate and threw it open; thankful the
other herds were on the far side of the island this month. It was early summer
and new grass was growing in abundance all over the island. It was normal for
him to rotate the herds to graze in different fields.
    The Cremelinos ran through the gate in a hurried blur of
white. The lead horse turned towards him and sent a final message.
    Don’t let him see your son and don’t tell him about the
other wizard.
    This was the first time they had spoken to him without
direct contact. His surprise must have shown through.
    We can do much more than you think, kind caretaker. In a
short time, the true testing of the young wizard will come. If all goes well,
we will be with our masters once again.
    And with that they were off so fast that by the time Haman
closed the gates, they were specks of fading light running into the coming
night.
    The middle-aged man walked with concern towards his home.
The small but sturdy stone home sat up on the hill next to the fields where the
white horses roamed. The village sat about two miles west inside the bay. As he
looked out, the ship continued to grow in size, coming closer to the island
port. Even though the air was still warm, he shivered at the thoughts the herd
leader had shared with him earlier.
    Opening the door, he was met with the aroma of baked bread
and stewed meat, and he took a moment to breathe it in. The tasty scent wasn’t
enough to take the stain of worry from his heart, but it helped. Haman looked
around the room and smiled at his wife and son. He would protect them at all
costs.
    Later than night, Haman took a lantern and headed into town.
The large ship stood in the dock, and he watched sailors, with their sea gait,
moving supplies from the town’s small warehouses. He entered the nicest tavern
closest to the docks. Immediately he recognized who the Cremelinos were talking
about. His heart lurched and terror filled him as he looked on the man.
    He stood with confidence, tall and broad with short-cropped
auburn hair. An aura of power and command circled him. Men were falling over
themselves to please him, and gathering around him to hear him talk.
    Haman stayed in the background by the wall, but moved closer
to where he could hear what the man said. The warmth of the large fire in the
hearth spread throughout the room, casting strange shadows on the listening
group of men.
    The man talked about keeping themselves protected from the
Realm and taking more freedom for themselves. The men seemed enthralled with
his words, but Haman noticed they did not have much meaning to them here on
White Island. They had a good life here, and were free from most of the Realm’s
doing, except for the raising of the Cremelinos.
    As Haman thought about the horses, the man stopped talking
and turned towards the caretaker. Haman tried to hold the stare back, but he
felt as if the man dirtied his soul with his gaze. He then took two