The Promise (The Seekers Book 1)

  The Promise...

  is for you and your children and all who are far off.

  Jonah

  Published in 2012 by FeedARead.com Publishing –

  Arts Council funded

  Copyright © Jonah

  The author or authors assert their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author or authors of this work.

  All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  This book is dedicated to snowboarding girl,

  guitar man and him indoors.

  Your love is everything.

  And so it begins, even though it is not the beginning.

  You have come to this book because it is your time...

  Welcome.

  Prologue: The coast of Ireland, 576BC.

  The early morning mist embraced the ship and settled like a grey mantle on the old man’s shoulders. Fingers of ice gripped his frail form. Crashing waves of steel-grey pounded the hull relentlessly, but the Prophet stood his ground, his ancient wooden staff a secure anchor but no shield. His thin robes offered him little protection against the icy blast, but he continued to search for the coastline anyway. This was to be the final resting place and he wanted to be the first to see it. He shivered. They had survived many months at sea to reach this bleak and desolate place and many of the crew were sick at heart, but his gentle spirit soared!

  Watery sunshine tried in vain to penetrate the haze and he lifted his face to the promise of warmth. His long, snow-white hair danced a greeting to the dawn, silvery serpents writhing in the first shafts of daylight. How he missed the sun! They had come far from the East and a little part of him had died with every passing mile.

  Princess Tea-Tephi was still below decks but her young son was always up early and the Prophet could hear his childish laughter carried by the breeze to his lonely vigil. What would the boy make of his father’s country? The Princess too had heard many stories about her husband’s land, but this would be her first glimpse of her new home. Her beautiful olive skin had been enriched by the stopovers in Egypt and Spain, but this place was so wild! Were the lost sheep really that lost? Truly this people will not know what is amongst them until the appointed time.

  The old man’s sadness was etched on his face. Many times he had tried to warn his people, but they refused to listen. He would not go back. He would never see the restoration of his land, but he knew without a doubt that the prophecies would be fulfilled and one day it would happen. Destiny would run its course.

  1

  Millie was sulking. Wet Sunday afternoons were usually boring anyway but being dragged on a family outing had doubled her irritation. She stomped into the shop and slammed the door behind her. The smell of polished wood and old leather was overpowering. How on earth did her mum manage to find such weird places? Millie had visited hundreds and they were all the same -boring, prehistoric and cluttered. Antique by name, antique by nature. She knew it had been a mistake to suggest a sat nav for Christmas, now her mum would detour anywhere, safe in the knowledge she could always find her way home!

  It was hot inside and the air was damp and musty, condensation formed temptingly on the dirty windows but Millie resisted the foggy patterns and edged further into the shop. Eventually she picked up an old vase and absently traced the delicate meandering cracks with her fingertip. The vivid red poppies were beautiful but the orange and yellow background clashed violently. Why would you put real flowers in that?

  Her twin brother squeezed past her. He pointed to the label and raised his eyebrows, at £245 it was somewhat over budget. Family tradition dictated a maximum spend of £10. Oliver was heading for the display cabinets anyway; their collection of 19th Century muskets would keep him happy for ages. Millie put the overpriced pot back on the table and waved at her dad, at least he was in the right place. They exchanged a knowing smile as he hovered next to the carrot cake and Millie hurried over to join him, but her mum grabbed her.

  “What do you think about this one?”

  Millie looked aghast at the bright green cup and saucer, but her mum was already processing another shelf of fine porcelain china with a practised art, looking for dates and markings.

  “Lovely.” Not.

  She handed it back. Her dad was in the queue and Millie was so hungry she shouted at him across the aisle.

  “I’ll have a chocolate muffin and a cappuccino please.”

  But then she saw it. Millie knew immediately it belonged to her so she approached the small round table tucked away in the corner and gazed at its contents. Nestled in the middle of an odd assortment of teapots and old clocks was a beautiful crystal. Millie had never seen such an object before. It looked a little like a small paperweight, but the colours were dazzling even in this dingy place. A vast spectrum of colours swirled before her eyes as light bounced off the many facets. It was both peaceful and yet somehow disconcerting at the same time. Millie held it up to the light to get a better look and a hand swept it away.

  “Cool,” said her mum, “it will look great on your desk and keep all those awful homework sheets in place.”

  Millie chased after her. “Give it back! I hadn’t finished with it.”

  Too late. The young girl behind the counter had her pudgy fingers all over it. “Can’t find a price on this one Mr Faversham...”

  Clearly the prospect of losing a sale galvanised the owner into paying attention. Prior to this he had been happy to hide behind his newspaper and merely listen to the mechanics of retail therapy in action. He bustled over, wiping his glasses importantly on his hideous tie. He frowned, “Mmm ... strange, I can’t recall ...”

  Millie elbowed her way in. “I’ll take it. I’ll pay for it.”

  Even though her mum was amazed at this newfound enthusiasm she smiled calmly, using the only words she thought appropriate for the situation, “Let the gentleman establish provenance Millie.”

  Millie was horrified but Mr Faversham was undeterred. He peered closely at the presented object, “I am afraid I can offer no further enlightenment dear lady, other than it is what it appears to be. I am no expert in geology of course, but it is remarkably pretty, don’t you think?”

  “How much?” her mum quipped, keen to close the deal before the owner hiked up the price.

  “Shall we say £10?”

  So the deal was done and thus it began, even though it was not the beginning.

  ###

  Millie let herself into the back of her mum’s car and studied the crystal. Usually her iPod protected her from all useless conversation, and her dad’s awful music, but today she was captivated by the crystal’s swirling colours. Inside the car it reflected shades of deep blue and orange. Oliver grinned at his twin sister, “So you got something then. What’s it made of?”

  Millie didn’t reply and when Oliver held out his hand she was strangely reluctant to let it go, but finally she relented. Oliver weighed it carefully in the palm of his hand and then passed it from one hand to the other repeatedly. “It is dense for its size...”

  Oliver always won the school award for science and loved all that terminology stuff; he turned the crystal over and over, delighted by its brilliance.

  Millie couldn’t stand it, “Well, give it back then, before you drop it.”

  Oliver had a bra
in like Einstein but two left feet. He left a trail of destruction everywhere he went and Millie had seen more than her fair share of “accidents”. Oliver was also gifted with the patience of Job and he smiled at her as he handed it back, “Suggest you look it up in the Rock Gallery then.”

  Millie nodded, tucked it away in her jacket pocket, and pretended to listen to Elton John.

  2

  Millie played with her burnt toast while breakfast radio cheerfully informed her she would need a raincoat for the rest of the week. Thanks for that, more soggy black trousers...

  Usual Monday morning then, dad reading his e-mails, mum late and rushing out of the door with a wave and Oliver pouring Cheerios all over the floor.

  “How hard is it to pour stuff in a bowl?” Millie groaned.

  She moved along another seat, knowing what would happen next with the milk. Oliver bit his lip and concentrated, but still failed. “Any luck with your antique gem?”

  Millie hesitated but then realised he must be referring to her fruitless online search. “Couldn’t find anything like it, but Miss Elliot will help me, she’s o.k.”

  Oliver had managed to overfill his bowl and was busy looking for the paper towels, “You walking home tonight?”

  “I’ve got netball practise first, but Ella will be coming this way home so I’ll be fine.”

  Oliver liked to do his own thing after school but they were still expected to look out for one another and he liked to know where she was anyway. Their mum worked shifts at the local hospital and things could be unpredictable sometimes, but Oliver was one of the good guys.

  Millie put her plate in the dishwasher, “Don’t forget it’s your day to walk Winston.”

  The young Highland Terrier was hoovering up all the fallen cereal, his little stumpy tail trembling with ever hopeful anticipation of more freebies.

  Their dad looked up from his laptop, “Don’t forget that I have that consignment of Indian Silver Bills coming in today, so I will be late as well.” Jamie Freeman ran his pet shop with military precision, it was his pride and joy and lifelong passion. In another life he would have been a Safari Ranger, he loved big cats and always watched the nature programmes. The “Noah’s Ark” was a great success and people came from miles away to find specialist pets and equipment.

  The twins both said “okey dokey” at the same time and Jamie knew, as always, that they would be fine.

  The traffic outside school was positively lethal and yes it was throwing it down. Red double-decker school buses were squeezing past sleek black people carriers, exhausts belching out noxious fumes. Everywhere you looked students poured out of vehicles. The catchment area was large and not everyone had the luxury of walking to school. Millie usually caught up on all the gossip, but today she hadn’t seen a soul. Ah well, to cross or not to cross ... that was the question!

  The morning lessons dragged on. Millie was finding it hard to concentrate; she was a conscientious student and liked to do her best, but today was different somehow. She played with the crystal in her pocket. She hadn’t even shown it to Rebecca, sitting next to her, and they always shared everything.

  “Right, you have two weeks to complete this project and if you co-operate with a friend I still expect to see two individual pieces of work. Is that clear?”

  Miss Elliot’s precise instructions woke Millie from her daydream just as the bell went for break. “Very well, you may go.”

  Millie was the first to stand. Leaving her work on the table, she headed for the front. “Save me a place Becky, I just want to check something.”

  Her Geography Teacher put down her towering armful of books as Millie charged towards her.

  “Please Miss, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course, how can I help?”

  Miss Elliot waited patiently while Millie fumbled in her pocket and brought out a collection of tissues, lip balm, Polos and the most amazing precious stone she had ever seen. Millie was pleased that Miss Elliot liked it. The crystal suited her somehow. She brushed the dark brown fringe of her fashionable bob away from her soulful brown eyes and her chunky bracelets jangled over her pink cashmere jumper, Miss Elliot always looked stunning. Puzzlement and delight danced in her eyes. Finally, she spoke, “What a beautiful crystal, but where did you find it?”

  “In an antique shop Miss. My mum is mad on the things but this is the first time I've seen anything I actually wanted.”

  Miss Elliot laughed, “May I?” She took the crystal and held it up to the light. “It is quite enchanting but it is new to me Millie. I guess it is a bit like Topaz or Quartz but the colours are so deep and it’s very heavy.”

  Millie nodded, “Oliver noticed that too.”

  Miss Elliot handed it back, “Look, I am supervising in the I.T. suite after school why don’t you join me and we can see what we can find?”

  Millie shrugged her shoulders, “Can’t do that Miss, I’ve got netball practise.”

  “Very well,” she reached for the digital camera on her desk, “let me take a picture and do some research on my own then I will get back to you.”

  Millie posed for the camera and then felt silly as it became clear Miss Elliot was only focusing the camera on her hand.

  “I don’t suppose it is valuable but it is certainly very special. We may get published in the Geological Journals yet!”

  She gathered up all her papers and balanced the camera on top, sweeping out of the room in an instant, like all teachers, always in a rush.

  In the overcrowded staffroom the smell of coffee hung in the air as colleagues talked over one another in loud, hurried voices. Occasionally peals of laughter punctuated the haze and a group would listen to the latest classroom howler. Christina Elliot dumped the Year 7 folders on the floor. Why do we call it a break when all we talk about is work? She glanced at the clock, could there really be only five minutes left? Time seemed to go so fast in here!

  “Here you are Chrissie; I knew you would be late, not very hot but at least it’s wet.”

  “Thanks Laura, you’re a life saver. How was 9S today?”

  Laura rolled her eyes, “Not too bad. I think they are finally beginning to realise that if they want to learn I can help them. A lot of them lack confidence in their basic mathematical understanding, but we are getting there. How was your weekend?”

  Christina sipped her warm black coffee, “Oh, the usual. Not much happening really, planning, marking, target setting – you know how it is.”

  Laura gave her that “you work too hard” look, “You need a life. Good teachers should have a life too you know. Why don’t you come out with the girls on Friday? You haven’t done that in ages.”

  “Maybe, I’ll see Laura – and thanks.”

  Laura gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then moved on to have a quick word, always a quick word, with the Head.

  The warning bell sounded and a collective sigh and a shuffle meant there were three minutes to the start of the next lesson. Christina Elliot looked down at her pile of marking and decided to put the camera safely away. She checked to see that it was off and found herself looking at the last image. What on earth? How could that be? There was a perfect shot of Millie’s right hand beautifully surrounded by a brilliant white halo of light. Quite spectacular if you were entering it in some competition for the surreal, but there was no crystal.

  3

  Indoor netball practise had gone well considering the weather had turned the outside courts into a swimming pool! Millie was pleased to be part of the Year 7 team; she loved all sport but was especially good at netball and hockey. This team had only been together a short while but they were already heading for the regional semi finals. Millie stuffed her uniform into her kit bag; Ella was off sick so she would run home in her P.E. kit as it would go in the wash anyway.

  Miss Raven came up behind her carrying a huge net of practise balls. “Well done Millie. Goal Attack suits you, keep practising!”

  “Thanks Miss. What do you think ou
r chances are?”

  Miss Raven picked up a fallen red bib, “Well, the Academy is good but your team works well together, I’d say you could take them.”

  “Great!”

  Millie pushed open the double doors and a gust of wind almost knocked her off her feet, horizontal rain slamming into her face. Maybe running home in shorts wasn’t such a good idea, but then she was surprised to see a red Mini in the staff car park flashing its lights at her. Inside the fogged up car Miss Elliot was waving frantically to get her attention. Millie approached and opened the passenger door.