Page 56 of The Oracle's Journey

I slowed my horse as Lhoris and Nicolas rode side by side, talking about all manner of things I didn’t understand yet. Ozanna pulled up beside me, and we rode in companionable silence for a little while.

It was nice to see Nicolas take a liking to Lhoris. “I think Nicolas is a tiny bit intimidated by Lhoris.”

“Really?” Ozanna asked with a bemused grin. “I hadn’t picked up on that, though you’d absolutely see a different side of him than I do.”

“Speaking of...” I blushed a little and said, “I’d really like it if you could come talk to me for a little bit tonight.”

Ozanna’s brows drew together a little, “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes, and no,” I hedged. “Everything is just different now and I’m not adapting as well as I’d hoped.” And I’m about to get married to this wonderful man, and I don’t know how to be with a man in any sense.

“Would you like me to bring Lhoris?” Ozanna asked.

“No,” I gave her a sly grin. “No boys allowed. Just you, me, and Eve.”

With a raised eyebrow, Ozanna asked, “What about Judith?”

I shook my head and scrunched my nose. “Oh, no, definitely not Judith.”

“Oh, so some serious girl talk,” Ozanna said with a conspiratorial nod.

“Please?” I cajoled, dragging the middle vowels out longer than necessary. “You’re the only one I can talk to about some things.”

“Of course. I’m pretty sure I just lost Lhoris to the library tonight anyway,” she laughed.

Abruptly, Lhoris asked, “What is that smell?” thus interrupting Nicolas mid-sentence. He turned his head and sniffed the air, his body tensing. Everything about him, from the way he shifted his weight to the way he cocked his head from side to side, told me he was alert to some perceived threat.

Nicolas scanned the area, sniffed at the air, and shrugged. “Can you describe it?”

“The brine scent is thicker, and I smell decay. So many levels of decay.” Lhoris said scowling, his head swiveling as if to search for some incoming bog monster. His apprehension seemed to carry over to Oz and Lobikno, who were also scanning our surroundings.

A look of comprehension came over Nicolas’ face. “Have you ever seen the ocean?” Lhoris shook his head. “That’s the smell that comes when the tide goes out. I won’t smell it until we get closer to the beach, which is where we are headed. The ocean leaves all kinds of debris on the shore, including some rotting things. Your nose must be very acute to detect it from here.”

I couldn’t smell anything but plants, soil, and sunlight.

We continued, the elves alert in case there really was a bog monster. Eventually, the farmland gave way to rough low shrubbery and tall grasses, then we could hear the crash of waves. Nicolas was the only one of us who had seen the ocean before, so the rest of us exchanged curious glances. We found ourselves on the edge of a cliff, where we stopped and stared in wonder at the expanse of water before us; dark blue green water went on and on as far as the eye could see—even beyond that. It crashed and hissed against the rocks below in massive crests of white waves.

“It’s so … huge,” I said to break the silence. I looked at my elven friends, and the three of them appeared just as awed as I felt. One couldn’t help but feel insignificant before that endless expanse and I was thoroughly humbled. I glanced at Nicolas. He looked so natural there, on the back of his horse with the wind tousling his hair, sun shining down on his handsome face.

“There are whole other worlds under there, too,” Nicolas told me, driving home the idea that it wasn’t just the horizon we could see to be in awe of. That it was multifaceted and complex with things beneath it that no human had ever seen. Like the things in his books. I was just a grain of sand, trivial before the vastness below and beyond. After a few moments, Nicolas guided us downwards, along a path which led to sand and eventually the ocean itself. We dismounted before reaching the coarse sand, and Nicolas sat down on the ground to remove his boots and socks.

“Why are you disrobing?” Ozanna asked, acting as chaperone.

Nicolas beamed up at her, a glint of excitement in his eyes. “Just my socks and shoes. I’d recommend the rest of you do the same unless your boots are sand and waterproof.”

Ozanna took off her red boots, and Lhoris followed suit. I kicked off my slippers and followed Nicolas onto the sand. Lobikno opted to stay with the horses claiming the smell was too much for him. He did look a little sallow. The sand was warm under my feet, and I dug my toes into it, testing the sensation. Kasta was far from the ocean, near the mountains, so I was used to clay, rocks, and rich soil. I wasn’t sure I liked how the smaller grains of sand stuck to my skin.

Holding Nicolas’ hand, I walked towards the water with him. The sand gave under my feet, making my calves ache while I tried to keep pace with him. I turned back to see if my friends followed. Lhoris’ feet didn’t seem to sink at all, while Ozanna’s only broke the surface. As we neared the water though, the sand changed density and shifted far less, making it easier to walk. Nicolas stopped before we got to a band of pebbles and other debris that had washed ashore.

“I thought you might enjoy a little beachcombing,” Nicolas said. “You can find some very interesting things washed up when the tide is out, especially after a storm.”

He looked back at my inhumanly beautiful guardians as they took the last few steps to catch up. Nicolas squatted down to start poking through the band of debris. He gestured for Lhoris to come join him. I hiked up my skirts, revealing my legs up to the knee, so I could kneel on his other side. Nicolas’ eyes seemed to catch on my calves for a moment before he realized I was watching. Looking somewhat embarrassed at being caught, he turned back to the band of pebbles.

If all it takes is a little leg to make him blush, maybe I didn’t have anything to worry about.

Lhoris

I rolled my pant legs up above the knee and joined the duke in the pretense of beachcombing. I checked over my shoulder and made sure Ozanna watched our backs for threats. Ever the professional, she’d never stopped scanning for them. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us, Nicolas?”

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