Page 46 of The Oracle of Dusk

But maybe she hadn’t been brought here to suffer. Maybe the artefact had brought her to this exact place after listening to her heart’s dearest wish—to save Phaedra. If Aurora were here now, with her knowledge of the future, of Drakon, maybe she could prevent the deaths of Phaedra and Silvanus completely.

“Is there anyone in the city that I could contact for you? Anywhere you have friends who will take you in?” he asked.

The question caught her off-guard. Tears stung her eyes. She had no one here. Who would help her in her quest? Who would vouch for her? What was a lone woman without the help of the hero of the holy sword supposed to do to a monster like Drakon? What could she possibly accomplish alone?

“No.”

“You’re welcome to stay here while you recover, if you like.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

But there should be one person Aurora could trust—High Priestess Orithyia. She might not beherOrithyia, but she was in the best position to help Aurora. And Aurora could give her what no one else could—a glimpse of the future and a chance to prevent it.

“Is there any chance I could speak with High Priestess Orithyia? It is very important.”

Her hopes crashed the moment she saw the very specific polite look on his face that she was accustomed to giving pushy worshippers while she’d worked in the temple as an acolyte.

“The high priestess rarely sees worshippers in private, but when you recover, you are welcome to put in a request with her aide.”

“I see. Thank you.” Aurora returned his smile as he left her side.

Of course the high priestess wouldn’t see a strange woman who was carted to the entrance of the temple for a private audience. But Aurora couldn’t let that deter her. If she couldn’t get in the front door, she merely needed to find a window to crawl through. Or a set of secret passages built into the library directly to the high priestess’ chambers. Would they be here, in the earliest iteration of the temple?

After she was given crutches, Aurora hobbled into the library, wincing with every click of her crutches, in awe of all the books she would be the only one of her generation to be able to read. Honeycombed shelves twice as tall as herself were bursting with scrolls, their handles inscribed with the treasured knowledge held within. In the cycles of chaos and calamity between the world she walked in and the one she was born to, much had been lost. All that was left of some texts were oblique references in books that had been written hundreds of years later. But now was not the time to be led astray by the temptation of undiscovered ancient poets and orators.

It was nearly impossible to be discreet in her current state. Not only was she made of unusual proportions and wrapped up as though she were made entirely of splints and bandages, but she also carried the distinct scent of poultices and limped around in her trousers in a sea of skirts. She soldiered on, pretending to peruse books. Eventually, she lost her status as an immediately interesting curiosity, giving her time to ascertain that the secret passage did indeed exist. The switch was a metal handle holding up a small oil lamp, the telltale sign of crumbling plaster beneath it giving her hope that the temple plans had remained the same even across time.

But how to activate the switch without attracting undue attention? She supposed she could remain in the library until it emptied out, but there was no guarantee she would be able to stand for that long. It was hard enough in her current condition. Aurora waited until her section of the library was sufficiently empty to risk it, her heart hammering in her chest.

As she pulled hard on the sconce next to the large shelf, the mechanism clicked and shifted. A great rush of air blew through the section, rattling scrolls and leaving a mess of loose papers scattered on the floor. So much for stealth. Aurora ducked into the alcove, her heart sinking. Getting inside was only the first hurdle. The second? Climbing the hundred or so steps up to the high priestess’ chambers. In splints.

“Who made this mess?” a librarian shouted.

The third hurdle made itself known by locking alarmed, accusatory eyes with Aurora.

“You! What do you think you’re doing? What have you done to the wall? Paladins! Paladins, quickly!”

Aurora tripped the mechanism to close the passage door, but it was only a matter of time before she was stopped. Her quest, and potentially her freedom, could be ended before she even spoke to Orithyia.

Aurora propped her crutches against the edge of the door, hoping to jam it shut. From here, it was a matter of dragging herself up the dark, cramped staircase lit only by the odd peephole into the library itself. Sweating, swearing, and with tears blurring her vision, Aurora had made it halfway up the steps when the commotion began in earnest below.

“Someone, break down this wall!”

Goddesses, if that happened, she’d be thrown in prison, potentially executed. She couldn’t let it happen. Phaedra couldn’t be allowed to die. She would not be catapulted to this ancient time and let it end like this. The creature inside her began to unfurl, stretching out as her panic rose.One more step, she chanted in her mind. Let her get one more step in before everything came crashing down again.Only a few steps left, she told herself. She was so close to her goal, to making all the horror she’d endured mean something.

“Stand back!”

A resounding crash came from below as a gust of wind whipped through the passage. Heavy boots echoed in the dark.

Aurora threw herself up the last steps, fumbling for the lever that would let her enter the chamber.

“Stop! Don’t move!”

Aurora’s heart leapt into her throat as she tumbled through the opening and into the high priestess’ chamber. When she got to her knees and looked around, the high priestess, robed in the deepest black, was already surrounded by clerics armed to the teeth. Paladins of Knowledge. She’d not recognised them. There were scant few in her time. Moments later, she was tackled back to the floor, crying out in surprise and pain as she was searched.

“This was inside her cloak, High Priestess,” one of the paladins said, passing Aurora’s artefact to Orithyia.

“What is this, little intruder?”

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