Page 22 of Iris of the Crowned Flame

Lady Mallard may have only been a few years older than me, yet there was something timeless in the way she moved. The world around her seemed to slow just enough to listen when she passed. Her golden eyes shimmered like sunlight caught in amber. She wore a high-collared blouse tucked into a deep green walking skirt, both finely embroidered with mountain flora reflecting her home in the Frosted Forests. A fitted waistcoat in dove gray gave her the elegance of a noblewoman,but the braided ribbon in her dark, loosely pinned hair whispered of older traditions. She looked every inch the learned lady of court, but the air around her hummed faintly, like a forgotten spell waiting to be spoken.

“Thank you, Lady Mallard. You are most gracious. If you don’t mind, I’d love to join you.”

“Certainly. Right this way, the kettle should be ready shortly.”

She showed me to a sitting area in her office. The room featured hundreds of books lining the walls and a desk positioned in front of a window overlooking the horse pasture. In the far distance, the permanently snowcapped mountains of her province rose to meet the sky.

She poured two cups of tea and brought over some tea cakes with the cups. I took a cup and sipped from it.

“While I most certainly adore this visit, I have to say I’m a bit surprised. Your parents rarely sought an audience with councilors on a whim. Is there something I could help you with?”

“My deepest apologies on the intrusion, Lady Mallard.” I started.

“Oh, please, call me Juniper. I understand and appreciate formalities, but I prefer you use my first name.”

She smiled at me with this extension of friendship. Juniper had been a councilor for only three years, replacing the aging councilor from her area at that time. She was the youngest councilor, at just 27 years old, not too much older than me.

“OK, Juniper it is. Thank you. You may call me Lyla.” I returned her smile. In a different life, I wondered if we would be fast friends. The formality of court had held such a relationship at bay so far, but maybe with my coronation and our working relationship, it could change.

She nodded her head, accepting our friendship, but remained silent to allow me to continue.

“I am here to seek information and perhaps find some answers. Are you familiar with the Oracles of the Gelid?”

Her eyes widened for a moment, and then her face returned to a pleasant neutrality. “Why do you ask?”

“In my preparations for ascending the throne, I’ve been revisiting some old history lessons, and their story intrigued me. I hoped maybe you have more information on them since their temple is in your province.”

The lie slipped so easily off my tongue, I almost felt guilty for it. I couldn’t trust her with too much information just yet. I liked her, but I didn’t know what she might do with what Spencer could see.

“They are a relic of our history books. I think I have some texts on them, if that may help you with your curiosity?” She moved to a nearby bookshelf and started looking for the books she intended to offer me.

“It most certainly can. I’m curious. Do you know if they still practice? Is the temple still used?” I watched her body language. Her face wasn’t visible, but her back stiffened a bit. It seemed this has struck a nerve.

“They might, I’m not sure.” She pulled out two books and turned around. “I think these might help you with some of your questions.”

I looked at the books she hands me. They were both old tomes focusing on the first few hundred years of Elthas, not the information I was seeking. “Thank you. This could do it.”

It was hard to hide the disappointment in my tone. I felt like it’s a dead end here. Maybe there wasn’t a way to reach out to the Oracles. Maybe they weren’t there anymore, but there had to be someone who’s familiar with this and knows, since Spencer’s mother met them, so how could I find them?

Juniper stared at me, even as I looked through the appendix for the information I hoped to find. “This isn’t what you hoped for, is it?”

I shook my head. I knew I needed to share something to get her trust. Maybe with her trust, she would offer actual information.

“I recall a tutor once sharing a story with me about the Oracles and how they could help some people with theirchoices in life. It might be foolish, but I was hoping to get some guidance.”

I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping that inspired curiosity if not trust.

“Ah, I see.” She offered a smile as she sat back down, picking up her tea. “Worried about which man to choose?”

“In a way. I want to make sure I build a solid foundation so that my time ruling Elthas brings about prosperity and good fortune.”

“A wise and noble desire, one that many heirs before you worried about as well. Surely, your tutors and your parents have offered guidance on these worries?” She stared at me expectantly.

“They have, and their wisdom is invaluable, but there is one topic no one has brought up before, and it’s become pressing. The Oracles of the Gelid seem to be the best place to seek to help with this.”

She placed her cup down. “People shunned and exiled the Oracles because of their insistence that magic would return. We all know and have been taught that magic only existed until the Last Great War and faded away because of how detrimental it was to not just people, but all of nature. Your topic wouldn’t have to do with this, would it?”

I tried my best to keep the panic from showing on my face. We hadn’t outright said it, but Spencer’s gift for seeing these hazes seems to be one type of magic that the Oracles of the Gelid tried to preach about.

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