Page 104 of Centaur Bolt

“We had an—altercation,” I stated, as Vali reclaimed her own shopping. “Someone tried to enslave us. Where have you been? You left it way too late to get back.”

The Satyr rushed up to me. “Are you all right? I checked in here at one point, but you guys must have still been shopping. Then I ran into an old friend from the palace, and of course, he wanted to catch up—I lost all track of the time. I’m so sorry!”

She did sound unusually contrite, for her.

“Fortunately, we had help.” Vali did not seem inclined to forgive so easily. She regarded the golden Dragon. “Just who are you guys, and why did you help us?” Her voice dripped with suspicion.

It was a valid question. For all she knew, they would tie us up and sell us too. I pointed to the blue Dragon. “He’s an advanced student at the academy,” I said. “But I have no idea who this dude is.”

The golden one straightened. “My name is Ash, and I am mated to Tyrez, who you likely know.” He poked his chin toward the other dude. “He’s Talakai. Brought him along to do the heavy lifting.”

Yep. That was the name. I was just starting to appreciate how big the other one was. His bodysuit of scales glinted a deep blue in the light, as did his wings. But there was something seriously off with this explanation. I peered closer at Ash. “You just happened by and saw us in trouble?”

“No. I am an Oracle. Iforesawyou would be in trouble. Wasn’t sure, at first, that this was the right timeline, but when Tyrez ran late for his meeting with Cara and the headmaster, I knew. So I grabbed Talakai and came here.”

My head now spun as well as ached. He sounded like a raving lunatic, but both Vali and Kiko had straightened while he spoke, and their eyes were wide.

“You believe him?” I demanded, skeptical.

“He isn’tanOracle. He istheOracle. There is only one,” Vali said rather breathlessly. “And he matches the description.”

“I didn’t know he was mated to Tyrez,” Kiko breathed. “My information is seriously lacking.”

“Spending too much time doing something other than asking questions.” Vali growled.

She was entitled to her annoyance, I figured. After all, we’d almost lost our shopping because of Kiko.

“Seems about right,” the Satyr admitted, but her tone lacked a single iota of guilt.

I turned to our rescuers. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m grateful you decided we were worthy of your attention. Although we might have been able to handle this.”

When the blue Dragon arched one dark brow, Kiko blurted, “I could have scorched their balls.”

“An effective deterrent,” Talakai agreed. “Although Salanik only grow testicles during the mating season.”

I refused to be distracted from asking the question that no one else seemed inclined to. “Why was protecting us so high on your agenda?”

Ash’s mouth opened and closed twice. I identified it as a sign that he didn’t know how to respond.

Instead, Talakai did. “Ash sees everything. Past, present, future—multiple timelines. Sometimes, he sees a way to nudge them onto a certain path, but such things are dangerous. He has to be very careful about when and what to nudge.”

If that was an answer, it was damn obscure. I frowned at Talakai. “So he thought he had to nudge it by helping us?”

“Yes,” Ash answered.

“Why?” I pushed. Motives were important. Understanding such things kept you safe.

Again with the hesitation, but then Ash said, “Because you play a role in the future. An important one. And having you sold into slavery at this point negates that.”

Now it was my mouth’s turn to open and close. What the hell does one say to that?

“Well, in that case, I am glad you guys came along,” Kiko stated.

I watched the blue Dragon, whose eyes had never stopped roaming the booths beyond the alley. I was with Vali on this one—he might be an advanced student, but the way he’d moved showed training, and lots of it. I wondered what he’d been before he joined.

He didn’t seem inclined to chat. Instead, he gestured to us, and said, “We need to get you back to the academy.”

I agreed. As we followed Ash out of the alley, Talakai stayed off to the side. He periodically rolled his shoulders as though to loosen the muscles. The dude looked as lethal as I now knew him to be.

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