Page 38 of The Shadowed Oracle
The female grunted impatiently. “They won’t say it, but they want nothing to do with this. She’s one thing. But… Sylan?”
Ingrid’s body tensed at the name, or rather, how it had been uttered—like some ancient curse. She instinctively leaned forward to hear more, almost losing her footing.
A squeaking sound sounded off from below her. Ingrid froze and, looking down, she realized she’d planted too close to the wall, nicking a loose baseboard. She cursed herself silently. Theneverythingwent silent, too abruptly for Ingrid not to feel like she’d been discovered.
Icy quivers went down her arms as the bellowing male said, “She’s awake.”
“Ingrid?” Dean called out casually.
She kept still for a moment longer.
How stubborn, she thought. How unnecessary. And worse, she got caught.
“I didn’t want to interrupt,” Ingrid said finally, stepping slowly into view.
“Nonsense,” the gruff male scoffed. “You’re our guest!”
He was as large as his voice implied. Ingrid stood only four inches short of six feet, but this man dwarfed her by nearly a foot. His head and neck reminded Ingrid of an ox, and muscled in places that didn’t seem natural. Green eyes were shaded by a thick brow, and his long, light brown hair was tied up at the top half, with the bottom half flowing over his broad shoulders.
“Interrupt all you’d like,” he continued in that booming voice. “Why not? Seeing as you’ve joined the team already.” There was a hint of anger behind the confusingly kind words.
“Ignore Raidinn,” the female said. “He takes after our mum. Utterly incapable of social niceties or sympathy for strangers. Come in, join us. I’ve been so anxious to meet you.” She stepped forward, giving Ingrid a once-over, but lingering on her eyes.
“Just like Karis,” Dean said. “Right?”
“Like she plucked them right out of his head. In the park yesterday, I couldn’t get a good look.”
“These were the friends I was telling you about,” Dean said.
The woman nodded, smiling brightly. “The trap wouldn’t have worked without all of us. But especially you, Ingrid,” she added. “Your bravery was commendable. Especially considering how easily detectable you are.”
Ingrid shuddered again. She’d never felt so vindicated for her hermit lifestyle, yet she was hung up on the vagueness of this supposed trap working.
“Those Wranes, they can sense me anywhere?” she asked.
“In theory,” the woman answered. “Think of Earth as an empty gymnasium, and we are the echoing footsteps. It was all of us in such a small space that made such a big noise.”
All ofthem. Meaning they were Viator. An obvious conclusion, yet it struck Ingrid in a spot she thought had gonedormant. That void where most people placed their friends, their family.
The female stepped closer, staring at Ingrid’s eyes again. Then, as if remembering her manners, she smiled innocently. “Sorry. I’ve forgotten to introduce myself, haven’t I? Here I was scolding my brother for his discourtesy. I’m Tyla.”
She offered her hand, and Ingrid shook it. “Nice to meet you.”
Tyla was dressed in all black, simple and unremarkable, just like this Raidinn was. Her hair was the same shade of brown, her eyes the same piercing green, and she had a similar build, too, like a born predator. But where Raidinn was sharp, hardened, and shrouded in what could only be described as darkness, Tyla exuded light. Her eyes were bright and inviting. Her heart-shaped facial structure glowed as she smiled widely.
Ingrid couldn’t help but match it. “You aren’t what I expected,” she said. “When Dean mentioned his team, I pictured… well, a horde of Dean clones. And you know how Dean is.”
“How’s that?” Raidinn begged. “Seeing as you’ve known him all of what, a month?”
Ingrid didn’t flinch before countering. “Ahh, yes, there it is.” Acting like she was in on some joke, she snapped her fingers and flashed a smirk at Raidinn. “That was a perfect impression. All arrogance and sarcasm. Like a teen girl stuck in the body of a caveman.”
Tyla instantly started into a laugh, while Raidinn only stood there with a contrite grin.
“We’re not always like this,” Dean offered.
She met his eyes and smiled. Her way of thanking him for the breakfast. “I figured. Whatever I walked into, it seemed tense.”
“Sorry you had to wake up to that. Did you sleep well?” he asked, but Ingrid’s answer was quickly cut off.
