Page 40 of The Shadowed Oracle
Ingrid sat upright. “I’m fine,” she declared. “Thank you for telling me. Now I… I at least know what to call myself. Sort of.”
Witch. Sorceress. Succubus. Oracle. All of these mythical labels conjured ideas and images in her head, but after all she’d learned of Ealis and the existence of Immortals, she doubted those preconceived notions were anything like reality. She’d just have to keep moving forward.
“Tell me what to do,” Ingrid said flatly. “What’s next?”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Tyla said, and placed her hand ever so gently on Ingrid’s back.
She was surprised to feel comfort in the caress.
“Good,” Raidinn said bluntly. “Because we haven’t even gotten to the hard part yet.” He was still so unemotional, boorish almost. Traits that were unpleasant at the dinner table, Ingrid thought, but likely made for a great soldier. Someone she was happy to have on her side.
“We told you we had reasons to believe Makkar knows of you,” Dean said gingerly, grabbing the back of the chair next to Ingrid’s. “We found out that he sent someone here. Someone who shouldn’t be here.”
“He’s the top general of his army,” Raidinn said. “Not justsomeone.”
Ingrid turned to Raidinn, facing the enormous man to prove not only to herself but to the rest of them that she wasn’t afraid. “This general is dangerous, then?”
“You could say that,” Dean answered with a much brighter disposition. “He’s probably the most powerful Viator in Ealis next to Makkar. But he can be defeated. I think.”
Raidinn cut in again, shaking his head. “The Bastard Prince, right here in San Bruno. Unbelievable, really.” He broke from his muttering to stare down Ingrid. “What Dean is trying to say is, this asshole is the kind of evil Makkar would only send when something like you pops up on his radar.Something far too precious to trust with Wranes orgrunts.”
Tyla balked at the world. “Powerless Viator,” she kindly corrected her brother, then turned to Ingrid to explain further. “Most of Ealis’ general population is made up of people without any gifts.Gruntis a slur we don’t use in polite society. It’s vulgar. And frankly, very hypocritical.”
“We may not have any tricks yet,” Raidinn pompously argued. “But we don’t know for sure we’re powerless.”
Tyla scoffed, cursing under her breath, “Here we go again.”
“What?” Raidinn begged. “We don’tknow!”
“Doesn’t mean we need to sit around and guess like children before Christmas.”
Raidinn sucked his teeth. “You’re no fun! Seriously sis!” He scoffed, flashing a wry, boyish smile. “I can’t wait to see your sorry face once I’ve realized my full potential. Once I’ve bathed in the rivers of our ancestors! Eaten the fruits of our homeland!”
“I wish you could hear yourself sometimes.”
“And I wish you could see yourself sometimes. All those late nights are no excuse to give up on basic hygiene.”
They continued bickering like only siblings could. Harsh, but with obvious shared history and private jokes. What each of them pictured for themselves, if ever they could return to Ealis permanently, to their true home, they’d obviously been talking about it for years.
“Now who’s wasting time?” Dean finally interjected.
“Hey, she started it.” Raidinn held his hands up, looking to his sister.
Tyla didn’t take the bait. “Apologies.”
“It’s fine.” Ingrid was all too happy to talk about someone other than herself for a minute. “So, what I’m gathering is, we need to find this general before he finds us?”
“That was the argument I was making,” Tyla replied. “We don’t know with absolute certainty that Prince Sylan is after you, but the smart thing to do is find him while he’s busy with whatever mission Makkar has sent him on. To assume you’re in danger and take offensive steps to protect you. If we can catch him off guard, we have enough weaponry here to take him on together. ”
Dean shook his head, crossing his arms in thought. The point he’d been making was now becoming clear. “Until we know Sylan’s mission here,” he said. “I think we have to avoid himat all costs. He wouldn’t be here for just any Viator, I agree with you two on that. But we need concrete facts. Right here, right now. Before we do anything else, we need to know how unprepared Sylan might be.”
Raidinn snapped to attention at that. He glanced down at Dean like a hungry dog, and once he’d gotten the answer he was looking for—a nodding confirmation from his friend—he let out a booming cheer that echoed off the barren walls.
“Took you long enough!” the brutish male shouted. “Let’s do it, mate. Let’s rattle this bony fuck!”
“Do what now?” Ingrid asked, not hiding her unease.
“Interview the prisoner,” Dean said, flashing a loaded grin at her. “While you were sleeping, the twins here… they caught a Wrane.”
