The Oracle (2)

2

Edico's heart welled with a gut-wrenching feeling of anxiety as he ran through the forest, following Lady Reece's directions to pick the silvermoon bloom. Five minutes ago, he had brought her back to the campsite, placing her under the ward barrier. There were no mana signatures in the forest—no tracks. With nothing in the area to hurt her, she should be safe there—

—assuming she'd stay.

King Escar had ordered him to escort Lady Reece to Moonlit Grove to pick a silvermoon bloom, and that's what they were doing, but he felt in the marrow of his bones that she had an alternative motive, and she wasn't here to pick flowers. And while there was no explanation for her suddenly moving out of his sphere of perception in seconds or the massive divination spell that cascaded for countless spans, he felt that she was responsible somehow. Beyond there being no signs of an attacker, he had a simple reason for believing that: her skin was pale and sickly when he found her, and she fell asleep involuntarily the second they got to the campsite. The symptoms were clear: mana deprivation. It couldn't be a coincidence.

That said, there was no explanation, either. Lady Reece didn't have a mana core, and he couldn't release a divination spell that large, even with one. He didn't know anyone that could. Still, he still believed it was her, not because of the extraordinary speed she picked up magic and sword fighting or the way she interacted with the world as if she had lived there. It was the way she interacted with him.

Despite being terse and avoiding conversations, she spoke to him like they had known each other for years, and the way she fought Aelia reflected his sword style, not Aelia's. No matter how much Lady Reece downplayed her skill, it felt like he had taught her. And no matter how much she avoided him, he felt himself getting more and more attached, not as a daughter, but like a friend.

Edico was duty-bound to report all of this to King Escar—

—but had already decided not to. Part of that was to save Lady Reece from unjust inquiry, but it was also selfish.

Lady Reece's gift of foresight was an open secret with the heroes. It was something he noticed himself. So when the vilest nobles started getting executed, Edico knew it was her—and was rooting her on. No, he wasn't just encouraging it—he was praying for it. He couldn't help but wish that she would bathe the streets of Lamora with the blood of the corruption he was sworn to uphold. He had protected it for too long.

Suddenly, he broke from his reverie when he saw a hypnotic flower glowing in a clearing, curling toward the red moon as if to drink its energy. It's there…. It's really there….

Lady Reece had foresight. He had confirmed it. Suddenly, her words, the sudden journey to Tyrina, and journeying further into the forest came to a head, symbolized by that beautiful flower—a flower that bloomed randomly once a month and then died. Now, Edico's disturbing wish to see Lemora bathed in the blood of the corrupt became all too real.

Pulling out a glass bottle etched with white arrays, he approached the plant, feeling its energy begging him to stroke its petals. Yet he didn't. Silvermoon bloom was the most frail plant in the known world, and if he harvested it wrong, it would die. He swallowed hard, unsheathing his dagger and kneeling. With one swift motion, he cut through the flower at the base and a low gravity spell to make it hover into the bottle. Then, with absolute concentration, he sealed the bottle with a cap array, delicately following the chant Tyran Grollis, the royal apothecary, taught him. Once finished, he sighed a breath of relief and carefully jogged through the forest, protecting the bottle with his life.

When he returned to Sara, she was fast asleep in the same place that he left her. Yet he didn't fail to notice her pale skin or shaking body. It's gotten worse, he thought, remarking on mana deprivation. Then, once he settled her in the tent, his lips curved into a small smile. Let's see what happens tomorrow. Edico was worried, but he couldn't help but be a bit excited.

3

Sara awoke more tired than she was when she went to sleep. Her thighs burned like walking through pine trees with a sunburn, and her veins had icy chills from mana deprivation. It wasn't the best day to meet her future lover.

I hope he likes smooth-faced teens who walk like cowboys, she thought, slightly bitter, very nervous.

Meeting Kyritus was closer to fate than a miracle. She was 23 then, and the "Hero's" Party had recently fought and killed Haligara, the legendary basilisk guarding Qualth, the "God Slayer" sword. The fight claimed Emma's life ("A noble sacrifice to The Cause," as Jason put it). In response, Sara quit the party and traveled aimlessly, spiraling into alcoholism. She wasn't an alcoholic. Not yet. But she was riding the edge, grinding the breaking point where one drink too far would transform a cry for help into a lifelong dependency. That's how she found herself in Helscope, stumbling into a random tavern—his tavern. Kyritus was her age but a hell of a lot more responsible. That much was clear by the way he had been leading songs, breaking up fights, managing the kitchens while she struggled to tame the spins. So, yeah. It was fate that she would meet Kyritus—a tavern owner. The miracle was that he continued talking to her after they first met.

Perhaps to be nice, perhaps just to accelerate getting her out of the door, but Kyritus offered her a bowl of stew on the house, and Sara boldly rejected it—by throwing it up in the toilet while he held her hair. How they ended up in that position, she couldn't quite remember. But she did know when she awoke the next day, mind-piercing with a hangover, she was jealous of people who "blacked out." Sara always woke up fully capable of remembering what happened, as if she was watching security footage of herself being intoxicated. And that night, there was a cute man who was nice… fucking nice for once, and she puked on his shoes. Yep. It was a miracle they spoke again after that.

Sara paused her reverie, taking in the facts, namely the one where he asked to marry her. That alone proved that Kyritus had an unhealthy taste in women. On second thought… if she walked into his tavern as a preppy, dolled-up tennis player, he'd probably serve all the guests first.

"Is everything alright?" Edico asked, rolling up their tents. He was already refusing to let her do anything. Great.

"I'm just tired," Sara sighed. "Wait…." Her eyes widened, and she frantically made eye contact. "Did you find it?"

Edico's lips parted, half-startled as if he was surprised that what he expected to happen actually did. "Yeah, I found it." He rifled through her pack and pulled out a beautiful flower suspended in low gravity. It glowed even in the morning light, still alive, feasting on mana as all mana-based plants did.

Sara's heart fluttered. "Misson accomplished, then. Let's go to Helscope."

Edico looked at her strangely, narrowing his eyes. "Okay. Just make sure not to run off on your own again."

Sara felt an icy shiver crawl down her spine. His request was logical after her stunt, but as someone who had known him for a decade, she could tell he knew their entire mission was all a lie. She had to be careful how she conducted the last part of their operation. If he discovered what she was doing, her reputation with the kingdom would plummet, and Kyritus and Tiber would be in danger. She needed to take things seriously.