Five: Oracle

The girl who had brought me here pulled me toward the bed. Two of the others pushed the chair from the desk over for me to sit on and the last one remained still, watching the sleeping figure.

Once I was settled, the girl by the wall began snuffing out candles and oil lamps until there were about half as many sources of light to see by. I hadn't noticed before, but there were no windows at all. The only think keeping me from near-blindness was my elven eyes. Then, as quickly as she had snuffed out half the candles, she began lighting fresh ones from a box by the desk and the other girls set them around the room. After that, one of them put out the little pot that was making the sweet smoke in the room, and the others began fanning to clear the air of it.

As the smoke cleared, the figure on the bed stirred. Head to toe, they were heavily draped in bejeweled fabrics. So much so that I couldn't tell what was under them all. They were all light as air and dyed vibrantly, reminding me of the wildly colorful gardens in Dwellonmar. But these colorful scarves were no flowers, they were silks and veils that probably cost at least a gold coin each.

I could tell when the figure opened their eyes, because even through a layer of blue silk, I saw the golden glow of them. I gasped and the figure sat up slowly. The girls attended to the figure, helping it sit up and turning it to face me.

So there it was, a pile of colorful silks, sitting on the bed at watching me with it's glowing golden eyes through the layers of scarves. It's sleepy movements alluding to a human-like figure under the layers.

It was tall. I bet Thain would come only to it's shoulder. I should probably have been frightened, but instead I found myself holding back the desire to reach out and touch it.

"Hello, little one," they spoke, and a chorus of voices, men, women, children, all said the words at once. It was like talking to a room full of people, but only the golden eyed figure was addressing me.

"Hello," I breathed.

It moved under the fabrics, and even though I couldn't see it, I felt it smile.

"It is nice to see you in my waking hours," the voice-of-many-voices said, amusement in their tone. "I have been dreaming of you for a long time."

"Dreaming of me?" I licked my dry lips and leaned back in my chair. It was an effort. I knew in my head that I should be weary of a being like this, but I couldn't stop myself from liking it.

It laughed, a joyous sound that warmed the room. "Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself. Usually I am the one who is sought out, not the other way around. Of course you do not know me."

The form lifted the first of it's many veils, slowly peeling off the colorful petals that hid it.

"The sight of me is difficult for those of little magic, but you will be fine. You may also remove your hood here, it is safe. I am known as the oracle, and dreams are how I receive my premonitions. I did used to have a name, but it is no longer necessary." The girls in the room helped the oracle pull the silks off, folding them neatly and piling them on the lounging chair to the side of the room.

I gratefully removed my cloak, brushing the hair off my neck and freeing my ears. I used to be ashamed of them, but now that I had to coop them up under my braids and cloak, I loved when I could let them out. I watched the girls at work, and as they finished, they retreated to the walls with their heads bowed. My eyes were wide as the last layer was lifted off, revealing a creature I had never seen even a remote resemblance of.

I couldn't distinguish the oracle between man or woman. They had pale skin that looked like water if water were green. They had two shoulders, one on each side, but when the arm reached the elbow it split and each side had two forearms and two hands. There was no hair on them at all, and they wore no adornments under the silks. Not that they needed it, their mesmerizing golden eyes were all the decoration any being could need. It was a struggle to focus my eyes on them.

"I am the Oracle of the Stars," they spoke again.

Oracle. The word frightened me with it's implications and I shivered. Not just any oracle, the oracle of the Stars. Every bone in my body ached, feeling the truth of it. This creature spoke for the highest beings over the Wyldes. What would Schula or Nassir think of this? I placed a hand over my racing heart to calm it.

"What are you? I've never seen anything like you before," I said.

They smiled and closed their eyes for a moment, before looking at me once more. "I am what your kind would call a jinn."

"My kind?" I bit my lower lip, trying to figure out what 'my kind' could possibly be. In the last few months, I had come to find I had several choices in that matter.

The oracle laughed, amusement clear on their face. The happy sound sent ripples of bliss down my skin, I was just pleased that they were pleased. "I suppose for you, clarification is in order. The fae folk, the ones of the Wyldes, they would call me a jinn. The witches would simply call me Oracle, which you are also welcome to do."

"How is it that this place exists? So much magic, right here in the city. The humans have always tolerated it at best, so how?" I asked.

"Hm, an interesting question. The humans' fickle nature, it ebbs and it flows away. There have been times in history when mankind walked hand in hand with the more magical creatures. I'm certain those times have faded from their memory, yet I promise you they did happen. But as all things come in circles, this too will come to pass again. A time when the humans do not have the mistrust that you have seen first hand. I have been here long before the first Sultana sat on her throne," the oracle said. "And I will be here long after the last."

I didn't know what to say to that. A world where the humans didn't distrust something like me. What would my life have been like here instead of the woods around Silver lake?

"Do not let your mind wander down that dark path, little one," the oracle said. "You need to look ahead of you, not behind."

I nodded, lacing my fingers together in my lap and debating on asking another question.

"Um, Oracle..." I started, pausing after my nerves got the better of me.

"You may ask another question, little one," they said, smiling.

I gave a small smile back. "Thank you. I was wondering. I think I know for sure, but am I really not half fae? Am I... am I half elf?"

"You are indeed, half elf and half witch." The oracle adjusted their position on the bed to make better room for their long limbs. "There hasn't been one like you in four thousand, nine hundred and seventy three years."

"Oh," I said weakly.

"Do you have other questions for me before I tell you why you are here?" they asked.

I shook my head, the words still lost on my tongue.

"I have brought you here because I have dreamed about you for three moons. I have seen the path you must walk, and I will guide you to it."

I nodded, not taking my gray eyes off the oracle's gold ones. "But why me?"

They smiled. "It is not my fate to ask who I see or who I help. It is my fate to listen to the Stars and bid their will."

My heart was hammering in my chest. This was a vassal of the Stars. I should really stop questioning them, but I couldn't help myself. "Why would I be a part of the will of the Stars?"

"Not you alone, young one." The oracle smiled. "There are many pieces in this game, and the Stars are watching them all closely. A spectacle the likes of which they have not seen in millennia. But for you, I have a message."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "W-what is the message?"

"South, as the red star takes you," the oracle said. "On the night the moon is at it's darkest, follow the birds."

I blinked. The oracle smiled. Then I blinked again. "What?"

"South, as the red star takes you. On the night the moon is at it's darkest, follow the birds."

"No, I heard, I just..." I took a breath and scooted in my seat. "That's it? That is what the Stars wanted to tell me? Directions?"

"For now, it is enough," The oracle said. "Sometimes the things we are given do not seem like much, until the time is right to use them."

I let out a slow breath, memorizing the directions I was given. "Alright, Oracle, I will follow these directions. Do you know where they will lead me?"

"I know where a great many paths will lead," the oracle answered with merriment. "But rarely am I able to tell about it. All I can say, is that it will be the path you have been seeking, though possibly not how you thought you would find it."

I nodded, accepting the answer and not sure I wanted more. This was plenty. A direction to go in. I almost melted in the seat, the worries I had over the last couple weeks floating away. Keeping Schula and Nassir safely 'human' enough to wander Sulls, even though we all knew I'd still worry about them. My worry about money, my worry about food. Finally, we could leave Sulls behind.

"Little one," they said. "While I have enjoyed having you before me, it is time for me to dream once again."

I stood quickly. "Of course, I understand."

One of the girls came over to tug on my hand, though I had no way of knowing if it was the same one who had brought me here or a different one.

"You will be seen safely to your companions," the oracle said. "If you are ever back in Sulls, feel free to seek me out. I will cherish the company of another game piece for the Stars."

I shuddered involuntarily. That sounded too ominous for me.

The last thing I saw before I was pulled out the door, was the other girls draping the silks on the oracle again.

'Caw'

I turned around at the top of the stairs to be hit in the face by a wing full of black feathers.

"Puko!" I hissed.

"Come, sister," the girl said. "It is time to go."

Puko gave me a hard peck on the head before settling on my shoulder. I sighed and walked down the stairs after my guide.

Puko didn't stay with me long before he got fed up from the twists and turns we took at a brisk pace. He took to the skies, watching us from overhead, and I opened my eyes to the dark streets around me. I soaked up the path back as much as I could, not expecting to remember it but hoping to see more signs of magic. Little pictures in doorways, windows with charms hanging from the top, specks of color that were tiny symbols of protection and good luck in nooks and crannies.

It fueled me, the hope that one day other children like me would be able to grow up with friends. Maybe here they already could. Maybe, in the ancient pits of Sulls where a jinn could sleep peacefully, where the witches were remembered, maybe here there could still be magic.

And if the humans and witches could finally accept living side by side, maybe the fae could accept a half elf as well.

My heart ached, homesick but hopeful, as I was taken through the streets at twilight.

After all this was said and done, maybe Thanantholl could still be home.

~

I opened the door to our rented rooms and threw off my cloak.

Nassir was on his blanket on the floor and Schula was sitting in the windowsill. Their heads snapped to me as I shut the door. Puko landed on the headboard of the bed and began preening himself.

"You found him?" Schula asked, unfolding her legs from where she sat and walking over to me.

My face must have given away my excitement, and I grinned as I closed the door.

"No, I mean sort of," I said breathlessly. I sat on the bed and began unbuttoning my boots. "It wasn't Kinza who I needed to find in the end anyway, I spoke to a jinn."

The two of them froze as they looked at me.

"A jinn?" Nassir asked. "You're certain?"

I nodded furiously. "Yes, and I have a direction to go. We can leave Sulls, we can get started on our journey!"

"Slow down," Schula said. "You talked to a jinn, I didn't even think there were any left."

"What was this one's name?" Nassir asked.

I yanked off my second boot and dropped it to the floor. "They didn't go by a name, but they called themselves the Oracle of the Stars."

Schula sucked in a breath. Nassir furrowed his brow in thought.

"That is quite a title to claim," Nassir said slowly. "Wren, I think you need to start at the beginning. Tell us everything that happened since we parted ways this afternoon."

So I told them.

Schula sat by me on the bed, and Nassir had taken a small bag of seeds from somewhere, feeding Puko as he listened.

I told them about the gambling house, about Kinza, about Jaf. I told them about the closet door and the strange man and the girl that pulled me through Sulls. I tried to describe the area with the secretive doors and windows and the little hints of witch magic, but they didn't understand in the same way I did, so I moved on. Then, I told them about the jinn.

"The oracle was hard to see," I explained. "Not the lighting or how they looked, but it was hard to make my eyes sit still on them. And they had greenish skin, and each arm split into two at the elbow, they had four hands. Their eyes were the most amazing thing though, gold all the way around and glowing. When they spoke, it sounded like several people talking at once, only they said the same thing at the same instant."

"I've never heard of such a jinn," Nassir said. "But then, they all appear so different. It isn't like a dryad or a satyr, they don't have any distinguishing features that give away what they are."

"They don't all look like that?" I asked.

"No," Nassir said, stroking the feathers on Puko's head. "They are each one as different as can be. But be careful, they are each one as dangerous and unpredictable as can be too."

"Dangerous." I nodded, but held firm. "I believe you, they were powerful. But I still can't believe they meant us any harm. I believe them. I can't explain how I know I just... do."

I shrugged helplessly, not having a better explanation. Schula hugged my shoulders with one arm and sighed.

"I trust your instincts," she said. "And it's more than we've had to go on in weeks."

Nassir seemed to mull it over a little longer, but he finally nodded his head. "Alright, were is it we're going?"

"South, as the red star takes you," I tried to concentrate on remembering the exact words. "On the night the moon is at it's darkest, follow the birds."

Nassir laughed. "Well, that does sound cryptic enough to be a message from the Stars."

Schula frowned. "But, south of here is the desert. We're crossing it? And what is the red star?"

"Well, the desert is south of here," I said. "We're going to need supplies to cross it. I don't know what the red star is."

"Consider this," Nassir said. "The Stars gave you that message, and it sounds like they expect you to be on a certain time frame with it. Otherwise, how would you know when to stop and follow the birds?"

I looked at Schula, who was looking at me with the same surprise in her face as I must have had on mine. "You're right, Nassir."

He smiled. "And that might suggest we need to get moving. I would wonder if we won't find this red star when we begin our journey south."

"That's not unreasonable," Schula said. "So if it's nearly dawn now, should we leave today?"

"Tonight," I said. "In the desert, you travel by night and try to sleep in the hottest part of the day."

"Then why don't we do this," Nassir nodded to Schula. "You two go get supplies, I'm assuming we will need food in the desert but I don't know much else about it. Find out what we need, and get it. I will stay here, and pack what we already have. Then, we all get some sleep, and leave at nightfall."

"But what if we never find the red star?" Schula asked.

"If we never find the red star," Nassir said, scratching his chin. "At least we will be going south, and that is where we know the witches went."

"I agree with you, Nassir," I said, getting up from the bed and sighing at the boots I had just taken off for the day. "We should still have enough money for food to cross the desert, I'll find out how may days of supplies we need."

"And whatever else we need," Schula added. "The closest thing to a desert I've been in is a part of the Summer lands, and I don't think that counts. Have you crossed the desert, Wren?"

I shook my head, putting my boots back on. "No, I haven't been anywhere outside the mountains and Sulls before. But we should be able to ask around about what we'll need, and I've heard a few things before that might help. I know the sandstorms can get pretty bad, we'll need a shelter for those."

"It's settled then," Nassir clapped his hands. "You two get us what we'll need, I'll pack up here."

"Right," Schula took my hand and helped me stand up from the bed. "Let's go then. We have a desert to cross."