“Are you sure?” I asked him, seriously this time.
“Yes.”
“Mmm. Okay then,” I agreed. “That sounds nice. Hey, why don’t you go to the Underworld now and get it over with? Then we can have no interruptions.”
“I suppose that is fine. Alright. But don’t put your clothes back on!” he added, even as he reluctantly moved to gather his own. “You had better wait for me, beautiful woman.”
So I did. When Thanatos returned, I doted on him all night until I fell asleep in his arms, the way it was meant to be. He woke me just before dawn to return me to my place behind my locked door.
Could this be our new cycle of love and death and secrecy? Weaving the sacred crossing of souls between our bouts of rebellious lovemaking? Washing the scent of him from my skin every morning, replacing it with with the aroma of temple soap and incense? I dared to hope for it…and I was given three days. We had three precious, perfect days before I finally finished my prophecy.
15
On the fated morning, a solitary cloud crossed the sun as I worked in the temple’s crowded courtyard. The breezy air stilled as its shadow fell over us, and I froze, anticipation raising the hairs on my neck on end. A tingling sensation developed at the tips of my fingers, and my mouth went dry. It was not uncertainty that set my pulse racing. It was familiarity.
The tingling became burning that surged up my wrists, and all at once I was struck by that petrifying sensation once again: the feeling that I had never forgotten, despite the years that had passed since my childhood. Sizzling power crept up through my veins from my limbs to my heart, twisting painfully inside me until my chest was fire and my body was ice. I couldn’t move. I could only look to the sky and open my mouth.
The voice that roared from my throat was not my own.
“Your harvest blooms shall wilt and fade as hero’s heart and soul are weighed. Save your people or agree where you will spend eternity!”
Thankfully, Sophie was nearby when it happened. As soon as my mouth had finished screeching, she saw my knees give way and jumped into action to shield my fall. I tumbled, half onto her and half onto the ground, my body limp and unusable while the power drained away. There was fire coursing through my blood, followed by ice, until at last I returned to the bliss of absolutely nothing. My head pounded.
“Oh,” I stuttered, half comprehending. “Oh…”
The next thing I knew, I was back in my bed, looking up at the high ceiling of our room. I winced as I sat up, my mind clouded over.
“You’re awake!” It was Zoe’s voice that called from the lounge. Her footsteps thumped softly against the stone as she hurried over to my side. “How do you feel?”
“Woozy,” I said, rubbing my temples. “How long was I out?”
“Not too long. But I’m sure you’ll get the rest of today off,” she said hastily. “It’s all being taken care of.”
I hugged my knees to my chest and looked up at her warily. “And…what was it that I said?” The consuming feeling of powerful magic was all I could remember.
Zoe repeated the words to me. “Don’t worry,” she reassured me afterward. “It’s already been written out and sent to the archives and to the elders. I’m sure they will enact additional security measures, given how foreboding it sounds.”
“And no one knows what it means?”
“Nope. You still never make any sense,” she joked. “Everybody’s thinking about it, though! Maybe someone will figure it out. In the meantime, we’ll have to try to be safe.”
It was an unsatisfying answer, but I supposed as an oracle I was used to receiving those. I spent the remainder of the afternoon trying to distract from my headache by frustratedly weaving colored yarns into a long knotted strip. It was an ugly thing that deserved to be cast into flames, but at least it was good for keeping my hands busy while I waited for the evening to arrive.
After a few hours of sitting in bed and badly weaving, Alex and Sophie returned for the night with Andrew following behind them, holding the key to our door. But instead of sealing us inside as usual, he stepped over the threshold and into our room.
“I have been overly strict with the four of you,” said Andrew shortly. “I thought my actions necessary, but I realize now that they were a mistake.” He locked eyes with me. “I was a witness this morning to your visitation by the divine. I could feel the power that spoke through you, as could everyone present. I can only conclude that your meditations have had great effect, and I pray that you forgive me for my doubts.” He strode over to our small table and set down the key to our room.
I swallowed my surprise. We were being released? I was agoodoracle? “Thank you, Andrew,” I said, almost numb.
“I will let you get some rest,” he said, retreating from our space. “Gods be with you.”
When he closed the door, I glanced over to Alex, playing with my yarn nervously.“Well, that was unexpected.”
“He had to do it,” she replied, frowning. “You made one of the more stunning divinations that this place has ever seen. The whole courtyard felt holy while you were channeling.”
“I can’t even remember saying the words,” I said. “I only remember the feeling. And I want to be more excited about our freedom, but I can’t stop thinking about what happened. Does anyone out there have any idea of what’s going on?”
Alex frowned and shook her head. “No, not yet.”
