AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course it is. I need to know if I’m cooking in vain.”
“I thought you were cooking for the oracle.”
“I was cooking for her and her mysterious new friend, a friend who’s becoming more and more mysterious with each passing day. It was supposed to be the opposite.”
“That’s interesting, since your entire attitude changed when the oracle called me god-chosen. Now you’ve gone back to flirting?”
“It just took me by surprise. I needed some time to adjust.”
“Why? I don’t even know what it means.”
“It means the eyes of the gods are upon you. A high body count tends to follow the god-chosen. I’m especially fond of being alive. I suppose that doesn’t make me as devout as Connell believes.”
Lila looked away, tracing the guard tower’s peaked roofs. “Connell doubled the watch tonight.”
“Yes, he did.”
“She had another vision, didn’t she?”
Nico nodded. “I don’t know any more than that. Take a nap and wait for breakfast, Lila. You can see the oracle then. I’ll not wake her for the world right now, not even for you.”
“You’re worried about her.”
“You’re damn right I’m worried. Connell’s been gentle with her the last couple of days. The man doesn’t even baby babies. It doesn’t bode well.”
The radio on his shoulder cackled, filling the air with a series of clicks, pops, and squeals.
“Are all your radios like that?”
Nico nodded.
“Since when?”
“Since last year.” He turned down the radio’s volume. “The company that installed them has come out to investigate a few times, but they claim they’re working perfectly. They say there’s interference nearby. We haven’t had enough money in the budget to investigate further.”
“You receive donations, don’t you?”
“It’s been a hard few years for the workborn. Donations have run lower than normal.”
“I guess Mòr bought Blair’s telescope in simpler times.”
Nico laughed. “It’s not Blair’s telescope. Some highborn bought it years ago and made a deal with the oracle. We’re paid well to keep it safe and well maintained. Whenever the woman comes to visit, we turn out every light in the compound so she can watch the stars. Blair plays host, but she pretends she owns it the rest of the time. You’d think it would piss her off, some highborn amateur strolling up to her tower whenever she pleases, but Blair almost skips on those nights. I think it’s the only time anyone cares or understands what she’s talking about.”
Lila drummed her fingers on the wheel.
Blair would let her in to see the oracle.
“I know what you’re thinking, but forget it.” Nico marched through the gate and hopped into a cart. He led the way to her cabin, looking back several times to make sure she still followed him.
He walked her to the door, reminding her not to disturb the oracle as a personal favor. Then he climbed back into the cart and zipped away.
Lila crept inside the cabin, not bothering to muffle the sounds of her footfalls. It would be empty, for Dixon would be in Blair’s tower, writing notes—
She stopped short. Blair and Dixon napped on the couch, limbs intertwined, cheeks pressed together. The hushed screen before them had been filled with black. Two used notepads lay open on the coffee table, the pencil dulled and abandoned. A pile of shavings lay scattered nearby.
Gods, he’d written a lot.
Lila closed the door quietly behind her and padded across the living room, her satchel’s zipper tinkling like a bell.
