The medium would have sworn that there were no doors to be found, until she ran into a marble wall with her shoulder. Putting her hand out, the old woman ran her fingers over the glossy, smooth surface. Taking a step back, Madame Hesper could now make out the edges of the building. Its white exterior blended perfectly with the surrounding Plains. The optical illusion bordered on a miracle.
“They’re jammed.”
Ekoli’s words brought Madame Hesper back to the situation at hand. Joining the goddess, the old woman lent her shoulder to the door and slowly the marble gave way, opening a crack. Immediately the smell of incense filled Madame Hesper’s nostrils. She took a peek around the edge of the door and watched as a small fire lit itself in the brazier. Could it be true? Could the Oracle have sensed their presence already?
“Is your sister present?” Madame Hesper asked, wonder thick in her voice.
“Half-sister,” Ekoli corrected, a bit harshly, then shook her head. “No. The brazier is but a trick the priests developed to impress the Oracle’s simple followers.”
Madame Hesper felt her cheeks blush a bit. She had certainly fallen for the ruse. It served to remind the old woman that who she stood next to was not a normal woman, but a goddess. Now clothed in ratty wool, it was easy to forget Ekoli’s status. No matter the warmth that had sometimes flavored their interactions, the two women could never be called friends.
“Summon Holt while I lure my sister from her slumber.”
Amanda nodded and walked back to the litter. Holt was already awake and draped in thick black blankets. Madame Hesper wished to have a moment with her son before they entered the Oracle’s Temple, but Holt strode past her.
Once they were inside the temple, with the door securely shut against the sunlight, Holt dropped his coverings. Instead of crossing the room and joining Ekoli, however, her son lingered in the far corner. Such strange behavior. Madame Hesper turned towards Holt, but the floor rumbled, and air hissed from hidden vents.
“Another trick. Do not worry. When my sister arrives, there will be no doubting it,” Ekoli said as she arranged tiles upon a pedestal.
Madame Hesper looked over the goddess’s shoulder and viewed the small ceramic pieces. Each had runes engraved upon their glittery surfaces. The medium could not read the language, but their use was clear. The tiles were a key to a lock. Madame Hesper had heard of such devices but never used one herself. The medium preferred the calling of names or invocation by fire. These runes were known to be dangerous. A single symbol out of place, and you could be sucked into never-ending vortex. An old teacher of hers had lost an arm and a breast to one such disastrous summoning.
“You had best back away. Delphi will not be amused.”
Crossing back to Holt, Madame Hesper kept an eye on the goddess. There was an edge about her. The tension was palpable in the room, clinging to your clothes, making you feel like you’d put on too tight a corset. Holt was no better. His face was a mask, unreadable. What had happened the night before that spun them both so out of sorts?
Without warning, Madame Hesper had to grab hold of the wall to keep from falling. This time the quake was so violent that the thick marble floor cracked down the center. This was no trick of ancient priests. Ekoli leapt back from the altar. Picking up a torch, she lit it from the brazier.
“Sister, I call to thee. Sister, I evoke our bond. Sister, I demand thy presence!”
With her last words, Ekoli put her torch to the tiles. Each one flamed in turn. A wailing began, almost too quiet to notice. It built and built until the voice filled the room with its pain. The entire temple trembled from the sound. Madame Hesper turned to find Holt standing stiff and straight. Still no emotion on his face. His eyes were perhaps a bit more dilated, but he showed no other reaction to the event they were witnessing.
“I shall smite you,” a voice boomed from the crack. “Release me now!”
Ekoli skipped away from the edge and put the torch to the tiles once again. “Materialize, or I shall scorch your very soul!”
Madame Hesper had no idea this summoning would be so hostile. One would think a sister calling to another would require far fewer fireworks.
The wail rose again from the giant crevice in the floor. Finally a mist rose from the darkness, taking shape over the altar. The fog dressed itself in human form but never quite materialized completely. The edges were constantly swirling and changing.
“Who has dared draw me to this plane?” The Oracle hissed.
“It is I, Ekoli, your sister.”
“Half-sister,” the Oracle corrected.
Even across the room, Madame Hesper could see the sneer that spread across the deity’s face.
“Father held his best seed for last. In that, Ora, you are correct.”
The Oracle’s body expanded and puffed up to four times her original height. With each inch she grew, her form paled and became nearly translucent.
“Father begot a simpleton. Look at you. You wear flesh and walk on tired feet. Your words mean naught to me.”
Ekoli stiffened. “I was preordained to fall from grace —”
“The Fates knew you for what you were. There was a reason they pointed their finger in your direction, little sister.”
Madame Hesper felt like she should say something, anything, to halt the altercation, but she knew any intervention would be greatly unappreciated. It was obvious there was animosity that ran for a millennium between these two.
Luckily, Ekoli did not rise to the bait. She reared back as if to retort but held her tongue. Instead, Ekoli’s put on an artificial smile.
“Sister, I do not wish to argue. Will you honor my request for knowledge?”
The Oracle ignored her sister’s words. “Father will be most disappointed to hear you have rekindled your fascination with mortals. He had so hoped that it was but a phase you would outgrow.”
Ekoli eyes darted to Holt, who refused to answer her gaze. Looking wounded, Ekoli turned back to her sister. “I am not fascinated, Oracle. I am concerned. I need knowledge of the future —”
“How did your dalliance with the Vampyr resolve, Ekoli? I heard upon the winds that your favored children are dissatisfied.”
Ekoli squirmed in front of the altar. To Madame Hesper’s eye, it appeared the goddess was more concerned with Holt’s reaction than that of Ora’s. Ekoli kept sending furtive glances to Holt, who stood unmoved. How could her son ignore the looks of deep sympathy upon Ekoli’s eyes? Amanda did not know the particulars of which happened last night, but she was certain that Oracle did.
Finally Ekoli answered her sister’s remarks. “What my crimes are against my subjects will be dealt with later, Oracle. I was wrong to abandon them —”
“Subjects are meant to be used, then discarded, sister. It is this lesson you have failed to learn miserably. Now unbind my form, or I shall —”
“If I succumb upon this plane, do you not think Father will search out the truth of it? Do you not think he will be a bit perturbed to find that you did not aid your sister even a tad?”
It was Oracle’s turn to deflate and look preoccupied. The two goddess’s father, Parlamount, was known for his violent temper and streak of vengeance. Even his own daughter might not be immune if he suffered such a mood.
“He would not hold me accountable for your foolishness,” Ora answered, but did not sound all that sure of herself.
Ekoli knew she had her sister on the defensive and struck for the jugular. “The Guardian of the Cider Fold knows I have sought you out. The Faery engaged the Fays for our transport. Do you not think she will ask Father to avenge my death?”
Oracle’s form pulsed and throbbed, becoming more and more dense, until she seemed nearly solid. “What is it exactly that you wish to know?”
“Tell me everything that would be important to our success against all the threats of this plane,” Ekoli said boldly.
Oracle snorted and ballooned back out again, although far smaller in stature than she was ori
ginally. “Do you not think I have gone soft simply because I extend a tendril of kindness? You are allowed one question with one answer. Do not think to ensnare me again.”
Ekoli shifted her weight as she thought. Silence enveloped the room. Each heartbeat boomed in Madame Hesper’s ear. How she wished to rush forward and consult with the fallen goddess. The medium was not used to being idle while events unfolded. Holt, however, seemed content to melt into the shadows and leave the uncomfortable burden to Ekoli.
“Ora...” Ekoli seemed near tears. An almost childlike pleading came from her throat. “Ora, if there is any information that will assist us in the days to come. Please free your tongue.”
The Oracle shimmered in the dim light. For a moment Madame Hesper feared Delphi would not comply, but finally the Oracle let out a hiss.
“You had best inform father of my help, Ekoli. This act will not work again if you do not.”
Ekoli nodded.
The Oracle bloomed from a female form into a giant head. Madame Hesper took a step back as the face expanded to fill the entire altar area. Oracle’s eyes were now a sparkling gold, while her skin glimmered with silver.
“The past is distant. The present is clouded. The future is cloaked to all but me. Hear me now...” The Oracle’s visage floated above the altar. “Winter rages, but Fall is the danger. Summer cools, yet Spring is in peril. Mirrors will shatter, and fires will rage —”
Interrupting hotly, Ekoli stepped up to her sister’s bloated face. “I need an answer, Oracle, not this rhythm and riddle. Answer me plain and true, sister, or Father shall know of your deceit.”
Oracle smiled with a glint of anger in her eye. “There is rat in your pantry, sister. Find it, or the rodent will spread disease to the four corners.”
“Who is the rat? What race is —”
“One question, sister. One only.” With her final word, Oracle blew out the brazier, plunging the room into darkness. Her form swirled with glittering sparkles and surged down into the fissure.
“No!” Ekoli screamed, trying to stoke the fire, but it was to no avail. The Oracle had departed and could not be summoned again. The runes on the tiles were scorched black, unusable.
Ekoli fell to her knees, sobbing and clutching her midriff. Madame Hesper rushed forward to aid the goddess. Holt was at her heel. Whatever had transpired between the two did not seem to lessen his concern for the goddess’s safety.
Blood seeped between the bandages, but otherwise the stitches held her wound together.
Ekoli’s words could barely be understood. “I’m sorry. I thought she would... I thought she would be...”
Holt’s voice was cold. “She is a goddess. You need not explain further.”
Madame Hesper threw a stern look to her son. This rudeness was not helping their cause. She did not raise a child to act so callously in the face of pain.
Amanda tried to soothe the goddess. “It is not your fault, Ekoli. The Oracle was a cipher even when she did these augers freely.”
Ekoli did not look towards Madame Hesper. Instead, her eyes were for Holt. “I will not fail my people again.”
Holt looked terribly uncomfortable. His face surged with emotion, but no words came out. Finally, he stepped back and mumbled his excuses as he took leave of their presence.
“We had best leave this place,” Ekoli said as she rose onto her feet. “We cannot trust Oracle. This place could tumble down at any moment.”
“Aye. We will ride West to the Steppes and rejoin Sele.”
Holt was already draped in his blankets when Madame Hesper opened the marble door. To their surprise, the sun had gone down, and the night sky was lit by a thousand stars.
Madame Hesper turned to Ekoli. “How could this be? It was not even midday when we entered.”
Ekoli only shrugged and climbed up onto the litter. “Oracle’s presence warped time within the temple.”
“Then we had best hurry. We have lost an entire day’s ride.”
As Holt climbed onto the litter, Madame Hesper jingled the bells, but nothing happened. She tried again, only to find their conveyance still stationary.
“Are we too near the temple?” Madame Hesper asked. “Perhaps we need to back away a bit.”
Ekoli descended from the vehicle and felt the snow around the litter. Sadly the goddess shook her head. “Nay. The Fays have left.”
“Will they be back?” Holt asked, concern plain in his voice.
“I would not count on it. If they were not bound to this litter, they could be hundreds of miles from here.”
Madame Hesper jumped down from the litter, cursing. “I should not have allowed Emerald to arrange our transportation.”
“I would not blame our plight on the Faery, Amanda. The Fays are notorious for their short attention spans. I am certain Emerald is guileless.”
Madame Hesper was not so certain. Emerald had her own agenda, and if there was a single ally the medium might suspect as the rat, it would be the Faery.
Holt voiced their common concern. “What do we do from here?”
“You fly Ekoli to the Steppes,” Amanda stated simply.
“What will you do?” Holt asked.
Madame Hesper knew the answer, but did not know how she knew it. Ever since arriving at the temple, the eastern horizon had called to her. She had been successful in ignoring its temptation until now. Although the Oracle had not specified anything of the sort, Madame Hesper felt destined to walk alone onto the Plains.
“I head toward the sun’s rise.”
Holt’s disbelief was most evident. “With what? How? Mother, you can’t just trudge through the snow.”
“What do you hope to accomplish?” Ekoli asked.
“I do not know. It will be as much a mystery to me as it is to you.”
“Then why? I can carry you both,” Holt demanded.
Madame Hesper shook her head. “We would never reach shelter in time. You must join Sele as soon as possible. This, I feel in my bones.”
“You feel senility, Mother. I cannot allow you —”
“Walk your path, Holt. I will walk mine.”
Her son sputtered for a moment, then quieted. He must have sensed her determination. Suddenly, the only thing that truly mattered to Madame Hesper was placing one foot in front of the other. As long as the medium looked towards the east, she felt at peace. Any other direction gnawed at her stomach.
“You two need to take flight. You will need all your time to reach the Intuit village upon the Southern Slope. From there, strike directly west. Dimitri will find you shelter from there.”
Holt embraced his mother and whispered into her ear. “Do not dally. Sele will scold me terribly if you are tardy.”
Madame Hesper squeezed her son tight before she released him.
“I would bless you if I could,” Ekoli said as she gave Madame Hesper a tentative hug.
“You already have, goddess. I will rejoin you soon.”
Tears shone in Ekoli’s eyes as Holt brought the goddess up into his arms. “I do not think so, medium. Our paths diverge from here.”
As Holt took wing, Madame Hesper felt a shiver pass all the way along her spine until it settled into her feet. Her entire body felt encased in ice.
Prophecy had been spoken today, but not by the Oracle. Instead, Madame Hesper was sure Fate’s scheme was divulged by Ekoli. In her bones, the medium knew she would never see the fallen goddess again.
With less enthusiasm, Madame Hesper wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and began walking through the deep snow. The going was agonizingly slow, but she refused to turn around. She would not watch Holt and Ekoli fly off, fearing she might lose her nerve and call them back.
Despite her trepidation, the call was still strong. With each foot step, the medium could feel the far distance sing her name. Whether it was salvation or a slow death that awaited, the summons could not to be denied.
*****
CHAPTER 31
Crystalia shifted uneasil
y upon Nutmeg’s back. It was not the horse’s fault that the Snowy Maiden was uncomfortable. It was the man sitting behind her.
Well, not really a man, Crystalia reminded herself. It was Corpse. The dead man had to sit behind someone to obtain the warmth he needed to stay thawed. The burden had fallen to Crystalia.
Last night’s blizzard had raged all through the dawn and into the day. It was not until late in the afternoon that the storm finally blew itself out. Once mounted, Miss Emmert had pushed them hard.
It was long dark, but still they rode. The woman wanted to crest the last ridge before the sun rose again. It was Miss Emmert’s hope that the Centaurs were just beyond these peaks.
Ornery ran alongside the White Wolf, conferring with Miss Emmert, who sat atop Pale. The boy’s legs seemed stronger after their enforced rest, or perhaps, it was the thought of the reunion with his father. Crystalia was none too fond of the way Ornery looked at her and constantly asked to assist her, but the girl could not help but be a tiny bit thrilled for him. It was not every day that one found their lost parents.
Beside them, the Ice Princess sat perched in front of Traven upon Lauger’s back. A part of her wanted to shout, “It should be me, Crystalia, beside you!”
But the Snowy Maiden’s tongue was firmly planted behind her lips. For what would such an outburst gain? Nothing. The more time she spent with the Hero, the more Crystalia had come to realize that Glacial’s pristine beauty held Traven in the Princess’s thrall. It was clear in the way Traven’s hand lightly rested on the Princess’s hip or the deep smiled that he flashed each time the Giant spoke his name. Even if it were Crystalia seated beside him, it would be Glacial that rode in the Hero’s heart.
From all appearances, the Hero and Princess were destined to be together. Crystalia’s lips turned down at the thought of the word. Destined.
As a child, she had always thrilled at the thought of the Fates, as if they were some type of congenial matchmakers. Instead, the girl had found they were mean old bitties who fancied human suffering, especially young lady’s pain. And Crystalia could not imagine being in much more agony than she was. Her heart ached with every breath, and her body was so very sore that she did not think it would ever know a soft bed again.
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