Page 84 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species

“I wanna see!” She dashed to the next hall.

“Alex, we’re leaving!”

“Just a second… Let me just have a peek. Oh, it’s so much more interesting here!”

“Quiet! Do you want to wake up the mummies?” Helena scolded her.

“Let’s go, damn it!”

“The previous Oracle’s sarcophagus is here!” Alex proclaimed.

Amelia drifted towards it as if enchanted. She had to get close to the woman with whom she shared so much but had never met in person – only in dreams.

From the threshold of the hall, she spotted the golden coffin, sculpted in the shape of the previous Oracle. From what she remembered of the woman’s face, she was surprised to find it looked more like a portrait than a casting. Green emeralds with tiny black onyxes at their centres formed her eyes. Starting from the contour of her face, her black hair extended to the bottom of the sarcophagus, clearly rendered by a skilled artist. The deep red on her lips was nothing like the pale apparition from their meeting – a meeting Amelia was still uncertain had taken place anywhere outside her own mind.

The inscription was brief.Gea Zangani. 4062 B.C. – 2021 A.D. Oracle.

Her name was Gea. Amelia had observed the world through her eyes for a brief moment last year. Gea’s body had been hanging in the air, held up only by the desperate grip of a dark-haired woman’s fingers. When she’d let go and Gea’s body had begun its descent, the previous Oracle had a smile on her face.

Alex’s voice pulled Amelia back to reality. “Weird. Those aren’t labelled.” She circled a sarcophagus painted with strange symbols. “It has to be a male, because the features are male, but there’s no name or species…”

“Amelia, it’s time to go,” Zacharia said behind her.

“Well, well!” Helena exclaimed at the few sarcophagi in the room. “We’re in the hall of greatness.”

“I wouldn’t say greatness. With the exception of the two oracles and a pharaoh from five thousand-something B.C.,” Alex noted.

Amelia tore her eyes away from Gea’s emeralds. “Did you saytwooracles?”

“Yeah. There’s another one in there.”

Amelia ran over to where Alex was pointing. This sarcophagus was painted in a similar style, but the eyes were turquoise and the hair was pure gold, blending into the gilding of the coffin. The inscription underneath was brief:Taliniche,Oracle. No dates.

There were five more sarcophagi, plated in gold, jewels, and intricate artwork. Alex snapped photos with her camera, while Helena’s eyes gleamed, reflecting the gems. Even Nyavolski and Viktor were drawn in by the glitter.

“Now that’s a fucking temple!” Nyavolski exclaimed, resting his palm on one of the nameless coffins.

Amelia skimmed her fingers across Taliniche’s sarcophagus. As soon as her skin grazed the cold metal, an oppressive dark sensation crept across her body, chilling her to the bones. It was as if someone had stolen all her living force. She struggled to keep standing on her wobbly legs and placed a palm on the sarcophagus for support.

Back away, her heart warned her.Back away.

Regaining her stance, Amelia stepped away from the ancient Oracle’s bed. The power returned to her body, and she glanced around to check if anyone else showed similar reactions. However, they were all inspecting the golden coffins – except for Zacharia. He was watching Amelia, a crease forming between his eyebrows.

“I think we have to go,” he barked.

The others snapped out of the spell of the shimmering jewels.

“He’s right.” Viktor grabbed Alex by the arm, forcing her to stop shooting photos.

Helena slapped her forehead. “Does anybody else feel enchanted by those sarcophagi’s gold?”

“Gold all around the world enchants you.” Nyavolski bared his teeth, although he also blinked a few times, as if trying to freehimself from a spell. “C’mon!”

He pulled the lever on the wall, and they all climbed back onto the train. The rails carried them up at the same languid speed.

This time, the rhythmic swaying of the wagons made Amelia tap her foot on the floor. As they exited the depths of the cave, the beautiful symphony of lights, shadows, and stalactites transformed into frozen devils and gargoyle guards. A heavy weight pressed into her chest and spread through her entire body, and just like a moment before, she failed to decipher if it was her fear calling, or her Oracle powers.

After what felt like aeons, the train brought them back to the hall with the giant opening in the centre. Vlas Beduin was waiting for them by the console. When they stepped out of the wagons, he approached them with the same impassive expression. “I hope your stay in the Temple of the Dead Immortals was a fruitful one, and that you managed to feel the powerful energy of your ancestors.”