Page 8 of THE SOULBOND AND HER BELOVED (Beasts Of Wrath And Madness #4)

Chapter eight

THE ORACLE OF UREKAI

Grand Lord Zaiper was trying hard not to freak out.

Trying being the operative word.

While the rest of the people had scattered, their voices a low hum of joy and dread, Zaiper had slipped away to the back of the fortress. The cool air bit at his skin, but it did little to cool the racing of his heart.

The one person who could see his atrocities—every dark deed, every hidden sin—like a play acted out on stage was awake.

“Fuck,” he said under his breath.

His hands trembled.

He curled them into fists.

“Highness Zaiper, are you alright?”

Zaiper flinched at the sudden voice behind him.

Why not just mind your own business, Jakal? But he swallowed the retort, forcing a calm he did not feel. He gave a stiff nod to the ever-concerned Minister of Military Affairs.

The silent dismissal worked, and Jakal’s footsteps echoed as he departed.

Zaiper breathed out shakily.

“My lord.” Razarr came behind him. “The Grand King requests your assistance in calming the commotion.”

Zaiper waved a hand in dismissal. “Find someone else. I have no time for crowd control.”

Razarr did not move. “Are you worried about the Oracle?”

Zaiper’s teeth grinded audibly. “Why did she have to wake now ? She should have waited a few hundred years more, damn her!” His fist struck the wall, the impact reverberating up his arm, and he welcomed the pain.

“You have always known this day would come, my lord,” Razarr said, his tone even, calm. “She was bound to wake eventually."

Zaiper spun around. “Yes, but she was supposed to wake after I had achieved my goals. When Daemonikai was already dead, and I sat on the Grand Throne. By then, she would have been powerless to interfere. Now…” He clenched his fists again, shaking his head. “This timing could not be worse.”

Razarr moved closer, standing just beside him. "Even if she knows, my lord, she can do nothing. Her oath binds her. She cannot act against you."

Zaiper knew that. Of course, he did.

And yet, the bad feeling in his gut remained.

“The old woman doesn’t need to interfere directly,” Zaiper hissed. “She can still speak in riddles, plant seeds of doubt, leave clues and hints. The world is far simpler when she sleeps.”

Razarr raised an eyebrow.

His calm at this point was almost infuriating to Zaiper.

“You worry too much, my lord," the male said. "The Oracle does not see everything , despite what the people believe. There is a chance she remains unaware of your... endeavors."

Zaiper straightened, rolling his neck to ease the tension. "You are right. Perhaps I am overthinking this."

His head soldier nodded.

Zaiper glanced around, taking in the nearly empty courtyards. The people had cleared quickly—some retreating to their homes, others simply moving to avoid being caught in the Oracle’s presence. He could understand their hesitation.

For all their reverence, the Oracle terrified them.

She was as close to the gods as anyone could come. A being who could look through people like glass, exposing their deepest, darkest secrets for all to see.

Who, in their right mind, would willingly stand in the presence of someone who could peel away every layer you had carefully built to hide your sins?

Zaiper would have been one of those people hightailing it out of her way, ensuring she never even glimpsed him. But the bane of being a Grand Ruler meant he had no choice. His presence was required to formally welcome the Old Lady.

As he turned to join the others, a faint relief settled in him. Razarr was correct. The Oracle can see, but she cannot act.

A small comfort, but one he clung to.

***

Grand King Daemonikai observed the Oracle carefully as she walked through the grand entrance of Ravenshadow Citadel.

She looks the same as always.

Their kind did not physically age, but with the Oracle, it was different. One glance at her, and you could tell she was as ancient as time itself.

She leaned heavily on her wooden staff, hand trembling faintly as she gripped it, silvery-white hair falling nearly to her knees. Tangled yet somehow dignified, giving her an almost otherworldly elegance.

She wore layer upon layer of garments—so many that at first glance, she appeared bulky, but her face… now that was where the trick came in.

The Oracle of Urekai possessed one of the most beautiful faces Daemonikai had ever seen.

Her features were youthful, appearing no older than a human woman in her thirties. With eyes unlike any other. Black as the deepest void, they were streaked with veins of shimmering gold. Eyes that could see into the soul.

Many found it difficult to meet her gaze for long.

All four Grand Rulers waited at the entrance to formally welcome her. When she drew close, she bowed slightly, her voice scratchy and hoarse as she greeted them. “Great Rulers.”

In unison, they returned the bow. “Oracle.”

“It is an honor to see you again after so many centuries.” Daemonikai’s tone formal but warm. “How does it feel to be awake again?”

She tilted her head as if considering the question. “Like time has begun passing once more.”

Daemonikai nodded. “May we go inside?” He gestured to the Citadel’s interior.

The Oracle inclined her head and began to walk, the rulers falling in step behind her, matching her slow pace.

***

The court session was long and tiring, as Daemonikai had expected.

The day was spent formally reintroducing the Oracle to Urekai society. High Lords and council members were presented, each bowing deeply before her.

She was brought up to date on politics, rituals, and religious customs that had evolved during her centuries of slumber. The discussions dragged on, with a ceremony that was both tedious and weighty, but necessary.

When it came time for her to address the court, her words were brief, cryptic as ever. Yet every soul in the room listened carefully, hanging on every word.

By late evening, the formalities concluded.

As the rulers escorted her from the hall, she paused, turning toward Daemonikai. “I wish to speak with you in private, Your Grace, if you do not mind.”

Daemonikai dipped his head. “By all means.”

The grand rulers hesitated before departing, Zaiper walking away a little bit faster.

"Second Ruler?" The Oracle startled them all.

Zaiper stiffened, then, slowly, turned.

"Await me in your home. I will pay you a visit once I am finished here."

Zaiper did not like that. In fact, for a brief moment, he looked downright scared .

Then he blinked and his expression closed up. "That is a shame, Oracle, for I have an important engagement later tonight," he said coolly. "I'm afraid I will not be available."

The Oracle merely watched him. Long. Unmoving.

It was uncomfortable , to say the least.

"I shall pay you a visit. Expect me," she spoke with finality.

Zaiper hesitated only a fraction of a second before turning sharply on his heel. The Second Ruler could not walk away fast enough.

What was that about?

When one was uneasy in the presence of the Oracle, it was often for one reason. Secrets laid bare. Sins revealed.

Daemonikai was... curious. What had the Vampire of Greyrock done this time?

Zaiper had been unusually quiet all evening, showing none of his usual sharp tongue or stirring of unnecessary arguments, in court. He hadn’t met the Oracle’s eyes once, which was highly unusual for a man who rarely passed up a chance to assert himself.

“A great deal has happened in the past five hundred years, has it not?” the Oracle broke the silence.

Pushing his intrigue aside, Daemonikai walked with the Oracle through the Citadel. “Yes, it has.”

“May I speak casually?”

“Of course.”

She paused, her steps slowing as she turned to face him. “I wish to offer my sincere condolences for the loss of your family, Great Grand King.”

The old grief rose like a tide. “Thank you. It... wasn’t easy.”

“It never is,” she said gently. “You are strong. Both as a Urekai and as a ruler.”

For a moment, he said nothing, his gaze fixed ahead. At last, he murmured, “Sometimes it does not seem like it.”

“I know how it may feel. But what seems true is not always the whole truth. You are in your darkest moments now, but it will not always be so.”

Daemonikai’s lips twitched into the faintest sardonic smile. “Are you telling me about the light at the end of the tunnel?” He tried not to sound sarcastic, though he wasn’t sure he succeeded.

The Oracle’s lips mirrored his faint smile. “Have some faith, Great Grand King. No one knows what the future holds, but a little faith makes the journey worth enduring.”

“There you go with the cryptic words again,” Daemonikai muttered, though his tone was lighter. “I can’t say I’ve missed this part of talking to you.”

The Oracle’s expression turned serious. “Just as the past road has not been easy, the near future holds its own challenges. But you may already know that, judging from your mood today.”

Daemonikai stiffened. Of course she knew.

“What do you know?” he asked lowly, his throat tight.

“Perhaps all of it,” she said quietly. “You are worried about the upcoming eclipse moon night. Worried you may not be able to protect your people and those you love, just as you could not five hundred years ago. Am I correct?”

Daemonikai swallowed hard, staring at the horizon.

“You have every reason to be worried, Great Grand King.”

His voice was hoarse when he spoke. “What do you have to tell me about it?”

“Contrary to what many believe, I do not have all the details. But even if I did, you know I could not share them.”

“The Oracle is all-knowing but none-speaking. The Oracle cannot share knowledge that disrupts the natural order,” Daemonikai recited the ancient text, The Gods and Their Servants , from memory. “Every youngling by the age of ten knows that.”

The Oracle released a soft breath. “I see many things, Great Grand King. The past, the present, and the possibilities of the future. But the future is not a single, fixed path.” She paused. “I see multiple potential outcomes for every event. Sometimes three, four, or more distinct possibilities. I perceive these paths, but I cannot know which will ultimately come to pass.”

Her grip on her staff tightened. “Intervention is dangerous. Even the most well-intentioned actions can disrupt the delicate balance of these possibilities, potentially leading to consequences unforeseen. Some of which have the power to set in motion events that plunge the world into darkness.”

“I understand this,” Daemonikai said, and he meant it. “I do.”

“About eclipse moon night,” the Oracle began again. “Take comfort in knowing that this time, at least, you will be prepared. You will no longer be taken off guard should anything go wrong.”

Her words were kind, but Daemonikai still felt uneasy.

“At your age, you have been through at least eight eclipse moon nights,” the Oracle said. “Seven of them went well. Just because the last one was bad does not mean the next one will be.”

They passed by the garden, its entrance framed by blooming flowers and Daemonikai stopped, looking at the vibrant archway.

The Oracle came up beside him, her staff tapping lightly on the ground. “Your woman and Vladya’s are in there, aren’t they?”

“How did you—of course, you know.” Daemonikai shook his head.

“Amidst the tragedy, the gods have blessed you with something beautiful.” She leaned heavily on her cane, looking up at him.

“They did.” Daemonikai eyes softened as he stared at the garden entrance. “ Soulbonds , rare as they are, are instantly recognizable to our kind. We can always tell because of the connection we feel. How come I never noticed with her?”

“Because you were blinded by grief and suffocating from misery. How could your soul reach out to recognize what is yours when it was bleeding?” She paused, her gaze shifting to the garden entrance. “Just like Vladya, whose soul is… gone completely.”

Daemonikai’s head snapped toward her. “Vladya? Aekeira is his Soulbond , is she not?”

“I am old, Your Grace. Sometimes I speak nonsense.”

He did not believe that for a second.

Her gaze returned to the garden entrance. “Emeriel Galilea Evenstone. Do you think the gods did not know what they were doing when they created that girl for you? When they brought her to you?”

Daemonikai glanced at the Oracle.

“In a species with a declining female population, where one parent births six boys yet cannot have a girl child, a woman bore not one, but two daughters. What does that tell you?”

Daemonikai fell silent. He… had not thought about it that way before.

“Their mother, Pandora, was touched by a god. Ukrae. The god of powerful beings ."

Daemonikai stared... speechless.

The Oracle nodded. "Pandora bore children who have love so deep, it spills over into everything they touch.”

Daemonikai had witnessed that firsthand. He stared back at the garden entrance.

Emeriel and Aekeira came into view carrying baskets full of plants. They were laughing, holding hands, their smiles radiant as they talked animatedly about something he couldn’t hear.

The joy radiating from them was like sunlight breaking through shadows.

“What better pair could Mother Fate have given to two males with more darkness in them than a night can hold?” the Oracle mused, low and reflective. “Two females with hearts so full of love, so willing to sacrifice, it eclipses even their will to live.”

Daemonikai’s chest ached .

“Don’t I know that?” he murmured bitterly. Breathing deeply, he confessed, “Emeriel and I no longer share a bond.”

The Oracle remained quiet, listening.

“I do not think it’s dormant anymore—If it were—my soul is healed, shouldn’t it have returned by now?—I think it was severed . I think Ukrae is angry,” he said regretfully. “Taking his sweet time giving it back. It worries me. What if he dissolved the bond completely?”

The Oracle turned to him, her golden-streaked eyes locking onto his. “The gods are not cruel, Daemonikai. They test us, yes, but they do not abandon us. The gods do not take lightly the bonds they create. Have you ever heard of a Soulbond that was dissolved except by death?”

“It is quite rare,” he conceded. “Almost an impossibility. But so is a severed bond. So is coming back from feral and fast-healing from a dying soul. So is talking to one’s dead bondmate.”

“Hmm.” The Oracle grew thoughtful.

Daemonikai’s gaze drifted back to the garden. “Two weeks ago, all I wanted was to feel our bond again. To better protect her. To hear her call whenever she was in danger. But now…”

“Now you are not so sure anymore?”

He shook his head. “Something happened... I lost control and almost killed her.” He did not bother to hide the shame that came with those words. “My mind is not as healed as I thought it was. And because of that, she was in grave danger trying to save me. Again. ”

“Ah,” the Oracle murmured. “Your re-deteriorating mind? I know everything about it.”

His head snapped toward her. “You know about it? What happened? What can be done? What can you tell me?”