Page 9 of THE SOULBOND AND HER BELOVED (Beasts Of Wrath And Madness #4)

Chapter nine

THE ORACLE’S VISIT

Grand King Daemonikai stopped himself, studying the Oracle’s expression. The regret in her eyes was answer enough.

“Let me guess. You cannot tell me.”

The Oracle’s grip tightened on her staff. “I’m afraid this is something you must figure out on your own, Great Grand King.”

Daemonikai’s lips pressed into a thin line, his frustration showing, the last shred of hope slipping from his grasp.

Ahead, Emeriel grabbed Aekeira from behind, catching her off guard, sending her basket flying, its contents scattering across the grass.

Aekeira let out a startled yelp that quickly melted into full-blown laughter, accompanied by a fit of giggles.

“They are always so happy,” he murmured. “As if they have never lived a nightmare.”

The Oracle followed his gaze. “Their light shines so brightly, I doubt it could ever be extinguished. Princess Emeriel is much more than just a Syren, Soulbond , and Grand Queen. She has dormant powers.”

His brow furrowed. “Powers?”

“More like a gift,” she clarified. “She was created with them—tied to your bond with her. They were supposed to awaken when the two of you finally, wholeheartedly come together to give your bond a chance. Only now, your bond is...”

Powers? What kind of gift? Questions flooded his mind.

The Oracle turned, beginning to walk again, and Daemonikai fell into step beside her.

“I may not be able to tell you much about your condition, but I can tell you this—keep that princess as close to you as possible. And keep fighting for what you have.” She glanced at him. “Who knows? You may triumph in the end.”

By the time they reached the meadows, the daylight had reduced drastically. The wind softer here, carried the scent of blooming flowers.

Daemonikai broke the silence. “Can Vladya recover his soul without the use of black magic?”

The Oracle’s expression grew somber. “Our kind is powerful. Many things are possible— if one is willing to lose something of great value in return. It is either dark magic or magical artifacts.”

Daemonikai’s heart sank.

“This will crush Vladya. He was so hopeful…”

The Oracle wavered. “There is a ritual I can attempt.”

“ Really? ” Daemonikai’s gloom vanished. “That would be—”

“The success rate is really low. Perhaps twenty percent, ” she interrupted firmly.

“If there is a success rate, then it’s a chance worth taking,” Daemonikai said. “You were the one who told me to have a little faith, were you not? I’m sure Vladya would not hesitate. He’s come so far, and he’s finally happy again. I hope what he has with Emeriel's sister lasts. If he can get his soul back, that’s one less thing to worry about.”

“Hmm.”

Daemonikai’s gaze darkened. “I still cannot believe he performed Hav’zie de Baah that night. Nor can I believe the gods took but gave nothing back. His bondmate still died .”

The Oracle kept quiet.

Only after a long pause did she speak. “The world is not always as black and white as it seems, Grand King.”

Daemonikai rolled his eyes.

“I’m afraid this is where we part ways, Your Majesty,” the Oracle said as they reached the towering entrance gates of the fortress.

Daemonikai halted by her side. “Thank you for stopping by. And… for waking.”

The old woman inclined her head, her silvery hair catching the last rays of the light. She turned to leave, but hesitated.

“Her next heat is close,” she said suddenly, those black-and-gold eyes pinning his. “Very close. A mini-heat, but it may be as agonizing as a full one. If not more.”

Daemonikai tensed. That had been weighing on his mind too, more than he let on.

The thought of Emeriel suffering through something worse than her full heat two years ago bothered him greatly..

The Oracle pinned him with a serious look. “Listen to her body. Notice even the smallest detail. Then listen to your own, and simply… be you. That is the only way you can help her.”

Committing those words to memory, his head bobbed once. “I shall heed your warnings.”

A rare flicker of empathy entered her ancient eyes. “I also apologize for the young princess you both lost,” she said quietly. “But who knows? The gods may smile upon you and bless you with another. If not now, then somewhere in the future.”

A daughter .

His child with Emeriel would have been... a girl .

It was a dagger to the chest.

Daemonikai looked away, willing the pain in his heart to subside.

The Oracle resumed her slow departure, and he watched her go, feeling a whirlwind of emotions.

But as she reached the edge of the courtyard, her voice carried back to him, slightly raised but still calm.

“And who said the soul exchange spell did not work, Great Grand King?” she said. “It did. Just… not in the way Vladya expected. He will understand with time. ”

Daemonikai frowned. What?

Just wait a goddamn minute .

"What do you mean by—"

“And beware of the Vampire of Greyrock," she cut in, clearly a warning this time. "He is more dangerous than he seems.”

As soon as the words left her lips, she winced sharply, her hand flying to her temple as though struck by a sudden, searing pain.

Daemonikai didn’t need to ask—he knew exactly what was happening.

She had just spoken something she should not have said, and it had hurt her.

His frown deepened. Why would she risk such pain just to give him a warning he already knew?

The Oracle had withheld so much throughout their conversation, choosing her words carefully… why go against her oath, wasting a warning on something so glaringly obvious?

Turning he walked back into the Citadel.

Vladya was already in his study, waiting. Restless, anxious, and brimming with impatience. He stood near the wooden desk, fingers tapping absently against the gilded edge of a book left open, though his eyes were fixed solely on the door.

Vladya straightened. “Did you speak to her about my soul?”

Daemonikai met his gaze and nodded, unrushed. Letting the silence stretch a moment before he spoke. “I did.”

A beat passed. Vladya inhaled sharply. “And?”

Daemonikai leaned casually against the door and smiled knowingly. “She’s looking into it.”

The words worked like lightning. Vladya’s face shifted instantly... from doubt to elation, from disbelief to hope .

When he spoke again, it was almost a whisper. “I could get my soul back?"

“Remember, she’s not promising anything,” Daemonikai warned. “And the success rate is low, but—”

“But there’s actually a possibility?” Vladya's tone held barely contained excitement. “And she agreed to look into it?”

Daemonikai inclined his head, amused at his friend’s reaction. “Pretty much.”

Vladya let out a long breath. The grin stretching across his face was wide, unguarded, almost disbelieving. “What instructions did she give? Is there a regimen to follow?”

Daemonikai shook his head. “Only that you should go to her haven at dawn for the first ritual. That will determine whether the rest may work.”

Vladya absorbed the words, looking reverent. “For the first time ever, something can be done,” he murmured, more to himself than to Daemonikai. “It’s no longer an unreachable dream. A hopeless vision of a mad male.”

Daemonikai’s eyes went soft. Walking over, he clasped a hand over his friend’s shoulder. “Congratulations, my dear friend.”

***

Grand Lord Zaiper lounged in his living room, his boots propped comfortably on a velvet footstool. A goblet of ale rested loosely in his hand as he watched the fire crackle lazily in the hearth.

After leaving court, he had spent hours downtown, carefully avoiding his home until well past midnight. All to escape facing the Oracle. Zaiper needed time to decide his next move, to strategize how best to deal with the problem that was her. Until he reached a decision, he would avoid her as much as possible.

And today, he had succeeded.

Absently sipping his drink, he smiled, his eyes tracing the flickering flames before a knock shattered his peace.

Frowning, he tilted his head slightly. There were hushed murmurs outside.

Scowling, he set his drink down with a thud, pushing himself up. “Where the devil are all the servants and useless slaves?”

His mood was quickly souring as he strode to the door, throwing it open.

The Oracle stood, anger seeping off her.

He barely had time to take a step back before the old lady stormed inside.

“You impertinent little child!” Fury radiated from her like an erupting volcano. “How dare you break this kingdom? How dare you! ”

She stomped her staff against the ground.

An unexpected force slammed into Zaiper, lifting him off his feet, hurling him across the room.

He crashed against the far wall, pain flaring through his back as he hit the stone floor with a brutal thud.

Zaiper groaned, rolling onto his side. Wincing at the sharp pain in his tailbone, he gritted out. “You should not abuse your powers like that, Oracle."

She stepped forward, her golden-streaked eyes dilated, burning . “If you can abuse yours the way you have, then I shall do the same with mine.”

Raising her staff, she wrapped her fingers around it so hard. “How could you do something so despicable?” Her voice was thick with disgust. “Centuries ago, I foresaw many futures—some better than others, some darker than I would have liked. But none as vile as what you have made come to pass.”

She stomped her staff again, and Zaiper flew across the room, colliding hard against the edge of the fireplace.

Ffffuckk...!

Agony lanced through his ribs, his entire body screaming in protest.

“You are disgusting,” the Oracle spat. “The embodiment of evil itself. How could you do this to your kingdom, to your fellow Grand Rulers? How could you do that to your own blood brother?”

Blood filled Zaiper’s mouth, and he spat on the floor. “Oh, spare me the righteous outrage,” he sneered. “Kristoff got what was coming to him for looking at what was mine. ”

Her face twisted into something so dark it sent a chill down Zaiper’s spine.

She lifted her staff, and a blast of unseen force cracked through the air.

Zaiper heard cracks a split second before his entire body seized in agony. A few of his bones shattering.

The pain was unbearable, ripping through him like fire and ice all at once.

“You conniving old hag! ” he roared in agony. "This will take weeks to heal, damn you!"

“You are a disgrace to the name Dragaxlov,” the old hag declared. “Your clan has long harbored ambitions of claiming the First Throne, but never have they stooped to such despicable acts to seize it. You wiped out an entire kingdom. Slaughtered younglings who looked up to you. Murdered your own brother.”

Zaiper groaned through his pain, spitting out blood again. “One day, someone will take that cursed stick from you, Old Lady.”

“That someone will not be you.” The Oracle's voice dropped into something colder, deadlier. “Come clean to the kingdom. Confess your crimes and face the consequences.”

“How does ‘never’ sound?” Zaiper drawled.

“Tell the people what you have done, or I will.”

Zaiper let out a bark of laughter, ignoring the sharp stab of pain it sent through his ribs.

“You can’t do that, you withered hagspawn. You are not allowed to interfere," he reminded her, wiping the blood from his mouth.

“I can, and I will.” Her golden eyes blazed like twin suns. ”Do not mistake my restraint for weakness, Devil's spawn. I would gladly sacrifice my life to expose the darkness you have wrought. To cleanse this land of your corruption.”

Zaiper’s smirk vanished. Surely, she does not...

“You don’t mean that,” but his voice lacked its usual arrogance.

“Foolish boy,” the whisper was coated with disdain. “The first pages of The Gods and Their Servants will tell you an Oracle does not speak idly. Every word I utter is weighed and measured.”

His heartbeat was drumming against his ribs. "You expect me to confess? You expect me, Zaiper Dragaxlov, to walk to my own execution?"

“What I want ,” the Oracle said coldly, “is justice.”

“You cannot reveal secrets of that magnitude, the impact could kill you! That’s right, I also know a bit about that damned book and your oath,” he said smugly.

“Yes.” She was unfazed. “But I would gladly die before I let you get away with this.”

Zaiper gawked at her.

She stepped back, her expression unreadable once more. “I will grant you time to consider your choices, Grand Lord Zaiper. But know this, this matter will not rest. Justice will be served, with or without your cooperation.”

She turned, walking toward the door.

Zaiper’s mind raced. There had to be a way to stop this. "Wait! I wish to strike a bargain!"

"Denied." Her voice was calm. "Consider your choices, Dragaxlov. I will return." She didn’t so much as glance back.

Anger overpowered panic. I will strangle her with my bare hands!

He rose. Or tried to.

Pain, like moving water, rushed through him until Zaiper felt like he was surrounded by burning pillars, forcing him to sink back to the ground.

"Wait! You cannot do this to me!" He meant to shout, but the words came out as nothing more than a ragged groan of pain.

The Oracle paused at the threshold.

Angling her head slightly, she cast a final glance over her shoulder. “And while I am feeling generous, undo every foul enchantment you have woven into the Grand King’s mind."

Zaiper sat there, panting through unexplainable pain. She knew of that too!?

"Tear them from his mind, thread by cursed thread, until not a single trace of dark magic remains. Do not test my patience further, you spawn of darkness.” Then, she vanished into the night.