Page 12 of Winds of Darkness
Rayner stood on the edge of the copse and watched the creature soar up, climbing higher and higher. It was several minutes before it banked to land somewhere well over halfway up the side of the cliffs. Which was … fucking great.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled the cloak hood back into place. Even though no one was around and the High Witch knew who he was, he felt far too exposed when his hood wasn’t hiding him from the rest of the world.
It took hours to climb up the cliff side. If it weren’t for the healing capabilities of the Fae, he would have arrived there with bloodied palms and numerous bruises. The rocks were covered with the same frost that glistened on the purple and turquoise leaves of the ancient trees, making them difficult to climb even with the extra grips on the soles of his boots.
The High Witch was standing next to an entrance to a cave when he finally pulled himself over the lip of a ledge, her griffin perched on rocks a little higher up. His golden eyes were fixed on Rayner, lion’s tail swishing back and forth. The feathers on his wings ruffled slightly, and he clicked his beak when Rayner moved towards his master. Beside the High Witch sat a small stone table, a vial atop it.
“You are not permitted to take weapons in with you,” the High Witch said. “You can retrieve them when the Oracle releases you.”
Releases him? That sounded … promising. But he’d come this far, and he needed answers, so he again found himself without much of a choice.
After removing the various weapons strapped to his body and setting them aside, the High Witch gestured towards the vial. “This will temporarily nullify your gifts. The Oracle will give them back when you have heard what you need to.”
Without letting himself think about it, Rayner swiped up the vial and downed the contents. He instantly felt empty, void of the ashes that drifted in his veins. He knew if he could see his eyes, they would be an unmoving grey. No swirling with the telltale sign of what he was.
“See what awaits,” the High Witch said, motioning to the cave mouth. He took a step, but she called out, “And Ash Rider?”
Looking back over his shoulder, he said, “Yes?”
“You would do well to be out of my lands by dawn.”
“Understood, my Lady.”
The High Witch nodded once to him, and he turned back to the cave. He knew she’d be long gone whenever he emerged, but someone would be watching him to make sure he was indeed across their borders when the sun next rose.
He entered the cave, navigating the pitch-black interior. Even with his Fae sight, he could not see a thing. His gifts had always given him an extra advantage due to his need to move through smoke. Without that gift, he felt blind. Fingers gliding along the rocky wall, he moved down the passageway. It only took a few minutes before a glow appeared up ahead, and when he stepped through, he blinked in surprise at what he found.
No one knew the Oracle’s true form. It was said she appeared differently to each person who came to her. But why he was staring at a child, he had no idea.
The girl had to be no older than seven with bright red hair and freckles across her nose and cheeks, but her violet eyes held a depth and knowing to them that told Rayner she was far, far older than she appeared. The girl wore a simple dress, feet bare where she stood on the dirt-covered cave floor, and Rayner had the strangest feeling that he knew this child. He could not place her though, no matter how hard he tried.
“And so the one with many names has finally found his way to me,” the little girl said, watching him carefully, hands clasped behind her back.
“You are a child?” Rayner asked without thinking, still trying to figure out how he knew her face.
“I am many things to many people. I am whatever you need me to be,” she answered, her voice small and innocent.
“And I need you to be … a child? Why?”
“Why indeed.”
Rayner reached up, pushing back his hood, suddenly unconcernedwith being too exposed in the Oracle’s presence. “The High Witch said you have been waiting for me,” he said hoarsely, not liking how much the sight of a child was throwing him off balance.
“I have been,” she agreed, her head tilting slightly. “But I did not know if it would be the Ash Rider who found their way to me or one of the many other titles you go by or will go by.”
“You are the Oracle. How could you not know?”
A faint smile appeared on her lips. “Fate is constantly changing. Every choice one makes alters what is to come, which means every future I glimpse is only one possibility.” She began to move, leaving small footprints in the dirt as she circled him. “What do you seek from me?”
“My memories,” he answered. “My past. I do not … My earliest memory is from nearly six decades ago. I know nothing of my life before that.”
“No,” the girl said, shaking her head. “That is not what you seek.”
Unsure of what to say to that, he watched for a few silent moments before he said, “That is all I have sought since I found myself on a beach in the Water Court, unaware of how I arrived there.”
“That is what youthinkyou have been seeking,” she corrected, disappearing into the shadows of the cave where he could no longer see her.
Rayner spun, her voice coming from behind him now. “Then what is it you think I have been seeking?”