Rudimentum: Oracle

With Elysia's arm bandaged, they left together, two guards riding ahead with another two remaining with the troupe. Swift took the reigns as Elysia sat behind him, carrying nothing but a heaviness in her heart. As they rolled slowly along towards the road, she looked at those they were leaving behind. She once again caught a glimpse of those who had not made it. She looked at the hillock, scanning faces that avoided hers.

Except for Stan and Dan. They both looked at her and waved; a small rise of their hands with faces bereft of their usual smiles. She raised hers in return though it felt useless. She found Rita beside her father, and she too gave Elysia a wave. She mouthed to Rita that she was sorry, and Rita nodded as if understanding.

They passed through the trees and onto the road, the lamp at the front of the cart illuminating the two guards leading the way. The humming of crickets followed them through the trees. Elysia pulled her legs up to her chest and held herself as tightly as she could. Making herself as small as possible so then maybe no one else would get hurt. Her arm throbbed in a painful consistent rhythm and though her tears were scarce her heart ached more than it ever had.

"It is not your fault, you know," said Swift. He remembered what Meehan had said and what he had done when they first reached Kimera. He swallowed hard. He would not ruin what he had by admitting mistakes that could not be undone. It would do no one any good.

"Try telling that to those who lost their lives," she said.

Swift sighed. "Do you feel all empty inside?"

Her gaze flickered to him, but he did not look back. "Yes. Like a well that has no end."

"I felt that way after losing Anne and Ed," he said. He turned and laid a hand on her shoulder. "It gets easier though, to get out of bed and live all the life they couldn't. You should get some rest, Elysia. There is still a decent ride ahead of us."

She sniffed and her tears rolled freely. "I am afraid of what I will see."

"Afraid you will dream the future?" He spoke quietly so the guards would not hear.

She looked at him, her eyebrows creased. "How did you know?"

He leaned towards her. "William confirmed my suspicions, but there was a man I knew once, the quartermaster of Captain Bradford who I served under. He was obsessed with Oracles and Rudimentum. He told me all about them, how Oracles can dream the past, present, and future and travel to the realm where magic came from. Do you know what happened to the last known Oracle about two hundred years ago?"

"Yes, and mages still consider it a blemish on their past," she said. "They tortured him in an attempt to figure out how he travelled there. Needless to say, it failed, and he died. The mages swear they will never do it again, but no Oracle has been known since then."

Everything always seemed to end in death.

"Either by coincidence or they are too afraid to reveal it," said Swift. He shrugged. "I have another question. Why couldn't Nathanael take us all in his portal?"

She knew he was trying to cheer her up and take her mind off William and the blood and death pervading their journey. She tried to go along but her heart was flat. "Portals themselves carry an inherent risk. The more objects or people the greater risk you end up somewhere else or half your body ends up in one place and the other half in another. Three people is the most you would want in one portal."

"Ah, right," he said nodding. "Get some rest. It works better than rum in trying to forget."

"Are you sure?"

"Aye, I am sure, and sleeping is much cheaper too," he said with a slanted grin. The faintest smile cracked her lips. He added in, "I have these two lovely men to keep me company." He gestured to the two guards who were chatting to each other.