A Soldier of Shadows
Page 41

There was nowhere for us to sit, since she sat down on the only chair available, and so we remained standing—or in Aisha’s case, hovering.
An awkward silence fell between us as the oracle, behind her silver visor, continued to face my direction.
I cleared my throat. “You know who I am,” I said. “And I need help from you. How does one disinfect oneself from the nature of the Elders after being imprinted upon? Is it even—”
Before I could finish my sentence, she began shaking her head forcefully. Then she shot to her feet. “No, no, no!” Her voice was bizarrely loud, even as she continued to shake her head so hard, I wondered if she hadn’t made herself dizzy by now. “You’re asking the wrong question, boy!”
The look of genuine fury in her face took me aback.
The wrong question? What?
As brilliant as this woman might be, she was clearly stark raving mad.
I had no idea what to make of her response. That was the only question I needed an answer to. What does she mean, wrong question? I was scared for a moment that perhaps this was her reaction to not knowing the answer. That perhaps she couldn’t help me either.
But then she spoke again. Her voice was calmer this time, and she sat back down in the chair sideways, her arm resting over the back of it.
“Rephrase your question,” she said.
I looked toward my three companions, wondering if they had any clue what she meant. Even Aisha looked clueless.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m not sure what you mean. I just need to find out how to solve my problem.”
“Why don’t you ask me why you’re infected to begin with? You might find that leads you in the right direction…” she said, clasping her hands together on her lap.
“But I’ve already been shown why—”
Hortencia let out a wild giggle. “Oh, you’ve only seen the dribs and drabs that this little jinni managed to show you… Just ask me the question, vampire.”
“Okay,” I said, even as I felt thoroughly disconcerted. “Why was I infected to begin with?”
A contented smile spread across her lips.
“Because those creatures of shadow wanted you as part of their army.”
To my confusion, she paused.
Is that all she’s got for me?
“Uh, I already know that—”
“No, you don’t,” she snapped, her mild expression turning sharp again. “You don’t know.”
I breathed in. “Then please tell me what I don’t know.”
“Their use for you as an infant was only half of their plan.”
I froze.
“What?”
She reached behind her, toward one of the makeshift shelves, and pulled off what appeared to be a crystal ball, small enough to fit within the palm of her hand.
She rolled it between her palms and began dropping it from one to the other absentmindedly. I wasn’t sure if the ball was at all required for what she was explaining to me. It looked like she was just playing with it, taking her time and enjoying keeping us all on edge.
“What?” I repeated, unable to hide the urgency in my voice.
She coughed, then, to my relief, continued. “The Elders took to heart my suspicion that neither they nor the Hawks would survive the battle that sparked between them. And so when you came along… they saw much potential. That Elder did more than just insert his nature within you so that you could be useful to them during the battle. In case you managed to survive while his—and his companions’—strength faded, he intended for you to grow up and retain his essence long into the future.”
“What do you mean by essence?” I asked, barely louder than a whisper.
Ignoring my question, she stood up suddenly. The ball dropped to the floor and shattered, sending shards flying everywhere. Her face contorted, growing tight with a kind of manic intensity. “Your time is coming, Benjamin Novak. Soon.”
“Your time is coming.”
The moment she said the words, the whispery voice of the Elder rang through my head as I recalled the words he’d spoken in the first vision.
“What do you mean, his time is coming?” River asked, terrified, as she clasped my hand.
Without warning, the oracle lurched forward and grabbed River’s arm. I was about to knock the woman aside, but after a few seconds it became clear that she meant no harm. The strange black symbols on her skin began to migrate and shift their shape as she said in a strained whisper, “I mean, girl, that very soon this man may not be the same one you fell for.”
“Enough of this nonsense!” Corrine exploded. Raising a palm, she shot the oracle backward across the room. Hortencia crumpled in a heap on the mattress.
I stared at Corrine in shock. “What are you doing?” I gasped, grabbing the witch’s hand and forcing it down to her side, even though it was too late.
Corrine ignored me, still fuming at the oracle. “For Christ’s sake, can’t you just talk normally? Explain slowly and calmly what on earth you’re talking about. You’re scaring the hell out of these kids!”
I suspected from Corrine’s outburst that it wasn’t just us kids the oracle was “scaring the hell out of”.
The oracle looked shaken by the fall, even though she had landed on her bed. She huddled up in a corner, drawing her short legs up against her chest and shutting her lips tight.
I glared at Corrine.
“You shouldn’t have done that, witch,” Aisha said. “She might close up now and refuse to reveal any more information.”