Encounter

  "Hey Logan, why did you come here?” asked Carter. He was still sitting snugly on my shoulder. He was only a spirit, so he weighed nothing, but still I don’t like having someone talking directly into my ear.

  “Carter please don’t speak right into my ear.” I told him sternly. It was irritating to have to tell him a second time.

  “Hey, would you prefer me to speak on your other shoulder” he said flapping his wings ready to glide over to my other shoulder.

  “No” I said, my head hurt from talking to this dragon. My stomach growled.

  “Then where would you like me to sit. Your shoulders very comfy. It’s tiring flying all the time.” He complained, folding up his wings.

  I glared at him “Do whatever you like" I really did not care anymore. "But please speak in a lower tone. I don’t like hearing you shouting all the time. I don’t want to go death. I’m still very young you know. I have a long life to spend and I would like to hear properly for the rest of it.”

  “Okay, okay” he whispered. “Is this low enough?” his voice lowered to mice's frequency.

  “Perhaps” I said, this could work.

  “Okay, you never answered my question. Why are you here?” he asked his tone back to normal.

  I rolled my eyes. This dragon never learns, but I did not complain about it anymore. My stomach was growling like no tomorrow. My attention was elsewhere. Why was I so hungry?

   “I’m…. I’m hungry” I said. When those words came out of my mouth I found out how ridiculous that sounded. Yes, I was extremely hungry. But I could have just gone and cooked something myself. I shouldn’t have followed the smell halfway across the city. Then it hit me, the smell. There was something weird about it. Before I smelled the aroma, my stomach was fine. But, after I smelled it. It started to growl uncontrollably. Could this be some sort of trap?

  The moment that thought popped into my head, I started to back away.

  “Hey, where are you going?” asked a familiar voice from behind the theater doors.

  I stopped. The voice sounded familiar. I'd heard this voice before. I turned and saw a girl with golden blond hair leaning against the doorway. Her multicoloured dress shimmered under the moonlight. It was Maria. The girl I had encountered the morning after masters' death. What was she doing here?

  “You, why are you here?” I asked pointing my finger at her, bewilderment growing over my face.

  “Master Grace told you we would meet again, didn’t she? So here I am” she giggled, her voice echoing into the night.

  "It’s good bye time again.” I said quickly, backing away.

  She grabbed my arm and wrenched me back. She had a firm grip. I tried to wrestle my arm free, but she was not letting go. She was strong. Stronger than I could imagined.

  “For goodness sake. Don’t run away so quickly. You should hear me out. Come inside and have a cup of tea. I’ve prepared food. You look hungry" she smiled, her face lighting up under the moonlight.

  I looked at her “That aroma was your doing?” I accused. It had to be her. Was she some kind of mage to? I wanted to walk away.

  “Yes, I knew it would attract you. Spending that much time in the wild. You must be really yearning for a good home cooked meal.” She said taking us into the theater.

  “How did you know I was back in town?” I asked finally letting her pull me along without resistance.

  The Theater looked newer inside than out. Streak ornaments decorated the halls leading to the auditorium where the Theater's main attraction, the stage stood. We walked pass the great doors leading into the auditorium. Turning a corner, we stopped at the end of the hall by a black door. Maria pushed the door open and pulled me inside.

  Through the door we entered a small room. A lounge sofa stood leveled with the wall. A few other small lounge chairs laid around a small glass tea table sitting by a fireplace. On the other side of the room, a big wooden table surrounded by ten black chairs stood beneath a painting of a great mountain. Hot dishes of all kind laid in the center of the table. Maria released me and sat down in one of the black chairs. She pointed for me to sit next to her. I chose to sit across from her. She did not say anything.

  “You never answered my question.” I said, my mouth watering from all the food on the table. There was a roasted turkey on a silver plater, mashed potatoes in a big bowl, fried rice in a deep dish, stir fried vegetables in a glass plate and a big bowl of ginseng soup heating under a magic stone. My stomach growled in complaint. I pushed my stomach in, trying to take control of it. It needed to stop.

  “Please help yourself to the food” Maria said pouring hot tea into a cup.

  I hesitated. My stomach kept growling. I cursed it for acting up like this. This was embarrassing. The food on the table did look really tasty. No, I shook my head. I could not give in to my urges.

  “Just eat. I’m not going to poison you” she giggled drinking from her cup. She watched me with her deep hazel eyes.

  “Yes, these things do look very tasty. I wish I could eat, sadly I’m only a spirit.” complained Carter. His mouth was watering. Spirit saliva dripped onto my shoulders.

  Carter’s saliva looked nasty. I jerked, knocking the tea over. It spilled all over my pants. It was hot. I felt the heat seeping into my thighs. Great, talk about embarrassment. This takes the cake.

  “Are you okay?” Maria asked picking up a towel from the table. She attempted to help wipe at a spot near my groin. I jumped away from her. That was no place for a lady to touch.

  “I can do it myself” I said taking the cloth from her. I dabbled at the wet patch on my pants. It was not helping. The heat was still seeping through and the pants were completely soaked.

  “You don’t have to be shy.” She giggled. Walking over to a closet, she took out a pair of new pants and a shirt. “Here, change into this. You look like a hobo in those clothes. How many days have been in those?” She asked holding her nose.

  My face reddened from embarrassment. I had been in these clothes for several days. Plus, I haven't washed up for days either. I must smell really bad. I took the clothes. “Where can I change.” I asked trying to save my self from death due to embarrassment.

  “In here” she pointed to a white door located inside the closet. “You can wash up while you’re at it.” She said handing me a towel to. Her eyes gleaming with mischief.

  “Thank you” I said taking the towel. Maria was not acting the same as before, she seemed different. I went through the door. The room behind the door was a washing room. A large tube stood in the center of the room. A large mirror stretched across the four walls, filling up the entire room. I saw myself for the first time in days. I was dirty, dirty beyond belief. My clothes were all tattered. There was dirt everywhere. Even my face was darkened by all the dirt.

  My jaw dropped. How did I get so dirty? I'd actually walked through town like this. This was so embarrassing. “Carter why didn’t you tell me I was this dirty!” I shouted at him. This dragon could have warned me.

  Carter did a circled around me. “You look fine. This is the way I found you. You look no different from before.” He said calmly.

  I glared at him. Dragons what do they know? He clearly was wrong in the head. “Whatever, I need to get cleaned up.” I filled the bath with the touch of the water and fire stone located by the side of the tub. Water quickly filled the bath. I undressed and stepped into the warm water. The temperature was just right.

  “So, that’s what that thing looks like on a human.” Carter said examining my private area.

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  “Would you mine!" I shouted covering it up. This perverted dragon. "I would like some privacy here!”

  “Oh please, you’re a human I have no interest in you in that way at all.” He said.

  I rolled my eyes and splashed water at him. “Go back into your heart! I don’t want to hear or see you right now!” I shouted. The water did not affect him one bit. It just passed through him and landed on the floor.

   “Okay, I’ll stop joking. Who is that girl? She seems to have a thing for you” he teased.

  “She does not. I don’t know really. She claims to be some kind of Oracle. She and her master found me the morning after the incident.” I said avoiding the mentioning of master. I didn’t want to cry again.

  “Oracle?” he said landing on the edge of the tub. “That’s interesting. I have not seen a real one for a long time. You know there use to be a clan of Oracle’s and Seers when we dragons roamed the world. They were a bunch of stuck up fools. But like my race they too perished. If she is an oracle, she must have a bit of the old blood in her. I guess that’s why I feel a little connection with her” he said.

  “You really think she’s an oracle?" I asked rubbing grime off my legs. They were so dirty.

  “Not to sure, but I do feel an odd sensation coming from her. By the way, the food is fine. There is most likely no poison in them. Why don’t you just eat it? Its not like it can do you any harm. If I could eat it, I wouldn't hesitate" he said once again his mouth watering. I splashed water on him again.

  “I don’t like to eat food offered by strangers.” I said putting shampoo on my hair.

  “If she is an oracle. She probably knows a fare bit about you already. She has touched you more than once” Carter grinned, his sharp jagged teeth shinning under the pale light.

  “What!?" I shouted lifting my head, shampoo bubbles and water spraying everywhere.

  “Oracle’s can predict and read the past through skin to skin contact." Carter said like it was an everyday occurrence.

  “You mean, she can see everything from my past and future through touch" I swallowed hard, sinking into the waters.

  Carter shook his head. “No, not everything. They aren’t Fate after all. They can glimpse minor things and occasionally important things, but they can’t control what they see as much as what they can’t see. It’s all up to chance. But she probably can see a fair bit about you. As for the Sacris Magicae probably not. Her powers, if she has them, cannot penetrate the secrets of anything that powerful. Although, what you have is not the real thing, but I still doubt it. Of course, future events are exempt if they involve her.” He explained.

  "Oh” I said remembering the vision I had when we touched that morning. She was in the vision. So, that really was a prediction of the future. If it was true? Did this mean the demons will eventually get their hands on the book someday? That is bad, really bad.

  "About the visions of the future? Is it already predetermined those events will happen?” I asked nervously.

  “Of course not. Nothing is predetermined for say. The future is yet to be completely determined. But, a single result from the present can change the future. Also, some events can be more likely to happen. For example; you are meant to die at a certain point. There could be many paths that can lead to that certain death. But, there could also be paths that can prevent it. There is more likely for one that has more paths to occur” he explained.

  “Oh, I see,” I said. I lifted myself out of the waters. Taking the towel from before, I patted myself dry. I looked at myself in the mirror. My rough brown hair was darker under the coating of water. My ambient blue eyes looked less innocent. My body was still not very broad, but it was very fit. I stood at a height of 6 feet. A fairly good height for men my age. I took the new clothes and put them on. They fit perfectly. Why did she have men's clothes though? I shook the thought away.

  Using the towel, I patted my hair dry then walked out of the room. Maria was sipping tea by the table, her expression gentle and calm. I could not beat the feeling that she was someone else instead of the girl I met the other day. I know we had only brushed against each other that day, but she still felt odd. I walked up to her and sat down across from her.

  She gave me a smile. “Well don’t you look handsome.” she commented. “You look much better cleaned up. Now, will you have some food?” she asked pushing the plates of food toward me.

  I took the plate and started eating. The food was good, much better than my own food. The turkey was cooked to perfection. The rice was super. Maria did not disturb me while I ate. When I finally finished eating, my stomach was bulged into a giant balloon. This was the biggest meal I had in years.

  Maria held her hands on her chin and leaned on the table starring at me. “I don’t think we’ve really been properly introduced before. Last time, I told you my name, but I still don't know yours." she said her voice teasing.

  “My names Logan” I replied taking a sip from the tea. I really shouldn't drink it, but tea is known to help with over eating.

  “Logan" she mouthed the name. "Such a nice name. What do you do for a living?” she asked.

  “I’m a healer. Shouldn’t you know this already? You did claim to be an oracle.” I said eyeing her weirdly.

  She laughed. “Oracle’s don’t know everything you know. Small things don’t come through to us. I’m an oracle in training, remember? My full powers have not been unlocked yet. I can only see glimpses of things. Like for example. I can see a vision of a boy hanging over a cliff when ever we touch. That must be a vision of your past. It looked scary” She commented.

  I coughed when she mentioned the vision of a boy dangling from a cliff. That was the one memory that came back to me after master Kohl’s death.

  "I also see something about a pedant. But its very foggy. It could be your past or your future." She added.

  A pendant? Did she mean the cauldron? I could not be sure if that was what she saw. It could mean something else. A faint vision of a pendamnt also hung in my faded memories.

  "The only other vision I have of you is the vision from last time," she finished.

  For a second, I thought I saw something light up in her eyes. But it was gone in a blink of an eye. I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination or not. It was a feeling I could not describe. It just appeared and disappeared like a blink. I could not hold it long enough to tell what it was.

  She tilted her head, “Logan I know I don’t come off as very mature last time we met, but please be assured, I am very much so. Doesn’t my actions today prove it?” she said pouring us more tea. The steam from the tea faded into the air.

  I straightened my self. She was different. Last time, she felt like a girl who was youthful and immature. Now, she felt like an woman who was a seductress and have had many years of perfecting her art.

  “Maria why did you bring me here? Don’t deny it. I know you did it. That aroma had to be magic. It couldn’t have traveled that far otherwise. Plus, there must be some sort of attraction spell involved. Speaking of last time, why isn’t your master with you?” I asked searching the room, expecting that older lady Grace to pop out at any moment.

  Maria sighed and leaned back on her chair “Master Grace had some business she had to attend to. She will meet up with us later.” She said sipping more tea.

  “What do you mean meet up? I never said I would stay here with you girls." I said getting a little suspicious. What were they getting at? I was not going to trust them. I just couldn't, not with the duty master left me.

  “Logan, do you know how much danger you are in? Just by you coming back into town today has already put you in great danger. I don’t know what it is about you that they want. But if they are involved, then you are in grave peril. Although neither master Grace nor I can see your future well, we do both agree you have something that is very important to the future of the world.” she said seriously, her voice changing back to a stern and steady tone.

  I was starting to get very uncomfortable. She was stepping to close to the truth. Wait, who are these 'they' that was after me? Could they be the same group of people that was after Master Kohl? I had to find out. “Whose been looking for me?” I asked studying her closely.

  Maria's eyes changed, her eyes seemed to pierce right through my heart. It was like she could see my very soul. What was this vibe? She was scaring me. She was definitely not the same Maria I had met before. Could she possibly be someone else? She looked the same. Even her life energy felt the same. But why did I feel this way?

  “The people I am referring to is a group of cloaked men. I’m not sure who they are. But they came to town looking for you and your master. They were asking everyone in town. I happened upon them when they came over here. I knew what they were the moment I saw them, and if they are looking for you. Then you are in great danger.” She warned, her hand started taping on the table.

  “What are they?” I asked feeling I knew the answer. Could they be the fire mages acquaintances? If they were, then that would make them mages. If it was a bunch of mages, then did I even stand a chance? I had only started to learn magic. I couldn’t possibly fight with a bunch of mages.

  “I think you know who they are. I can see it in your eyes. These people are mages” She announced, her gaze penetrating.

  I stood knocking over the chair. “I think I better go." I said out loud.

  Maria chuckled. “Logan you have no where else to go. If you leave now, then they will find you. I’m sure they have already found out about your arrival in town. They would surely have already blocked off all exits out of town. You are better off here with me.” She persuaded, her hands stopped tapping.

  “I think I can take care of myself.” I said leaving the table. She had no right to keep me here. I needed to get out of town fast. Maybe I could do it before they have the town blocked. Coming here was a waste of time. Not only did she not help at all, now I was in more trouble than ever.

  “Logan I can help you get out of town” She said standing up.

  I stopped. “I can do it myself” I said. I wanted to trust her, but my heart told me not to.

  “Alright, do whatever, but know this. They are a bunch of mages. Although you seem to be one too. I have to say, you still stand no chance against them.” She said coldly. Her stare turned cold as ice.

  I shivered from her stare, “How do you know that I’m a mage?” I asked, backing away.

  She giggled. “Have you forgotten what I am." she paused and picked up her cup from the table and swirled the tea around. “I am an Oracle. We can see magic to. We may use a different set of magic then mages, but we are also very much magic beings. I can tell if someone is magic or not just by looking at them. Touch helps a lot to.” She smirked looking at me.

  “Can other mages tell too?” I asked, my voice growing unsteady. If all mages also had this ability. Where could he even run to? There was no where he could hide.

  “No, this is an Oracle power alone. Of course, some mages may have other talents that can allow them to tell. Can’t really say for sure.” She said shrugging her shoulders. She sat back on her chair and crossed her legs.

  “Thank you” I said leaving the room. That information was helpful. But her stare and that aura around her felt so wrong. Were all oracles like this? If so, I did not want to be involved with any of them.

  “Logan, come back here if you change your mind” she yelled into the night.

  I'd already high tailed it out of there.