For Reonda and Nyal, it took two and a half days to reach their newly marked out destination, most of the travel being silent between the two. Reonda couldn’t help but notice that the Harpen hen had been keeping her distance, and knew all too well why it was. She cursed herself under her breath, realizing that they were likely afraid of her to some extent. That was the last thing she had wanted, but like so many times before the world chose to twist the knife that seemed forever lodged within her heart.
As for Nyal, she found herself stuck even more in her Historia than she had ever been before. She wanted answers, craving them like a starved wolf craved meat, but so many times what she wanted to know was barred from her. It was like the Historia had told her before: information on oracles and oracles vessels were mostly unknown to it. It either refused to tell her or didn’t know, and given how sentient it seemed to be Nyal couldn’t help but wonder if it was starting to feel embarrassed about that fact or not.
All she knew was what she had already been told, being that inside her was the heart of an Oracle. An Oracle that would grow until one day the godly power that laid inside her sprung forth. The Historia did tell her that some of that power was already within her capabilities, but once again was quiet about exactly what it was. For the first time in her life she was finding herself not excited to open the book, but annoyed at it. An annoyance that turned to fear at what little the book did tell her.
"The life of an Oracle is long. Longer than anything that lives besides Rag’na’rog herself. After all, an Oracle couldn’t fulfill its duty if it wasn’t alive for it. I know this will be unwelcoming news to you, but it is something that you must know. Use this time to come to terms with the fact that most all around you will die and be born again. It is the way of reality, of not just our home but the countless others beyond Rag’na’rogs shell. Become familiar with it, for as Oracle of Death you will have to."
To say that she did not sleep well that night would be an understatement. Despite having come face to face with it mere days prior, death had not been a present thought in the young hen’s mind. Now the idea of death, of not knowing what laid in wait for the souls of the departed, scared her. She didn’t want to watch people die and yet, as the Historia had plainly told her, it was a certainty.
A certainty that clawed at Nyal’s mentality worse than anything in her life.
Yet as Reonda and herself walked into Makaus after two days of traveling, she found the perfect way to distract her mind. The castle town was abuzz with activity, Nyal staring wide eyed as she looked at all that was around. Traders and merchants of various crafts had their stands set up along the streets. She could see beautiful textiles, smell baked goods and other treats, and her sharp eyes could even catch some performers in the distance.
“The Razia Faire, before my very eyes,” Reonda said, looking around in awe at everything. She held her limbs close to her body, finding the crowded street to be somewhat unpleasant. Teolus cawed and she turned to him with a smile. “I’ve heard of it in the Historia. Despite Castle Makaus being the closest to the border, none have ever been able to penetrate its walls. It stands as a beacon of safety,” She stretches an arm out as far as she feels comfortable. “And what better place to hold an event like this? A faire symbolizing the strength of Reine and its crafters.”
Nyal smiled as she heard Reonda talk, the joy in the girl’s eyes a far cry from the fear and sadness she had seen till now. Nyal kept close to the Acamian, but remained careful to not brush a feather against their skin. While she was just as happy to be among the festivities of the faire, that was not what her mind turned to. Instead it turned to the distance, beyond the crowds and vendors to the stone walls barring entry to the mountain behind it.
On that mountain lay Castle Makaus, home of the Razia Province’s duke, Bastion Azkeith. It was he who could send a search for her parent’s kidnapper and attempt. From there she wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but her parents would likely want her out of danger. Though given that someone seems to know she is an oracle vessel, is safety even possible? That line of thought quickly brought her back to the mortality of her life, and in an attempt to free herself of that line of thought she shook her head.
“Our best chance of getting to the duke is talking to a knight,” Reonda said. She and Nyal locked eyes, the human holding out her hand to the Harpen. Nyal looked between it and Reonda, noticing how their hand twitched uncomfortably. “I know I hurt you last time but… it is better than getting lost. Um… t-t-take it.”
The last two words were said in barely eligible harparic, but Nyal got the idea. She looked at her wing, and then at Reonda’s hand. Nyal’s mind flashed back to what happened the last time she had touched the Acamian, and took a step back. That single step once again twisted the metaphorical dagger inside her, hand falling to her side and looking to the ground dejected. Teolus patted the back of her head with his wing, Reonda looking at him in response with a sad smile.
“Sorry, sorry,” Reonda replied. Nyal had heard those words so much from the Acamian that she knew by heart what they meantt now. “Just… stick close.”
Reonda tapped her thigh to try and get across what she was saying, letting out a sigh when Nyal responded with a nod. The Acamian started walking down the street first, the Harpen close behind her. The two did their best to stick together, Reonda glancing back behind her every other second. The anxiety on her face was clear as day, especially with her also having to dodge the faire goers around her.
Until one girl, dressed so completely that none of her skin was visible, walked clean into the Acamian.
Both her and Reonda fell to the girl, Nyal jumping back in shock and Teolus quickly taking to the air. Most of the passerbys either did the same, stopped dead in their tracks, or chuckled at the misfortune before continuing. Reonda felt her entire body seize at the feeling of being touched, looking at the girl responsible for toppling her. Though no skin was visible, she could see their eyes clear as day. They weren’t Harpen, they weren’t Human. They were large and completely black, and that only meant one thing.
“Sorry, my bad,” The cloaked girl said, immediately looking away and getting off Reonda. Getting to her feet, she reached a gloved hand out to Reonda. “Need some hel-“
“A Numaran.”
Reonda’s simple proclamation caused the cloaked girl to gasp. She brought her hand back away from the Human she had knocked over. Completely unaware that Nyal was watching her, the cloaked girl took off, a pouch the Harpen knew contained food for Teolus in her hand. Without a second's hesitation, Nyal launched herself into them.
The cloaked girl found herself unable to react in time, and while not a lot of force was put into the shoulder bash it was enough. The gathering crowd took a step back as the attempted robber fell to the ground arm first. The pain the fall caused her made her drop the feed bag and grab said shoulder, allowing Nyal to grab it with her talons. She looked back to Reonda, the girl being helped up by a random member of the crowd.
“Reonda!” Nyal shouted to them, getting the Acamian’s attention. She threw the feed bag to them, Teolus grabbing it midair as it was not going to reach the Human.
“Thanks!” Reonda said, Teolus dropping it in her hand. The crowd around them started to move again, not caring anymore as the excitement seemed about over. “Now then…”
Reonda walked over to her attempted pick pocketer, who was still on the ground rubbing her arm. The cloaked girl looked up at the Acamian, feeling her body tense up and turning away seconds later. It led to Nyal witnessing an increasingly awkward moment as Reonda took another pouch she had, took some coins out, and held it out. It took several seconds for the cloaked girl to turn back to the Acamian.
“I’m not gonna ask what you are doing in Reine. You wouldn’t be here unless you had nowhere else to go,” Reonda said, a smile awkward enough to match the situation she was in dawning her face. “This is what you were looking for, right? Money to get a meal? Go on, take it.”
Reonda knelt down so she was not standing over the girl, allowing her to get a better look at what was before her. She could see the cloaked girl’s eyes, confirming that they were indeed the beady, ferret-like eyes that all Numaran had. Outside of that the only few things she could be sure of was that the girl was young, easily around the same age as her and Nyal. They looked between the coin and Reonda for two minutes before taking what the Acamian was giving her.
“Th-thank you,” She said. She watched as Nyal walked up to Reonda’s side, eyes falling downwards in shame. “Can I have a name? I’m Soliene VerBansk.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“Reonda Perciple, and this is Nyal Mols Mors,” Reonda said, motioning to the hen as she spoke. Nyal waved a wing at Soliene, the Numaran meekly holding her hand up in greetings.
“Hi Soliene,” Nyal greeted.
“Hello, and sorry for robbing your friend,” Soliene replied. Nyal’s eyes widened as she heard the perfect Harparic that left the girl’s mouth. The Harpen wasn’t left with time to respond as the Numaran turned back to Reonda. “Wait, did you say your last name was Perciple?”
Reonda felt her heart skip a beat, her arms digging into the sides of her belly. She turned away, biting her lower lip as she realized her careless mistake. A wave of shame, pain, and discomfort passed through her that was all too visible to the two girls around her. Soliene looked down at the coins in her hand, unsure if she wanted them now or not. Nyal just looked between them both confused.
“Are you okay Reonda?” She asked, putting an extra amount of concern to convey her word’s meaning across the language barrier before them.
Reonda looked back to Nyal for a second, taking a deep breath to calm her. Teolus let out a caw, the Acamian briefly turning back to them and giving a pat on the hawk’s head.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Reonda replied, adding a nod at the end to convey both the hawk and Harpen’s concern at the same time. She then turned back to Soliene. “Yes, my last name is Perciple. I assume you know it through my mother and fathers… station.”
Soleine clutched the coin tightly, eyes glancing quickly between Reonda, Nyal, and the hawk on the Acamian’s shoulder. The sensible side of her wanted to run off, scared of what might happen to her. Yet the fact she not only was allowing a bird to rest on her shoulder and was hanging out with a Harpen piqued her curiosity too much. With a heavy sigh, Soliene stood up and placed the coin in her pocket.
“She hasn’t hurt you, has she?” Soliene asked Nyal. The Hen needed a few seconds to catch a question that had just been tossed her way, but shook her head when her brain finally caught up.
“No! At least not on purpose… I think,” Nyal answered. “I touched her once and she freaked out and shoved me away, but apologized right after.”
“I see,” Soliene said. She turned her attention back to Reonda, eyes narrowing. “So, what are you walking her into? Planning to bring her back home and execute her as a message of some sort?”
“I understand why you would think that, especially considering what my people have done to the Harpen and Numaran,” Reonda responded, the look on her face grimmer and grimmer the further the current topic was discussed. She squeezed her right arm with her left hand, digging so far into her skin it hurt. “Yet I know the injustice I have wrought. Your people, just like hers, are nothing like what I was taught they were. I know because I have this.”
She brought her Historia before Soliene, the Numaran’s eyes widening as she realized what it was. Nyal and Reonda saw that it wasn’t shock that filled said eyes, but fear. Soliene tried to back up, but she stopped as she noticed the people walking by behind her. Nyal, thinking it would comfort the girl somewhat, decided to follow Reonda’s lead and hold out her Historia. As she had many times before, the Numaran looked between the two as these events played out before her.
“You’re… you’re vessels?” Soliene asked, “Why? How? What Oracle would choose someone like you?”
“Quiet,” Reonda commanded, putting her finger to her lips in a shushing motion. “I would prefer none know what I truly am, okay?”
Soliene closed her eyes and thought about it for a moment, tapping her foot as she did. A part of her inherently wanted to steal Nyal away for the hen’s safety still. She knew well the kind of people Reonda’s parents were, and she couldn’t bring it in her to accept the Human. After all, she was from Acamus, and their wish to purge the Harpen was well known.
Yet, there was no denying what was in front of her. No one would try and make a fake Historia, especially since more than one person opening it would show clear as day how fake it was. They were real, they had to be, and the mere fact there was not one but two vessels before her was shocking. It left Soliene with a tough question to answer: was Reonda truthful or not.
“I don’t know why you distrust her, but Reonda is a good person,” Nyal spoke up, she said once again clutching the Historia to her chest. Her expression turned grimmed as Soliene faced her. “Besides, she is helping me find my mom and dad. I don’t know Acamese like you two do, and while Reonda doesn’t know Harparic she was willing to help me and…” Her talons dug into the ground. “She is my only chance at communicating with Duke Azkeith.”
It was at that moment that Soliene realized things weren’t as simple as she had thought they were. Nyal’s eyes were watering, the fear of what could be happening to her parents getting to her. Soliene couldn’t help but feel ashamed of herself, even if her judgment was overall logical. With far more understanding of the situation, she turned back to the Acamian.
“You are taking her to Duke Azkeith?” Soliene asked, making sure that Nyal wasn’t being led astray. Her answer was a nod. “You sure that is a good idea for you.”
“No, but I don’t care. Finding her parents' killers is more important. If I suffer a bit for doing the right thing, then so be it,” Reonda answered, a rare determination filling her voice. Soliene couldn’t help but notice the slight difference in story from both sides, filing it away for later. “Which means that I really should be going. Good day, Miss Soliene.”
Reonda tried her best to turn and walk away, but was stopped as Soline grabbed her wrist. Her breath wavered, the sudden feeling of touch sending two thoughts through her brain. The first thought was of terror, the feeling of another’s hand on her skin causing her mind to go into a frenzy. Past experience told her it would end with either a death threat to her face or… or… she couldn’t bring herself to think of it.
The second train of thought wasn’t any better, for it was nothing but pure bloodlust.
“Not so fast, Perciple,” Soliene commanded, stepping in front of the Acamian before letting go of their wrist. As soon as she did, both the terror and bloodlust gripping her body relaxed a bit. It refuses to let go completely, however. “What makes you think I would still trust you with a Harpen child? Especially considering your mother and father?”
The mention of her parents brought one of those trains of thought rearing back in front. It wasn’t the one of terror, but that of bloodlust. She could hear the voice that led to Nyal’s unwillingness to touch her scrape at her mind again. It was like nails on a chalkboard to her, unable to escape it for the key away was locked.
“Tear at their flesh and chew on the corpses till the Harpen has no body left to take the soul from. Burn the monsters! Burn them!”
In a desperate and horrible attempt to gain control back, Reonda grabbed Soliene’s cloak and pulled her forward. Though it had felt like an hour in the Acamian’s head, Soliene’s words had only just left her mouth. The sudden change in demeanor was only compounded by the rapid movement of Reonda’s eyes and the strength of her grasp on the cloak. It was at that moment the Numaran realized why Nyal was so afraid to touch the girl.
“I am not them. Don’t ever compare me to them. Don’t ever think I’m like them,” Reonda said, though Soliene quickly realized the words weren’t just being spoken by her. There was a second voice, far more sinister and serpentine in its delivery whispering what the Acamian said. “Mention them again, and I will see that you experience the worst, most agonizing moment of your entir–”
“Is something wrong, miss?”
The sudden addition of a male voice seemed to wake Reonda from her trauma induced stupor. Soliene, Nyal, and her all looked to see a knight standing in front of them. Reonda then looked back to the hand grabbing the cloak and, realizing what she had done, let go and took a few steps. Teolus, having lifted itself into the air again after his master grabbed Soliene, landed on her shoulder and looked at her. The amount of attention sent a wave of discomfort through the Acamian, unable to meet anyone's glance anymore and looking to her feet.
“Sorry sir,” Reonda apologized. “I didn’t mean it. Forgive me.”
Though no one could see it due to his helm, the knight raised an eyebrow at her response. It was followed up with a shrug of his shoulder and sigh.
“Please don’t cause a scene in the middle of the damn faire,” He requested of the group. Soliene and Reonda nodded, and he made off. As he did, Nyal picked up a chosen phrase that he whispered. “Fucking Acamians.”
She frowned, noticing how he spat the word Acamian’s out as if it were bread he had just learned was moldy. Her attention quickly turned back to Reonda, who she hadn’t realized until then was significantly farther away. She wasn’t sure if the Acamian had walked forward more or if she had stepped back without knowing it. Still, Nyal quickly made her way back to Reonda’s side and looked at them with concern.
“Are you okay, Reonda?” She asked. The Acamian didn’t reply. “Reonda?”
“I don’t think she wants to talk right now,” Soliene told the hen. Nyal looked to the ground, hating herself a bit for not being too afraid to step in. Soliene, noticing the mood around her, quickly thought of a way she could possibly help. “Let's get out of the street. Take some time to relax and… I’ll grab us something to eat.”
All Reonda could bring herself to do was nod.