Page 3 of Oracle's Reign
They couldn’t force, but Yslie had been taught for years what she owed her people. So, she had volunteered. At which point, Triese had realized that Yslie might become empress. The other woman couldn’t stand to see a future in which Yslie might have power over her—not that her power allowed her to see more than a minute in advance, anyway. But that minute she saw with unerring accuracy, making her an oracle whose power was respected.
Yslie should have reversed her decision the moment Triese had volunteered. But she hadn’t wanted to do so in front of a crowd. Then Heolin, the earth sprite who had visited the oraclevillages seeking volunteers, had taken the two women aside to evaluate their sincerity. It was his job to ensure none of the candidates had been coerced.
“I know that going to Kalitalo is traditionally a fate every oracle wishes to avoid,” he had told them once they were away from the rest of the villagers. “That you are willing to take this chance speaks to your flexibility, a characteristic that will serve you well in the capital as we all navigate this transitional time.”
“The oracles have done their duty to safeguard the interests of all the magical races for centuries, to our own detriment.” Triese said with a sniff. “I could hardly be willing to do less than the last Emperor’s Oracle, Auraelie, did for our people.”
“Exactly.” Heolin nodded, but Yslie had the impression that his placid expression hid a measure of the same distaste for Triese’s grandstanding as Yslie herself felt. “I do have faith, however, that should you marry the prince, you will not be making a sacrifice. He is not like his father, and unlike Auraelie, you will have the Assembly to watch over you.”
Yslie doubted the newly created governing body would have the energy to spare to care what happened to a lone oracle. They had too much to do as it was, trying to counter the emperor’s excesses. She kept that thought to herself. There were more important matters to discuss. Even if she no longer intended to go to Kalitalo. “How will the Assembly decide which oracle is to marry the prince?”
“They won’t.” Heolin gestured for them to sit, then settled himself in one of the chairs around the large circular table filling the room. “We have quite a bit to discuss, so make yourselves comfortable. Before we get into the details, I should like to know your names.”
“I am Triese, and my power is to see the immediate future without multiple possibilities muddling my visions.”
Heolin hadn’t asked about their powers—he knew better—but Yslie understood exactly why Triese had volunteered the information that most oracles hid from those not of their race. She told herself not to rise to the bait, but after Triese’s answer, just giving a name felt inadequate. “My name is Yslie. I see the past. Of people, not objects.”
“I am honored to meet you, Triese and Yslie. Before I answer your questions, I want to tell you a little about my task. Some of this you will have heard before, but some of the information might be new to you.” He cleared his throat. “As you know, in exchange for dissolving the treaty between the oracles and the imperial family, the magical races agreed that an oracle would marry the crown prince. What you may not know, is that before she left Pynth, Auraelie made me promise to ensure that the woman who married the prince did so of her own free will. There will be no repeat of the Emperor’s Will. You may decide at any time that you no longer wish to be considered, and none will gainsay you. Even if you are standing in front of the altar and suddenly have second thoughts, you can always walk away.”
Yslie's shoulders relaxed. Heolin would understand when she said she was no longer interested. She didn’t have to go to Kalitalo.
“I won’t change my mind,” Triese declared. “No matter how odious the prince is, I can serve the magical races this way. I can do no less than Auraelie.”
When had Auraelie gone from an oracle to be pitied to a hero to emulate in Triese’s mind? Auraelie had endured the future Yslie would one day have experienced if not for the revolution, and Triese had never shown any empathy for her plight. Then again, Auraelie had escaped her fate. How ironic, that the moment the last Emperor’s Oracle had acted against the treaty, refusing to suffer under the Emperor’s control any longer, had inspired Triese’s sudden willingness to martyr herself.
Not that Triese would have volunteered if she believed marrying the prince would be martyrdom.
Heolin didn’t remark on the fact that Triese’s vow directly contradicted the protections he was trying to offer. He simply nodded and turned to Yslie. “And you? Why did you volunteer to meet the prince?”
She couldn’t admit the truth: that Heolin had looked so dejected standing behind the podium, his speech done, and only the rustles of fabric as her people shifted on the benches answering him. Nor did she want to admit that she felt it was her duty, even now that she no longer had to become the next Emperor’s Oracle. Instead, the words that spilled free in their place came from somewhere deeper inside her. “Because pursuing change means taking a risk and trusting that things will be better.”
The corners of Heolin’s eyes crinkled. “Well said.”
Triese glared at her and Yslie had realized she couldn’t back out. Stepping back and allowing Triese to become empress, knowing she would abuse that sort of power, wasn’t an option. Yslie might never be able to catch the prince’s eye, but to satisfy her own conscience, she had to at least try.
Except she knew nothing about the prince. It didn’t matter that she had been raised knowing she’d one day serve him. Her lessons had been about how to protect her people and give the emperor she served as little power as possible without ever breaking the terms of the treaty. And the gossip that reached Garaea from the palace had never included anything about the prince, only the Emperor and his sordid parties.
Without a starting point for the conversation, Yslie wasn’t sure she’d be able to even talk to the prince, let alone catch his attention. Too bad it hadn’t occurred to her to ask anyone about his interests earlier. Somehow, during the journey to Kalitalo, the prince had rarely come up as a topic of conversation. Trieseand another oracle, Odela, had been too interested in what life in the city was like to care about the man they were attempting to marry. They had bombarded Heolin with questions. Sophenie, the final member of their group, had mostly kept to herself. Yslie had tried drawing the other woman into conversation during the journey to the capital city, but had quickly realized she preferred silence.
The dusk bell chimed, the sound carrying over the streets and through the bedroom’s open window. It was time, whether Yslie was ready or not. She leaned toward not, but forced herself to stand, anyway.
She straightened her tunic and checked that her veil was securely attached, then stepped into the hallway. Triese was already hurrying to the courtyard, Odela not far behind her. Yslie didn’t see Sophenie. She hesitated, debating knocking on the final oracle’s door, when she stepped out.
Sophenie acknowledged her with little more than a look and they fell in step together. They walked considerably slower than the other women, falling further and further behind. Yslie didn’t think Sophenie was nervous like her, however. From the few things the other oracle had said during the journey, she suspected her hesitation came from a different internal battle. Sophenie was pushing herself to do something she absolutely didn’t want to do.
It made Yslie wonder why Heolin had allowed her to come. He had been ruthless about denying anyone he suspected of being under external pressure. Then again, the factions warring within Sophenie all seemed to be internal.
By the time they reached the courtyard, Triese and Odela already sat beside Pianti. The large open space in the center of the household was bathed in the last golden rays of sunlight, a few lamps hanging from columns providing extra light, but not too much. Yslie had spent most of her time in Pianti’s homein this courtyard, and had been impressed by the understated luxury, but tonight nothing was understated.
Towers of food, far too much for the number of guests, sat next to a fountain of what appeared to be wine. Silk draped over the tables, heavy with gold embroidery. There was even a small stage that hadn’t existed before in the corner, a man playing thegohtadarseated upon it. Yslie preferred when the only focus had been the flowers dotting the courtyard. The lush blooms that took so much effort to maintain in the Kalitalan heat were a sufficient display of luxury, in her mind.
But flowers weren’t an appropriate backdrop for a prince. And Pianti’s courtyard was the prince’s court tonight. Neither Yslie nor Sophenie made any effort to move deeper into the space. They’d have to cross the entire courtyard to reach Pianti and the others. She couldn’t see the person they faced, but she knew it would be the prince.
She spotted Qilar, not far from the archway where she stood, and his presence pushed her into motion. Just like when she had stood in the doorway of that back room earlier, he didn’t have to say anything to remind her that she was not where she was supposed to be. She walked down the center of the space, wondering if she had really seen a glint of amusement in Qilar’s eyes when he looked at her.
A little over halfway across the courtyard, Yslie got her first look at the prince, seated behind a table draped in crimson fabric and covered in gold dishes.
It was him.
