A derisive scoff of disbelief sounded from one of the elders. I thought maybe Romulus. Elias let out a low, threatening growl.
However, the Oracle continued to look speculatively at me. “I know a little in the ways of magic,” she said. “My own studies often touch on magic practices. I would be willing to help train you.”
The elders all stared at her with varying expressions of disgust.
“You’d be willing to train a witch?” Romulus asked.
The Oracle’s sharp stare cut him off.
“If it means I am able to save our town, then absolutely,” she said. “Would you rather see Silver Falls fall to the wraith?”
Romulus turned beet red, but he didn’t respond.
“Besides.” The Oracle returned her attention to me, her gaze not exactly friendly, but nowhere near as hostile as the rest of the group. “It sounds as though her magic is in tune with the oasis. I can’t imagine there being any malice there.”
Well, at least one of them besides Elias was on my side. I gave a half-bow to the Oracle.
“I would be honored to have your help with this,” I told her.
The Oracle smiled, satisfied as she gave a short nod. “Excellent,” she said as she pushed herself to her feet. “In that case, we can start right away.”
I blinked, taken aback. “This minute?”
“No time like the present,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “Especially when we have a wraith breathing down our necks.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
Chapter 18 - Elias
I hunched over a million papers as I scanned through them all, reading up on reports of the sand wraith and recent sightings. So far, though, I couldn’t come up with any recognizable pattern, beyond the fact that the sightings were growing closer to town and more devastating with each attack.
We still didn’t have a plan beyond Emma, which I didn’t like. I would prefer to keep her safe, treat her as more of an ace up our sleeve or a last resort rather than our first line of defense. But so far, I hadn’t been able to find anything that would give us our luxury.
The front door creaked open.
“Mom?” Grace called.
I pushed myself from the chair and stepped out of my office, hurrying down the hall to the entryway. Grace stood in the middle of the room, door still open, as she scanned the room, her brow furrowed. She saw me.
“Where’s Mom?” she asked. It had started to become a bit of a mantra, given how busy Emma had been lately.
“Your mom’s going to be a bit late again,” I said.
A slight frown flickered across her face. “She’s always late now,” she said. “And when she is home, she’s tired.” The disappointment mutated into worry as she turned to look at me, her eyes wide with concern. “Is Mom all right?”
Crouching in front of her, I made sure she was looking at me before I said, “Your mom is doing a really brave thing, and she’s doing it for you and the rest of the town. But it requires a lot of time and energy for her to do.”
Grace tilted her head as she took this in.
I brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “Your mom cares a lot about you, and if she could be here for you, she would be in a heartbeat.”
“I know,” Grace said. “I just miss her.”
“Me too,” I admitted. I hadn’t realized how badly I would miss Emma since this whole thing had started.
Grace’s stomach growled, cutting through the tension. We both laughed.
“Sounds like you need a snack?” I asked. “Anything you want in particular?”
