“No, Arric. It’s not a shape and it’s not merely a name. It’s a unique rune, assigned to me by the original council of oracles.”
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“Because the rune next to mine belongs to my brother.”
“And that’s the one Haddi gave to me when I was officially named as an oracle,” Andi said.
“We have no more time to waste,” Haddi said. “I must light the flames immediately.”
Without further warning Haddi threw a handful of sand into the fire pit causing bright blue flames to ignite in spectacular fashion. The flames stretched at least forty feet towards the night sky but emitted no heat. Haddi produced a folded piece of paper from his pocket and placed it in the fire.
“Now, you must go into the flames,” Haddi said.
“What?”
“Step inside them, quickly,” he urged.
“Are you fucking crazy?” I asked.
“Do not be afraid, Arric. You must trust me. The flames will not harm you. You must go into them and retrieve the ashes from the paper. Quickly before the flames go out. My powers are not strong enough to keep them lit for much longer.”
I leaned down and gave Isla a kiss before stepping into the fire.
Haddi was telling the truth when he said the flames would not harm me. I felt no heat from the fire and my flesh remained unburned.
The flaming shit show inside my brain was another matter entirely. A flood of what I can only describe as interactive memories rushed into my head. Fragments of violent and immersive sensations hit me like waves. One after another. My pulse raced as I tried to process what I was experiencing. Visions of a hundred lifetimes surged through my brain like lightning strikes.
I was transported back to the battlefields of Iceland, then to the streets of New York City during the 1970’s, then to the countryside in Florence, Italy sometime around the turn of the last century. In each scenario, I was alone and completely isolated. I was myself but felt as though I was wearing another person’s soul. I relived scene after scene, lifetime after lifetime. Wave after wave until I thought I would go mad. Then I heard Isla’s voice telling me to pick up the ashes.
“You’re okay,” she crooned sweetly, and I began to relax.
I concentrated on the sound of her voice, desperately needing to keep the connection with her.
“It’s okay, Arric,” Isla said. “You can do it. Gather the ashes.”
I did as she instructed, scooping up the small pile into my hands, causing the flames to stop immediately. I fell to my knees, and Haddi rushed to me, quickly taking the ashes from my hands, and rubbing them onto his face like warpaint. He staggered backward, with a look of shock and terror on his face and I knew that he’d seen what I had seen.
“Getur þetta verið satt?” Haddi rasped, helping me back to my seat as Isla came to my side.
“It’s true,” I grunted out.
“Is he an oracle?” Kade asked.
“Já, Majesty, but there is more,” Haddi said turning to me. “Arric, you must listen to me carefully. You must not leave the castle grounds until I tell you that it’s safe. In fact, we must all stay here together until I have regained the strength to light the flames again. Until I can see more.”
“What is it, Haddi? What did you see?” Kade asked, impatiently.
“Arric is not just an oracle. He is aheimsgöngumaður. A world walker.”
“What the hell is that?” I asked, struggling to catch my breath.
“The heimsgöngumaður have increased strength and sensitivity in the mystical realm, as well as the ability to withstand high temperatures that would normally kill our kind. This gives you the ability to live among the humans without detection.”
“Is that how he was able to survive all alone without knowing he was Cauld Ane?” Isla asked?
Haddi nodded. “It also explains how he’s stayed hidden from us for so long.”
“I thought world walkers were only legend,” Andi said.
