“Keep searching. I last felt their presence coming from somewhere in the southern United States, but they could be anywhere now.”
“Yes, sire.”
“You see, Kade. We not only have the numbers to fight you, but we also have an oracle who’s not beholden to the antiquated times of the past.”
“He’s still bound to the law,” Kade shouted.
“Whose law?” Sindri’s voice boomed. “Your law?Cauld Anelaw?”
“The same law that I am bound to, brother,” Haddi said, stepping out in front of us. “The law of the original council of oracles.”
“Careful,” Sindri warned and the circle around the women grew brighter. “That’s close enough.”
“The council that forbade the use of magic for war or political gain,” Haddi said.
“Lack of proper perspective has always been your problem, brother. Even when we were younger, you were so blinded by the pursuit of virtue that you missed pathways that were clearly open to you.”
“Because I chose not to walk a path doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware of it. Some roads are simply not our destiny to take.”
“How can you say that?” Sindri asked, his anger clearly rising. “You were chosen to serve as Tor Olufsen’s apprentice. The highest honor a young oracle could be given.”
“I know all too well what being Tor’s apprentice meant,” Haddi said.
“It meant sitting at the feet of the most powerful magician ever.”
Haddi nodded. “Já.”
“And in all that time you learned nothing?” Sindri asked, his voice dripping with disgust. “Nothing at all about harnessing the power of our ancestors?”
“He taught me a great number of things about magic, including the most important lesson. Showing restraint.”
“Wrong. He taught you to hide your gifts and never nurture them to their full potential.”
“The Council knew the only way to peacefully co-exist with humans was to protect our abilities,” Haddi said. “To keep them a well-guarded secret.”
“Abilities,” Sindri scoffed. “You and the Cauld Ane have allowed the magic of our people to be reduced to simple tricks used to help humans go about their pathetic, futile, existences.”
“This world belongs to the humans. We are here to help them. The Council taught us this. You must remember your earliest training.”
“The council lied. They saw the rise of mankind as inevitable and rather than resist, they ran and hid.”
Haddi shook his head. “They chose peace instead of war.”
“They were cowards who lacked vision and it was my pleasure to kill each of them myself.”
“What?” Haddi asked in horror. “How could you?”
“I used a blade enchanted with red fang,” Sindri sneered.
“The oracles were right. Enhancements are dangerous and shouldn’t be used,” Haddi said.
“Wrong! They wanted to keep the power all to themselves. To keep the apprentices weak so we wouldn’t be able to stop their cowardly schemes.”
“So, you murdered them all? They were our teachers.”
“How do you think Erik was able to eliminate the council members so quickly?” Sindri asked. “As a young oracle in training it was easy to gain access to them. I’d show up at their dwellings, scared. Claiming I was being chased by whomever had been hunting us. One by one they’d let me in, and one by one they died by my blade.”
“I don’t understand,” Haddi cried. “Why didn’t the oracles warn each other?”
