Eyes wide, breath trembling, I reached out to grab it. My finger landed on a sharp point at the top, pricking the skin. I winced as a bead of blood coated the tip of the stone, deep red on bright purple.
The grass at my feet vanished, replaced by swirling, white fog, so thick I could barely see my feet. Trepidation crept up my spine, spreading down my arms and making the hair over pebbled flesh rise.
“Beautiful night, Rose Wolff, is it not?” a voice called from behind me.
No, notavoice—dozens of voices all at once, woven together like a tapestry on the wind. I whirled to find a figure shrouded in white floating above the fog. Smoke billowed frombeneath their ivory veil, and what looked like streaks of lightning pulsed at their feet.
“Who are you?” I asked hesitantly, my hand angling toward my pouch of herbs.
“You fail to ask the question you ought.” The words encompassed me, setting my teeth on edge and pulling me closer at the same time. I couldn’t tell if this being was young or old, male or female,humanor other. But their presence captivated me. My feet stumbled forward of their own accord.
When they didn’t continue, I rubbed my fingers along the opening of my pouch, nervous energy bubbling in my gut. “Well, what question should I ask, then?”
A chill whipped through the clearing, bringing with it whispers that brushed against my skin.
“We are the great Oracle of right, conjured amidst this knowledge plight.” I hadn’t realized I’d been inching closer until the lightning at their feet stung my ankles. I leapt back with a grunt. “We shall grant you one clue as to what lies ahead of you.”
“One clue? As in, for the second trial?” That nervous energy turned to intrigue. Help for the next trial?
The figure nodded, a pale, gray hand sneaking from beneath the white veil and crooking their finger at me. Wordlessly, I floated toward them, pulse pounding.
“A reward, dear Rose, for you have well played your part. The next trial will test the depth of your heart.” The voices rose and swelled in tandem, sending a shiver through me. “There is much for you to learn, and this is all we can tell: when the time comes, believe the gray bells.”
I stared at them, blinking. “What?”
“Believe the gray bells,” they repeated.
“Is—is that all?”
Silence.
Believe the gray bells? All of this for some cryptic clue? My shoulders sagged, my body breaking from their hypnotic hold over me.
“Believe the gray bells. Got it. Thank you, oh great Oracle,” Isaid sarcastically, turning on my heel to head to Leo’s agitated horse. Fates, what a waste of?—
A strong, wrinkled hand grasped my wrist. I gasped and spun around, trying to yank from their hold, but their grip was as strong as steel. The light smoke curling around them deepened to black. When they spoke again, it wasn’t the honeyed blending of voices, but a low rasp that scratched my ears.
“When you look in the mirror, what do you find?” They cocked their head. “A rose in full bloom, with thorns on the vine?” Something like a chuckle slithered through the air, echoing around me. “We see dark, hidden secrets, a deceitful tongue. For in the wake of the wicked, your poison will come.” Their voice dropped even further. “We know how this ends, daughter of the moon—only you will decide who meets their doom.”
They retracted their hand, the smoke once again clearing to white. I stared at them slack-jawed, my hand cold where their fingers had clasped.
“Wh-what was that?” I asked shakily. “What does that mean?”
More silence.
“Is that all you can tell me? Was that last part about the second trial, too?” I tried again, desperate for an explanation.
Again, I was only met with the sound of wind whistling through the trees, making my hair lift and swirl around my shoulders. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, and when I looked once more, the Oracle was gone.
Heat radiated from a pocket in my vest, the same way it had in the mausoleum when the enchanted parchment had something to say. I quickly pulled it out, reading the words as they appeared.
Time is almost up. The palace doors lock in two hours.
Fates, I still had to get back to the palace. Grabbing my artifact from the plaque, I sprinted to Leo’s horse and we bolted through the forest.
24
Rose
