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“I suppose I deserved that,” I mumble, pushing to my feet.

He releases a sound somewhere between a low rumble and a purring snarl. Then he pushes his head against my hand.

I scratch behind his ear, then turn in a slow circle to take in the snow-dusted outcrops surrounding me. Until my gaze lands on Sphinx’s silhouette.

I stare into her pale eyes, gold and gently glowing.

“The Oracle will see you now,” she says.

I blink at her, still trying to comprehend her words.

“And what if I don’t care what the Oracle wishes?”

“You will care to come, Daughter of the Tempest.”

“Really?” My arms spread wide, exhaustion bleeding into the motion. “Will she show me something useful this time, or will she guide me toward my death like she did my mother?”

“She cannot tell what she cannot see. Too much light blinds—”

“Enough,” I snap before the anger rises too far to control. “I don’t want to hear about whatever prophecies the Oracle has seen now.”

I can’t remain out here, exposed, where anyone could see me. I need to leave before the queen discovers I survived the Leap. I turn away, trudging in the direction of the tower. Ares chuffs and keeps pace with me.

“It is not a prophecy. I think, you would call it a song,” Sphinx calls after me.

My feet falter, and I whirl toward her.

When our gazes meet again, there’s no triumph in hers. In her eyes, I recognize only patience and the weight of inevitability.

“This has to do with the Aviary?” I ask.

“In a sense.”

I wait for her to elaborate further. She doesn’t.

But even the mere insinuation is enough to send panicked thoughts racing through my mind. Is Nyssa still safe? Could the Aviary have discovered my location? Are they already on their way here?

Whatever it is, Sphinx is right—I do care to know.

“Lead the way, then.” I grit my teeth and follow as she turns and prowls deeper into the night.

The trek to the Oracle’s cavern is silent aside from our footfalls against the uneven ground and the occasional sigh of wind. After what feels like an eternity, the familiar rocky path comes into view, winding its way around the mountainside toward the mouth of the cavern.

When I step inside, the cavern yawns open, the warmth of the homestead cradled within seeping into my bones. The pool waits in its frozen stillness at the heart, catching no light but casting every shadow. The Oracle sits at its edge, her eyes already on me.

“Say what you must, Aella.” A pause, soft and seismic. “Then, I will show you what I have seen.”

My frustration surges, breaking free before I can contain it, and my words spill out in a rush.

“You knew before it happened.” My voice hitches, the accusation tangling itself in my breath. “You saw everything, didn’t you? You knew I would fail!”

“But did you fail?”

“Yes,” I grit out. “I took Iphigenia’s Leap, and I did not emerge.”

The Oracle’s gaze doesn’t waver, her expression as still as the frozen pool before her. “And yet, here you stand.”

I scoff. “Is this what you brought me here for? Because if you think I have the time to unpack your riddles, I’ll disappoint you.”