The Oracle's Oath

⭑ · · ᯓ 𐃈 ᯓ · · ⭑

A man in black…

Felix kept repeating the words in his head, his eyes wavering.

“We’re going to… die?” The color had drained from Kite’s face as she focused instead on that portion of the reveal. “You’re kidding.”

“Of course she is; that’s preposterous.” Elora shook her head. “You’ve never given a prophecy with such certainty before. You always say that the future can be changed. So, why now… do you wear that look on your face, Prim?”

Prim had been composed up until that very moment. Despite being the one to break the news to them, she had a brief second where she looked distraught—especially as she cast a sidelong glance at Felix.

“I had hoped that by unlocking Felix Atlasse’s latent abilities, you all could yet be saved in the coming conflict.” Prim sighed deeply. “As I search deep into my mind’s eye, the future hasn’t changed. I see your corpses in the streets, and a man standing over them. A man in black.”

“Crow.” The words tumbled out of Felix’s mouth. “But we’re so far away, how did he find us?!”

And why now?

Elora’s expression darkened.

“What else can you see, lady? Was he carrying a big sword?!” Kite pressed Prim for more information as the cat mage turned away. “Oi?! This is kind of important, so I’d appreciate it if you’d cooperate a little—"

“—did you two just say…” Elora’s eyes burned intensely as she looked up. “Crow…?”

“The Black Court assassin, yeah,” Kite replied. “You know of him?”

“Know of him?” Elora frowned. “It’s no exaggeration to say that he is a living reminder of my greatest failure in five centuries.”

“Oh yeah?” Kite crossed her arms. “Well, he tried to kill us, so I’d say that puts us a little farther along on the revenge scale. Sorry to say.”

“How do you know him, Elora?” Felix finally asked.

Prim, who already knew the answer, looked on. Elora rubbed her chin, deep in thought before speaking.

“It was after Golg Elfbutcher razed Crestalis and the surrounding forests, killing thousands, burning our homes, and violating many of our women…” Elora began. “The Spirit Elders were at a loss. The King and Queen had only recently handed them power to focus on caring for the young princess. I failed to defeat Golg, as did my slain brothers, but my life alone was spared… for some reason.”

Felix and Kite listened quietly.

“The Elders decided to seek outside help. A young upstart from the underworld who had already earned himself the moniker of ‘dark hero’, a man by the name of Crow.” Elora continued. “No more than a mercenary, and barely a hair on his chin, I thought they were sending him off to die against Golg. However…”

“He survived?” Felix gulped.

“He won, and in doing so, he shamed all of us elves. A fifteen-year-old human, a child, defeated that butcher where I couldn’t.” Elora gritted her teeth. “He was paid a hefty sum from Crestalis’ treasury to do it, but on the condition that he bring back Golg Elfbutcher’s famous greatsword, the Necro Sword—a blade as black and terrible as the pits of hell itself—and Golg’s head as proof of victory. They were both to be destroyed ceremonially.”

“Why didn’t he? Bring it back, that is.” Felix asked. “He never drew it, but he definitely had that massive sword on him when we fought.”

Felix remembered Crow tossing aside his scythes and beating him senseless with nothing but his hands. Nothing had ever made him feel quite so powerless.

“We received Golg’s rotten head, but instead of the Necro Sword, Crestalis got a letter of grievance from Crow himself, claiming the battle had gone beyond the scope of the promised rate. So he threatened to keep the sword for himself unless we paid up.” Elora scoffed. “The Spirit Elders, of course, refused. They hired other hitmen to retrieve the Necro Sword by force, but their heads were returned to us just the same as Golg’s.”

“So what happened after that?” Kite crossed her arms. “They just… gave up?”

“Even as a child, Crow was simply too strong. He was declared an enemy of Crestalis and forbidden from ever setting foot within our borders.” Elora closed her eyes. “The Spirit Elders were content to let him die of natural causes before retrieving what he stole, but now that same man is coming for us.”

“No.” Felix shook his head. “That’s not quite right.”

Felix looked at Prim, who had stayed out of their conversation thus far.

“What happens if Kite and Elora hop on Moon and fly far away from here, Prim?”

“It’s hard to say, Felix Atlasse, I only see bits and pieces of—“

“—what happens?”

“…”

“Tell me… please.”

. . .

“Kite and Elora Greenbriar survive…”

“And if I leave with them, or if they stay here in the Citadel with me until the end of the third day?”

“It’s as I said. Whether you stay together, or flee together, all three of you will die.” Prim admitted coldly. “Though, I would advise keeping your griffon friend out of harm’s way. ”

Felix flashed a sad smile as he looked at the bewildered faces of his companions, Kite and Elora.

“But we’ve gotten stronger!” Kite suddenly shouted, clenching her fists. “We’ve gotten stronger since…”

We have, but even so….

“Kite…”

“No!” She wouldn’t hear it. “I know exactly what you’re about to say, idiot! We’ve been through this already. It doesn’t matter if he’s after you, me, or Elora. Friends stick together.”

“But he’ll kill all of us!” Felix reasoned. “The fact that he didn’t before is a miracle in and of itself. Prim said it; she knows. If you stay with me, you’ll both…”

“Miss Kite is right,” Elora said. “Felix, even if I didn’t have my own score to settle with Crow, I wouldn’t leave you to be slain by his hand. Tell me, Prim, with you and all your power to aid us, how can you say for certain that we will lose?”

“It’s because, Elora Greenbriar, I will not be aiding you in your fight.”

“…What did you just say?”

“I said this fight is yours alone. My magic and its destructive power are not fit for intra-city combat.” Prim narrowed her gaze. “If you were wise, you would do as Felix Atlasse says and go far away from here. Far away indeed.”

“Then let’s take the fight somewhere else! If you accompany us, we can—”

“—I will not leave this tower.”

“That is your friend!” Elora blew up, grabbing Prim by the collar of her cloak. “He may not remember those ten years, but you and I certainly do! You’d seriously let him die while watching here from your tower. How can you be so selfish?!”

“Coward…” Kite held back the punch she would have thrown, had Elora not stepped in first.

“Call me what you like. Selfish, coward, war criminal, whatever makes Elora Greenbriar and Kite happy.” Prim slapped Elora’s hands away. “If you would remember, it is I who killed the greatest multitude of people in the Hundred-Year-War. Felix Atlasse killed his thousands, and Prim Derosier her tens of thousands, they say.”

“You helped save the world… We did it together, Prim.” Elora shook her head. “Certainly, that holds some weight in your heart?”

Prim began to wander back to her chair, nodding to herself as she did.

“I will never use my magic to harm another living soul,” she said. “Do not ask me to do the impossible, to break my oath. Even for Felix Atlasse, my beloved friend.”

Whatever arguments they had prepared vanished in an instant as Elora and Kite both turned away in frustration, the latter clicking her tongue.

“Maybe you don’t have to...” Felix said. “If the situation really were hopeless, I doubt you would have bothered inviting us here.”

“You assume much,” Prim said, her whiskers bristling. “What makes you say so?”

“What other reason could there be?” Felix pondered. “To scare us? I wouldn’t think you’d have any reason to do that. To warn us? Maybe, but that would only make sense if there were a chance. Even the tiniest one.”

“There… might be a small possibility,” Prim admitted. “But only that. It will require you to share in my gift, as you often did during the campaign against the Mad God.”

“I did that?” Felix was puzzled.

“Prim would cling to your back, arms looped around your shoulders, and you’d be able to see bits of the future as you fought thanks to her divine blessing, which can be shared with direct contact.” Elora clarified. “She’d fire off powerful spells, and you’d take the front. It was quite the spectacle, a true two-headed monster, you both were.”

“I can barely imagine…”

Something about that sight might have been a little funny to think about, were they not in the middle of a sobering discussion.

“Make no mistake, this is a long shot, Felix Atlasse,” Prim warned. “You will see the vaguest of hints, maybe a flash of the future at most. If you can glean any usable information from that, I have no problem helping you do so.”

“Then let’s do it,” Felix said in a heartbeat. “Any hint we can get might be the difference.”

Felix had always known Crow would find them again eventually.

“This won’t be dangerous, will it?” Kite asked. “I’ve already seen you do some weird shit to him, so I can’t say I trust you all that much.”

“Rest assured, Kite, it will take but a second.” Prim walked them over to one of the library's tables, pushing two together. “You may feel a little dizzy, but the vision itself will be quick. I suggest you lie down here, Felix Atlasse.”

“Just on these tables here?”

Prim nodded.

Felix did as he was asked, lying down. He folded his hands over his stomach, and he took a deep breath.

“So, what happens next?”

“I will share the blessing with you,” Prim replied. “You may close your eyes as I lay my hand on your head.”

“Alright…”

Felix felt Prim’s paw pressed against his forehead as he waited to see something, anything that could help give them an edge in the battle ahead.

A few seconds went by, and then several more.

Felix began to wonder when he’d see something.

“That’s strange indeed…”

But nothing came. Felix opened one eye, peeking at the cat mage standing to the side of him.

“Strange?” Kite furrowed her brow. “Like in a bad way?”

“You could describe it as such. This has never happened before, but…” Prim looked absolutely baffled by something. “My visions have ceased.”

“Ceased?” Elora tilted her head. “As in…?”

“I cannot see anything.” Prim shook her head. “The dark future, the myriad visions of your corpses, they’re simply gone. As though they were never there.”

Felix pushed himself up into a sitting position as his friends shared skeptical looks.

“So… that’s good, isn’t it? Maybe unlocking Felix’s abilities changed the future, after all?” Kite suggested, not quite sure. “She could be lying for all we know, or seeing things that aren’t there.”

“I wouldn’t be too certain…” Elora rubbed her chin. “I have never known Prim to speak untruths.”

“What about you, pal, did you see anything like what she mentioned?” Kite asked, but didn’t receive an immediate reply. “…Felix?”

“…No.” Felix finally said. “Not a single thing. I mean, I didn’t expect much, but still.”

“My apologies.” Prim wore a deep frown. “But that is the limit of what I can offer, given the circumstances. What will you do?”

“I vote we just get out of here, while we still can,” Kite suggested.

Any attempts at telling those two to flee would probably be met with fierce resistance, he was convinced. It wasn’t to say that he was anywhere near comfortable putting them in harm’s way, but with the vision offering no help, they’d have to prepare themselves.

“No…” Felix shook his head. “As Prim said, I don’t want to wrap Moon up in all this if we can help it.”

“So what do you suggest?” Elora asked as if she were deferring to Felix to choose their next course of action.

“I say we hunker down here in the Citadel and wait it out,” Felix said. “We just have to get through the third day, right? Prim?”

“It’s anyone’s guess,” Prim sighed. “Truth be told, if there ever were a time I wanted to be wrong, I hope it is now.”

“If that’s what you think…” Kite crossed her arms. “Then let’s get ready. If it comes to a fight, so be it. We’ll pull through together.”

“Right.” Elora agreed. “There’s an inn close to the guard station. We can supply and wait out there. Even the Black Court wouldn’t attack while everyone is gathered for the festival. Too many witnesses.”

Thoughts of going back home had been put on hold for Felix and the others, their moment of triumph after Nostalgia a distant memory.

I’m sorry, you two…

“I’ll have Finn alert the local authorities just in case, so that if there’s a commotion, they can arrive quickly to help,” Prim said. “I wish you all luck and safety.”

“Most High willing, we’ll be able to laugh about this all later,” Felix said. “Let’s get moving. We’ve got a lot to do.”

But only one of us has to die…