The Death Prophecy (The Oracle Series Book 2)

by N. J. Cooper

  “No speaking. No moving around. Stand still. Play your part and let me and the centaurs cover the rest.” Zarek ordered quietly. Kyla frowned.

  “I need to look for clues on Byron, Zarek. How am I going to do that if I have to follow you around? The more eyes searching, the more chance we have at finding him.” Kyla argued. Zarek blew out a breath before answering.

  “We’ll find anything if it’s there. By the looks of it they have goblins guarding, which is unusual already. This is a stock warehouse that shouldn’t have the need to be guarded and yet it is. And by goblins. Which is strange again since this is the giant’s area. So, because we are being watched and after your little outburst in the dungeons, we are going to have to be on our best behaviour. You will do as your told while we are here. Please.” He explained. Kyla narrowed her eyes, looked out the window to see there were in fact four goblin guards by the entrance to the warehouse, bows in their hands, beady eyes darting everywhere. She nodded back to Zarek who nodded in thanks. Kyla followed him down the steps with Wyatt following her. Orion moved to the front with Zarek as Shemar closed the door behind them. The sky had turned dark as they had made their way to third peak, so the warehouse was only lit by the torches that burned bright with fire lining the outer walls. Kyla shivered as they walked closer to the guards who watched them with wide eyes. They looked between each other then back to their advancing bodies. They got to the entrance where they bowed to the Prince.

  “Your Majesty.” The first one muttered.

  “I’m here to conduct an investigation of the premises for monthly reports. It seems there are a lot of Goblins in the giants section of the area tonight, Sulin. Care to tell me why before I head in?” Zarek asked in a big voice, that echoed in the night air. Sulin shook his head.

  “Ever since the invasion to our area, we’ve had to increase security your Majesty. Goblins are better at that than Giants and have asked for our assistance in keeping their section secure.” The goblin offered a wide grin after his nasal voice stopped talking. Zarek nodded.

  “Very well. We’ll need the premises emptied while we conduct our investigation. Wait outside please.” Zarek ordered. Sulin nodded once and extended his arm to the entrance.

  “As you wish, your Majesty.” He grinned. Zarek nodded in thanks then led them into the dark warehouse. They filed in and although Kyla had assumed it was going to be hard coming back to the place where her friends were tortured and Tyrone died, she didn’t expect it to hit her so hard. Her breath caught in her throat as the darkness attacked her mind and memories assaulted her conscience. Flashes of Byron pushing the sword, her sword, through Tyrone’s stomach, of the multiple times Zarek was whipped, cut and bruised. Wyatt’s strained teasing of Byron through blood-stained teeth. It all came back in a flood that had her staggering, her steps faltering. Wyatt’s warm hand slid into hers, his fingers clenching against hers in understanding. Kyla squeezed her eyes shut, taking a steadying breath before blinking back her threatening tears and stepping forward with the others, her hand still in Wyatt’s. Zarek stopped in the middle of the warehouse, that was lined with boxes and shelving racks, all higher than any building she had ever been to. They were for the giants, but it still had her taking everything in slowly. Like she was a small speck in a huge dream filled with oversized items to make her feel smaller than she already was. It was working. The boxes weren’t labelled, so any one of them could have the clue they needed. Aside from that, there was no open area that had been cleared like when they had been there last time. The open space with the pole that Byron had disappeared from around, the platforms that they had been chained above. Nothing was there, no evidence left behind to the naked eye.

  “It’s gone.” Kyla whispered. Zarek spun to her with narrowed eyes. He shook his head as a scold to her speaking but by the welling in his eyes, he was struggling with the scene as well. He took a visible breath then looked over at Orion.

  “They’ve covered themselves well. Nothing is labelled. And there are a lot more items in here than ever reported. Looks like we will need to split up if we are going to be thorough. Shemar take Wyatt and Kyla to inspect the left half of this place. Orion and I will take the right. Meet back here with any information collected in one hour. Understood?” He ordered. Kyla nodded determinedly. She wanted a chance to find where they had been taken. She had to find that pole that Byron was meant to have been shackled to. He had escaped into thin air and it just wasn’t possible since the shackles had been onyx made. No magic could get passed those. Which meant he hadn’t used magic, she had to find out what he had used.

  They parted quickly, Shemar leading them down the aisles on the left of the huge warehouse. The large industrial lights hanging from the high ceiling lit their way, as their forms were dwarfed by the oversized items lining the aisles. Each box was plain, unmarked, and there were so damn many. Kyla sighed, her eyes searching over each one. She wasn’t even sure if she was allowed to talk now, but since Zarek wasn’t there to give her his disapproving prince glare, she figured it was worth the risk. Kyla caught up to Shemar who was a few feet ahead, inspecting a brace of the shelving unit.

  “Can we look inside the boxes?” Kyla asked. He spun on her, his eyes darting everywhere, a finger going to his lips.

  “You’re a witness. Witnesses don’t speak. Look with your eyes, speak with your mind and keep us all out of trouble, please Kyla. The gravity of this is so much beyond your knowledge. The Prince is going to be replacing our King, all his subjects must obey his rules or his reign won’t last. He will be assassinated before he gets that crown on his head. He is the last heir to the line of Kings-if he is killed, it is a free for all and chaos erupts everywhere, our realm will fall. That is why you must obey him, Kyla. Not just because he is your Prince, but because he is to be everyone’s King.” Shemar explained, walking forward through the aisles with her. He sniffed in the air, a frown crossing him. He moved closer to one of the boxes, sniffing deeper. A growl rumbled in his throat. He grasped the box and pulled it out from the shelf. He looked around quickly then leaned into Kyla. She frowned at him, waiting for his explanation, now fully understanding that she needed to be quiet. An extremely difficult task for her but she kept her lips pursed and her tongue between her teeth to stop the questions from coming out.

  “I smell blood. It’s…a weird smell though. Usually it’s metallic but this is almost off. Maybe it’s old. Climb on my back and open the box. Tell me what’s inside using your mind.” Shemar ordered. Kyla didn’t hesitate. She jumped onto Shemar’s back, her feet landing on the ridge of his horse body. When she had first ridden him, it had been terrifying, horses had never been her thing, but since then she had gotten used to his company and trusted him not to kick her off like every other horse had. He constantly berated her for the comparison to a horse but when there was a half man, half horse talking to you, the comparisons were hard to ignore. Kyla clutched the side of the giant box, heaving herself up to the top. She pulled her athame out of her boot and sliced across the sealing tape that kept the box closed. The tabs opened slightly releasing a foul odour that had Kyla cringing away, her arm going across her mouth as she coughed out the taste. Her eyes watered as she gasped against it. It was like hot garbage and stale food mixed with ash and blood. Kyla took a deep breath and held it in, she had to see what was inside. She pulled a tab back, peering over it to see what was hidden in there.

  The inside of the box was dark, her eyes needed a few seconds to adjust. She squinted, opening the tab a bit to see more. She would never had guessed what she saw. A pool of black and brown gunk reaching halfway up the box, with a head, a hand and loose teeth floating in it. Kyla gasped, falling back on her arms. She leaned back in to double check, but there was no need, she recognised that face. A huge face with ginger scruffy hair. And she recognised that hand because she had cut it off. It was Geroff, the giant she had killed. Kyla covered her mouth with her hand, shutting the box quickly. Shit. Shemar and Orion didn’t know about t
hat. Only Zarek and Wyatt. They couldn’t know she had killed a giant or they had to report it. Duty first. Always. No, this was one thing she had to hide. She took a few breaths to steady her heartbeat drumming in her ears, but it didn’t help. How did the giants even know it had been her? They had assumed it had been one of their own in her vision but finding it there had not been a coincidence. That’s what they had meant by getting ready. They had known they were going to have to check everything and left her a message. Well, message received. She was in trouble. Kyla found Shemar’s mind and lied about the contents of the box.

  “It looks like ingredients for that disgusting gumbo thing we had earlier. There’s no blood.” Kyla said with her mind. She looked over the edge to check that he had received it. He narrowed his eyes at her then nodded once and indicated with his head for her to climb back down. Kyla did so, then jumped from his back down to the ground. He didn’t say anything after that, just led them through aisle after aisle. They checked in a few more boxes; the contents not nearly as scary. Giant bowls and plates, some weapons but no more than expected. Some armour. All normal items apparently. Nothing abnormal except the box she had seen in. And she still couldn’t shake it. How had they known she would open it? Maybe they had left it hoping the centaurs would find it, then her punishment couldn’t be avoided, or they meant it as a warning to her. Either way it no longer made sense why they had left that there to be found. Especially since if she had been outed, the story of the tunnels and what she had found down there would be outed. Kyla frowned, trying to find the missing link when other footsteps approached them. They were back at the beginning. And there was no sign of Byron, the pole he had been tied to or how he had gotten out. They had nothing. Kyla’s fists clenched at her sides, looking around one last time. How could there be nothing?

  “We found nothing unusual. You?” Zarek asked, mainly looking at Kyla, but Shemar spoke for them.

  “Nothing. We have nothing to pin on them Prince. We have to move to the next location.” Shemar summarised. Kyla’s jaw clenched. No, there had to be something. Without talking, since that was so against the rules, she spun on her heels and moved over to one of the shelving units in front of them. Kyla pressed her hands against the cold metal bars, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

  “Kyla, don’t. You don’t have permission to use.” Zarek growled but Kyla was already falling. The Oracle pulled on their joint powers, forcing their mind into a dusty white limbo where everything blurred. She was calling a vision. They needed something and obviously the Oracle wasn’t willing to leave with nothing.

  Kyla dropped from the swirling white in her mind onto soft, wet grass. The cold hit her instantly, biting against the skin on her face in the darkness of the night around her. Kyla looked around her, standing slowly, her breath misting as she shivered. Grey slabs of concrete interrupted the grass, all engraved with writing, some with flowers by them. She had been taken to a cemetery. Kyla went to step forward, wincing as the bones in her leg ached and protested. She frowned at the pain.

  ‘Sorry, we haven’t healed from the poison yet, this vision is taking a lot of my energy and power so I can’t help our body physically while we’re in it. Not without those ashes.’ The Oracle spoke from in her mind, right at the doorway of control, watching the vision intensely. Kyla nodded, unperturbed by the fact that she was going to feel the weakness of the poison.

  “Then we hurry and find whatever it is we’re meant to be getting from this vision. And hope like hell it is something that leads us to Byron.” Kyla replied, ignoring her pain and forcing herself forward, determination in each stride through the cemetery.

  ‘That’s my girl.’ The Oracle grinned proudly. Kyla smirked, moving towards the concrete path and rounding a tree. She halted her steps as she got a full view of where she had been taken. The brick path stretched down a steep hill, passed a brick wall with black iron settings above it, out a gate to merge with a black brick road. Lining the road was building after building of Victorian set houses, all black and dark, all huge. Iron lamp posts sat on the corners of the streets and it wasn’t just the style of the town that told her where she was, it was the fact that it was bustling with people. Fanged people. Vampires roamed the streets, the darkness not bothering them as the lamppost barely lit their paths. Their fangs were out, some were drinking red liquid from clear plastic cups, some had briefcases, some were drinking from each other. Music floated through the air from clubs that they stumbled from in skimpy dresses and dishevelled suits. Some clearly couldn’t wait for privacy, their bodies against each other against walls and pillars. She wasn’t sure whether they were indulging in the lust or the blood that the other provided but either way, her eyes averted them. An overwhelming urge to join the festivities took her as she took a step forward. The Oracle hissed and held their body back.

  “Snap out of it, Kyla. It’s their spell. How they catch humans, an aura that captivates and draws you in so they can suck you dry. Don’t fall for it. Look passed it all, the hill at the other end of the road is where we need to get to.” The Oracle spoke in her mind, pulling her attention from the festivities on the street below. Kyla shook her head and looked to where the Oracle said. She gasped, taking in the sight. A giant black castle as cliché as any vampire, stood out against the dark night with every window lit with candle flame and turrets all over the roof with iron spikes. Kyla blew out a breath.

  “That’s impressive.” She whispered. The Oracle agreed.

  ‘Impressive but a bitch to infiltrate. We have to get there. I don’t know if you can feel the pull like I can since technically I am getting this vision and projecting to you, but can you smell it? It’s Byron’s scent.” The Oracle said before grinning with a glare at the castle on the hill parallel to them. They only had to get through an entire town of Vampires who were wide awake, and intoxicated.

  “We have to come back.” Kyla decided. Oracle growled.

  ‘I’m going to regret asking this, but why?’ Oracle asked, expecting a human answer. Except Kyla wasn’t thinking like a human at that moment. She was determined to get Byron and didn’t want to blow their chance by going in using a vision, where the Oracle was weak from giving her the vision and Kyla herself could feel every ache and pain from the residue of the poison. At least while they weren’t in a vision, they were together and not battling separate weaknesses.

  ‘Okay, okay. I get it. We need to go in guns blazing and can’t do that in the vision.’ The Oracle admitted as she heard Kyla’s thoughts. Kyla narrowed her eyes at the castle, standing by the tree on top of the hill.

  “We’ll bring Zarek and the centaurs here. Before he runs again. We’ll use the tunnels. The entrance is somewhere in that warehouse. I’m almost certain of it. No way he just disappeared” Kyla ground out, her anger spiking at the fact that Byron wasn’t right there to take it out on.

  ‘We have to get back. They’ll have us back in the camper by now. The goblins would’ve seen us out, which means they know we are having a vision and may react or move Byron.’ Oracle advised. Kyla nodded, taking one last longing glance at the castle.

  “See you soon, Byron.” She growled then closed her eyes just as the Oracle pulled them out together.

  Kyla gasped awake, unsurprisingly back on the bed of the camper. She leaped from the bed, racing out to the middle of the camper where she knew Zarek and Wyatt would be around the table.

  “He’s with the vampires. Byron. I have his scent and the vision took me to Succo. The vampire area.” Kyla burst out, hands pressing down on the table in front of them. Wyatt jumped as Zarek cursed under his breath.

  “We’ll go there once the reports are finished. We’re going to the bottom of the hill now, where we have to stay overnight at the goblin’s hotel. I’ll inspect it in the morning, and we’ll head straight to the vampires from there.” Zarek tried but Kyla already knew he was going to protest and had her answer waiting.

  “Geroff was in the warehouse. He was decomposing in a
box in that warehouse, waiting to be found. They know what I did Zarek. We have to get Byron before they use it against me, and I lose my chance.” Kyla argued. Zarek’s eyes widened. He glanced out the window to the running centaurs then back to her.

  “You lied to Shemar?” He assumed. Kyla nodded. Zarek rubbed his hands over his face. “Centaurs can tell when they’re being lied to. He knows you found something. Which means he knows it was something that’ll be very dangerous for him to know and put him in a compromising position. Damn he’s loyal.” Zarek thought out loud. Kyla bit her lip, having already guessed Shemar knew she was lying.

  “We have to leave Zarek.” Kyla reminded. Zarek let out a sigh.

  “I wish we could. But with everything that has happened, I know we can’t. There’s no way I can leave in the middle of reports without them using their leverage. We have no choice Kyla; we have to stay until this is finished.” Zarek realised sombrely. He looked just as pissed about the fact as she felt, but it didn’t stop her from voicing her thoughts on the matter.

  “That’s bullshit, Zarek. We have a lead finally, which is what we came for. That warehouse has an entrance to the tunnels. If we can find it, we’ll get to the vamps’ area in no time, arrest Byron and then you can finish your damn reports.” Kyla snapped. Zarek’s hand smacked down on the table as he stood, leaning across the table to face Kyla, her eyes clashing with his as their wills collided.

  “If, Kyla! If we find it, isn’t good enough! We need proof of these tunnels, not just your word to do an additional investigation. I can’t risk everything on something that we might not even find. We can find another lead, go to the vamps tomorrow. By then you’ll have the ash and be able to get your way at full strength, okay? That’s the best I can do.” he growled back, his tone softening slowly. Kyla pursed her lips, looking into his electric blues for any sign of caving to her demands. There was none. She pulled away, turning away from him with hot, angry tears in her eyes. She blinked them back then turned to him.