The Death Prophecy (The Oracle Series Book 2)

by N. J. Cooper

  Kyla and Zarek did the same then sat down and enjoyed the meal, glossing over subjects to keep the conversations going but the whole time Kyla was speaking with the Oracle in the back of her mind, using her thoughts to communicate and go over how they were going to get from the hotel, that was surely being watched by the goblins and the centaurs, then over to the warehouse and back up the mountain. Then she had to find the hatch, remember which aisle she had found Geroff in and get through the tunnels to the vampires. Get to Byron in the castle. It had sounded so easy before, the simple task of getting Byron had seemed possible, but thinking through the stages and breaking them down, made them sound the opposite. She finished her meal in silence, barely contributing to the banter between Zarek and Wyatt. The centaurs were easy to avoid in the fact there was a window right behind her that she could climb out. Not waking anyone was the precipice that her task rested on though and the hope that no one was watching. She was still churning through ideas when it was time to go to sleep. She had showered and dressed in an oversized t-shirt that would be easy to slip pants under when it was time to sneak out and remain inconspicuous to go to bed in, and she still had nothing. Her heart began racing at how out of her depth she was. Zarek replaced her in the bathroom, saying nothing as he brushed passed her, shutting the door behind him. Kyla went over to her hammock, climbing into the moss. She sighed at the softness, gasping as Wyatt’s grinning face appeared above her.

  “Don’t tell me, your entire escape plan rested on the whole ‘sneak out while they’re sleeping’ cliché?” Wyatt teased. The Oracle snickered an ‘I told you so’ as Kyla sat up and hushed him.

  “Maybe. So, what if I did?” Kyla snapped, annoyed that she had been called out before her plan had begun. Wyatt laughed. That’s when she saw his black clothes, not the pyjamas he had been in. She frowned.

  “That is exactly what Zarek expects you to do. He’s going to stay awake waiting for you to attempt it and catch you. Luckily, I knew you were going to try something like this and thought ahead. C’mon we’re going now.” He grinned. Kyla climbed out of the hammock, sliding some leggings on with boots, pushing her athame back into its spot against her leg. She looked over at Wyatt.

  “What about the centaurs?” She questioned, her eyes darting to the door wondering if Orion could feel the beating of her heart as much as she could at that moment. Wyatt threw her coat at her before walking over to the bathroom door. He pressed his ear against it, presumably checking the water of the shower was still running before moving to the main door to the room.

  “Before I closed the window earlier, I grabbed some of the water from the fall. Now to touch it, is calming but to drink it? It’s euphoric. I may have slipped some in the centaur’s drinks when I was out there earlier talking to them. They were expecting you to try something, which meant they weren’t seeing me at all. Now they are in a rather dream-like state and we are going slip right passed them. And if all goes to plan, the goblins will be guarding outside your window expecting you to escape there which I assume was your plan, but we are going out the front door.” He grinned proudly. Kyla smirked at him.

  “Alright Houdini let’s get this done.” Kyla said. He chuckled then open the door. She followed him out onto the landing, her breath caught in her throat waiting for Orion’s booming voice to ask where they were going, but there was nothing. They stood beside the door, staring up at the ceiling, both of them muttering something inaudible. Kyla chuckled following Wyatt down the stairs. Kyla pulled her beanie from her coat pocket, remembering the cold outside. She pulled her hair into it, then did her coat up, following Wyatt with quick steps. Wyatt slowed as they got closer to the lobby. He peered around the banister of the concrete steps. He looked back at her, pressing a finger to his lips. She nodded in understanding then followed his quick, quiet steps to hide behind the archway. It was a small gap between the arch that they hid behind and the next one but Harlin was still at the desk in between. Wyatt leaned his head back against the wall.

  “Damn. Was hoping she had left by now. Alright we’re up to the improvising part. The goblins are guarding the side of the hotel with our window. On the opposite side there is a thick tree branch that almost touches the hotel. I think we can climb the vines and reach it.” Wyatt whispered.

  “You think?” Kyla demanded in a hushed voice.

  “Yeah, c’mon.” He smirked, moving quickly to hide behind the archway further down the hall. Kyla frowned, looking over at the exit and the opposite direction he had gone to it. He peered around then urged her over. She ran quickly, pressing her body flat against the pillar of the arch, clenching her eyes shut, waiting for the retaliation. When nothing happened, she risked opening her eyes again. Wyatt raised an eyebrow with a teasing grin. He looked over to the next arch down. “We need to get to that one. Then we’ll be behind the desk and should be able to cut across the lobby with less risk of being seen.” He revealed quietly. Kyla looked over to where they were parallel with the desk and Harlin. Kyla spun back, taking a deep breath, her blood pumping so fast she was sure it would start leaking soon. Wyatt grabbed her hand, glancing over at the desk, he was about to step out, over to the next arch when a door clicked shut and footsteps padded down the stairs. Kyla’s eyes widened as they both looked down to the bottom of the staircase, then back at each other. It was dark enough that they blended somewhat into the shadows that played up the pillars of the arches but if a goblin looked over, she knew for sure they would recognize their faces and the guilt that was written over hers. She only managed to see the foot of the goblin coming down the stairs, move out into the hall they were hiding in, when Wyatt pressed her body against the wall, grabbed the sides of her face and crushed his lips on hers. Kyla blinked in surprise, before his lips softened hers into the kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed as her hand gripped the back of his neck. Wyatt pushed his body into hers, deepening the kiss, his arm pulling her waist against him. Her other hand fell on his chest, gripping his jumper in her fist as she kissed him back, heat spreading slowly through her veins. Suddenly he pulled back, his forehead resting on hers as they caught their breaths. Without his persuasive lips on hers, Kyla realised what they had just done. She pushed his smirking face away.

  “What the hell was that?” She demanded, as hushed as she could manage. He moved forward and covered her mouth with his hand. He held his finger to his lips then pointed to the desk. The goblin had bypassed them completely and was animatedly talking to Harlin.

  “Us pressed together meant we fit in the shadows better and he couldn’t see our faces. If he had caught us, we had the excuse of needing some alone time, as we are sharing a room,” He shrugged, then looked over her frowning face, his smirk faltering, “Sorry, if that wasn’t okay, it was all I could think to do in the short amount of time we had to come up with something. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He apologized and by the softening of his features, she could tell he was genuine. Kyla smiled lightly.

  “It’s okay. Just don’t do it again.” She reprimanded slightly. He nodded, his smile returning.

  “Noted. C’mon we have to hurry up or the centaurs will come back to normal and we’ll be screwed. We have to go now while their distracted.” Wyatt said, grabbing her hand and dashing to the next archway pillar that was opposite the side exit they needed, on the other side of the lobby. Kyla took a deep breath, looking over at the distracted goblins. All it would take to be caught was Harlin turning around, or her companion looking away from her. Risky, yet the reward was worth it. Wyatt looked at her, the door then the desk. Then he ran, hunched down across the space behind the desk to the other side. So close, now it was her turn. She shook out her palms looked over the same places Wyatt had, then ran in the same covert fashion he had, landing hard against him as she was too scared to stop. He caught her, holding her tight before breathing heavy with her. They waited against the small pillar, making sure they hadn’t been seen, but the goblins were still chattering away to each other in their nasal voices
. Kyla let out a breath then looked to Wyatt for direction.

  “Phase 2.” he whispered. Kyla nodded.

  “Remind me again what that is?” She asked. He leaned over, looking out the small half wooden gate to see the outer of the building. He snapped his body back in.

  “Okay, I can see the branch. It should hold. Once we’re in the trees, we can follow the branches up there, right through to the giant’s area, which isn’t far. Then we run, using every bit of speed we have, got it?” He checked. Kyla nodded. That she knew she could do.

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  ~ 16 ~

  They climbed over the gate, their exit hidden by the pillar then moved along the bottom of the building, their backs against the vines until the branch they needed was directly above. It was a lot higher than she had expected. Kyla looked over the bushes and forest that lay in front of them.

  “Why aren’t we just using speed or any kind of magic we can at this point? My heart is going to explode.” Kyla questioned. He turned and latched his hands into the vines, his feet finding a gripping point before he looked over at her.

  “Because you are the Oracle and if you use those powers anywhere, you are going to stand out. Your aura goes all bright and blinding when you touch into that. We’re trying to avoid being seen for as long as we can if possible.” He winked before climbing up the vines easily. Kyla sighed then followed him up. When they finally got to the branch, Kyla was the first to notice that it was a lot thinner at the end than he had thought.

  “How in the hell am I meant to climb onto that?” Kyla hissed through the darkness. He was about to answer when there was a commotion below. They both gasped, gluing their bodies as close to the building as they could, hoping the shadows disguised them enough. Kyla looked down, her eyes straining in the dark. As long as none of them looked up, they would get away with it.

  “Anything?” One of the goblins asked. She recognised the one he was talking to as Julian.

  “No, which is strange. I was sure once they went to ‘sleep’ that the Oracle was going to try something. Sneak out or snoop but they turned the lights out a few minutes ago and nothing.” Julian squeaked. Kyla raised her eyebrows. Zarek had gone to bed, despite them not being there. He obviously knew what they were doing. She just hoped they could get Byron or be back in time to make sure he didn’t get in trouble for them leaving.

  “Give it time, she’ll have to wait until the Prince is asleep. I doubt she would involve him; the repercussions are too strong.” The other goblin advised. Julian shrugged.

  “Hmm. We need to be ready for her when she leaves. Call everyone to the East side. I want plenty of witnesses to her law breaking. That way they have no choice but to get rid of her.” Julian bit, walking away with the other goblin. Kyla let out a breath she had been holding and rested her head against the cold concrete. Her hands and arms were getting sore from gripping so tightly and since she was already full of aching bones, the addition was completely unwelcome. She turned to Wyatt.

  “I’ll go first then.” She whispered, hearing the goblins comments about her, making her determined to take them down. Wyatt nodded in surprise.

  “Okay, try and jump to the thicker part and swing yourself up.” Wyatt instructed as Kyla edged closer. She nodded, before looking down preparing herself for the jump.

  “I’ll try.” She breathed.

  “And don’t fall.” He added. Kyla pinned him with a droll stare, his warning words redundant as the thought had been repeating in her head, the entire way up the side of the building. She took a deep breath in; set her gaze on the spot she needed her hands to land, then launched herself across the gap. She let her breath out in a whoosh as her fingers dug into the raw bark of the tree, her palms scraping against the harsh flakes of branch as she latched on. Kyla swung herself hard up onto the branch, scrambling to the main thick trunk that stood tall and strong in the middle. She rushed to it, hugging it tightly then looking back to see Wyatt, who had already jumped and pulled himself a lot more graciously onto the branch. He jumped to another branch then peered back.

  “Nice work, Oracle. But that was one of many. Are you coming?” He said indicating the long row of trees that stretched out in front of him. She nodded determinedly, imagining Byron in her mind. He was her focus. She couldn’t let him escape this time, that was why she was risking everything. Kyla followed Wyatt through the forest, branch after branch, getting quicker and quicker on the unsteady pieces of wood. Some were thin and required more concentration, but she was slowly getting the hang of it. Eventually her fear-induced stomach-ache began to subside and the idea of getting caught grew further from her mind, the further they got from the hotel. The mountains of the giants area were slightly more precarious. They climbed down from the last tree and hit the ground running. Kyla didn’t care whether they were being followed at this point, she was so close to getting to the warehouse. She kicked herself for listening to the rational part of herself in that vision. If she had known that Zarek was going to make her wait, she would’ve just taken Byron down in her vision. She appreciated Wyatt coming with her, but she would have eliminated the time it was taking to get there. Kyla tried not to think about the fact that Byron could have already left the castle, knowing she’d had a vision. She knew it didn’t matter though, she had to know for sure and at least try to get to him. They ran as blurs up the hill of Third Peak. Kyla’s eyes darted through the surroundings and as they grew closer to the warehouse, her instincts kicked in. She slowed, breaths heavy, urging Wyatt to slow as well. He looked at her then the darkness that seemed to close in around them.

  “What’s wrong? The warehouse is up further.” Wyatt pointed, wearing a confused frown on his soft face. His hair was tied back into a small bun at the back of his head, but the running had loosened tendrils, the wisps falling around his flushed face. His hand pushed back the pieces while the other went to his hip, waiting for a reason for her hesitation. She bit her lip and glanced around. She wasn’t sure herself. It was a feeling. Some kind of warming in her stomach that was warning her. Telling her she shouldn’t go further, that they would be caught if they did. Kyla looked in each direction, hoping for a sign as to what she was meant to do, instead a rustling caught her attention from behind them. Kyla yanked Wyatt behind the closest tree trunk.

  “Someone’s coming.” She whispered as they pressed their backs against the bark. Kyla waited and sure enough, a few seconds later the ground shook lightly with the heavy footsteps of a giants stride. Kyla checked the Oracle, who was waiting silently, watching everything at the doorway to control as usual. She couldn’t intervene or their aura would be detected which meant Kyla couldn’t hide their scents at all. If this giant got a whiff of them, they were done for. Kyla needed to see where the giant was and what direction they were heading. She turned her body into the tree, before slowly peeking around the side of it to catch sight of the giant. She grinned as she saw who it was. Kyla checked he was alone then went to walk out. Wyatt grabbed her wrist.

  “Kyla! What the hell are you doing?” Wyatt’s hushed voice demanded. She looked back at Wyatt.

  “It’s okay. I know him. He’s Elder Egen and Elder Ulga’s son.” Kyla winked before stepping out in front of Pogan. He stopped when he saw her, his eyes lightening in the dark as his smile widened across his chubby cheeks. His large body, that despite being that of a child was still much larger than her, held a plain, unmarked box in front of it. One of the ones from the warehouse. Kyla walked up to him, looking up with a smile.

  “Hey Pogan.” She smiled.

  “You’re still here! I kept our secret ya’ know. My Mama and Papa asked me lotsa questions though, but it’s our friends secret ae.” He grinned proudly, a blush moving over his cheeks. Kyla chuckled with a nod.

  “Well done Pogan. Thank you for your help earlier. I was wondering if you could help me again though?” She asked. Pogan nodded eagerly, setting the large box down to the side. Kyla smiled appreciatively.

&nbs
p; “I need to know what’s happening at the warehouse up on the peak. And where you’re taking the boxes?” Kyla asked. Pogan froze looking over at the box, then back at Kyla.

  “I’m not spose to tell anyone who doesn’t already know about the boxes.” Pogan fidgeted. Kyla stepped forward, placing her small, cold hand on his large pale arm.

  “Pogan, it’s our friends secret. Nobody will know that you told me, or that I asked you.” She reassured. He thought a moment longer then nodded.

  “Okay. Papa said something about the inspection being all done now. He says Uncle Byron needs our help and we gotta put the real boxes back in there” Pogan tried to whisper. Kyla raised her eyebrows.

  “And what is in the real boxes?” Kyla tried. He leaned in closer.

  “Lotsa stuff. Charms, magic wards, and a lot of souls. I don’t like those ones. Papa said I being a baby but they scary. They scream and cry all the time. It hurts my ear.” Pogan winced. Kyla patted his arm in an affectionate way, trying not to show the surprise on her face then looked over to the box, an idea coming to her mind. She couldn’t do anything about the souls, they had turned dark and if she released them, they would be free dark souls to do as they pleased and be in the same world as Sky but she was sure she could bind them for a tiny bit, at least harness the power of those souls once she was in the warehouse with them. Then Byron wouldn’t stand a chance.

  ‘You want to harness an unknown amount of dark power to get to Byron who was planning on giving them to Onyx to do the same thing to you? The souls will takeover, Kyla.’ The Oracle informed, using as little power as she could to get the message across, hoping it didn’t do anything to their aura. Kyla glanced around then sighed, looking back at Pogan.

  “Pogan, I’m sorry you hear those. I’m trying to get to your Uncle Byron, maybe I could ask him to stop their screaming? He can do that, they’re his.” Kyla offered. Pogan looked dumbfounded.