The Oracle Chronicles Book: One

His home had always felt like a place out of time. With new scars came new nightmares, more weight on her heart. Needing time herself, she found herself asking to be lead to his home. To get away from, well just to get away to cope. Sureounded and yet feeling more isolates than ever, the smell of the old leather bindings the ink and glue on these volumes was a welcome.

Alone, how silly for her to be thankful for that when all she wanted was to not be alone. Delicate scarred fingers gently skimmed the titles of the rows of books. She had been here for hours getting lost within these pages.

She took a step back her fingers hoveeing, had she felt a pulse resanating?! Bewildered, intrigued, she gently grasped the book, her other hand wiping dust from the cover. .

A smile small peaked at the corners of her lips as she curled up in her seat once again, drawing the blanket to her chest, she turned the hard cover to the first page...

A bright light shot from the book .....

With a light groan she pushed to sit up, the sharp pain in her ribs eased. Looking down she frowned puzzled at the book she had begun to read in Blazes library. Reaching for it she dusted it off, holding it close as if treasured. "What...just happened"

Aekros had been stalking a deer for miles, not wanting to lose the bet he had made with Lunaria, or Nar as he insisted they call him. Couldnt really blame, his parents had had their hearts set on a girl so had never bothered to pick a males name. The bet was to track down a buck, and then kill it with his belt knife. Which would have been easy, if he could use his mount. The large canine could have easily run down the beast. But Aekros had drunkenly agreed to do it on foot.

"I am going to make that bastard drink the bladder when I get back." The raider chief swore under his breath as he inched closer to his prey. Just a few more inches and he could leap onto it, wrestle it to the ground, and slit its throat. But, just before he could make his move, there was a near blinding flash of light. It blinded him, and spooked the beast who took off at a dead run into the thick undergrowth that led up into the mountains.

Swearing again, he turned from the fleeing animal tl look at the source of the flash, and stopped dead in his tracks, stunned. Sitting there in the middle of the woods, wrappes in a blanket, was a woman.

A rustling noise had her ears pivoting, her head turning towards the sound a split second before she dived to the ground rolling as a huge buck leaped and bounded over her, leaving huge grooves in the damp earth. Panting softly, she rolled into a crouched position, the blanket slipping down over her lycan ears.

A light mist began to fall from the heavens dampening what used to be long flowing Auburn locks, but now it barely reached her shoulders.

More concerned for the book she held, she used the blanket as a shield for it, not wanting it to get ruined. As the noise settled, she slowed her breathing and listened to her surroundings. They didn't look familiar and neither did some of the smells. Fear of being on her own in an unknown place almost crawled its way up but she squashed the feeling burying it deep. She had been on her own...before. She would be fine. First thing first, safety. Shelter. Food. Then she would find out where she was...

"Where in the seven hells did you come from?" Aekros said, less of an actual question and more a exclamation of confusion. "Not to mention you scared off the beast I had been tracking." He walked over to where there was a taller chunk of stump sticking up from the ground, and took a partial seat on it.
The woman did not particularly look like much, but that was one thing he had learned from his mother. Just because they are smaller than you, doesnt mean they cant pack one hell of a punch. But he did have to admit that she was quite pretty, maybe he would take her as one of his concubines, he needed a few of those since the surprise attack on their camp a few months ago had seen him lose the three that he had had. Though she did look almost on the taller side for a woman, seeming to only be a few inches shy of his, for this day and age, rather astounding and towering 6 feet.
He studied her with noticeably purple eyes, a rather distinguishing familial trait.
"Are you going to say anything, or just sit there like a bump on a log? Answer me!"

Letting out a small sigh of relief for getting out of the deers way just in time, she scanned the surrounding area and sensing what might be a threat, she straightened and turned towards the source. As it got closer, the shape turned into a male figure.

Hope swelled in hee breast, one of the guys was here, Blaze; Blade. As he neared, she thought it might be Blade aa the first thing she noticed was the eyes, but the smile that was forming, stopped, the male wasn't either of her friends. But..his eyes reminded her so much of Blade...but the male lacked in size, now that she looked him over.

Her frown grew more as the buzzing in her ear grew louder, her eyes moved to his curled lips as he yelled at her to answer him. Oh! He had been talking to her.

If had been one of her friends, the snarling male, caveman act would of made her smirk and perhaps giggle at the audacity of it, but he was not a friend..but she had been rude she supposed.

Smiling softly, "I'm sorry. I thought perhaps you were one of my friends..but.." She told him, it was as close to the truth without lying. She was a terrible lair, but hopefully if he has any ulterior motives, he would hopefully think twice since she mentioned she has friends...out there. She gave a light shrug with her right shoulder to finish her sentence without the actual words ("but you were not.")

There was nothing she could do about the deer, she hadn't asked the book to do whatever it was that it did and the deer was long gone.

"It isn't the same, but perhaps I could buy you a meal in town tomake up for the one I scared off..."

If he took her into town she could figure out where she is and get back home..

"Buy me a meal in town? Gods, you have no idea where you are, do you?  The nearest town, if you want to call it that, is a village those damn fish eaters set up." Aekros spat the words fish eaters, then added with a thumb over his shoulders.  "Over those mountains back there."  He gestured towards a range behind him, that had that air of being almost incorporeal with their distance.  "And the other side of this forest, is the Korathee expanse, a set of plains that," He looked her over, not leeringly, but calculating, probably the most intelligent look the woman had seen on his face yet, "No offense, but I doubt you would be able to make it across."

Looking around, trying to see any sign of how she had got here, besides magic, which was absurd.  She did not appear to be a sorceress, and she certainly was not a member of the Weavers, since they were all crotchety old men who would have a heart attack if a woman joined their number.  "So, how did you get here anyway?" He asked, looking back to her, his hand drifting to rest on the hilt of his sword, which was a sabre.

Realizing that her ears were showing, she shifted the blanket over her head, pinning them down. This also hid her lycan colored eyes as well. Luckily, there was not enough light to reflect in them for the stranger to see. Her arms tightened over the book, holding it close to her chest as the ends of the blanket was tucked in each hand, holding it closed around her as she stepped underneath a tree, its leaves helping catch the droplets of water.



At times it would seem that the waif of a female in front of him was aloof and ditzy, but Aleria played that role well, letting enemies think she was weak. It helped show her what type of person(s) she was dealing with. She although it seemed she was lost in thought, she was very much paying attention to the unknown male in front of her.



It wasn’t that she was afraid, but having learned from an early age not to trust anyone at face value. She paid attention to his movements, his eyes, and the tone of his voice. Listening; watching, for his body to give him away to his next move.



She didn’t miss that his accent and clothes were out of time, the saber on his hip, but she didn’t let that affect her any. She didn’t have any facts yet, and although inwardly she was frantic, her outer appearance was calm, collected, if not aloof of an innocent female.



The pack bonds were highly muted, at first she thought they were gone until she searched within and “saw” that they were whole. That meant her family was alive, somewhere, but from the muted affect, nowhere close. The area wasn’t familiar either, and the fact she was magically in a forest instead of in Blade’s home, well, that was enough to make anyone disheartened.



She wouldn’t acknowledge nor deny that she was lost so she kept her mouth shut not wanting to reveal any information to him until she knew what he was all about. As he spoke about the places around her, she couldn’t but frown at him. Some of the places he mentioned seemed somewhat familiar, but it was the names were lost in her memory. Had Blade mentioned something about those in his many tales? Honestly, everything he was saying was not making sense. The more he spoke, the more agitated she became, but Aleria was not one for getting upset. “What was wrong with fish,” she wondered to herself, her imagination conjuring up people sitting around the dinner table with platters of all kinds of yummy fish or of her and the others in the stream catching their dinner. She was really confused but allowed him to continue talking. As he talked about the plains her back straightened a bit, again she asked herself “Why? Was it because she was a woman?



She blinked at him with a small frown, then tucking a strand of sopping wet hair back behind her ear, tucking it under the soaked blanket, she gave him a soft smile, eyes glimmering with amusement, “Well anywhere would be nice to get out of this weather, wouldn’t you agree?” Seeing him rest his hand on his saber, she smiled just a fraction more. So, would he attack then? Hearing his question of how it was she came to be here, her cunningness kicked in. Truthfully, she wasn’t in the same spot she had started in, tilting her head a fraction, “I walked, here.” Meaning, she walked to this exact spot, where she now stood. It wasn’t a lie and she could live with that. If he was Other like her, he would be able to tell that she wasn’t lying, her words where genuine and true.



They had been out for sometime now...



“ I believe introductions are in order and being the gentleman that you are,” she says with a slight pause as she looks at his hand on his Saber and arches a finely manicured brow, “should treat me to a hot meal for having me standing out here so long.” Her words were light and friendly and she didn’t have to act to show him just how soaked she was and there was a chill in the air. She was glad that the Nova suit she wore was a dark blue, otherwise this guy would be getting a show.

"I walked here." The words had a ringing air of truth to them, but, as he cast his eyes around the area, the lack of sign argued to the contrary.
"If you had walked here, which I doubt, you would, for a start, know that we are effectively in the middle of nowhere outlands. No rules, no laws, no towns, just the free roaming nature of the Xenora, in stark contrast to those stale bookish Silarnan lizards to the north." He paused, why had he phrased it that way? Those damn lizards didnt deserve to be called their self given name.

"And no, I dont say that because your a woman." He stated flatly as he saw her posture shift at his remark about the expanse. "Its because your on foot, have no supplies, and seem to have no idea where you are."

The rain continued to beat down, sliding off of his leathers, slicking down his white, but not with age, hair even further though it is drawn back into a braided ponytail. "This?" He chuckled, looking around, "This is nothing, and as my men would say, I am by no means a gentleman. But, my mother, may the gods grant her eternal paradise, raised me to treat women as i would men. Theres a cave over this direction." He said, leading her to the dark opening in the side of a rock face.

It seemed he had her pegged as he brushed off her words that she had walked here. She gave an aw shucks looked and smiled, "can't get anything passed you I see".

As he began to lead her towards the cave, she was glad this male had a momma to teach him that everyone was equal but even so she still didn't trust him at all. Maybe he was leading her to a trap...but she didn't really have much of a choice because as he clearly knew she was completely lost.

Lizard people? That would be something to see, in all my travels I don't think I've come across them. Vampires and lycans, yes.

Oh, I see, well I seem to get by okay. Weapons or no weapons.

As they neared the cave, she sent out "feeler" waves of energy to see if anything was inside. Finding nothing but a few crickets and other bugs, she went in first before he had time to say or do anything. The cave was dark and earthy. Setting the blanket to the side and propping the large volume up she wrung out her hair, goose bumps already across her arms.

Holding her left hand out palm facing up, she created an energy ball as a light and heat source. Cave aluminated, she looked to see if there was anything to start a fire. Seeing some sticks she gathered them up as best she could and headed towards the entrance to start it sp the smoke could go out of the cave.

Using the energy ball, she caught the sticks on fire that she had stacked like a teepee, she grabbed Blades book so that it too could dry. Hearing him enter she looked at him with amusement.