The storm had arrived the night before. It was the day that all the dragons would be arriving for the negotiations. It had been three days since the Queen’s body guard had personally requested Oracle's attendance, and she had accepted without hesitation. She wished that she felt as confident as she had seemed then.
Lightning streaked across the sky, and not three seconds passed before the drum of thunder echoed across the landscape. She was sitting inside the queen’s treehouse, watching the skyline for the guests to arrive. Queen Glory herself sat a few feet behind her. Oracle looked over her shoulder, and saw the queen discussing something with her body guard. They spoke in hushed tones that Oracle couldn’t make out, and they both looked rather concerned. Suddenly the queen glanced upward, and Oracle turned back to the storm outside.
Oracle was so very tempted to peek into the future, and try and see if there was anything to be concerned about, but she resisted. Oracle knew what would happen if tried, just like the last hundred times. She would open her mind to the pathways, then be instantly bombarded with darkness, despair and suffering. The visions had grown stronger. Not only did they linger on her mind day and night, but now just trying to use her foresight came with the risk of Oracle seeing what she might become. A monster to her own tribe and family.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere a bright pink Rainwing materialized at the doorway and hailed the queen, “Queen Glory, we have spotted two Icewings flying from the North-Western border.” The Rainwing proclaimed. Oracle didn’t think she imagined the hint of pride that lite him up when he had spoken the correct location. She heard the queen’s voice, “Good. Make sure that they are escorted to where they will be staying. I don’t want our Icewing guests getting lost in this storm. And do not stop to show them any interesting trees, or offer a tour!” she called as the Rainwing took off, and quickly disappeared into the storm.
Oracle scanned the clouds for the two dragons. It was nearly impossible to make anything out in such weather, but then lightning briefly flashed across the sky, and Oracle could catch a glimpse of three dragon-shaped silhouettes battling their way through the storm. Then the tempest swallowed them up again, and Oracle lost sight of them.
She was about to turn in for the night, and try and get some rest before tomorrow’s efforts, but something didn’t feel quite right. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her that something was not how it was supposed to be. She looked around for any sign of what might be causing her senses to be uneasy. The queen was fine, with her body guard sitting next to her. The lightning was too far off to cause any real damage to anyone nearby. So what was it? The feeling was humming in her brain now, radiating wrongness. She shook her head in frustration. What was wrong?! Oracle was then aware of talons at her back.
“Oracle, are you alright?” The queen’s concerned voice said, above the humming and the drum of rain. Oracle looked up, and saw the Rainwing standing above her, brows furrowed in obvious worry. Oracle shook her head, which was a mistake considering the humming simply intensified. She tried to manage a smile, but the queen didn’t fall for it. “Oracle, tell me what is bothering you.” She ordered gently.
“Something’s- something is wrong. I… I don’t know what… but it- it's bad.” Oracle doubled over as the humming spiked. She was starting to get very, very tired of these sudden pains and visions.
The queen pondered this for a moment, then she seemed to make up her mind, “Deathbringer.” She snapped, and a second later the queens body guard came up next to her, “I’m going with Oracle to see what’s wrong. Make sure everything is taken care of, and the Icewings made it to their rooms.” The queen got about a half a step forward before Deathbringer grabbed the queens wrist and pulled her back to face him.
“Are you mad? No way am I letting you go out in that storm, especially not without me.”
The queen sighed in exasperation, “Talons and teeth, I swear you are even more difficult than Tsunami at times. If I don’t go, who will?” She gestured at the empty room to exaggerate her point.
Deathbringer just glared at her, “Do you really think my job is just to sit around and look menacing (as good at that as I am)? I’m taking her, you check on the Icewings. I trust you to not get kidnaped or murdered while I am busy.”
Oracle suspected that they would have continued this argument until the sun rose, and the sky cleared, but she was still experiencing the vibrations in her skull, and they were getting worse by the minute. She ground her teeth and grimaced in pain. Deathbringer and the queen seemed to realize that she was there. The two of them helped Oracle to her feet, and went to the exit together.
Once the three of them were almost outside, Deathbringer shouldered Oracles weight, and gave the queen a look that Oracle couldn’t entirely decipher. The Rainwing queen only hesitated a second before taking off into the rain. After she was completely out of view Deathbringer turned to Oracle. “Think you can fly?” Oracle grunted in reply, and they both lifted into the sky. Oracle would have blown over if Deathbringer hadn’t grabbed onto her arm to help her stabilize. She hadn’t anticipated flying to be so difficult when her mind was so occupied.
“You’d better stay close to me.” She heard him call over the wind. “Do you know where we are headed?” Oracle tried to orient herself, and simultaneously concentrate on where the humming was in her brain. She was aware now that the vibrating was concentrating more to the right side of her head, and before she knew it she was fighting against the storm again, following her humming compass. Whatever she needed to do, it needed to happen now.
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The Dark Oracle