The Elf girl shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "They're going to end up killing him," she groaned to herself with a smirk. She walked over to the drunken fools and untied her son. She took a target arrow from her quiver and ran her fingers along the fletching with a smirk.
Gwen smiled, glancing at Zukiro. "Catchy phrase," she said to the wolf. "But it could be improved by mentioning the best is no match for the mother." She grabbed her bow and drew the arrow within a second. She winked at Zu with a smirk. "Want some real target practice, old man?"
Meanwhile, Aithusa landed back at his camp. He shifted to his human form and combed back his silver hair. "Commander," one of the officers said, riding over on a horse and dismounting. "Welcome back."
Aithusa nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Sergeant Dolgoff," Aithusa said, walking besides the human officer. "You have my apologies for Captain Perkhimote's and my own sudden departure. There was an emergency that required immediate attention."
"No apologies necessary, Commander," Sergeant Dolgoff said, shaking his head. Aithusa's long legs made it difficult for his human subordinates to keep pace with him, so the sergeant had to walk quickly to keep up with him. "We've gotten reports from all stations; no immediate threats. There was a slight disturbance in the Oracle's vision, but nothing we couldn't handle."
Aithusa stopped suddenly. "What kind of disturbance?"
"Sir, that's not -"
"Tell me what the oracle said, Sergeant!" Aithusa's voice was dripping with authority. When Celegwen was around, he let her take control of the situation because she thrived when in a position of power. When she wasn't around, the white dragon's true level of command came out.
The officer explained that the oracle spoke of an intense power. He told Aithusa that she spoke of a dangerous journey and a man with the wings of a dragon and a serpent larger than a ship. Aithusa nodded, knowing that the oracle was talking about Kiron.
He entered her tent and saw the oracle lying beside the fuming pot on the ground. Her amber hair having sticks and leaves all stuck through it. Her ragged clothing barely holding together. Her moonstone amulet around her neck, resting on the ground with several cracks through it. She opened her silver-white eyes, sensing the dragon's presence. "You told my sergeant some interesting stories," he said.
The oracle inhaled the fumes from the pot and laughed madly. "I tell many people many thingsss. You'll have to be m-more specific!"
Aithusa quickly slid over to her, grabbing his dagger from his boot and pressing it to her cheek. "You know what you have to do," he said. "Just tell us what we need to know, and we can let you go."
She held up her arms to show the iron shackles that were against her raw wrists. "A caged bird never sings."
"What did you say about my son?" Aithusa demanded.
Another laugh. She flopped to the ground, shaking violently for a few seconds. The oracle shot back up, inhaling the fumes once more.
"In a time not too far,
On a great wooden ship,
Hearing a message from a star,
The dragon boy will slip.
Into the sea,
Far from the land.
The boy will not flea,
Instead fight hand to hand.
A foolish mistake,
For he does not know well,
The sword he will take
Holds the fires of Hell.
The ending to spoil,
Is one thing I dread.
But when the seas start to boil,
The boy will be dead."
The oracle's eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed on the ground next to the pot. Aithusa's heart sped up rapidly, thinking about some mission Kiron probably didn't even know of yet. He couldn't even tell them what he knew. That's the first rule of knowing the future. If he speaks of what he knows, he just may be the cause of it. Once he bid the troops another temporary goodbye, Aithusa soared back to the forge with a troubled heart.