“How did I get tricked into this?” I wonder aloud. “No, seriously. How did I ever think this was a good idea?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6zreybb1S
Klef shushes me. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEM7oCOUxF
The Crusader’s base is in sight, and I’m having more than a few second thoughts about this whole experience. “Have you ever seen me try to speak in public?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEt3M7baQhr
“Yes. But this isn’t in public,” Klef reasons.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Sa5W3qyiM
“I’m with Klef on this one, Reese, have some self confidence!” Geo adds.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKpcFaVBpS
As we’re walking toward the Crusader’s base, Flo walks out with a werewolf who I’m assuming is her mate. They have flowers in their short cropped hair but despite the typically “feminine” accessory has a somewhat-masculine build. Both of them walk out to greet us. “Oh, so nice to see you three! Geo, Iri, and...sorry, was it Klept?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1kLr7DfnW
“Klef, nice to meet you,” Klef says, shaking Flo’s hand. “I understand you’re the one who helped me when I had food poisoning 5 years ago. Thank you for that.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAL6GIEn5Qf
Flo smiles, bashful. “I really wasn’t that good at finding anything to help you, but you’re welcome regardless.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ytKnlXzbp
The other werewolf clears their throat. “Am I invisible, or something?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyFBW871ki
“Oh! Sorry, Rythe! Everyone, this is Rythe, my mate,” Flo says with a blush.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWSo4c2tjM
Rythe shakes Klef and Geo’s hands, and then comes to me, examining my eyes. “And you must be the Oracle I’m hearing so much about!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcbUHvw0xV
I nod. “I’m Rides. Nice to meet you.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerFAOp3twP
Rythe bows. “It’s an honor, my lady.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBbYcCXGBC
I blush and Flo whacks Rythe upside the head. “Stop, you, you’re embarrassing her!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe678WWCkQo
Rythe grins. “But that’s what you love about me! And clearly she doesn’t see herself as some sort of royalty!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrweQeLdjQg
Flo mutters in a low voice, “She’s the Alpha’s daughter.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhb1HK0gv6l
Rythe straightens. “You mean the Alpha of a rival pack or The Alpha?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKOPxkY6aF
“Try the second one,” Flo mutters, embarrassed on his behalf.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qwT6jSG4W
“Oh.” Rythe salutes me. “Terribly sorry, ma’am.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlfZx48KZD
“That’s not necessary, Rythe,” I laugh. “I’m perfectly fine with being called Rides, or even Iri, if my dad insists on calling me that all the time.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiGFN1CyYF
Rythe nods stiffly, setting the flower crown close to the brink of desruction, and leads us inside.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoFGvfhhjI
“Guy or girl?” Klef whispers to Geo.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWdrxLaYU4
“I...don’t know? Guy, I think?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83As43nN55
“No, I’d say girl,” Klef muses.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjWMLlsu5d
“What are you guys talking about?” I mutter.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWyhmC0GL0
“Rythe. Guy or girl, do you think?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWamHinZfg
“Um…” I have to think about my answer. “Maybe they’re neither…”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2E9eJVQ3L
“Neither? Is that possible?” Klef asks.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4HeFTO281
“It would make sense,” Geo reasons.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bItoFS62w
“I’m going to stick to using first names around those two,” I say, holding to the werewolf couple holding hands. “Just to stay in the clear.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvSnVzImhi
“Right, because the natural neutral pronouns are it/its, but that can be seen as degrading nowadays,” Geo says.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFwxSsqxaU
“It is grammatically correct, though,” Klef points out.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjawtt2421x
“I guess you have a point, but would you be okay with being called an ‘it’?” I counter.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcerVEYgar
“What are you guys talking about?” Flo asks.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67i1vGSUez
“Nothing much,” Geo says. “Just things back at our branch, you know?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcbHOOoNG2
Rythe coughs and mutters, “They/them,” and I grin at Klef and Geo.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVjwRYI7VA
Flo ushers us into a giant room filled with desks where people are talking on phones, documenting things with pictures and surrounding a map, adjusting plastic pieces and discussing strategy. There are many species I recognize and some I don’t. This speech is not going to be easy.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQIxJESo0u
Rythe clears their throat. “Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else, allow me to present Rides, the Oracle who will be informing us on her dreams!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYQ9vlYmf2
The room goes silent and every eye is on me as I take a deep breath. “Well...first of all, thanks for paying attention, I know a large room full of people who wouldn’t be willing to do that. Second of all,” I look around the room. “Why are you guys paying attention?! I have no clue what I’m doing, and I’m willing to bet every other person in this room has a better idea about how to handle this problem than I do. I am young, inexperienced, and I have recurring nightmares, so I don’t get a lot of sleep to think clearly.” Everyone looks at one another, shifting and murmuring. “My point being,” I yell over the murmuring, and everything goes dead silent again, “That no matter what you think of me, I’m like anyone else. I have my strengths and my weaknesses, just as everyone else in this room has to deal with. I’m not some super-impressive goddess who can do anything I want. I’m weak at almost everything here. I’m just Rides, the girl who dunked her boyfriend in ice cold water to try and help speed up his molting. But you need information, and fortunately, that’s one of my strengths.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4o8Ddb6dL
“All of my dreams are pretty much the same. I’m being led to some machine of mass destruction by someone--I don’t know who. I’m on some island, or place surrounded by water, at least. There’s mermaids, fairies, zombies, ghosts, you name a species, it’s probably there, except there are never any humans. When I’m strapped to it something happens and it takes my Sight. It revs up and Klef is asking whoever the leader is why they’re doing this. To summarize, they say it’s to ‘destroy all humans’.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLsTPxYfv3
Everyone shifts around, suddenly on edge. “And?!” a wizard with pitch black hair shouts.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI30zFCenx1
“And that’s it. I can say it’s more likely that we’re on an island than a continent, and there aren’t as many islands in this world to check out…” I say.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjgZXnnVth
“That we know of!” a gorgon yells. “We could be on a wild goose chase, lass!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBq3fHNtokr
Klef bristles next to me and I hold him back with a hand. “You called me here,” I explain, “You wanted to know what I knew. There you have it.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdemLqV8sEy
The wizard who yelled out comes up to me. “Yeah, but we were expecting…”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm21RJIywaO
“More?” I supply. “Yeah, a lot of people do. Be glad I have that much, though. This is coming from 5 years of dreams.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3B7Xt9kK8
“Okay. I’m Ama. A necromancer,” she introduces. “I’m going to be guarding you three for your stay.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyRSTH1KNM
“Make that the two of them,” Geo corrects. “I’m no one.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHykM3fbDH
I start to protest but Ama cuts me off. “He has a good point, Oracle. You and your partner are the highest priority here. The less people to protect, the safer you’ll be.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpxAx9Aqlk
The room is still silent, everyone anticipating my reply. “Excuse me,” I gasp, making a beeline for the room’s exit.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCCSSl111t
I wander the halls, looking for a restroom. I know I’m about to be sick. I heave in the middle of the hallway and shudder as nothing comes up but a little bile. I was too nervous to eat lunch earlier, but now I’m glad I insisted that I wasn’t hungry. After a few more dry heaves, I slide down the colorless wall to the right of me to the ground. Now that I’ve stopped puking, all I really want to do is cry. I’m really not important. They just need my gift, and anyone could get that. To say others’ lives, their family and friends, my family and friends, are nothing next to me...it has to be utterly ridiculous. There’s no way. I no more important than anyone else. No one should die on my behalf.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBLmT6j4Jc
Footsteps come up to my back. Two pairs. “Ride?” Klef asks. “You okay?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYv0tH1akt8
I shake my head and close my eyes, resting my side against the wall. “Sick,” I mutter.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS45rT1d0q3
“I’m sorry if I upset you, but you need to get it into your head that you’re special,” Ama states.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsUcZB5tWx
“You don’t seem to be the type to be a necromancer,” I say. “Since you seem to care about people and their health so much.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXV3GTvQ22F
Ama laughs. “You haven’t seen me mad.” I turn to get a good look at her. She does have a black air about her, but it’s small and watery at the moment. She has black ringlets that go below her shoulders and clear, milky skin. She also has one green and one blue eye. She notices me looking at her eyes and grins. “Yeah, I have the Sight too. It makes my magic strong enough to animate corpses. Wanna see?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBEaxRhjJG
“S-sure.” I stumble on the word, because what is the correct response to someone volunteering to reanimate a corpse for you?996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilGk7nqZgY
Ama mutters something and a tiny skeleton of a rabbit forms out of bones in a pocket Ama has on her clothes. “I like bunnies,” Ama explains. “Once I made an entire fluffle of skeleton bunnies follow me.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9yuYKxdPZ
“Definitely not someone I’d call a necromancer,” Klef mutters.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHL2bHdUPeB
I still don’t turn enough to see him properly. Ama shifts so she can face me fully. “Pet the bun,” she instructs.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1eKCvdxWZ
My hand reaches for the bunny with hesitation and it lifts its head up to meet my fingers, relishing every single stroke. I smile, and Ama smiles at me. The bunny falls into a pile of bones and Ama shakily returns the bones to her pockets. “Always drains me,” she admits.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSO9K18NaOQ
I put a hand on her shoulder. “But you’re great at it.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyG9OfiJ7tX
Ama grins, a blush creeping over her from ear to ear as she stands up. “Come on. Everyone is waiting for you, to make sure you’re all right.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2h6FnJpjxM
I stand up, my muscles screaming at me every inch. My legs shake and my head is spinning as I finally look at Klef. His face is etched in concern and he takes the few slow steps to me as if he’s walking across a minefield. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and says, “You look like you’re about to keel over. Let me help.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8abWH8zaef
“I’m fine,” I mutter as I lean against his shoulder.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxrZoQbYMB
“Of course you are, you’re great,” he snarks as he leads me back the way we came. “That’s why you puked and collapsed.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwg1RYlzcoy
I scoff. “Shut up, bird brain.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpysuOMnp4
“Make me, pointy ears!” Klef challenged.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEHXClX36C
Ama looked between us. “You two are so dating.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvMCNHMN1O
“No we’re not!” we deny at the same time.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0WeWqB0xu
Ama laughs. “So dating.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTWXB7tiEY
“Well don’t say anything. We want to keep it on the DL, if it’s possible,” Klef requested.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANIToFFsZt
“Seriously? I’m willing to bet half the people here have started a pool on your relationship status!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbntcGPJrgK
I groan. “Great. Just what I need. First I’m more important than others, and now I’m going to be seen as a desperate lovestruck teenager.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrrTiA88Oo
Klef raises an eyebrow at me. “Is that how you see yourself?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtEgZAH7Yw
I shrug. “Well, people mix up you and I a lot.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjdNaOoDls
Klef lightly punches me. “There’s the Ride I know and love.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzS8vZO8Tn
Ama sighs. “I ship it,” she murmurs.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LrtToB9gV
“There’s that word again!” I exclaim. “Why would people ‘ship’ us?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkoA4OGQCg
“It’s cute!” Ama defends.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqBfDBZ4Ci
“It’s weird!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrW1IWdMZ6E
“It’s true!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYm8psaGqY
“It’s really really funny,” Klef interjects.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWWC9pKMD8
I elbow him. “It is not,” I sigh.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4ea7WvGjK
Klef grins.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVV0gJb5xt
“It’s not funny!” I exclaim.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXHd5Mnbi0
“Whatever you say, Ride. Whatever you say,” Klef laughs.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgY0ZEyfR7P
Rythe and Flo come into view outside the conference room. “You okay?” Rythe asks.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmh9IbXvgWh
I nod. Klef lets go of me and I nearly topple over. “Do you mind?” I growl.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTkI1AiaCs
He grins. “We’ll get you something to sit on until you feel better,” he assures.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6jrruTbZ9
I mimic him. He punches me, nearly sending me careening into a wall. Rythe picks me up. “I can take you to a wheelchair, don’t worry,” they say.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY6MU5WIsI
I’m carried to a wheelchair next to a table with a globe on it. Little red flags litter the globe. “What are those flags for?” I ask.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5Yhouil9J
“Those are possible places your dreams could have taken place. Now, the list has decreased significantly with your information,” Rythe pulled out land-based flags. “Because you said you were on a peninsula or an island. Now, in addition to the Islands of the Mermaids, there are a bunch of unmapped islands all around the globe. And there’s on in the middle of a lake in the Untamed Lands that’s suspicious.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYF5xFYryaw
I nod. “Are we sending people to check out the most probable places?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQVGyj2Bpd
“Yeah, and we’re sending you and Klef to some of the less likely ones, to deal with the messages somewhere safe.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXiFpGDHna
“Okay, I guess…I’d rather be out looking, though.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbx0f3dho2r
“It’s for the best you don’t,” a pale human with freckles says. “Hibiscus A, they/them. Has a mild obsession with dragons.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zQswLNRoc
I smile. “Rides. My dad wants me to go by Iri. I’m old fashioned, I don’t like using my full name.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡec2qSP24qr
Hibiscus A nodded. “I got you. Completely got you. Nice to make your acquaintance, Rides.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbInr9sbyZ
“Likewise.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeCGtix5VY
Klef walks in, followed by my dad. “Still hanging around this scum, Iri?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxD8w4kVCl
I laugh. “Hi, dad.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnwwL0mNai
Klef looks offended. “What am I?”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxr6fRlVev
“Chopped liver,” I respond.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSXTqiPpkY
Dad laughs. “Nice one!”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbWraCH2wi
Klef holds a hand to his heart. “You wound me, Ride. You wound me.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SvFbfFeBZ
“Good. I was trying to.”996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOO8SzwNxs
Hibiscus A coughed. “Ship it,” they mutter.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20c1lV7Ooz
I throw my hands up. “I’m done with this!” I sigh.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeitCgKgRDu
Everyone laughs. “You think I’m joking?” I ask, standing up shakily. “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” I exclaim, waving.996Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNqdzJ4Mtu
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