“How did I get tricked into this?” I wonder aloud. “No, seriously. How did I ever think this was a good idea?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1OAZDNu9i
Klef shushes me. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxH8hBHnOC2
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?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThR4HGA4OR
“Yes. But this isn’t in public,” Klef reasons.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWsEk066Q5
“I’m with Klef on this one, Reese, have some self confidence!” Geo adds.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqqZcLEOfi
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?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtf6vYfePqQ
“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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEokNX7hWC
Flo smiles, bashful. “I really wasn’t that good at finding anything to help you, but you’re welcome regardless.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2kIsSw6tr
The other werewolf clears their throat. “Am I invisible, or something?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SXHTooogk
“Oh! Sorry, Rythe! Everyone, this is Rythe, my mate,” Flo says with a blush.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbQG9ZiIhH
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!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnUjjwgeb6
I nod. “I’m Rides. Nice to meet you.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2mxV9jFQf
Rythe bows. “It’s an honor, my lady.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1LDosbXVb
I blush and Flo whacks Rythe upside the head. “Stop, you, you’re embarrassing her!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6fSpO6YKv
Rythe grins. “But that’s what you love about me! And clearly she doesn’t see herself as some sort of royalty!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9SFoXl9fn
Flo mutters in a low voice, “She’s the Alpha’s daughter.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WlvqQngwW
Rythe straightens. “You mean the Alpha of a rival pack or The Alpha?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MCTiwNDC9
“Try the second one,” Flo mutters, embarrassed on his behalf.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhspl1BujK
“Oh.” Rythe salutes me. “Terribly sorry, ma’am.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFC0OSUu7S
“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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XIF52QVOU
Rythe nods stiffly, setting the flower crown close to the brink of desruction, and leads us inside.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUNQRaKTyT
“Guy or girl?” Klef whispers to Geo.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWPtytywpR
“I...don’t know? Guy, I think?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqOioY6P4v
“No, I’d say girl,” Klef muses.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtukwdVgNgf
“What are you guys talking about?” I mutter.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RlD8yRSrs
“Rythe. Guy or girl, do you think?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKqEr6yIzf
“Um…” I have to think about my answer. “Maybe they’re neither…”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboAsxFyksX
“Neither? Is that possible?” Klef asks.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Vz8fF3KFB
“It would make sense,” Geo reasons.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PcaZOH65u
“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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1paUFVvV3Q
“Right, because the natural neutral pronouns are it/its, but that can be seen as degrading nowadays,” Geo says.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3lKn9wb7j
“It is grammatically correct, though,” Klef points out.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QGt8DE4m8
“I guess you have a point, but would you be okay with being called an ‘it’?” I counter.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDS5UhwR7l
“What are you guys talking about?” Flo asks.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZzyjkv3CW
“Nothing much,” Geo says. “Just things back at our branch, you know?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdcWuefaC7
Rythe coughs and mutters, “They/them,” and I grin at Klef and Geo.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4F4bLSbvKs
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.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlm4ZHCTQHi
Rythe clears their throat. “Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else, allow me to present Rides, the Oracle who will be informing us on her dreams!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtTF7HAc0y
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.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgO4R84JlPM
“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’.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOPAo8hdDp
Everyone shifts around, suddenly on edge. “And?!” a wizard with pitch black hair shouts.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWecyCit64
“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.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUFv90cKXi
“That we know of!” a gorgon yells. “We could be on a wild goose chase, lass!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjab54mwf6
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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYfhFRj0Bw
The wizard who yelled out comes up to me. “Yeah, but we were expecting…”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUiYHvTuC4
“More?” I supply. “Yeah, a lot of people do. Be glad I have that much, though. This is coming from 5 years of dreams.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHKiB3Vyai
“Okay. I’m Ama. A necromancer,” she introduces. “I’m going to be guarding you three for your stay.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzaX6ES2bK
“Make that the two of them,” Geo corrects. “I’m no one.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NElc1arly
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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TVpUInmrd
The room is still silent, everyone anticipating my reply. “Excuse me,” I gasp, making a beeline for the room’s exit.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUaXdCkX9H
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.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKEG3Bx2BE
Footsteps come up to my back. Two pairs. “Ride?” Klef asks. “You okay?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3U3tOWFHr
I shake my head and close my eyes, resting my side against the wall. “Sick,” I mutter.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0yktJ6zpF
“I’m sorry if I upset you, but you need to get it into your head that you’re special,” Ama states.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ymKsFyL5k
“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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK20Kt4p5BT
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?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizm9YgMngu
“S-sure.” I stumble on the word, because what is the correct response to someone volunteering to reanimate a corpse for you?867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7XBnlJdQQ
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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLI7VJhyTWM
“Definitely not someone I’d call a necromancer,” Klef mutters.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgHlIeREjE
I still don’t turn enough to see him properly. Ama shifts so she can face me fully. “Pet the bun,” she instructs.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkl1WM1chum
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.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjFJMC5EF6
I put a hand on her shoulder. “But you’re great at it.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ODL2EEyEd
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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iJlqZ6xvP
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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPUnr5V24j
“I’m fine,” I mutter as I lean against his shoulder.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0asOCjzLHt
“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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb6YoewG8H
I scoff. “Shut up, bird brain.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKmwKKWW8T
“Make me, pointy ears!” Klef challenged.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzas6B8cZr
Ama looked between us. “You two are so dating.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTbeZnbHJU
“No we’re not!” we deny at the same time.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qsGgGXaTh
Ama laughs. “So dating.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3I1BXerrRY
“Well don’t say anything. We want to keep it on the DL, if it’s possible,” Klef requested.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTipEOjzQha
“Seriously? I’m willing to bet half the people here have started a pool on your relationship status!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyCmwLxoPG
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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdNfM56RMz
Klef raises an eyebrow at me. “Is that how you see yourself?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuvMbDG7pv
I shrug. “Well, people mix up you and I a lot.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEds2BcDdQH
Klef lightly punches me. “There’s the Ride I know and love.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0APZpmpgMc
Ama sighs. “I ship it,” she murmurs.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wGG6gIcas
“There’s that word again!” I exclaim. “Why would people ‘ship’ us?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZA1lwH3e34
“It’s cute!” Ama defends.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7nyiErbic
“It’s weird!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKvftKMNmv
“It’s true!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0xCuf6Iln
“It’s really really funny,” Klef interjects.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8wbTesh78
I elbow him. “It is not,” I sigh.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡut6yELF75L
Klef grins.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Zq0tmkPd1
“It’s not funny!” I exclaim.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrWDRuF5qs
“Whatever you say, Ride. Whatever you say,” Klef laughs.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALFV6evu2G
Rythe and Flo come into view outside the conference room. “You okay?” Rythe asks.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82am7CDcEc
I nod. Klef lets go of me and I nearly topple over. “Do you mind?” I growl.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡma80gWx3Y6
He grins. “We’ll get you something to sit on until you feel better,” he assures.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ElKA30uKq
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.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTT6kHhAaYY
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.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLCpHZlMLR
“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.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxJTIQO2cv
I nod. “Are we sending people to check out the most probable places?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycZKhJPtGp
“Yeah, and we’re sending you and Klef to some of the less likely ones, to deal with the messages somewhere safe.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzF4TPlHhAY
“Okay, I guess…I’d rather be out looking, though.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHWDOQtQ4y
“It’s for the best you don’t,” a pale human with freckles says. “Hibiscus A, they/them. Has a mild obsession with dragons.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8f3sZ9hgeQ
I smile. “Rides. My dad wants me to go by Iri. I’m old fashioned, I don’t like using my full name.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6Pi6QNuwJ
Hibiscus A nodded. “I got you. Completely got you. Nice to make your acquaintance, Rides.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpE3shnEs1
“Likewise.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrEbytPtzS
Klef walks in, followed by my dad. “Still hanging around this scum, Iri?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPrDPCDV4I
I laugh. “Hi, dad.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnNM6fKclZ
Klef looks offended. “What am I?”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNjTy0CDLc
“Chopped liver,” I respond.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquyvp5c3mM
Dad laughs. “Nice one!”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtMuZ0REHr
Klef holds a hand to his heart. “You wound me, Ride. You wound me.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrx28k5gNh
“Good. I was trying to.”867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡij42cMMHqu
Hibiscus A coughed. “Ship it,” they mutter.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLERUT3MHK9
I throw my hands up. “I’m done with this!” I sigh.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKpXPdNFYA
Everyone laughs. “You think I’m joking?” I ask, standing up shakily. “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” I exclaim, waving.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYfukNxObE
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