Chapter Three

I stood alone for a moment longer. Silas disappeared; I could not move from the weight of his words. He was right. There was no more good. The circumstances that happened the night I was betrayed bled me of my purity and virtue.

But still, I wanted good for this people.

"Wait," I shouted after Silas, although I was sure he was already gone. I pictured him shifting into a sleek, black panther and disappearing easily into the density of the mountain side. "Please, wait!" my voice broke with the panic of a desperate person. I would drown without guidance. I was too alone to find my way. Even if I was evil, I was still the only hope this people had and if I were left alone, I would never find the way.

I ran through a stone archway leading to worn, uneven steps made from the same rock. The magic was sharp in my blood, a boiling, electric storm that quickened my step and gave my legs courage. I ran after Silas, following his magic to the main courtyards of the ancient city.

"Silas!" I yelled, stopping at the base of the steps and letting my voice echo off the mountain peaks. "What if I am evil? So what?" I chided loudly at the emptiness. "I have to be evil. I have to forget the good, if I want to do this for real."

"And what is it that you want to do?" Silas stepped around a stone building, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

"I want to end the monarchy," I promised simply and with finality.

"To end it? All of it?" The old Shape-shifter rocked back on his heels, suspicious eyes becoming amused, and I couldn't shake the feeling that whatever the topic between us would be, I would always be defending myself.

"Yes, all of it," I folded my arms defiantly, mimicking him and unwilling to back down again.

"And so you welcome evil in order to accomplish this goal?" his Caribbean accent was thick and melodic, but demanding.

"No, I do not welcome it. Of course not," I protested hoarsely, relieved that I felt the words to the core of my being. "But, what I have to do is evil. Whether or not I believe in the monarchy or the king or whatever, taking a life is the worst kind of corruption. And if I truly want to finish.... this.... I have to be.... I need to be.... at least part of me, has to be evil," I paused for a moment, struggling to find the words to describe the thoughts that rattled around in my head unspoken since the night I lost my family. "I intend to massacre a bloodline. That is an evil thing. But also, my intentions are a part of me. And because of that, I am evil."

"Ah, I see," Silas stood unmoving, his gray eyes flickering with understanding, but not with forgiveness. "And right and wrong? Do you still see the difference?"

"Yes, but does it matter?" I wondered for a moment if I helped or hurt my cause. "I have only stolen magic until now; I have never taken a life. And, honestly, I never thought I would get to this point. I never thought I would devalue anyone enough to end his life, but here we are. You have my exact objectives. But, I will not go beyond the Kendrick household. Well, maybe Sebastian.... I haven't decided yet."

"Interesting," Silas mumbled quietly. "so, when the monarchy is gone, when you have killed off all possible heirs, then what? Will you take the crown? Anoint yourself and rule as the good queen?"

"No," I answered quickly. The word "queen" resuscitated my heart in a way that brought painful memories of promises made, of an easier way once daydreamed to save my people and then stabbed at my soul, screaming reminders that my future would never include a crown. "Never queen," I cleared my throat, banishing the emotion before continuing, "I just want this finished, I just want to go back to the way things used to be. I don't care what you people do after the monarchy is gone. Honestly, I don't even want to be the next Oracle. I just want normal."

"You don't want to be the next Oracle?" Silas mocked harshly, cutting through me. "There is no 'next' Oracle. Child you are the Oracle."

I stood there stunned, unable to open my mouth. I knew this day was coming, I was told enough times that I would be the next Oracle that the truth of the phrase sunk in. But always before, I pictured the realization of the moment differently. I imagined the monarchy gone, Avalon at my side, my friends out of danger, and maybe a ceremony of some sort.

I did not pictured this, that in the wake of the worst tragedy I ever knew, alone on the top of a mountain, begging for help from a man who insisted on calling me evil, I would be told that I was the Oracle. The whole scenario seemed surreal and not serious enough.

"That can't be true," I objected.

"And why shouldn't it be?" Silas asked, the hint of amusement back in his voice. "The only other surviving Oracle is dead; you remain the only one of our people left that has true immortality and you possess the magic of every kind in our people. How can you doubt that what I say is true? It is in your blood. You are the Oracle, whether the monarchy lives or dies, that will not change."

"What about Avalon?" I asked, dumbfounded. I was still trying to sort out my imagination from reality and was having trouble making sense of it.

"Your brother? What about him?" Silas asked, the smallest hint of impatience marking his expression.

"Well, if I am an Oracle, shouldn't he be one too? We have the same magic." I stated plainly, swallowing the rising lump trying to remind me that we used to have the same magic. Avalon no longer possessed any magic. I had it all.

"Sure, why not?" Silas laughed harshly, "but he is at the bottom of a Romanian prison. He will not keep his magic for long, and then you will share that title with the king you intend to destroy."

"No, that isn't true. Avalon doesn't have any magic to sacrifice, I have it all," I clarified, trusting Silas and then instantly regretting sharing so much with a man I hardly knew and that would not trust me the same in return.

"How can that be?" Silas asked skeptically, his gray eyes clouding and un-clouding with every hint of emotion he felt.

"He gave it to me the night of his capture. He had to, we both knew that he would be sacrificed for it. And now I have it, and because he is human, Lucan will not kill him until he has me," I dared Silas to contradict our theory. I had nothing to really go on, nothing to help me hope that my words were true, except, that they had to be true. If I lost Avalon, if the king murdered for nothing, I would never be able to live with myself. It would be the undoing of my sanity.

"Clever," Silas said plainly, not complimenting me in the least. "So, you see, you are the Oracle. There is no one else."

"Will you help me then?" I plead urgently. Maybe holding a new title would carry some weight with this stubborn man.

"Help you how?" he asked.

"Tell me what to do," I unfolded my arms and raised my hands, desperate for advice.

"I cannot tell you what to do," he laughed harshly. "You are beyond being told what to do. No one remains for you to take orders from. It is time for you to decide how to act and when."

"But I don't even know where to start." I dropped my arms to my sides heavily, already feeling defeated.

"Haven't you already started?" Silas smiled, mischievously, flashing perfectly white teeth that contrasted pleasantly with his midnight skin.

I sighed heavily in response. Tired of riddles, and in need of concrete answers, I was getting impatient.

"Do you know where my parents are?" I folded my arms again, suddenly exhausted.

"No," he shook his head. I opened my mouth to question him more but he continued before I could speak, "They were here. A few months ago they came to ask the same questions you ask me today."

"They were here?" I asked, disbelieving. They were for sure alive and they had been here, I could hardly believe the news. "Where did they go?"

"I do not know. They do not want to be found," Silas looked passed me, into the wild expanse of the mountains and I believed him. I knew I would have to work to find them.

"What did you tell them?" I pushed down the despair that threatened to end my quest and shouted in my ear to give up now. I would find them, whether they wanted to be found or not. And they would help me. I was their daughter.

I was the Oracle. They had no choice.

"I told them, what I have told you," he replied dryly.

"That you won't help me?" I rolled my eyes, a subconscious sign of rebellious youth, a left-over habit of a life that was ripped from me. "But you will help me, Silas, I know you will. This fight is too big for you not to be included. You keep me away from your people because you are afraid for them, because you want a better life for them. That is why I know, when the day comes, you will help me. You will have to help me. I am the last hope this whole kingdom has and if you have any hope in the future, you better hold it in me." I stomped my foot involuntarily. Filled with the righteous passion I believed accompanied any mission against the purest form of evil and at the core of my argument, I knew that I was right.

He would help me.

"You believe you will succeed?" He tipped his chin up towards the rising sun and stared into the achromatic void of the expansive sky.

"I have no other choice," I promised.

We stood there silently for a few moments. Silas looked to the heavens as if they would guide his internal debate and I looked at him, waiting for him to answer me.

"Then yes, I will help you." His eyes moved from the brewing seasonal storm to mine with an intensity that might shake a more unsure person. I stood still, held to the ground with firm resolve, believing in my cause with every fiber of my being and daring him not to join me. "When the time comes, I will help you."

I heard his words clearly. He said nothing about his colony. He alone promised to help, so we stood there silently, letting his words ring out in an oath to creation. We let the fulfillment of his promise be pushed to a later date, a different time and a different place, when the call to come to my aid would be of greater importance than the call to protect his people.

"Thank you," I whispered, grateful I accomplished what I set out to.

"Hmph," he grunted in reply.

"Where should I go from here?" I asked, tired of riddles and realizing Silas was not prone to giving straight. I was used to following someone else's directions and although Silas was right, I would have to learn to lead on my own, I still felt some guidance was necessary.

"I don't know where you should go from here," he answered. My blood began tingling with the childish irritation of a foreboding mysterious set of directions. "There are many places you could go. And any place you do go, you will be hunted."

The first of the morning tourists began to mill about the ancient citadel and I felt the flare of Silas' magic ignite with the desperation to leave. I shared his urgency and took a step closer to him, silently begging him for a lead.

"You will need more than my help Eden, you must find the others. You must convince as many as you can to help you. Go there next," he finished quietly and I knew I was losing him; he would be gone in a second.

"Go where next?" I demanded quickly, trying to hide my irritation.

"Find all those that can help you. Go to the Church of San Agustin, in the village of Urubamba. There you will find a priest; his name is Gabriel. He will be waiting for you." He put a strong hand on my arm and squeezed gently before turning on his heel and escaping through the growing crowd.

I followed him, through the excited travelers, undetected through the exit gate. I had no idea where I was going or how I would find the rest of the Shape-shifter colonies, but I could claim at least one on my side. At least one that would help me fight, one that would stand with me.

Silas wasn't much.

But, he was the beginning. All I needed was one, just one and the rest would follow. I just needed one to start, one to light the flame and then set it free.