“How did I get tricked into this?” I wonder aloud. “No, seriously. How did I ever think this was a good idea?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEz9JMjCFI
Klef shushes me. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrUhdvLLa2
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?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLPgPSe99n
“Yes. But this isn’t in public,” Klef reasons.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCq0Y0lPrNW
“I’m with Klef on this one, Reese, have some self confidence!” Geo adds.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvw3yJKhxof
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?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUU4ysyDMR
“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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFweH0zel4t
Flo smiles, bashful. “I really wasn’t that good at finding anything to help you, but you’re welcome regardless.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUyu87Xge3
The other werewolf clears their throat. “Am I invisible, or something?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhj8gOvgur
“Oh! Sorry, Rythe! Everyone, this is Rythe, my mate,” Flo says with a blush.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wagPwo4CI
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!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggdf0XRLf6
I nod. “I’m Rides. Nice to meet you.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRQ966sURI
Rythe bows. “It’s an honor, my lady.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqMEuhBWq3
I blush and Flo whacks Rythe upside the head. “Stop, you, you’re embarrassing her!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGdAi2L1bs
Rythe grins. “But that’s what you love about me! And clearly she doesn’t see herself as some sort of royalty!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PrGtypY7c
Flo mutters in a low voice, “She’s the Alpha’s daughter.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3eSredTAP
Rythe straightens. “You mean the Alpha of a rival pack or The Alpha?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WqB2AOJVA
“Try the second one,” Flo mutters, embarrassed on his behalf.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOHeL9Brj2
“Oh.” Rythe salutes me. “Terribly sorry, ma’am.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gnTEz2g6f
“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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgObsAVCeVW
Rythe nods stiffly, setting the flower crown close to the brink of desruction, and leads us inside.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCYtVaGlLi
“Guy or girl?” Klef whispers to Geo.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡve3HSGAcoN
“I...don’t know? Guy, I think?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrIE7YmJCT
“No, I’d say girl,” Klef muses.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMm3aXfTBK
“What are you guys talking about?” I mutter.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxFZgJF3CW
“Rythe. Guy or girl, do you think?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxfBZ7dIAd
“Um…” I have to think about my answer. “Maybe they’re neither…”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwWgduStlK
“Neither? Is that possible?” Klef asks.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNg3lzkUZQ
“It would make sense,” Geo reasons.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFjfCeyY9z
“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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQN5mfJRcS
“Right, because the natural neutral pronouns are it/its, but that can be seen as degrading nowadays,” Geo says.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsugVtyFhm
“It is grammatically correct, though,” Klef points out.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xrwQPri8Z
“I guess you have a point, but would you be okay with being called an ‘it’?” I counter.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuVOzuXO9D
“What are you guys talking about?” Flo asks.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjeiWBKzh3
“Nothing much,” Geo says. “Just things back at our branch, you know?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwMWkdxo4W
Rythe coughs and mutters, “They/them,” and I grin at Klef and Geo.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTco6aHEVvs
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhiEG1vts6
Rythe clears their throat. “Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else, allow me to present Rides, the Oracle who will be informing us on her dreams!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoIMxwzdtA
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaX2JrcZJzG
“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’.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsdOhD3ahE
Everyone shifts around, suddenly on edge. “And?!” a wizard with pitch black hair shouts.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhe2AU5DH2
“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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrqiDDAcVN
“That we know of!” a gorgon yells. “We could be on a wild goose chase, lass!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfza69hqTCQ
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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOB9jYCvnl
The wizard who yelled out comes up to me. “Yeah, but we were expecting…”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanKfYxqUuU
“More?” I supply. “Yeah, a lot of people do. Be glad I have that much, though. This is coming from 5 years of dreams.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8vPe1CC9B
“Okay. I’m Ama. A necromancer,” she introduces. “I’m going to be guarding you three for your stay.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwYuyjflHf
“Make that the two of them,” Geo corrects. “I’m no one.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmrfhcCogr
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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDs1A5xcJz
The room is still silent, everyone anticipating my reply. “Excuse me,” I gasp, making a beeline for the room’s exit.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPtG7KgR3J
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRozaMzZbyw
Footsteps come up to my back. Two pairs. “Ride?” Klef asks. “You okay?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIL80s2vlP
I shake my head and close my eyes, resting my side against the wall. “Sick,” I mutter.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlUqy4wi8c
“I’m sorry if I upset you, but you need to get it into your head that you’re special,” Ama states.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIAlQtLTQW
“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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NCj5SCcWf
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?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvVCrB3Fqv
“S-sure.” I stumble on the word, because what is the correct response to someone volunteering to reanimate a corpse for you?912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWQH60Uql7
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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1f64z7qDpB
“Definitely not someone I’d call a necromancer,” Klef mutters.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanBJXoZ5kJ
I still don’t turn enough to see him properly. Ama shifts so she can face me fully. “Pet the bun,” she instructs.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqP0oFGQSdu
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObDrwOkAKT
I put a hand on her shoulder. “But you’re great at it.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sRBPXSsp4
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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTAGLK9Fwt
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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfctqk7HJcV
“I’m fine,” I mutter as I lean against his shoulder.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznO7XZDFZI
“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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6h217uUom
I scoff. “Shut up, bird brain.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9U04PRihVf
“Make me, pointy ears!” Klef challenged.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BbQDAxK6L
Ama looked between us. “You two are so dating.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU02kNP3Uoz
“No we’re not!” we deny at the same time.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7MVzvddze
Ama laughs. “So dating.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmB6lfzxA0C
“Well don’t say anything. We want to keep it on the DL, if it’s possible,” Klef requested.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEAuwSyqds
“Seriously? I’m willing to bet half the people here have started a pool on your relationship status!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwg6MNHlKoH
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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNegSKIi2WA
Klef raises an eyebrow at me. “Is that how you see yourself?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78lvq0mPO0
I shrug. “Well, people mix up you and I a lot.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrBjPJQrwb
Klef lightly punches me. “There’s the Ride I know and love.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqkuawdo4T
Ama sighs. “I ship it,” she murmurs.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXnwbW0gNI
“There’s that word again!” I exclaim. “Why would people ‘ship’ us?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpwTYkmHet
“It’s cute!” Ama defends.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKP0bAgb65
“It’s weird!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBvxJ6KlmL
“It’s true!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ952pPBEi5
“It’s really really funny,” Klef interjects.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3poA0nP0OH
I elbow him. “It is not,” I sigh.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1Z9IgN8wM
Klef grins.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJKMBX3eke
“It’s not funny!” I exclaim.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzKXSuxvgc
“Whatever you say, Ride. Whatever you say,” Klef laughs.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSq4ia2Z7xB
Rythe and Flo come into view outside the conference room. “You okay?” Rythe asks.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFBm5g8mMt
I nod. Klef lets go of me and I nearly topple over. “Do you mind?” I growl.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDXGE2lsVg
He grins. “We’ll get you something to sit on until you feel better,” he assures.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2tT7u5CbJ
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGECdLIwMJl
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmkOEXNN0Y
“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.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6n8F7wcenY
I nod. “Are we sending people to check out the most probable places?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TIuoriPrw
“Yeah, and we’re sending you and Klef to some of the less likely ones, to deal with the messages somewhere safe.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLK4kH8A0zo
“Okay, I guess…I’d rather be out looking, though.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywDfYz6auZ
“It’s for the best you don’t,” a pale human with freckles says. “Hibiscus A, they/them. Has a mild obsession with dragons.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dhZcNpoE0
I smile. “Rides. My dad wants me to go by Iri. I’m old fashioned, I don’t like using my full name.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jspVYBybE
Hibiscus A nodded. “I got you. Completely got you. Nice to make your acquaintance, Rides.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBElcxWV2Zm
“Likewise.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVD0XPiNW3
Klef walks in, followed by my dad. “Still hanging around this scum, Iri?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQ6QIvicck
I laugh. “Hi, dad.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7KzWtUwVK
Klef looks offended. “What am I?”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4T82IutAm
“Chopped liver,” I respond.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTOrVkrSdK
Dad laughs. “Nice one!”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vWAy45nXr
Klef holds a hand to his heart. “You wound me, Ride. You wound me.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUje1AZQpAR
“Good. I was trying to.”912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGMFN7Y1NM
Hibiscus A coughed. “Ship it,” they mutter.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUHGcSCwJf
I throw my hands up. “I’m done with this!” I sigh.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUU6J11kgah
Everyone laughs. “You think I’m joking?” I ask, standing up shakily. “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” I exclaim, waving.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHylJpySrH
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