“How did I get tricked into this?” I wonder aloud. “No, seriously. How did I ever think this was a good idea?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqweAESQiZ2
Klef shushes me. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuAqH0tOo9
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?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lwsanvAQS
“Yes. But this isn’t in public,” Klef reasons.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2VJKsWlZy
“I’m with Klef on this one, Reese, have some self confidence!” Geo adds.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8obHm4TuB
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?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeLJt2qA0R
“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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXU4UGlDZ6
Flo smiles, bashful. “I really wasn’t that good at finding anything to help you, but you’re welcome regardless.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqRoGRE0xO
The other werewolf clears their throat. “Am I invisible, or something?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VC0PDwrId
“Oh! Sorry, Rythe! Everyone, this is Rythe, my mate,” Flo says with a blush.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgBc3uqqts
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!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe69onnB004
I nod. “I’m Rides. Nice to meet you.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPilSQOW1UZ
Rythe bows. “It’s an honor, my lady.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jwsoF2nDn
I blush and Flo whacks Rythe upside the head. “Stop, you, you’re embarrassing her!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwmRCuSVZ2
Rythe grins. “But that’s what you love about me! And clearly she doesn’t see herself as some sort of royalty!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1iCzwBXRR
Flo mutters in a low voice, “She’s the Alpha’s daughter.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeWi8ZBW60
Rythe straightens. “You mean the Alpha of a rival pack or The Alpha?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEETGuDQsMJ
“Try the second one,” Flo mutters, embarrassed on his behalf.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywLBYoZZDY
“Oh.” Rythe salutes me. “Terribly sorry, ma’am.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XJuR3NgZR
“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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXudLWvEIXQ
Rythe nods stiffly, setting the flower crown close to the brink of desruction, and leads us inside.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8psuXQuqk
“Guy or girl?” Klef whispers to Geo.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErkUvKVKfY
“I...don’t know? Guy, I think?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6GrKv8OXz
“No, I’d say girl,” Klef muses.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQiqopDCDl
“What are you guys talking about?” I mutter.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdJKwKM25r
“Rythe. Guy or girl, do you think?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7V8jxkqg6
“Um…” I have to think about my answer. “Maybe they’re neither…”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxQWdYP7EA
“Neither? Is that possible?” Klef asks.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLXoO5qd7t
“It would make sense,” Geo reasons.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr85pXo9ElE
“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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rZ5C4J969
“Right, because the natural neutral pronouns are it/its, but that can be seen as degrading nowadays,” Geo says.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDH6sBP5x1Y
“It is grammatically correct, though,” Klef points out.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3AsCE7i2L
“I guess you have a point, but would you be okay with being called an ‘it’?” I counter.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTWeyR9R3O
“What are you guys talking about?” Flo asks.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9pjcIWgEq
“Nothing much,” Geo says. “Just things back at our branch, you know?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQR5jSNQHB
Rythe coughs and mutters, “They/them,” and I grin at Klef and Geo.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ833CL0bqRO
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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKP2w9X9Eq
Rythe clears their throat. “Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else, allow me to present Rides, the Oracle who will be informing us on her dreams!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMYMY1rGMH
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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5m7NEiD2r
“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’.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88xJsjeuOy
Everyone shifts around, suddenly on edge. “And?!” a wizard with pitch black hair shouts.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsULokYRabj
“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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNByOnfTQ3m
“That we know of!” a gorgon yells. “We could be on a wild goose chase, lass!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBcPb9NMsA
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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbC8UZzStD
The wizard who yelled out comes up to me. “Yeah, but we were expecting…”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uc3X5ueGh
“More?” I supply. “Yeah, a lot of people do. Be glad I have that much, though. This is coming from 5 years of dreams.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPkHrMlf4K
“Okay. I’m Ama. A necromancer,” she introduces. “I’m going to be guarding you three for your stay.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrO5vqOv44q
“Make that the two of them,” Geo corrects. “I’m no one.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqv56wKUhj
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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17q6yMO3vb
The room is still silent, everyone anticipating my reply. “Excuse me,” I gasp, making a beeline for the room’s exit.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2N8nUhEFT
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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2E2IxuBmFG
Footsteps come up to my back. Two pairs. “Ride?” Klef asks. “You okay?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKWP903RoZ
I shake my head and close my eyes, resting my side against the wall. “Sick,” I mutter.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRn2iw6Bcu
“I’m sorry if I upset you, but you need to get it into your head that you’re special,” Ama states.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RP8I6vr5r
“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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJaSzquH3R
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?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgp2sQVd9f
“S-sure.” I stumble on the word, because what is the correct response to someone volunteering to reanimate a corpse for you?840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxLS0nuL7x
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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5ShSNoEeE
“Definitely not someone I’d call a necromancer,” Klef mutters.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD2leaWtAm
I still don’t turn enough to see him properly. Ama shifts so she can face me fully. “Pet the bun,” she instructs.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSv5hnvMtv
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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUV0AZ2FnC
I put a hand on her shoulder. “But you’re great at it.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNp98EFVxP9
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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7y7zYp5qK
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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIhO25HtB1
“I’m fine,” I mutter as I lean against his shoulder.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0poCuHXl1d
“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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbJXe2hrYw
I scoff. “Shut up, bird brain.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SM0gyclGK
“Make me, pointy ears!” Klef challenged.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSi5g4xZ54
Ama looked between us. “You two are so dating.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHphuqK0SPO
“No we’re not!” we deny at the same time.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZ2Nt1WDlV
Ama laughs. “So dating.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rZoNNUrUx
“Well don’t say anything. We want to keep it on the DL, if it’s possible,” Klef requested.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QSNH9pNJP
“Seriously? I’m willing to bet half the people here have started a pool on your relationship status!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2yYWky4ad
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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBiDt0m0jF
Klef raises an eyebrow at me. “Is that how you see yourself?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33tzeM0Py9
I shrug. “Well, people mix up you and I a lot.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnvwc75q2i
Klef lightly punches me. “There’s the Ride I know and love.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTORha8Sg2d
Ama sighs. “I ship it,” she murmurs.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07LSM9hdpR
“There’s that word again!” I exclaim. “Why would people ‘ship’ us?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WQEWl2M18
“It’s cute!” Ama defends.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDs16u1KGPY
“It’s weird!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmzYdCjSId
“It’s true!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8waH5RTRq
“It’s really really funny,” Klef interjects.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaP55QLcpq
I elbow him. “It is not,” I sigh.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHHPXrZHq7
Klef grins.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMX5wP2TY2
“It’s not funny!” I exclaim.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvhCscbQ8G
“Whatever you say, Ride. Whatever you say,” Klef laughs.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUSS7Y6pY8
Rythe and Flo come into view outside the conference room. “You okay?” Rythe asks.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PMRW23McN
I nod. Klef lets go of me and I nearly topple over. “Do you mind?” I growl.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4EjTKd8d3
He grins. “We’ll get you something to sit on until you feel better,” he assures.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAeMhGUOYU
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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYLF3pumaZ
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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNv9W8eRClH
“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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfcbxdUMO6
I nod. “Are we sending people to check out the most probable places?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqOEKICYCo
“Yeah, and we’re sending you and Klef to some of the less likely ones, to deal with the messages somewhere safe.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiwi8QCjXA
“Okay, I guess…I’d rather be out looking, though.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtPc3F1HJh
“It’s for the best you don’t,” a pale human with freckles says. “Hibiscus A, they/them. Has a mild obsession with dragons.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQJobWGVA7
I smile. “Rides. My dad wants me to go by Iri. I’m old fashioned, I don’t like using my full name.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAonFmrWeO
Hibiscus A nodded. “I got you. Completely got you. Nice to make your acquaintance, Rides.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgG59ao5zJ4
“Likewise.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsLntO7qJf
Klef walks in, followed by my dad. “Still hanging around this scum, Iri?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGHuyp1bDR
I laugh. “Hi, dad.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymEInfa3nf
Klef looks offended. “What am I?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hTp1sC2GC
“Chopped liver,” I respond.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGZfw7MRN7
Dad laughs. “Nice one!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVUqZC3BXO
Klef holds a hand to his heart. “You wound me, Ride. You wound me.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZqiBTxaZb
“Good. I was trying to.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxNQddApWG
Hibiscus A coughed. “Ship it,” they mutter.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkrXonSqYZ
I throw my hands up. “I’m done with this!” I sigh.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5lCHX1Ucj
Everyone laughs. “You think I’m joking?” I ask, standing up shakily. “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” I exclaim, waving.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLbFYRM11Y
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