“He was, but I relived him.” Artis replied, hoping her vagueness would suffice.
“I am going to take them to Patina.”
“What?” The guard replied.
“Nobody told me anything about this.”
“Well of course not, she just sent me.
I found this one with Peter while I was on my way here.”
Gabe couldn’t help but marvel at the way she weaved her tale of deception with such ease, batting her big eyelashes and shrugging her shoulders innocently.
“I see, well I suppose that makes sense.” The boy said, his eyebrows clearly showing he wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing.
Turning to grab the door knob, he continued,
“This one made a phone call earlier but has been in his room ever since.”
“Great,” Artis croaked, leaning forward and touching the boys hand.
“I will let Patina know about his activities.
Please, Gabe, won’t you ask your friend to join us?” Artis asked, trying to sound official.
“Yeah, of course.” Gabe replied, still in awe as he watched Artis take the guards hands and lead him to the far side of the hall like a puppy in love with its master.
Gabe walked in the room, closing the door gently behind him.
He quickly clued Uri in on what had been transpiring in the hall and that they were going to try and meet with Iron Gate’s Oracle.
Uri didn’t miss a beat and assured his friend that he was prepared to play along.
After a few moments, Uri and Gabe emerged from the room.
“Excuse me, I was told Patina would like to see us?” Uri questioned, another pro with the charade.
Gabe smiled as he thought how perfect Uri and Artis probably were for each other.
Though he was not willing to trust her yet, he could tell Artis did excite his dear friend and for that, he was pleased for him.
Artis simply nodded and turned to the guard once again.
“I’ll take it from here, thanks.”
“Wait, I don’t know… Artis, he is my responsibility.
If anything happened, Alfred would…” The boy stammered.
“I know.
I will just go with you.”
“No, really, I’ll be fine.” Artis insisted.
“Artis, come on, really.
There is no way I am leaving his side after the warning Alfred gave me.
I will go with you to Patina’s office.”
“Gee, I didn’t know I was traveling with such a hardened and dangerous criminal.” Gabe muttered under his breath to Uri and the two boys snickered quietly.
“Very well, it’s your waste of time.” Artis replied turning and walking down the massive hall.
Gabe wondered how she was going to get them out of this one.
When they arrived at Patina’s office it would become evident very quickly that she had been lying and they would all be in trouble.
The group of four emerged from the building and rounded the massive stone wall.
Artis continued to walk until she came to a split in the path.
One direction led to Patina’s office and the other to the Oracle.
She slowly came to a stop and looked at both paths curiously.
“Is everything alright?” The guard asked, sensing her hesitation.
“I thought I heard something.” Artis claimed, trying to rapidly devise a plan.
“What?” The boy whispered, ears darting back and forth.
“I don’t hear anything.
What did you hear?”
“I don’t know,” Artis whimpered as if terrified.
“I think it was over there.” Artis added, pointing towards a small wooden hen house over flowing with straw.
“I’m sure it was just a hen.” The boy insisted.
“I’m scared,” Artis whined, sticking out her bottom lip and pushing the dirt around with her toe.
Lifting a single finger Artis traced the outline of the boy’s muscular arm and in an equally pouty voiced pleaded.
“Will you check it out, please?”
Not wanting to disappoint the sweet and precious Artis, the guard compliantly walked over to the hen house cautiously.
He looked on both sides of the house and even behind it.
“What are you doing?” Gabe whispered under his breath.
Artis shrugged her shoulders in response as if she were clueless of her own plan.
Before anyone else could say another word or even exhale, Artis darted across the path with great speed, coming to rest just behind the unsuspecting guard.
A moment later she muttered the word “Dormio” in his ear.
The boy fell to the ground with a thud.
“Oh my God!
What did you do to him?” Gabe cried.
“Oh please, calm yourself!” Artis snapped.
“It’s just a slumber spell.”
“Isn’t there something in Iron Gate’s rules about casting on each other?” Uri asked.
“Well yes, if you must know, but I was running out of options.
I didn’t see either of you stepping up.”
Artis quipped back.
“Oh no, no, I was not objecting.” Uri reassured her.
“Actually, I am quite impressed with your tactics as well as stealth.
Very impressive.”
“Really?” Artis chirped.
“Ugh, gross!” Gabe gasped, snapping Artis out of her starry eyed love gaze.
“Come on.
Help me move him off the path before someone sees.” she commanded.
The two boys each took a shoulder and Artis his feet.
With great strain, the three managed to carry the body and conceal him behind the hen house beneath a mound of straw.
“What are we going to do when he wakes up?” Gabe asked the question he assumed Artis had not thought of with such a brash course of action.
“I suppose we will all be in a lot of trouble.
Instead of talking about it maybe we should hurry up.” Artis urged.
She cautiously walked back to the fork in the path and after searching for any sign of other people, she took off running in the direction of the Oracle’s cottage.
“Come on, we’re not going to get a lot of time.”
The two boys followed, somewhat apprehensive about the trouble their new friend might be getting them into, yet both still grateful for her own risk in the forbidden adventure.
“Are you sure about trusting her?” Gabe whispered as they followed Artis.
“Got any better ideas?” Uri asked.
“I just want to make sure you are thinking with the head on your shoulders.” Gabe growled.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Ur defended.
“Oh come on, it’s obvious you have the hots for her.
You can’t quit staring at her.”
“So she’s good looking, but that would never affect my decision making.”
“If you say so.”
“Watch it Gabe!”
“What?
I just want to make sure you know what we are getting ourselves into here.” Gabe asserted.
“She did knock one of her own unconscious back there.
I think we are pretty safe in assuming we can trust her.”
Uri argued, his voice increasing with each word.
“Hey!” Artis interrupted.
“If you two ladies can quit bickering for a minute, we’re here.”
Gabe glanced up.
There was a small cottage in front of them.
They had travelled through the same woods that had hidden them the previous evening.
They were now in a clearing; at the edge were the remnants of that same fireplace.
“Wait, this is where we were last night.”
Gabe proclaimed.
“And where’s that?” Uri pondered.
“Look, right across the field; that’s the cottage of the Oracle, Katrina. Are you two ready?” Artis requested.
Gabe took a deep breath.
He had never enjoyed his encounters with Rampart’s Oracle and didn’t have much in the way of great expectations for Iron Gate’s.
Sophie’s motionless, sleeping body filled Gabe’s thoughts.
If he didn’t figure this out soon, Gabe knew Sophie might possibly never wake up.
“Let’s go.” he replied at last, walking towards the old wooden door.
Uri nodded, and followed Artis and Gabe across the tall grass of the clearing.
They came upon an over grown stone path and at last to some worn and rickety wooden steps.
Artis looked at the two boys, giving them one last chance to change their minds.
Gabe nodded reassuringly so she lifted her hand to tap on the door, but before she could the door opened.
A woman emerged from the doorway.
Her skin was a deep, golden caramel color and Gabe thought how it appeared to be quite exotic.
Her hair, thick and black, was unkempt except for a small scarf tied around her hair line.
The boys couldn’t help but stare as she gazed at them with bold green eyes that almost seemed to shimmer.
“Katrina, hi, we were just coming to talk to you.” Artis sputtered.
Katrina had helped Artis on numerous occasions in the past so, though her new friends were not trusting of Oracles, Artis knew they could be a lot of help.
“I want you to meet -“
“Gabe Harwood and Uri Withers.” The woman said, emerging further from her doorway and extending a hand in a delicate manner indicating she preferred a kiss to the back of it.
All of Gabe’s anguish about working with her seemed to disappear as he lunged forward to be the first to take her hand and deliver his lips to it.
“Yes, I should have known you would already have been aware we were coming, you are the Oracle.” Artis stammered.
Katrina looked over at Artis and with a slight eye roll corrected the young girl, “Nah, Patina told me they would probably try and come see me at some point.”
“She did?” Gabe asked, shocked by the way Katrina revealed the fact so carelessly.
“Of course, she’s out of her mind worried that somehow Michael is going to try and pin this cursing incident on her.” Katrina explained just before she turned and walked back into her cottage.
“Come on in lovelies.” she added, beckoning over her shoulder with her fingertips.
“Best come in before the rain gets you.”
“But it’s not—“ Uri began, but his words were interrupted by some ominous thunder.
He chose not to finish his statement.
Inside they discovered the cottage consisted of mostly just one large open room with a fireplace, table, and small kitchen area.
Gabe couldn’t help but think about how small and modest the accommodations were.
Glancing back at the window, he saw several carvings of snake like figures and wondered what their significance was.
Rather than already putting Katrina on the defensive like he had done with Patina, Gabe decided to remain silent and not ask about the serpent sculptures.
Instead he continued looking around the room, examining everything he could to give him some sort of insight to the person he was dealing with.
“Some people are not so easy to read, my dear,” Katrina said to Gabe, looking intensely at him.
Gabe looked down at his hands, embarrassed by her directness.
“I know why you are seeking my advice, but the person you search for is one of these illusive souls.”
Gabe quickly realized she was not speaking about him trying to analyze the trinkets around the cottage with her last statement and sighed a breath of relief.
“So you have no idea who is behind the attack on my people?” Gabe asked frustrated.
“I didn’t say that.” Katrina replied cryptically.
“Well look, you can either help us or you can’t.
Which is it?” Gabe snapped, the all too familiarity of their own Oracle returning to him.
“What my friend means is we wouldn’t want to unnecessarily waste your time.” Uri interjected, glaring at Gabe.
“So if you don’t think you can help us we will simply be on our way.”
“I didn’t say that I couldn’t help.” Katrina replied, still holding Gabe’s gaze.
“So which is it?” Gabe was quickly growing tired of the conversation.
“I sense the traitor is close.” Katrina replied.
“Of course the traitor is close; we already know it’s someone on the grounds.” Gabe snorted looking wildly at a composed Uri, frustrated they had not already left.
“The person responsible for switching the stones is unaware they did it.
I can see a confused mind when I try and see the incident.
They were cursed as well.”
Katrina proclaimed, eyes closed as if she could see the scene of that fateful evening when the treachery occurred unfolding in her own mind.