House of Blood and Beasts

10. Parental Problems

The chamber was dark, and Sarai was alone. Her parents waited outside the sacred temple, as only her presence was requested by the Oracle. She'd spent many hours dreading this meeting, wondering what the Oracle would have to say. It was rare for Wolves to receive prophecies about their futures and yet, here she was.

    The reek of sulfur and roasted meat swirled around her. There was a pit in the center of the dark expanse, from which natural gases rose. That was the source of the sulfuric scent. The roasted meat came from a pile of bull bones smoldering atop an altar.

    "Closer, Child. I wish to look upon your doomed soul," a beautiful voice said. It was lighthearted and amused, and yet, it bore the weight of ancient cruelty. Sarai's stomach clenched with anxiety as she took a step forward. She halted when a breath of wind kissed her cheek "Do you know what it is that I do?" The faceless voice asked.

    "You see the future," Sarai whispered.

    "Ogenas, Keeper of Mysteries, reveals her secrets to me. I can see nothing that she does not wish me to. For some reason, she offered me a vision of you, Sarai Ilerion. It was a warning, as well as a prophecy."

    "What did you see?"

    Smoke parted and Sarai's mouth fell open. A golden lioness padded forward, her movements graceful and lithe. The Sphinx had the face of a woman. Her skin was light brown; her hair, the purest gold. Her eyes were large and the color of freshly tilled soil. Supple wings were folded against her slender body, the feathers shimmering as though they were crafted from Midgard's most precious gems.

    The Oracle stretched out on the floor before the pit, breathing in the rising vapors. Sarai didn't dare move; not as the smoke thickened and hid the Oracle from sight once more. Minutes passed, and a rasping voice spoke.

"A dark future lies before you, young Wolf. You will be set upon a path that cannot be turned from. It will lead you to your demise, and doom those you love to a fate far more cruel than your own."

    "There's no way to avoid it?" Sarai asked, her voice choked with fear. Her legs trembled beneath her.

    "There is not." There was something undoubtedly final in the Oracle's tone. A few tears dripped down Sarai's cheeks, almost without her realizing it. "But Ogenas offers a daughter of Cthona this small comfort. Your fate will spark a change that will be felt in this world and many others." The smoke dissipated and the Oracle slipped away, leaving Sarai in the center of the temple.

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    Sarai rubbed a sleepy grit from her eyes, trying to stay focused as she followed Rafe down their usual patrol route. The rest of the pack held formation behind them. Sarai was grateful for the lack of conversation. After her dream last night, she wasn't in the mood for speaking.

    It had been a few months since she last dreamed about her visit to the Oracle and what followed. Sarai was only grateful that she'd woken before the last half of the dream could play out. If she hadn't, she didn't even want to think about what she might've done instead of going on patrol today.

    The day she visited the Oracle had also been the day her parents died. Sirius and Isadora Ilerion had accompanied her to the temple and waited outside at the Oracle's request. When Sarai emerged, they'd set off towards Moonwood. Night fell before they reached the district, and with it had come an unholy terror that Sarai's young mind blurred from her memories.

    A demon had broken through a crack in the Northern Rift and roamed loose in the city. It had discovered the three of them before they reached the safety of Moonwood. Sarai could still hear her parents' vicious snarls which had shifted into screams in a matter of seconds. But before the demon could turn on her, the Umbra Mortis arrived and killed it.