Veritas

Chapter 79

"So she is the Oracle" Ryan said with a frown. "You said before she couldn't be; but, it makes sense...So, does that mean her dreams are because she's the Oracle, and not because she's mated to the King?" He demanded, wanting to fully understand before he dared to get his hopes up.

"She's his mate?" Derek asked in horror. "Does he know?" He followed up, now concerned for Aislinn's safety.

Gwen pursed her lips for a moment, considering how to answer both of them. With a sigh, feeling bad for Ryan, she felt that being blunt was the best bet. "To Ryan's first question, yes and no. She is having visions for sure; but, the only explanation I have for her wolf is that it's being suppressed by the mate bond. Additionally, the prophecy I was told spoke to how our next Oracle would be our next Queen...It's a bit of a big deal, because it's been many generations since an Oracle was mated into the Royal family" she explained to Ryan as gently as she could. "So with all of that considered, I'm still confident that she's mated to Darius" she concluded, then turned to look at Derek. "And as far as I'm aware, he doesn't know. She doesn't want to be mated to him, so I can't imagine she'd parade it around."

Derek leaned back in his chair so he could rest his head against the backrest, letting out a long sigh. "That poor girl...In hindsight, Shaela did everything in her power to drive a constant wedge between Darius and myself" he admitted sadly. "I was a useless father, and a terrible King after I thought I'd lost Reina. Conri had gone wild, and only continued to be so full of hate that I eventually grew incapable of controlling him...Shaela was the one who suggested that, for my son's protection, I step down and keep away from him. It was all a means to an end for her, toying with our lives" he said bitterly.

Reina leaned in to press her forehead to the side of his neck, closing her eyes and wishing she could take his pain away. "We both made mistakes as parents, and as rulers, my love. There is no use lamenting it, we should instead focus on fixing what we can now" she said gently.

"She's right" Ryan said, looking over to his parents. "The way I see it, we all had a bit of a shitty hand and didn't even realize it. We made the best out of our lives, and were as happy as we could be; but, now we have a chance to take control ourselves and make things the way they should be. That means we need to find the King, straighten out his thoughts and make sure he's a damn good mate for Aislinn" he said, trying to remain as emotionless as possible, yet his bitterness was shining through.

Reina looked over at her son and gave him a sympathetic smile, while nodding in agreement. "Yes, we want both of them to find their happiness together" she agreed.

"So where is my nephew?" Reinhold asked, looking at Gwen. "Do you have a way to tell?"

"I do, thanks to Aislinn's talisman" Gwen confirmed. "And we should meet them as soon as possible. In Aislinn's original vision, Shaela was on the stage with Derek at the execution...Something must have happened since I last spoke to Aislinn to change the direction of events, and it worries me" she admitted.

"What could that mean? Why didn't you say something sooner?" Ryan demanded, getting to his feet. "Tell me where to find her and I'll go now."

"I can go with him" Reinhold offered, rising as well. "This one found me in Shaela's dungeon, where all I had time to do was sleep or be tortured" Reinhold mentioned, nodding towards Gwen. "And when we arrived, the boy was unconscious, so...He and I are likely the most well-rested of us, and I don't believe this is something to trust the guard with while we don't know who to trust" he added with a grimace.

"That's what changed" Gwen piped up, looking at Reinhold. "You weren't rescued in the vision, I only found you because Aislinn told me to find Ryan and Reina. Someone must have told her you had escaped, so she made a run for it I'd bet" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers as she realized it. "She's probably running back to whoever it is she's working with to seek shelter."

"Do you think she'll try to find Darius and Aislinn?" Reina asked with a frown, not liking that Shaela was at large.

"I don't honestly know" Gwen admitted. "I can't even pretend to fathom her level of crazy, so I can't put myself in her head. I also don't know what she's capable of, since she's clearly working with some witches doing dark magic. Usually I'd say she would have a hard time finding them since they're moving targets, and Darius still can't mind-link; but...I just don't know" she explained with a helpless shrug.

Ryan frowned, his face growing darker. "I just reached out to Aislinn...She's not answering" he said, a foreboding feeling causing a sinking in his gut.

"Maybe it's nothing. Maybe she's just asleep" Reina offered unconvincingly, her heart beginning to race anxiously at the thought of Aislinn and Darius running into harm.

"She was answering just a few minutes ago" Ryan argued, looking at Reinhold. "We should get moving, something could be up. Gwen, how do we know where to go?" He demanded.

"I can go too" Reina said, looking at Derek. "The kingdom doesn't really know I'm back, so they'll be fine as long as they have their King" she explained gently.

"I won't be...I can't let you go" he responded quietly with a heartbroken look in his eyes. He knew he should let her; but, after just finding her again, neither he nor Conri could handle the idea of letting her out of their sight.

"Mom, you should stay here to keep him updated" Ryan reasoned, knowing his mom wouldn't want to leave her mate either; but, she was conflicted due to her maternal instincts. He figured if she had a reasonable excuse to stay back, she'd graciously accept it.

Reina pursed her lips and looked at Ryan, weighing her options. Finally, severely torn, she nodded and sunk back into her mate's arms. "Keep communication open at all times" she insisted.

"I will" Ryan responded with a tight smile. "We'll get her back safe and sound, don't worry" he vowed, then looked to Gwen expectantly.

"You don't know what's going on beyond the barrier. Reina and Derek are safe from witches and vampires as long as nobody can take the barrier down...So, I'll go with you and lead the way" she responded, getting to her feet as well. Before going, she turned to face the couple, saying "post only those who you have absolute faith in outside of the doors to the ceremonial chamber for the barrier. It needs guarding now more than ever; but, you need to be more cautious than ever, as well."

Reina and Derek nodded their understanding, then walked the trio to the gates. They held each other tightly as they watched them run off into the night, anxiously praying to the Moon Goddess that they'd be back safely.