Chapter 2
2
SAOIRSE
S aoirse stumbled forward as though they’d been flung across the desert by some trick of magic. They’d been transported to another world in the blink of an eye.
“Titans,” Aurelia cursed, struggling to regain balance. She began to unsheath her sword, the slow hiss of metal filling the silence like a lone cry in the night.
“Shh.” Noora held up a hand in a silent order and Aurelia stilled, her sword halfway out of its sheath.
Against the utter silence of the Soundless Oasis, Saoirse’s breathing sounded deafening. She didn’t dare move a muscle. Her eyes flicked to their surroundings, taking in the lush plants that sprang from the fertile ground like sentinels. Clusters of palm trees rose high above them, rooted in place by dense trunks and crowned by wide leaves that fanned out in a canopy so thick even the stars were blotted out. Other spindly trees climbed upward, tangles of curling vines weaving in between their branches like lounging serpents. Ghostly moonlight shone through slats in the overlapping branches, filtering down to the oasis floor like the wisps of a forgotten dream, choked out by the shadows.
Tension coiled in Saoirse’s stomach. It was so unbearably silent, so painfully noiseless. It wasn’t the tranquil kind of silence that lulled and comforted. This absence of sound was like balancing on the edge of a knife, waiting for a drop that would never come, or anticipating danger but not knowing what to be afraid of.
To their right, a pool of water lay cradled by a beach-like embankment, its surface smooth as glass. Even by night, Saoirse could tell the water was deep blue, shining like a polished sapphire. Even as warning bells echoed through her mind and her skin prickled with fear, Saoirse couldn’t deny the primal pull to creep closer. Every part of her body yearned to kneel and drink deeply, to hurl herself into its fathomless depths and let the cool waters ease her dry scales like a healing balm. Her tongue suddenly felt like ash in her mouth, and she had an overwhelming urge to gulp down the crystal blue water. She would do anything to taste it. She would cut off her finger for just one sip.
Saoirse jolted out of the stupor, horrified by the thought. She now understood why so few could resist the tantalizing enchantment of the oasis. When she finally pried her eyes away from the glass-like pool, it felt like a spell had been broken.
“Where is the scholar’s sanctum?” Aurelia dared to whisper.
“I’m not sure,” Noora admitted. She gingerly stepped forward and paused, waiting for a trap to spring. Nothing happened. The numbing silence of the oasis still droned on, every leaf and branch still as stone. Noora stepped forward again, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. She gestured for Saoirse and Aurelia to follow with a flick of her hand.
The feeling of unease continued to swell like a tide as they crept through the trees, lapping at their heels with every step forward. The dreadful anticipation was a keen torture. They passed more glistening pools of water, some mere puddles, and others the size of ponds. Each one was more tempting than the last, each one bluer and more dazzling, each one promising to quench their thirst more. Saoirse’s mouth watered. With each body of water they passed, the urge to drink grew stronger. The desire gnawed at Saoirse, warring to be the sole focus of her mind. She fought against it, dug her mental heels in the dirt and forced herself to look away from the tempting waters. She sensed that Aurelia struggled equally, her footsteps slowly dragging forward as though an invisible force held her back. Even Noora appeared to grapple with temptation as a muscle in her neck flexed like she was straining to keep her eyes forward with everything she had.
“Keep going. Don’t stop,” Noora gritted out.
They breathed as though they’d just run across the length of the Shujaa Desert in the hottest part of the day. Saoirse felt magic suffusing the air and coating her tongue, seeping into her bones. It was as though the harder they resisted, the more the oasis worked to tire them out, feeding them delusions of burning muscles and aching lungs. Sweat dripped down Saoirse’s back even though the night was cold. She fell to her knees, sinking into the supple earth. Her entire body trembled like she’d just battled for days on end without food or water.
“What would happen if we drank it?” Saoirse panted. She closed her eyes against the beckoning pools, but behind her eyelids, she still saw shimmering waves and beguiling pools that promised sweet relief. The myths of the Soundless Oasis were a distant memory, blurred and half-realized. She was possessed by an unquenchable thirst, her entire existence reduced to this point in time, this singular desire to drink.
“Just one sip,” Aurelia dropped down beside Saoirse, her sword hitting the ground with a muted thump. Dazedly, Saoirse looked at her weapons.
Why did they have swords? It was safe here.
The thoughts felt wrong, like they’d been injected into her consciousness by an outside force. A part of her knew they weren’t her thoughts, but she felt so weak she let them consume her anyway. She unhooked the sword strapped across her back and tossed it aside.
Take more off, something told her. Lighten the load even further.
She was so tired. What was the harm? She let the other sword slung around her waist drop to the ground. She unwound the scarf from around her mouth, gasping as the cold air touched her lips.
Noora was the last to succumb to the oasis’ enchantment. She too began mindlessly unclasping the knives strapped to her thighs, tossing them aside like worthless trinkets. She only hesitated a moment before releasing her bow and quiver.
“ No , this is wrong,” Noora whispered fruitlessly. She sounded feverish. “But I can’t remember why.”
Saoirse’s thoughts were muddied too. She couldn’t recall why she was here nor why drinking from the waters was dangerous. The only thought in her mind was water.
Drink, drink, drink ?—
With every beat of her heart, the urge tore through her body.
The three of them crawled to the nearest pool like survivors of a shipwreck climbing the sands of a beach, the wreckage of their weapons abandoned in a useless heap. Saoirse’s cracked lips split, and she tried to wet them with an even drier tongue. So close. She crawled on hands and knees, inching forward to the clear water like it was her salvation.
She almost cried out as her fingertips touched the smooth surface. The water was cold and clean, better than anything she’d ever felt on her skin. Beside her, Noora and Aurelia stretched out their hands like acolytes offering themselves to a goddess. Saoirse cupped her hands together and scooped up the water in her palms. It trickled down her arms in soft rivulets, droplets quivering as her hands trembled with anticipation. She brought it to her lips and closed her eyes. It was just as delicious as she’d imagined. Better, even. A thirst greater than any she’d ever known gripped her and she began shoveling water into her mouth like a madwoman. It dribbled down her chin and spilled over her neck and tunic, plastering the drenched fabric to her skin. She was delirious with need.
Saoirse was so lost in obsession she didn’t notice it was no longer silent.
The realization came slowly at first, like the first flush of sunrise creeping along the night sky in tentative brush strokes. Awareness gradually cut through the fog of her magic-addled mind, spearing terror in her heart.
Breathing.
Soft cracks of branches on the ground.
A rustle of leaves that would’ve been insignificant had the silence not been so numbing. But it was there, pieces of a presence that had surrounded them as they gorged themselves on the oasis waters.
Saoirse stopped drinking, her cupped palms still raised to her lips. Water trickled down her forearms. Without moving her head, she glanced around. Her skin pebbled with gooseflesh when she realized they weren’t alone. She thought the distant orbs in the darkness were fireflies at first. But as they crept closer and came into focus, she knew they were eyes.
Glowing, yellow eyes. Surrounding them.
Her magic-addled wits slammed back to life. Noora and Aurelia must’ve sensed Saoirse’s sudden stillness because they halted their frantic drinking, the streams of water between their fingers faltering. A nearly indiscernible exhale passed from Aurelia’s lips, the only indication she saw what Saoirse had.
The creatures emerged from the shadows slowly, materializing from behind thick tree trunks and hanging vines like nightmares come to life. The reptilian animals crawled on all fours, their thick legs heavy with corded muscle. The giant lizards were covered in obsidian scales as thick as chainmail, razor-sharp spikes protruding from their spines. Their long claws shifted in the sand as they surrounded the pool. Slithering forked tongues probed the air, glistening with venom. There had to be at least ten in total, each as large as a wolf.
Hot panic flushed out the last traces of their magical stupor as the direness of their situation came into full clarity. They were completely vulnerable. Their swords and weapons were discarded several paces away. They were kneeling in the dirt, heads craned over the pool like prisoners awaiting execution by beheading. Their only option was to abandon the pool and pray they could get their weapons before the creatures struck. Saoirse met Noora and Aurelia’s wide eyes. They both nodded in silent agreement.
Before she could think, Saoirse dove for her sword, half crawling and half running to the heap of weapons. Chaos erupted. The pack of lizard beasts moved all at once, lunging forward with a chorus of bone-chilling hissing that made Saoirse scramble even faster. Black scales flashed in the moonlight like beetle shells. Some of them sprang from the other side of the pool, splashing through the waters in frenzied, jerking movements. Others crawled down palm trees like spiders, their claws digging into the of bark as easily as a knife through the soft flesh of a mango.
Saoirse stumbled for her sword. Just as she touched her sword’s scabbard, biting pain splintered up her leg. She lost her balance and hit the ground hard, the wind knocked from her lungs. She twisted to face the horrifying reptile, biting back a scream as its claws punctured through the leather of her boot. She kicked with her free leg as the lizard creature easily dragged her backward like she weighed nothing. It leaped over her with speed unnatural for such a stocky animal, its mouth hovering above her face as it pinned her down. All she could see were beady yellow eyes and a jaw full of bone-white teeth. Its forked tongue flicked out and tasted the air between them, stringy venom hanging from its open maw. Saoirse kicked the soft underside of the beast’s abdomen with as much strength as she could muster, grunting with the effort. The creature hissed with annoyance, only mildly deterred.
It lunged for her again, and Saoirse covered her face with one forearm, letting the beast’s jaws grab hold of the metal vambrace buckled over her arm. Frantically, Saoirse felt around in the sand with her free hand, trembling as the lizard’s jaws sank into the armor plate. She could feel the metal cracking between its teeth. The muscles in her arm screamed as she fought to hold the beast away, its face inching closer and closer. Her fingers wrapped around a sharp rock. She swung the jagged stone at one of the beast’s glowing eyes. As the creature reared back in pain, she yanked her forearm from its mouth and dragged herself away. Her vambrace hung from her arm by a single strap, nearly split in two.
“Catch!”
Saoirse spun just in time to see her sword flying through the air. She caught it, her eyes landing on Aurelia. She had made it to the pile of weapons seemingly unharmed, though one of her sleeves was entirely shredded. With a grim nod to Saoirse, Aurelia turned back around and tossed Noora’s bow. The archer caught it midair and nocked an arrow in one fluid motion, letting it fly just as another reptilian beast was upon her. Her arrow lodged itself in the creature’s skull.
Saoirse tore her gaze from Noora and Aurelia and drew her sword. Two beasts sprang from her left, jaws snapping. She swung at the first and shoved her blade up and under, slicing open its stomach. She hauled its heavy body off her sword and a gush of black blood spurted out, splattering on her desert robes. The other monster pounced over the deceased one’s corpse, surprisingly agile. Saoirse stabbed at the beast, but her sword missed its vulnerable underside, sliding uselessly over shining black scales. She cursed and spun away, falling back into a defensive position. It hissed at her, forked tongue lashing out like a threat. The beast lurched forward, its claws tearing through the soft earth in a spray of dirt. She planted her feet and braced for impact. This time, Saoirse didn’t miss her mark as it launched itself at her. She embedded her blade into its belly. The light faded from its yellow eyes and its body fell limp.
Panting hard, she turned back toward Aurelia and Noora. They were holding their own, black blood drenching their clothing and collecting at their feet like puddles of ink. Noora shot arrow after arrow, her bowstring scarcely retracting before another arrow was nocked and released with lightning speed. But as the archer focused on bringing two lizard creatures down from the front, another beast crept out of the shadows from behind. Saoirse bolted forward. She tackled the beast just before it could tear through Noora’s exposed back, dragging it down to the sand. She tried to stab it in the stomach, but the beast grabbed her blade between its powerful jaws and tossed it away. It jumped on her with a hiss, opening its horrible mouth wide to reveal rows of needle-sharp teeth glistening with venom. She tried to lift her arms to protect her face, but they were pinned down in a cage of claws. The beast roared in her face, saliva dripping onto her cheek. It reared back, preparing to strike. A metal arrowhead exploded from the roof of its open mouth. The beast collapsed, a feather-tipped arrow sticking out from the top of its head. Noora stood on the other side, lowering her bow. Saoirse sagged back to the earth, her heart beating so fast she thought it might fall out of her chest.
Saoirse accepted Noora’s outstretched hand and pushed up from the ground with a ragged breath. She retrieved her sword from where it had been flung. Nearby, Aurelia pulled her sword from one of the reptile beasts with a sickening wet slurp. No more burning yellow eyes peered at them from between leaves or from under hanging branches.
The Soundless Oasis was quiet again, living up to its name.
“I don’t see anymore,” Saoirse observed, wiping the moisture from her brow. Her clothing was soaked in a mixture of water from the pool, blood, and sweat. Every breath was labored, the air burning in her chest as she inhaled. She needed another dose of titansblood .
“I have no doubt more will find us. Or creatures much worse,” Noora said, scanning the dark trees around them. “Who knows what other games the oasis still wants to play.” She began plucking arrows from the bodies that littered the ground, wiping the bloodied tips off with her cloak.
“What happened to us back there?” Aurelia limped over. Her hair had been freed from the headscarf, blonde curls hanging in sweaty tendrils. “There’s strange magic in this oasis. It felt like my body wasn’t my own. All I could feel was an overwhelming urge to drink .”
“The Soundless Oasis has a mind of its own,” Noora answered wearily, collecting the last of her arrows. “It wanted us vulnerable and exposed. It made us think we were safe so that it could strike. I’m sure there will only be more tricks, each worse than the last. It will not be pleased we survived.”
Saoirse looked to the sky, noticing that the first rays of the sunrise had begun to invade the night. The moon was fading from view fast. Soon, daylight would be upon them.
“How could someone live in such a place?” Aurelia asked. “Where is this Tezrus the Scholar? He certainly picked a fortified place to hide from the Elders.”
Noora hesitated at first, averting her eyes. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “The last time anyone saw him was when he set out from Bezhad twenty years ago. Legend has it he traveled all over Revelore, journeying from city to city searching for a place so uninhabitable the Elders wouldn’t think to look for him there. He settled on the Soundless Oasis after learning of it from Tellusun folklore. A tracker went with Tezrus to guide him here, but the tracker returned alone.”
“Wait, he could be dead ?” Aurelia retorted. “No one has seen him in twenty years. Hasana sent us out here not knowing if Tezrus was still alive? What if he died the minute he set foot in this cursed place, and we’ve just wasted days of precious travel all for nothing?”
Noora tensed at Aurelia’s tone, instantly on guard. A cool stillness shifted over her face as she asked, “You dare question my princess’s judgment?”
“I’m not sure what to think,” Aurelia snapped. “This whole time, we’ve been putting our lives in danger over an uncertainty, a mere guess. It doesn’t seem like Hasana thought this through. If she thought there was a chance he could be dead, maybe that’s why she sent us here instead of coming herself.”
“You know very well Hasana had to remain in Bezhad to regroup with the rebellion and plan our next moves. If you’re this quick to distrust her, I’m not sure you deserve a place among us,” Noora said coldly.
“He traveled all over Revelore?” Saoirse interrupted before hostilities grew further. “What kingdom did he hail from?”
“Terradrin.”
Aurelia scoffed. “An under-dweller taking up residence in the warmest part of the world? Now we know for certain he’s long dead.”
“It makes sense. This is the last place the Order of Elders would think to find him,” Saoirse considered. “Even if he survived the horrors of the oasis, the sun would still be an eternal threat.”
Saoirse looked at the looming sunrise again. She wanted to leave this eerie place as soon as possible and they were running out of time. They could be lost here for days if the oasis decided to rearrange itself and make them lose their way. Or worse, the fickle oasis could move locations on a whim and transport them across the Shujaa Desert, placing them weeks of travel away from Bezhad. They needed to find this Tezrus soon. So where was he? She didn’t think one of the most acclaimed scholars in Revelore would be foolish enough to choose a hiding place where he knew he wouldn’t survive.
Aurelia paced in a circle, clearly biting her tongue to keep herself from saying something brash. Saoirse understood her anxiety; she was just as worried they might not find the answers they’d set out to find and end up as lost as they were four days ago. But she had to hope Hasana was right and that the scholar was still alive.
“Someone from the Under Kingdom would have a difficult time surviving in the desert heat under the Shujaa sun,” Saoirse remarked. “But not if they lived underground.”
Aurelia cocked a brow and stopped pacing, a flicker of hope igniting in her turquoise eyes.
“What if Tezrus found a cave under the oasis? Or perhaps he created tunnels for himself. He was a scholar of ancient arts and he understood the most carefully-guarded secrets of Revelore. It isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.”
“You’re right,” Noora considered slowly. “That’s also how he could be safe from the beasts who make their homes here. He could be living underneath the oasis.”
The fertile earth here was different from the arid dunes beyond. One could feasibly dig into the ground without it collapsing in on itself, and because the wandering piece of land could magically shift through the desert like a ship on the sea, it stood to reason that anything under it might move as well.
“Let’s look for an entrance then,” Aurelia nodded. “I hope you’re right.” She sheathed her sword, wiping the gore from her hands with a grimace.
They wandered further into the oasis as the sun rose into the sky like a burning omen. Saoirse was grateful for the palm trees overhead, their fanned leaves creating ample shade from the unforgiving heat. Just as she’d suspected, the colors of the oasis in the daylight were stunning. Richly colored flowers studded the vibrant green walls like jewels and notes of jasmine and citrus floated on the breeze. They passed by more sparkling pools of water, but this time the compulsion to drink didn’t torment them. It was as though the oasis had played its first trick on them and didn’t want to repeat itself. Or perhaps the water truly was magical and quenched every ounce of thirst they might have.
It was still eerily silent, but the occasional caw of a brightly feathered bird broke the quiet. It seemed not every animal in the oasis was bloodthirsty, but Saoirse was wary of even the smallest beetle creeping on the ground. She jumped at every bend of a tree or whisper of wind through the leaves, her hands falling to the sword at her waist. As they made their way through the cursed paradise, Noora periodically tied scraps of fabric to the tree branches they passed, marking their path. If the oasis decided to rearrange itself and throw them off course, at least they’d be able to tell if they ran into a previous marker.
Saoirse stopped for a moment, looking up at fractures of azure sky through the canopy of leaves. She closed her eyes and listened for anything out of the ordinary: the sound of dripping water that might indicate a cavity in the ground, or a hollowness that echoed faintly where they stepped. She couldn’t hear anything save for the faint call of a bird.
Wait. There is something .
The rumbling timbre in the distance was so subtle she almost didn’t catch it. The low cadence sounded like a male voice. He was speaking but she couldn’t make out the words.
“Do you hear that?” Saoirse asked. “It sounds like a voice.”
“Where is it coming from?” Aurelia cocked her head trying to catch the notes in the air. “I don’t hear anything.”
Noora was giving her an odd look. “Saoirse?—”
Saoirse turned toward the sound and strode forward, growing louder with each step closer. The voice flowed like a river to her ears, undefined and raw as it tumbled over rocks and uneven drops. She ducked under a hanging vine and pushed a swell of blooming flowers away, following the elusive voice on the breeze. The timbre was so familiar, touching a part of her memory with its cadence. She wove between the palm trees and tried to pinpoint the distant sound. Gradually, the voice became more defined and recognizable, its warm tone forming into words and attaching itself to a person she knew. A person she loved.
“Saoirse,” he called. “Saoirse.”
She froze.
Rook . It couldn’t be. He was in Bezhad. Why was he here?
Behind her, Aurelia and Noora crashed through the thick greenery, breathing heavily. Saoirse hadn’t realized she had been running after Rook’s voice. How long had she been chasing the elusive sound?
“Saoirse, there is no voice!” Aurelia cried between gasps. “Stop running!”
“Rook is here. Why would he have come to find us? Something must be wrong.”
Saoirse couldn’t stop hearing his voice in her head. It sounded so clear now, like he was standing directly behind her and was speaking against the shell of her ear. She jumped at the hot breath on her ear, spinning around. There was nothing behind her except lush trees. She craned her neck skyward, hoping to find him soaring through the clouds, his wings outstretched on a breeze.
The sky was empty.
Saoirse’s shoulders slumped as understanding washed over her. His insistent voice faded in the wind the moment she realized she’d been under a spell. Droning silence replaced the hollows where his voice had echoed.
Hel’s teeth. The Soundless Oasis had deceived her once again. She had been fully convinced Rook was here, any trace of doubt wiped from her mind as if someone had deliberately removed all her sense of reasoning. Saoirse felt like a fool, but she knew the heady magic in the air was difficult, if not impossible, for even the most seasoned soldier to resist.
She told herself she was relieved Rook wasn’t here. His absence meant the rebellion’s meticulous planning in Bezhad was going according to plan. But a secret part of her wilted at the reality that he hadn’t come. Hearing his familiar voice, even fabricated by magic, reminded her how much she missed his easy smile and steady presence. She missed the days when he didn’t hate her.
She was about to apologize for straying so far from their intended path when a haze slipped over Noora’s face. Her gaze grew distant and unseeing, as though a sheer veil had been draped over her eyes. Saoirse recognized that expression; Noora was listening to a voice only she could hear.
“Hasana,” Noora whispered. She turned toward the phantom sound and began following it, charting a path through the forest only she could see. “Hasana, what’s wrong?” Her voice was panicked, laced with an acute terror reserved for someone beloved.
“Wait, Noora! It’s just the oasis, it’s not real!” Saoirse called. “Don’t listen to it!”
She began to run after the archer but stopped when she realized Aurelia wasn’t moving, her body rigid as a statue. The same glazed look shone in Aurelia’s eyes. Her brows furrowed; a look of confusion mingled with fear twisted across her face as whatever voice in her head called to her.
Saoirse grabbed Aurelia’s arm, squeezing it with just enough force to hopefully pull her out of the trance. “Aurelia,” she called gently. “It isn’t real. Whoever’s voice you’re hearing—they aren’t here.” Perhaps Aurelia was listening to the voice of her lover, Sune.
“No, it’s all right,” Aurelia replied softly. She turned to Saoirse, her eyes bright with clarity. For some reason, she was blinking back tears and appeared quite shaken. “It wasn’t the voice itself. It’s what the voice told me that was disconcerting.” Aurelia abruptly wrapped her arms around Saoirse and held tight for a brief second. Saoirse barely had time to register her friend’s embrace before Aurelia let go and turned in the direction Noora had run off to.
Saoirse opened her mouth to speak. What horrible lies had the oasis whispered to Aurelia that could evoke such unease in someone normally so self-assured?
“Let’s find Noora,” Aurelia interrupted before Saoirse could ask. She closed her mouth in resignation, trapping her overflowing questions back in her throat. Later, she thought. Later she would ask Aurelia what she’d heard.
They tore through the jungle of hanging vines and twisting tree limbs, occasionally hacking through thick branches and tangled leaves with their swords. The forest grew denser as they followed Noora’s frantic voice. Flowers sprouted up and vines darted across their path as if the oasis was hedging itself between them and Noora. Trees that had been scattered across the oasis before were now flush against each other, forcing them to find another way around.
“Hel’s teeth .” A thick clot of vines dropped from the treetops, conveniently halting just at eye level. Saoirse slashed through churlish tangles of green and dove over winding branches, trying not to lose Noora’s distant cries of distress even as the forest moved and warped around them like they were playing pieces on a game board.
When they finally emerged from the thick wall of trees, they found Noora in a clearing, her eyes still heavy-lidded and dazed with the oasis’s enchantment. She stood under a tree with low-hanging branches, staring blankly at the small glen. One of the tree branches began to move unnaturally, curling over another branch and dipping toward Noora. At first, Saoirse thought it was just another piece of the oasis’s magic animating the tree just as it had summoned the plants to block her and Aurelia’s path. But with a sudden, horrifying realization, Saoirse saw that it wasn’t a branch.
A huge python was wrapped around the tree truck, its brown scales blending into the bark. Its muscular body was as thick as the branches it constricted. The snake had to be at least nineteen feet long, dwarfing Noora’s slight frame.
“Noora!” Saoirse screamed. “ Noora !”
She and Aurelia sprinted across the clearing, feet flying as quick as their pulses. They watched helplessly as the python slithered down the branch. The serpent was so heavy the branch bowed under its weight, leaves shivering. The snake’s great head lurched toward Noora, a forked tongue tasting the air just above her. It began to twine itself around Noora’s shoulders like a huge spool of thread, its muscles flexing with every curve. Saoirse felt sick.
“Noora!” They were running as fast as they could, splashing through puddles of water and leaping over rocks that appeared right in their path, haphazardly placed there by the oasis like a child carelessly tossing pebbles on the ground. The snake would crush Noora any minute now.
Their movement startled the python. It lifted its huge head as they approached, its beady eyes glittering in the shade. It hissed in warning. Aurelia unsheathed her sword, readying to cut off its head in one fell swoop. But something wasn’t right. The snake was wrapped around Noora several times over, but she was breathing normally. There were no signs of suffocation, no ruddy flush on her cheeks as her blood rose higher and her circulation was cut off. In just the right light, the python’s brown scales shimmered green. Aurelia lifted her blade above her head, a snarl on her lips.
“Wait!” Saoirse cried.
Aurelia looked at her like she was mad, but she halted midstroke. Sure enough, the second Saoirse had recognized the oasis’s enchantment, the snake vanished, revealing what was truly under the illusion. A leafy vine was loosely wrapped around Noora’s shoulders, conjured to look like a python constricting its prey. If Aurelia had brought her sword down to behead the snake, she would’ve killed Noora instead.
Noora woke with a jolt and light returned to her eyes. She brushed aside the vine easily and the plant slithered back into the tree as if it had never moved.
“ Titans . What just happened?” Noora breathed, taking in Saoirse and Aurelia’s horrified expressions.
“The oasis is mounting its games, toying with us. I almost sliced you open,” Aurelia ground out. “Curse this place and its capricious magic. If Saoirse hadn’t recognized the enchantment as a lie, you’d be dead.”
Noora inhaled with a shaky breath. “We must be close to Tezrus if the oasis is multiplying its efforts.”
“How much longer will this continue? What will happen to us next? This is beginning to feel like a fruitless chase that will lead us to death.”
“The Soundless Oasis will plague you no longer,” came a reedy voice.
The three of them turned, readying for another trick of the Oasis. Saoirse lifted her sword to strike whatever entity was about to attack.
An old man stood before them, gnarled hands folded over each other. He was weaponless, wearing a simple robe the color of sand. His pale gray skin was nearly translucent and blue veins spiderwebbed along his wrists under paper-thin flesh. Shoulder-length white hair as bright as bone bleached in the sun peaked out from beneath his drawn hood. His eyes were milky and colorless, just as every Terradrin under-dwellers’ were.
“Tezrus the Scholar?” Saoirse asked, though she already knew the answer.
“You’ve been looking for me?” The old man eyed their tattered clothing, still splattered with black blood and gore. “Why have you come to this place?”
“We’re here to learn of the Myths of Old and the Titans,” Saoirse answered, her pulse quickening as she spoke. She watched for any changes in his cool demeanor as her words registered. She didn’t know how Tezrus would react. He had fled from the Order of Elders and renounced their ways under the penalty of death. He may have taken an unbreakable vow to never speak of the secrets he’d learned. Or worse, he might abandon them to the whims of the oasis, thinking they’d come at the behest of the Order, hired as assassins to finally snuff out his life after two decades of hiding. Saoirse braced herself for the worst.
He merely blinked at them, rolling his colorless lips together thoughtfully as if sifting through her words for truth.
“Revelore is crumbling,” Saoirse added. “War is sparking across the continent, and it will soon scorch everything in its path. But more pressing than mortal strife, we believe the Titans will rise again.”
This led Tezrus to pause. He cocked his head curiously at Saoirse and pinned her in place, his pale eyes seeming to see right through her.
“The Sea Witch finally escaped the Fretum as she promised, then?”