78. Kiera
KIERA
Standing at the center of The Oracle’s chambers, I waited for them to answer for what they’d done to me. They had let me be abused by Gabriel, let me be broke and alone for years. All to be a part of their sick game.
One Oracle took a deep breath, a blase tone in their voice. “We all take risks for Justice, Fledgling.”
The fuck did they call me?
I shook my head and muttered my dissent. “Just a bullshit line when you’re sitting at the summit of a mountain with clean hands.”
The chorus returned to argue. “The Oracle’s hands are bloodied by the Justice of the Many.”
Before I could quip something more damaging, Leo stepped forward. “You said there was a lawyer. Who? How do we get in contact?”
A singular voice rose from the council's shadows. “Your instructions will come in due time. You’re dismissed.”
Gripping the railing tighter, Dom shook her head. “No. No. We didn’t travel across the country for you to tell us to wait for instructions.”
She scoffed and stood straighter, her body vibrating with anger. “No, cut the bullshit. We want details now .” Her booming voice echoed down off the vaulted ceilings, raining down on us like a torrential summer storm.
A deep voiced Oracle roared from the darkness. “Your threats mean nothing here. You would be remiss to remember your place, Ms. Dumont. Don’t forget who elevated your position, who has cleaned up your messes.”
Dom licked her lips, wanting to bite back.
Despite how angry I was at her, it was clearer to me now that Dom had been held hostage too — by the acts of her father and the veiled figures at this table.
As my mind tried to keep up with everything I’d learned this morning, one thing was becoming obvious to me: The Oracle was posturing.
If what they said about the shares was true, they needed Dom and me to comply. More so than we needed them.
But more than anything, I wanted to meet the person my late father had trusted with my future. Who he’d known could protect my inheritance until I was allowed to emerge from the shadows.
I put my hand on Dom’s lower back, trying to bring her back to the ground as I asked The Oracle a final question. “Will you at least tell us when the instructions will come?”
There was a moment of quiet as my eyes strained to see the members’ faces. The bright spotlight on us made it nearly impossible for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the surrounding chamber.
The center voice returned, “Four weeks.”
Speaking as one, The Oracle bid us farewell. “The Violence is dismissed.”
From the shadows, six people dressed the exact same as the first pigeon appeared. My heart dropped seeing so many people in here. How many had heard me divulge our secrets? I’d spent weeks learning how to live in this world, the underground one full of mistruths and lies.
Had I spilled my guts to people I could trust? That we could trust?
The tattoo on my arm itched as the pigeons began to usher us out of the chambers. Leo and Spencer moved first, knowing our time was up.
Following them, I looked over my shoulder at Dom who hadn’t broken her staring contest with the shadows.
Just as a pigeon was about to lay a hand on her, she ripped herself off the railing. “Don’t fucking touch me, birdbrains.”
We trudged out of the chambers, our steps heavy with disappointment as we walked back into the quiet administrative hallway.
The pigeons slammed the wood doors behind us, a deafening silence washing over all of us as we processed what had happened.
Rubbing her chin, Spencer shrugged. “Four fucking weeks? What are we supposed to do until then?”
It was a question none of us knew how to answer. Danger was lurking around every corner and every moment that we didn’t get answers was another moment we were vulnerable.
Gabriel and Isaac were closing in and if they found a way to trap us, we’d have nowhere to run.