Page 43 of The Ember and the Emerald

Just before she reached him, a soldier leaped forward, unsheathing a dagger. No one clocked his purpose until too late. The blade rammed into the queen’s belly once, twice, thrice.

King Ahav roared a denial. So did I.

The world spun again. I blinked, and everything righted. Back to the present. But I was panting, the men silent and staring at me.

“The queen,” I muttered, spinning, searching. Not here.

“Oracle?” Ahav asked, voice deep with concern. “You had a vision of my lady?”

“I…” Something warm and wet dripped over my lips. I wiped my face with trembling fingers. Crimson wet the pads, I realized with a frown. A bloody nose? “I saw her…she was just here…” I shook my head. “But now she’s gone.”

“Please,” he rushed out, gripping my arms. “Tell me what you saw.”

Growls left Jasher.

As I struggled to think, I scanned the faces of my audience, gasping when I noticed the very same soldier who’d stabbed the queen. But that would mean…

No. No! I don’t have visions. Flashes of memory here or there, a dream, but only ever of the past. I wasn’t an actual oracle.

Unless I was?

I bit my tongue, tasting blood. Elowen and I were due to have a chat.

“Oracle,” Ahav exploded, giving me a shake.

Jasher lunged at him, and this time, he meant business.

“Stop!” I shouted, and he froze, his claws inches from the king’s throat.

My heart thudded. What just happened?

A muscle jumped beneath my father’s eye. “Lock him below. I’ll decide the best way to deal with him after I’ve dealt with the oracle.”

“He won’t harm you, I’ll make sure of it,” I assured him. “Let him stay with me. Please.”

My request went unheeded. Soldiers yanked Jasher to the exit. When I attempted to follow, the soldiers that remained behind blocked my exit.

Jasher glared back at me, intent. That look. I struggled to read it. Not anger but…determination?

I licked my lips. As soon as Jasher disappeared, a shadow beast swept into the room. Awareness flared. Jasher. It was him, I knew it.

Ian did a double take, as if he saw him, too, but no others responded.

The gloom dominated a wall, shaped like a monstra fully turned.

“Oracle,” Ahav repeated, stern. “I won’t ask again. Tell me what you saw in your vision.”

Concentrate. I met his intense stare and offered the truth. “I saw Queen Sandrine enter this room and that soldier—” I pointed to the one who’d suggested a sacrifice, earning Ian’s approval “—killed the queen and her child.” Me.

Blanching, Ahav shook his head and stumbled backward as if I’d kicked him. “No. Charles is a good man I’ve known for years.”

“She lies, majesty,” Charles stated, cool and calm, as if he had nothing to hide. “Perhaps she aligns with the monstra. Captain Rourke said he found her and her creatures on Dead Man’s Pass, yes?” He pointed to a map, and the other soldiers surged closer for a better look. “That’s where the most recent attack occurred.”

Only the king and Ian remained in place, watching me. I lifted my nose.

“Did I hear someone say there’s an oracle in our midst?” My mother sailed into the room, wearing the same violet gown I’d imagined, spotted with the same specks of paint. She moved straight toward Ahav, smiling—unaware.

Horror slammed into me. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening in real time. “I’m the oracle, believe me,” I shouted, desperate to force the king into action.