Page 83 of Sanctuary of the Shadow
She opened her mouth to refuse him but stopped. She’d been blatantly ignoring her power since the moment it had flared up in the dream with Darya. Sure, she had good reason, but of all the things Mellora had taught her, attunement with the Water was number one.
Always trust the Water, her mother had said.It will show you where you need to go, even if you don’t yet understand where that is. Never assume you know better than the primordial force. Instead, feel blessed you were chosen to have a connection with it. If you do, it will guide you rightly in all things.
Yet how could she follow that advice when her power was still pushing at her to go to Raith and protect him? How could the Water want her to betray her family that way? It hurt, knowing the source of wisdom she was raised to trust infallibly was somehow no longer on her side, yet even then, she hesitated to ignore it.
“Look,” Malaikah hissed, going into full defensive mode, “if Harrow doesn’t want to visit your creepy Oracle, then nothing you do is going to make—”
“I’ll go,” Harrow announced.
Mal spun around. “What?”
“I’ll go to meet the Oracle.”
“Harrow, are you sure? I don’t trust this snake.”
Ouro chuckled.
“Neither do I. But I’m sure.”
Mal searched Harrow’s gaze carefully. There wasn’t time to explain, but Harrow did her best to let her conviction show on her face. Malaikah knew her well enough to read the expression and nodded. “All right. If you’re sure.”
They left the circus grounds in silence, meeting up with a group of Ouro’s men at the gate. No one tried to stop them. No one was even guarding the entrance. Harrow supposed Salizar had already gone off to recapture Raith.
Had they found him already? Was he hurt? Angry? Scared?
She pushed it from her mind. Whatever Raith felt was no longer her concern. Salizar would recapture him this night, and he’d be transported across the border into Darya’s Territory. Justice for her mother’s death would finally be served. Harrow could rest easy knowing one less of Furie’s killing abominations roamed free.
So why did the thought make her want to throw up again?
“Any chance we can move faster than a snail’s pace?” Ouro asked, interrupting her thoughts. “It’s a bit of a walk to the portal.” Harrow realized she’d been holding up the group and hurried onward.
“The what?” Malaikah asked, keeping close to her side.
The Hybrid just smiled. “You’ll see.”
Chapter Eighteen
Harrow and Malaikah followed Ouro and his men through the belly of the Underground. After dozens of disorienting turns, they headed down a narrow alley, crooked stone walls on either side. The cobblestones were so uneven, the entire lane slanted to the left.
At the end, Ouro stopped outside a tiny, unassuming door.
They entered a large sitting room of faded glory. A single lantern provided the only light, but Harrow’s eyes had adjusted, and she could see well enough. Velvet sofas were positioned around an empty stone fireplace. A crystal decanter of liquor sat on another table along the far wall, a group of glasses around it.
At the far end, an open doorway was covered by a beaded curtain. “Follow me,” Ouro said, stooping to pass through. Harrow and Malaikah followed, and the rest of the men remained behind. As soon as they went through the curtain, the men seemed to relax, and Harrow heard the murmurs of casual speech and the clinking of crystal as they poured drinks from the decanter.
Then she forgot all about that as she became aware of her surroundings.
It made no sense. She’d seen the building from outside, and there was no way what was here could fit within. Not to mention, it was the middle of the night, yet when she looked up, she saw blue sky and clouds.
In the center of the room, a spiral staircase wound upward at least four stories. High enough that it was difficult to discern what was at the top. This was obviously what Ouro had meant by “portal.” But surely it wasn’t arealportal. Perhaps the Oracle was an Enchantress and had just enchanted the stairs to appear as such?
“Shall we?” Ouro gestured to the staircase.
Malaikah eyed it warily. “Uh, after you.”
He shrugged and proceeded up the steps.
They climbed around the spirals for several minutes, finally reaching a door in the surrounding stone wall. Ouro raised a fist to knock but hesitated. “The Oracle can be a little…vague, and sometimes it’s difficult to understand her. She sees the past, present, and future all at once. Or at least I think she does.” He shrugged. “It’s confusing.”
