“Oh, and one more thing. You’d all better strip off those wet clothes before you catch a chill.”
Chapter 4 - Drake
Having agreed to the oracle’s terms, the three men removed their outer clothing, and each spread their wings beside her fireplace, hoping to ward off the chill that had long since buried itself in their bones. The woman silently handed out bowls of stew. The bones looked newly carved, as though she’d carved them especially for their arrival. All four ate in silence, until Drake could bear it no longer.
“How long have you lived up here?”
He’d been watching the oracle so intently, he didn’t miss the way her entire body tensed at his question. She was silent for so long, he thought she might not answer. Taking a spoonful of stew, he gritted his teeth against repeating the question.
“I have lived in this cabin for more years than I can count,” she admitted finally. Drake watched her reach down and stroke the head of the fox that was snuggled up against her feet while she sat on the edge of her bed.
“Are you alone up here?” Drake asked. The way his brother cleared his throat and glared at him out of the corner of his eye suggested he might need to be a little more careful about his questions. The two brothers had always been good at reading each other's thoughts, and it was clear Blake believed he might sour the woman’s decision to agree to their requests if he pushed too hard.
Kira turned her gaze up from where she’d been looking at the brown liquid that was left in her bowl, and looked at him pointedly as she responded, “Even if I were, do you honestly think I would admit it?”
Drake had to admit she had a point. If she was alone, she was vulnerable and defenseless, but if there was someone living here with her, she might very well be putting them in danger too. She’s a smart woman, Drake realized. Perhaps too smart. It suddenly dawned on him that he and his brother really hadn’t thought of what they were getting themselves into. A woman who knew the future was likely one of the most powerful beings in their world, and he suddenly felt the weight of that knowledge land heavily upon his shoulders.
He quickly looked away from the oracle and concentrated once more on finishing the stew. It was much tastier than it looked.
“To answer your question, yes.”
Her sudden willingness to answer his question startled him into looking at her once more, and she shrugged as though she could sense his confusion. She lowered her bowl to the floor, and Drake saw she’d left half of her stew untouched. Instantly, the small fox at her feet clambered to its paws and buried its muzzle in the bowl.
“Good boy, Rudy,” she smiled as she stroked down the length of the animal’s back. She then looked at Drake with such sorrow in her eyes that he instantly wanted to cross the room and take her in his arms. “I’ve answered you because in truth, I am tired of being alone.”
“Then maybe you will be more willing to accept my request than I’d thought,” Blake broke in before Drake could say another word. Drake’s jaw clenched, already knowing what his brother was about to suggest. “I have need of an oracle in my court. You shall return with us.”
Menion, who’d been entirely silent until then, suddenly cleared his throat as if to remind them all he was there, sitting in the corner with his thick blue cloak wrapped around him. “And what of me?” he asked, glaring at the brothers. “I have need of Kira’s help too.”
As if she sensed an argument was about to ensue, Kira spoke up once more, “None of us will be going anywhere until this snowstorm has ended, and even then, the mountain will be treacherous to travel down.”
With deep sighs and groans, the three men were forced to agree that the oracle was right. After all, she’d already seen the future. She likely already knew how long they were going to be there. Yet the look on her face told Drake that even if he asked, she wouldn’t tell him just how long that would be.
It turned out she was right. The snowstorm lasted most of the night, and by the next morning, the fire had burned down to nothing but embers. The early morning chill was only warded off by the warmth of the bodies inside the cabin, and Drake was awakened from where he’d been dozing beside the fireplace by the sound of arguing.
“There is no way in hell I’m going out there!” Blake protested, and Drake blinked open his eyes to see his brother and the Prince of the Forgotten Isle were standing off in the center of the cabin, glaring at each other with open hatred. Still, half-asleep, Drake could do nothing but watch as Kira stepped between the two men, placing a hand on each of their chests. The two men instantly seemed to ease off, their eyes softening as they both turned their gazes down to look at her.
“Nobody’s going out there,” she announced. “It is much too dangerous. The temperature outside would shatter your wings in a snowstorm like this.”
“We can’t just sit in here and wait. We need more firewood,” Menion protested. He gestured to the fireplace, where the embers were slowly burning down to nothing. “We’ll freeze without a fire.”
“I’ll admit your arrival yesterday distracted me and so I forgot to bring more firewood in,” Kira admitted with a deep sigh. “Though I can assure you both that none of us will freeze to death. We may just need to get a little… creative until the storm passes.”
“You don’t have wings,” Menion pointed out. “You’re human. You could go out there and collect the wood.”
Kira looked surprised at the suggestion for only a second, before she began to glare at the prince. At that moment, Drake knew without a doubt that she was a force to be reckoned with. This was not the kind of woman who would do anything she didn’t wish to do.
“What’s going on?” Drake groaned, forcing himself to sit up and join the conversation before things could get out of hand.
“What’s going on is we’re out of wood for the fire and the storm is showing no signs of letting up,” Blake explained. He dropped down onto a nearby stool with a deep huff and crossed his arms over his chest. His breath was already beginning to form small clouds as he breathed out, and Drake’s chest clenched. That definitely wasn’t a good sign.
“So, what are we going to do about it?” Menion asked, his green eyes sparkling with something akin to fear. The foreign prince had been anxious enough in the first place, face to face with two sons of his father’s supposed enemy, and Drake couldn’t imagine this was going to make things any better.
“We’re just going to have to wait it out,” Kira announced with a deep sigh and a shake of her head. “There’s little else we can do.”
A mischievous expression began to spread across Blake’s face then, and Drake knew instantly that his brother was going to suggest something entirely inappropriate. It was just like him to be inappropriate, attempting to use humor to hide what he was really feeling. And in that moment, they were all feeling exactly the same thing: concern.
“I’m sure we can all think of a way to keep warm,” Blake announced with a waggle of his eyebrows in Kira’s direction. Drake’s stomach churned at the suggestion. Although, upon seeing her for the first time, Drake had definitely felt the desire to know what she might be like in bed, just as all men likely would, he also felt in awe of her, unable to imagine himself ever disrespecting her in such a way.