Chapter 16

The Oracle lay on a mat on the floor of the hard-rocked cave, sleeping deeply like a baby. She wore a white dress that covered up to her toes and her head was shaved into baldness. Her face looked roughened with patches of blood all over her face, her cheeks swollen as if she was hiding donuts in her mouth. The cave was quiet, small but snug. Considering how cold it was outside, the cave was a comfortably warm home.

Revina and Pell tried frantically to wake the Oracle up but she kept sleeping, her chest rising and falling as she breathed in a slow interval is if timing her breathing or screening the oxygen before taking it in. But time was running out and they needed to hurry to the city before it was too late. They carried the Oracle and put her horizontally on Pell's horse, tying her to the horse to make sure she couldn't fall. They let her horse ride ahead of them as they rode together on Revina's horse. The magic of illusion only affects people once and Pell was relieved to have gone through that horrendous experience already.

As they crossed the hills and the valleys from the Wizard's cave towards Lord Parafon's cottage, they were stopped midway by the soldiers who had been sent by the Prince through Makiaus to go and rescue the Oracle and take her to the palace. At this time, the Great Wizard was still in the Oracle's shrine in the capital city, playing Oracle. He wasn't aware that the Oracle had been rescued or that the Prince had chosen to double-cross him. He believed no one could enter his cave unless that person had more powerful magic than him for he had sealed the cave's door with a magical rock. Since Revina was a non-resident, she saw no rock while the goddess simply clapped her hands and the rock disintegrated into dust. The Great Wizard believed he was the greatest magician in the entire empire and beyond, which in truth he was. But his powers, except for the magic of illusion, were nothing before Pell.

The horse carrying the Oracle stopped and lifted it's forelegs into the air, almost throwing the Oracle to the ground. The soldiers who were also riding on horses, stopped and dismounted from their horses. They approached Pell and Revina on their feet, their swords at hand, ready to fight. They approached unaware of who they were or who was carried on the horse that led the way.

"We won't harm you if you cleared out of our way," Pell hissed. "But if you don't, you'll leave us no choice but to go through you."

"Oh! Two ladies and a... A dead woman?" asked one of the soldiers who seemed like the leader of this group that contained twelve heavily built and heavily armed soldiers. "What brings such beautiful ladies to this forest at this hour? Aren't you aware that the empire is at war and anything that happens to a woman right now cannot be tried in any court? In fact, it won't even get punished because it happened when the deal went sour," the soldier said as the ones behind him laughed in excitement.

"I repeat," Pell spoke again, her voice loaded with great impatience and anger, "get out of our way and we won't harm you, stand in our way and your families will mourn you."

"Wow! Did you hear that guys? Tough ain't she?" the soldier said, moving closer to Pell and putting his right hand on Pell's shoulder. He traced her neck with his fingers and touched her cheeks caressingly. "What a beauty! I'm ready to be your slave and make you my queen, how about that princess? Do you accept to submit to me or must I make you submit my lady? I promise I'll be very gentle with you," he whispered as he kissed Pell's hands softly.

Pell responded by patting Revina on the shoulder and handed Revina her sword. Revina jumped from the horse and before the soldier could ready himself, Revina dug the sword into his stomach untill the tip of the sword appeared on his back. She removed the sword abruptly from his stomach and slashed him on the shoulder next to his neck, blood oozing out like a leaking pot. Pell dismounted from the horse and stood next to the Oracle while Revina surged forward to fight off the other soldiers who had reacted to the killing of their leader by attacking her. The soldiers kicked and punched, cutting at her in quick succession as she dodged and ducked and retaliated, catching some with her sword and others with her fists and kicks. She hit one soldier on the nose with her elbow before slicing another one in the middle, splitting his head up to his chest into two. She turned, swinging her sword and speared it into another soldier who fell into a deep ditch with the sword lodged in his chest.

Without the sword, she jumped over her horse, stopped midair and somersaulted backwards, pinning two soldiers to the ground with her knees. She ducked to avoid an arrow that had been aimed at her forehead, caught the arrow by the tail and threw it back at the shooter, catching the surprised shooter's right eye. The remaining soldiers began to retreat in fear and then broke into a run. Pell stared at the sword on the ground and the swords rose to the air. Revina jumped impulsively and kicked all the arrows into the direction of the fleeing soldiers, piercing through them from behind, pinning some to the trees while others fell to their faces, dead.

"What just happened?" Revina asked Pell who was looking at her approvingly.

"You just became a soldier, that's what just happened." Pell replied as she mounted one of the horses the soldiers had come with while Revina climbed on hers.

"But I couldn't have just become a soldier just like that? I have never fought before and I'm not that we'll trained."

"There is a first time for everything Revina."

"No. It can't be. It was like something was controlling my every move, my every action. Like I was a remote."

"Something or someone?"Pell asked as she led the way, the Oracle in the middle and Revina tailing them from behind.

"I don't know, does it matter?"

"No. It doesn't matter. Let's hurry please."