We set on the trail from the forest to the village and the first thing that came into view was a guard booth. It was a square box with a counter and of course a guard. He had a blue cloth around his waist. I approached him. Myra was a few steps behind me. Her eyes were set on the ground and a sullen air surrounded her.

  “Good day is this Devinesville?” I asked.

  “It is. Passport and registration, please,” the guard said.

  I nodded and unraveled the silk from my arm. I chanted and pulled two papers from the dimensional space along with two booklets. I trusted the oracle to make sure we passed inspection and we did. The guard hmmed and marked both passports with a red stamp. I placed them back in the dimensional space and nodded to Myra who glanced demurely. I knew this was costing her. I could feel her ire and all-around bad mood seeping from her. Like a bad radio channel, I tuned into that strange conversation again.

  Well, I say we find out!

  And I say we turn tail and run the other way!

  Let's see where we end up, both of you honestly!

  I vote for more touching!

  I second that

  Honestly!

  It zipped out like bad static. I was getting worried, Was I reading someone’s mind? And who the hell would think like that? I rubbed my head and walked into Myra. I couldn’t be nice to her. I was warned against it by the oracle. Kin were only nice to slaves in their homes. In public they were nasty. I had to be mean and it was like having fur on my tongue. I didn’t like it. The guard was watching with sick fascination waiting on what I'd do. I couldn’t mess this up.

  “Watch it,” I growled and Myra bowed her head and shuffled farther behind me. I missed her walking right next to me. I knew then that my days of being her bully were ending. I considered her somewhat a friend, a good one. She wasn’t capricious like Katilia or envious like Ralf. She knew about my home life and didn’t pity me at least. I hated pity. We walked into the village and my eyes widened.

  It was nothing like what the oracle showed us. The slaves were dressed like Myra if female and some wore harem clothes. None looked happy or frolicked from their master’s sides. There was a whipping post currently being used on two slaves. Some slaves wore a collar of runes and I guessed these were the hybrids. Myra didn’t look from the ground and I noticed that none of the slaves met their masters in the eye for anything. Not even the well-dressed ones. I blended in with the higher class kin, dressed in these annoying silver robes. A seriously pompous male shoved Myra to the ground and I glared. I had to stop myself from helping her up from the ground. Not long ago it was me doing that. Introspection sucked. This seriously sucked! I grabbed Myra’s hands and hauled her up anyway, making sure to look annoyed at her.

  “Quit wasting time,” I said.

  “Yes, master,” She replied, staring at the ground. That annoyed me. I wanted to see her fireworks eyes again. Looking at me in the eyes. The faster we found the oracle and got home the faster she could do so again. I led us to a tall building that had tables set out like an outdoor cafe and sat down. Myra kept standing beside me.

  “Sit down already. I shouldn’t have to tell you,” I muttered even if I knew I did. She sat across from me and glanced around the room. There was a woman sipping something. She had her eyes closed. Then she opened them and violet galaxy eyes stared into mine. I tapped Myra’s hand and signaled the woman with my head. Myra nodded and went to get up. I grasped her arm and she gasped sitting down.

  “Sir, do you need to discipline your slave,” a guard asked. It was a different one from the gate guard. I crossed my arms.

  “She’s my favorite because of that. I don’t want to harm that fire...yet,” I said smirking.

  “Oh, you like them willful?”

  “Yes, can you pretend you didn’t see anything? I’m still working on her,” I said caressing Myra’s cheek and yanking on her hair, pulling her head down and kissing her forehead, smirking.

  “You won’t ever do that again will you?” I whispered, squeezing my hand and yanking her head up to meet my eyes. Myra gritted her teeth and bit her lip shaking her head.

  I yanked harder. “I want a verbal answer, slave!”

  “Yes! I-I mean no master! Please!”

  There were tears in her eyes and one dripped past her eye. I kissed it away and whispered an apology while making it seem I was whispering something more provocative. The guard enjoyed the show and I couldn’t help but think what a sick Oz we had been dropped into. Where humans were slaves to superior life forms or so the Kin felt. They weren’t all that different from humans. They could do magic so what? Two hundred years ago so could humans. Runes were amazing and were human magic and way more versatile than Kin magic. I let go of Myra’s hair and she scuttled back almost tipping her chair back which would be another nono. I took her hand, leading her to the woman who had not moved an inch from where she was. It was out in the open so I would have to negotiate with her. Great. I tugged Myra over and sat her down in front of the woman.

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  “Are you the oracle that lives here?” I wanted to get this over with and get out of here.

  The woman opened her eyes and peered deep into mine before turning towards Myra and smiling. “That’s some show you two managed to pull off. Yes, I am Ophelia the oracle of this small town,” she said, her galactic eyes swirling in mirth. I found none of this funny.

  “Can we go somewhere private? We have a message for you,” I said.

  She put her cup down and smiled. “I know what you truly want Jonah. Let me finish my tea first and I’ll help you then,” she replied.

  I nodded and sat down beside Myra. What else could I do? I glanced at Myra, placing my hand over hers and squeezing. She had zoned out again. I tangled our fingers trying to reassure her and myself. Ophelia placed her cup down and stood placing a few coins on the table. I followed and Myra followed, gazing at the ground. I was about to tip her head and make her meet my eyes when Ophelia snapped and the whole town disappeared much like before.

  “Have we ever been in a real Kin settlement,” I groused, crossing my arms. Myra looked annoyed. She didn’t meet my eyes though. Great. I had scared her. I hated Oracles!

  “We did that for nothing,” she muttered.

  “My darling, my illusions are real and you proved that you could act well enough to get past a guard which was my whole objective,” Ophelia said smiling.

  “Wait, what do you mean,” I asked. I was pissed. Because of our acting, I had to revert to Jonah the bully, and I guess I was pretty convincing since Myra still hadn’t met my eyes. My hands curled into fists. As soon as we were through here I would go on bended knee if I had to and apologize until those firework eyes were staring me down again!

  What a dick!

  He didn’t have to be so mean

  I agree

  Yeah!

  Please! It was that or the whip! He did us a favor!

  He’s right. I hate it, but he’s right.

  I held my temples. There was that radio static again. It came and went like some cosmic radio signal and each time my head throbbed. I was not meant to read people’s minds.

  “I need for the both of you to fetch something for me in Saphiros,” Ophelia said and my headache was for another reason completely.

  “We need to go home,” Myra said, probably more annoyed than me. She was the slave after all.

  “Yeah! Can’t you wave your hand and move reality or something,” I muttered.

  “Without my Rune amulet, I can’t do anything but cheap parlor tricks. The fire witch, Aithne has it and you two need to get it back if you want to go home,” she said.

  I ran my hands through my hair.

  “You want us to go into the heart of the Kin and steal your amulet for you? Why can’t you do it,” asked Myra.

  “Good question. Why can’t a great oracle who can bend realities not get her amulet or make another,” I asked, dropping my hands. They were losing circulation.

  “Aithne can see through my illusions and each oracle is given an amulet at the beginning of her job as an oracle by her god. Non Replaceable. It has all my powers kept inside, well most anyway. I’m also hiding. I have an ability the council desperately wants and can’t give it to them.”

  I shook my head and went to refuse but Myra spoke first.

  “You’ll bring us home after this is done?”

  “With my powers restored, yes.”

  I raised my hand and grasped Myra’s shoulder. She shuddered and I loosened my hold but kept a hold of her. “We’ll be right back,” I said, leading Myra to a tree nearby. I let her go and faced her. “No, Myra. We can go back to Noali and she can bring us home. It’s safer! Our job was to deliver a parcel to Ophelia. We have yet to do it but once we do we are gone!” I said.

  “Ophelia really needs our help, Jonah!”

  “It's too dangerous and could be a setup, Myra!”

  “We should help her!”

  “We’ll give her the parcel, maybe the amulet is what Noali wanted to give to her sister? It’s possible!”

  “Alright but if it's not then we help her,” Said Myra untying the blue sash that was tied to my waist. I blushed as her hands came around me to unwrap the sash. Usually, I did it. She was a bit forward today. She got it off and chanted, the sash folding back to show the dimensional space. Myra took out the parcel and locked the dimensional space closed. She handed me the scarf and I tied it to my arm.

  “Let’s go,” she said, walking back to Ophelia. I followed her and prayed to every deity I knew that the amulet was there.

  “Ophelia, your sister sent us to give you this,” Myra said, handing her the parcel. Ophelia’s eyes brightened and she ripped the parcel apart. A small jewel in the shape of a cat fell into her hands and she laughed.

  “Noali! You devil! This is my amulet,” she said, putting it on and smiling.. I saw how her eyes glowed for a minute, a brilliant violet, and then dimmed. She caressed the amulet and smiled.

  “Now, you want to go home,” she asked and I smiled, nodding.

  “That would be ideal,” said Myra smiling.

  “But my dears, you just arrived and I finally have you,” she said smirking. Fire rose to surround her and her skin melted off to reveal the fire witch and fire brigade soldiers began to surround us on all sides warping in with silver soldiers.

  Shit. I knew it!