Oracion Seis (Oracle Six)

Chapter 3

Hours had passed since the contestants entered their cubes and Mathete was getting worried. She feared the possibility of all of them being lost and none was worthy to become the next Oracle; and the old religion needed the Oracle to survive.

She bit her nail nervously and fixed her gaze on the cubes of destiny. The one to emerge from the cubes would be initiated as the winner.

"Would you stop fidgeting? You are making me uncomfortable", Molina, one of the Sybil elders sitting close to Mathete snapped and gently hit Mathete on the head with the old stick she used to support herself.

"How can I stop? None of them is out yet and it has been hours. I fear they may all be lost to the test", her voice shook

"Mohan knows what he is doing. Rowena's vision was that four Sybil will enter and only one will return", Mathete smiled

"Rowena's visions have been wrong in the past and you know it. What bothers me is the last Sybil to turn up for the games, the one called Nikki. I should have never allowed that thing into the games, I don't know why you insisted", Mathete complained, all the while still focusing on the cubes

"You never know", Molina smiled yet again.

Truth was, she knew exactly what she was doing when she had put Nikki up for the games. She and Mohan knew exactly what they were doing.

Nikki might be inexperienced, cursed even, but she had potential.

"I see something", one of the spectators yelled out into the amphitheatre catching everyone's attention.

Everyone now focused their gaze intently on the Cubes.

Supporters of Zepha the warrior raised their banners in anticipation of her return; supporters of Freya the healer also began their jubilation eager for her to step out of her cube victorious; and supporters of Tetania were at the ready to pop open the largest barrel of beer to celebrate their celebrity's victory.

The whole amphitheatre was now rowdy and loud in anticipation of who their new Oracle would turn out to be.

"Anytime now...", Mathete stared at the cubes

The sky turned dark and every noise died down immediately. The wind picked up, blowing hard and fast. Everyone watched with eagerness as a large portal the four cubes began to shake violently. One by one all the cubes began to burst into a million tiny pieces, such that it looked like someone had sprayed black pixie dust everywhere.

A portal opened above the centre of the amphitheatre, where the cubes had once stood and the portal grew bigger and bigger still.

A body was thrown out and the portal suddenly vanished. Everyone watched closely, eyes trained on the body.

Nikki groaned and lazily struggled to get on her feet.

"Seriously, can't I be given the choice of either being thrown from the cube or just simply walking out?", she stomped her foot.

It took a minute for her to register what exactly had happened. She had no idea what happened after she had stabbed herself, now the dagger was gone and thankfully so were her other selves; she realized that she was back at the centre of the amphitheatre and the cubes were gone.

Everywhere fell quiet. People lowered their banners, stopped beating their drums and just stared at the unknown victor with their mouths ajar.

Mathete herself was left with her mouth opened, only Molina laughed at the sight of poor confused Nikki. She cleared her throat loudly, snapping Mathete out of the trance she was in.