Dreams of the Oracle

Chapter 38

Abdiel limped through the darkened streets of Port Silver. He kept himself in the shadows and tried to avoid the periodic appearance of a night watchmen or the patrons of the Port Silver nightlife. Stealth was no easy thing with aches and pains thrusting into nearly every muscle and joint in his body.

His clothes had reached the strange distinction of being both completely soaked and being irreparably burned. This was far from the first time his clothes had been in such a state but it had been a while. Fortunately, his skin had only received minor burns and was in a far better state than his tattered clothes.

A trail of water trickled behind him with each step he took. He was shivering ever so slightly which told him he would have to find a change of clothes soon. His eyes jumped around the street and he watched his peripheral.

More than anything else he wanted to just curl up in a doorway and rest. But that was out of the question at this point. At this point duty called and time was of the essence. He had the information he wanted now he had to act. He wanted to make his move before anyone knew what his next move would be. He wanted to act before anyone knew that he was alive and Jack was dead.

Despite his need to reach his destination in a hurry he took a roundabout way. He wandered through smaller side streets where he was less likely to see people and they were less likely to see him. He spat the taste of salt water from his mouth but it was stubborn and it clung to the back of his tongue.

Despite his aches and pains and the cold ocean breeze that went right through him and the taste of the saltwater in his mouth he couldn't help but feel a small thrill. A thrill of still being alive. He looked down at the blackened talisman in his hand. Maggie had told him he could walk through a bonfire with it unharmed. Even as he watch it crumbled to ashes and he tossed it away. That Tsade hadn't been kidding he thought ruefully. In all his years he had never seen anything quite like it. In all his years he had never seen water burn.

The burning water even had its own kind of smoke. It was like a heavy steam that rose from the flames. He shook his head. That had probably been the stupidest plan he had ever concocted. He thought about it. Maybe not the stupidest, but certainly the stupidest he had ever concocted with so much time in advance.

He had held that slipped piece of information in his head for years. He had clung to it like an investment and when he had planned the eventual death of Jack Linch it had seemed a good enough moment to cash it in. Alessa hadn't foreseen any terrible consequences, at least none that she had told him about, Cassandra hadn't either so he had gone through with it. He had gone through with it and nearly killed himself and the dockyards.

Still, it had worked and there was no going back now. He turned right onto another darkened street. He continued on for a bit and then made another turn. He was almost there. Unbidden the explosion ran through his mind yet again.

The Rashaka had ended up unintentionally protecting him as well. The beast had lunged for his throat in response to his sudden movement. He had known beforehand that the timing of that part was crucial if he wanted to live. He had laid out the treated silver knives on the table to put the beasts even further on edge than they were already.

The creature's massive body had absorbed much of the explosion the talisman had taken the rest. Abdiel had only had to face the Rashaka being thrown into him and tearing him through the walls of the boat and into the harbor. He had placed silver shards from Maggie into the Tsade bag of tricks but looking back that had been wholly unnecessary. The shards had probably vaporized before they could tear into any of the beasts.

He took another turn and finally stepped up to his destination. The simple stables were in a quieter part of town. A place less likely to attract the notice of the Order or anyone else. He stretched his sore arms and shoulders. He figured he had flown at least twenty feet in the air before landing in that water. Some of the events were a little hazy since he had blacked out at some point and when he had woken up he was airborne. He had watched his lifesaving Rashaka disintegrate before his eyes as massive red flames had chased them through the air.