Claiming the Oracle Ch 9

Chapter 9



         “Ca-leb,” the sweet young female’s voice called to him. He looked around but saw nothing in the udder darkness.

         “Ca-a-leb,” she called again from somewhere in front of him. He searched the darkness with his hands outstretched in front of him, taking small unsure steps. His heart hammered loudly in his ears, his breathing, heavy not from exertion but from the adrenaline that coursed through him.

         “Ca-leb, come to me,” this time the voice came from behind him but when he turned it sounded like she moved to his left. He turned again toward the direction of her voice. He could see nothing but total darkness. Walking blind he stumbled, regained his footing only to stumble again.

         “Ca-leb, I need you. Why won’t you come to me?” This time she sounded desperate and needy. The way only a lady with a special kind of hunger sounds. Her voice slightly deeper, more throaty spurred him to move forward more quickly. His own need growing, he wanted nothing more then to find her and quench her need along with his own.

         “Hurry Caleb, I want you,” this time when she spoke he was almost blinded by a sudden light that grew before him from a small spot. It grew rapidly from a pin light to that of a young lady with long flowing blond almost white hair and big beautiful blue green turquoise eyes. Her eyes were like looking into the depths of warm tropical waters. Her face was lovely and heart shaped with perfectly plump lips that begged to be kissed. She appeared to be reaching out to him. As she came closer, he saw more of her. She wore a sheer shimmering light blue flowing gown that did little to hide her voluptuous curves. He reached desperately for her. He tried to run but his limbs felt heavy and slow like he was running through water. The harder he ran the slower he moved. Just as their finger tips met the light shining brightly behind her withdrew. Her face changed from welcoming and accepting, to fear. It contorted as she screamed, the darkness taking back control pulled her ever further away until she disappeared just as magnificently as she arrived.

         Caleb woke suddenly in a cold sweat from the intense, all to real dream. He sat up looking around the room for the girl in his dream. No one was there and for a fleeting moment he felt lonely. Running his fingers through his dark hair, he thought about the dream. Who was she? She was no one he knew now.

         He got out of bed, walked to the window and opened the blinds to look outside. The moon was still high in the sky; it would be hours before the sun would rise. He turned to crawl back in bed still thinking about the dream.

         Who is she? For the past week she monopolized his dreams, always calling to him, always reaching for him. Could this be as simple as some fantasy or is she more then mere desire. He had no clue. 

         Caleb turned the pillow over to the cool side and snuggled back under his covers, finding just the right spot. He was deep asleep within moments of closing his eyes. His dreams returning, Caleb found himself in a clearing near a shoreline. He looked up and down the sandy beach. The sun shown brightly warming his face. Caleb lifted a hand to shield his eye from its brightness. Taking in the awesome view, he saw movement in the far distance. Unable to discern what or who was moving, because of the bright sun distorting the view, his feet began moving in that direction.

         Caleb had no idea what he expected to find, whether it be friend or foe. All he knew was he had to reach whom ever it was quickly. He started to jog along the water line. The waves gently kissed the sand around his feet. It was easier to run this close to the water. The sand was just a little more solid. Over head Caleb could see and hear the gulls riding the thermals. It was a glorious beach. Caleb didn’t know where he was; he had no first hand knowledge of the world outside of the farm or even the Dark for that matter. He’d seen pictures and heard tales of far away lands but nothing came close to this place.

         Caleb had run a good distance from where he’d started; guessing he would estimate about half way towards the place he first saw the movement. It was growing larger slowly as he neared it. Caleb quickened his pace to an all out run. Sweat beaded on his bare skin as he ran. Caleb knew he was working but the breeze from the water made him feel cool. His breath coming at a steady pace with his running. He felt euphoric, a high from the energy he was using in his run. He could see the view coming into focus. The movements creator was almost discernable. They were so close now. The image shrank, from a shimmery, outstretched, heat warped image into better focus with every step closer.

          Caleb was so eager to see who was there. He just knew it was someone he needed, wanted. Caleb tried to push his body harder, to run faster but the running was taking its toll. His muscles screamed and threatened to seize if he didn’t slow. Reluctantly, he slowed just a little but it wasn’t enough. He was so focused on the finish line, not relenting enough. Finally, Caleb cramped just shy of his goal. The image came into view just enough that he knew who was there. It was his girl the one whom plagued his dreams nightly.

         She was there walking towards him. He sat on the ground cursing at himself for looking weak. He rubbed and stretched his legs trying to regain control over them. When next he looked to her direction she was there standing over him. She took his breath away with her beauty. Caleb was dumbfounded unable to speak. He could only stare with his mouth partially open. 

         She knelt on the sand beside him and without saying a word started rubbing his other leg. Her hands were deceptively strong for how fine and long her fingers were. He could only watch as she worked on his other leg. After she worked for a few minutes his legs felt one hundred percent better. It was as if he hadn’t ran a step. She stood, smiling and out stretched her hand in an offering to help him up. He accepted and clasped her hand in his to stand.

         Once on his feet, Caleb pulled her into his waiting embrace and looked deep into her crystalline blue green eyes. She searched his with no fear. Her confidence excited him and he took her mouth with his own kissing her deeply, letting his passion flow between them. She accepted everything he offered never shying away.

         With their desire heating up, she ended the kiss knowing this was not the time. She took a step back out of his arms not trusting her will to reject further advances from him. When he tried to close the gap she held him off with a raised hand.

         “Caleb, please there is no time for this now. My connection with you won’t last much longer. I need you and you need me.”

         This stopped him in his tracks, clarity returned to his thoughts when she spoke his name.

         “How do you know me? Who are you?”

         “I know what you want to do and I’m the only one that can help you. You have to trust me,” She pleaded with him.

         He was confused and mistrust entered his being. Not wanting to listen to his inner voice he pressed her again for information; wanting desperately to believe her.

         “What do you think it is I am doing?”

         “Caleb, you and me we want the same thing; but we can’t achieve our goal separately. We must work together.”

         Her elusiveness didn’t sit well with him. His senses heightened as he expected something to take place. He could feel the mood around him changing. The gulls that earlier took pleasure in riding the thermal were now screaming loudly off in the distance. The once refreshing breeze began to gust. He tried again to get information. “Tell me who you are? I will not discuss anything until I know who you are,” he spoke more forcefully.

         She relented, her shoulders dipping a little in submission. There was no way around it she would have to give a little to win him over. “My name is Gabriela. You’ve been calling to me.”

         “What do you mean I’ve been calling to you?” He asked, uncertain what to think about her revelation.

         “It was you who found my book, was it not? And it was you who shed blood for Eruditus, finally reawakening it,” she spoke while taking a step closer to him, her body language pleading with him to believe in her.

         “Who is this Eruditus you speak of? I know no one by that name. What game are you playing?” he stepped away from her advance.

         “I am Gabriela the Great, it is my grimoire you’ve been reading and Eruditus is the name of what you refer to as the white book. But he is far from a mere book. Please, our time is short. If I am to help you, you must listen carefully and do as I say,” her pleads more desperate.

         “That’s not possible you’ve been dead for centuries. You shouldn’t be here like this,” panic and fear over took Caleb. He tried to back away quickly only to trip and fall to the ground.

         Frustrated at his pig headedness, she materialized a parchment scroll and thrust it in to his hand, “Here take this. It will give you the instructions you need to free me. You will fail horribly without me. It was written that you would one day free me and we would rule on high over all. I have done all I can, the rest is up to you now.”

         Before he could do or say anything the world around him began to change. It warped and blurred until he felt himself falling again. Caleb was overcome by fear as the wind whipped around him, he fell faster and faster he was going to die from the impact he just knew it. He closed his eyes preparing for the end and with a jolt he awoke in bed with a start.

         Breathing a deep sigh of relief to be in his own bed and not a pancake on the ground somewhere, he sat up.

         “What a freakin’ head rush. That was some wild dream,” he spoke a loud to no one. The sound of his voice somewhat calming in the empty room.

         He lifted his left hand to run his fingers through his hair to move it out of his eyes; only to find that in his hand, he held the very scroll from his dream. Realization slammed into him like a freight train, reacting without any thought, he the threw the scroll across the room.

         Adrenaline surged through him, causing him to breath heavily as he crawled to the end of his bed. He peered over the edge like a child afraid the boogieman might get them. The scroll lay harmlessly on the floor across the room gently rocking from the force of his throw. He ventured out of his bed to pick it up. It looked unassuming from the outside. It was kept closed by a green ribbon. Caleb placed the scroll on a table, still unsure if he could trust her.

         At the thought of her, she appeared to him in his minds eye. He could see her there, on the beach bathed in sun light, in all her beauty. How could he not trust her. His body ached for her but his head told him other wise. Emotions are such a curse. He knew they were good for nothing but getting you dead. And yet, he enjoyed the way she made him feel. With his resolve set he picked the scroll back up and headed to his bed. He would read its contents then make a decision.

         Sitting cross legged in the center of his bed, with the scroll in his hands, he turned it over examining all sides. It looked very old. The paper was thicker then usual and a dark yellow almost tea stained color. The ribbon keeping it tied shut was an emerald green. It was wrapped on a wooden dowel with ornate wooden caps protecting the edges of the scroll. The symbols carved into the wood were similar to others he’d seen in the grimoire for protection.

         Once the ribbon was untied, he carefully unrolled the paper. The paper had been on the roll so long that he had to hold on to it to keep it open. The writing was flowing and ornate, hand drawn embellishments ran down both sides of the paper. Great care was taken in the recording of the information it contained.

Prophecy 313

A female child of great importance will be born to unassuming parents.

She will rise in power following a discovery of Godly significance.

She will rein over the populous but find it unfulfilling.

Her end shall come early.

It will be celebrated as an end of darkness.

Then within a turning of the moon after her passing, she will be lost to history.

Forgotten she will stay until he calls out for her.

Once he unlocks her secret bonds she will be free.

Together they will work to bring about a needed change.

Together they will forever alter the course of the Oracle.

Oracle Spring



Prophecy 314

To break her bonds, he must seek the God of all Knowledge

Eruditus.

Only after the taking of innocent blood on the Dark Alter shall Eruditus reveal the knowledge essential to release her.

Eruditus must be paid in ritual and sacrifice worthy of the Gods.

Oracle Spring

         Caleb reread the scroll writings several times. Prophecies were tricky things. Most were hard to understand and none of them were ever clear in meaning. These were no different. Gabriela was never named directly. The taking of innocent blood could mean almost anything from a couple drops spilled to a complete sacrifice. Where would he find the correct ritual information?  And finally how could a book be a God? Groaning, he fell back onto his bed and covered his face with his hands. He rubbed his face trying to clear his thoughts.

         He was more uncertain now then before reading the scroll. He needed to clear his head and think this through. The first rays of light were just peaking above the horizon when he got out of bed and headed to the refreshing room. A quick cool shower would help to wake him. Then food.

         Betty was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast by the time he’d showered and dressed. At the wonderful smell of the food she was preparing his stomach let out a loud growl. Leaving his room, he followed the enticing smell to the dining room. There before him was a wonderful spread of his favorite breakfast foods, fruits, nuts, cheeses, fresh breads, eggs, and meats. Caleb ate his fill reloading his plate two times more.

         “My, my Lord Caleb, I haven’t seen you eat like that since you were younger. What have you been up to? Is there some young woman in your room; should I fix a plate for her?” Betty inquired.

         “No, nothing like that Betty. I was just famished and your cooking is as wonderful as ever. If I’m not careful I could get so fat I won’t be able to walk.”

         “Oh, I had hoped you would’ve found a woman worthy of you,” she said as she began to clear the table.

         “Hm, hm, hm, but he has found the right woman my little Betty. He just hasn’t realized it yet,” a seductively feminine voice said aloud in response to Betty, but no one back in the dining room could hear her speaking. 

         The scene of Caleb and Betty talking over breakfast continued to play out but the sound was turned off as she observed him through her gazing pool. She’d been watching him for a long time, guiding him from afar. Her time was almost upon them, with his help she would alter the fabric of this world. She will create a place where her kind and others like her rule. No longer shall those disgusting people have power over them. They will be her slaves. She will bridle them and make them her work horses.

         “Oooo, is that him? He’s cute! I definitely know why you picked him,” said Carra the Queen’s handmaiden, as she walked over to the gazing pool.

         Carra, a tanned and toned beauty with ample curves was just as tall as the queen. She had vibrant emerald green eyes. Her long hair was a rich warm brown with chestnut red highlights. Like may Kelpies, Carra wore her hair in a braid which fell past her nice, full round bottom.

         Her clothing was that of a royal servant. It consisted of a narrow front and back linen loin cloth that fell to her ankles; secured by a thin but elaborately ornate gold belt. She wore a bikini styled linen top that had only enough fabric to restrain her ample bosom. The two small pieces of fabric were over woven with many spun gold ropes. The ropes hung deeply in-between her breasts and swayed with the slightest movement.   

          The entire Kelpie populace bears golden arm bands on both arms. The symbols of the Queen’s nation are depicted on the armbands. The picture of a cockle shell surrounded by a bed of watercress seaweed is emblemized in the golden bands. 

         “Carra really, must you behave so garishly?” Queen Phyce admonished as she continued to gaze at the man she was pinning her future on. “He will be the key to their undoing and a savoir to a multitude of fey beings. Just you wait and see.”

         Queen Phyce drifted over to her lounging stone, resting upon it on her stomach, she could see out of her palace window at the sprawling underwater kelpie realm along the shores of Scotland. Her empire of kelpies cover the globe. They could be found any where there’s running water, a lake or stream and of course sea side. They cover the globe but their numbers aren’t great. 

         While she took in the view of the main populace, she thought about all of the kelpies that have been captured and used by humans. Ever since her lover and King Otar was bridled while hunting, she’s hated humans. It made her blood boil to think of her beloved Kelpies captured and put in the servitude of those beasts. To her, humans were only good for one thing, food. If it wasn’t for humans learning how to bridle and later control them in their horse form, Kelpies would rule this world.

         “I’ve been planning my revenge for ages. Damn those Gods for interfering with my children. How could they betray one of their own and teach those filthy humans how to capture us? Humans should serve as our cattle existing to feed us. Hunting should be for sport not necessity. My Otar should be by my side, not locked away in service to the MacGregor clan.”

         Her machinations were interrupted by Carra, “Are you gonna keep him or can I have him when your done?” 

         “I haven’t decided yet. Right now I have need of him so his welfare is of great importance.”

         “But you can’t tell me you don’t think he isn’t yummy. Look at him, tall, strong, that dark hair looks so soft. I just want to run my fingers through it. The things I would do to him. Mmmm….”

         “Enough!” Phyce commanded Carra as she walked back to the gazing pool. She waved a hand above its surface ending the connection. “Honestly, Carra I don’t know why I keep you around.”

         “You keep me around because of all I do for you,” Carra answered as she strolled up behind her queen. “You and I both know I’m the only thing keeping you sane,” Carra continued as she ran her fingers through Phyce’s long hair, braiding it loosely. She draped the braid over the Queen’s shoulder exposing the back of her neck. Carra leaned in kissing her neck lightly.

         At the tender touch, Phyce turned and embraced Carra hugging her. Her eye’s heavy lidded she said, “Help me Carra. Help me ease the pain of loosing Otar.” 

         “Come my Queen, you need to rest. Bringing Caleb to our realm takes so much out of you. We need you strong,” she said helping Phyce to her room.