Daughter to the Prince of Death

Chapter 34: Hope

"Rinaya!" I enter the diner with a beaming smile on my face. It was shoulder to shoulder crowded as always, rowdy, loud, and so much fun.

"Ah! Ira!" Lady Rinaya instantly recognizes my disguise and uses my fake name. "You are alive!" All the patrons whoop in cheers, all hearing the rumor that 'Ira' was taken by the king. "Ira is back!" "Ira is back!" "To the rebel that escaped!" "Welcome back!" "Ira is back!"

Adrian silently stands from the table the two were sitting at and the crowd instantly quiets, parting and making a clear path for Rinaya to lift her skirts and rush to me. Her arms instantly descend upon me, squeezing me tightly. "I thought I would never see you again!" She almost sobs. I embrace her back, "Neither did I."

She inhales, regaining her composure and pulls away. "Are you alright?"

I shrug, still feeling some of the wounds given to me by the scientists under my baggy raggedy clothes, "Could be better, but I am here now! How about yourself?"

Rinaya waves me off, "Bah! I'm doing fantastic. I was black listed from all social events because apparently my 'niece' was taken out back and never seen again. Don't have to speak to those snotty poppycocks. So I've been great. It also it gave me time to do some research on that project you asked without being suspicious of why I wasn't there."

"Oh?"

Rinaya's smile grows and she nods. I grin back. Perfect.

A dock worker that I recognized from the day I helped stop a fire on one of the ships leans back in his chair next to us, "Oiy. I 'eard you was taken by the king!"

"Aiy. I was."

"Oh really?" Instantly I felt all the eyes of the people at the crowded tables next to us fall upon me.

"How was that?!" "Did you survive?" "Did you get tortured?" "Did you see the king?!" Questions began piling up catching the curiosity of the other tables and soon people surrounded.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Let the poor girl breathe!" Grongle shouts and the crowd quiets. I grin as he navigates through the crowd before stumbling out and in front of us. He grins back, "So the prophecy girl returns!"

I furrow my eyebrows, "Prophecy girl? Where did you get that?"

"From your auntie, 'ere." Grongle flicks his head towards Rinaya and she softly smiles. "These brutes aren't bad as I thought. We've been working together to break you out of prison."

"Me?" I exclaim in shock. "What the heck did I do?!"

"Well, one, ya is one of the few of us that still has their powers! You also taught a bunch of these folks how to read and such. Helped whenever it was required without a question. Helped at the fire and orphanage and protected ya mistress there. But also ya whooped my ass in arm wrestling and my men were wonderin' where you run off to. Then Lady Rinaya here comes stumbling in, asking about ya. When none of us saw ya, she realized you were caught. She told us all about your plans for rebellion."

"Rebellion? Plans?" I almost screech.

"Ya, prophecy girl. You are the one to free us! Its in your prophecy!"

"I-I was doing no such thing! And said who?!"

"That'd be aye..." The crowd parts as a small old couple slips out. My eyes widen as I recognize the Oracle woman and crazy old man from the traveling market festival. "Wha—?"

The Oracle holds up her hand, the bracelets on her arm clinking, "We came for our nephew rather than you... but you are his savior, so we are here."