The Oracle of Refuge

Chapter 9

"What was that thing?" Brynne wondered, releasing Sync and staring up at the android.

"An unidentified hybrid creature," he replied.

Brynne shuddered. "It reminded me of the cyborg things that attacked my village. Adam, have you seen anything like that before?"

Silence.

"Adam?"

She turned.

Adam was standing with his back to her, arms raised. A man in a wide-brimmed hat and a duster coat was standing in front of him, aiming a rifle at Adam's chest.

Gears whirred aggressively in Sync's body.

"Sync, wait." Brynne thrust a hand back at him, fear slamming her instincts into high gear. If Sync attacked, the man with the rifle might shoot Adam first.

"What are you doing shooting your guns out here!?" the man demanded, his voice rough and deep.

"A cyborg creature attacked us," Adam answered calmly. "I fired on it to defend myself and my companions."

The man stepped closer, into a narrow beam of light that shined through the clouds and the persistent sleet. Brynne could see now that he was tall, broad-shouldered, but lean, and older than his voice had suggested, with a weathered brown face and a gray beard.

"You sick, boy?" he demanded of Adam.

"No, sir." Adam shook his head.

"You look sick." The man turned his head and spat tobacco into the mud.

"He's tired," Brynne spoke up. "He hasn't slept in a while. We've had a rough journey."

The man peered around Adam and motioned with his gun. "Come closer, girl."

"Alright." She glanced back at Sync. "Stay here unless I say otherwise."

Sync nodded.

Brynne started forward, hands raised. "Sir, we're just passing through. We don't mean to cause anyone trouble."

"Closer!" the man snapped.

Brynne moved faster, walking quickly to Adam's side.

Dark eyes, shadowed by the hat, widened as they lit on her.

The rifle barrel lowered.

The man uttered a word.

"Oracle?"

Brynne's skin tingled. Her breath caught in her throat.

Adam started to lower his hands.

"Yes," Brynne breathed. "I am the Oracle."

"Well, what are you doing out here in the sleet?" the man demanded, but not unkindly, the barrel of his rifle dipping to point at the cold, muddy ground.

"It's a mission from God," she explained. "I'm going to a mountain."

"I imagine God's mission doesn't include freezing to death in the hill country," the man said. "Come to my house--you, the android, and your exhausted young man--and I'll feed you and warm you for a spell."

"Thank you." Brynne swallowed the lump in her throat, trembling with relief. "Thank you, sir."

"The name's Reuben, Reuben Shoe. My cabin's back this way." He jerked his head backward. "Follow me. Stay close. There are more mud pits out here like that one. Wouldn't want you to have to drag your robot out again." He turned and started walking west, through the sleet.