Dreams of the Oracle

Chapter 27

He had prepared the meeting all those years ago. He had told her exactly what he wanted in the bag and he had called in a large favor to do it. He had, of course, expected some difficulties but he had never expected her to offer him something more.

"I be offer'in what ye be want'in to see most in the world."

He had kept himself expressionless, "And what is that?"

"I think we both be know'in the answer to that so we do," she had replied with a twisted grin.

"You're no Oracle, Maggie."

"Some things can be seen by more than just the Oracles, so they can," she paused, "for a price."

"And if I don't want it?"

"But ye do!" She leaned in and sniffed the air in front of him, "ye want it terribly! No matter the price."

Abdiel had looked at the crone but kept his face impassive. It was true. He knew exactly what he most wanted to see at that moment and he would pay any price. His thoughts suddenly drifted to Ashur and Cassandra. Almost any price.

"Tell me the price."

She had looked him up and down. Then she had puffed her pipe,

"Five drops of blood. From yer leg."

Abdiel had looked back at the Hag for a moment. Something like that could be used for terrible things, especially if it was given freely. He looked down at his leg,

"Two drops."

"Heh! Ye think ye can be haggl'in with me? If I didn't like ye so much I'd be strik'in ye blind for that, so I would!"

He had nodded, "Five drops."

She had grinned wider and pulled some powder from her filthy clothes. She had taken the pipe from her mouth and set it beside her. Then she had muttered an incantation and hurled the powder to the ground between them. There had been a flash of light and at that moment Abdiel had seen what he had most wanted to see in the entire world.

* * *

Ashur sat beside Segurant watching the three men at the table play cards. Bordertown had had plenty of gambling dens and he had picked up the rules to a number of games here and there, but he had never seen anything like this game.

Sometimes they would draw and sometimes they would lay a card down. Sometimes they would pass a card or a couple of cards to each other. They never laid down all the cards in their hands and they never spoke to each other. All of them moved in a constant rhythm and there seemed to be some kind of order but Ashur couldn't even tell whose turn it was.

He watched it all impatiently. He still didn't know if Cassandra had even made it safely. He glanced at Segurant, but the big man was sitting up in his chair watching the faces of the three players. Unable to stand it any longer Ashur was just about to speak up when Segurant reached over and touched his arm. He looked up and Segurant was shaking his head slightly. Not yet.

The game continued in silence. Then the rhythm suddenly stopped. All three men glanced at each other. Then each one placed a gold coin in the center of the table. There was a moment's pause and then the man with icy blue eyes placed his cards on the table. The dark eyed man laid down his cards next and then, finally, the man with blue-green eyes. All three studied the three hands for a moment then the bald man scooped up the three coins and the man with dark eyes gathered up the cards for a reshuffle.