Trigger Warning- This story will contain instances of violence, human trafficking, sex and inappropriate language.
Mason eyed the demented Oracle.
Clearly, she had only two brain cells to rub together. That, or she was on the verge of veering off into permanent insanity.
The woman was blind- horribly so - she had already knocked herself into the table several times.
Lucien coughed into his hand, stifling a laugh.
At one point, the Oracle had stubbed her toe, roaring a shout of pain.
Mason glimpsed her bare feet - the one she was currently cupping to ease the pain. The nails on the tip of her toes were a jaundiced shade. He cringed at the unwelcome sight. Lucien had spotted the same thing he had, hiding a gag under the sleeve of his fighting skins.
Mason eyed the door helplessly, wondering briefly if it was too late to back out.
He wanted to kill Lucien for dragging him into this tent. Out of all the tents set up in the Grand Marché, it was this one Lucien wanted to enter.
The limp lanterns dangling from the pink ropes were barely lit with fire. It seemed like the West Winds had blown through, diminishing the puny flames.
The smell of pomegranate and spice had overwhelmed his senses, it had him back-tracking out the flaps of the entry, but Lucien had grinned, dragging his ass inside to sit on one of the petrified logs set near the low blazing fire. "You lost the bet Mason. It's now time to pay the price."
Mason reluctantly sat on one of the pieces of wood surrounding the tame fire in the middle. It sparked a luminescent blue that covered the walls of the tent in eerie, dancing shadows. The fire crackled as the Oracle entered the tent from the opposite side, inviting a fragrance of cinder and ash.
The Oracle had gone to the back to retrieve a dirty cloth in which she draped over her bony shoulder. The woman appeared ancient with her knotted silver hair. A few thin strands had been braided and looped with bright beads that resembled Skittles. Deep wrinkles lined her bold features as she regarded them with a grin of yellow teeth.
Mason grimaced at the flash of poorly kept teeth.
"What brings you boys here?" She sounded like she had something trapped in her throat.
Mason frowned. He was fifteen. Not a boy.
Lucien could probably sense the retort dancing on the tip of Mason's tongue, so he shoved his skinny elbow into his side, saying, "We heard that you could give us our reading. We're a year late, but at least we're here now."
The woman eyed them with something akin to disinterest, but maybe that was due to the fact that she was blind.
The poor lady couldn't exactly see them...
She smacked into the table a total of two more times before she limped to a slab of wood opposite their seating arrangement. She wore a burgundy robe with gold stitching. The ties holding the robe together pooled at her feet as she sat down. "Who wants to go first?" She asked, sprinkling salt into the flames. It popped, causing sparks to fly.
"Me." Lucien edged closer to the flickering flames with interest.
The Oracle made no indication that she heard him. She just sprinkled another handful of salt into the flames and began muttering a line of words that made his skin crawl with discomfort.
"Yah! Yah! Yah!" She suddenly chanted, raising her hands to the roof.
Mason threw a glare at Lucien, who looked like he was struggling to keep a lungful of laughter down. 'I'm going to kill you' he mouthed to his friend as the Oracle shouted again.
"Loyalty bleeds true in your veins. A worthy life calls you from a future not too far. There will be a lot of blood and tears, but you'll be happy. Content."
"And my mate?" Lucien prodded, almost hesitantly. Lucien pointedly ignored his surprised look.
Realisation dawned Mason. Of course. Lucien wanted to know who his mate was. The male was barely sixteen, but he was set on pining after his great love. He found it hilarious that his friend who practically flirted with every living thing, wanted to know the sole person who would possess his heart. He'd think it was hilarious, but Mason knew his friend was serious in the matter.
The Oracle began that ridiculous shouting again and wiggled her gnarled fingers in the air. Mason was just a second away from taking leave when the Oracle began speaking with her raspy voice. Her husky drawl slid down his spine like a creeping spider.
"Oh, you are a blind one." The lady snickered, teeth flashing. "She's been in your sights since the day you were born."
"But you." The Oracle suddenly shifted her wide eyes to him. Cold chills raked across Mason's skin as she craned her neck like some exorcised victim.
"No, not me." Mason stood. They were only in her presence because Lucien had been too much of a wimp to approach the crazy lady himself. There was no way he was going to allow this woman to read his future. He would rather uncover that himself when he lived it.
But the woman deftly lunged onto her toes like she was part of some circus act. "Wait. This is important." She threw out a hand into his direction.
"No. I came here with my friend. I didn't give you permission to read me."
The Oracle hissed, clearly affronted. "I can not help what I see boy, and what I see could potentially help you."
Mason shook his head, "I didn't ask."
"Well, the Fates want me to say that your mating won't be an easy one."
Mason tried to show a hint of emotion as the words drifted over his ears. He didn't want to hear a single word about a mating, especially his. Moon Goddess be damned, he wanted to just storm out of the door and forget her words, but his foolish feet kept him there like firm anchors.
His wolf craved the revelation. It was almost impossible not to let the words settle over him like a soft touch.
"Your mating will happen decades from now, after you've sacrificed in the Armed Legions."
He spun on his heels, staring straight into her absent eyes with complete shock. "Armed Legions?"
Mason flinched at the knowing glint in her eyes. He hadn't told anyone about his intentions to join the top-tier forces of wolves. Sure, there were plenty of people from all over the Continent who wanted to be part of the Legions, but he had kept that one thing to himself. He hadn't even whispered the idea to Lucien, who looked just as shell-shocked as he was but for an entirely completely different reason.
His father was still in his Prime. There were still many years until he would take the reins of the Pack, but during that space of time, he wanted to do something. Some men in the Pack had voiced their ambition to join the recruits. Some even entered, but a few only returned and not at their own accord. The Armed Legions threw you out once you obtained an injury that couldn't allow you to fight. It was why the few that returned became so bitter. They enjoyed the adrenaline, the utter worship they had when people looked upon them in awe.
Mason didn't want that. The thought of people ever looking his way with that humbled worship made him sick. He wanted the adventure because once his father bestowed him with the Alpha Authority, he was bound to never leave the Pack grounds again for his own amusement. His hands were itching to do something. He needed something to make his blood pump with anticipation.
Once the idea was planted, he couldn't pluck it away. He hungered for that adrenaline and freedom; he could only think of the Armed Legions on a continuous loop.
The Oracle preened, "Yes, the Armed Legions. You didn't think I would see your wish?"
"Holy shit." Lucien stood, shock still plain on his pretty features. "You're going to end up with the Armed-fucking-Legions?"
"You too boy. Both of you will have the opportunity to serve."
Lucien looked as if he was going to faint. Mason couldn't believe the news. He'd kept his intentions a secret, but if she knew.... he couldn't leave now. He had questions.
"Will I be successful?" He asked the woman, fighting the urge to leave. He needed her assurance to finalise his choice.
She tapped her thin lips where her purple lipstick had been drawn over her lip line. There was a smear of the same shade on her front two teeth. It was technically the first thing he noticed after she had opened her mouth.
"Depends on what you deem successful, but I do see a lot of winnings."
Despite the revelation, her tone suggested otherwise. He wanted to ask for more, but he didn't want to. Maybe it made him a coward, but he refused to say more.
Lucien nodded and dumped a gold coin in the clay pot where others had slid their own money in for a reading.
Once they cleared the tent, the tension in his body eased a fraction.
"Did you notice that lipstick stain on her teeth?" Lucien asked, bumping his elbow in mirth. "Nice. Don't think I know you're trying to be nonchalant about what she just revealed."
Lucien paused in his step, "So it's true. Do you really plan to go there?" There was worry in his gaze.
It made Mason shift in discomfort. "It was just something I was curious about."
"Uh uh, she made it sound like you were planning to go for some time now."
Mason sighed, "When I heard someone speaking about it, the words just took root. I kept thinking about it more over the years, and it just seemed right."
"Huh." Lucien tapped his chin.
"And it looks like you're going to go too." Mason didn't think his friend would be that interested in the Armed Legions since Lucien had other dreams, dreams that would change the world.
Lucien just laughed, running a hand through his thick curls. The girls in the Pack called him Prince Charming for that alone and his knack of frilly words he could pull out of his ass like a practised performer. "Yeah, I don't think the Armed Legions is something I want to do, but now that I'm actually contemplating it, it doesn't sound too bad."
"Think about it." Mason suggested.
"And the Alpha?"
Mason kept his expression carefully poised. He knew his dad wouldn't be happy, but he would convince him.
The Oracle had just set everything in motion.
Maybe the woman had realised what she had been doing when she saw the two of them enter. Her words hadn't faded just yet. They floated in the back of his mind, daring him to take the first step.
So, it wasn't a complete surprise when he and Lucien left three years later, bags packed and his parents waving goodbye as they headed towards the clear horizon with determination.