I cleared my throat. “My,” I began, fidgeting.

  She turned to me and smiled, blushing still. “Let’s just get to the end of this forest and find Noali. Then we can talk before I take Datha’s blood.”

  I nodded and we started trudging down the small beaten path in the woods. I heard the sound of cowbells clinking and Kin hollering for more produce. Chronos glided on the tailwind I provided, now being able to use his wings to glide for longer periods. He cawed and I smiled.

  “Alright, buddy. I know.” I turned to Myra. “We are near a village.” I glanced around and spotted another beaten path that led away from ours. I pointed it out. “That probably leads into it.”

  “Let’s avoid it then,” she said, giving it a wide berth and continuing on. I followed. The sky was riddled in reds, oranges, and pinks, the sun was near setting when we reached the cave system. There were a bunch of small caves here. Enough for some shelter from the elements or to hide in. They grew off a large obsidian mountain that reflected the sky. The caves were tacked in rows, much like cells, and many humanoids lived within them.

  “How will we tell which one it is?” I muttered, peering into one. It looked deep.

  “She said she’d be in the biggest one,” said Myra, searching around the mountain face for a big cave. “I think I found it, but you’re gonna have to fly us there,” she said, blushing and glancing at me. I glanced at where she pointed and whistled. It was very high up. Luckily, I had the wind element on my side. We’d be screwed if I didn’t. Sure, Ether let me teleport and float around, but I didn’t want to leave My alone.

  I blushed and held out my arms. “No time like the present.”

  She smiled and walked into my embrace. I hoisted her up in a princess carry, made sure Chronos hung on, then launched myself in the air. From this height, more caves were visible, and the biggest was on a cliff high above us. I made for it. Myra squeezed my neck as I went higher. I pulled her against me and blushed. I turned to her.

  “I’ve got you,” I murmured, strengthening my hold.

  She relaxed and leaned against me. I could feel every curve like this! I flew that much faster, wanting this torture to end. I nearly upended Chronos in my hurry. I touched down in front of the cave. Myra hopped from my arms and straightened her clothes, walking to the entrance of the cave.

  “I’m glad you could arrive so fast,” came Noali’s soothing voice.

  I stepped forward and peeked inside the cave. It was littered with potions on shelves and all over the floor. There were burning candles for light, their wax melting into the cracks of the stone floor. Noali was in front of a big, rusted cauldron, which was bubbling fiercely.

  Whatever she was making smelled of mangos and dirty socks. I scrunch my nose at the smell. Smoke billowed, blinding us for a minute and making the two of us cough. The poor ventilation in the cave made it so all the smoke had but one way of escape. The entrance.

  “Peuueww! What is that?” said Myra, waving a hand in her face. She wasn’t very subtle. “Don’t tell me I have to drink that too!”

  Noali’s bell-like laugh filled the cavern. “I’m not done making it yet. Should taste like a fruit drink when I am through.”

  “I’m not particular to mangoes,” muttered Myra, and I chuckled, brushing my hand through her hair. It got tangled, and she winced when I pulled at one to release my hand.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “You need to comb your hair,” I muttered. She sighed and nodded before taking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry at me. I chuckled. “Real mature, My.”

  “Can it. I gotta drink cherry blood and mango-smelling feet to find a Kin Beast bond, while becoming the next Oracle. I am kinda not having a good day!”

  I raised my hands in surrender. “You win.”

  She grabbed a hank of tangled hair and thrust it behind her ear. Noali’s footsteps were heard from farther in. Slowly, they came closer, showing the Oracle flush and happy.

  “Welcome to my potion’s lab. Myra, I am going to need a bit of your blood, since you are the one to hold the bond,” she said, brandishing a sacrificial knife. The pummel was ivory, with a slash of gold, and it glinted eerily in the candlelight. All of a sudden, Misery vibes were passing through me.

  Myra also glanced at the sacrificial knife and gulped. Noali giggled, and the knife poofed into a small needle.

  “Come here. I only need a drop,” she said, and Myra recovered from the knife scare and inched closer. Noali grabbed her finger and pricked it.

  “Ouch!” she cried, tears blurring her eyes. Why did I want to hit Noali so much right now?

  Noali chuckled and shook the finger over the cauldron. The liquid bubbled and changed from green to gold.

  “There! It’s ready.” She poured some into a big flask. “Take half of this when you are ready tomorrow. It will lead you to your Kin Beast. You won’t need the rune,” she said, handing the flask to Myra.

  “Why so much?” I asked, glancing at the huge flask.

  “It can find any bond, not just Kin Beasts. You will need it on your journey,” she said, smiling as she vanished the rest with a flick of her fingers.

  “Wasn’t that hard to make?” asked Myra, staring at the space the cauldron took.

  Noali chuckled. “I vanished it to my cottage. Others will find the concoction necessary soon.”

  “My sister?” I asked, nearly growling. The last thing we needed was her on our tail. Chronos got close to Noali, and she grabbed the hawk and brushed glowing fingers against its feathery head. She kissed its beak and let it go. Chronos flew!

  She turned to us. “You are going to need their help soon. Your sister is going to need your help soon, Jonah. More so, Myra’s help.” She sighed and placed her spoon on the rack by the entrance. “Her reckoning is coming for trying to run from Fate. No one who does has ever truly succeeded. It always happens differently, but it happens.”

  “What is she running from?” asked Myra as she tied the flask to her belt.

  “A vision,” said Noali. “Sometimes what we see is so terrifying, we hide from it. War, famine, murder, pale against the true darkness of the self that is exposed to us in these visions. We see Kin and humanity for what it is. No blurred edges, and it can scar even the sturdiest of us.”

  Myra gulped but nodded. It would be her choice to refuse being an Oracle, but Noali had kept up her side of the bargain. I knew Myra would keep hers, and I wasn’t wrong as Myra approached the woman and hugged her.

  “Thank you, Noali. I’ll do what I can for Datha. I hope to be as strong as you someday.”

  Noali chuckled and squeezed back. “You are stronger, savior. I truly believe you can save Sapherine, Myra. Datha may be unworthy, but you have proven once more why you were chosen to be a savior. May Oppolemei keep you safe, always.”

  Myra smiled her small, delicate smile. The one she reserves for very few. I’ve only seen it once when we were coming from the movies, and I was telling a joke. She smiled as she was doing now. Her acceptance smile.

  I couldn’t help but blush slightly. The way it made her firework eyes light up super bright? She truly was beautiful, and maybe I was a dingbat for not realizing it before, but I was realizing it now. Could I like Myra Santos? Possibly, if not, I was starting to.

  We exited the cave and started walking down the cliff back to the woods. Chronos winged along beside us like a faithful companion, which was odd. I thought learning how to fly would have made it independent of us. As it got darker, we settled into our usual routine. I hunted with Chronos, and she set up camp.

  We had decided to enter the woods and search for a lake as our camping venue. There was one not too far from the cave system. I could hear the water splashing with the waves. She cooked, and then joined me with a familiar black book. She took out the blood vial and started to draw the cherry matrix.

  I smiled and joined her, deconstructing our teleportation array.

  She looked up. “I know Noali said the rune wasn’t necessary, but can you show me the rune and the matrix to it?”

  I smirked and pulled a certain red scroll from my waist. “You can use it to find many kinds of bonds. I have it rigged to find our friendship bond anywhere.” Of course, if I were starting to like her, I could use a stronger bond now. I blushed slightly, unrolling the scroll and showing her the rune and its matrices.

  A knot symbolized a full bond, and I had anchored that to several directional matrices: a blood matrix to start the spell, and an Earth matrix to add stability to the whole thing. I also added a search and find command to it, which allowed me to find Myra wherever, and most importantly, a teleportation matrix to get to her if she were ever captured again.

  “It’s a beautiful piece of work,” she sighed, tracing the different matrices within the array. All that was needed was some of her blood. Speaking of.

  “Are you going to drink the cherry blood?” I smirked.

  She glanced at the small vial and uncorked it. She shrugged and tipped the contents into her mouth.

  She made a disgusted face as she swallowed the last drop of blood and choked it back.

  “That did not taste like cherry,” she groaned, heading for the water container and guzzling down a huge amount of it.

  She came back. “That was most definitely blood! Either your rune’s array didn’t work, or Noali spelled the blood.”

  She started to lie down, but halfway, she collapsed and landed on her face out cold. I shook her.

  “Myra?”

  She let out a murmur, her visions had begun. I lay back to watch over her, propping her against me.

  “Please, let her be ok,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around her and staring at the full moon.