She spun and had a finger poking under Gus’ chin, moving faster than anyone her age should have had the ability to do. She pivoted his head with a slight twist of her wrist, as he looked on in startled silence.
“I can tell you the answers to your questions. The ones you hold inside, even from yourself. But not without cost. Are you strong enough for the truth? Can you withstand its edge? I warn you, that by revealing this to you, you will not have rest for quite some time. There will be no neutral ground; you will have left it forever. Win or lose, you will have to fight ‘til the end.”
Her face got closer, invading his personal space, filling his nostrils with the mixture of balsam and now cloves as her breath mixed with the strong scent wafting around her.
Leaning uncomfortably close, she asked, “What say you?”
Chapter Ten
Something to Believe In
“I can handle it,” Gus boldly replied. His eyes focused on the woman, and he noticed the colors play across her pearlescent eyes, much more captivating when viewed this close.
“Gus, no!” Tempest shouted, trying to move to intercept but Seneschal held him back.
“So be it.” The Oracle leaned in close and whispered a name into Gus’ ear, so softly that even he barely heard it. She put a finger on his lips. “Do not repeat it; he knows when he is revealed. It will be bad enough for you now. That is the start of your journey, keep pulling at that thread and all will become clear.”
“What about you?” Gus’ voice faltered. “Why would you put yourself at risk?”
“I am not part of his plans, and our paths do not cross, nor will they from here. So worry not your mind about me. Worry for yourself and those who accompany you. And tell no one of your unique abilities, it will go better for you if you do…” Her voice trailed off mysteriously. She glanced at Tempest and back at Gus, then nodded slightly.
In a blur, she was gone. Gus blinked and saw she faced Tempest, peering at him with stern eyes.
“You. I have but one request for your payment.” Tempest winced in anticipation of the cost of the information. “Your son lacks keys. Keys that this one and this one hold.” The crone pointed to BoJack and Prime. Keep them together until he has the keys and you can consider your debt paid.” She waved dismissively at Tempest.
“And you.” She pointed at Gus and sidled closer. “You come back when you have passed your trial of earth. We are not done, and I have a task for you. Yet you are not ready…” She moved back to her padded chair and dropped into it, collapsing as if her strength had suddenly left her. “I tire, go now.” She turned her head to the side and shooed the Crew off the circle with an indifferent wave of her hand. In seconds, the crone was snoring obnoxiously and the group turned to leave.
Gus stood dumbstruck as everyone filed out. Tempest grabbed him by the arms and shook him out of his stupor.
“What were you thinking?! You don’t want to be beholden to this woman,” he growled, looking back in panic at the Oracle. He put a hand on Gus’ back and ferried him out and down the path.
“You don’t know how she works. You should always ask the cost before you agree!”
“You didn’t,” Gus retorted. This was the Tempest he knew was lying beneath the surface.
“I didn’t have a choice! I have no other avenues for this information. This was my absolute last resort, and so I would pay any price. But you, Gus, what could you possibly need to know that badly?” Tempest pleaded, and Gus felt the defiance in him melt as he saw the sincerity in his father’s eyes.
“All of this has been a huge change, and I’m still trying to figure a lot of things out—”
“Gus, we could have helped with that.” He swept his arms, pointing to the rest of the Crew further down the trail. Tempest ran fingers through his hair. “I never anticipated this. We need to have a talk when we get on the ship.” Before Gus could object, Tempest raised a hand to forestall his argument.
“There are a lot of things you don’t know that I haven’t been able to explain. I thought we would have discussed them by now, but I know you’ve been avoiding me. Maybe if I had done a better job at telling you, then this whole Oracle debacle wouldn’t have been necessary. But who knows? Either way, there are some things that may change how you progress along your path and I know you would want to know them. You need to know them.”
As they boarded the ship, Tempest led him to a small room in the back, away from the rest of the crew. There was a table and two chairs with seat belts that resembled suspenders, coming down over his shoulders and attaching to the waist belt. The chairs here were less plush than the ones in the main cabin.
“Sorry about the accommodations, but I think we need a little privacy for this.” Tempest and Gus sat there, maintaining an uneasy silence. Tempest grimaced, struggling to find where to begin. Finally mustering the courage, Tempest began to speak.
“Gus, before you say anything, I realize I haven’t been there for you like I should have been. I’m not going to make up a bunch of excuses, but I want you to know that I’m mostly to blame for the rift between us. There’s a lot you don’t know, and I think it’s time we put it all on the table. I’m hoping you will understand a little better
