Hortencia let go of me completely and took a step back, her right hand still clutching Pythia’s.
“The answer is simple,” she croaked, beginning to back away from me with her sister.
The motion sent alarm bells ringing. Is she just going to abandon me now? Tell me to figure it all out by myself, as part of some fifth test?
“Wait,” I said, moving forward.
“Fear not,” Hortencia cooed. The twins’ steps sped up, even as they continued walking backwards. Can she sense that they’re heading in a direct line for the crater?
“No, I mean, seriously wait! You’re going to fall!”
I lunged to grab the sisters, but by some mysticism, I found myself grasping air instead, even though they were less than a foot in front of me. Then in a sudden jolt, their speed ramped up to a supernatural level and then it was too late. They’d ventured too far. Except they didn’t fall.
My heart leaping into my throat, I skidded to a stop in front of them. Through the thick smog, I glimpsed the soles of their feet virtually a centimeter from the edge. All it would take to make them lose balance was a strong gust of wind, yet still they remained facing me, their backs to the sweltering crater.
Before I could utter a word, Hortencia rummaged in her robe pocket and withdrew a round metal pendant. She reached out and pressed it into my hands.
“Keep this,” she wheezed amidst the smoke.
As she withdrew her hand, her clothes vanished from her body, rendering her as stark naked as her sister. Then the two, holding hands, whispered in unison like a chant, “Together we came, together we go. Just you and I, sisters both.”
They turned to face one another, their arms wound around each other’s waists, their forms locking together with disturbing symmetry. The next thing I knew, they’d released their balance on the edge and were falling. Falling. Falling. I peered over the edge just in time to glimpse their tightly bound forms making contact with the molten lava. And then they were gone.
Ben
The last thing I’d been expecting was for the oracles to kill themselves. Taking themselves out of the picture to not only keep me alive, but also prevent more disaster in the human world—which the fae had promised to cause if we failed—it was selfless.
Stepping back from the crater as it belched up a spurt of lava, I gazed down at the pendant clasped in my hand. To my surprise, it had popped open, revealing a little compartment within its belly, where lay a key. A tiny silver key.
What is this? Why did she give it to me?
Typical Hortencia. Puzzles, even after her death. She just couldn’t help herself. Perhaps it was something that Sherus needed.
Gazing at the crater—now the oracles’ grave—one last time, I didn’t stick around to see if I could spot their spirits flying out. I hurried back down to the desert.
“Well? What happened?” River and Aisha demanded.
“They’re dead.”
“What?” River gasped, while Aisha’s eyes bulged. “You killed them?”
“No,” I said quickly. “They killed themselves. Leapt into the crater.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Aisha breathed.
“Hortencia gave me this before she left,” I said, handing the pendant to Aisha. I wondered if she would have a better idea what it was.
She examined it curiously, yet tentatively, as if expecting it might explode. She picked up the small key. Then she shrugged. “No idea what this is.”
“Wh-why would they kill themselves?” River asked, staring at me.
I explained to the girls what happened. By the time I was done their jaws were on the ground.
“So… they weren’t that bad after all,” River said.
“I guess not,” I replied.
There was a span of silence as we exchanged glances.