She realized she was no longer pacing, instead she was standing at her door, her slender hand on the door knob. She knew what she had to do; she had known for some time, the difference now was that her body was forcing her to listen. She knew she had to go out and seek the answers elsewhere. Dina reached out with her free hand and grabbed her gray cloak. Stepping outside, she pulled the door shut behind her. She wrapped herself tightly in the heavy wool fabric, making sure to secure the hood. She hid her face away in the darkness, careful not to draw unwanted attention.
Her steps were quick as she traveled with great purpose. She knew the others would not agree with her decision to seek advice outside of their trusted circle. Dina had already decided that she needed insight, and she was confident she was clever enough not to be bamboozled like so many before her. Dina glided down the stairs, but it wasn’t until she reached the bottom of the steps and placed her first foot onto the moss covered ground that she realized she was barefoot. She was surprised this fact had not been brought to her attention by the cold, rough stone leading to the chamber, but quickly moved past the puzzling observation.
Dina peered around, staring into the well-lit cavern. She marveled at the beauty of the small cottage and beautiful waterfall tucked away within the cave. She never thought it was fair that such a selfish and meddlesome being was given so much perfection to live in. Curling her toes, she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to collect herself and regain her composure before heading into the lion’s den.
“Are you going to stand there all night or do you plan to come in?” a voice called from several hundred feet away. Without opening her eyes, Dina knew who it was.
“Calysta,” Dina sighed, as if just speaking the woman’s name disgusted her.
“Please, dear, try and contain your excitement,” the woman replied, tossing her chestnut colored hair to the side.
“I don’t think excitement would be the word I would use,” Dina snarled.
“Don’t forget, darling, you’re the one who has come to my home. Perhaps you should show yourself out, the same way you came in,” Calysta replied, turning to walk away.
Realizing her current attitude would not get her the answers she was seeking, Dina attempted damage control. “No wait, please, I’m sorry. You’re right, I need your help.”
Calysta stopped, turning and peering at the girl as if she questioned her own ears. “It can’t be. Did I hear you correctly? Are you asking an oracle for help?”
“This is hard enough without you making it even more difficult,” Dina answered softly, coming to a stop directly in Calysta’s path. “I don’t want to waste your time or mine. Either you’re willing to help me or you’re not, it’s that simple. So, please, just tell me, am I wasting my time?”
Silently, Calysta stared at Dina for a moment, her eyes traveling from the girl’s bare feet up to her slim but round face. At last she answered, “Walk with me, we’ll talk.”
Grateful, Dina slipped her hood off to rest on her shoulders, taking her place at the woman’s side. She had to double her short strides in order to keep up with the steps of the tall and lean woman’s pace. They walked for a short time, neither saying a word. Passing the cabin and proceeding to the water’s edge, Dina wondered where to begin, but before she could decide, Calysta spoke.
“Is there a breeze tonight?”
Dina was a little confused by the question. She thought for a moment, trying to remember the weather outside. After a moment’s hesitation, she answered, “I suppose.”
“It must feel amazing. It does, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, I mean— I guess.” Dina was puzzled by the line of questioning, but her attention shifted to the blue glimmer of the water. It looked as though at the bottom of the vast pool was a light source, so brilliant it could light the world. “Your home really is amazing, Calysta.”
The woman stopped and looked at Dina, a pain in her eyes like she had never seen before. “A prison can never be beautiful.”
“What do you mean, a prison? What are you talking about?”
“Come on, like you really don’t know?” Calysta laughed.
“Know what?” Dina’s sincerity evident in the question.
“Wow, they do keep you kids in the dark. Guess it’s easier to have blind followers when they don’t see too much.”
“I don’t understand, what are you talking about?” Dina inquired, cautious not to put too much faith in what the clever woman said. Dina was well aware that the oracles enjoyed toying with people, and she was not about to fall victim to one of their games easily.
“Let me ask you a question, do you know how long I’ve been here?”
Dina thought for a moment before answering, “No, I guess I don’t.”
“Well, you should ask your precious Michael sometime,” Calysta answered, her words dripping with venom.
“How about you tell me?”
“Because he is so much better at weaving tales than me.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”
“Too scared to ask? Afraid of what his answer might be?” Calysta pushed.
“No, I still have no idea what you’re talking about. I can’t ask him because Michael’s gone,” Dina answered flatly.
Calysta locked eyes on the girl instantly, now mistrusting the source herself. She reached out, grabbing Dina’s arm, her eyes rolled back into her head to reveal only the whites of them.
Dina gasped as she watched the woman tremble, her own body beginning to sway. She struggled, but was unable to release herself from the woman’s grasp. Without warning, Calysta let go, her eyes returning to their former state. “So he is.”
“What? What the hell was that?” Dina demanded.
“I read you. I know what you know now.” As if nothing of great consequence had just transpired, Calysta turned and continued to walk. “It was only a matter of time before the council screwed Michael over. He shouldn’t be surprised.”
“The council isn’t there to hurt people, they exist to help mankind.”
“If you say so.”
“I know what you’re doing and you can stop trying to get me to doubt the Guardians Council. It won’t work.”
“And why would I care what you think of the council, little girl?”
“I don’t understand it, but that’s what your kind does. You enjoy messing with people’s reality.”
“Oh, is that right? Well, let me tell you something about that great council you respect and admire so much. They decided hundreds of years ago that it would be best for me and my kind if they protected us. I never asked for their protection. In fact, I have asked several times that they leave me alone. I haven’t seen a sunrise or felt a cool breeze on my face since they made their decision,” Calysta explained.
“If you don’t want to be here, if you don’t want the Guardians protection, then why not just leave?” Dina asked.
“Brilliant, why didn’t I think of that?” Calysta replied sarcastically.
“Well— why don’t you?” Dina pushed.
“Because, idiot, I can’t. It’s like I said, this is a prison, the cave has been spelled; only guardians can enter and exit. I’m stuck here, forever.”
“I don’t believe you. The council would never order that,” though Dina protested, she worried there was truth to what Calysta claimed. She thought of Uri’s story about Michael and Mirada, perhaps the council were resorting to holding the oracles captive.
“They wouldn’t?” Calysta shouted, her patience growing thin with the girl. Turning her back to Dina, she charged towards the opening to the cavern at full speed, her off-white linen dress streaming behind her.
“Where are you going?” Dina cried, giving chase. “I have more questions.”
Halfway across the clearing, Dina stopped to regain her breath. With no chance of catching Calysta before she reached the exit, Dina watched, hoping she would stop and return to finish their conversation. The tall and slender woman crossed the moss, spreading her legs out for wider strides. Dina’s heart sank as she realized the woman was not going to stop.
Just as Calysta’s foot touched the first step leading out of the cavern, a massive white spark shot out from an invisible force, sending the woman flying backwards several yards. She came to rest in a heap on the ground.
“Calysta!” Dina shouted, setting out in a full sprint towards the motionless body. Falling to her knees at the woman’s side, Dina shook her vigorously. “Are you all right?”
The oracle coughed, sitting up as her senses returned to her. “See, a prison.”
Dina didn’t reply, she looked back and forth between the opening to the cavern and the woman, wondering to herself, if in fact, Calysta was right about the situation.
“Help me to the cottage, please,” Calysta requested softly.
“Of course,” Dina replied, taking her arm and helping her to her feet.
As they walked, Calysta told Dina a story. A story about a group of angels who were given an impossible task. If they failed, they would be failing their creator and the beings he loved so deeply, humans. Failure would be the worst thing possible. With that in mind, the angels knew they had to win at all costs. So, they began to fight, they fought a battle that nobody could be expected win, a battle they were destined to lose. In an effort to change their destiny, they began to make choices. Choices they thought were for the greater good. Eventually, though, their path had become so distorted that they had trouble figuring out what was right and what was wrong. With the greatest of intentions, they had created some of the most profound atrocities.
“It sounds like you’re trying to tell me that I’m not fighting for the good guys.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Calysta said, walking through her front door and carefully taking a seat in an oversized wooden rocking chair. “The council isn’t evil, they’ve just lost their way. Even good men lose their way. Who knows, maybe with Michael there, they will find it again, but he too seems to have lost his way over the years.
“I don’t agree. He takes care of us, he needs to come back and be here to help us. That’s why I’m here, you have to help figure out a way to have the council return Michael,” Dina demanded.
“No.”
“So, you won’t help?”
“What I mean is, no, that’s not why you’re here. You’re really here because a friend needs you.”
“No, you’re wrong; I came here because of Michael,” Dina insisted.
“I understand what you think brought you here, but the truth is, there is something much bigger for you to take care of right now.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“A boy, fighting to become a man. He will fulfill his destiny, but first he has a journey ahead of him.”
“Gabe? Are you talking about Gabe?”
Calysta nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. “He’s lost. Poor thing, he was alone for so long, so much pain. Finding all of you, he needed that, but now you are all a crutch for him, something he’s not going to want to give up when the time comes. When he has to step up and fulfill his duties as protector, he won’t be willing to do it. He won’t want to lose this new and beautiful life.”
“What beautiful life? You’re mistaken, Gabe is miserable right now. He’s lost Sophie and now he thinks his best friend has betrayed him. Gabe is far from happy.”
“Sophie will remember, soon. Then he will have everything he has ever wanted, if he stays.”
Dina shook her head, confused. “Then isn’t that a good thing? He’s our friend, why wouldn’t I want him to be happy?”
Calysta smiled. “I guess it depends, do you want Gabe to be happy or do you want him to save the world?”
Dina didn’t reply; she didn’t know her answer.
“Life is full of hard choices. For Gabe, if he chooses happiness now, it will mean not fulfilling his destiny.”
“You’re wrong!”
“I might be, but you don’t think I am,” Calysta answered cooly. Dina frowned, saddened because she feared that the oracle was right.
“What am I supposed to do?” Dina pleaded.
Calysta winced as she shifted in her seat, the pain from the shock still too fresh for movement. “I’m not saying he needs to be gone forever, but he does need to go on a quest of discovery.”
“I don’t understand, to discover what?”
“Himself. Gabe has no idea who he is. He has never had anyone to tell him where he came from. He has a few memories of the family that once was, but no real sense of his history or what makes him tick. Now that he has all of you, he is making his circle of friends the definition of who he is. But to really become the man he is meant to be, he has to go out and experience life on his own. He has to answer those questions for himself. He has to know if he would choose the path of good or evil without any outside influences. Then, when he’s ready, he’ll return to you all.”
“Are you telling me he’s going to leave us?” Dina asked, the despair heavy in her voice.
“This very night. He will come to see you soon.”
“Me?” Dina questioned.
Calysta nodded in response.
“Why me?”
“You’re one of the few he trusts now.”
“What do I do?” All mistrust of this woman fell away as Dina asked the question with great sincerity.
“Even though Gabe needs this journey, he will need to find a way home. You have to give him a way for when he’s ready.” Calysta answered.
“How do I do that?” Dina added.
“You’ll figure it out.” Calysta said. “Now you better get, you don’t want to miss him.”
Dina ran to the door, taking the handle tight in her hand. She hesitated, turning back. Taking one last look at Calysta, she felt consumed with pity. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Getting me out of here would be nice,” Calysta laughed.
“I’m sorry, I—” Dina began.
“Sweetie, I’m kidding. I know you can’t do anything about this. I get lonely. I wouldn’t mind a visit now and then.”
“Of course, I’m so sorry.”
“Dina— wait. Madame Laveau. Stay away from her. Okay?”
Dina studied Calysta’s face, hoping for an indication of what she might be talking about. “What? The voodoo priestess that lives in the woods by the beach? Why on earth would I go near her?”
“Just promise me, you’ll stay away from her,” Calysta pleaded.
“Yeah, whatever. I better get back. I’ll visit, I promise,” she said before disappearing into the night.