She thought it couldn't be real, told herself that her mind was playing tricks on her and yet she felt a small part of her brain start to absorb the turn of events when,
"Hoc est decretum meum pro ea et semini eius in milia annorum"
They all gasped again!
Shock, confusion, bewilderment even... none of influx of emotion could be identified distinctively or individually and this was true for Dana too. She knew with certainty that she never took Latin in any of her classes in all her college years and yet she could hear and comprehend the throaty voice as clear as she understood English.
Whoever seemed to be speaking in her head had to be someone of great authority... someone who calls the shots around here. She wasn't sure how or why but she felt a great deal of respect for the invisible woman. Dana was even more intrigued by her, her previous fascination of the older woman she had come to know as Ariana paled in comparison. This one seemed to be a complete mystery box. She commands the whole house with just the sound of her voice and right now she had just issued a decree about her and expected her to follow it as if her word is somehow law. She couldn't deny that the woman is a prominent figure around the place but that didn't automatically make her a part of this place. She was still struggling with one thing though... her role in all of this. How did she even fit in?
"Wait!"
Then her confidence flew out the window when she felt a chill as if it was a hand grab her spine... somehow, she felt as if she had uttered an insult and by the looks she was getting from everyone else she could tell she had stepped into dangerous territory but she was here already so she told herself to let it all out.
"Do I have a say in all this? I mean no offense but I feel like everyone is just making a decision on my behalf as if I'm not even in the room!" she was getting carried away and she knew it, so did the elders in the room but they needed to know that she was no pushover just in case they had such thought to begin with. "Does anyone care for my opinion at all, I am not just some object to toss about as you wish. I am a human too, I have aspirations and wishes. I have unanswered questions and others that everyone in this room is trying to make me forget but the truth is it makes me more of an outsider… how could I be expected to lead a people with so many secrets and conspiracies that are somewhat connected to me and my past? Nobody is forthcoming and yet here we are, being given orders and not to say I'm questioning your objectives or my own character but I feel completely in the dark. I don't know who I am and I'm supposed to be totally cool that somehow everyone seems to know things about me that they are not willing to share for some reason unknown to me. How am I supposed to be fine with everything that you are throwing at me…? It's too much man" she was hyperventilating at this point and she knew had to stop and breathe but instead, her ever present tears betrayed her.
"Shush child. You are home now, give yourself time to breathe and readjust" this being said out loud by the Oracle for all ears to hear was of course a cause for an unsettling feeling to all the older woman in the house who had expected the insolent child to be disciple after using such a tone in the presence of the Oracle.
What was the possibility that the girl could corrupt the Oracle?
It was something to consider for most of the ancients except for the two wiser woman of the bunch who had already figured that the girl had found favor in the eyes of the ancient spirit. She couldn't exactly be said to be defiant but something in her tone incited a challenge, something of a dare if you may put it and somehow the Oracle didn't mind it at all! Could this have be considered as premature on her side or was it something else? Could it be that the wiser spirit was trying to protect the girl from something sinister that she had seen ahead of the girl's future?
That had to be it . . .
There had to be a reason why the Oracle just issued such a decree in haste. Rosetta knew the Oracle was a calculative entity and therefore it couldn't be said that she had made a mistake. She had followed her instructions since the day she could remember so what could have led to such an event? She was wary of questioning the Oracle, mostly because unlike her sisters . . . she had been a friend of Sandra who was favored in a similar manner until the day she was corrupted by the ancient evil that confronts the druids. She shook her head to rid the dark thoughts that threatened to swallow her whole.
"Great Oracle, ancient mother of druids. If I may ask" Rosetta finally decided to ask the question that burned her insides.
"Rosetta, speak freely" the voice replied almost instantly.
This reminded the other woman why the Oracle has remained undefeated for quite this long. She anticipated everything and always had good reason for her every action. She didn't just get respected because of being one of the Gods of the Underworld, she was very wise which meant that she had to pick her next words very carefully. The word "freely" being dangled wasn't truly what it insinuated, it was type of trick-or-treat.
"I am worried that the girl may still be too young and inexperienced as she had mentioned. She is still clueless of her own life and feels overwhelmed by the sense of responsibility placed upon her. She isn't groomed nor is she trained. The Sentinel we had given her proved to be quite ineffective when it came to equipping her with self-defense given her uncontrolled use of the gift of her ancestors. Please, if you may reconsider"
"Wise as always Rosetta, are you saying you have someone better in mind? Perhaps . . . ahhh do you fancy yourself a leader for my people Rosetta?" the Oracle spoke, the words said as if they are just thoughts more than an actual answer.
She should've seen that one coming given the nature of the person she had attempted to get an answer from.
"That is not what I meant at all, great oracle and please forgive me if it came out that way. I meant no offense" she pleaded her case knowing the other woman knew exactly what she meant.
"So what is it you meant then? Was it to question me? I said what I thought was the least offensive outcome and yet you say to me it is not what you meant . . ."
Rosetta felt her lungs lose breathe. How did her simple question escalate so badly in such a hurry? She knew what the Oracle meant. To question her would mean to challenge her authority and that wasn't even something that could be done by someone in her position. What had she done . . .
"Please excuse my unruly tongue Ancient One, I see now that I spoke out of turn" Rosetta bowed her head deeply
"I will allow this impunity this one time Rosetta, only this once" she made emphasis on that before turning to look at everyone else in the room, seeing if anyone else had concerns of their own before doing what she came here to do and seeing as everyone had had time to breathe and center themselves, she moved about the room, she was in a fluorescent blue dress that swept the floor, covering her beyond the sole of her feet. Her movements as fluid as those of a skilled dancer. She had a veil of the same color covering her face but Dana had a feeling that the veil is not the only obstruction. The woman is just surrounded by an air of mystery without needing a veil, it just happened to be an addition really. She knew she wanted to scream but something just wasn't letting her which became a frustration to her. She now knew with certainty that the woman was someone to be feared but at the same time, she was someone passionate and conscious of her surroundings
"errr, do I by any chance get a say in any of what's happening here? Or I'm just a puppet who's supposed to be okay with every decision you take on my behalf? I left my mother and father at home because im searching for answers, because it became clear that I'm the reason the people I care about the post are endangered. I keep losing people, I am not here because I thought it wise to come and usurp nor challenge anyone from their wish of ruling. This is not game of thrones to me! It's my life… my family for God's sake. Did anyone think about that? I am my own person with a life and people that care about me too, I have parents that are probably worried sick about me as we speak and a psycho maniac claiming to be my dad and a lot of other things that he thinks I can be for him and might I add that he would go to any length to have his way. If you were even slightly concerned or cared about me in the slightest, you would've at least gave me a safe haven! A place that won't just be another dark mystery for me to unravel. I need a sanctuary for my head and soul and for a moment I had thought I found that with you people but now I can see that I was only fooling myself."
She was back to venting and she didn't know what to expect afterwards but whew! She had finally found a way to put what was in the depth of her soul into words, scary woman or not. It just needed to be said. They had all expressed what they felt and thought of her so it was only fair that she gave them a piece of her mind too.
"Very well then, my Chosen One. Come take my hand. Words has the element of deceit in them, be it something done deliberately or otherwise so I will walk you through the alleys of history so that you may take your rightful place in this world, fully aware of who you are"
That went well…