Read Online The Rabbit and the Raven: Book Two in the Solas Beir Trilogy by Melissa Eskue Ousley - Free Book Online Page A

mother.
    Cael took a moment to observe the newcomers. They did look befuddled. Blanca gave Jon a questioning look. Jon tried to reassure his mother by putting his arm around her.
    “It’s all right,” Marisol said. “Keep talking. We’ll catch up.” She caught Cael’s eye and smiled. He nodded and returned her smile, encouraged by her response.
    “The Northern Oracle lives in the isolated northern region of the kingdom,” Cael continued. “She and her colony have little contact with others, but they have been consistently loyal to the Light, dedicated to the pursuit of discipline and self-reliance through a stoic lifestyle and edification through the ancient texts. She guided my fellow warriors and me in our search for the Sign of the Throne, the symbol of the Light that was the key to David’s return. She also helped me vanquish the Western Oracle, a narcissistic monster with a blood thirst rivaling that of her serpent-limbed daughters, the sirens.
    “ Like the Blood Shadows, the sirens preyed on those in the Light and were a constant threat to those living in the sea. They murdered my comrades. They almost killed me as well, but I was able to destroy them. With the assistance of the merpeople, who had fallen victim to the sirens for many generations, I survived and was able to return the Solas Beir’s sigil to Caislucis.” Cael studied the faces of his listeners. They still wore expressions of disbelief, but at least they seemed less shocked by their surroundings.
    “The sea king’s daughter, Nerine, saw Cael safely home,” Eulalia added.
    “Because of her kindness and her loyalty to the kingdom, I recommend her for the post left vacant by the demise of the former Western Oracle,” Cael suggested. “Nerine attended David’s coronation and, politically, it cannot hurt his cause to have one of his own in a powerful position.”
    “I agree,” David replied. “Is this something I need to run past the court council?”
    “If you wish, I can speak to them on your behalf,” Cael said. “I am sure they will agree, and we can then send word to Nerine regarding the nomination. If she accepts, she will gain power over the seas stretching from the beaches below our castle to the cliffs along the Eastern Sea, where the Eastern Oracle holds court in his city.”
    “Thank you, Cael,” David said. “I can think of no one better than Nerine for that role, and I appreciate your recommendation to me and your offer to speak about it to the council. Please move forward on that.”
    Cael bowed his head respectfully. “Yes, Solas Beir.”
    “I am concerned about the loyalty of the Eastern Oracle,” Eulalia divulged. “It is rumored that those in the Light and those of the Shadows dwell side by side in his city. I do not understand how that can be possible.”
    The realm of the Eastern Oracle was located far from the western coast, and it was a stark contrast to the pastoral communities surrounding Caislucis. Separated from Caislucis by an enormous desert, not as vast as the Wasteland, but just as barren—and actually referred to as the Barren by locals—the city of the Eastern Oracle would be difficult to travel to. David’s father had closed all the portals within Cai Terenmare, as well as those leading to the human world, and communication had been limited. Eulalia had never met the current Eastern Oracle. As a general rule, only the Solas Beir met with oracles, and the Eastern Oracle was a pious traditionalist.
    “Even with the extraordinary circumstances of the assassination of David’s father, the Eastern Oracle was not willing to meet with me or any of the ambassadors I had hoped to send, because I am a woman. There has been almost no communication with the east since Ardal’s death,” Eulalia explained. She looked at David. “I am worried that David will have great difficulty winning his loyalty, even though he holds the crown.”
    “Perhaps if David gained the support of the Southern Oracle first,