River walked by Me'ren's side down the settlement streets heading back for their apothecary shop where Sul'ahvi had lain sleeping for twenty years. She had wiped tears off her face with her palms and in silence strolled through crowds and market stalls. He held her hand, tugging her in every direction as he navigated the growing crowd. Lei'la was right, the red spider festival invited tons of tribespeople from all over the lands. The underground streets were alive in powerful exotic scents and vibrant colors of fabric parading in display from overhead by which was woven with amber string lights that radiated luminosity as a source of light. She gawked at the string lights that wove around dome buildings to market stalls to street lamps lining up the entire avenue. Eternal sunlight, she noticed.

Me'ren pressed a hand on her lower back, urging her forward. Tribespeople were speaking in their universal dialect, one that she understood as English. But some spoke in dialects, and she caught what they meant as they back-talked the passing tribespeople in their local words. Second language. Third language. Fourth language. Their meanings were not lost to her.

She bounced on her heels, affronted. "That guy just called me a newborn kerama!"

He fought back the urge to grin, "He meant no offense."

"He so did!" She looked over her shoulder to shout back at a street vendor in his dialect, "Dro kaji ruhala!" A string of curse words that made the man behind a fish stall blush.

Me'ren pressed himself closer to her, attempting to frown but failed miserably. The humor in his eyes apparent, "When I let you in a library trove full of ancient knowledge bigger than a museum library could ever hope to be, I expect you to use them for good."

She huffed, blowing on a stray lock of hair past her forehead. "I was checking him back to place. He can't say those things about me, I won't take it."

"Hush, lil' kerama, he was just blowing smoke." he raised a brow in challenge before tugging her ahead.

She bit down her bottom lip, legitimately afraid of whatever he saw in her brain. The memories he must have seen. Maksim had only seen at a selective focus but she didn't know what this past oracle had actually seen, how far he went back to her past. The thought made her tongue-tied. She didn't want to know.

"You know," she drawled after a while "Lei'la can help me with Sul'ahvi."

He squeezed her hand tightly, "I sent a message to them earlier. They will be at the shop by the time we get there."

"They're already there." She mumbled, distracted by bright colors. Festivals were the same everywhere, no matter what universe. Colorful, vibrant, and incredibly rowdy with tons of people.

"How do you—" he stopped, twisted around and pulled her in by the back of her neck, his thumb brushing over her jawline. "Careful how you make your mind bonds. You don't want the wrong people in."

She rolled her eyes at him. She was always careful. But there were forces beyond her control, going beyond what she was prepared for. Even right now, there was a raging beast inside compelling her to drive the tribespeople around them to attention, into complete submission. The power was there at her periphery, waiting to be let in that it frightened her.

His brows lowered, "Those three curses—"

"They're not curses." she bit back. "They don't like that."

"Truly? Why don't you tell them to leave when they are clearly bothering you?"

Her nose crinkled sideways, "That's not it. They need me to help. They're not a curse. The three needs a little more patience."

"They can't live through you. That's not how it's supposed to be. It's never been done. The last tribesperson to bear these three fell to madness and unbearable pain. You can't let it."

"I'm no stranger to it. Don't worry. Come on. Let's not keep your brother waiting."

He said nothing after that but a few a moments later, she felt him nudging against the barriers of her mind. It was a soft knock. A delicate persuasion to let him in.

Against her better judgement, she did.

On their way to the shop, she felt him rooting around. The sandalwood citrusy scent of him pervading her atmosphere, enveloping her in a soothing embrace. It felt nice.

When they arrived, U'tu and Lei'la had gotten out of their way to getting lunch so she went on ahead to the future oracle’s room.

She stared down at Sul'ahvi sleeping on his bed, wondering what sort of song he would gravitate to. Garnering from his older brother's memories, Sul'ahvi has been carrying a torch for Hell'ina for centuries but she never seemed to notice since he was years younger than her. Decades younger than her to be exacting. The amount of years that could have taken, she could never in her life imagine.

Perhaps a ballad for the singular yearning he has had for an unimaginable amount of years.

"So you wish to sing to him?" Me'ren appeared besides her, tucking stray locks securely behind her ear. He then whispered next, "Be gentle."

She flushed in embarrassment. The songs she had been using to utilize her mystery power were power ballads. It was a way to convey the harshness of torrential emotions, creating powerful waves of sounds and echoing vibrations that fills a room and raises hackles of hair. And it never in her life suited her voice range.

But what if River were to only sing a ballad? Would that have sufficed?

Exhaling a shaky breath, she turned to Na’reem and Me’ren standing by. “Any chance I can get a private moment with him? What I’m going to attempt, it’s really embarrassing and really humiliating. Can you leave us just for a moment? It won’t even take like a 10 minutes.”

Na'reem shrugged. "No need to get embarrassed. Whatever you have to do, you gotta do. We won't hold it against you. You’re taking to the all-seeing eyes here, I’m pretty sure it will be hard to faze us with anything embarrassing.”

“Okay." she said, perching on Sul'ahvi's bedside. "Please know that this is going to be entirely underwhelming. I’m not going to do anything big or powerful.”

The side of his mouth twitched in amusement, “Get on with it, behagthi.”

“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Courtesy of Me’ren’s innumerable knowledge, she raised the memories of a young, chipper Sul'ahvi in her mind and tried to capture the sentiment for his unrequited love. There’s a song she knew, a slow melancholy song that drips with hurt and longing. It started with a throaty vocalizing, a guttural raw emotion sang in soft whispers.

You are a call to motion

There, all of you a verb in perfect view

Like Jonah on the ocean

When you move, I'm moved

As she vocalized the song with unhurried ease, she put her focus on the doors of a future oracle's mind.

It was barricaded. Steel-trapped. Wall up. No one was going to be let in unless he himself opened it.

“It’s working,” Na’reem exhaled, sounding closer than he was before. Sul’ahvi’s eyelids trembled, brows wrinkling before relaxing back to sleep.

River took a moment and watched outside the window. There were no sunlight as they lived underground in homes the shape of igloos. Then she pushed slow notes out of her mouth. The very musical notes that expressed utter longing and wistful worship.

When you move—

I can recall somethin’ that’s gone from me

When you move

Honey, I’m put in awe of somethin’ so flawed and free

The chorus she attempted to sing low and husky, as though she were a depraved being in the world left with no money, no prospects. And her emotions rose up to meet the sounds of her voice. Closing her eyes, she focused on the rhythm of notes released out in the open.

“So move me, baby.” Lei’la sang.

River’s eyes snapped open to find Lei’la kneeling on bedside, arms resting on the covers, and peering up at her.

U’tu leaning on the doorway, his eyes glued to Lei'la's back in vigilance.

When River vocalized, Lei’la took to matching it with natural ease as if she was already a seasoned expert. Then she clapped, and her teenage pupil followed suit to the beat of the clapping. The brothers and U’tu followed the same clapping when she prompted them, however, there was more. River knew Lei’la’s range, it exceeded far above her own. And the natural ringing of her high-pitched voice was pleasant and melodic, almost powerful enough to make the angels sing along with her.

With confidence, River sang the bridge and prompted Lei’la to follow it with a stronger higher pitch with a gesture of her arm.

And she delivered spectacularly. More so than she had anticipated. It was soulful, raw and it cut through the most solid barriers. It was the kind of vocal riff that sent a soul to shoot up skywards to heaven.

Move like grey skies

Move like a bird of paradise

Move like an odd sight come out at night

River quickly supported with harmonious vocalizations, a soft blanket to cushion the spirit of Lei'la's song.

“Lina” a deep scratchy voice, croaked. It was Sul’ahvi murmuring into his pillow.

"He dreams of the future." Na'reem muttered, rushing forward to hold his brother's face in his hands. "Brother it’s me. Don’t worry, I got you. Big brother is here. I got you.” Out of his pocket, he grabbed a wrapped package in leather, carefully pulled it open to offer his brother a yellow hardened blob. The irresistible aroma wafted to River’s nostrils.

Fucking cocoa.

It was fucking cocoa.

Dark roasted, strong-smelling cocoa that would go so well when paired with tons of sugar and cream. Her mouth watered in an instant. When was the last time she ate chocolate?

Me’ren followed behind Na'reem, “I know it tastes like shit but you gotta eat a nibble, brother. It will help you a great amount. Please. Do it for us.”

Did she hear him right? Did he just call the almighty cocoa 'shit'?

“Lina” Sul'ahvi called weakly.

“We will reach her, brother. No matter what. See? We have got a behagthi. A powerful one at that. With summanus magic.”

Have I got what? she thought to herself, meeting Lei’la’s exhilarated smiling face.

“Impossible.” the sleepy one croaked, his voice dry as hell.

“You just woke up from the last stage of dream sickness, brother. Healing you would have been impossible. Yet here you are, listening to us. And about to nibble out of this shit-ass fruit.”

He choked in surprised laughter, “That goddamned fruit. Cursed is what it is. I don’t know how the healers managed to grow them out of their own backyard. Stinks like shit.” Guided by Na'reem's hand, he took a decent nibble out of the mother of all holy confections. It looked like yellow paste, but the smell was undeniable. It was the source of everything good in life. She has to get her hands on it one way or another.

“Eternal sunlight’s miracle” Lei’la murmured, slowly backing away to the door. Like a magnet, U’tu drew close to her side.

“The last of my sun prince’s miracle” said U’tu, a gray gloom like an invisible coat around his shoulders. "Would never have grown anything underground otherwise."

Na’reem broke off a piece out of the yellow blob and hand-fed it to his younger brother. River held out a hand, and he passed it on to her immediately.

Sul’ahvi took the piece in his mouth, wrinkling his face like he ate something insanely bitter and swallowed it.

Out of sheer curiosity, River bit down on the whole blob like an apple. Her teeth passing through it like butter and chewed it thoughtfully in her mouth. It was immediately followed by a blissful moan from her throat, an endorphin rush of satisfaction exploding inside her like a chemical reaction. It put the anxious atmosphere in the room to a halt as everyone snapped their attention to her. She shrugged, chewing the cocoa meaningfully after another bite. “Tastes like coffee.”

Behind her she heard Lei’la asked U'tu in an urgent whisper, “Do you know what a coffee is?”

A carefree laugh bubbled out of Sul’ahvi, “You must be the behagthi. Summanus magic, is it? That's a pretty far reach. Even for a behagthi.”

“And you must be the future oracle, Sul'ahvi. I'm called River.” She nodded. "What's wrong with Hell'ina?"

Na'reem handed him his fresh glass of water before answering "The dark assembly is using her healing abilities to erase certain memories. They're holding her hostage. She won't be doing it otherwise."

"What makes you so sure?"

His gaze grew cold, unrelenting "Because she's erasing memories of parents who used to have children."

"U-uh.." she swallowed hard, mouth growing dry. "What has happened with the children?"

Me'ren placed a hand on his brother's shoulder to stop him. Instead, he pulled at the connection he and River shared, inviting her to peer into his head.

It was a bit like taking a leap. She knew it was bad. Real bad if he had to show it rather than tell. But she trusted him. Trusted the man who always does right by his family.

Even if she gets burned in the end.