Taking place in a city of wizards, Oracle Blinded, is the story of two friends who while entirely antagonistic with each other discover that there’s a bit more than that between the two of them. It beings at Jono Sayer’s birthday party. Or at least, it’s called his birthday party. As the Oracle of Quarim, he’s the most important person in the city, his word is practically law. People from all over come and seek out his advice and hope for a vision from him. This makes his birthday a good excuse for diplomatic reasons. However, it doesn’t make for a good party for Jono. Things appear to be saved when he discovers that his best friend, Alec, has returned after a five year sojourn out into the plains, traveling about like a gypsy with family.
He goes to see Alec to rekindle his friendship and to find something more interesting to do than stand around and listen to boring people he doesn’t care about talk about things he could care less about; also to show off the fact that in the interim he has become the Oracle. Unfortunately, Alec manages to one-up him, but proving that he’s an element wizard: wizard that can control all four of the elements, unlike a normal wizard that can control only one. There hasn’t been an element wizard born in a thousand years. Jono is, naturally, jealous and demands to have come to lunch with him the next day. Alec refuses and leaves. Jono is actually rather glad about this, as it’s just like old times.
Except that Alec wasn’t that attractive last time he saw him, was he?
Happily abusing his power as Oracle, Jono sends guards to invite Alec over for lunch the next day. This earns him a black eye for his trouble, but Alec does agree to stay for lunch. They fall into their old patterns though there are some bits of awkwardness. It looks like things are going well.
Until the high priestess, Isut, declares that Jono isn’t allowed to see Alec any more. Why? Because it’ll interfere with his abilities to see things with his powers. He can’t see his own future. If he gets involved with anyone, they’ll become part of his life and then he won’t be able to see their future. They have connections with other people and it’ll become a terrible domino effect. Jono dislikes this. A lot.
So, he decides to peruse a relationship with Alec. This Alec agrees to, with mild amusement. Besides he does like Jono. He is also rather attractive, if an idiot sometimes. Spoiled, Alec calls him. But it’s just their banter. Also, it annoys his godfather.
Things move rather swimmingly along until Jono finds out something interesting about Isut. She’s been around the Temple a lot longer than should have been possible. Sadly before he can tell anyone about it, his rooms explode. Fortunately, he was just outside of his rooms investigating a fallen hawk so he didn’t take the brunt of the explosion. Still he is injured badly. Blinded in fact, and unable to have his visions.
This then requires figuring out who blew Jono up. Alec takes on the task, finding himself a bit more worried about his friend than he realized he would be. Could it be love? Perhaps, perhaps. It’s too soon to tell. The thing that’s most important is finding out who and why Jono was blown up. They have two leads: One the fallen hawk. Two Isut and something called the Center Stone. Both require research, something Alec hates doing. Dyslexia is a bitch. Fortunately his brother loves researching things and is happy to look into the Center Stone for him. As for the bird, that’s what bird experts are for! Leaving his brother to do the research, Alec goes out of the city to visit the resident bird expert in the near by village. Cities don’t tend to lend themselves to wild bird experts. At least not ones that can talk to birds.
The bird expert, Falk, finds that the hawk was waylaid and something caused it to drop. Perhaps, they theorize, because whoever caused the explosion didn’t want him to be killed, but instead just harmed and out of the way. What Alec’s brother also discovers is that the Center Stone existed in the old temple, the one that belonged to the first city of wizards and was specifically brought and placed in the new temple. It was the home to something called a mind sylph. Those were things created by the fey to watch over an object. They were the spirits of the object given form or sentience.
Unfortunately before Alec and Jono can fully discover the meaning to this they are called on their relationship shenanigans. They admit that well, it did start out as a joke and a way to annoy their guardians but now they’re not so sure any more. Their guardians are not pleased with this. In fact Isut attacks Jono… somehow! No one is sure how she did it. Apparently Jono’s crack about it being easier to have sex if they weren’t in an official courtship didn’t sit well with her. Especially strange is that the explosion felt exactly like the one that blew him up in the first place.
After Jono is returned home to the Temple, but no one explains what just happened. Alec and he have their first spat with Alec stomping out. Later he feels guilty about leaving Jono alone but doesn’t want to come back apologetic, so he brings the Temple map as an excuse. Jono meanwhile has returned to his duties, even though he misses Alec. The duties act as a great excuse to take his mind off of him. Not that he isn’t thrilled when Alec shows up.
After an awkward make up, they use the map to find out where the Center Stone is located. They find it. But getting to it requires chickens. See, the only way into the lower levels where it’s located is through a door that’s right next to the kitchens. Jono decides they need a distraction. The distraction he decides they need is chickens. Alec locates chickens. They set the chickens loose into the kitchen and sneak down to the lower levels.
There they find the Center Stone in a room that makes Jono exceptionally reluctant to enter. They have a brief fight where Jono finally gets to hit Alec in the nose. As they examine the Center Stone they learn that Isut is the Temple Slyph. And when Alec’s blood, from his nose, drips on to the stone, it gets set off. Something that shouldn’t be possible…
Except that Alec is an element wizard… with fey blood. And the fey created the Center Stone.
It looks like he’s getting full enough with power that he’s going to blow.
Isut comes down and discovers this and of course demands to know what is going on. Alec is able to control her, his blood having activated the Stone. Jono quickly catches onto this and uses it to his advantage, demanding that Isut allow him to explore a relationship with Alec or he’ll have Alec… do something bad. He’s not sure what, though except that it’s something bad. After a tense stand off, Isut agrees to his terms, after getting some of her own in – Jono behaving better for starters.
That taken care of Jono and Alec have what might not be a happily ever after, but the start of what could be a nice relationship.