The Patient Question
The Patient Question. The Patient Question is the oracle's only gift that works on other people directly, and they use it rarely. Anyone who asks the oracle a question in earnest — truly wanting to know, not testing, not mocking, not fishing — must hear the oracle's answer in full. They cannot interrupt. They cannot walk away. They cannot dismiss the answer as riddle or nonsense, even if they wish to. The answer holds them, gently but firmly, until the last word is spoken. The oracle has watched hardened generals stand in a temple courtyard and listen to a fifteen-year-old priestess tell them, in a quiet voice, exactly what their campaign will cost. The generals did not always heed the answer. But they always heard it. The oracle has learned to speak the truth plainly when the question comes, because they will not get a second chance.