“Then it is possible she is still reliving that moment. Spirits can become confused and disoriented, reliving memories and moments from their past. Asteria might be stuck in a sort of loop of that moment when Veronica was a direct threat to the Source. Or perhaps she worries about the lingering threat, since Veronica disappeared and we have yet to track her down.”
She sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince me that the threat was nothing new. The problem was, I could already tell she didn’t believe it. I looked into Xiomara’s eyes, and I saw my own confusion and fear and unanswered questions staring right back at me. That reflection frightened me nearly as much as my encounter with Asteria, because I’d grown used to the idea that the older witches in my life would have the answers I couldn’t find. I didn’t think there was anything about the world of spirits that Xiomara couldn’t explain. The fact that she looked almost as lost as I felt hit me like a physical blow.
“What should we do?” I finally asked.
The question seemed to snap Xiomara out of deep contemplation. She blinked, and then cleared her throat, attempting to resume her usual no-nonsense tone, but ruining the effect with the tremor in her voice.
“There is nothing more we can do in this garden. It is late, and your mother will surely wonder where you are.”
“That’s it? We’re just… letting it go?” I asked.
“Did I say that? Don’t you put words in my mouth, child,” Xiomara snapped. “I said there was nothing more we can do in this garden. There is, however, plenty that we can do, and we shall begin at once.”
Chastened, I nodded.
“I am going to consult with a relative of mine,” Xiomara said. “I need to know if there has ever been such silence at our boveda before, and if so, what came to pass in those moments.”
“And what about me?”
“You are going to go home and behave as though everything is normal. Do not mention what happened tonight.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” I murmured. That was the last thing I needed, giving my mother another reason to worry. On the other hand, I was afraid I was going to lose track of the things I was hiding from people. “Are you going to tell anyone?”
“I must inform the Conclave, but I shall tell them the message came to me, not to you,” Xiomara said slowly, as though she was making the decision even as she spoke it.
“Why?” I asked. “Not that I’m complaining. I’d rather not face an interrogation from the rest of the Conclave. But why lie to them?”
Again, Xiomara hesitated, and I didn’t miss the fact that she didn’t quite meet my gaze as she replied, “I think it best if we leave you out of it, for the moment. They are… concerned about the presence of a new pentamaleficus in our midst. They worry that it bodes ill.”
“You mean they’re afraid of me, too?” I asked bitterly, unable to stop myself.
“No, child. They fear the past. We are not without our prejudices and biases, as you know. Our darkest hour here in the Cove was brought about at the hands of a pentamaleficus, and the Conclave sees it as their duty to ensure such trouble does not tear apart our community again. I don’t intend to give them any more reason to cloud their judgment by indulgingtheir fear. Now come along, before your mother and aunts start beating down my door looking for you.”
I knew her words were meant to reassure me, but I felt far from reassured as Xiomara helped me to my feet, and led me out of the garden and back up the street to her house. I burrowed deep into my own thoughts as we walked, repeating Asteria’s words over and over again, hoping some clue would reveal itself. But no matter how many times I replayed the encounter, no sudden burst of understanding broke like the sun through clouds. Asteria’s meaning remained opaque, a riddle with no discernible answer.
I stepped into the house just long enough to grab my bag and say a hurried goodbye to Eva.
“Are you okay?” she asked me, staring with the same razor-sharp gaze as her grandmother.
“Yeah, of course,” I said aloud, knowing Xiomara was standing behind me, watching the whole exchange. Sure she could not see my face, I mouthed, “Tomorrow.” Eva knew better than to react visibly.
“Okay, see you,” she replied in a pointed tone, the subtext of which was, “You’d better explain then.”
I nodded. It would have to be enough for tonight. I knew Eva wouldn’t let it go, so at least I had until tomorrow to decide exactly how much I wanted to tell her.
I was barely aware of what I was doing as I pedaled my way home in the dark, which meant I almost went over my handlebars twice, but I didn’t care. When I walked in the door, I could hear hushed voices from the kitchen. I followed the sound, and found all three of the Vesper sisters sitting around the kitchen table, deep in conversation. They stopped talking at once when they saw me, which normally would have aggravated the hell out of me; but in the moment, all I wanted to do was escape up to my room and think. My mom looked up, took one look at my face, and stood up, looking panicked.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Huh?” I stalled. Damn it, I’d forgotten to fix my face. Did I look as freaked out as I felt? “I’m fine, Mom. I’m justtired.”
My mom narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You look more than tired. You look upset.”
I attempted my best teenage sigh. “Okay, well, if you’re gonna make me say it, I’m frustrated, okay? For a supposedly powerful pentamaleficus, I suck at this whole spirit witch thing, okay?”
It worked. My mother’s face relaxed into an expression of sympathy. “Oh, Wren, don’t get discouraged, honey. You’re making so much progress. It’s not all going to come to you at once.”
“Spirit is the toughest element to attune to,” Rhi chimed in. “It’s why spirit witches are so rare.”
