"Glad to have you back, my dear? To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Honey stood tall, resolved to not be intimated by Leahnora’s mere presence. "I believe we have more to talk about."
Leahnora arched a brow. “Come in.” She glided silently down the hall, beckoning for Honey to follow. Apprehension prickled across Honey's skin, but she complied, determined to uncover the unknown.
At last, they reached the candlelit chamber again. Leahnora turned, her eyes flashing.
"There are always secrets in Cauldron Falls. We all know that," she whispered. "Dark secrets beneath our glittering facades. You’ve yet to stumble upon your own secret."
Honey's pulse quickened. "What do you mean, my own secret?"
Leahnora hesitated. "I really shouldn’t speak of such things. But perhaps you are ready for the truth..."
Confusion flooded Honey. "What do you mean? What truth?"
Leahnora's gaze bore into hers. "As you know, I was once a renowned fortune teller, known as a gazer to some, before I turned against the knowing. It was too painful to always see what was coming. I’ve struggled for years to keep my visions at bay. But one night last year, unbidden, a vision came to me. A memory, one might say."
She took Honey's hands, her expression gentle yet grave. "In this vision, I saw that you came to us here, as a tiny soul, lost and scared. But you were not alone. A sister held your hand as you were running through the woods. A tight grip, until a trip over a stone, and a scuffle, where you lost all but her small stuffed bunny. There your lives were separated. You found your way here to our enchanted corner of the world. Our Cauldron Falls. But somewhere, out there in the world, there is a part ofyou, a sister from birth whom you must find and bring back to Cauldron Falls."
Honey's breath caught, shock rooting her to the spot. “A sister? How was that possible?”
Leahnora gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. "I tell you this now because you are ready to know, and she needs you. She is seeking you out."
Overwhelmed, Honey's heart rose in her chest. All her life, she had felt there was some part of herself missing. She had kept that to herself, buried deep under her skin.
Leahnora glided to an ancient chest, producing a scroll tied with a silk ribbon. "This scoll will help you in this quest. You will need many tools and much protection."
With a racing heart, Honey accepted the scroll. “But what do I do next?”
Leahnora turned, her eyes glinting in the firelight. “There is more you must know before you decide what is next.”
“Okay.” Honey urged breathlessly.
Leahnora met her gaze. “In my visions now, your sister is surrounded by bats. Vampire bats.”
Honey reeled back in shock. “What? How can that be? Vampire bats can be deadly.”
“I am afraid it is true,” Leahnora whispered. “I cannot say if she dwells in a realm of darkness, perhaps even turned to a creature of the night herself.”
Thoughts swirling, Honey spun toward the door. A sister consumed by evil? It seemed impossible. “Why did you tell me this?”
“Because she’s coming to find you and that means she coming to Cauldron Falls. You’re not the only one who lives with the sting of separation and loss. She too has struggled with never quite feeling a part of the world she inhabits. She is restless. Oryou could find her first. You must know this now, while you can get ahead of it.”
Honey clutched at her own chest, dismayed by the truth in Leahnora’s words. “You could have told me this a year ago.”
“Yes. I could have. But would you have accepted it? Leahnora gathered Honey’s hands in her own. “You know now. Look for your sister before the darkness consumes you both. But beware... the path is fraught with peril.”
Overwhelmed with fear and sorrow, Honey knew what she had to do. For the sake of her sister’s humanity, and perhaps her own, she would confront vampires or bats, or whatever she had to face to save her sister, herself, and everyone she loved in Cauldron Falls.
Rhoda and Edgar Hadwin stepped through the shimmering transport portal into the FACTS & FIBS Victorian kitchen, weary but pleased after another successful mission rescuing familiars. They were surprised to find the house empty except for Roam O'Reilly sitting solemnly at the farm table in the center of the room.
"Where is our Honey?" Rhoda asked, immediately concerned something was amiss.
Before Roam could respond, Honey came bursting in the Cadillac swinging door. She froze when she saw her parents, tears springing to her eyes.
"You're back! I'm so glad..." Her voice trailed off as she rushed to embrace them.
"Dear Honey. There, there. What is wrong?" Rhoda asked gently, smoothing Honey's hair.
