“Is that…?” Medea took a step toward it. A massive pile of papers was clinched inside a solid gold cover. It was larger than she’d expected, larger than her entire torso.
“A book,” Isis said, eyes widening.
“It worked!” Circe hugged Medea’s aching shoulders.
A man’s laugh cut through the window of the small cottage, and Medea stiffened. “Mother and Father are back! Come, help me hide it.”
She gestured toward their sleeping chamber. Using all their strength, the three lugged the book into the room and slid it beneath her bed, covering it in their old blankets. They’d only just hidden it and returned to the hearth when their father entered the cottage.
“What have you three been up to?” His blue eyes flashed beneath a quizzical brow. Could he smell the magic in the air? He ran a tanned hand through his graying hair, seeming to war with himself over what to say next.
Medea met his gaze and shrugged, saved from having to explain by their mother’s arrival.
“I’m going to harvest some herbs,” Circe blurted, heading for the door at unnatural speed.
Isis’s gaze darted toward Medea before mumbling, “Help me fetch water for supper?”
“Yes, sister.” Medea rose and grabbed a water jug from the wall. They ignored their father’s confused expression and jovially kissed their mother’s cheek as they passed her outside the doorway.
They didn’t stop walking or say a single word until they’d reached the tanglewood tree, well out of sight of home and their parents’ prying eyes.
Medea leaned against the tree, exhaustion sending her sliding down the trunk onto her bottom. “I can hardly keep my eyes open.”
“But you did it,” Isis said. “Do you know what this means?”
Circe hopped up and down, her eyes twinkling with possibilities. “It means we have a book. Oh, I wonder what secrets are inside.”
“That one and more,” Isis said. “Today we proved we can make things happen. Together we can bring the universe here, to us. Learn about everything from the safety of the garden.”
“Or go to the world,” Medea whispered.
As one, they cast a glance in the direction of the gate. Circe, rule follower that she was, shook her head almost immediately. They were not allowed outside the garden. Not ever. But Isis gave her an understanding nod. She, like Medea, was not ready to dismiss the possibility so quickly.
“What happens now?” Circe asked.
Medea held out her hand, and her sisters both clasped it. “We do as we’ve always done. We three sisters stay together and we make magic.”
