The crow tilted its head to the side but kept its eyes on us. Nico sighed. “Maddy, this is the stress talking. Yeah, it’s super weird that it’s sitting there staring at us, but it’s only a bird. Maybe you’re seeing things that aren’t there.”
I was ready to explode. I didn’t take kindly to the way he was trying to insinuate that my poor little girl brain might be overloaded and that I was having hallucinations. Fuck that. I knew what I knew, and that damned bird was not right. I opened my mouth to unload on Nico when a loud, croaking squawk erupted from behind us.
We both turned to see the bird leap off the branch. It flapped its wings twice, flying right toward us. Five feet away, the bird’s wings elongated, its body stretched, and its beak retreated into its face. The feathers vanished, and then a young woman stood before us. She looked like she was maybe eighteen or nineteen. She’d shifted in midair and landed on her feet like she’d done it a thousand times.
“Holy shit,” Nico barked, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the intruder.
I wanted to slap his chest and shout,See? I wasn’t crazy, asshole!But I was too caught up in staring at the person who’d just appeared. She took a step toward us, and Nico growled low in his throat as he leaped forward. The woman nonchalantly lifted a hand, and Nico froze. Although, freezing isn’t the right word. It was more like he’d hit a wall and had to stop. A shield of air, similar to what had blocked the door in the cave, formed around the mysterious woman. An electric tingle coursed across my skin. Magic.
“It’s the same kind of spell as the vault and the cave,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
The woman inclined her head. “Very observant.” She lowered her hand, and the shield fell away. “I’m no danger to you.”
“I’ll be the one to decide that,” Nico said. He then glanced over at me, and I gave him the angriestI-told-you-solook I had at my disposal. His cheeks reddened, and he gave a grudging nod.
“My name is Sinthy,” the woman said in a thick Australian accent. “As you may have noticed, I am not a shifter, but I can mimic some of your tricks. I am a witch from a long line. I’ve come to deliver a message.”
“From whom?” I asked. “Who sent you to talk to us?”
Sinthy smiled at me, and her eyes twinkled mischievously. “You haven’t met her, but you know of her. You know of her very well. I was sent by my mother, of course. A witch of incredible power who likes to align herself with others of similar ability. She was Edemas’s personal spellcaster. She was his witch.”
91
NICO
I’d fucked up. It was obvious, and I didn’t know how to make it better. Maddy had been trying to tell me something, and all I’d done was make her feel like an idiot. Worse than that, I’d made her feel like she was going crazy. I’d have to do a lot of work to climb out of the hole I’d dug for myself. We’d all been on edge, which meant it was hard for me to think of anything but the main problems facing us. I should have trusted Maddy’s judgment. Now there was a witch sitting on my back porch. That was the first thing to worry about—what the hell was Sinthy doing here? Making up with Maddy would have to wait. But perhaps we could at least get back on the same page. Semi-forgiveness would work for a start.
Maddy was in the kitchen making tea. When I walked in, she didn’t even look at me. I went over, feeling awkward and out of place, much like I had when I’d disappointed my mother. “Maddy, I’m really sorry about earlier.”
“Oh, you mean when you tried to gaslight me?” she spat the words without looking at me.
I winced. I deserved that and more. “For not believing you, yes. I apologize.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” She snapped her head around to look at me, and it was all I could do not to take a step back in fear. Her irises were blood red. “I don’t want to hear anything. Not right now.”
I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again before any words could come out. This wasn’t the time. I shouldn’t push it, especially not with our new guest waiting outside. I sighed and picked up the tray. I balanced the teapot, teacups and saucers, cream and sugar containers, and the small plate of shortbread cookies, then followed Maddy outside.
Our new guest sat on a chair, hands folded in her lap, and had her eyes closed. She seemed to be enjoying the feel of the breeze. When I set the tray down on the table, she opened her eyes and smiled at us. “Thank you for the hospitality. I fear my entrance was not exactly how I wanted to approach you. I’m sorry for that. I didn’t mean to unnerve or scare you.”
“No, it’s fine,” Maddy said. Her eyes slid toward me, and a shadow of anger flashed across her features before she turned back to the other woman. “Whatdidbring you here?”
Sinthy leaned forward and poured herself a cup of tea with sugar and cream before leaning back, relaxing as though she were sitting in her own home. “My mother gave me the message after this whole…” She rolled her eyes. “Feraldebacle happened. She said she sensed ‘it was time.’” Sinthy shrugged and took a sip of her tea.
She seemed young by her mannerisms, but the way she talked sounded like someone much older. It was strange. Though I did have the feeling we were in the presence of a young woman, but how young? That remained to be discovered. All I could tell was that her true age was not reflected in the face and body we saw here. But was she an ancient centuries-old witch like her supposed mother?
I leaned forward to take my own cup of tea. “What do you mean by that? ‘It was time?’ Time for what?”
She smiled at me. It was thin but good-natured. “Do you really think that little cave-in didn’t send a message?” She cocked an eyebrow. “A message three hundred years in the making? It did. As soon as you crossed that magical barrier, my mother knew the long-awaited heir of Edemas had finally found the cave. Once the note was taken and the cave collapsed, we knew. We understood that we’d finally found what we’d been waiting for.”
A quick glance at Maddy showed me the fear and excitement in her eyes. I sipped at my tea before speaking again. “How did you know where to find us?”
Sinthy shrugged. “Simple. We cast a spell to find you.”
Maddy frowned. “If all you had to do was cast a spell to locate me, why didn’t you do that years ago? Find the descendant and protect them, guide them to the vial?” She looked annoyed.
Sinthy rolled her eyes. “That would have beenmucheasier, I’ll admit. Edemas knew that his descendants must be kept secret. Not every witch has…” She paused for a second, searching for the right word. “Good intentions. Some are used by the evil and the mad, twisted by those who wish to do harm. Edemas had my mother create a spell so strong that the only way to locate you was after you crossed the barrier in that cave.”
The anger melted off Maddy’s face, and she nodded thoughtfully. “I guess that is smart. How many witches are there in the world, anyway?”
