But then again, they hadn’t seen everything, not yet.
Syrelle rose to leave, her eyes darting to the dishes in the sink. “Been a heavy vision day today?” she asked kindly.
“A bit,” Mel answered. They hated being a burden, and sometimes, they hated how different they were. But they knew their visions were important to Gaia…somehow. Even if they didn’t always understand them.
“I’ll send Cara tomorrow,” Syrelle said, moving towards the door. “Sleep well, Mel. Thank you as always for your counsel.”
As Syrelle closed the door gently behind her, Mel returned to their knitting. They listened as Syrelle’s footsteps retreated down the street, until all of a sudden they felt their tea fall to the floor and their hands reached out to grip the arms of their chair.
A giant winged creature flew through the air. Its bat-like leathery wings cut through the misty clouds, pushing the air as if they were capable of creating the very wind itself. The creature was long and serpent-like, with terrible teeth and the curved horns of a goat. And its eyes…they were the brightest blue and slit like a cat’s, yet they seemed almost human in their depth. It was absolutely terrifying and majestic all at the same time, but Mel didn’t know how it was possible. They’d never seen a creature like this before. What in the Underworld did this mean?
And then everything happened so fast.
They saw a newborn baby, bundled in blankets, and sleeping soundly. It was—is? Will be?—surrounded by those strange pale faces, one of whom looked so familiar from childhood, but they couldn’t quite place it. She was an older woman, in her fifties maybe, with long blonde hair and light-green eyes. All of them were huddled inside a temporary building made from animal hides and it was…cold. So, so cold.
Then the vision changed and they saw an older man sitting on an elaborate gold chair, his face half-shadowed by the blue torchlights on the walls of the dark cave he inhabited. But Mel could tell he was not happy. He was talking with someone Mel couldn’t quite see. An older woman with dark-brown hair. Herback was facing Mel and they couldn’t see her face, but they could hear her voice.
“He’s being a fucker,” the man said, his voice echoing through the cavern.
“Don’t call your son a fucker,” the woman chastised, a hint of amusement in her voice. “He’s under a lot of pressure. And besides, if I remember correctly, you were sometimes quite the fucker yourself at his age.”
The man grunted in reluctant agreement, and then the vision ended.
Mel opened their eyes, their vision swimming as their living room came back into view.
What in the Underworld was that?
The creature. The baby. The man in the cave. Usually when visions came to them in a sequence like that, it meant they were connected somehow. A series of events where one led to another led to another. But how in Gaia’s name was Mel supposed to decipher which came first? And what the fuck were they supposed to do about it? What role did they have to play?
Mel glanced down, looking at where their chamomile tea had spilled onto the worn carpet at their feet, spreading like the blood in the snow they’d seen all those months ago. Mel sighed and put aside their knitting, leaning over to pick up the empty mug and walk it into the kitchen.
How should they explain this to Syrelle? She always liked updates about Mel’s visions, even if they were cryptic, but Syrelle also craved a defined, clear path. She wanted to know exactly which way to lead the Coven to achieve their desired ends. A direct answer. A this or that. A yes or no. But Mel couldn’t always give her that.
Because what people didn’t understand about finding your path was that you didn’t find it—it found you. Gaia may have her will, and Iblis, too, but there was only one way events couldever transpire. In any given set of circumstances—the only set of circumstances that could ever and would ever exist—there was only ever one choice, one reaction a person would make, and they’d make it every time.
There was no changing the future.
The future was fixed, the past was fixed, and it was only the present that was in flux. It was only trying to understand how people get from the fixed past to the fixed future that was confusing to Mel. And if Gaia was showing it to them, it was a future Gaia needed them to know. Needed them to help bring about. But why?
After returning their mug to the kitchen, Mel resumed their knitting. Their hands worked the dark threads of yarn as Mel tried to put the visions aside, at least until they received more information. They hoped whatever was required of them would become clear sooner rather than later.
But either way, they Knew: whatever was happening, whatever wascoming, it was important. And afterward? Well, they could only see so far, but it felt like it just might remake the world as they knew it.
Chapter One
Ena
Enawalkedthroughthewoods, her boots crunching through the thin layer of snow that covered the ground. She let her Knowing guide her, searching for signs of a rabbit burrow or raccoon den or squirrel’s nest—anything—but it was no use. Small game had gotten more and more scarce as they’d approached the jagged peaks of the Chasm Mountains. This far northwest, it was colder, and the trees, which had thinned out as the land elevated, were shorter and scrubbier than she was used to.
The plants were strange too. There were fewer of them, and many species she didn’t recognize. She struggled to attune her Knowing to the different landscape, and it made her feel extremely out of her element. She never realized how much her magic relied on her familiarity with her surroundings before, and the feeling put her ill at ease.
She walked alone through the sparse trees, wrapping her cloak tighter around her to protect from the chill. Her thighsached from the long hours spent on horseback, but despite their soreness, it felt good to stretch them as she walked.
She and Ty had been traveling—or more accurately, fleeing—for almost a full week now. The pace they’d kept, barely stopping to eat or sleep, had been brutal. But they’d both agreed that moving as quickly as possible was the smart thing to do. They weren’t sure if any Occidens witches were pursuing them after their disruptive escape from the rival Coven’s village, so they’d been confined to the backcountry, avoiding roads and villages, riding well past sundown most nights, to put as much distance between them as possible. Ena Knew their horse was getting tired, and so was she.
But they were almost there. In another day’s time, they’d be rendezvousing with Steig and Turner before returning to the Underworld. Apparently, the three of them had an agreement in place and the men were to wait for him at a specified location if they ever got separated, and even though it had been well over a week since Steig and Turner had fled with the amulet, Ty insisted they would still be there. Returning to the Underworld without him would only be their last resort.
But what awaited them all when they got to the Underworld…well, she knew it was well past time that she asked him aboutthat. It was true that they’d been so focused on putting as much ground between them and Occidens as possible that there hadn’t been much time for idle conversation, but it was also true that, deep down, part of her was afraid to ask.
