“If you’ll take a seat, I’ll explain.”
I gulped at her continued reading of my thoughts before sinking down next to Friar as the woman crossed the room tothe window in the kitchen area, pulling the curtain closed. She was short, as I had observed initially, but now that I was closer, I could see, though her eyes and white hair indicated age, her skin was smooth and wrinkle-free. I couldn’t see if her eyes had the gold rim, but I inherently knew magic was at play here.
She crossed the room easily, likely having all the locations of the furniture memorized. She sank into a plush purple chair across from Friar and I.
“War is coming.”
I raised my eyebrows, my gaze connecting with Friar’s before opening my mouth to answer.
“I can smell it on the wind,” she stated before I could even speak a single word.
“I’m sorry.” I’m not sure why I apologized, but it felt like the right thing to do for someone who was my senior, and likely part of the coven I was born into. “But we are really confused. Ralheim is already at war.”
Her lips twisted into a grin. “You have magic, but did not assume I would as well?”
That answered my previous question. “I didn’t see the ring in your iris.”
The smile faded. “Ah, yes, that is the visual way to spot someone who has magic. But there are other ways that you are unaware of I see.” She rose from the table, heading to the kitchen to pick up a plate and return. The surface of the plate was filled with cookies, and I could just see the dusting of herbs on the surface. She motioned for us both to take one. Friar did, biting into it without hesitation, while I just fidgeted with mine in my lap.
“Did you know my parents?” I blurted suddenly, unwilling to wait any longer to find out.
“I did.” Though she doesn’t rely on her sight, her head turned as she spoke to us each in turn. “I also knew yours, Friar Hethen.”
Friar’s jaw dropped. Now she was nervous, her half-eaten cookie forgotten in her hand.
“All Seid were once part of a single coven, but as the ruling class became more skeptical of magic, how the coven wanted to deal with them also varied. Those drawn to violence withdrew into the Eastwoods Clan. The clan that remained, often called the Westwoods Clan, preferred to try the peaceful and secretive way of surviving.”
Her words hung in the air, revealing just how long she had been around.
“Unfortunately, neither way is working, and the clans have become more politically aligned than was designed, which is how I know war is coming. Not the war of the viscounts, that will always continue as is. But they will not leave the Seid as bystanders, as you already know, Runa.” She brushed her hands down the front of her dress. “I also read the book that gives one future-sight. Something I regret immensely.”
I glanced around the room, searching for magic books.
“I burned it. I also burned the book that gave me the gift of mind-reading. These gifts are curses more than they are gifts and should not be read again.”
At least now we knew how Signa knew everything. “But do you have other books?” I inquired with caution.
She shook her head. “Adis’s father took them all—told me it was the price for remaining alive during the Purge. I haven’t read anything new in a decade.”
I let out a breath. At least now we would know if he had anything really dangerous.
I didn’t even have to speak that thought out loud before she was answering my question. “He has the books for empathy, the gift of fire, the gift of water, the magic of growing, the one for extra strength, and a few more I thought would come in handy. However, before the Purge, during the years of uncertainty, most of the books owned by the coven when it split were distributedamong all the members. It’s how your parents got the book of wind.”
The last part was directed toward me, and there was something so soothing about hearing the name of the book that had begun this chain of events the three of us were now unwilling participants in. But that reminded me of something else. “Signa, if you don’t like your powers, why don’t you just sever your connection with them?”
She let out a sigh, then, “Because someone has to watch the future and protect the Seid.”
My entire body tensed. I’d thought consulting with the coven matriarch would answer questions, but really, it just posed more.
Friar’s audible swallow broke me from my thoughts. “But why did Adis’s father let you live while the rest of our parents . . .”
A sad smile crossed the matriarch’s lips. “I don’t know. I thought it would be the end but—” She looked over her shoulder, as if someone was eavesdropping but there was no one there. “I suspect, for as much as the previous viscount hated the Seid, it wasn’t the magic he actually hated. It was the fact that he couldn’t control it. By eliminating all but a single known reader and confiscating my books he returned the power?—”
“To himself,” Friar finished for her.
Silence settled over the room, both Friar and I knowing what needed to be asked, but neither one of us wanting to broach the subject.
I decided to quell one of my long-term curiosities while I gather the gall. “Signa, the Seid belief about twins . . .” My throat ran dry, too afraid of the answer to continue.
