He doesn’t notice Khadijah step up beside him. “He’s a good kid.”
“I had little to do with that, but I intend to do what I need to do going forward to keep him good.”
“Here.” She offers him a box. “It’s the trickster pendant. The Council wanted it, but Clinton said it needed to be here. We’ll know why soon enough.” At Hiram’s arched brow, she rolls her eyes. “I have no idea. You know how cryptic my uncle is. I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do with it.”
Hiram isn’t sure, either, but he pockets it. “I’ll decide later.”
“Fair enough.” She glances over her shoulder. “And where does Veda fit in all this?”
“Wherever she wants to.”
“She’s been through a lot, and with that comes pride.”
“So I’ve seen.” His own pride has been battered by Veda a time or two. “I’m more concerned with keeping her alive than figuring out where she fits. Until then, I’m patient.”
Khadijah looks as if she’s seeing him for the first time. They return to the table, where Peter and Gabriel are now seated, and Veda calls over the boys. Hiram is placing the plates when Veda says, “Antaris?”
Hiram looks up. Antaris is rigid and terror-stricken, struggling to breathe as he tightly holds a bewildered August’s wrist. It’s hard to say who moves first, but Veda reaches him steps before Hiram. August warily calls for his dad, and he’s there in an instant. The moment Veda touches Antaris’s arm, he breaks into inconsolable sobs. He lets go of August and begins signing frantically, incoherently, before giving up and dragging both August and Veda toward the water.
Without hesitation, Hiram follows. He’s never seen Antaris like this—cold to the touch yet sweating. For a second, he wonders if it’sover, but his son races past them toward Peter and Khadijah, who are still at the table, exchanging looks before glancing up.
Dark clouds roll over the trees. It looks like rain, but it’s the trees that are crying. The lake water begins to crystallize as azaleas bloom along the banks.
Hiram instantly recognizes the scent of ozone.
Magic thickens in the air. It’s Antaris’s nightmares come to life. Peter sweeps Antaris into his arms and bolts toward them, with Khadijah hot on his heels.
There’s a sharp crack, followed by a moan like thunder. Everyone jolts when the top half of a tree crashes onto the table they all were standing beside moments earlier.
It’s silent in the aftermath until a mystified Gabriel breaks it. “Well,shit.”
“That’s a bad word, Dad!”
August lies on his stomach, racing toy cars across the floor, making chaotic crashing noises when they collide. Each time he asks Antaris to watch, it earns him a fleeting moment of attention. Antaris is too interested in the conversation happening in the kitchen. He’s the subject, andhe knows.
“Sight?” Hiram deadpans. “You think he has Sight.”
“It’s why I wanted Khadijah to test him,” Peter admits. “I suspected there was a chance he’d develop Sight as a teenager because of his mother. It’s easy to tell when Sight is manifesting at that age. Their hormones are out of control. However, with children, it’s quiet. Subtle. Woven into his personality. Even then, the signs can be attributed to the fact that wild magic is normal for children as there is no cost. I considered it when I found out about his nightmares, but kids sometimes display wild magic because they don’t pay for it. My suspicions deepened when he couldn’t brew.”
“He’ssix. He’s far too young.”
“The youngest recorded Sight manifestation was a four-year-old girl in Paris. My uncle was five,” Khadijah says. “It’s not impossible.”
“Then we should talktohim instead of about him.” Veda calls Antaris over, and he doesn’t hesitate until they’re all sitting in a circle. He’s between Hiram and Veda, leaning against her while peering at him. “Can we ask you a few questions?”
He signsyes.
“Do you remember when you found the cat?” At his nod, she continues. “Did you know it was out in the rain?”
Antaris looks at Hiram, hesitant.
“You can tell the truth,” Hiram says.
Slowly, he nods.
“Did you know about its mom?” Veda keeps her voice even, gentle.
Antaris nods again.
