I thought about it.“I could eat.”
“Perfect.”She motioned to my cousin.“Faith, honey, can you help me in the kitchen?I picked up those little sandwiches that you like, darling,” she told me.
My stomach rumbled.“Make sure Faith likes them before you get them next time.New Council, new snacks.”
Faith turned to grin at me as she followed my mom into the kitchen.I closed my eyes on a sigh, and that abandoned campground raced back into my mind’s eye.A chill ran down my spine and my stomach soured.I’d been hungry and now I was feeling sick.I hadn’t seen it in the vision, but I was pretty sure I knew what the construction guy had found.The other bits of the vision made sense and felt like Corey business.The camp didn’t.
Faith rolled the tea cart back in, Mom following with a platter of sandwiches she got at the bakery near her tea shop.
Mom pointed to different sections of the platter.“Those are pesto turkey.These are caprese.Those are BLTs.These are fig jam, brie, and prosciutto.And the dark ones are smoked salmon on pumpernickel.”
“Yum, Mom.Those sound great.”I took one of each, the hunger returning with a vengeance.“Was Gran the one who liked the cucumber and watercress ones?”I grimaced, remembering.
Mom nodded.“I almost ordered what I usually did, but I stopped myself.I asked to see her menu so I could pick things I thought the three of us might like.”
Faith took a bite of the BLT.“Thank you, Aunt Sybil.This is really good.”
“I’m glad you like them.”She glanced at me.“We should probably go over what we remember of the vision, so we’re all starting at the same place.”
I wiped my mouth, but Faith spoke first.“That campground felt like a horror movie.Aunt Sybil said the shared visions showed us things we needed to know to help the Coreys, but that didn’t feel like it had to do with us.It was cold, dark, and wet under that cabin.”She rubbed her forehead.“I really hope that person was dead before they were stuffed under those floorboards.”
Mom put up a hand, swallowing the bite she’d taken.“What person?I didn’t see a dead person, only the man running the bulldozer and the two men standing under the tree watching.”
“Huh.I didn’t see the other men, or the dead body, for that matter,” I told them.“But I knew that was what he’d found.”I took a sip of tea.“I don’t think that part of the vision applies to us.I have a feeling one of the detectives I help is going to be coming to me about that one soon.Let’s start back at the beginning.”
When I described the car hitting a woman on the side of the road, Mom and Faith shared a look.
“Darling,” Mom began, putting down her teacup.“That wasn’t any woman.That was you.That was the road in between your gallery and Declan’s workshop.”Her hand went to her chest.“I almost pulled us all out of the vision when I saw that.You have to promise me—Arwyn, I mean it—you have to promise me you won’t walk between the two.Wait for Declan to drive you or stay at the studio until he can pick you up.You have Bracken there too.He can take you anywhere you need to go.And you can call me.I’ll always come for you.”
She blinked the sudden tears from her eyes.“You have to promise me.I’ve lost too many.I wouldn’t survive losing you too.”
Sitting forward in the chair, I reached for her hand.“You trained me.You know I can protect myself.”
“You weren’t paying attention,” she said.“The ocean was loud.The cars were loud.And you were staring ahead at Declan’s.You didn’t even know the car was aiming for you.”
“She’s right,” Faith said.“It happened too fast.You didn’t have time to throw a spell.”She looked between Mom and me.“I have my license too.I don’t have a car, but I can drive.And my mom will always come to help us.”
“Promise me you’ll tell Declan,” Mom pushed.“If he knows, he won’t let you walk from one room to the next without escorting you.”
“You’re not really selling this, Mom,” I groused.
“Arwyn.”Mom was giving me her stern voice.Since I could see the fear in her eyes, I nodded.
“I’ll tell him.”I took a bite of the fig and brie—it was delicious—then described the Uncle John vision.They both nodded.
“I need to visit him,” Mom said.“We’re both grieving Sylvia.”She rubbed between her eyebrows.“I’m just so angry with Calliope.I don’t know how to grieve with him when his daughter was the one, the sorcerer, who tortured and killed her mother.”
“I know,” I said, “but he’s lost both his wife and daughter.You said it yourself.You never saw that evil in Cal.Well, neither had he.As far as his heart is concerned, his wife and baby are both gone.”
Mom nodded.“I know you’re right.Sylvia wasn’t only my sister.She was my best friend.I’m equal parts devastated and furious.I don’t know if I would help John or make it worse.”
I thought about it.“I’ll talk with him.I’m going to need his help.We don’t know how long—” I stopped myself and turned to Faith.“We haven’t announced this, but I’m pregnant.”
Faith blew out a breath, muttering, “I knew it.”
“What?How?”If anything, I’d lost weight since I’d gotten pregnant.
Faith grinned.“I felt her.During the shared vision, I felt a fourth with us.”
