Page 49 of A Seer and Present Danger

“Have you looked at the future to see if Delaney finds the box? Or if Jean is cleared of the crime?”

“I tried yesterday until I got a headache. No luck. It’s just a jumble of possibilities all slapped over the top of the others in a big mess. I can’t tell which will come true.”

“That sounds unpleasant.”

I huffed a laugh. “It is! You’d think seeing the future would be easy, but nope.” I finished off the box of extra bulky yarn and opened the next: worsted weight. “Have you met many people like me?”

Dusi paused. “Like you?”

“You know, seers who are demigods.” I didn’t talk about being half-god much because I mostly felt like a regular mortal who could see a few future things. But Dusi had been alive for thousands of years. If anyone had met other demigods, it would be her.

“Oh. Yes. I’ve met a few.” She went back to stacking yarn in pretty piles.

“Were any of them better at seeing futures? Like, is there a trick to make it easier?”

She made a considering sound. “Every demigod I’ve known had different powers. But many could see and influence the future.”

“Influence with free will? Or by telling people what to do?”

“By stepping briefly into the future they choose, they can force it to come true.”

That sounded like a terrible idea. “Jules said some demigods can move through time.”

“They can.”

“How are you so calm about this? They could have set horrible things into motion by picking the wrong futures.”

She chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure they did. Most of them just made themselves wealthy, but yes. Some of them abused their power and chose terrible futures. Most people in power abuse that power. Demigods and gods aren’t all that different.”

“I don’t abuse my power.”

“I know. That’s one of the reasons we’re friends.”

I stuffed yarn onto the shelf. “Do you know how they do that? Move through time?”

“No. I’m not a demigod. Have you tried to do it?”

“Never!”

She hummed. She was wearing her mirrored sunglasses, and I could tell from the angle of her head she was looking over my shoulder.

“Piper, you have power. It can be a gift or a curse, however you care to label it. Whether you want it or not, whether you use it or not, there is no harm in knowing what that power can do by testing it.”

“I test it. I know some of what it can do. It’s just…I like to live life hands-on, if that makes sense. I like surprises. I like living in the now. I don’t want to know everything about the future. I don’t want to be the one who decides on the future for everyone.”

“Still, knowing your power can come in handy. Especially when one needs to threaten the truth out of a demon queen.” She grinned and that made me laugh.

“You were brilliant! None of us saw that coming.”

She shrugged. “Xtelle and I both know that if I turned her into stone or if she tried to kill me, we’d be kicked out of Ordinary. And—for very different reasons—we both very much want to stay here.”

“It’s home for you,” I said.

“It is. I think it’s a playground for her. But still, it’s a playground she doesn’t want to give up.”

“Speaking of playgrounds, are you going to the soft launch of Marty’s board game store?”

She made a considering sound. “Jules wants me to.”