Page 24 of Woods of the Raven

They both turned to me.

“Holy shit, what just happened,” Cass gasped.

“That was both awesome and terrifying,” Delia added.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“What will happen now?”

“Well, now he knows you’re both anchored to this world and you don’t want to go,” I answered, turning to go back inside. “Food is important that way. It keeps you where you are.”

“Like Persephone,” Delia offered.

“Yes, exactly. And kudos to your teachers for making you do all this myth reading. It will help in so many ways,” I said, holding open the door for them.

Once inside, we headed back to the wreath-making lesson.

“How do you know all this stuff?” Cass inquired.

“Oh, well, I’ve done a lot of reading too.”

“No, not about Persephone, but about the horse—what’s his name again?” Delia asked.

“Skokse.”

“Yeah. How do you know?”

“My grandfather taught me.”

“Okay, but how did he—”

“Holy shit!” Cass gasped. “I know how you know. You’re the witch everyone talks about.”

“No one talks about me,” I said flatly because I knew better. My family had been here since before Osprey became a town, when it was just forest and sea and the only people walking the land were Native Americans and perhaps the occasional Viking.

“They do,” Cass insisted. “I’ve heard teachers at school talk about you making wreaths and garlands and candles. Do you do that?”

“Yeah, but a lot of people in town do.”

Cass seemed to be mulling that over.

“So it’s not a big deal that you’re a witch?” Delia asked.

I shrugged. “Not so much.”

“That’s amazing, isn’t it?” Delia said, glancing at Cass.

“I think so,” Cass said. “The town gets an A plus for tolerance.”

“It does,” I agreed.

“So your grandfather taught you stuff?”

“He did. After my parents died, I came to live here with my grandparents, and the two of them taught me a lot of things. After my grandmother passed, it was just him and me for a long time, and then he passed about ten years ago now.”

“I’m sorry,” Cass said, reaching for my hand.

“It’s okay.” I squeezed her hand gently before releasing it. “He had a long, happy life, and now he’s back with my grandmother and he’s at peace.”