***
Chapter Ten
I slick my hands down the sides of my robe as I take my place in the center of the circle. I don’t have to look up to know who watches me with waiting gazes. I know them all: aunts and cousins of varying degrees and removes. Only twelve of our number stand ready, though that large of a group makes me nervous. Most seekings require maybe five or nine. Thirteen Oracles coming together creates its own foretelling.
Liander and my grandmother are looking for something specific.
I just hope I can deliver. I’ve been feeling oddly since I fled Sibyl’s chambers, the tingle I experienced after Piers left me stronger than ever. I rub my fingertips together to try to calm the pins and needles sensation and force slow, steady breaths. I’ve done this many times before, have been part of seeking circles my entire life. This I can handle. As long as the flames behave themselves.
I look up as stillness falls over the room, the doors closed on the chamber, magic sealing us inside. The first thing I see is Liander with his arms crossed, back against the wall, glaring at me. Impulse drives a frown to my forehead, but I erase it quickly, hopefully before he registers it. He’s not supposed to be here. This ceremony is sacred to Oracles, the seeking of visions ours and ours alone. But he has control over all of our ways now, it appears, because my grandmother seems unperturbed at his presence.
When I turn my gaze from the leading pair, I realize Ash stands directly in front of me, hands folded in front of her. Seeing her there is almost as startling as Liander. She’s kept herself apart from us for so long I barely remember hearing of her having visions anymore. And didn’t she just tell me she doesn’t participate on purpose, that she’s pulled away from Sibyl? Ash winks slowly at me, and I smile in return. I don’t know why, but I feel ten times better knowing she’s here for this.
“Oracles.” Liander’s voice is harsh when he speaks. This time I see irritation pass across my grandmother’s face, but she doesn’t argue when he chooses to take her position and lead the ceremony. “Begin the seeking.”
I embrace the flames inside me, their eagerness controllable, at least. Knowing so calms me further, allows me to extend my power through the sorcery tied to my fire, to link with each of the twelve Oracles around me. I’ve long been told seeing the future is a tricky prospect, clear visions hard to manifest. Many of the women in my family experience only brief and murky moments they need assistance deciphering. Those standing around me now are the strongest of us in reach and clarity, though I know why I stand in the center as thirteenth. I’ve always had a knack for finding visions, for calling up sounds and scents and crispness, even more than my grandmother. Pride feeds my power, for no matter what deceptions I endure now, the visions themselves never lie to me.
I feel Ash’s firm grip, the stammering and uncontrolled touch of Rena, ten others. My magic loops around them and pulls them close, their minds my mind, their magic my magic until a great and powerful calm takes me into a river of flame and I am as close to my Goddess as I have ever come.
“Name the target.” Our power turns on the puny sorcerer who dares to order us. But we are the fire and the future, questions asked and answered and we will obey the calling of our nature.
“You know the target.” He practically spits the words at us. “Show her to me.”
He’s obsessed with her, the one he calls Dark. We turn inward, feeding the flames with our souls, and call on the future to show us what is to come.
Something is wrong, altered, out of touch. I break free of the others a moment as they fight against me. It’s not until I seize them and pull them back I understand why. I no longer think of the woman Syd as the Dark One. To me, she has become the Light.
They sigh and relent, but I know I’ve revealed too much as I return to the center of the seeking and we are one again.
The vision surges toward us, and we welcome it, funneling it outward and above. Twelve sets of eyes look upward, twelve souls focused as I find myself again outside them, with full control. I struggle to return to the bond, but it’s gone and all I can do is allow the vision to unfold and try not to panic.
Completely different, this experience. Usually I feel an immediacy with visions. This time I’m so far out of it, I can see the power holding it together, making it manifest. And feel the subtle touch of my grandmother’s power around it. I almost break focus and stare at her in shock. She isn’t one of the thirteen—so why then is her magic involved? I must understand this. But, for now, the vision demands my attention, no matter my distance from it.
The woman Syd appears. She seems angry, standing in a dark room that looks like a basement. The werewolf Charlotte is at her side, holding a white Persian.
“…don’t care what it takes,” Syd says. “We know he’s out there. We find him and see the end of this once and for all.” A giant with diamond eyes bows to her. The dragon, I’m certain of it. I’ve seen him in full winged form, her on his back. But though he wears a more human form, I would know his energy anywhere.
Liander snarls, startling me, though I’m deep enough in the fire the vision doesn’t waver.
“Will that bitch never relent?” He spins on his heel, eyes meeting mine. Does he see I’m working alone, outside the group? Does my grandmother? Neither seem to find it odd. In fact, Sibyl is frowning, eyes locked on the vision, too wrapped up in whatever her own power is doing to notice me at all. I long to check, to test her involvement, but doing so will alert her something has changed in me and I’m not sure I want her to know.
“I need to know if it’s time.” Liander breaks my questions into fragments, renewing my focus. I turn my face from him and focus on the vision.
It shifts to a blonde woman at a desk, a single light at her side casting shadows over her face. She rubs at the hollow of her throat where a pentagram pendant rests. She appears uneasy, unhappy, though her power surrounds her, palpable and waiting. It glows blue, witch magic, the room where she sits dark paneled and still, steeped in decades of elemental energy. A door opens and she looks up. I can’t see who enters, but her face goes blank and she nods, looks down. Her fingers shake as they grip a pen, blue fire flaring over her signature. She stands, abruptly hands over a piece of paper she’s signed, looking away as though unwilling to admit what she’s done. I can’t see who owns the waiting hand that takes the paper so eagerly. When the visitor’s fingers touch it, the page flares with blue fire and black flames.
Liander is smiling now, more arrogant than ever. “How soon?”
I assess the feeling of the vision. “Within days,” I say. “If not before.” It’s difficult at times to pinpoint exact moments, so I seek the vision for some evidence of date while he glares at me, impatient. I twist the vision sideways, look down at the desk and spot a calendar under the woman’s coffee cup. She’s marked off each day with a red pen, leaving her current date empty.
A swift calculation and I nod to him. “Tomorrow,” I say.
He rubs his hands together, smirk ugly. “Perfect,” he says. “She might be prepared, but she has no idea the pawns I have in place. Let her hunt in the dark. I’ll have the law on my side.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about, but if he’s happy about it, I should worry.
The vision begins to fade, but I’m still in control and curious. As it flickers, I tilt upward and see the recipient of the page smiling at the woman behind the desk. I know that smile, Liander’s nasty expression familiar to me. But before I can wonder what need he would have for a witch, the vision flares and turns to fire, crackling and insistent.
I stare into it, forgetting Liander and my grandmother, the twelve Oracles around me. The flames beckon, pull me closer, beg for me to join them once and for all. And I lean into them, welcoming their embrace, even as fear of what is to come speeds my pounding heart.
Not now. I’m pulled back, Bellanca’s magic powerful around me, though she is alone. There’s time yet.
And she is gone, the others shaking
their heads and smiling at each other as the bond dissolves in sparks, not one of them aware things nearly went terribly wrong. Or that I, somehow, remained outside them. It shouldn’t have been possible. Sibyl seems to sag, massaging her temples a moment before offering her usual enigmatic smile.
Only Ash stares at me with a frank expression as the others bow to me in ceremonial thanks and leave in small, chattering groups.
***
Chapter Eleven
Ash comes to my side, takes my elbow in her hand. “Are you all right?” Her voice is low enough only I hear it.
“Fine, thank you.” I offer a trembling smile. “Just tired.” It’s not necessary to lie to Ash, but I want to understand what’s happening to me. Thank Gaia for Bellanca, though how did she know I needed her? She and her brother have gone again.
Ash releases me, but doesn’t stop staring in her closed and determined way, not until Sibyl approaches with a smile, reaching out to embrace me.
“Very well done, my dear,” she says, an arm around my shoulders as she faces Ash. “The finest we’ve raised, wouldn’t you say, dear Ash?”
My aunt shrugs, grin twisted. “If you say so.” She yawns, stretches inside her robe. “Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Forgot why I hated being part of this shit so much.”
Sibyl glares at her, tightening her grip on me. Why is Ash purposely provoking my grandmother?
“It was your idea,” she snaps at my aunt who winks at me like she finds the whole situation amusing. “I had thought perhaps you’d come to your senses and were finally rejoining the family.”
“Not a chance.” Ash strips off her robe and tosses it at Sibyl’s feet. “Just for old time’s sake. You and your little pet sorcerer might think this is the only gig in town, but I have better things to do.”
“Ashtoria Marie Helios.” Sibyl’s voice cracks like a whip, making me jump though Ash keeps grinning. “Don’t make me punish you.”
“For what?” She flicks her fingers in my grandmother’s face. “You don’t have the balls to do anything, Grandmother.” I start. Wait, what? Sibyl is my grandmother. Which makes her Ash’s mother. So why…? And she’s stressed the moniker so much, I know it’s a taunt. But why? I’ve only ever heard Ash address Sibyl by her first name. “Neither does that pathetic piece of crap you brought into our sanctuary.”
Black power rushes toward us, and only then do I realize Liander is still here. Ash turns with a casual wave and blocks his magic before it can harm her, the slap of black scattering in a rush of broken pieces. He grunts and staggers a little while my aunt snarls at him.
“Try that again,” she says. “I’ll drain your ass dry.”
“You may go.” Sibyl’s power is more formidable. Ash rocks back herself from a solid wall of fire. But her contempt isn’t lessened as she shrugs, hands in the pockets of her leather jeans, sparks in her blue eyes.
“See you around,” she says before sauntering out with a click of her tongue and a mock salute for Liander. I stare as my aunt slams the door behind her, turned instantly to face my grandmother before the sound of the echo is even stilled.
“You are forbidden further contact with Ash,” she says, fury snapping in her gaze. “I will have her banished for this.”
Banished? I want to protest. That means cutting my aunt off from the family, from the Oracles who love her. Where will she go? What will she do? I grasp for my grandmother’s hand, ready to beg her to reconsider, but Liander interrupts.
“About time,” he snaps. “I’m truly disappointed in how little control you have over your women.” Is that anger in Sibyl’s eyes? I hope so. How dare this cretin talk of our family like that? We are the Helios Oracles. He is just a sorcerer. “I’ll leave you to discipline them. I have a job to do.”
Sibyl starts, while my anger simmers at her lack of retaliation. Maybe they are right, but I like this new rebellious side of myself. “Already?”
He waves her off, talking over his shoulder as he goes. “Finally.”
My grandmother appears troubled, and I’m going to add to her worries. I can’t stand this to go on any longer and this is the first time I know I’ll have her alone, without Liander listening in.
“Please tell me,” I say, voice cracking as emotions run high, “we are following the true path of Gaia by helping him?”
She looks startled for the second time, as though I’ve slapped her, stepping away with a scowl hurriedly disguising her reaction. The rest of the family are gone, only my grandmother and I in the round chamber. “How dare you challenge my authority in this matter,” she says. I can tell she’s trying to be firm, but she sounds more disturbed than angry.
I shake my head, unwilling to let this go. Maybe Ash’s confrontation has given me courage or the recent events have freed me to speak, but it’s time at last to confront Sibyl fully. “I’ve spent my whole life trusting and believing in you,” I say. “I’ve never questioned, Grandmother. But I have reason to believe the visions I’ve experienced aren’t being interpreted truthfully.”
Flames rise from her feet, sizzling out toward me. I’ve made her truly angry this time, but I can’t bring myself to care.
“Blasphemy!” She tries to push against me with her power, but mine is stronger than hers. Sadness pierces my heart, as I stare at her, remembering her power’s interference with the visioning. What purpose could she have, unless…
“You’ve led us astray on purpose.” I shudder and hug myself, not trying to attack her with magic, holding her off until hers drops away. “You manipulated the seeking. Didn’t you?”
She doesn’t answer, spluttering her way around her guilt. I know it’s true, then, feel it in her power as I touch the edges of her fire with my own. “Enough, Zoe.” But she’s lost all authority with me. The way her eyes tighten, how her lips thin, tongue sneaking out to wet them, all of it showcases her guilt.
“Why, Grandmother?” I now realize the deepest part of the lie. The visions I believed, the foresight I’ve trusted my entire life… how much of it has been shaped by my grandmother? I shudder, glare at her with disbelief. “You’ve broken our sacred oath to channel the future truthfully and with honor. You’ve betrayed Gaia.”
Sibyl shakes, hands clenching into fists at her side, eyes blazing with fire. She might not be striking me with power, but it’s clear she wants to.
“Stupid girl,” she snarls. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then why have we lost our purpose?” I throw the question at her. This isn’t me, this confrontational girl, but I’m suddenly free and unwilling to let this go any longer. I must have answers from her. “Why do we only seek visions under the orders of Liander Belaisle when once we were free Oracles?” I jab a finger at her. “Why have you allowed him to control us when we are so much more powerful than he?” She doesn’t answer. “And why do you influence a seeking with your own magic, if not to manipulate for some secret purpose?” I drop my hands to my sides, lost and sad. “What are you afraid of, Grandmother?”
“That’s what’s been wrong with you lately.” Her voice is cold again, though her fire still rages inside her, around her. “You’ve been challenging your visions.”
I hold still, jaw aching from jutting forward in defiance. So like her to turn this conversation around and try to use it against me.
“You little idiot.” She wrings her hands in front of her. “I’ve done nothing of the sort, and would never go against the word of Gaia.” My resolve cracks slightly. She sounds so insistent, so hurt by my accusation. Am I wrong? “What you felt was me protecting you, you young fool. From the outside world. Someone must do it. And I am the only one strong enough to keep you safe.” No, wait. Is that true? I had no idea. But then again, I’ve never been outside the vision like that before.
Is she telling the truth? It makes an odd kind of logical sense…
“Zoe.” She jerks me out of my spinning confusion with just the sound of my name. “Don’t you know the conseque
nces of doubting your gift?”
Hesitation and renewed nerves bubble to the surface all over again. Did I misjudge her? And by pushing against my visions, have I cause irreparable damage? What if this incident is a forerunner for something much worse? I’m flinching at shadows. Could it be my fault? I don’t want to believe it, but it’s so hard to counter her when I was raised to obey her. “Tell me.”
She shakes her head, flames dying. “I blame myself,” she says, faint despair in her voice, adding to my crumbling courage, sending shivers through the girl she trained. “I should have schooled you to believe fully and not trusted you to develop so much on your own.” Guilt flickers over her face. “I thought if I raised you personally, but gave you certain latitudes, things would be different for you than they were for your mother.”
My mother? My entire body stiffens. “What are you talking about?” My mother died in an accident in the city above, when I was very small. I don’t even remember her.
Sibyl shudders, takes a step toward me. I hold my ground since she’s not threatening. Instead, her hand rises and she touches my cheek, her fingers hot from the flames that have only recently died. “Leyea was brilliant,” my grandmother says. “Powerful, almost as powerful as you.” Her hand drops like dead weight to her side. “But she, too, questioned her visions. Became paranoid and rebellious. I had thought I taught you better, watched you close enough. I now see I was wrong. Like mother, like daughter.”
“What are you saying?” I almost choke on the words.
“Leyea died,” Sibyl says, “in the flames of her power. That’s what happens to Oracles who doubt, Zoe. Who challenge the gift of Gaia.”
I stare at her, open mouthed, fear surging. Dear Goddess, was I right after all? Was my guess the correct one and I’ve doomed myself?
“I see you still doubt,” Sibyl says, taking my hand firmly in her own. “It’s time I proved it to you.”
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