Chapter 34—Queens of Denial and Other River Lore
Cassie paced around her hotel room like a caged bobcat. She hated delays. The digital alarm read 1:50 AM. That meant waiting another ten minutes to find out what an amber necklace had to do with the Arkana’s quest. While at Matushka Ayana’s yurt, Griffin had announced that he knew the location of the golden road of Boreas but then refused to explain himself. He insisted that he needed one uninterrupted hour with his computer and the research staff at the vault to check his facts. As a result, the group drove back to their hotel in silence, and the scrivener immediately dashed away to consult his sources. Cassie, Daniel, and Olga were instructed to come to his room at 2 AM for a full report of his findings. Over the years, the pythia had become familiar with her partner’s quirks. His buoyant mood meant that he was 95% certain of his conclusions even before verifying them. Nevertheless, Griffin always needed to be 100% certain before he would venture a guess. Since this was his process and he couldn’t be rushed, Cassie resigned herself to fretting and pacing until the hour was up.
A light tap on the door interrupted her thoughts. Puzzled, she went to answer.
“Um, hello.” The scion ducked his head. “I’m sorry to bother you.”
“No bother.” She held the door wider. “C’mon in. We still have a few minutes to kill before the summit meeting in Griffin’s room. Even though it’s almost two in the morning, I feel strangely awake.”
Daniel shuddered involuntarily. “I may not sleep for days after Matushka Ayana’s performance.”
“She really spooked you, huh?”
The scion shuffled his feet in embarrassment. “That’s why I came to see you.”
Cassie pointed to a chair. “What’s on your mind?”
Daniel slid into one of the seats beside the small dining table.
Cassie took the chair opposite. She folded her elbows on the table and waited for him to speak.
The scion cleared his throat nervously. “I came to say I’m sorry.”
She tilted her head. “For what?”
“For my outburst during the ritual.” He smiled bitterly. “I suppose you shouldn’t expect anything else from me. I’ve always been a spineless coward.”
Cassie scowled. “No, you’re not.”
This comment brought Daniel up short. He stared at her in disbelief. “Of course I am. I’m always afraid.”
“So what?” The pythia shrugged. “Everybody is. Being afraid isn’t what makes a person a coward.”
The scion blinked, obviously flummoxed.
“Look, Daniel. Heroes and cowards both get scared. They should. The big bad world is a dangerous place. Jumping into peril feet first doesn’t prove you’re brave. It only proves you’re too much of an idiot to notice how steeply the odds are stacked against you. Fear is a normal part of life. The only difference between heroes and cowards is what they do with their fears. Cowards get paralyzed. Heroes keep on going, no matter what. Right off the top of my head, I can think of at least three times you acted like a hero.”
“When?” he demanded eagerly.
“You didn’t have to help Hannah escape the first time, much less the second. And you didn’t have to cover for Erik at all. You risked your own neck to save people who were in trouble. I’d say that’s the definition of brave.”
Daniel gave a genuine smile of pleasure. “I never thought of it that way before.”
“Probably because you’ve had a lifetime of the good old Nephilim smack-down. I’m sure nobody is ever perfect enough for Abraham Metcalf. It’s hard to see your own strong points when somebody else is always digging for flaws. And you’re got something even more important than courage going for you.”
“What’s more important than having courage?”
“Having a good heart. You broke the rules to help people in need. That tells me you know the difference between right and wrong. Not the kind of right and wrong that gets preached from a pulpit. It’s the kind that comes from listening to your own conscience. When push comes to shove, I believe you’ll always do the right thing because you’re a decent human being.”
The scion colored at the compliment. His eyes darted toward the floor, and he hastily offered a counterpoint. “I’m still not proud of my behavior during the shaman’s performance.”
“Oh, that.” The pythia waved her hand dismissively. “You got a little freaked out. No big deal.”
Daniel glanced up, perplexed. “You don’t even seem surprised by my reaction.”
“That’s because I’m not. Cut yourself some slack. All this paranormal stuff is a lot to take in.” She gave an unexpected laugh.
“What is it?”
“I was just remembering my first pythia vision. My reaction was to jump in my car and burn rubber. I didn’t slow down until I’d put fifty miles between me and the Arkana. It took two whole weeks for me to work up the nerve to come back.”
“Really?” He seemed encouraged by her admission of frailty.
“Compared to that, you’re handling your first brush with the supernatural pretty well—especially since you were raised by crazy people who told you it was the work of the devil.”
“Thank you for understanding.” He paused, considering a new thought. “This mystical business is all so strange and frightening, and yet your job is to stand right in the middle of it.”
“It’s rare that I get to stand in the middle of it,” Cassie noted ruefully. “More often than not, I get knocked on my keister.”
“Yes, I saw a first-hand demonstration at Shaman Rock,” he acknowledged. “These visions must
