Lenobia said.
I drew a deep breath, looked around to make sure no one was lurking outside Persephone’s stall, and then spoke softly to Lenobia. “From the second I saw Aurox my seer stone got hot. The only two other times that’s happened has been when old magick has been present.” I hesitated, then admitted, “Last night I looked through the seer stone and saw something weird around Stark. It kinda freaked me out.”
“What did Stark say about it?”
“I, uh, haven’t told him.”
“You haven’t? Why not?”
“Well, first because I got distracted by him.” I hurried on, knowing that I was probably blushing. “And since then I don’t know why I haven’t said anything.” I thought about the almost-fight we’d had on the way to school. “No, wait, I do know why. Ever since the whole Otherworld thing things haven’t been the same between Stark and me. Some of that’s good—we’re really close most of the time. But some of it’s weird, too.”
Lenobia nodded. “That’s understandable. An experience the magnitude of what the two of you went through should change the dynamics of a relationship. And glimpsing some old magick attached to Stark could simply be a remnant of his time in the Otherworld.” She smiled. “I imagine if you could look through the seer stone at yourself you might see—”
“Oh, hell no! I don’t want to see anything hanging around me!”
Lenobia’s smile faded. “You sound frightened.”
“I’m freaked, that’s for sure. I think I’ve had enough of old magick and the Otherworld and all that goes with that stuff for a good long while.”
“Ah, I understand. If Aurox carries traces of old magick, that’s why his presence affected you so much.”
“He definitely made me feel funny, even before I saw him change into a bull.”
“Funny? Like you were frightened then, too?”
“Yeah, but I also had a weird surprised feeling, like my intuition was seeing something that my mind couldn’t handle. And then I got super anxious. There’s something wrong about that guy, Lenobia, and that something is real, real old.”
“But do you see that he looks like a handsome teenager to the rest of the world?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Then I snorted. “I’d like to take him to Skye and find out what
“Your seer stone came from Skye?”
“Yeah, the Queen gave it to me. She said if old magick is around when I look through it, I can see it.” I thought about Stark and shadows and creepiness. “Dealing with what I can see with my own eyes is way more than enough for me. I don’t want to look through the seer stone again.” I shook my head, ashamed of my weakness. “I’m sorry. I’m such a big baby. I shouldn’t be so darn scared. I should have looked through the stupid stone at Aurox.”
“And what would have happened had you seen something terrible? Can everyone who looks through the stone see old magick?”
“No.” I wiped tears from my cheeks. “It’s a gift only certain High Priestesses have.”
“So, if you’d seen something of Darkness through the stone, told everyone, and relied on the stone to show them what you were seeing, you would have had no real proof?”
“Yeah, that’s about it. I was and am screwed.”
“No, you were and are wise to listen to your instincts. Something is very wrong with this pawn of Neferet’s. You knew that from the first instant you saw him, and because you knew it you couldn’t just stand there and shut your mouth and pretend to be a vapid child.”
I made an internal note to look up vapid or ask Damien for a quick definition.
Lenobia wasn’t finished. She continued earnestly, “I want you to spend some time thinking about Aurox. Note how you feel and exactly what you observe the next time you see him—but note those things silently. Keep your poker face on. Don’t let anyone know what’s going on underneath that pretty little teenage façade.”
“You don’t think I should look at him through my seer stone?”
“Not until you’re no longer so frightened of what you might see. When your instincts tell you the time is right, then and only then is when you should look.”
“What about Stark?” I held my breath.
“Stark is pledged to you and our Goddess. I think it’s a good thing that old magick clings to him. Stop worrying about your Warrior—he can sense it and that won’t help him.”
“Yeah, okay, that makes sense. So, being super relieved that I don’t have to look through the seer stone doesn’t make me a big ol’ baby or a coward?”
She smiled. “No, nor a moron, either. You’re a young fledgling High Priestess, the first one in history, and you’re simply trying to find your path in a very confusing world.”
“You’re really smart,” I said.
Lenobia laughed. “No, I’m really old.”
Then I laughed, too, because even though I was pretty sure she was like a hundred or so, Lenobia looked about thirty years old. “Well, you look twenty-something,” I lied, “which only makes you kinda old, not
“Twenty-something! With an ability to dissemble like that, you’ll do just fine keeping your thoughts about Aurox to yourself,” Lenobia said. Then I swear she giggled, which actually did make her look super young. “Twenty-something! I haven’t been that for more than two hundred years!”
“What’s your secret? Botox and lip injections?” I asked, giggling with her.
“B negative and sunscreen,” she replied.
“Hey you two, sorry to interrupt.” Stevie Rae’s curly blond head popped into view as she peeked into the stall.
“You aren’t interrupting, Stevie Rae,” Lenobia said, still smiling. “Come, join us. We were just talking about aging gracefully.”
“My mama always said eight hours of sleep, drinking lots of water, and not havin’ any kids was a better anti- aging recipe than anything a doctor or L’Oréal could ever cook up.” She grinned at Lenobia and then gave Persephone a worried glance. “And thanks for askin’ me to come in, but I’ll stay out here. I don’t like horses much. No offense; they’re real big.”
“No offense taken,” Lenobia said. “Do the Warriors need something?”
“Uh-uh. The arena is great for classes. They’re havin’ a bunch of guy fun, which means they’re hittin’ each other with wooden swords and shootin’ arrows at things while they yell a lot.” The three of us rolled our eyes. “But your cowboy is here, so I came to get ya.”
“
“Well, he has to be yours ’cause he just showed up outside the corral entrance with a giant horse trailer sayin’ he’s reportin’ for work and askin’ where he can unload his stuff,” Stevie Rae said.
Lenobia blew out a long sigh. Obviously annoyed she said, “Neferet. This is her doing. He’s the first of the local humans she’s hired.”
“I do not get what Neferet’s up to,” Stevie Rae said. “I know dang well she hates humans and doesn’t give a rat’s ass about whether the local folks like us bein’ here or not.”
“Neferet’s up to causing problems,” I said.
“And she started with me because she knows I’ve sided with you,” Lenobia said.
“Chaos.” As I said the word I felt the truth of it. “Neferet wants to cause chaos in our lives.”
“Then let’s give this cowboy a warm welcome, make him feel at home, and show him how
Like she was on a mission, Lenobia marched out of Persephone’s stall. Stevie Rae and I shared a look.
“No way am I gonna miss this.” I gave Persephone’s warm flank a parting pat and tossed the curry brush into the tack bin.
Stevie Rae linked her arm through mine as we followed Lenobia. “What I didn’t tell Lenobia is how dang cute her cowboy is,” she whispered to me.
“Seriously?”
