“I know what they say.” Zara’s beautiful eyes narrowed. “Daughter of the virgin goddess, one of the only true demigods left on earth.”
“But you don’t believe it.”
“Frankly, I don’t know what to believe.”
“I saw it!” Saffy said, breaking in, and almost vibrating at my side. That tea was apparently really overrated. “You weren’t there, at the Battle on the Drag. She took on a whole dark mage army—”
“Yes, so you’ve told me. A number of times.”
“—and won! All by herself—”
“I wasn’t by myself,” I corrected quietly. “And if it hadn’t been for you, I’d have died there.”
Zara raised a perfect eyebrow at me. I guess she hadn’t expected candor. Unfortunately, it was all I had to work with, as I’d never been particularly good with diplomacy. But, for once, it seemed to be an asset.
From what I’d seen of the covens, they didn’t do diplomacy all that well, either.
“The stories are true,” I told her. “Artemis was my mother. But she was greatly diminished when she had me, and died shortly thereafter. And in any case, demigods have varied skill sets. I don’t claim to be all-powerful, or anything close to it. That’s why I came. I need help.”
“Really? And here I thought you came to argue the Circle’s case.”
I frowned. “No.”
“Oh, then you’re not trying to recruit us? To persuade us to fight alongside the people who butchered our ancestors and would do the same to us if they thought they could get away with it? Who restrict our travel?—or try to,” she said, with a satisfied little glance back down the mall, to where the distant glow of the portals could still be seen. “And who attempt to monitor our every movement?”
“No,” I said again. “I’m not going to lie, it would be a huge asset to have the covens on board for the war, but I’m not a fool. I know the odds on that.”
“Then why r
isk this? Do you know what usually happens to interlopers here?”
“She isn’t an interloper,” Saffy said. “She’s a coven leader—”
“An unaffiliated one. It amounts to the same thing.”
“It isn’t the same thing! And she’s willing to work with us! Do you know how long it’s been since anybody—”
“Willing to work with us how?” Zara asked, looking at me. “If you don’t expect us to help in the war, then what do you want?”
I glanced behind me at my other two acquaintances among the coven leaders. One of them, Evelyn, was another Valkyrie type, albeit younger than Hilde, with steel gray hair cut short and a matching business suit. She was recounting how we first met, and what had followed: my battle to save my court from some rogue acolytes and their dark mage allies. She and her two friends had played a big part in that, not to mention that it had involved some time travel, so she had a fairly rapt audience.
The other was named Beatrice, a mahogany-skinned disco-granny type who stood maybe four-foot-seven without the giant afro she was known for. She was not in a business suit, something I’d never seen her wear, but rather a bright crimson caftan that highlighted the fortune in fine gold chains around her neck and the matching rings and bracelets on her expressive hands. Her long nails were also bright gold, like the eye shadow that highlighted her intelligent dark eyes. They were snapping at the moment, because she was scooping up any stragglers by deliberately starting arguments with them—never too hard around here. Together, they were doing a good job of holding the conversation away from us.
So Zara could pump me for info, maybe?
Not that she had to work too hard.
“I need coven witches,” I said, turning back to her. “For my court.”
“You have them.” An elegant hand indicated Saffy.
“Yes, and they’ve been wonderful, and very much appreciated.”
“But?” The dark eyes gleamed.
“But I wasn’t talking about guards.”
It took her a moment, and then her eyes widened. “You can’t be serious.”