ChapterNine
Despite Yesenia's previous conversation with Leo, and how he'd surprised her with his seemingly genuine offers of help, she hadn't seen him since. And it'd been nearly twenty-four hours.
Nora and Ambrose had kept her company, educating her about how to behave in 1890 as well as providing her with whatever fae-witch-related books they could find inside the building. There hadn't been anything super useful, though. Just some old stories and legends she'd never read before.
But as she paced the largest private sitting room inside Leo's building, waiting for Helena Watts and her guests to arrive, she almost wished Leo had come to find her at least once. No doubt his arrogant mask would be back up, but he couldn't take away their conversation, or the curiosity it'd stirred. She hadn't found the courage to ask Nora the specifics of her past or learn why Leo had felt helpless to save her.
And as it had done repeatedly over the last day, guilt crashed down over her at wanting to know Leo and his sister better. She needed to focus solely on any and all ways to help her siblings. True, until she reached her goal, Yesenia wanted to help Nora any way she could to repay her kindness. However, she couldn't waste time wondering about Leo or the different side to him she'd seen during their talk. No doubt he had more layers than she'd originally given him credit for. And it intrigued her more than it should.
Ambrose entered with Helena and two others right behind her, and she pushed all thoughts of Leo Yates out of her mind. After Ambrose motioned toward Yesenia, he signed one of the handful of phrases he'd taught her to help speed along communication. "Do you need anything?"
She shook her head. Ambrose bowed and left them alone, shutting the door behind him.
Helena walked up to her and introduced her two companions. "This is Mariah and Rebecca. They both worked with Evelina, the previous time-wielder who lived earlier this century."
The former female, Mariah, was pale-skinned with gray hair, and the latter, Rebecca, had dark skin and gray-streaked black hair. Both had the pointed ears of the fae witches and looked to be in their sixties or seventies. "Hello. I'm Yesenia."
Rebecca, the taller of the two, stepped forward. "I can sense magic similar to Evelina's, but more powerful." She frowned. "But it's also wild."
Before she could ask what Rebecca was talking about, Helena answered, "Rebecca is an augmenter, and Evelina often used her to help with the more difficult cases."
Even Yesenia knew that an augmenter was someone who could help focus and enhance a fae witch's primary power. Given how Yesenia had been dismissed as having no magic whatsoever, she'd never met one before. She decided to be blunt and to the point, to save them all time. "Did Helena tell you my story?"
Rebecca nodded. "A bit. How anyone could miss recognizing your magical abilities is unfathomable to me."
The other older female, Mariah, stepped forward. "Since I can't sense another's magic, it's believable to me." She smiled. "I was merely Evelina's secretary and occasional research assistant. I won't be as much help as Rebecca. But I'm familiar with some of the little-known texts that can help you train and tap into your potential, should you need them. I can also answer some of your questions regarding the business side of things for time-wielders."
Business side of things? Hopefully she didn't imply Yesenia wanted to be a matchmaker, as all the legends seemed to point to.
Pushing aside thoughts of turning her magic into a business—at least until her family was safe—Yesenia looked at each of the three females in turn. "Does this mean my training starts today?"
Helena bobbed her head. "Yes, although don't get too excited. Rebecca will start by instructing you on how to tap into your power and mentally touch it. The exercises will be grueling after a while, and will seem tedious. However, you need to eventually be able to draw upon vast amounts of magic in an instant. Otherwise, without enough power, you could end up killing someone you tried to move through time."
The thought of trying to save her siblings and failing made her stomach churn. "Even if I'm impatient to bring my brother and sister here, I'll wait until I'm ready. I won't risk them."
"Good." Helena gestured toward Rebecca. "Whilst you work with her, Mariah and I will have one of the staff bring up her training trunk." She looked back at Yesenia. "It's full of texts and information you need. However, there's also a bracelet inside that you'll need to wear when we're not here. It'll ensure your powers are contained until you know how to control them."
She wanted to demand it wasn't necessary. After all, she wasn't an impatient teenager who needed their magic muted until they were ready.
However, shewaseager to help Meadow and River, and no doubt Helena and Dark Lord Khan knew that. She'd learned how Khan was in charge of all fae witches in England, not just London. And apparently getting on his bad side wasn't a wise idea. "I agreed to follow your curriculum, and I won't break my promise."
Helena nodded. "Good. Then we'll be back soon, after we've ensured everything is set up in the room Dark Lord Yates provided for your individual studies."
Helena and Mariah left. Once they were alone, Rebecca extended a hand. "May I explore your magic a second, to get a feel for what we need to do?"
"Probably everything, from the very first lesson," Yesenia muttered as she placed her hand in the older female's.
Once her skin touched Rebecca's, a rush of energy coursed through her body, manifesting somewhere in the center of her chest. The area grew warmer, and her instinct was to mentally reach out for it and touch the heat.
However, as soon as Rebecca released her hand, the heat fizzled and died out. "What was that?"
Rebecca gestured toward the couch and chairs near the fireplace. Once they were seated, she answered, "That heat was your magical power source, if you will. It's how you draw and fuel your abilities. The fact you don't know that really does prove how you're a complete novice."
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm a newbie. So, what do we do first?"
"I'm not sure what a 'newbie' means, but I think I understand your meaning. As for your question, your magic is some of the strongest I've ever touched, to the point you could probably use two augmenters after you're fully trained, to truly tap into your full potential."
She frowned. "If I'm so damned powerful, how the hell did everyone miss it?"