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“Kole, listen to my voice. Follow my voice. Come back to us.” I know that voice. It feels like home.

When I open my eyes, my mother is staring at me.

27

NOVA

Tanner and Sam practically carry Kole through the trees. His eyes are vacant, swimming with darkness. “The noise he made…” I jog up to Tanner and try to meet his eyes. “The way he screamed,” I whisper urgently. My heart is thundering. Hot nausea swells in my stomach.

“He’ll be okay.” Tanner doesn’t sound even a little bit convinced; he looks as scared as I am and he’s staring at Kole.

Turning to Mack, I hope to see something more positive in his face, but he’s deep in conversation with Luther and—if anything—seems more disturbed than the rest of us.

Kole’s mother leads the way down through the valley. Even if she hadn’t told us who she was, I’d have known. She is tall like Kole. A cross between an Amazon and a Viking with thick black hair wound into tight brands and piled on top of her head. She wears a long beige robe, a woolen shawl, and bare feet.

Despite her naked soles, she seems not to even feel the coarse ground beneath them and glides effortlessly down the sloped earth.

“What was that?” Sam asks.

“I have no idea.” I look at Tanner. “A vision?”

“I think so.” Tanner chews the inside of his cheek. “But I haven’t seen anything like that before. Ever.”

Up ahead, Thessaly pushes some branches aside and beckons for us to follow. We emerge in a large clearing. A circle of tall, pointed tents surrounds a billowing fire pit, but there isn’t a soul in sight.

“Here…” Thessaly’s voice is like honey and chocolate. Smooth, dark, sweet. “Bring him in here.” She pulls aside the opening of the nearest tent and ushers us into its warmth.

Mack and Luther lower Kole onto a pile of pillows. He sits, unmoving, as if he has no idea where he is.

Without speaking, his mother opens a large wooden trunk and pulls out several hessian pouches. There is a small fire in the middle of the tent, smoke escaping through a hole at the top. Atop the fire a black kettle slowly starts to hum. As it boils, she pours hot water into a mug the opens each of the pouches in turn and sprinkles in what looks like different kinds of leaves.

We watch in silence. When she’s finished mixing her concoction, she presses the mug into Kole’s hands then sits in front of him. Crossing her legs, she reaches out and gently arranges his into the same position. Helping him raise the cup to his mouth, she says, “Drink now, my love.”

Kole…I try to reach him, but my words bounce back. The loneliness makes my chest swell with tears.

Glancing over at Luther, for perhaps the first time, I see unadulterated worry etched in his features. He stares at Kole as he drinks, swiping his palm over his closely shaved hair. I look at the stitched-up wound on his head, the shape of his jaw, the compassion in his eyes. Why can’t he show me that same compassion? Why does he look at me with frustration and anger instead of warmth? Even when we were fucking, he hated that he wanted me. I could feel it.

“Mom?” Kole’s voice is like gravel. He’s frowning at the cup in his hands. Smelling the liquid inside the mug, he asks, “Did I…?”

“A vision,” his mother replies. “A dark one.” Something flickers in her eyes as she looks from me to Kole. Her gaze lands on my neck, then she returns her focus to her son.

Kole closes his eyes, almost like he’s admitting the truth to her. In reply, she simply tilts her head to the side and smiles knowingly at him.

Watching the two of them, it’s as if they’re speaking their own language. A language of few words. Thessaly strokes Kole’s face, then presses her forehead to his.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” she says. “I knew it would be soon.” Kole’s about to answer her when she sits back and gestures to his drink. “Finish your tea, then we’ll talk.” She stands, then turns to take in the rest of us. When her eyes land on me, a strange sort of smile parts her lips. “Nova,” she breathes. She tilts her head. “I saw you with red hair.”

Self-consciously, I tuck my hair behind my ear. “It used to be. It changed when I…” I trail off because Thessaly is nodding as if she already knows what I’m about to say.

“You all look tired. I’ll fetch some real tea, and some food. Then we’ll talk.” She pauses at the entrance. Without turning around, she says, “We have a lot to talk about.”

* * *

When Thessaly returns,we eat and drink in silence. A comfortable, warm silence that makes me feel sleepy and safe. When we’re finished, a young girl appears to clear our bowls and mugs, then dips back out of the tent.

“Mother?” Kole looks physically pained as he sits up straight. “You know why we’re here.”

Thessaly nods. “I do.”


Tags: Cara Clare Fantasy