“It’s no joke,” Lia said, catching the look on my face. “You’ll hear them. In the night. The sound alone will send shivers down your back.”
“I’m terrible in a fight,” I rushed out, nervous they’d landed on the wrong person to help them. “I always just want everyone to get along. I’m not tough or fierce or any of that. I’m like … sparkles and fun and let’s all go hug trees together.”
Faelan smiled at me. “I’m one for the flowers, my friend. I’m more than happy to go hug all the trees you want to, but you’d be surprised what comes out of you when you need to protect those you care about.”
“That sounds… terrifying.” I looked across the table, wary. “I’m not sure I want to sign up for your club if it means that I have to fight.”
“You’ll have to either way, eventually. If you stay here.” Archie’s voice cut through me. “None of us has a choice, not really. It’s just that some of you will have more tools at your disposal. Like your magick.”
“I’m not sure how reading people’s charts will help in a battle against Kelpies,” I said, nonplussed.
“You might have other powers.” Zara surprised me when she turned to me. “It would make sense why your astrology never really clicked for you. There might be something else that you don’t know about.”
“I…” I looked at her and then down at my hands. “I did find my name in a family book. A spell book.”
“You didn’t tell me,” Zara burst out.
“Listen, there’s a lot that has happened in the last day,” I exclaimed. “The family spell book being the least of them.”
“Well, that sounds promising, doesn’t it?” Sophie beamed at me across the table. “At least you might have some information to guide you.”
“Not all of us have that,” Orla added, looking up at me over her bowl of chili. “I had no family to speak of, let alone a book to read about my past. You’re lucky to have it.”
“Oh.” I gave her a soft smile, understanding what she was trying to tell me. “I haven’t had much time to go through it, but I’ll look more deeply later.”
“I think you need to do this.” Zara turned to me and reached out to find my hand. “Seriously, Liora. This may be the answer you’ve been looking for. Why you’ve been so lost these past few years.”
I winced at her words, my skin flushing as she revealed my vulnerabilities to the group of people I’d just met. “I wouldn’t say lost exactly.”
“Floundering. No direction,” Zara continued on, ignoring me. “And maybe this is why. You’re meant to be here. In Loren Brae. Helping others. Maybe your magick will finally make sense and it will all come together for you. I have a good feeling about this.”
“And these people?” I asked, not even caring if I was being rude. If Zara was going to lay my weaknesses out for everyone, what did it matter if I was being blunt back? But I wanted to get a read on everyone from Zara’s own take, with her empathic powers rarely leading us wrong.
“They’re good people. I wouldn’t be sitting here, eating this food, if I didn’t think so,” Zara insisted, squeezing my hand harder. “Even Sir Buster has a good aura.”
“Told ya he was all bark,” Archie said, his tone gruff.
“Like someone else I know,” Hilda murmured, squeezing Archie’s hand.
“So what then? I just join amagickal Order? And then go on with life? How does this work, exactly?”
“We’ll take you through a ritual to induct you into the Order.”
I blanched at the word ritual.
“And, you’ll pick your weapon…”
I shrunk into my chair even more.
“And then when you complete three challenges, you’ll be a part of the Order,” Archie finished.
“It sounds intense. And it kind of is. But you also get used to it and you’ll be fine, I promise,” Lia said, looking across at me. “If I can get used to a kitchen elf, you can get used to whatever your powers may be.”
“That’s the truth of it. Though I’m not sure any one of us will ever get used to Clyde,” Sophie laughed.
A long wailing “moooo” was our only warning before Clyde burst out of a wall, trampled across the table, and sent the dogs into a fit, chasing him as he looped the room.
“Bloody hell, Clyde. That’s enough!” Archie barked and Clyde disappeared, and the dogs skidded to a stop, looking around in confusion.