“I could be quick,” Sophie argued.
“Nope, not gonna happen. I know how you two get around each other.”
“Sit,” Lia ordered. “Eat. Tell us everything about California and men who don’t deserve you.”
“Gladly,” Matthew exclaimed, sliding into a chair and pulling Sophie down with him, seemingly to keep her from absconding with Lachlan.
In fast order, Brice appeared and slung pizzas across the table, along with heaping bowls of pasta, and baskets of crusty bread. The smell of garlic and rosemary filled the room, and collectively the table all sighed with appreciation.
Lia plopped down in her chair and sighed, happy to be done with cooking.
“Seriously, guys, go on and eat.” Lia smiled at me. “And we’ll drill Liora on if any of her powers have come out yet.”
I blanched and then took a healthy gulp of my wine.
“Oh, something’s happened, hasn’t it?” Orla, the wee builder, asked, studying my face. “You look stressed.”
“I mean, it’s not the worst thing. It’s just…I can’t really explain it.” I glanced to Matthew and Lottie, not sure if I should continue.
“Go on, they know everything. This is a group you can be totally open with. Even when it’s annoying.” Sophie gave Matthew a look and he laughed.
“Don’t act like you aren’t all up in my life too, lady.”
“Well, so, I don’t know how to say this.” I took a bite of my pizza and sighed in happiness as red sauce and warm cheese filled my mouth. I chewed for a moment, thinking it through. “Basically, I gave a reading, an astrology reading like I normally do. But nothing was normal about it. Not even in the slightest. It was like, I don’t know, it took life? And in it, I learned that I’m a chartweaver.”
The table fell completely silent as everyone stilled and looked curiously at me.
Lia leaned back in her chair, studying me with those sharp brown eyes. “So.” She dragged out the word. “Chartweaver, huh?”
I took a breath. “Apparently.”
“Um, please explain,” Willow said, eyes bright, a smile hovering on her lips.
I laughed, nerves easing. “Okay, but honestly, I’m still trying to figure it out myself. I’ll do my best to explain.”
I ran my fingers along the edge of my wine glass, grounding myself. “Yesterday I did a reading for a woman named Greta.Widow, two young kids, just dealing with some stuff. I pulled up her chart and … something happened.”
“Awww, Greta,” Shona interjected, holding her hand to her heart. “How is she? I spent some time with her last year and was able to help her process some of her grief.”
“She’s good, I think. Or will be,” I said, trying to think of how to protect Greta’s confidentiality.
“What kind of something?” Kaia asked, bringing us back to my explanation.
“The chart…” I searched for the right words. “Lifted. Off the laptop. The aspect lines became actual threads hanging in the air. Glowing. And when I focused on them, I could see…paths. Different versions of her life depending on what she chose. And when I…” I hesitated, feeling exposed. “When I touched one of them, it shifted. Just a bit. Like I strengthened a path she already wanted to take.”
Silence fell, dense and electric.
Then Agnes let out a low whistle. “Bloody hell.”
“That’s …a huge responsibility,” Faelan said, brow furrowing. “My mother used to tell stories about weavers.”
Lottie’s eyes were wide. “A chartweaver! How exciting. Arthur used to talk about them too. He said they were like…cosmic editors. Helping people revise their lives one line at a time.”
“That is absolutely going on my business card,” I quipped, and the table laughed, easing some of my tension. But seriously though, how were they not freaking out that I could change people’s fates?
Matthew leaned forward, propping his chin on his hand. “So you see someone’s chart, and instead of saying, ‘You will probably ruin your life in March,’ you can…tweak it?”
“I can’t rewrite fate,” I said quickly. “Gran’s book”—I glanced around—“my grandmother left me a grimoire. There’s a chapteron chartweavers. It says we’re meant to work with what’s already there. Like, strengthen threads that align with the soul’s path. Not just yank on things because we feel like it.”