11. Chapter 9 Lysander

Chapter eleven

Chapter 9: Lysander

W e choose to check the divination shop first. The seers frequently are all too happy to share tidbits with people that they think are important. The ones who run the shops in the villages are very gifted, and often take other young seers under their wings.

My mother, like most seers, is of the opinion that we have a responsibility to the next generation of seers to train them up properly. She also believes that the Stars have given everyone the gift of sight, but most don't cultivate it enough. She's actually told me on more than one occasion that she thinks we all hold the key to any power within us. We just need the push to access it.

I'm not sure that I agree with her on that point, but I do agree that we have a responsibility. The second things with the Sentinels have calmed down, and we have Arden back, I intend to help Tavin work on his abilities. Maybe in exchange he can show me how to be a better tracker and hunter.

It's not something I've ever had an interest in, but I can't help but feel like if I had better tracking skills that maybe between the two of us we could have found Arden when she was taken.

"So you and Livarius..." I say to Tavin, leaving it dangling for him to pick up if he wishes.

"Yeah..." He laughs softly and rubs the back of his neck. "Weird, huh?"

"I don't think so. He's a good fae. And Arden loves him dearly."

"What about you and Livarius?" Jarrah asks, scowling at us.

"You're not the most observant fae, are you?" Lysander asks. "They're together."

"Oh that! I thought we all knew. You guys have been sleeping together for days." Jarrah says with a laugh.

"Do you think she'll be okay with it?"

"She's fine with me and Em, so I can't see why not."

"My guess is that she'll just be happy to be home, and won't care who's been dickin' who as long as we haven't invited any other females into our beds," Jarrah says. "Fuck, I can't wait to have her home. I'm claiming her the second she walks through the gate. I don't even care who sees."

"I think we all feel that way," I say, placing my hand on Jarrah's shoulder.

He was so close to mating her during her heat cycle, and now that she's been gone, I can see the weariness in his eyes. I think it's reflected in most of the rest of us. Emyth is a few bad weeks away from completely losing himself. The reaper magic is feral, and desperate for victims. Being on the move and looking for traces of Arden seems to have calmed it temporarily.

When we reach the divination shop, Hidden Revelations, Jarrah pulls on the door handle and the scents of spell components and strong teas wash over us. It smells like my mama's office: homey and welcoming.

"Come in, young Keepers," a deep female fae's voice encourages. "Make sure you shut that door behind you. We don't want any bad luck sneaking in on your coat tails."

Jarrah pulls the door shut behind him just as he's told.

"Lock it," the voice instructs further. "Turn that open sign around. We've got business to discuss that isn't appropriate for prying ears."

"Fucking seers," Tavin mutters under his breath.

A deep purple, silken, decorative curtain peels back and a tall older fae woman steps out of the back of the shop. Her raven hair falls to her waist in bouncing curls, and her milky eyes, though sightless, seem to peer right through our souls.

"Don't act like you don't have the sight sometimes too, child," she scolds Tavin. "I know that nobody likes strangers knowing their most private business, but you have to understand that the Stars gave me this knowledge because they know I am to be trusted. Now get your cute little butts back here and have some tea."

Tavin chews his lip in an attempt to bite back his snark, and the fae woman laughs. "You're practically shouting your thoughts at me. You may want to wrap those up a little tighter before someone more nefarious than me decides to use them to their advantage. I know you're capable of locking them down."

"I'll work on it," Tavin grumbles, and Jarrah snorts while placing a large hand on Tavin's shoulder.

As we follow the fae woman through the doorway, she says, "It took you lot long enough to come back here. I got the visions the day after your little prize was taken. I was starting to think you were going to make yet another visit to the village and not stop in to see me."

"Why didn't you come to us?"

Jarrah's voice is impatient as he steps into the darkened back room. It's sparse. There's a table in the center with a cloth over top of it. In the center are three separate balls, each made from a different stone. In the corner is a small bookshelf with the staples of being a seer. A satchel of bones, a looking bowl, various herbs and teas, and some gemstones.

Seated on a drink tray are four tea cups, and a tea pot. Judging from the steam coming out of the tea spout, it just came off the stove.

I'm good at divination. One might even say I'm a master. This woman is something else entirely.

"Please have a seat," she urges. "To answer your question, I never hunt down those who seek my knowledge. I would never rest. It is the responsibility of those in need to seek help. It's not my fault if they're too stubborn or bull-headed to do so.

"And to answer your question," she turns her head in my direction, "no one has ever asked, and I honestly have no interest in licking that dragon's boots. Although if that pretty mate of his returns, and lives up to her potential, I could be persuaded."

"What question?" Livarius asks, his brow wrinkled.

"The one I didn't ask out loud," I say with a smirk. "Why is someone with her gifts peddling bones and tarot cards instead of working for the crown?"

"Are you trying to abandon your post?" Jarrah asks with a snicker.

"I'll need someone to take over for me, anyway. Assuming Zorvan still wants Arden gone."

"I think he's pulled his head far enough out of his ass that you can stop worrying about that," the seer says. "But that's all the more of his secrets I'm giving away."

"Shouldn't we be more concerned that this random woman knows about Zorvan's ties to Arden?"

"Sweet boy, I have been doing this a long time. I know when to keep my mouth shut. Whatever I tell you, falls on your ears only. Whatever you choose to do with that information is your business. And you know I can only give you pieces. If you go and try too hard to change the future, then things will get weird, and the realm will be thrown out of whack and we can't handle that happening again."

"Again?" I ask.

"How do you think we ended up in this weird timeline in the first place?" She raises an eyebrow at me. "Someone who thought they knew better found a seer willing to talk for the right price. It's all going to come tumbling down for them though. It's only a matter of time."

"What's your name?" Livarius asks.

"Novaeyo, but you can call me Novy," she responds. "I, of course, already know all your names, and where you're from. Let's get to the reason you're here," she says and passes out the tea.

We glance at each other. We've always been told to never accept food or drink that are given to us unexpectedly. Even taking a drink that we have asked for is questionable.

"If I wanted to poison you, I would have done it by now. Come on. We need to move along."

I go first. Of the three of us, I'm currently the least important. Livarius, of course, has already mated with Arden, and Jarrah has a far stronger attachment to her than I do. When nothing happens, the other two sip their own tea.

As we drink, Novy begins talking. "You have plans this week. It's important that you do your best to trust the person who you're meeting with. He has his biases, and his own agenda, but for now, your purposes align. Believing him will be hard, but he will speak his truth.

"Your instincts will be to keep looking for your girl. And I urge you to continue traveling and looking for her. But it is doubtful that you will find her. There are a couple of choices that could sway the scales in your favor."

"We're not just going to give up on her," Livarius snaps.

"That's not what I said, my boy. I said it's doubtful that you will find her. You need to hear my words. Not your interpretation of them. Do you understand?"

Livarius gives her a blank stare then nods. "Yeah."

"Good." She nods sharply and continues, "There will be circumstances that will make you want to react brashly in the next few moon cycles. You need to keep that under wraps. If you— any of you—give in to the desire to act with violence or cruelty, things will not go well for you."

Livarius scoffs. "Have you ever tried reasoning with a dragon?"

"The Prince will not be the one you have to worry about. You all need to lean on this growing family you created, find a way to work productively, and not tear it apart from within."

"Wait, did you say 'growing family'?" I ask, my stomach sinking. "Is Arden..." I can't say the word. If she is, it's either Livarius' or Jarrah's.

"No. You'll see."

"Can you give us anything more concrete?" Jarrah asks, his patience growing thinner by the second.

He deals in concretes. War and strategy are solid, and easy for him to understand. There are risks, but there's not as much guesswork. I don't bother telling him when I have visions of him anymore. He just gets annoyed.

"If you can get everyone on the same page, you'll come out of this not only stronger, but happy. Change is coming, and it's best that you embrace it.

"Oh, and history is going to try to repeat itself in more ways than one. In some ways it already is. So watch yourselves."

Jarrah deflates and rolls his eyes. "So no, you can't give us anything more concrete."

"You can't cheat fate, dear boy. And in this instance I don't think any of you would want to. After all, fate is what brought you all that lovely girl to begin with."

She reaches out and places her hand on his. She sucks in a sharp breath and goes silent for a half a minute, then lets out a sharp laugh.

"What?" Jarrah asks, yanking his hand away from hers.

"If I told you, it would ruin the fun. Now if you'll excuse us, I need to have a word with this young man," she says, turning her sightless eyes in my direction.

Jarrah and Livarius don't move, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

"It's okay guys. I've got it." I wave them off, and they hesitate just slightly before moving for the front of the shop.

Once they're out of the room, she leans toward me. "You're not connecting with the Stars, young seer. They're not giving you what you need because you're not communicating with them."

My brow furrows. "I've never done that, but I've never had trouble receiving visions before."

"You wouldn't know if you were having trouble, because you've never reached your full potential. You go through the motions, but you don't actually put in the effort to know the beings that are blessing you. You need to sit with them. Lie naked beneath them; shifted or not. Talk to them. Absorb their power. Really listen to what they have to say.

"On the bottom shelf of the cabinet is a looking bowl. I made it after I dreamed of you two years ago. It's made of Mirranite and coated in stardust. It's yours. I just ask that if it does what I'm expecting it will, that you'll return and grant me a favor."

Mouth hanging open, I'm glued to the spot, but I glance in the direction of the bowl. Mirranite is extremely hard to come by, and stardust is so expensive that I would probably have to sell my first two pups just to afford a pinch of it.

"I can't possibly," I finally manage to sputter out.

"You can, and you will. And there's no need to seal the deal. I know you'll hold up your end as long as you're physically able. I already know what favor I'll need to ask. Take it. Charge it when the moons are at their brightest, and use it well. You may find that the women in your family are of help.

"I'll get you a satchel for it out front so no one knows what it is you're carrying. We wouldn't want you getting robbed, would we?" she says with a chuckle.

She slides her chair away from the table and approaches the cabinet. When she crouches down, her shirt rides up in the back revealing a sapphire colored tattoo in the shape of a flower. The way it sparkles in the light makes me think it might actually be made from sapphires.

Images of a blonde-haired girl flash through my mind. She has a matching tattoo on her chest, only hers shines like amethyst. She's grasping Arden's hands in hers and tears fall silently down Arden's cheeks. Then just as quick as they came, the images are gone. The Stars—as stubborn as they are—never showed me the blonde girl's face.

Novy appears by my side, and passes me the bowl, pulling me from my vision. That was the clearest one I've had in years, and I wasn't even concentrating.

"I'm getting the distinct impression that you know exactly what you're talking about," I say, taking the bowl from her hands.

"Of course I do. Now go. You and your family need to enjoy each other's company tonight. Tomorrow, things are going to get tense. You all need one night to try to relax before things set into motion.

"Tell your prince that he needs to continue making connections with his subjects. I know it's the furthest thing from his mind right now, but loyalty from the people of Feldorn will matter in the years to come."

"I'll let him know," I say as she ushers me to the front of the store.

She pulls out a large black velvet satchel and takes the bowl from my hand. She slides it inside and hands it to me with a smile.

"Practice. Communicate. Believe."

"Thank you," I say, hoping she can hear the smile in my voice.

Everything else aside, I'm practically giddy with excitement over my new looking bowl. I don't even want to visit any of the other establishments because I just want to go back to the tavern and use it. But I won't. I'll wait until I've had adequate time to charge it, and 'commune' with the stars. Then I'll put it to use.