Page 38 of First Ritual

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll tell you about Tiny Tyna the contortionist.”

“Don’t tell me, she took borage.”

“Something else. You’ll need to wait to find out,” I said in an ominous voice. “Hey, where’s the library here?”

“Grimoire learning center. Off to the left when you walk in.”

Duh. Where else would books be? “Thanks.”

“Grimoire?” she asked.

I cracked a grin. “Nope. Not one bit. Just… you know, not growing up in a coven, I have some questions. But maybe you can answer one for me. I haven’t seen any children around here.”

Rooke pushed her tray back. “The kids are up early and eat early, so we miss them at breakfast for the most part. Dinner too. They sometimes go to the learning centers before we arrive, but mostly they’re at the care center or outside when they’re not napping. You’re most likely to see them here at lunch.”

“But they do exist, right? You guys don’t pop out of the ground at twenty-one?”

“Only me. Don’t tell anyone.”

Sounded like I just had to come here at lunch to meet the kids. Perfect. Though I wasn’t sure if asking to meet a child’s magic was a coven faux pas. Would I know my tether person by sight? Hopefully.

“Bronte.”

I’d felt Barrow’s energy approaching. I glanced up at him. “Barrow. How are you?” I gestured at the empty seat next to me.

He remained standing. “Well, thank you. I hope you’re settling in despite the little upset yesterday.”

Little upset, my ass. “I’m thinking things over. Discovering the game was a shock.”

His lips pressed together. “I see.”

The council member cared less about my shock and more about my doubts. Good to know. “Can I help you with anything?”

The esteemed clasped his hands behind him. “The council conferred to set the date of your affinity test.”

My brows drew in. “Serene told me the test was set for three weeks’ time.”

“Was. The council met again and decided that to minimize upset to the coven, your test should be brought forward.”

Something tickled my awareness, and my focus shifted past Barrow to find the source. Sven was watching the exchange with avid attention.

That. Bastard. He was behind this. “To when?”

“We usually test at esbat, but the council voted to move yours to the next sabbat.”

The next sabbat. Ostara. I blinked. “Next weekend?”

“Balance between sun and darkness,” he said sagely. “Light on the rise. The timing bodes well for a new beginning.”

Seemed to me like they’d picked the closest date and squeezed out some justification. Otherwise why not always test affinities on Ostara?

Dammit. Next week. I really didn’t want them to know about my little… issue.

Barrow patted my shoulder. “Nothing to worry about, my dear. One council member will undertake a quick probe of your magical channels. Quick. Painless. And then we will be able to better place you.” He cleared his throat. “Help you find your place.”

Oh, brother. They were doing this because of Caves, plain and simple. I plastered on a smile. “Great, I look forward to it.”

Barrow left, and Rooke searched my face. “You do look kind of concerned. He wasn’t lying. It’s totally painless.”

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