Page 7 of Sacred

I didn’t deserve this at all.

Papa turned around a moment later, holding a small white teapot. He poured the sour-smelling tea into a cup in front of me. “Drink up, sweetheart.”

The tea was made from a blend of moonshade and whisperwort plants, gathered from the woods. It had long been known to induce truth-telling, but there were ways around it if a person had enough mental fortitude. Essentially, you could tell the truth, but not thewholetruth. Sometimes that was enough to avoid trouble.

Papa sat across from me, blue eyes dancing over my face as I slowly sipped at the scalding liquid. “You know I hate to do this,” he said. “But your behavior in recent weeks has grown too strange to ignore any longer. People are noticing, and they are talking.”

I swallowed hard. “What do you mean?”

He remained silent for a moment. I knew why. He wanted to give the tea more time to take effect.

I took another sip. As the hot liquid cascaded down my throat, a sense of calm began to envelop me like a comforting embrace. My eyelids felt slightly heavier, and a gentle drowsiness washed over me, as if I were being lulled into a tranquil slumber. Beneath the surface, there was a sudden compulsion stirring within me, urging me to unburden myself of any secrets that might stop me from sleeping peacefully.

Papa smiled. “One more sip.”

I did as he said. Then I set my teacup down and rubbed my eyes. They were beginning to blur. “Why am I here, Papa?”

“People have been noticing things about you over the last few weeks. You’ve been forgetful. Distracted. Often late. Your students have noticed this and made mention of it to their parents. The reason it’s so noticeable is because you’re usually such a wonderful, attentive educator.”

“Mm-hmm.” I blinked, trying to center my thoughts.

“It isn’t just your students. Others have noticed too, including me. Your mind always seems to be elsewhere,” Papa went on. “Just last night, when you were cooking dinner, I tried to talk to you about your day, and you didn’t even seem to hear me. You were off in your own world.”

“I know I’ve been distracted,” I murmured.

He leaned forward. “I’m concerned something has happened to you. Something that may disturb the order of things.”

I took a deep breath and nodded.Tell the truth. Just not all of it.“Something did happen, Papa,” I admitted. “I had a vision.”

“A vision?” His brows rose, and he sat up straight. “Tell me more.”

“It was in the woods, while I was out for a walk. Ever since then, I keep thinking about it,” I said. I took a deep breath. It was hard not to tell him every detail of what I’d seen that day, but I knew I must hold my tongue as much as possible.

He frowned. “I need more details about the vision. What happened during it? Was it good? Bad?”

“I… I don’t know if it was good or bad. I can’t tell anymore,” I replied. That was the honest truth. The man with the skull face had terrified me at first, but now I felt drawn to him instead.

Clearly, there was something wrong with me. Something that was threatening my purity. And yet, I couldn’t stop it. Didn’twantto stop it. The way I felt when he came to me in my dreams was simply too good.

Papa pressed further. “What do you mean? What exactly did you see?”

“The vision involved… new people arriving on our land.”

“I see.” Papa nodded slowly. “You’re right, of course. That could be construed as good or bad, depending on who these newcomers are.”

“Yes. That’s why I’ve been so distracted,” I said softly. “I really don’t know what it all means. I don’t know who this stranger… I mean, who the strangers are. I just see them at the fence. But I know they aren’t real. Not like regular outsiders.”

“I think you’re a powerful seer, Rosamund. Just like your mother.” A distant look appeared in Papa’s eyes. Then he returned his attention to me. “You could have come to me with this, my darling. Youshouldhave come to me.”

“I know. But I wasn’t sure what to say, because I’ve been so confused. The vision was so—” I closed my eyes, on the brink of spilling everything.Don’t do it,a little voice chanted in the back of my mind. “So… confusing,” I went on. I knew what I’d said was redundant, but Papa didn’t seem to mind.

“I understand. Your mother’s visions often confused her too. But you mustn’t worry. You can tell me anything.”

“I know. I will from now on, if I have any more visions.”

He nodded, and this time, the smile that stretched his thin lips was genuine. “You’ll feel more alert in an hour or so,” hesaid, dipping his chin toward my teacup. He leaned forward and patted my hand. “Try not to get too distracted from now on. Try to remember your place. You’re very important to everyone here. One of the most important women ever born. You’ve always known this.”

“Yes, Papa.”

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