Page 14 of Omega Sanctuary

"Wonderful." Sabine grinned. "We will travel to Penrith, and the two of you will lay in the temple together. If the gods bless your union, you will bond together."

"Good." I took a sip of tea.

"What was the other matter?" Sabine raised an eyebrow. If I didn't know better, I would say she was relieved.

"I think I need to be tested for spirit magic."

Sabine's face went blank. "Spirit magic."

The well-reasoned argument left my mind as I watched her face turn to stone.

"Zara, I realize you switched quite late, but that generally means your magic is going to be...softer."

"You mean, less powerful."

"Yes. There's nothing wrong with softer powers. It will even allow you greater freedoms." Sabine waved her hand. "But your magic isn't going to really come in until after your first heat. Plenty of time to—"

"Please?" I squeezed my hands together. "I'm seeing weird...things."

Sabine stopped lecturing me at that. "What?"

I didn't want to mention Kivai. I settled for the spirit mice. "Small creatures. Floating, yellow, in the corner of my vision."

Sabine chuckled and touched her hand to her chest. "Oh sweetheart, it's quiet normal for the sleep deprivation to create vivid dreams."

"It's not dreams," I said, trying not to shout. "It's while I'm awake too."

Sabine frowned. "Zara, if you had enough spirit magic to see spirits without entering a trance or performing a group ritual we would know by now. You would be..." She gestured at me. "I don't know. Miserable. Out of your mind."

I raised my eyebrows. "I am."

It hurt to admit but it was the truth. If something didn't change I was going to lose my mind.

"Those are the regular changes of an omega—"

"What's a tsaia quera?" I asked.

Sabine sighed. "I've never heard of that before. Now. You will feel so much better after your bonding."

I almost let her talk me out of it. It seemed like so much work to make her take me seriously. Like the height of hubris, that in addition to switching late, I would be some special omega with rare spirit magic.

It was only my promise to Kivai that made me push the issue. The next time he appeared he would be frantic that I hadn't even bothered to be tested. What would I tell him? Sabine made me feel guilty for even asking and I didn't want to bother her.

If it was this important, I should at least find my answer.

Beside, Sabine didn't even believe I was an omega until I almost jumped on her alpha.

"If it's so unlikely, what's the harm in finding out?"

"Because, it requires a lot of energy to perform the ritual necessary." Sabine pressed her mouth in a thin line. "I prefer not to waste my energy on frivolous requests."

I flinched. Frivolous. The feeling that I was losing my mind, that was frivolous.

Bone deep weariness stole the last of my energy. I had explained my odd bouts with lack of energy and too much energy for years to a variety of healers and Priestess. They told me it was just my monthly cycle, a bad flu, part of working for a living, and worse of all, one healer gave me a pointed look before telling me there were better ways to get attention.

I knew something was wrong. The wrongness sat on me, a splinter under my skin. I looked over Sabine's shoulder. A small glowing mouse sat on the bookcase, its whiskers twitching. The mouse lifted his tiny paws and gestured at me.

I sighed. The mouse wasn't going to leave me alone, and neither would Kivai.

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