Page 255 of Sigils & Spells

“Whispers have been surfacing recently, and by recently I mean, over the last two decades or so, of a cult long thought to have collapsed. Some of the original members attempted to steal priceless artifacts connected to the powers of Selene. They are the main reason temples to worship her were ever created outside of Greece.”

Whoa, boy. This did not sound like something I wanted to be tangled up in. But I stayed quiet and let her talk.

“The items were distributed among the temples and the order of the Priestesses was tasked with guarding them. Many of us have never seen the relics hidden within our own temples. Legend says that only one of Selene's descendants may access them. That they were locked behind great magic in that manner to prevent them from being obtained and falling into the wrong hands.”

For a second, I didn't see why we needed to worry then. How many descendants could an actual goddess have for crying out loud? I had to ask.

“At one point, history says she had fifty daughters. Many of the lines were traced and proven to have died out. But one or two were lost, and the scribes never managed to find out what happened to them. The story among Selene's followers is that at least one of her offspring continued the line and that person has been courted by the cult to help them acquire the artifacts. There are some that managed to find their way out of the protection of the temple.”

The feeling of safety disappeared as quickly as I'd found it. “Why would someone do that?”

“Power is a compelling mistress. They have most likely been offered great treasures in exchange for their help. There is also the possibility they were tricked or forced into service without knowing what they were truly getting into. For now, we have no way of knowing.”

“What are we supposed to do?”

“One step at a time, child. For now, we will continue to gather information, keep our eyes and ears open, and do our very best to ensure your training remains on schedule. The goddess chose you for a reason, and I believe that reason will be revealed to us in time.”

Tea tried to come right back up the way it went down and I almost gagged. Once more, my body reminded my brain why I wasn't at all the best person for the job that had been thrust into my lap.

“I don't know if I can do this.”

“My child, your powers are young yet and you still have much to learn. We are starting at the beginning and you will no doubt continue to grow in your magical abilities. You are already well past Priestess Francesca's level and I have no doubt that in time you will surpass me as well.”

My surprise probably showed on my face, and I made no effort to conceal it.

“The goddess has assured me that war is not imminent. It is, however, on the horizon. We must prepare. Training in your magic is but one thing we must teach you. There are many more lessons that are far less intuitive and delicate. Some of which you will only be able to learn as you experience them. I'll do everything I can to help you every step of the way.”

“Who else can I trust? Do I have to keep everything we do a secret? I already feel so alone and I know I don't really know what I'm supposed to do.”

“I'm afraid the answers to your questions are harsh. Trust no one fully. We may never know who is truly on our side, or not, until it is too late. Other temples have been infiltrated by the enemy. We are not immune to the danger, as was shown by the rising of the river that day. What happened to you and Evie was not a natural disaster, and it marks the very first time outside magic haseverpierced our defenses. We can't be too careful.”

Her reply tightened the noose of insecurity I'd already been feeling. It made me think of a butterfly, still trapped tightly in its cocoon. The chrysalis should be safe for the wings to form and grow within, but sharp stabby things kept poking at it. It might not hurt yet, but eventually the butterfly would be forced to leave its safe space and at that time its vulnerability would increase a thousandfold.

The second that protective swaddle broke open, whatever had been jabbing at it would reach those delicate wings and tear them to shreds, leaving the butterfly grounded before it ever had a chance to fly.

Unfortunately, despite everything I tried to do between now and then, that butterfly could very well be me.

CHAPTER13

Enough months passedthat I began to grow complacent. Years went by without a credible threat. I'd begun to think that our panic had been the result of some major misunderstanding and nothing more.

Every day I studied with the High Priestess and worked at mastering my magical abilities. During the course of our training, we routinely discovered new things I that could do. Some of them presented themselves as strengths that I easily controlled, others I couldn't seem to harness, and they remained wild and unpredictable.

However, as far as birthdays go, mine seemed to be a catalyst for disaster, and coming up to my twenty-first was no exception.

The High Priestess and I sat in her garden running through my warm-ups before beginning practice on the real work. We always started our day by enforcing my abilities with the magic I'd gotten good at. Then we worked on the skills that still gave me trouble (which was many of them).

In an instant, ominous clouds moved in and darkened the previously bright sky. They blocked out the sun and turned the air above our heads from a beautiful blue to dark gray. The smell of ozone permeated the area, and low rumbles shook the heavens.

The two of us took one look at the change and rose from our seats, making haste toward the house.

“What is going on out there?”

The High Priestess craned her neck, trying to see in either direction through the awkward view of the windowpane.

“It's unnatural, that I don't doubt. You can see the blue sky off the edges of the temple grounds. Something strange is going on.”

Another peal of thunder shook both the sky and the earth.

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