Page 6 of Dallas

She looked pleasant enough when she smiled. “I’m glad to see you as well. How is your new living situation going?”

I winced.

Her smiled widened. “That well, huh?”

“No, truly, I have nothing to complain about.” Especially when considering the terrible conditions under which we’d lived during those frightening, painful months after the incident. Drugged, tested on, kept in cages.

“I’m glad to hear it, then. No one could expect you to get along famously from the start, of course. Two very strong groups with very strong leaders. If you’re all still alive, I would say it’s been a success.”

Hecate entered then, along with Callie. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of me.

“Aye, well, the jury is still out in some cases.” I kept my grimace from surfacing.

I was glad to see the others filtering in quickly after that, as it helped me avoid speaking directly to her or to Mary in front of her. She had that certain something that left me distrustful—not to mention her pitiful attitude.

And the fact that my dragon couldn’t get a sense of her motivations the way he could with the rest of the coven. That ancient, animal wisdom I carried within me and had used for centuries was all but useless with her.

Who wouldn’t have a bad feeling?

“Mary, it would appear as though we’re all here,” Alan announced.

Yes, we were, and I was beginning to understand how a sardine felt after canning.

“Splendid.” She straightened a handful of papers before her.

“Does this have to do with the Gwydions?” Selene asked, her voice sweet and warm as ever. She projected an aura of radiant authority and seemed unbothered by the fact that we were crushed together.

“I’m afraid not. My apologies if that comes as a disappointment.” Mary looked over all of us through the camera on her laptop. “No, this has to do with something else entirely. News from the American branch of the clan.”

“The Appalachians?” Alan asked.

A murmur traveled through the room, and I caught Hecate sighing and rolling her eyes. Thinking this had nothing to do with her and was thus a waste of time, no doubt. She likely had much more pressing complaining to attend to.

“Yes, indeed. Something to do with a book found in their library. It’s a rather extensive one.”

“With all due respect,” Selene interjected, looking at her witches. “What does this have to do with us?”

“The book contains ancient runes used by your kind,” Mary announced.

“Runes?” Iris gaped.

“What would they be doing with a book like that?” Callie asked, looking at her mother.

For once, the high priestess looked surprised. “Your guess would be as good as mine,” she murmured.

Hecate’s face was stony. Once again, there was no getting a sense of what she thought.

“They’ll need assistance in translating the runes,” Mary explained once her announcement sank in. “Unlike your clan, they have no access to witches.”

“What does it matter if the runes are translated or not?” Hecate asked, folding her arms.

“It could matter a great deal,” Alan explained in a tight voice. “It’s understandable, your not knowing the legends behind our involvement with those of your kind. Just as some of our kind traveled to the New World before it was even known as such, some of your coven did as well. Whether they still exist there, I cannot say—though I suppose they don’t, if the dragons have no contact with them. But there is a chance some of their wisdom and lore has resided there all these centuries.”

“And they just found it now?” Hecate asked.

“That is not for us to question.” There was a sharp edge to Selene’s voice. “What matters is that it was found. We should be rejoicing.”

Hecate appeared to literally be biting her tongue. I had to do the same to keep from chuckling at how her mother had put her in her place. Perhaps not the most mature impulse I’d ever experienced, but strong nonetheless.

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