Page 83 of Akarnae

The woman shrugged off her behaviour as if harassing complete strangers was a regular occurrence. “I wanted to see how you’d react.”

Alex let that sink in—along with the fact that the woman seemed to know exactly who she was without asking—before she said in a dry tone, “Did I pass your expectations?”

“Well, you’re remarkably polite,” Lady Mystique said, and Alex wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic or not. “But otherwise, yes. Your gift is very powerful. It will serve you well when you finally understand it.”

“My gift?” Alex stepped forward eagerly. “You know what my gift is?”

The old lady grinned crookedly again. “Of course I do. Lady Mystique knows all.”

Alex wasn’t certain if the woman was just a big fake, but there was something about her eyes that spoke of unfathomable knowledge. One moment they sparked with youthful energy, and the next they seemed to hold the weight of the ages.

“So, what is it?” Alex asked.

“It’s something you’ll have to discover on your own, child. And you will, when the time is right.”

“I see,” Alex said. She was disappointed but she also had a feeling that this Lady Mystique wasn’t going to say any more, regardless of how hard she pressed. “Whatcanyou tell me?” Alex tried instead.

“Lady Mystique can help you with your search. For today, that is all, but it will be enough,” she said. “Next time, perhaps more.”

“My search?” Alex asked, uncertain as to what the woman meant.

Lady Mystique reached out to pull a book off the shelf, placing it into Alex’s arms. She then beckoned for Alex to follow as she led the way around the store, grasping random objects and handing them over. Finally she stopped at the counter, motioning for Alex to place all the items on the glass top.

“What is all this?” Alex finally asked.

“It’s what you came for,” the woman replied.

Alex looked over the items, confused.

“This will be your gift for Jonathon,” Lady Mystique said, pointing to the first book,Advanced Metaphysics: A Technological Perspective.

“I don’t understand,” Alex said, wrinkling her nose at the brain-numbing title. “Who’s Jonathon?”

Lady Mystique looked at her as if she was slow, and something clicked in Alex’s head. “You mean Bear’s brother, Johnny?”

“Indeed.”

It was then that Alex realised the items on the counter were Kaldoras presents, ones that the old woman had hand-picked for her.

“You’ll give this to Blake,” Lady Mystique said, pointing to another book in the pile. It looked old—impossibly old—and yet it was perfectly intact, with obscure-looking symbols carved into the cover.

“Dorothy will love this,” the woman continued, handing over a dainty brooch. It was made out of a glowing silver-like metal that almost looked to be emanating light.

“This will be for the one you call ‘Gammy’.” Lady Mystique held out another book, this one tattered and falling apart. The title was handwritten, and poorly at that. From what Alex could read, it was a homemade recipe book.

The old woman passed over the last object—an antique dagger. She pulled it from its sheath and, despite its apparent age, the blade still gleamed. It seemed to be made of the same kind of silver metal as the brooch.

“This will be perfect for William’s collection,” she told Alex, stroking the weapon fondly. “It has no equal.”

Alex looked at the items in front of her with awe.How…?

“Lady Mystique knows all,” the old woman said.

Alex groaned. “Don’t tell me, you can read my mind?”

“No.” Lady Mystique wheezed slightly in what Alex presumed was a laugh. “Not even I can manage that. Perhaps when you first arrived, but not now. Your confusion is simply written all over your face.”

There was so much of that explanation that Alex wanted to ask about, not the least of which was the fact that she didn’t think Lady Mystique was referring to her arrival into the store. But she let it go, somehow certain that the woman wouldn’t reveal her secrets.

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