Page 14 of Claws for Celebration
The accuracy of those observations hit Moira like a physical blow. How could this cheerful café owner know about the recurring dreams that had haunted her sleep for years? Dreams of misty mountains and ancient books, of voices calling her name through forest shadows?
"How could you possibly know that?" she whispered.
"Because blood calls to blood," Twyla repeated, her voice holding an authority that hadn't been there moments before. "And the Shadowheart bloodline has been calling its lost daughter home for a very long time."
Lucien's hand covered hers on the table, warm and steady and somehow grounding her to reality even as everything continued to crumble around her. His touch was her anchor in the increasingly surreal experience, the one constant that made sense when the world felt like it was shifting beneath her feet.
"Twyla," he said quietly, but with unmistakable authority, "I think you've given Moira enough to think about for one morning."
Something passed between them, a look that carried layers of meaning Moira couldn't interpret. Twyla's expression shifted from knowing confidence to sheepish understanding, as if she'd been caught overstepping invisible boundaries.
"Oh my," Twyla said with a laugh that sounded forced. "Listen to me, going on like some old mountain mystic. Too much time reading my grandmother's journals, I suppose. Gets a person thinking in riddles and folklore." She stood quickly, gathering their empty plates. "You finish your coffee in peace. I have pastries calling my name in the kitchen."
As Twyla retreated with obvious reluctance, Moira stared at Lucien in confusion. "What just happened?"
"Twyla has a tendency to get carried away with local legends," he said carefully, though his eyes remained watchful. "Sometimes she forgets that not everyone shares her... enthusiasm for family stories and mountain folklore."
The explanation felt inadequate, but Moira found herself nodding anyway. Whatever had just occurred, she sensed that pushing for more answers would only lead to more carefully constructed deflections. The weight of unspoken truths hung between them, and she had the growing certainty that understanding would come only when she was ready to accept what it meant.
9
LUCIEN
The emergency Council meeting had been called for two o'clock, which meant leaving Moira at the bookstore with a weak excuse about inventory deliveries that couldn't wait. Lucien hated lying to her, especially when her brown eyes showed such clear disappointment at his sudden departure, but some conversations required privacy that only the Council Glade could provide.
"The Codex is fully active now," Elder Varric announced without preamble as the five Council members gathered around the ancient stone table. "My scrying shows it's responding to her touch with increasing intensity, revealing passages that have remained hidden for centuries."
"How bad?" Maeve asked, settling onto her usual boulder with feline grace. The lioness shifter looked more alert than usual, her short black hair still damp from what had probably been a patrol shift.
"Complex," Varric replied, spreading a collection of runestones across the weathered stone surface. "The Codex isn't just awakening her bloodline magic. It's teaching her, preparingher for something specific. The question is whether that preparation serves our interests or threatens them."
Lucien studied the rune patterns, noting how several stones had turned dark red since their last meeting. "What kind of preparation?"
"Blood magic rituals. Ancestral binding spells. The advanced techniques that made the Shadowheart line so powerful before they disappeared from our community." Varric's pale eyes reflected worry that he rarely allowed others to see. "If Moira masters those abilities without proper guidance, she could destabilize the magical balance we've maintained for generations."
"And if she masters them with proper guidance?" Miriam asked from her position near the edge of the clearing. The inn keeper had arrived last, her sensible shoes showing signs of a hurried walk through the forest.
"Then we have a guardian witch more powerful than any we've seen since her grandmother's time," Elder Bram said with his usual pessimism. "Assuming she chooses to use those abilities in our defense rather than pursuing her own agenda."
"She's not pursuing any agenda," Lucien said more sharply than he'd intended. "She's a scholar trying to understand her family history. Every action she's taken has been driven by curiosity and genuine care for preserving historical knowledge."
"Your objectivity regarding Miss Marsh has been noted," Bram replied dryly. "Though I question whether romantic attachment qualifies you to assess potential magical threats."
Lucien's panther stirred with territorial aggression, wanting to defend his mate from even the suggestion of threat. He forced his voice to remain level. "My assessment is based on direct observation of her character and behavior, not romantic attachment."
"Both can be true," Varric said diplomatically. "The mate bond provides insight into her emotional state and motivations that could prove valuable for our decision-making process."
"Speaking of which," Maeve interjected, "how much does she suspect about our supernatural nature? After this morning's conversation with Twyla, she has to be questioning whether Hollow Oak is as normal as it appears."
Lucien winced at the reminder of Twyla's oversharing. The fae-blooded café owner meant well, but her enthusiasm for reuniting lost bloodlines sometimes outweighed her discretion.
"She knows something isn't ordinary about the town," he admitted. "But she's still trying to rationalize the supernatural elements within academic frameworks. Folklore, traditional knowledge, cultural preservation. She's not ready to accept that magic is literally real."
"Even though she's experiencing it directly?" Miriam asked with surprise.
"Especially because she's experiencing it directly. Her entire worldview is built on rational analysis and empirical evidence. Accepting magic means accepting that what she knew about reality is incomplete."
"Hence the careful introduction process," Varric said. "Which brings us to our current challenge. The Codex is accelerating her awakening beyond what we anticipated. We need someone monitoring her magical development more closely."
