Page 5 of A Dream of Stars and Curses

And against him, I have zero defences.

‘It’s just through here.’ Kate nods towards a narrow path leading away from the park. No way there’s a forest through there. The main path runs alongside most of it, and that’s going straight into a neighbourhood. This smaller path dips down slightly, sure, but that doesn’t mean it can’t go up again seconds later. It doesn’t mean there’s a whole forest just off to the left.

I follow Kate down and stop to stare at the trees around us.

‘Well, I’ll be damned.’

There actually is a forest here. I can see the park right behind me and get a peek at someone’s garden through the trees, but otherwise they’re so thick and overhung that I can pretend we’re in a genuine forest. The path ahead leads farther in, and there’s a tiny brook running alongside the path. It’s like something out of a fairy tale.

Kate laughs. ‘I’m glad our first lesson is proving so fruitful!’

I’m learning scrying, I’m getting into tarot, and now I’ve found a whole part of this neighbourhood I didn’t know we had.

What a day.

And true to her word, the path ahead is empty except for our dogs. Keano and Bruin are leading the way while Lady is following them, tail wagging and head going left and right and left again. Neither of us know where to look. I still can’t believe all this is here.

‘You probably don’t realise it,’ Kate says, ‘but we’re surrounded by all kinds of Veiled every day. Elemental spirits, for instance, are very good at blending in. Household spirits, too.’

Now it’s getting interesting. The leaves rustle as if in response.

‘And they don’t mind us discussing them?’ I ask.

‘How many do you see right now?’

I look around, but there’s nothing but foliage and our dogs. While it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that my dog is a benevolent cuddle spirit of love, I don’t think that’s what Kate means.

Kate has a way of making me realise how little I know without making me feel stupid... or at least not very stupid. This isn’t the first time today that I feel like I’m missing the obvious.

‘I want to say none, but that’s not the right answer, is it?’

Kate laughs. ‘You’re correct, actually. You won’t see elemental spirits if they don’t want to be seen. Most seamlessly blend into their natural habitats. That doesn’t mean they can’t make themselves visible, but it’ll be rare that you see them. Household spirits, on the other hand, can be spotted by accident, and most don’t appreciate it. Some even turn violent. It’s best to— Esta, are you paying attention?’

My head snaps back to Kate from Lady, who’s been splashing around the brook like she’s trying to catch the water with her teeth.

‘Sorry. I’m still a little surprised that I never knew we had a forest right here.’ My eyes flick to Lady. ‘She isn’t hurting any water spirits, is she?’

Kate shakes her head. ‘No, but I expect you to pay better attention from now on. This is part of our deal with the Mara, after all.’

I blush at being scolded. ‘Yes, sorry.’ Like I could forget the agreement we came to. ‘So I take it each of the four elements has its own spirits?’

I’m hoping that asking a question will make her less angry with me again. Kate doesn’t have to teach me but suggested this herself, and I really do want to know.

‘There are five elements,’ Kate says, ‘but we will start with the four everyone knows beyond question: air, water, earth... and fire.’

She draws a pentagram in the air, naming the four corners as she does so. She gives me a knowing look when she doesn’t say anything at the top point—I guess that’s the fifth element.

‘We will cover the basics for this first lesson to give you a good starting point,’ Kate says. ‘Air elementals are known as sylphs, water elementals as undines, earth elementals are gnomes, and fire elementals are called salamanders. We can call on each of these easily enough, but you need to remember that they are ancient forces. If you wrong them, they will let you feel it.’

I got hung up on sylphs. My grandpa once called me his little sylph when I was very young, but I doubt he meant anything by it. I’ve simply always loved a strong breeze, and most of the elementals Kate named aren’t exactly unknown words; although, I half expected water elementals to be mermaids.

‘Household spirits are just as varied,’ Kate explains, ‘and many are of the fae family. There are hobgoblins, brownies—’

‘Is that how you say it?’ I’ve heard of them before, but I’ve pronounced them like the chocolate bake. I didn’t realise they were pronounced broo-nie.

‘Their name comes from the Scottish–Gaelic dialect. You wouldn’t know if you’ve only ever seen it written down.’

I nod. ‘I wish I’d brought a notebook. There’s so much to remember, and it’s only been a day.’

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