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“Well, you should find out.” Linda made herself a cup of tea.

“If they don’t, what am I going to do?” He was one person. The government would help them and sort out those kinds of issues.

Nan gave him a look that he’d learned meant he needed to do better. “When the world is falling apart, you check in. Maybe their road is so buckled they can’t drive to the shops, or they’re hurt but not bad enough to go to the hospital. We are lucky.”

And going out wouldn’t tempt their luck?

“I’ll text my friends.”

“You do that. We’ll go the pub, and I’ll pack some food up for Maeve—she can’t leave her street, and they have no power.”

No doubt they’d also be taking Maeve a bottle of something. He’d seen her drink when she and Nan got together to play bridge—she also had some stories to tell from her younger years that made her youth sound wild.

He texted his friends, asking what state their street was in and to let them know he was venturing out to check on the pub.

Liam

No power, but we have water. Tell me what you see!

Web

All good. Make an offering. There’s magic in the air.

Noah wasn’t sure it was magic. More like fear from both humans and mythological beings.

Web

We need to do something special on the full moon.

Noah rolled his eyes. Of course Web wanted to do something.

And which god is in charge of global disasters?

Liam

Which god is in charge of the mythological beings?

Noah frowned.

“Problem?” Nan asked.

He glanced up. “No. But if mythological beings are here. Creatures we thought only existed in stories…what about the old gods? Like Zeus and such. They are considered myth now, but what if they are real and are here?”

Nan considered him for a couple of seconds. “If they are real, they can help fix the damage. I’m sure there’s plenty of people offering prayers in church.”

“So you don’t think they are real?”

“If given a choice between the old gods and the fae, I’ll take the latter. Your friends need to be careful, messing with magic they don’t understand or respect.”

Noah bit his lip, knowing the warning was for him, too. He didn’t believe in magic, but he’d always liked the idea of there being more out there…turned out there was more. A whole other world.

“It’s not like that, Nan. We just get together and have a drink.”

She lifted her eyebrows in a way that reminded him of his mother. “I’m not sure if that’s worse or better.”

Noah shrugged.

“If you don’t believe, why the altar in your room?”