Page 27 of The Sirin Sisterhood (The Sons of Echidna #2)

Agata

Agata watched the knife slip from her hand and bounce on the floor, the sound echoing through the dimly lit room. It was a meaningless and clumsy accident for anyone else, but the witch knew how to read the signs. She furrowed her dark eyebrows, watching the utensil for a while, dread setting in.

“Guests, and uninvited,”she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked back at her two sisters.

Sabira looked unbothered, her fingers delicately tracing the pages of a book.

She basked in the ambient sunlight that caressed her flaming red hair as it cascaded over her shoulders like a river of autumn leaves, utterly picturesque and far above trivial concerns such as knives and guests.

Freya, the youngest, had perked up at the promise of visitors, her curiosity a vice that life hadn’t yet beaten out of her.

Guests to the village rarely brought good news.

They were well hidden from the world. Usually, the only visitors were battered wives led into the forest by sympathetic spirits.

Once they found themselves surrounded by loving sisters and not a single man, they never left, quickly making themselves at home.

These visitors weren’t the work of a helpful vily .They didn’t bother with signs, preferring to communicate directly with the witches instead. The knife was a warning from the house’s guardian, a protective and anxious creature called a domovoi .It had to be terrified to reach out to Agata.

“Another sister?”Freya asked, lazily combing her long, golden hair. She couldn’t hide her interest from Agata, welcoming the excitement that might follow. A new sister meant a feast and a night of drinking and dancing naked under the moonlight, which even Agata had to admit was fun.

The woman frowned, uncertain. Sending the guests away was easy, three taps with the same knife that had fallen was enough intent to turn them away, but Agata needed to know more.

Whoever was coming had gotten too close for her liking.

Domovoi were house spirits; they didn’t notice anything until it was right on their doorstep.

Leaving the knife on the floor, Agata scooped a tablespoon of molten wax from a candle burning in a jar. She emptied it into a bowl of cold water, watching as the wax solidified into blobby shapes.

“Shit.”She hissed, lifting up a piece of wax. It looked like nothing at all to the other women, but just like the knife, Agata knew what it meant; she was good at reading the signs. In her eyes, the blob was no waxy lump. It was a two-headed dog.

Greki .

Sabira watched her older sister with an amused grin. “Always one for dramatics. Tell me, what are you seeing, sister? I haven’t seen you this agitated since the broom fell over last week.”

Agata almost snapped at her sister but thought better of it.

Sabira had a temper to match her flaming red hair and ember-flecked skin, and Agata didn’t want to waste energy on a fight.

It was true that she tended to overreact, so neither of her sisters paid much attention to her worries, but this time it was different. There was no time to waste.

“The Greeks are back, damn them. Freya, go check on the students.” She ushered the girl out of the cottage, ignoring her protests. The Galanos family wasn’t something the youngest sister needed to worry about. “Tell everyone to be dressed and veiled. Stay inside until I say otherwise.”

Freya gave her the same tired look she always gave.

It was clear that she thought Agata was overreacting, but knew better than to question her orders.

Dismissing Agata’s urgency, she lazily braided her long hair as she wandered down to the school, wrapping it around her head and pinning the end behind her ear like a crown of gold.

“Why don’t we welcome them and see what they want? Then, when they’re nice and settled, and they’ve dropped their guard–we pounce!” Sabira teased once Freya was out of earshot.

“They must know what she is, somehow. It isn’t enough that we tolerate his debt; he has come to rob us.” Agata paced the room, picking at the beaded embroidery on her sleeve.

“Nonsense. He wouldn’t dare, not with all he owes. Maybe he’s come to beg another favor?”

“I hope that’s all it is.”She noticed the candle flicker. “They’re close.”

“That they are. How much do you think I can tease that horrible man until he tries to take a bite out of me? I almost had him last time.”Sabira finally rose from her seat, stretching with a yawn.

“It’s not a fair match. Aristos is so easily offended.”Agata laughed. “Try and behave. I don’t trust them.”

“Neither do I, but at least they’re entertaining. Shall we meet them downstairs, or have them come to us?”

“Open the gates and tell the guards to take them to the meeting hall. Put on your best dress, and I’ll meet you there. I just need to put some wards down first. I don’t want their energy to linger here.”

“Very well. And Freya?”

Agata bit her lip, worrying it as she thought.

“The more we try to keep her away from them, the more likely she is to seek them out. All we can do is watch, at least for now. I’ll talk to her; she’s intelligent enough, even if she isn’t as wise as I would like. Gods willing, she might actually listen to me.”

◆◆◆

“Freya.”Letting herself into the girl’s living quarters, Agata checked to ensure they were alone before closing the door behind her. This was a private conversation.

“I want you to wear your veil. It’s better to cover your face around these men. They will sour your complexion with their staring.”

She walked to a large chest decorated with colorful paintings of sunflowers, lifted the lid, looked for the veil, and frowned.

Freya’s chest was a mess, stuffed to the brim with trinkets: rocks, pine cones, pressed flowers, and pretty, dried leaves.

With a patient sigh, she dug deep, looking for the red piece of cloth, finding it stuffed at the very bottom and covered in creases.

Freya offered her an apologetic smile and a shrug.

Agata took a deep breath, shaking the twigs and dead bugs out of the veil and pouring a jug of water into the wash basin. With a wave of her right hand, the water began to boil, sending up a cloud of steam, which she used to smooth out the wrinkled fabric.

“May I ask who they are?”Freya asked as she waited, sitting on the lid of the chest.

“You don’t have to be so formal when we’re alone, little sister.”Agata laughed.

“They’ve sold us a few small sources of magic in the past. I assume they are here to trade again.”

Freya relaxed a little. “What kind of things? Are there any weapons?”She asked excitedly, her smilewideand venomous. “Poisons, maybe?”

“You just got a new dagger last month, you haven’t even finished enchanting it yet.”Agata kissed the young woman on the forehead. “Just watch tonight, alright? You will get your feather crown soon, yet you still behave like one of the students.”

“You can’t blame me. We don’t get visitors often.”

“And thank the gods for that.”She motioned for the young woman to come closer, pinning the veil under Freya’s traditional headdress. “There, now help me get dressed.”

“As you will it, so it shall be done.”Freya smiled, quickly slipping back into formalities.

◆◆◆

“My red boots, please, Freya.”

Agata stepped into a heavily beaded sarafan , lacing up the sides.

It was her favorite, made of thick, black linen.

Three large firebirds embroidered over the skirt represented the three sisters: the seer, Sirin, for Agata, the great healer, Alkonost, for Sabira, and Gamayun, the foreigner, for the youngest.

Freya picked up the boots and knelt down to help Agata.

She smiled, allowing her youngest sister to lace them up as a gesture of the girl’s respect, idly gazing around the room as she waited for Freya to finish.

“Ah, look. Your cat.”Agata nodded towards the black tom as he licked his paw—another sign.“He’s washing his face, they’re here. My veil, hurry.”