Page 32 of The Sirin Sisterhood (The Sons of Echidna #2)
Lucy
“How about some tea? It helps to settle the nerves for the night.”Agata brought in a richly decorated tray and placed it in front of Lucy.
Lucy was fascinated by the little bowl of sugar cubes. She didn’t think she’d ever tire of seeing them, savoring the whimsy whenever Klein set them out with breakfast.
“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you.”She sat up straight and proud, trying to look like a dignified matriarch and not a slightly squishy, largely clueless outsider.
“Let me pour you a cup.”Agata sprinkled a mixture of leaves and herbs into the water, the chaotic medley of tea and robust spices wrestling for dominance in the steaming brew. The aroma wafted through the air, assaulting Lucy’s senses.
“I’ll be honest, the tea I’m used to is sweet and cold.”She smiled sheepishly but took the cup anyway and added a few sugar cubes to it, watching them dissolve as she stirred.
Agata sharply arched an eyebrow, her mouth tightening a little. She looked unimpressed.
“It’s a Southern thing,”Lucy explained.
I’ve tried a dozen new ways of drinking it lately, though.
Klein likes his with milk, and Lai stirs jam into his.
”She looked up. Agata was staring at her.
Lucy took it as her cue to stop talking about tea.
Embarrassment warmed her cheeks as she quickly changed the subject.
“So, Lai tells me this is a school? How does it work? Do you teach magic?”
Agata’s face softened, the topic of school more agreeable to her.
“We accept students with abilities and teach them to control their gifts,”she said with a slight nod. Lucy could feel the pride radiating from her.
“Would you be able to possibly teach me how to use...”She paused, taking a breath. “Could you teach me how to use my abilities?”
It wasn’t an easy thing for her to ask. It meant Lucy, a proud young woman, had to admit her flaws, but she needed help. Her last big power display had almost ended in her death.
“Your abilities?”Agata tilted her head, graceful and deliberate in her movements.
Lucy nodded and lifted her cup. As the first sip touched her lips, a wave of discomfort swept over her, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste that clung stubbornly to her tongue. She hid her grimace, putting on a fake smile. “I have certain abilities. Magic.”
“You have magic?”Agata looked skeptical.
“Yeah.”Lucy took another sip of the tea, eager to finish it quickly and not prolong the torture. Did people really drink it for pleasure? Iced peach tea was pleasant. This tasted like warm, watery cough syrup. “Isn’t that what you teach here?”
“We teach how to control the magic that exists all around us in nature. No one possesses magic of their own. You are mistaken in claiming you ‘have’magic. Perhaps you mean that you have an affinity towards the elements.”
“That’s what I keep getting told. But I tend to prove those people wrong.”
Agata offered her a condescending smile. “Finish your tea, dear girl.”
Lucy frowned and took another big sip of her tea, not wanting to be rude. The last of the foul liquid slid down the back of her throat. She pulled away as the loose leaves touched her teeth, making her shudder. She picked a stray seed from her lips and turned her attention to Agata.
“So, you can’t help me with my magic?”
Agata took Lucy’s empty cup and examined the dregs at the bottom, not bothering to answer the question. “Your sisters are going find you, you know. Even hiding here isn’t going to help. You should reconcile; it isn’t good to be separated like this.”
“I’m an only child.”Lucy was confused. Why on earth did Agata think she had a sister? She bristled a little; if the witch was talking about Ryan, she wouldn’t be able to keep from being rude back.
“Is that so?I see that there are three of you. It is very clear.”
Three? Well, that stumped her. Unless Klein had a secret he hadn’t shared with her, she had no idea who the third could be. She’d already seen Aris and Lai naked, so it definitely wasn’t either of them.
Agata swirled the cup. “There is also a traitor in your midst.”
Lucy tried not to show her irritation or lose her patience.
The woman calmly delivered her interpretations like they were hard facts and not clues made out of soggy piles of leaves, trying– and failing– to sow doubt and suspicion; Lucy was sure of it.
There were no traitors in her camp. She trusted every single one of them with her life.
“Spirits give guidance, not answers.”Agata placed the cup down, still frowning at it.
“Well, what is it guiding me to?”
All this cryptic nonsense wasa littletoo much.First Lilly, now the witch. Why couldn’t they just speak plainly?
At least this one didn’t rhyme.
“Be careful of who you trust, especially amongst your loved ones,”Agata decided, getting up without warning and gathering the teacups. “Now, enough of this doom and gloom. I shouldn’t keep you up so late. Perhaps in the morning, we can discuss those abilities of yours.”
Lucy nodded, “Thank you for the tea and for allowing us to be here as your guests.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”Agata bowed slightly, leaving the room.