Page 46 of The Sirin Sisterhood (The Sons of Echidna #2)
Agata
Agata was tapping her foot in agitation when both women finally emerged from the forest. A confusing mix of relief and disappointment washed over her: relief that Freya was safe and with a basket full of berries, and disappointment that she wasn’t alone.
Sabira held a heavy woolen cloak, ready to swaddle Freya the minute their trial ended. Klein was pacing next to them, not as prepared, but the man hadn’t known what to expect. He and his brother had spent the hour bickering softly and now stood six feet apart, sulking.
Baba Yaga examined the berries presented to her, tossing a piece from each basket into a mouth full of broken teeth, and winced. She didn’t look pleased, but she granted each woman a nod of acceptance. Both Lucy and Freya had passed the first trial.
“Congratulations, moi ogonyok .” Agata hid her frown from Freya as Sabira wrapped the woman in the heavy cloak, rubbing her numb shoulders. It was a time to celebrate, and she wouldn’t let her anger at Lucy taint Freya’s victory.
“Thank you, sister, but you should share your praise. I couldn’t have done it without the other girl’s help.”
No amount of self-control could hide what Agata felt then, disgust raising her upper lip. She spat on the ground, showing her contempt with a curse.
“Don’t do that.”Freya wiggled out of the heavy fabric and pulled Agata into a tight hug. “I know she is an intruder, and she pushed in on my trial, but she only wanted to prove herself.”
Was Freya defending Lucy? Agata cupped her sister’s face and tried to see past the visible emotions, searching for something deeper.
Maybe she was just being nice because the visitors were near.
There was no way in hell that she had needed the heathen’s help to pass the first trial, but she found nothing but sincerity in Freya’s face.
“The freeze must have reached your brain.”She hurried Freya back to their rooms, shaking her head in dismay. “You need a hot bath. Now.”
Freya sighed, but didn’t protest.
◆◆◆
Inside their home and away from prying eyes, Agata doubled down.
“She is trouble.”
Freya groaned, frustrated by her sister’s efforts, but Agata persisted. She would see the truth, whether she wanted to or not.
She had to.
“I’ve scried the leaves, and I’ve consulted the beeswax. I’ve listened to the water tell its truth, and I’ve spoken to my dreams. They all showed me the same thing. The harbinger of Morana . She is here to ensure Death eats his fill and Chaos quenches her thirst.”
Freya listened, but Agata saw the rebellion burning in her eyes.
Stubborn little girl.
“I can prove it to you.”
“Then do it, sister,”Freya almost begged. “I am so tired of just words. I’ve been listening to your wisdom all my life. You’ve taught me to be wary of strangers, but they are not like the outsiders you’ve told me of. They are kind, and generous, and brave.”
Agata walked over to her wooden chest, much like Freya’s, but painted with dazzling suns instead of flowers. She dug at the bottom and lifted out a small black rectangle.
“I confiscated this from the woman the night they arrived.”Agata pressed and held a button on the side, and the phone lit up with a loading screen.
The Farrowatcher logo, a stylized FW, spun against a dark background before being replaced with the lock screen photo of Lucy and Xim posing for the camera, flashing peace signs and smiling wide, oblivious to the chaos and fear they had sown.
The same woman who had claimed Aristos Galanos’s family as her own was frozen in the frame, cheek-to-cheek with one of the most dangerous monsters on the planet. Her white hair confirmed what the Farrowatcher name had already suggested.
A Hunter. And not just any hunter.
The Curse Breaker.