Page 63 of The Sirin Sisterhood (The Sons of Echidna #2)

Lucy

“Well, this trip was a lot more fruitful than expected. Although, if you ask me, I’d grab a few more witches.

One dragon might not be enough.”Lai tossed his clothes into a bag, slapping at Lucy with an embroidered sleeve to wake her from snoozing.

“No matter how big that dragon is,”he added.

He was trying not to sound sulky, but she could hear the annoyance in his voice.

“You still count as a dragon in my books.What’s with you waking me up so early?”Lucy groaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She definitely needed more sleep after last night, still hungover after the long night of partying.

Klein coughed politely to get her attention. “It’s not early. It’s almost midday.”

“What?”Lucy sat up in a panic, looking around the cottage. Klein was also already packed, sitting at the table and nursing a mug. Lucy’s cold breakfast waited beside him.

“You’ve got time. I only activated the beacon an hour ago.”Lai tossed Lucy her old clothes, comfy jeans, and a battered band t-shirt, which werefreshly laundered. She had no doubt that was Klein’s work. Surely, there were other ways he could relax. Maybe she should get him some therapy sessions.

She got dressed, not bothering to find any privacy. Everyone in the room had seen every naked inch of her last night, and she was too damned tired to pretend to be shy right then. Besides, it was the body of a goddess.

The Goddess’s stomach growled loudly, demanding an offering of food.

Lucy examined the spread on the table. That weirdly textured porridge again, and tea.

No, thank you. She was never going to drink tea ever again. Perhaps she could get something on the plane instead, something processed and calorie-dense, covered in chocolate. Russia was beautiful and magical, but America was the master of the deep fryer, and she was homesick.

“Is Freya ready?”She asked, pushing away the plate.

“She is saying her goodbyes,”Klein answered, standing to clean up the table after Lucy rejected the breakfast. “You should, too.”

He was right. Despite everything, they’d got what they’d come here for and then some.

They were leaving with a massive boost to her power, a new family member, and help to take down Eleanore.

She had learned so much, too. Leaving the school felt almost bittersweet.

Yes, she was missing home and the material things it had to offer, but a big part of her wanted to stay, embrace a life more connected to nature, andhone her magic.

Maybe one day, after they got their home back, she and Freya could return for a while. As long as they came back with a suitcase full of junk food.

The daydreaming came to an end as the gentle singing of birds was drowned out by the sound of engines. With the barrier gone, her ride home could get much closer, landing on the clearing just behind the long-hall.

Freya and her sisters were already there, as were the other witches. They were curiously examining the massive helicopter, its blades whipping up a storm. Slowly, they spun to a stop, allowing Lucy to hear the sisters’ last farewells.

Sabira and Agata were openly weeping, stuffing gifts and money into the pockets of the woman who looked so different, dressed in a tank top and black jeans.

Lucy stared. Without her elaborate, whimsical dresses, Freya didn’t look anything like some fairytale princess coming to their rescue.

In fact, she looked just like Lai. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to share her brother’s love for crop tops.

They were far too similar already; having them dress the same would be a bridge too far.

“ Leti za solntsem, moya Zhar-Ptitsa ,”Agata sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks, ignoring Sabira as the red-headed sister tried to comfort her. Freya was keeping it together, but Lucy saw her lip tremble.

She didn’t want to interrupt the passionate goodbye, but Grace was checking her watch from inside the helicopter, the lines between her brows deepening with every passing minute.

“We’ll take care of her.”Lai stepped in, a wide smile on his face that didn’t hide how bored he was with the farewells.

“Are you going to rebuild your shields?”Lucy asked as Agata finally stiffened her upper lip.

The witch nodded. “We will. There is enough magic in the jar to weave a new one. It will take time, but it should be up by winter.”

“Freya might be back by then, too,”Lucy smiled, still feeling slightly guilty for dismantling their defenses. “Oh! I didn’t get to say goodbye to Baba Yaga...”

Grace was done being polite at that point. The helicopter blade whirled into life, ending any chance of a conversation. Agata didn’t try to say anything else. Instead, she hugged Lucy close, her strings vibrating with faith.

It was Lucy’s turn to cry. She was glad the others weren’t paying attention, loading into the helicopter. She squeezed Agata’s hand, waved at Sabira and others, and didn’t look back.

She couldn’t. It hurt. Why did it hurt to leave that place? Lucy felt like she was leaving a part of herself in that village. Maybe she was. There was a part of her in that jar; all she could do was hope it would protect them.

Putting on a headset, she stared right ahead of her. She expected Freya to feel the same way, but the young woman had an eager grin on her face. She was excited.

Of course she was. She was just starting her adventure.

Lucy smiled back, watching in confusion as the woman’s grin faded into worry.

She looked around for the source of Freya’s concern and relaxed.

Shadows passed next to them, blocking out the sun.

Six or seven more helicopters had joined them as they lifted into the air.

Lucy didn’t think much of it; Xim was always inclined to be overcautious; it was no real surprise that she’d sent an armada to escort Lucy home.

The anxious heiress was probably worried that the sisterhood had kidnapped her.

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes with a smile, shaking her head so that Freya could see that there was nothing to worry about.

Freya wasn’t looking at her. She was staring out the window, numb with horror. Bright flashes illuminated her face.

Below them, cottages went up in flames. Fiery projectiles hit their targets one by one, setting the clearing ablaze.

Trapped within the belly of the beast, their faces pressed to the windows of their flying prison, Lucy, Freya, Lai, and Klein watched as the missiles decimated the village.

Lucy screamed, but she couldn’t even hear herself past the noise. She screamed, and screamed, and screamed, and only stopped when, mercifully, everything went dark.

◆◆◆

“Good morning, Lucy. What a pleasure to see you again, despite the circumstances.”

Victor Farrowatcher stood outside of a glass cell, watching Lucy as she stirred. He looked over at her companions, each in their own glass cell and, like Lucy, each throttled by electronic collars.

“Mr Farrowatcher? What’s going on?”Lucy asked dizzily, grabbing her pounding head. She tried to remember what happened, but her mind refused to cooperate. All she remembered were the flashes of blood-red light.

Henry Farrowatcher watched with his hands behind his back, looking at her from over his husband’s shoulder. He stepped forward.

“Welcome back, Lucy.”He gave her a smile, but there was no warmth in his eyes to soften it. A trickle of fear crawled up her spine, piercing through her pain and confusion.

She knew those cold, cold eyes.

Those same cold eyes had watched her reaction the day Henry had told her that her parents were dead, but not to worry. He and his husband would take care of her.

Without the veneer of care, she saw them for what they really were.

The dead, cold eyes of a monster.

The monster studied her from behind the glass, his smile freezing into a sneer.

“What disappointing company you keep.”