Minerva sat down on a muted-green sofa. A white porcelain tea service adorned with a green floral pattern had already been set on the carved wooden table, which was painted the palest of pinks and covered with a pretty white embroidered cloth. A matching three-tiered tea plate, laden with pastries and finger sandwiches, sat temptingly next to it.
Minerva poured the fragrant orange and spice brew into two cups, adding a drop of cream to each one. She placed two tiny sandwiches and a pink-frosted cookie on each of two side plates and handed one to Dawn. “Now we can enjoy our tea and have a civilized conversation.”
“So you live here?” Dawn asked, taking a bite from the delectable cream cheese and cucumber sandwich.
“Yes, I do. I’ve been here in this home for many years. But I travel often. Wherever I am needed, my lovely cottage goes with me.”
Dawn almost choked on her sip of tea. “How?”
Minerva gave her a look as though to say You even have to ask?
“Sorry. I’m still having some trouble taking it all in. I’ve just gotten used to Karma Cleaners, and now meeting you has been kind of out of the ordinary for me.”
“Well, given that you are an extraordinary young woman, it’s high time you start to believe in the extraordinary.” Minerva’s bright-blue eyes twinkled at Dawn over the rim of her teacup.
Her cheeks heated.
“You want to know how to keep from fainting when you have visions, correct?”
Dawn nodded as she set her teacup down on the table. “It only happens at the sight of blood.”
“Hmm…”
“What are you thinking?”
Minerva sighed. “Just that I’ve seen more than my share of blood. I’m the goddess of wisdom and war.”
“Oh. I thought that was Athena.”
Minerva chuckled. “At your service.”
Dawn slapped herself upside the head. “Oh, right. You guys pick whichever name you like best. So I guess you prefer being called Minerva instead of Athena?” Dawn would have chosen the other way, but who was she to tell a goddess what to do?
“Yes. I like having a nickname with my sisters. Some of them call me Mini—and we all get a kick out of it.”
“Ah. I see.” She really didn’t, but she might be able to figure it out. Let’s see. Powerful goddess of war and wisdom. Mini. Has to be ironic.
“Quite so.”
“I can’t get used to having my mind read.”
“I’ll keep it to a minimum then.” She smiled. “It comes in handy when a soldier can’t speak but desperately wants to communicate his last wish.”
“Oh.”
“But you didn’t come here to discuss war. You came for wisdom. There are several key points I will tell you, and they are all here in this book.” She snapped her fingers, and a slim leather-bound book appeared in her hand.
Handing the book to Dawn, she continued, “I want you to close your eyes, sit back, and breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe deeply from your very core, your diaphragm. Not your chest.” The goddess took Dawn’s hand and laid it where her chest met her abdomen.
“Feel it expand as you draw in nature’s life-giving force. Feel it contract as you expel all that nasty negative energy that humans absorb throughout the day.”
Minerva’s soft voice floated through Dawn’s mind. Was she speaking aloud or in Dawn’s head? It didn’t matter, as Dawn felt herself becoming more and more relaxed.
“I want you to picture yourself in a garden surrounded by nature’s beauty and concentrate on one flower in that garden. Picture each petal, see the dewdrops trickling down, the long, elegant stem…”
Minerva continued to guide Dawn through the meditation, lasting about a half hour. When she was done, she instructed Dawn to open her eyes.
“How do you feel?”
