Page 39 of An Oath at Midnight

“The eyes are useless when the mind is blind,” she said, and pulled something from her pocket and held it up, seed. The bird ate it from her hand.

Bram roared my name again, his panic coming through loud and clear.

Agatheena ignored him and carried the mugs over to the table, putting one in front of me. “Sit.”

I did as she said.

“First things first.” She held out her hand.

I stared at it, wrinkled, fingernails more like claws.

“The blood,” she added.

“Oh, right, shit.” I fished it out of my pack and handed it to her. “One vial of powerful vampire blood, as requested.”

She took it from me and slid it into her pocket.

This female was terrifying, no doubt, Rose was right about that. There was a darkness that flowed from her that sent a shiver through me, but I didn’t feel in any immediate danger.

She dabbled in dark magic, I was sure of it. This little, old female did what she wanted, and that piqued my curiosity. “Can I ask what it’s for?”

“No,” she said, then studied me, closely.

I struggled not to squirm in my seat.

“You feel it, don’t you, child? The line I walk?” she finally asked, like she could read my mind.

“Yes.” There was no reason to lie. “How do you do it? How do you stop from falling into total darkness, from letting it overtake you?”

“Some of us are born with a little darkness in us already. Only those witches can do what we do,” she said, her piercing gaze not leaving me.

“We?” I straightened in my seat, preparing to stand. Now I was afraid, but not of her.

“If you stand, I will make you sit, understand?”

I nodded and forced myself to stay put.

Bram had lost it completely outside. Roaring my name, cursing, and trying to break through the ward over and over again, going by the thud of his body hitting the ground repeatedly as he tried to get in, when he knew better, when he knew it was impossible.

“Can I tell him I’m okay?” I asked, lifting out of my seat again.

“No.”

An invisible force shoved me back down.

“You’ll be back to him soon enough. And you saying it won’t appease him. I doubt he’d believe you. He knows too much about magic.”

The raven on her shoulder cawed again and shook out its feathers.

There was no point arguing, her mind was made up. “You still haven’t told me why I’m here,” I said, an uneasy feeling flowing through me.

“A message, obviously.” She gave me an exasperated look. “Why the hell else?” She motioned to my drink. “Drink your tea, and I’ll give it to you.”

I looked down at it. “Are you going to read the leaves?”

“No, I just don’t want good herbs going to waste. And I don’t get much company, so we’re going to drink tea together first, then I’ll give you your message.”

I sniffed the drink, then took a sip. “It’s good.”