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If Luella felt afraid, she tried not to show it, although Aruna would have smelled her fear. The only way I could feel her fear was through how her shoulders had gone rigid. Both of them were slightly raised, and her breathing had gone shallow. My hand found hers. I squeezed her hand to assure her that there was nothing to fear.
“You are a powerful witch, Luella of Mogochislenia. I assure you that you are welcome here to the Seer’s Village. I also want you to know that you have found an equal in Prince Metheus,” Aruna said, to my horror. The Seer knew about my power, but it was not hers to reveal.
She felt the change in my mood, narrowed her eyes at me, and said, “I see.”
Those two words were uttered in a low voice, but I knew that Luella heard them. More likely, she was wondering about that exchange.
“Thank you for the welcome. How should I call you? Aruna?”
“Yes, you can call me Aruna.”
“What do you mean by assuring me that my husband is my equal? I know he is, but I feel you mean something else by that.”
“Mmm. Well, you are a princess, and he is a prince,” evaded Aruna, but she had already sown the seeds of suspicion.
I could feel that Luella was not content with the answer. So, I gave her hand another squeeze. Suddenly, she seemed aware of her hand in mine for the first time. She did not slip away.
“Aruna, I am here to show my wife around. I knew that she would be happy to know that there are witches in Arrowspear, as well.”
“Ah. Yes, you are welcome here, firebird,” Aruna said, in her usual beatific way. She knew too much, but she had a way of making herself seem so innocent about everything.
“Why did you call me that? Do you know about -?”
Suddenly, I felt like an intruder. Here I was, surprised at what Aruna called her and possibly close to knowing a secret. Yet, I held on to mine, stubbornly.
Aruna squinted at me, knowing full well that there was an imbalance somewhere.
“Does your husband know your secret?” asked Aruna, although she knew the answer to that question, anyway.
“N-no, but I am fine with him knowing. After all, he is my husband,” Luella said.
“So, you have not told him you are a shifter. An avian shifter,” Aruna murmured, as if assessing the situation.
“Now he knows,” Luella smiled at me, a little nervously, I thought. Her cheeks trembled from the effort.
Aruna’s eyes on mine seemed to ask, “And you?”
I lowered my gaze, and I let go of Luella’s hand.
“I like you, Luella,” Aruna said. “Husbands and wives should tell each other secrets. Come, I will have you meet my coven.”
We went into the largest hut, where the witches often convened. There were twelve witches inside, of varying ages. Aruna was the head witch.
My wife seemed genuinely pleased to meet everyone. They probably reminded her of her mother’s council of witches.
The Seers served us tea, bread, and slices of cheese. I was ill at ease, at first. Being with witches who could attempt to read your mind and see your future could do that to you. I was amazed at how Luella seemed to have blended in, seemingly unafraid to be studied and prodded. Green, grey, and hazel eyes were focused on her face, openly studying her, but she had seemed to be in her element.
“We love that you enjoy our company,” Rifi, the youngest at twenty years, said. She looked like a fourteen-year-old. The Seers might see so many things, but they aged very slowly.
“I like being here. You all make me feel at home,” Luella said, her hands clasped as if in prayer. I remembered how I told her to learn how to pray to her gods and goddesses.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” I said to the coven, rising from my chair. “We need to return before sunset.”
The witches murmured their desire to see us again, and soon. I promised to bring my wife on later visits. Luella was glowing when she heard that.
On the way home, she fell asleep. I held her against myself to keep her stable on the camel. My other hand held the bridle. Her belly was flat and warm under my arm. I could feel her gentle breathing. It was strange how she was affecting me. It reminded me of a time when I was seventeen, and a girl called Dira suddenly launched herself at me. One of her friends had pushed her towards me. So, she fell into my arms.
I felt nothing, then. Even as Cora continued her years of patient seduction, I felt nothing.
