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“It would help if we could find out more about the harbingers.” She glanced at Margo. “It’s strange how little information there is. I mean, how long have they been on that mountain?”
“The little I’ve heard sounds like scary fairy tales,” Jeremy said. “They don’t sound so impressive, but everybody’s afraid of them. I don’t get it. If they come here, they’ll regret it. I will destroy each and every one of them.”
He was always on, always ready to remind everyone in the room how tough and dominant he was, in case he ever let us forget. He had barely arrived, and I was already exhausted.
“I wonder what would happen if we tried to settle close to them,” Amelia said, ignoring him. “If they would try to force us out.”
“If they start making trouble here, I might have to test out that theory,” Jeremy said.
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at his posturing.
“I don’t think we’ll need to go that far.” Byron cleared his throat. “Well, you kids were leaving. We should get out of your way. Stay safe.”
That was our cue to get lost. Victor, Margo, and I left them alone to their discussion. I hoped Amelia wouldn’t forget to head over to Perdita, for both their sakes.
“I need to eat,” Victor said gruffly. “Like now.”
“Well, you’ll have to wait, so calm down,” I told him, turning to Margo. “You okay? You look a little pale.”
“I could eat, too,” she said. “It takes a lot out of me.”
We decided it would be quickest to head to a local chipper and grab something on the go. We found a bench to sit on while we ate, watching for any speeding cars or shifty strangers passing by.
“What exactly were you doing with Amelia today anyway?” Victor asked with his mouth full before grimacing. “Hot.”
“Hard to explain.” Margo hurriedly swallowed a chip then slapped her chest in pain.
“Can you two animals not wait twelve seconds for a chip to cool down?” I teased, inhaling the scent of vinegar from the steaming paper bag in my hands.
“Hungry,” Victor muttered, diving in again.
“So good, too.” Margo blew on her next chip. “I feel better already.”
“Were you cold?” I asked.
She nodded. “Amelia’s been getting me to reach out for death, or whatever. It feels cold, but she can’t touch it, can’t see it, can’t even sense it properly.” She frowned. “Maybe it’s not death. I have no idea.”
“Is it magic?” Victor asked. “Are you a witch?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I think Amelia would be able to understand it better if it was magic like she can use.”
“Do you think Vira and her cult can do what you do? Stop death all the time?” I asked. “I mean, she did warn us that you were in danger, but do you think they can all do that?”
Margo shrugged. “I mean, she acted like it was a sin or something. Forbidden. So it must be something that’s not allowed.”
“Does that man know Vira is Margo’s birth mother?” Victor asked. “Did she tell them everything?”
“She might not have told them anything,” I said. “She could have been followed.”
“If she had stayed with us, she could have told us everything we needed to know,” Margo said bitterly. “Why can’t she be brave?”
“Because she knows what they’re capable of,” I said, thinking of the emptiness in Vira’s gaze the last time we saw her.
I couldn’t forget the time I spent in the mountains and the darkness that had followed us out there. The harbingers were far more than they appeared to be.
I wokein the middle of the night and decided to go downstairs for a drink. Stepping over Victor’s sleeping body on the floor, I crept downstairs, but the television was on.
Perdita was pacing the space in front of the TV, rubbing the small of her back with one hand.
