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“Where,” Saber said, but her voice was small. She felt her heart thumping.
Something about the girl’s change in demeanor had made her afraid, like they had crossed some threshold.
“Youknowabout them.” The girl’s voice was low, as though she was afraid someone might hear her, even though they were the only ones in the store.
“Know aboutwho?” Saber said, her own voice tight and strained.
The girl smiled a half-smile, teasing, ironic. It was clear that she was not actually amused.
“Youknowwho,” she said, “and if you know about them, you’re in awholelot of danger.”
Lozen and Saber stood staring at the girl, not speaking. Saber suddenly felt very young and immature.
“It’s ok,” said the girl. “Don’t be frightened. I am so,soglad you came here.”
The girl took a breath.
“My name is Mia. I’m a witch.”
“How long have they been here?”
After an employee had taken over for Mia at Thistletree, she’d let Saber drive them to the nature preserve where she did some of her herb hunting.
“I don’t know,” Mia said. “My coven became aware of them about two years ago.”
“Yourcoven?”
Lozen’s eyes seemed to widen to twice their normal size.
“Yes, the Western Washington Witches and Wizards,” she said. “Not the name I would have chosen, probably, but I wasn’t around when they were established.”
“When was that?” Lozen asked, brimming with apparent curiosity.
“1939, it’s one of the younger covens in the Americas.”
“Are you allowed to tell us all this?” Saber asked.
Mia shrugged.
“Sure. Witchcraft is not especially secretive as a practice. It’s able to stay hidden in plain sight because people just don’t take us very seriously. We like it that way. Besides, if you know about the vampires, it’s not like finding out about the coven is going to blow your mind or anything.”
“So do you have magical powers?” Lozen asked.
“Everyonehas magical powers,” she said. “Witchcraft is only about tapping into the earth’s innate magic and setting it free.We’re only conduits. Some people are better at it than others and have more pronounced gifts. Those people are called witches.”
“How many vampires are there?”
“No idea,” Mia said. “They’re very, very careful about some things and wildly incautious about others. They sort of make sure to walk in each other’s tracks, if that makes sense.”
“No,” Saber said, “it doesn’t.”
“Animals that walk in each other’s tracks conceal how many of them there are,” Lozen said, then affecting a tone. “Ancient native wisdom.”
“Really? Did you learn that from your grandparents or something?”
“No. I saw it inStar Wars.”
Mia walked slowly with her hands in her pockets.
