every so often with faded but still beautiful hand-painted watercolors of Hidden creatures—many of which I couldn’t identify.
Somewhere toward the middle, I spotted a painting of a snarling woman with pointed teeth and wild hair. Blood dripped from her face, and a young boy lay at her feet with his eyes closed. The label at the bottom of the page said Aswaang in Vampirrik Forme. I turned to the front of the chapter and found the title “Aswaangs of the Olde World.”
“This might help.” I snapped the book shut. “It won’t explain the Covenant, but it might give me tips on defending myself.”
Aggie made no sign of having heard me. Her lips moved without sound, and her eyes stared over my shoulder, as if the bookshelf behind me held some deep, startling secret.
“Aggie?” I wasn’t sure if I should disturb her. The longer I watched, the more I was convinced she was in some sort of trance. She didn’t seem to be in any distress, so maybe this was how she got all the crazy information she always had. Maybe this was normal for her, and I hadn’t seen it before.
Or maybe she was having a stroke and I was sitting there like an idiot, marveling at her ability to focus on the spine of a handmade book on making alpaca cheese.
“Aggie, are you okay?” I crawled across the floor and touched her leg. My voice was higher than I’d expected it to be, revealing more worry than I tried to let on.
The movement of her mouth stopped, then her gaze cleared and she looked at me sitting at her feet.
Her eyes looked so sad they made my heart hurt. She made an attempt at a smile, but it wasn’t convincing. “I’m fine. Did you find something?”
I scrambled to where I’d been and recovered the watercolor book. “I found a chapter about aswangs.”
“That’s wonderful, dear.” She didn’t sound like she thought anything was wonderful. More than anything, she sounded distracted. “I could use a fresh cup of tea.”
I followed her into the kitchen and refilled the kettle, ignoring the goosebumps along my arms. We sat at the table to wait for the water to boil.
I took her hand in both of mine. “Where did you go in there, Aggie?”
She pressed a finger against her lower lip and took a deep breath. “I was... I watched my own death.” She paused. “Again.”
She’d told me some time ago that she’d seen her death, and then had reassured me that her demise remained some time off in the future. She’d seemed almost chipper about it then. Now, not so much.
“We still have time, right?” I frowned when she didn’t answer immediately.
Finally, she shook her head, sending all those small ringlets jiggling on her head. “Not as much as I’d thought.”
My stomach dropped like I’d been shoved off a skyscraper. “How soon?”
She shrugged. “We can never be too sure of these things.” She patted my hands then went to make the tea.
“You’re usually pretty sure of things you shouldn’t already know. You said something was coming last year, and it came.”
She measured tealeaves into each cup. “I also said you’d take care of it, and you did.” The kettle made a low hum on its way to a higher pitch. She took it off the burner before it started screeching. “But something worse is on its way. Something I can’t see.”
She poured water into the cups and brought them to the table.
I pulled my cup close to me, but it couldn’t warm the icy dread running through me, making me shiver. “Is it an aswang?”
“No.” She bent her head and inhaled the steam. “It’s something very old yet, at the same time, something very new.” Her gaze rose to meet mine and pinned me with its weight. “And it’s going to be the end of me.”
Chapter Seven
Tashi walked me home with a solemn face, as if she sensed my sadness. At the edge of my property, she turned to go but I stopped her.
“Do you need anything, Tashi? For you? For the babies? You know if you want anything at all, you just need to tell
Somewhere toward the middle, I spotted a painting of a snarling woman with pointed teeth and wild hair. Blood dripped from her face, and a young boy lay at her feet with his eyes closed. The label at the bottom of the page said Aswaang in Vampirrik Forme. I turned to the front of the chapter and found the title “Aswaangs of the Olde World.”
“This might help.” I snapped the book shut. “It won’t explain the Covenant, but it might give me tips on defending myself.”
Aggie made no sign of having heard me. Her lips moved without sound, and her eyes stared over my shoulder, as if the bookshelf behind me held some deep, startling secret.
“Aggie?” I wasn’t sure if I should disturb her. The longer I watched, the more I was convinced she was in some sort of trance. She didn’t seem to be in any distress, so maybe this was how she got all the crazy information she always had. Maybe this was normal for her, and I hadn’t seen it before.
Or maybe she was having a stroke and I was sitting there like an idiot, marveling at her ability to focus on the spine of a handmade book on making alpaca cheese.
“Aggie, are you okay?” I crawled across the floor and touched her leg. My voice was higher than I’d expected it to be, revealing more worry than I tried to let on.
The movement of her mouth stopped, then her gaze cleared and she looked at me sitting at her feet.
Her eyes looked so sad they made my heart hurt. She made an attempt at a smile, but it wasn’t convincing. “I’m fine. Did you find something?”
I scrambled to where I’d been and recovered the watercolor book. “I found a chapter about aswangs.”
“That’s wonderful, dear.” She didn’t sound like she thought anything was wonderful. More than anything, she sounded distracted. “I could use a fresh cup of tea.”
I followed her into the kitchen and refilled the kettle, ignoring the goosebumps along my arms. We sat at the table to wait for the water to boil.
I took her hand in both of mine. “Where did you go in there, Aggie?”
She pressed a finger against her lower lip and took a deep breath. “I was... I watched my own death.” She paused. “Again.”
She’d told me some time ago that she’d seen her death, and then had reassured me that her demise remained some time off in the future. She’d seemed almost chipper about it then. Now, not so much.
“We still have time, right?” I frowned when she didn’t answer immediately.
Finally, she shook her head, sending all those small ringlets jiggling on her head. “Not as much as I’d thought.”
My stomach dropped like I’d been shoved off a skyscraper. “How soon?”
She shrugged. “We can never be too sure of these things.” She patted my hands then went to make the tea.
“You’re usually pretty sure of things you shouldn’t already know. You said something was coming last year, and it came.”
She measured tealeaves into each cup. “I also said you’d take care of it, and you did.” The kettle made a low hum on its way to a higher pitch. She took it off the burner before it started screeching. “But something worse is on its way. Something I can’t see.”
She poured water into the cups and brought them to the table.
I pulled my cup close to me, but it couldn’t warm the icy dread running through me, making me shiver. “Is it an aswang?”
“No.” She bent her head and inhaled the steam. “It’s something very old yet, at the same time, something very new.” Her gaze rose to meet mine and pinned me with its weight. “And it’s going to be the end of me.”
Chapter Seven
Tashi walked me home with a solemn face, as if she sensed my sadness. At the edge of my property, she turned to go but I stopped her.
“Do you need anything, Tashi? For you? For the babies? You know if you want anything at all, you just need to tell
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