squeaked on the glistening floor, echoing in the empty hall, and I paused, suddenly nervous. What if Dr. Farren had only asked to meet me to hand me over to Marcus for further questioning, or worse, to Hecate?
“You’ll have to trust somebody sometime,” I muttered to myself, recalling my visitation from Freya. I might as well start now . I couldn’t do this on my own, and I sure wasn’t ready to trust the gods.
A plain wooden door opened to my left, and a severe woman in a gray tweed suit stepped into the hall. Her heels clicked on the floor, and her steely hair was pulled away from her caramel skin in a perfect bun. I felt like a small child standing there in my ratty jeans and coat, and I jumped when she spoke.
“You must be Darlena. I’ve been expecting you. Come.” She had a faint accent, but I couldn’t place it. She turned sharply and I followed her through the doorway, not sure what to expect. Dr. Farren hardly looked like the kind of person who would run an eclectic, open-minded magical school; she looked more like the kind of principal who kept a paddle over her desk. Maybe I’d made a mistake in coming there.
Her office was a surprise: instead of a desk, she had floor pillows stacked at odd angles on a woven grass rug. She saw my expression and chuckled.
“The office will change to suit my needs at any given time. Today, we’re just having a casual meeting, are we not?”
I nodded uncertainly, looking around. A tray sat on the floor, holding two mismatched porcelain cups, a silver kettle, and sugar. Dr. Farren sank gracefully to the floor, folding her knees beneath her, and tossed a red pillow to me. Not sure what else to do, I joined her, sitting across the tea service from the strange woman.
“Would you like tea?” She held out a small wooden box, and when I opened it, I was assaulted by a variety of smells. I grabbed a tea bag at random and set it in the cup she offered. She nodded and made her own selection, pouring steaming water out of the kettle with concentration.
Finally, she sat back. “Now it steeps, and we can speak. Why are you here?”
Her bluntness was surprising, after the polite tea exchange, but I realized that everything about this woman was going to surprise me. “I’m here to find help.”
She nodded. “I had the sense that you were not here to do harm. But why contact Isadora?”
I shrugged, wondering how much she knew. “I thought she might be able to help me with a magical problem.”
“Such as?”
I paused to stir sugar into my tea. “She knows someone I need to talk to, and he won’t talk to me on his own.”
Dr. Farren’s jaw stiffened. “So you are using the girl to gain access to her brother.”
When she put it like that, I sounded awful. I took a sip of tea and winced as it burned the roof of my mouth, and I hurried to set the cup down. “Yes. No. I don’t know. It’s not like that.”
“You had better decide which truth you want to tell me, Darlena Agara, for I am fast losing patience with you.”
“I’m a Red Witch.”
The woman stared at me impassively. “So I gathered, if you seek help from Isadora’s brother.”
I gaped at her. “Look, how do you know so much about me? What did Izzy tell you?”
“She told me nothing. It was my patron who warned me about you. I want to know exactly what you’re doing here, and what you want with my students. If you lie to me, I will know it.”
I studied her face, and after a moment, I nodded. “I practice Red magic.”
“You told me that already.”
“I know. But that’s why I’m here: I don’t want to be the next Red Witch to die.”
Her gaze was sharp, and I fought the urge to squirm when she looked at me. “Why would such a thing be your fate?”
My hands were shaking as I reached for the tea. “I’ve made a powerful enemy. I want to use Red magic to bring balance of chaos, and Hec—someone—doesn’t like that.”
Dr. Farren stared at me levelly. I had to admire the woman;
“You’ll have to trust somebody sometime,” I muttered to myself, recalling my visitation from Freya. I might as well start now . I couldn’t do this on my own, and I sure wasn’t ready to trust the gods.
A plain wooden door opened to my left, and a severe woman in a gray tweed suit stepped into the hall. Her heels clicked on the floor, and her steely hair was pulled away from her caramel skin in a perfect bun. I felt like a small child standing there in my ratty jeans and coat, and I jumped when she spoke.
“You must be Darlena. I’ve been expecting you. Come.” She had a faint accent, but I couldn’t place it. She turned sharply and I followed her through the doorway, not sure what to expect. Dr. Farren hardly looked like the kind of person who would run an eclectic, open-minded magical school; she looked more like the kind of principal who kept a paddle over her desk. Maybe I’d made a mistake in coming there.
Her office was a surprise: instead of a desk, she had floor pillows stacked at odd angles on a woven grass rug. She saw my expression and chuckled.
“The office will change to suit my needs at any given time. Today, we’re just having a casual meeting, are we not?”
I nodded uncertainly, looking around. A tray sat on the floor, holding two mismatched porcelain cups, a silver kettle, and sugar. Dr. Farren sank gracefully to the floor, folding her knees beneath her, and tossed a red pillow to me. Not sure what else to do, I joined her, sitting across the tea service from the strange woman.
“Would you like tea?” She held out a small wooden box, and when I opened it, I was assaulted by a variety of smells. I grabbed a tea bag at random and set it in the cup she offered. She nodded and made her own selection, pouring steaming water out of the kettle with concentration.
Finally, she sat back. “Now it steeps, and we can speak. Why are you here?”
Her bluntness was surprising, after the polite tea exchange, but I realized that everything about this woman was going to surprise me. “I’m here to find help.”
She nodded. “I had the sense that you were not here to do harm. But why contact Isadora?”
I shrugged, wondering how much she knew. “I thought she might be able to help me with a magical problem.”
“Such as?”
I paused to stir sugar into my tea. “She knows someone I need to talk to, and he won’t talk to me on his own.”
Dr. Farren’s jaw stiffened. “So you are using the girl to gain access to her brother.”
When she put it like that, I sounded awful. I took a sip of tea and winced as it burned the roof of my mouth, and I hurried to set the cup down. “Yes. No. I don’t know. It’s not like that.”
“You had better decide which truth you want to tell me, Darlena Agara, for I am fast losing patience with you.”
“I’m a Red Witch.”
The woman stared at me impassively. “So I gathered, if you seek help from Isadora’s brother.”
I gaped at her. “Look, how do you know so much about me? What did Izzy tell you?”
“She told me nothing. It was my patron who warned me about you. I want to know exactly what you’re doing here, and what you want with my students. If you lie to me, I will know it.”
I studied her face, and after a moment, I nodded. “I practice Red magic.”
“You told me that already.”
“I know. But that’s why I’m here: I don’t want to be the next Red Witch to die.”
Her gaze was sharp, and I fought the urge to squirm when she looked at me. “Why would such a thing be your fate?”
My hands were shaking as I reached for the tea. “I’ve made a powerful enemy. I want to use Red magic to bring balance of chaos, and Hec—someone—doesn’t like that.”
Dr. Farren stared at me levelly. I had to admire the woman;
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