[This post is from Thomas Merlin Ambrose’s point of view.]
“How long do you think they’ll be?” I asked after a few minutes of silence, my eyes still closed. I wasn’t exactly sure that keeping my eyes closed helped with the headache, but at this point I was taking everything I could get. I knew without looking that my aunt knew full well that I wasn’t in the best of shape right now, but she was remaining quiet about it.
A tiny piece of me wondered why as the rest of me decided it was best not to be overly concerned.
“Mm,” Hecate hummed, taking her time before answering. I appreciated that even as I sensed Kailey’s impatience growing. I wasn’t entirely sure what had gotten into her, but she was more touchy than usual this afternoon. “It depends on what they have to say and how many questions we have for them.”
“Shouldn’t you be in there?” Kailey asked. She was on her feet, pacing like a wild animal in a pit. I couldn’t quite figure out why she was so upset, unless she was somehow scared. I couldn’t figure out why she would be, though.
Hecate hummed again and shook her head. “No, I’m where I need to be for now.”
The for now sounded vaguely ominous and my stomach flipped over onto itself.
Sighing, I closed my eyes again. “They’ll come for us when they’re ready,” I murmured. “And talk to us when it’s time.”
“Of course Dad’ll tell us when he’s ready,” Kailey snapped.
“I wasn’t talking about Uncle Matt.”
She went silent and I could feel a chill radiating from her. I refused to give in to the urge to shiver.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
I cracked an eye open and watched her for a few seconds. “The riders. They came looking for something. I think it might be us.”
