What now?
I turned my head to the side and t Diana’s gaze. We knew that voice — Levina. And for her to shout ant she had probably seen us appear out of nowhere on the ground.
For her to be here ant she wasn’t alone — that we had company.
El, you didn’t foresee this?
I gritted my teeth when her silence greeted . Of course, abandon when I need you the most.
"Dora? Diana?"
Sinclair.
Oh goddess. Were they here for afternoon lovemaking? Did Levina sohow express her true feelings...–
My thought was cut off when I perceived a scent, one that overtook that of the forest floor and my vomit. Adam.
I sank my head back to the ground, wishing to be teleported back to Makeh’s abode — all to no avail. I was sure the woman would be laughing the hell out of .
"Aren’t you two going to get up?" he finally spoke. "You are standing in our way."
Indifference. I loved it. It would make my work easier.
Imdiately, I got to my feet with no small effort, Diana too. We took our ti dusting our clothes, not ready yet to et the gazes of the newcors.
"Where are you guys going?" I started when I t their shock‑filled expressions — even Adam’s, who was trying to be indifferent. It wasn’t every day that one saw the sight Diana and I had presented to them.
"Really, Dora? You’re going to pretend like nothing happened? Like we literally didn’t see you and your sister appear from nowhere?" Claire asked, her sassiness slowly returning.
"Not exactly. I’m just thinking that it’s none of your business." I folded my arms across my chest, a smile touching my lips when Diana mirrored — her face devoid of emotion. The best sidekick there was.
"None of our business?" She barked a laugh, scowling, scanning Diana and from head to toe.
"I think we should report them to the queen." She spoke this ti to the group, hands on her waist. "She might be conniving with the enemies of the community for all we know."
Claire has been trying since their second visit to report to the queen, and I wondered if she knew that I was the one calling the shots; that Adam’s father thought I should be the queen of the community, that I should marry Adam.
"You should report," I agreed. "Till then, I will be going ho with my sister. We have so things to catch up on."
Without much ado, I grabbed Diana’s hand, and together we walked past the group — or rather, we tried. They wouldn’t let us pass, if their stance was any indication.
Naomi looked torn. My old good friend. I knew though she would side with them, with Noah if worse ca to worst. She didn’t know my real identity after all.
For a second, I let myself imagine what would be, if she knew who I was. I shook my head. I didn’t think it was a good idea. Many things might go wrong. She might slip up if Noah batted his eyelashes at her.
"You want to fight?"
"Trust , that’s not a good idea." Diana backed my question. She snapped her free fingers, and a luminous fla started on her tips. "But I am ga if you lot are ga."
Raul shook his head. "Please, y’all should stop this. No one is fighting here."
He stepped into the space between the two groups. "Nobody is fighting." A pause. "Dora is right. Even if we see her fall from the sky, it’s not really our business, unless she decides to involve us, unless we catch her doing sothing non‑beneficial to the community. Till then, let her pass."
"I don’t know why this is even a discussion. Were you lot actually thinking of stopping from passing?" I looked at Sinclair and Levina. They looked away.
I chuckled. They must feel so great, seeing as they were now moving with royalty. They must feel they were royalty too.
My smile widened when I saw that Levina was wearing a matching bracelet with Rachel. New best friend?
I saw the sa on Claire’s hand. Naomi too. Interesting. Where was mine? Not that I would share a friendship bracelet with Claire. The gods forbid.
"My sister asked a question." Diana’s fla increased.
"No, we were not," Naomi answered, moving to the side. "You can pass, but if we can interest you, we are going to the library."
I shook my head. "We are not interested."
Diana pressed my hand twice — she was definitely interested, but I didn’t change my mind. "I would rather head ho. But thanks for the offer."
This ti, they let us walk past without a word. And as Diana and I headed out of the forest, I wondered what gossip they would indulge in, what plans they might make to find out how we had appeared out of nowhere.
Rachel would surely ask her mother. What would that wicked woman say? I wondered. I also believed that the triplets would inform their father. I wondered what he would say too.
But I wasn’t worried in the least. Makeh could take care of her abode and her children.
"I really wanted to go to the library. There are many books there I want to read. We can even find one on the Quafars," Diana mused when we got out of the forest.
"We can go there another ti. I have El with now."
"But the library opens only to the royals. How..." She stopped walking, realising sothing that I was surprised had taken her so long to figure out. "Wait, the library opened to you. How co? You’re a royal?"
I shrugged. "It would seem so. I don’t understand it either."
That night, I had only tried it out because El hadn’t forthrightly told that I couldn’t enter — only that I shouldn’t go — letting into the fact that I might have the capacity to get into the library. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it worked.
"Oh my goddess. Things keep getting interesting. Still, I’m glad I’m with you on this journey," she said, skipping, still holding my hand.
I laughed with her, only stopping when I felt so kind of bad energy.
"What is it?" Diana asked, sensing my shifted mood.
"Do you feel it?"
"Feel what?" She looked around with quizzical eyes, wondering what on earth I could have seen or felt.
"Like we are being watched... like when we were returning from the contest that day?"
A pause, where she looked around again.
"It’s different from the one we felt from the Quafars in the forest. This is venomous, with ill intent at its core."
"I think I feel it, but it’s faint — like it’s coming from far away."
"Or maybe the watcher cloaks himself well." Not well enough in my case.
I held Diana’s hand tighter, and with no words exchanged between us again, we hurried ho, only breathing out in relief when we saw our house in the distance.
So relieved that seeing Laura didn’t dissuade our relief from filling our systems.
"Where did you two go?" she asked, once we got to the fence.
I thought better of saying we were with Levina, or one of Diana’s friends — she might have checked those out. "We went strolling around."
Not a lie. We were actually strolling before we fell into Makeh’s abode.
She peered at us, searching for the lie in our eyes. I’m not sure what she saw, but in the next second, she was waving us in. "Lunch is ready."
"So, when do we go to the library?" Diana asked a few hours later, after we’d eaten, showered, and helped Laura out with supper and so dicines for her patients.
"I think after the queen’s party. The place may be crowded with a lot of people now. For so reason, the queen is vested in showing off her collections to so people."
Diana pouted, and crossed her legs. We were in my room, on my bed, magic books between us.
"Are you still friends with Levina and Sinclair?" Of course she had noticed the anomaly.
"I don’t think we were ever friends. I think they are opportunists. I guess ti does test everything."
"Yeah," she agreed, slipping her hand into mine. "But sisterhood remains forever."
I laughed, clasping her hands tight. "Yes, sisterhood remains forever."
"So, Maya..." She turned to face . "What did the witch tell you? Did she at least tell you her na?"
I nodded, and then I told Diana all that the witch had divulged to — including the secret that was not secret, including her little travelling story and deal with the painting.
"I think both of us have a role to play in the goddess’s plan, whatever that is. It explains why our paths did cross." A loaded pause. "Do you think part of our journey includes separating from each other?"
"Of course not!" I wouldn’t have it. I picked the magic books, and threw them down, pulling Diana to my side. "I’m sure the future will be better with us sticking together."
Right, El?
Silence.
Anxiety reared its ugly head.
Where is El?
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