“Oh good!” she exclaimed. “You can hear me.”
“And see you,” Mirena added.
“Wait. You can see me? Well, okay. Wasn’t expecting that, but hey, I’ve never talked to a witch before.” She patted her hair for any fly-aways and rubbed a finger over her front teeth. “My makeup look okay? You’re lucky I’m wearing any today. I usually skip it. Got baby triplets, you know, so no time for primping.”
Adira frowned at her sisters. They wouldn’t know about makeup. They didn’t wear any. They were raised to avoid adornments, dress modestly, and behave as proper ladies. Some called it old-fashioned, but it had never bothered Adira. Nastia was the only one of them who preferred modernity. She even had one of those iPhones. Which, to be honest, did seem useful.
“Was it the spell that brought you to the well?” Adira asked the strange apparition.
“The well? I don’t think so, no. I’m in a well?”
The three nodded, but then realized she couldn’t see them.
“Yes,” Mirena confirmed.
The stranger raised one dark eyebrow to form a perfect arch. “Huh. Well, that explains why it worked this time. Water is the key. I’m not powerful enough yet to talk to strangers without the help of the water.”
Powerful. Was the woman one of them?
“Are you Sorcera too?” Mirena asked.
“Nope. Elder.”
Adira shared a frown with Nastia.
“Elder?” Mirena repeated, testing the word. The woman wasn’t elderly. Not even close. What did the word mean in context?
“My name is Destiny, and I’m the lone Elder for a hybrid shifter pack in Arkansas.”
Shifters. A chill ran the length of Adira’s spine. Dangerous. Brutal. They knew little of the humans who shared bodies with animals. But rumors had been passed down through the mystics, and they amounted to nothing good.
“Whoa,” Destiny said, frowning hard. “So… I can feel that through our link. Your, uh… reservations. Times three. But I can assure you, I’m here to help. My pack, and the others we associate with, we are good people. Just, you know, down to earth, working class, like to have fun, kick it with family… that kind of thing.”
Mirena set her jaw. The bravest. She’d hate that Destiny could feel her fear when she was so careful not to show it.
“You draw your power from the water then?” she asked.
Destiny gave a single nod. “I do.”
“And have you ever used your power for darkness?”
Destiny’s brows drew together. “Darkness? You mean for evil? No. God, no. Why would I do that?”
Her question had them stumped. Why wouldn’t she? Lots of people used their powers for evil. Even commoners who had no magic. Power came in many forms and was often mishandled without thought. Was it so strange to wonder if this shifter was the same?
She waved a hand in the air as if she was wiping a window clean. “You know what, never mind. The answer is no. I only use my power for good. Unless you count sneakily setting up shifters so they’ll fall in love and live happily ever after. But I don’t think that’s bad. I mean, I think the end justifies the means, right? I mean, right? They all seem happy. Sort of.”
Destiny went silent.
What had this spell brought them? A chatty shifter with water powers. How was this going to help them find their anchors?
“Okay, straight talk. I don’t think I’ve done anything bad with my powers, but who can be sure, right?” She let out a nervous giggle. “Thing is, I’m here to help you now. The three of you, in hopes that you’ll help me in return. What do you say? Will you hear me out?”
The three exchanged glances. They’d come this far, the least they could do was hear what she had to say.
Adira nodded. So did Nastia.
“We will,” Mirena answered.
Destiny let out a relieved sigh. “Whew. Okay, swell. Because I think you’re the only ones who can help my friends, and boy oh boy, do they need help.”
“Explain.” Mirena’s frustration was showing through her tone.
“There’s a clan of mountain cats in the Ouachitas. They’re the most peaceful group you’ve ever seen, I swear. They’re almost boring. Not like my pack. We race cars, you know. Fast. Reeeeal fast. Anyway, they run a vacation lodge and have strong community ties and all that. Good ‘ol boys, as we call them around here. But they’re under attack and they need help. They need someone powerful on their side—or three someones.”
Adira’s heart clenched. There was nothing more unfortunate than innocents being treated wrongly. Maybe it was because she’d seen it happen too many times, or maybe because she’d been wronged herself in ways she’d never deserved. Whatever the case, Destiny’s story compelled her.