Tangled

241 Ava: Sister Miriam's Words

"What does that-

"Never you mind, child." Sister Miriam glances toward Selene again, giving a faint shake of her head. "I will return with your wolf, and set some inquisitive minds in motion here in the city." Her words are slow as she gains control of her emotions once again. "This is a matter that affects me, after all.

"Thank you. I do my best to infuse my words with as much gratitude as I can.

Sister Miriam flaps her hand in my direction, an elegant wave of dismissal toward my appreciation. "Like I said, child, this matter affects more than just you. Layla and her lot will find out what information they can from the city council. While I can assure you Dakota Sanctuary is not at war with your lot, that doesn't mean certain factions within are not meddling in the affairs. of your packs." Her smile is tight. "As you've already experienced."

Answering is moot; she already knows what we've been through at the hands of vampires.

"Return to the Fae Ward, child. It is safer for you there. I will contact you when we have some

news."

"Thank you," I say again, like a broken record.

The dhampir glances at the portal. "Have you heard from the Fae named Steve?"

The question catches me off guard. “No, I haven't. I've been in the Fae Ward this whole time."

Sister Miriam's gaze locks onto mine, and I can't shake the feeling that she's questioning my intelligence. Her eyes narrow slightly, and I resist the urge to squirm under her scrutiny.

"That's exactly why I asked, child."

Heat creeps up my neck. Of course. Steve is Fac. She might be my neighbor, and I would have no

idea.

Sister Miriam waves her hand dismissively. "Never you mind. Return to Magister Orion and the safety there.

Vanessa and Marcus go first this time. As I step through, Sister Miriam's voice follows me.

"Oh, and congratulations on contracting with fire and water."

Before I can respond, the shimmering veil of the portal envelops me, whisking me away from Sister Miriam's mansion and back to the Fac Ward. The abrupt transition leaves me momentarily disoriented, my mind reeling from the rapid-fire exchange.

My companions are already there, waiting for me.

"Everything okay?" Marcus asks, his brow furrowed with concern.

I nod, still processing Sister Miriam's parting words. "Yeah, I think so. It's just... Sister Miriam can be a bit overwhelming sometimes."

Vanessa snorts. "That's putting it mildly."

241 Ava Sister Miriam's Words

The woman's cryptic off-kilter.

nature and apparent omniscience never fail to leave me feeling slightly

"Did she say anything useful?" Magister Orion's booming voice startles me from my thoughts as he pops up from behind the guards of the portal.

They're ignoring us this time. Makes sense, since Magister Orion is right there.

I turn to face him, noting the eager gleam in his eyes. "Not really. She's going to look into the situation and get back to us. But... I hesitate, unsure how to broach the subject of Steve.

"But what?" Magister Orion prompts, his massive frame looming over me.

I take a deep breath. "We were working with a Fac outside of the city. A computer hacker kind of person. She disappeared right before we got here, in a very sudden way."

Magister Orion's eyebrows shoot up. "A Fac outside the Ward? Interesting. And concerning."

"Why's that?" I ask, curiosity piqued.This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

*Fac rarely venture outside the Ward these days, he explains, stroking his salt-and-pepper beard. "It's not forbidden, mind you, but it's... unusual. Especially for one to do business in the human world.

I think back to Steve's basement office, so clean and professional despite the empty warehouse above. It hadn't seemed particularly magical at the time, but it was certainly unusual.

*Could she have been hiding from something?" Vanessa asks, voicing the question that's been. nagging at me.

Magister Orion shrugs his massive shoulders. "It's possible. The Fae have their own politics and intrigues, from small family squabbles to massive wars at times. But without more information, it's impossible to say."

I nod, feeling the weight of yet another mystery settling onto my shoulders. As if I didn't have enough to worry about already.

"Oh," I say, remembering Sister Miriam's parting words. "She also congratulated me on contracting with fire and water, but I never told her that. How does she know?"

Magister Orion's eyes light up, and I brace myself for another lecture on magical theory. "Ah, your elemental affinities. It's quite remarkable, really. Most wizards only contract with one clement, at least initially. To have two right off the bat... well, it speaks to your potential. Potential is great and all, but it also means expectations. I'm struggling to maintain the ones associated with my status as Lucas' mate as it is. "But how does she know? She's a vampire, not a wizard. Or witch. Or magician, or whatever you call us.

"You can use whatever word you deem appropriate. They're all accurate in their own ways. As for Sister Miriam, well, she has her own secrets. And she has her own magical affinities. She either saw it, or she saw it."

I open my mouth, a dozen questions on the tip of my tongue, but Magister Orion's massive hand

241 Ava:

Sister Miriam's Words

gently guides me forward. "Come along now, back to the Magus Hall."

"Magus Hall?" I blink, surprised. "It has an official name?"

Magister Orion's eyes twinkle with amusement. "Well, this week it does. Next week, who knows? It might be the Wizarding Wonderland or the Sorcerer's Sanctum."

A disbelieving laugh escapes my lips. "You change it every week? Like the titles?"

"It gives me something to ponder each week. Although," he adds, a hint of cheerfulness creeping Into his voice, "I suppose I'll have less time for such banal eccentricities now that I have a pupil to teach."

The word 'pupil' sends tremors of exhaustion down my spine. His eagerness to teach is only

second to Jericho's drive to keep all wolves fit and able to defend themselves.

"About that," I say, stifling a yawn. "I'm still so tired. My brain even hurts."

Magister Orion's expression softens. "That will happen. Rest is crucial for magical development. We'll focus on more training in the morning" He pauses, looking at the sky. "The time difference in the training room will be a tremendous help if you can keep up with it."