Page 19 of Morning's Light

Aisanna wanted to tell Karsia not to cry. Unfortunately, the rest of her refused to cooperate.

She didn’t recall a nice man. She didn’t remember the details of her crash, either. Nothing beyond seeing an icy smile, feeling fingers of darkness travel over her skin. The voice inside of her head causing her insides to boil.

Her hands balled in response and Aisanna knew her mind had erased the accident, buried it deep. Flashes of memory came back to her, memories of the EMT, the hospital. Beyond that, there was nothing.

She was alive. So much for her make-the-best-of-it-day, but she could be grateful to escape with her life. It was a reminder that no matter how hard she tried, there was no escaping her problems. There was no running from the fear and the anger. Or trying to pretend like it wasn’t time to enter crisis mode.

Guess the universe showed her.

Astix stared at her. “Mom, come on. Give her some room to breathe. Her fingers are turning blue.”

“I…I don’t know what will happen if I let her go.” After a moment, Varvara released her and, with a timid sniff, moved to slump in a nearby chair as though the worry had sapped the energy from her body. She wilted like a flower in a lurid purple jumpsuit. “I’ve been worried for so long, I’m not sure what else to do. I live in terror something is going to happen to one of you.”

“We’re fine,” Astix insisted. “We’re handling it. You focus on keeping yourself safe. And sane.”

“What if you—”

Karsia stepped in. “No. Nothing is going to happen, Mom.”

Aisanna wished she could really believe their words. If someone had asked her two days ago, then yes, she’d have agreed. Nothing bad was going to happen. Between the three sisters, their magic was enough to make it to the eclipse without losing their minds and having everything fall apart. They were going to find Zee, find the Harbinger witch, and help stop the veil from thinning and releasing wild magic into their world.

Now? With a slight concussion and seeing faces in the shadows? She wasn’t sure anymore.

“How long,” she managed to croak, “have I—”

“Two days,” Astix interrupted.

Aisanna’s eyes widened at the words. How could two days have passed without her? Who was taking care of her business?

Astix shook her head and rose. “Rest. Okay? Rest and get better. I’m here and I’m going to figure out what the hell happened.”

“It was an accident.” Karsia, anything but convinced, crossed the room to the window. She stood for several seconds before moving again, the motion within her unable to be contained. “It’s no good assuming things and making your own conclusions. We won’t know anything until Aisanna feels well enough to tell us. Helping her should be our main focus right now.”

“I’m not going to argue with you, Karsia.” Astix went to leave, the sound of her footfalls absorbed by the carpet. “The veil is fraying, and we’re here cooing like doves around her bedside instead of doing something. It’s not going to help.”

“Sit, young lady.” Thorvald motioned for Astix to park herself on the ottoman at the foot of the bed. “There’s no need for you to run off as soon as she wakes up.”

“I’m not running off, Dad. But Aisanna needs to rest and I need to work. End of story.”

Something about her movement reminded Aisanna of a dream, a half-remembered snippet. It took everything in her but she found her voice. “She wants me this time. She wants…me.”

Astix turned, regarding them, the wheels of her mind churning. The others looked to Aisanna for answers when she had none. The two girls held eye contact for several seconds before Astix nodded, once, and walked out of the room.

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