Page 6 of Hidden Kingdoms

Titan had been a tiny black ball of fluff when I found him one night while out collecting yarrow in the woods around my house. I had no idea where he had come from, but after he had followed me home, little legs happily running beside me, I spent hours walking around in the dark with him trotting along beside me looking for his owner or some mama dog.

I hadn’t encouraged him to follow me home but that’s exactly what he did. I got the feeling he thought he was the one adopting me and not the other way around. Walking right into the house, straight through the wards that were placed around it, he took a running leap up onto my sofa and promptly fell asleep. That was when I decided he could stay.

It amused me how such a little thing could have been happily sniffing around in the mud on its own, and I decided this teeny pup needed a big name.

Ironically, Titan had grown at an alarming rate over the next few years and soon the small puppy I found in the woods stood taller than me on his hind legs. He still curled up on the sofa with me, but it was definitely more of a squeeze, despite the fact I’d upgraded it twice to accommodate his bulk. He came most places with me and was usually stretched out in front of one of the fireplaces dotted around Nanna’s house, making everyone step around him as he napped. Despite the size of the house, I never had to look for him, appearing whenever he was needed or when it was time to go. More than once I found myself wondering if he could read my mind before I reminded myself that was definitely crazy.

Titan had stayed home today, not moving from his space on the sofa when I left earlier. I glanced up at the large clock on Nanna’s wall realising it would soon be his dinner time and if I didn’t make my way home soon, I would be dealing with a sulking, hungry, monster dog. As if sensing my train of thought, Nanna turned to me with the sleeping tea, holding it out for me to take.

“Take this tonight, Elodie. Honestly, you look awful with all this lack of sleep. Briar will think I’ve not been looking after you.” A grin curled one corner of her lips, clear blue eyes sparkling with mischief. I could feel her excitement at seeing her oldest friend pouring off her as I took the tea, tucking it into my pocket with a smile on own lips. I stood, pulling her into a hug, the familiar smell of herbal tea and her floral perfume instantly relaxing the parts of me that had still been tense.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Probably best you don’t stay up waiting for Briar—judging by those wrinkles you need your beauty sleep.” I stepped away from her as she laughed, lightlycuffing me on the shoulder as I made my way out of the room. I could still hear her laughing as I headed down the hallway to the front door, opening it and feeling that familiar fizz of energy rush over me as I passed through the house wards.

I lived close enough to Nanna’s that I could take a short walk through the woods to get here, but I’d been tired enough this morning that I’d driven. Pulling out of the driveway I followed the winding roads that led back home, planning on feeding Titan and then working until I was stumbling into bed. Hopefully falling asleep quickly, without the help of Nanna’s tea.

Yeah, definitely without the tea.

3

CHAPTER THREE

ELODIE

Though my body felt rested, I woke the next morning just as drained as I had been the night before. I nestled down further into the quilt, hand resting on a large, black, furry body. In those sleepy first seconds, I willed my mind to drift back off before remembering who was waiting for me at Nanna’s. Only slightly reluctant, I slid from the comforting warmth of the blankets,and Titan, pulling my dressing gown around me and belting it.

Eager to release the stiffness from my body, I stretched out, raising my arms above my head and sinking slightly into the bed as I did. Titan shifted his head to look up at me, as if his big amber eyes could see right into mind.

Looking away, I glanced at the journal I kept by my bed. My dreams had been no clearer last night, just more of the same. Flashes of faces and places racing past my subconscious mind faster than I could attempt to make sense of them. There was a darkness that swirled through it all, weaving itself into every frame as though it was watching them, too—a menacing feeling leached from it that lingered far longer than I wanted to think about.

“Morning puppy,” I yawned, before winding a hand through Titans fur and pressing my head against his, basking in the peace he brought me for a long moment before opening my top drawer to pull out my tarot cards. The pack was worn around the edges from countless years of use, but the paintings on them were as perfect as if they had been painted a day ago. Energy radiated from the cards as I ran my fingers over the delicate pictures, the sense of home washing over me.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and clearing my mind of thought as I shuffled the cards between my fingers. Flicking them over each other until I was satisfied they were ready and arranging them in a neat pile in my hands. Eyes now open, I drew the top card, flipping it over and placing it on top of the deck.

The Tower stared back at me, the great stone monument looming within the clouds, lightning striking the turret. Cracking it open while three windows spilled fire into the air and two figures leapt to their doom.

Could have been better.

Actually, anything would have been better. Unexpected upheaval and change, destruction, crisis. Fucking catastrophe.

Even Nanna couldn’t spin this one into a positive.

I stared hard at the card as though it would morph into something else if I glared long enough. Sighing, I tucked it back into the deck and put them away, absently scratching at Titan’s head as my mind whirred. No immediate signs of upheaval or destruction presented itself to me, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t coming.

You don’t even believe in the cards, so what’s the issue?

Lying to yourself was a funny thing. For years I’d convinced myself that there was no way I had power anything like Briar thought I did, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that every reading ended up true to life. There’s only somany times you can say it's wish fulfilment before it becomes something more.

How do you ignore the images behind your eyes when you look at a stranger in the coffee shop? Watching them smiling and laughing at the same person, who in your mind, just reduced them to a sobbing pile on the floor? How do you ignore the dreams of places you’ve never been but feel an ache in your soul to find? The glimpses of death that invaded your eyes when you happen to brush past someone on the street?

Well, I do, and life is easier that way.

A beep interrupted my thoughts, and I unlocked my phone to check the message. Sure enough there was a notification from Nanna, and I swiped across to open it. There were no words, just a photo of her and Briar, their arms held tightly around each other, and their faces pressed together as they beamed at the camera. The happiness I could practically feel pouring from the phone at being reunited pushed away the unease over my creepy dreams and ominous cards. A smile stretched over my face as I looked at the photo before locking my phone and throwing it onto the bed.

I didn’t bother with breakfast, it was still early, and Nanna would have something for me once I got to her house.

After all, what Nan didn’t enjoy feeding their grandkid?

Crossing over to my dresser by the window, I stood for a moment, watching the clouds drift lazily in the sky, the sun already warming the ground. Pulling out some underwear along with a pair of leggings and a short-sleeved top, I stepped away to change.

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