Page 22 of Call of the Ride
I stilled, trying to tune in to whatever he was talking about. To my surprise, I immediately sensed a ward of protective energy surrounding the entire building—which posed the question ofwhohad the power to put it there. Before I could further ponder, my gaze snagged on the dining table, laden with goodies, including a particularly flaky pile calling to me like a siren’s song.By the time I’d joined the others in the living room, mum had served everyone with Turkish coffee and treats, like a polite human, while I’d already eaten half thekestaneli baklava.
I regret nothing.
In fact, the sugar rush was giving me the energy I needed to ask one of the hardest questions of my life. “Mum…” I began, hoping I wouldn’t come across as overly accusatory. “Who is my father?”
“Jesus, Tan,” Asa shot me a withering look, no doubt feeling every ounce of his ingrained propriety die a horrible death in the presence of my bluntness.
My family was plainspoken, so mum simply nodded before gently setting down her plate and clasping her elegant fingers in her lap. “So,” she replied, her hazel eyes drifting to where the horns sat atop my head, although I didn’t know if she could actually see them.“That’swhat all the excitement is about.”
“Yes,” I gritted out, unable to say anything more without betraying every emotion raging through my system. Vasi and Ace immediately cuddled closer to me on the couch, sending calming energy down our bond, which soothed my ragged edges somewhat.
Mum silently observed me for a moment before softly asking, “What do you want to know?”
“Justwhy?!”I sputtered, wondering why she was making me ask. “Why would you get mixed up with a god? Especially one as...annoyingas Veles?”
To my surprise, mum threw her head back and laughed again. “Oh, Tanny, he wasn’tthatbad. Perhaps a little...uptight, but very respectful when we were together.”
It was all I could do to not regurgitate my baklava as I desperately steered the conversation in a less nauseating direction. “But why allowCassto pressure you into…”
“Taneer Aydem, don’t you dare blame this on Cassandra,” she scolded, and I obediently hushed at the use of my full name. “Yes, she prepared me for the inevitable, but she didn’tforceme to do anything. I’ve known this was my fate for a long time.”
I sat back at that. Mum had always seemed suspiciously perceptive growing up, but I always chalked it up to a motherly instinct for knowing when her sons were up to no good. More telling memories came flooding in, including how my parents’ friends always begged her to read their coffee grounds once thecezvewas empty.
Was I raised by a witchy fortune teller?!
Seeing I was too baffled to speak, mum continued, “I suppose when I first walked into Cassandra’s classroom, we recognized each other. We both had the sight, although our abilities manifest in different ways. I’d always disguised my gift as a party trick most of my life, but thanks to Cass’ guidance, I was as prepared as possible by the time the destiny written on my forehead came to pass.”
Alin yazisi.
“I thought Cass taught British history...” I weakly murmured, my brain having long since overloaded.
“She taught Myths & Realities of British, Nordic, and Slavic Folklore, to be exact,” she brusquely corrected, picking up her plate again and piling on some Turkish Delight. “And a chosen few of us were given extra tutelage at her emporium throughout university and beyond.”
We sat in silence until Vasi gently intervened, “Zehra, can you please tell us more about how youknewthis was your destiny?”
Mum eyed me with concern before nodding resolutely. “When I was about 16 or 17 years old, I had a dream. I was walking through a cave system that was deathly quiet except for the ticking of a clock. The sound followed me until I realized it was coming from my belly—from my womb. I entered an enormous cavern and saw a painting of three men riding horses through the sky. One was wearing white, one red, and the last was cloaked in black, although the man in white called to me the most. There was a beautiful woman beneath them,” her gaze warmly fell on Vasi. “And it was clear all three were attuned to her, and to each other, like the intricate inner movements of a watch…”
“I saw that too!” Ace gasped, surprising all of us with his outburst. “When I was with my mother in her...magical womb cave…that was the mural painted on one wall. She told me it represented Vasilisa and her Brave Riders.”
“Oh, good. So you’re aware your mother is a goddess now?” mum calmly asked, as if that was a normal question. “I could always tell Carol had an otherworldly aura to her, but I wasn’t sure if you knew.”
“She’s Mokosh, the Mother Goddess and consort of…” Vasi piped up, only to abruptly stop as we all realized that mum was essentially the other woman in this situation.
Unbothered, mum simply shrugged before daring to help herself to my baklava. “Eh, perhaps we refrain from pointing that out, ya? We wouldn’t want drama between the mother-in-laws, now would we?”
This is like the Twilight Zone of Modern Family.
“Mum...” I began, finally finding coherence again. “Have any of your visions ever shown you what I’m—that we’re—supposed to accomplish exactly?”
She laughed again. “Why, save the world, of course! You’ll have to be more specific than that, Tanny.”
Before I could decide on how to rephrase my question, Vasi quietly spoke.“‘Drink the sevenfold source to see what you seek, While pointing your heel at the sun at its peak.’”Ace and I stared at her, dumbfounded, before she sheepishly shrugged. “It’s the only clue Koschei gave me for tracking down his death.”
Ooh, I’m going to tell Noxy you’ve been keeping secrets, you naughty witch!
My mum became eerily still, her focus briefly growing distant, and I realized I’d seen this look many times before in my life. The surrounding air pulsed with an energy that felt solid, and my powers responded to it as if it were an extension of my very being. Like the moment my ears popped on a plane, the air pressure abruptly ceased, and mum snapped her attention back to Vasi’s face.
“‘Drink the sevenfold source to see what you seek…’means you will need to draw water from Thames Head spring. And you must do this quickly,” she added, her gaze flitting to her expensive wristwatch. “Because it’s almost time.”
