Adam grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Then he and Maisie exited the elevator, leaving me to walk out alone. The mages on either side of the steps watched in awe as I made my way down. Some even reached out to touch me as I passed.
I tried to ignore all this because, frankly, it was freaking me out. They were acting like I was some sort of royalty or something.
Orpheus came around the table and met us at the base of the steps. He took both my hands in his.
“Welcome, Sabina. As you can see, we’re all thrilled you agreed to come.”
I didn’t mention that I hadn’t had much choice. Instead, I forced a smile. “Thank you.”
He then turned me toward the crowd and stepped in behind me. “May I present Sabina Kane, daughter of the hero Tristan Graecus and sister of Maisie Graecus, High Priestess of the Chaste Moon and the Oracle of New York.”
Maisie came forward and raised her voice to be heard. “Welcome home, sister. After decades of being subjected to the evils of the Dominae, you may finally take your place among your true family.”
Behind us, the audience broke out into another round of applause.
“The Hekate Council would like to thank you for assisting us in finding our loved ones who were taken by the Dominae,” Maisie continued. “Without you, we might never have known their fate. You took a stand against our enemies despite great personal cost to yourself. With your support and knowledge, we will finally defeat our enemies.”
Another furious round of clapping. I kept my eyes on Maisie. Her praise made me feel itchy.
“In light of all this and more, the ancient and venerable Hekate Council has created the Sacred Order of the Blood Moon to honor you.”
My heart stopped. I’d never expected to be honored. I looked at Adam, who winked at me and smiled. I watched in shock as Orpheus came forward and handed some sort of necklace to Maisie. She turned to me and held the gold chain over my head.
“We, the ancient and benevolent Hekate Council, hereby dub thee Sabina Kane, High Priestess of the Blood Moon. May you use your exalted position to protect and serve the mage race.”
She lowered the necklace around my neck. The gold chain felt cool against my skin. “Behold, all assembled, Sabina Kane is now under the protection of the Hekate Council. Any enemy of hers shall be enemy to us all.”
I looked down. At the end of the chain, an amulet about the size of a silver dollar nestled between my breasts. A large moonstone sat in the center of a gold setting etched with characters that looked like hieroglyphs. I assumed they were actually Hekatian, the mage ceremonial language.
I met my sister’s eyes, which glistened suspiciously. “What does it say?”
“It says: ‘For she is the torchbearer, this daughter of Hekate; she will light the way.’ ”
My eyes stung, and I had trouble swallowing. “Thanks,” I said, not trusting myself to say more.
Maisie wrapped me in a fierce hug. “Thank you, sister.”
When the cheering and praises to Hekate finally petered out, Orpheus nodded to a nearby female mage with long silver hair. Wise eyes looked out from a youthful face bearing an impish smile. She wore a purple chiton and an amulet similar to the one I just received.
“Rhea Lazarus, High Priestess of the Elder Moon, will now commence with the cleansing rites,” Orpheus said.
I paused. Was this the aunt Adam mentioned? I glanced at him for confirmation. But his eyes were on the female. The fond smile on his face gave me my answer.
Rhea winked back at her nephew before focusing on me. In her hands she held a bundle of dried herbs. She whispered something and the tip of the bundle sparked. Fragrant smoke rose from it and tickled my nose. She started chanting something I couldn’t understand as she waved the smoldering bundle around my head. Then she moved in a counterclockwise circle around me.
I tried not to fidget during the process. The rest of the mages watched in silence. I guess they were used to having a weird old lady wave foul-smelling smoke in their faces.
When she finished her last lap, she snapped her fingers and a young female mage in a gray chiton came forward. She held a golden goblet out to me. “Drink.”
I took the cup and looked inside. The liquid’s lack of color didn’t give me any clues about its makeup. It could have been water or vodka or strychnine for all I knew.
I looked up to ask the girl what it was, but she vanished. And when I say vanish, I don’t mean she’d walked away. Poof—she was gone. No one else seemed surprised by this.
I glanced at Adam. He nodded reassuringly. Since Rhea was his aunt, I figured I could trust her.
I raised the goblet to my nose and sniffed. The scent of lemons and something floral—roses maybe—shooed away any lingering doubts. I lifted the cup to my lips and took a large mouthful.
Turns out roses and lemon combined with salt and cayenne pepper tastes like burning. What’s worse, the salty magma made my mouth swell and pucker like a monkey’s ass.
I gasped and thrust the goblet at Adam, but Rhea’s voice stopped him. “No. She must drink it all to complete the cleansing.”
Adam’s smile was apologetic as he backed away.
The expectant stares of the council and the crowd weighed down on me. Something told me I wasn’t getting out of there unless I finished the foul drink. So, instead of being a baby, I decided to just get it over with.
“Bottoms up,” I said. With a flick of the wrist, I tossed back the rest. My throat burned and my stomach roiled. When it was all gone, I gasped. “Nasty!”
Murmurs of disapproval echoed through the room. Next to me, Adam cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. I ignored all of this in favor of rubbing at my tongue with my palm, hoping to relieve some of the hellfire.
Adam nudged me. “Stop that.”
“My uvula is on fire!” I whisper-yelled.
By then, the cayenne had started to wear off, but not the nausea. I swallowed against the hot spit pooling in my mouth. “I don’t feel so good.”
“You have to keep the potion down,” said Rhea. “It must have time to work through your system.”
Maisie was looking at me like I’d let her down. Like I’d failed some kind of test. “You’ll be fine.”
I glared at Adam with a look that clearly said, “What the hell did you get me into?”
He wouldn’t meet my eyes. Ass.
Orpheus looked from Maisie to me. “Shall we continue?”
Maisie nodded resolutely. “Yes.”
Casting one last anxious look in my direction, Orpheus cleared his throat. “Moving on. As you all know, the council is still considering a proposal to declare war on the Dominae.”
Both cheers and boos met this announcement. Despite my discomfort, I forced myself to pay attention.
Orpheus slammed a gavel on the table. “In light of the divisive nature of this issue, we have delayed a vote until all parties can make their cases.” A few in the crowd grumbled their impatience over the delay, but the members of the council all nodded. “High Priestess Maisie? Do you have anything to add?”
Maisie rose from her seat to Orpheus’s right. Adam had said Maisie was the leader of the council, but from what I’d seen, Orpheus was in charge. I made a note to ask Adam about her role later.
“Thank you, Councilman Orpheus. I would like to report to the council that I had a troubling vision last night. In it, Sabina was standing in the Sacred Grove at the Crossroads. Shadows closed in from all sides while drums beat in the distance.”
A shiver passed down my spine, and I struggled not to shift under the curious glances coming my way. Worried murmurs spread through the room. Members of the council shot me speculative looks ranging from curious to downright antagonistic. Orpheus raised his hands for silence. “What is your interpretation of this vision?” he asked Maisie.
Maisie looked at me, her expression closed. “Obviously, the shadows represent our enemies and the drums are the drums of war. As for Sabina’s role? That is harder to decipher. However, I believe it means she will be instrumental in whatever’s coming.”
A male mage in the audience jumped up. “The vision is a clear sign we must declare war now!”
“The vision is a warning against war!” A female this time.
Suddenly the room was filled with heated shouts for and against declaring war. I looked at Adam, whose jaw was tight. He’d told me the council was on the verge of declaring war before we left California. Either he’d exaggerated to get me to come with him, or things had gotten complicated after he left to come back for Vinca’s funeral. I wasn’t in favor of a war, but I was even less in favor of getting involved in politics, so I kept my mouth shut.
Orpheus banged the gavel like he was hammering a stubborn nail. “Silence! Fighting among ourselves will not solve this problem. You must allow the council you elected to debate the issue and figure out what is best for all magekind.”
The audience quieted like a group of admonished schoolchildren.
A growl ripped through the room like an angry demon. I looked down and realized it came from my stomach.
“Are you okay?” Adam whispered.
The growl came again, this time even louder, drawing the eyes of the council. Lightning knifed through my midsection. I doubled over, clutching my stomach with both arms.
Cold sweat bloomed on my forehead, my chest. Searing pain tore through my intestines. I fell to my knees, groaning. Adam knelt next to me, his face a mask of worry. A circle formed around us. I opened my mouth to plead for help.
And projectile-vomited all over the feet of the ancient and venerable Hekate Council.
4
An hour later, I finally limped out of the bathroom to find Adam, Maisie, Orpheus, and Rhea waiting for me. Light-headed and covered in sweat, I felt about ten pounds lighter than when Adam carried me into Maisie’s room.
I had no idea what the potion they gave me was called, but I had a few colorful name suggestions. I also wanted to kick Rhea’s ass. But first, I needed to lie down.
“Feeling better?” Adam said, coming forward to help me.