I lowered my voice. “So, I can’t tell even my friends?” I had to be sure.
“No. Don’t tell anyone. It’s our little secret.”
I sighed and frowned. “But Sabina, Kalani, and Halina are my best friends.”
She shook her head, her lips tight. “I know, sweetheart. But it’s important that you remember what I told you. Remember I told you to think before you speak because once you say something, you can never take it back?”
I nodded.
She cupped my face, her brown eyes tender. “Good. Some people don’t understand magic. They think it’s bad. Bad things will happen if people know. Do you understand?”
Mother didn’t mean to scare me, but I was terrified. I wished Mother never told me. What if I said something by accident?
I covered my ears and crouched, bringing my knees to my chest.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Mother pulled me into her arms. Her voice was filled with anguish. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to know about magic until you were older, but your dream…” She pulled back to look at me. “Listen. I’m going to put some special crystals to protect you on your bed so no demons will find you in your dreams. I have hidden crystals around the house so these evil things can’t find us, but if you ever see something like that in your dreams again, you have to tell me okay?”
“I will. But where do these demons come from? And why do they want to hurt us?”
Mother caressed my face and gently gripped my arm. “I’ll explain another day. Papa will be coming back from the barn. Please don’t tell him about your dreams, okay? This is our secret. I promise I’ll teach you how to use the crystals. It’ll be your first lesson.”
“Okay, Mama. I promise.” I raised a hand, elbow bent. “I promise to the sky, the moon, and my heart.”
Mother’s eyes glistened with pride and she planted a soft kiss on my forehead. “I’m so proud of you. You are brave. You are beautiful. You are my daughter.”
What she said next should have made me feel happy and safe, but it sent a chill through my veins.
“I will protect you from all that is evil. You will be safe.”
I stroked my braid like Mother had. What evil and how many were out there, and why would they be after us?
Chapter Three
Secrets
Ikelia
After Mother guided me out of her workroom, I sat at the table and ate my breakfast. I had just swallowed a bite of eggs and shoved a piece of bread in my mouth when Father entered.
“Papa.” I smiled big for him with a mouthful.
Father’s pants were streaked with grime, and his brown tunic was flecked with mud from the pigs. He even had dirt caked on his hair and beard that touched his collarbone.
I giggled at the sight of him.
“Ikelia. Good morning,” Father said and hooked his brown hat on the wall.
Father then filled his cup with water and gulped it down. Some spilled over his mustache and beard. He sure was thirsty. After he swiped his hand across his mouth, he narrowed his curious eyes at me.
“Did you just wake up?”
“No. I was with…” Mama, I almost said, but then I remembered I wasn’t supposed to tell him what we’d talked about. This was going to be hard. “I mean, yes, Papa.” I mustered a warm smile and wondered if he could tell if I was lying.
Father gulped down more water, wiped his mouth with his dirty hand, and smeared more dirt on his face. I giggled and almost spit out a mouthful of milk.
Father shared a laugh with me and then grinned. “Are you excited for the Solstice Festival tonight?”
“Yes, Papa. I can’t wait.”
Solstice Festival came twice a year—summer and winter. Two times a year, the whole town came together to give thanks to mother earth. We ate the best food, listened to stories by the storytellers, and watched dancers while the musicians played their instruments.
“Me too, sweetheart. I love the food.” Father kissed my forehead, his beard tickling my nose, and smiled when Mother walked out of her work room.
“Everything all right?” Mother asked.
“Yes. Everything is perfect.” Father smiled and stroked my hair.
I took a last bite of bread and finished my milk. “I’m done with breakfast. Can I go to Kalani’s house? I’ll be back before noon.”
Mother and Father exchanged wary glances. I didn’t understand the hesitation. I’d always gone by myself, and Kalani’s house was the next door over.
All I had to do was cross the narrow stream behind our house, go up a small hill, and then down the hill. There were no scary forests. And I certainly wouldn’t get lost. I could get to her house with my eyes closed.
“Sure,” Mother finally said. “Come back before noon. We have much to prepare before we go to the festival. And don’t forget to wear your cloak. It’s chilly outside.”
“I will.” I put my dishes in the basin and draped my cloak around my shoulders. But as soon as I was outside, I took it off. I wasn’t cold and I would be running anyway.
I inhaled the cool breeze brushing against my face. As I reached the back of the house, I realized I had forgotten to grab my doll, so I marched right back to the door and turned the knob.
I stopped when I heard my parents’ voices. I shouldn’t be spying but their loud voices told me they were upset, and I wasn’t about to go in and interrupt. They might get mad at me and tell me to go to my room. So I pressed my face to the thick groove of the wooden door and listened for a chance to dart in for my doll.
“Maybe we shouldn’t go tonight Henry,” Mother said.
“Because of Ikelia’s dream? That’s nonsense, Sybil. You’re one of the originals. You have to be there.”
I didn’t understand why Mother had told me not to tell Father about my dream, and then she told him anyway.
Dishes clanked in the basin. Mother must be washing the dishes.
“I can tell them I’m sick,” Mother said.
Father snorted. Then something, maybe a chair, thumped on the wooden floor. “Sybil, that’s ridiculous. You have remedies for all illness. They won’t believe you. In fact, they’ll be suspicious.”
A bang sounded from the cabinet and then Mother spoke. “Fine. I can come up with something. I’ll leave a note and tell them my cousin is sick. I think it’s time to make a life elsewhere. If we leave tonight, no one will try to find us. They’ll be too busy at the party. And the note—”
“Sweetheart.” A pause. I imagined Father’s arms around Mother. “First of all, you don’t have cousins, and your friends who know this won’t believe you. And it doesn’t matter where we go, your circle of sisters are bonded. They will find you.”
“I’d rather be on the run. What if they find out you’re a mortal?”
My mouth fell open. Father wasn’t an Elementa? But why did that matter?
“They won’t find out. And we won’t give them a reason to suspect.”
“I don’t know, Henry.”
Silence.
Father must be kissing Mother to soothe her fear.
“All is fine. You’re worried because Ikelia had a bad dream. The demons can’t find this town. The magic keeps all of us safe.”