just too complicated.
“Yeah. Gotta work early, sorry. But I’ll see you at Circle tomorrow, right?”
I nodded. “I’m going to ask everyone for help with a vision. Should be entertaining.”
His eyes narrowed for a minute in concern. “About the Fae, or something else?”
“The Fae will no doubt come up, but something else. It might be nothing, but my mom was worried. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“Okay, man, see you then.”
At home, I set some mugwort, rose hip, and lemon balm to steep, and took a quick shower, washing with one of my mom’s homemade herbal soaps, cleansing off the outside world and readying for this vision. I dressed in the soft linen pants that I wore to coven meetings, but left off the shirt I usually paired with them, because it was hot and Salil had already seen me shirtless several times. The pants always made me feel more ready for ritual. Sitting on my bed, sipping my tea, I planned my conversation goals for tonight’s dream meeting.
“You smell delightful.”
The voice at my window scared the crap out of me, and I sloshed tea all over my pants. “Fuck!”
“Are you all right?” Salil’s light hair shone in the moonlight, though his face was more difficult to see through the screen.
“Shh!” I rushed to the window, scared, excited, and inner thighs slightly burned. “What are you doing here?”
“You were thinking of me quite strongly. I decided a visit might be in order.”
I scowled at his nerve but said nothing.
“May I come in? Or will you come out?”
Good question. My mother was probably in bed, reading, but Noni was certainly wandering around here somewhere. “I’ll come out.”
I slipped on the shirt after all, and found him by the back door, much too close for comfort. “Let’s walk down to the water.”
He tilted his head in acknowledgment and strode ahead, giving me a chance to study his clothes. A long tunic, either light blue or lavender, it was difficult to tell in the night, and loose pants very similar to mine. No shoes. His hair was down, and gorgeous. Damn. I tried to remember all the things I needed to ask him.
We sat on the sand, cross-legged. When I realized I was mimicking his pose I shifted, stretching my legs out straight, but he’d noticed too, and smiled his amusement up at the moon.
I pulled the moisture from my pants where my tea had spilled, flicking it onto the sand. He cocked his head, watching me with interest. “That is a convenient skill.”
“Only a minor one, though. I can’t do much more than this.” I drew the last bit of water out and crossed my legs at the ankles, leaning back on my elbows.
“Perhaps with practice?”
I shook my head. “I do practice. Well, I have since I’ve been home anyway. Still can’t do much more than that.”
His face twisted into a thoughtful expression. “How much water can you move at once?”
“Not more than a few gallons.” I hadn’t really tried to move any more than that. “Why?”
“No reason. It is a good skill, you should hone it.”
Something about his tone sounded off, he was much too serious. But I dismissed my worry. I had more immediate concerns. “I need to ask you some questions. I need… I need your help.”
He turned to me sharply. “Anything.”
His intensity shocked me, and the passion of his response left me speechless. He was studying me now, probably trying to read me, but the look on his face was all fierce protectiveness and worry. He loves me. I took a deep breath and shook myself of that insight. Remember what you need to ask.
“Okay. Well. Here goes… I have some skill, as you know, with divination. But my problem is in interpreting the things I see. I know I haven’t been very studious, and now I’ve had a few visions I just can’t figure out.”
“Interpretation is half of divination. Seeing is easy, understanding is skill.”
“I know. I just—”
“No, you don’t know. Understanding is the skill of divination . A skill
“Yeah. Gotta work early, sorry. But I’ll see you at Circle tomorrow, right?”
I nodded. “I’m going to ask everyone for help with a vision. Should be entertaining.”
His eyes narrowed for a minute in concern. “About the Fae, or something else?”
“The Fae will no doubt come up, but something else. It might be nothing, but my mom was worried. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“Okay, man, see you then.”
At home, I set some mugwort, rose hip, and lemon balm to steep, and took a quick shower, washing with one of my mom’s homemade herbal soaps, cleansing off the outside world and readying for this vision. I dressed in the soft linen pants that I wore to coven meetings, but left off the shirt I usually paired with them, because it was hot and Salil had already seen me shirtless several times. The pants always made me feel more ready for ritual. Sitting on my bed, sipping my tea, I planned my conversation goals for tonight’s dream meeting.
“You smell delightful.”
The voice at my window scared the crap out of me, and I sloshed tea all over my pants. “Fuck!”
“Are you all right?” Salil’s light hair shone in the moonlight, though his face was more difficult to see through the screen.
“Shh!” I rushed to the window, scared, excited, and inner thighs slightly burned. “What are you doing here?”
“You were thinking of me quite strongly. I decided a visit might be in order.”
I scowled at his nerve but said nothing.
“May I come in? Or will you come out?”
Good question. My mother was probably in bed, reading, but Noni was certainly wandering around here somewhere. “I’ll come out.”
I slipped on the shirt after all, and found him by the back door, much too close for comfort. “Let’s walk down to the water.”
He tilted his head in acknowledgment and strode ahead, giving me a chance to study his clothes. A long tunic, either light blue or lavender, it was difficult to tell in the night, and loose pants very similar to mine. No shoes. His hair was down, and gorgeous. Damn. I tried to remember all the things I needed to ask him.
We sat on the sand, cross-legged. When I realized I was mimicking his pose I shifted, stretching my legs out straight, but he’d noticed too, and smiled his amusement up at the moon.
I pulled the moisture from my pants where my tea had spilled, flicking it onto the sand. He cocked his head, watching me with interest. “That is a convenient skill.”
“Only a minor one, though. I can’t do much more than this.” I drew the last bit of water out and crossed my legs at the ankles, leaning back on my elbows.
“Perhaps with practice?”
I shook my head. “I do practice. Well, I have since I’ve been home anyway. Still can’t do much more than that.”
His face twisted into a thoughtful expression. “How much water can you move at once?”
“Not more than a few gallons.” I hadn’t really tried to move any more than that. “Why?”
“No reason. It is a good skill, you should hone it.”
Something about his tone sounded off, he was much too serious. But I dismissed my worry. I had more immediate concerns. “I need to ask you some questions. I need… I need your help.”
He turned to me sharply. “Anything.”
His intensity shocked me, and the passion of his response left me speechless. He was studying me now, probably trying to read me, but the look on his face was all fierce protectiveness and worry. He loves me. I took a deep breath and shook myself of that insight. Remember what you need to ask.
“Okay. Well. Here goes… I have some skill, as you know, with divination. But my problem is in interpreting the things I see. I know I haven’t been very studious, and now I’ve had a few visions I just can’t figure out.”
“Interpretation is half of divination. Seeing is easy, understanding is skill.”
“I know. I just—”
“No, you don’t know. Understanding is the skill of divination . A skill
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