SELECT

Jules headed for the door. “I’ll send another contingent out that way to search the area.”

“I’ll go out with them,” Broden said, following.

“Jules, please let Broden take care of things,” Lucy said. “Now that you’re here, you should hear the rest of what Fidel found.”

He turned back, his eyes narrowed. “Very well, then.”

“I’ll handle it,” Broden said as he stepped out.

“Well?” Nina asked. “What’s this all about, Lucy?”

The woman sighed. “I found that scroll years ago in the library at sanctuary in Polesk. The oldest tomes and scrolls are still kept there. I took it.”

“Why?” Fidel asked. “Others could have studied it.”

“Because I know what it’s about. There’s nothing to decipher.”

“What is it about?”

She stood, then paced. Finally, she turned back to the others. “I’ve both looked forward to, and dreaded, this time.”

“Looked forward to?”

She sat down and leaned in. “Long ago, after the death of my second charge, Ehyeh visited me in a dream. He . . . revealed things to me . . . shared secrets with me. He disclosed the whereabouts of that scroll,” she said pointing to the item in Fidel’s hands.

“So?” he asked.

“So, when you started talking at our meeting that night about . . . the moons, I . . . Well, all the details came back to me.” She glanced at each of her visitors in turn. “And that’s why I didn’t send anyone after the twins.”

Puzzled, Nina sat up straighter. “But that doesn’t make sense.”

“It does,” Lucy said. “The girls will not come into their powers until they’ve succeeded in a time of testing.” She swallowed hard. “The results will tell whether they’ll ever see their mission—or missions, as the case may be—through.”

“But what’s this about the moons?” Fidel asked. “I can’t figure out what they’re doing. They’re not following their usual paths.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve been watching. They’re preparing to align in an unusual manner. We’ll know if the girls are successful when we see what happens with them.”