will. You must face down whatever frightens you. Whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, you have to try. Understand?”
“Yeah.”
I smiled. “Good. It’s okay to be nervous. It’s okay to take small steps, but you have to commit. Here, let’s charge these crystals.”
We sat down with the crystals in front of us, our hands placed firmly on their cool surface. Mine was glowing steadily, while hers was still dim.
“Close your eyes, clear your mind. Do exactly what you’ve practiced. Focus.”
Slowly but surely a light grew within her crystal until it was putting blue-green ripples of light onto the ground. It glinted and gleamed off her glasses, and when she opened her eyes she laughed when she saw what she was doing. I was surprised—she’d picked it up very quickly.
“You have been practicing,” I said.
“Every chance I get.”
When the crystals were charged, we placed them within special glyphs traced onto the floor with charcoal, next to the incense holders. I retrieved two more.
“When I see your father tonight, I’ll make sure to let him know how hard you’re working.”
“Tonight? What’s happening tonight?”
“Oh,” I said, caught off guard. “Um, we’re going out to dinner.”
She shot to her feet. “What?! He didn’t tell me this! Y-you’re going out on a date?!”
“No!” I said quickly, pushing my glasses up. “Not at all. It’s a… friendship dinner. A thank you, friendship dinner for helping you.”
She pursed her lips. “Aw. Really?”
“Yes, really. You seem disappointed.”
“He hasn’t been out on a date with anyone since he was with my mom.” She settled back down on the floor and poked the side of the crystal with her finger. “I really wish he would. I know he’s lonely.”
“Why doesn’t he?”
“I don’t know. I guess he’s afraid, or something. He’s probably worried it’ll end up like how it was with Mom. She wasn’t a very nice person.”
“I see,” I said. “I’m sorry, Elise. That must’ve been very difficult for you. If you’d like to talk about it—”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t remember much. I was a baby when she left. If only he’d agree to come for a reading, maybe that would help him.”
“Would he?” I asked, thinking about the vision.
She shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve tried to get him to, but he’s super stubborn.”
“Perhaps you could convince him,” I said. “Say it’s a part of your training.”
Her eyes widened and she shot back to her feet. “Kole, that’s a great idea! Maybe he actually would.” She began to pace excitedly around the room. “And if he did get a reading, he could finally find out about his mate, and he wouldn’t be lonely anymore.”
“Just a moment, Elise. You can’t make promises like that. There are no guarantees about a reading. Not everyone has a fated mate.”
“Everyone has someone,” she said, frowning at me. “You know, he said the same exact thing. I can’t believe you’re saying it too. You’re an agent! You aren’t supposed to say stuff like that.”
“That’s not true. As an agent, I must make it clear that sometimes my readings turn up nothing in the ways of romance. Sometimes, that’s just how it is.”
Once again, she plopped back onto the floor. “I can’t believe that,” she muttered. “I really can’t believe that.”
I felt bad to have to ruin the fantasy for her, especially when she was dealing with her first crush. But it was an important lesson—perhaps the most important a reader could learn.
“It just means that anyone is as likely to have a fated mate as they are to not have one. I should do a reading for your father. I think it’d be good for him.”
This seemed to make her feel better, and she agreed to convince him to get a reading done. My heart, acting entirely on its own, started racing at the idea. I could finally find out what kind of powerful fortune Markos had written in his future.
“You know something crazy?” I said. “I’ve never been out to a normal dinner before. Only banquets with the reader’s guild.”
Elise looked at me like I was crazy. “You’ve never been out to dinner? Even I’ve been out to dinner, and I’m almost twelve.”
“I don’t go out much,” I said, smiling. “I never really have a reason to.” I didn’t have any friends in the city—only clients. Aside from Elise, at least. “How do you dress for dinner?”
She looked me up and down. “Why don’t you just wear that?”
I looked down at my usual outfit of a black button-up and black slacks. “It