Lily handed Selene a cup of tea, with a wink and a smile. Luke just stared at her, like he always did when he suspected more than someone was letting on. She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but that didn’t seem to fool him. Unfortunately for her, Luke was more like Cecilia than he was like Nicholas, not that that made much of a difference; Nicholas always noticed the ladies.

“Hekate should be home any minute,” said Lily, sitting down.  “What do you need her to do?”

“I need a new rune.”

“Why?” asked Luke. Selene gave Ettore a look, as if asking for permission, and perhaps she was. Did she really need to involve them now that they had the choice to live out their lives without running? To answer her unspoken question, Ettore nodded. She took a sip of her tea before answering.

“I need a rune to block out mind readers.”

“Is Jason reading your thoughts?” asked Lily.

“Sadly enough.”

“I thought he didn’t do that,” commented Luke, the muscles in his arms tensing.

“He didn’t before.” They sat there in silence, the only sound coming from Selene sipping her tea and the cars on the street as they passed the apartment. The cars that drove and flew by, fueled by electrical currents created by magic, made the air sizzle. Selene couldn’t explain, but as she drank her tea, she found herself feeling different, better. Being away from Jason and everyone else made her feel lighter, healthier, and, more importantly, warmer. Had being away really changed who she was and what she could tolerate, or was there something else at work here?

The sound of keys jingling the lock caused Selene’s ears to twitch. Hekate entered, her mouth open in a yawn. It took her a moment to register the scene.

“Selene? What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too. I need your help.”

“Um, okay. Let’s go to my room then.”

“I started dinner, just so you know.” Lily smiled at them all, in her motherly fashion.

“I know I can smell it. Let me know when it’s ready. In the meantime, shall we, Selene?” Hekate winked at Lily before leading the way to what used to be Selene’s room. Distantly, as she entered the room, Selene heard Ettore say, “Well, that certainly smells delicious. Do you mind if I stay for dinner?”

Hekate closed the door behind her, locking it and activating the silencing runes she had on the walls. The girl was quick; Selene had to give her that.

“What’s the matter?”

“Jason,” said Selene, looking around the room, seeking out a chair to sit on. Forgetting her room now belonged to a cat, she realized Hekate didn’t really need chairs, just the bed and seat-like cushions Selene was not going to sit in. Finally, she settled on the ground that was covered in lush pillows.

“What’s wrong with Jason?”

“I don’t know. Being there, it’s so cold. There’s so much darkness, I can feel it. It’s making me sick, and I don’t know why.  I’ve been around darkness before, but this is different; it feels darker, unnatural.”

“Who do you think it’s coming from?”

“There are these new Vampyres, young, but I’ve seen them; they’re strong. Jason turned them, and Jason, he’s stronger than he should be, stronger than I was at that age. He’s acting like Pietro. I don’t understand what’s going on. I’m so confused. Hekate, I need you to put another rune on me, one that will hide the thoughts I want to hide. Something isn’t right.”

Hekate studied her, her cat-like eyes contracting in the dim light of the room. Selene wondered if she was doing the right thing, asking Hekate for her help. Could she even help?

“I think I can help you with both. I can spell a crystal for you to absorb the darkness around you. There’s a limit to how much a crystal can take in, though; you may need more than one. As for the thoughts, I know of a very intricate rune that can help you.”

“Then you can help me,” said Selene, relieved.

“I can. But it will hurt, and a normal blade won’t cut it, and I can’t use the Shadowling blade.”

“Then what can you do?”

“A blade of light, spelled by a Priestess of the Holy Temple.”

“Okay, can I just wait here?” Selene wasn’t in the mood to go to church right now, not with the things that were going on with her life. More to the point, she was afraid that she was going to say something Selene wouldn’t like.

“If you want, it might help you feel better being in a place full of light.” Offering her a smile, Hekate extended a hand to her. Perhaps she was right; maybe it would be all right.

***

Late at night, the temple was empty, and yet, it wasn’t. Hekate had been right; being here had made her feel better instantly. She felt stronger, even warmer. Being here gave her a sense of peace.

“Feeling better?” asked Hekate as she led the way to the high altar at the end of the walkway.

“Much. Maybe I should come by more often.”

“Last time you came here, you frightened away one of my Priestesses,” said a voice. Hekate shot her a look, which she ignored, paying close attention to She of the Light. Like last time, she wore a simple white gown with a veil over her silvery-white hair that covered. Even if the veil covered her face, Selene would be able to tell it was her; she smelled more than human.

“Yes, well, I wanted privacy, and besides, you should really have a priestess who’s biased against Vampyre’s.”

“You should have been kinder, Selene Sintas.”

“Selene, how often do you come here?” asked Hekate, looking back and forth between the pair of women.

“Not enough. Ask her what you will and let’s be gone.”

Selene crossed her arms, trying not to look at the Goddess of Light, listening to Hekate explain what she needed as she pulled out a small curved knife.

“Hmm, I don’t know if I can do what you’re asking.”

Selene gave her a cynical smile. “You can do it, High Priestess; I believe you.”

“Selene!” scolded Hekate, shocked.

She of the Light chuckled. “It’s all right, dear Witchling; her attitude is not without cause. Hand me the athame, and I will charm it. A word of warning, though.”

“More warnings?” mocked Selene.

“Yes, and you would do well to listen to this one. It will only work once.”

“We understand,” interjected Hekate before Selene could offer another snide comment. Oh yeah, Selene was definitely feeling like her old self again.

The moment She of the Light was gone, Hekate smacked her on her arm. It didn’t hurt, of course, but it certainly caught her off guard.

“What was that for?”

“Have you no respect?”

Selene rolled her eyes. “She and I are old friends, and given our history, I have a right to act the way I do.”

“I don’t care. She is still a High Priestess and deserves respect while in that robe. Geez, you’re insane.”

“Hmm, well you are entitled to your opinion,” she said, taking a seat on the steps of the altar. That warranted a growl from her feline-like friend. Her ears flattened against her head. Oftentimes, she reminded Selene of her old familiar.

“You remind me of a cat I once had.”

“Huh?” Her reaction softened, and her ears perked right back up. She looked like food was being served. It made her laugh.

“Right there. Whenever I would feed her, she would perk up instantly and give me that expression, completely with the perking of the ears.”

“Well, I am a cat…or was. It’s a common trait we share.”

Selene laughed again, watching Hekate twitch her nose. “You’re too adorable.”

“I know that. Again, feline, that’s a given.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder with her manicured hands. So much like a cat, thought Selene.

Together they waited there for the “High Priestess” to return. In the silence, Selene could hear the flames from the altar lick back and forth in the air. The fire was a symbol of light, a symbol that no matter how dark it seemed, there was always a burning light to fight it off.

The light made the shadows dance, just like Eris used to when they were children. He would make them dance for her, to cheer her up or let her know that he was watching.

Both the fire and the shadows, she realized, were elements that could kill her.

“All right, here you go.” Selene jumped. So caught up in her that she had been that she hadn’t heard her approach.

Did you expect to hear me? Maybe I’m just playing with you.

“Thank you,” said Hekate, bowing. This time, Selene bowed, giving her a sincere smile.

“No need to thank me; I’m just glad I could help.” She handed the knife to Hekate before turning away. But something stopped her short, making her look back at the girl. “Selene, you don’t really need the gem to absorb the darkness; you have a marble that will protect you. All you need is a little faith.

Besides, it’s not the external darkness that you need to fear, nor the internal. You are the Light, Selene, remember that.” She walked away, down the dark hallway she had come from. Selene touched the buckle of her bra where she kept the marble always.

“Selene, what was that?”

“Nothing to worry about. Let’s go.” Selene held her hand on her chest where she could feel the light beat with life.

***

Selene sat on the edge of Hekate’s bed covered in satin pillows. Her shirt was off, lowered to her waist. Obeying Hekate’s orders, she lay down flat on her stomach, her arms under her head. It had been so long, and she was a Vampyre now, but she remembered how much getting a rune hurt. As she had done several times before, she fixed her gaze on a single spot on the wall and let Hekate slather a thick black liquid that would slow down her healing ability before digging the blade into the center of her back, on her spine, encircled by her elemental runes. Seemed like the best place to put it.

It hurt worse than her others, she thought as the blade moved along her skin. Just like her Shadowling rune had felt, like her wrist was numbed by the cold, this one felt like it was burning. As a Vampyre, she was a creature of Darkness, and the knife was now an object of the Light.

When Hekate was done, she placed the knife on her small bedside table and picked up a small vial of liquid next to it. Pouring the liquid on a rag, she wiped away the black gunk to reveal the new rune.

“It’s glowing.”

“What?” asked Selene.

“It’s like your Shadowling rune, only it’s white; it shines.”

“Great. Hopefully, he won’t notice.”

“Do you want me to make you a—”

“No,” said Selene, cutting her off as she buttoned the shirt back up. “I’ll deal with it. However, I do need you to spell your mirror and turn it into a looking glass. It’ll make it easier for me to come and go.”

“All right.”

“Selene?” came Lily’s gentle voice from behind the door. Hekate unlocked her door, breaking off the silencing spell that covered the room.

Hekate stretched herself along her bed, hugging a purple plush pillow close to her chest. “You can come in,” said Hekate.

The door creaked open, and Lily’s face appeared with a giant toothy grin. “Yay! You’re still here!” She grabbed Selene by the hand and yanked her forward. “Dinner is all ready, and Ettore has already had two platefuls. If you don’t eat now, there might not be anything left.”

“Save me a plate!” called out Hekate, who they left purring on her bed.