"What happened?" I asked, running a whetstone over one of the blades.
She shook her head. "I don't know. Things seemed to be going well. Bubbe was holding them off, seemed as strong as ever. . then something happened. She didn't weaken. She went somewhere. . "
"Here." Bubbe tapped herself on the forehead, then stood and crossed the yard between us. She wore the same red dress she had this morning, but it had lost its crispness and now hung limp and dirty from her shoulders. Her eyes, however, were sharp again as were her steps.
"I went inside myself." She pointed at her temple. "Went where others tried to go."
Mel glanced sideways at me. Both of us thinking the same thing-she wasn't herself, whatever had happened back at the camp was still affecting her, might for a long time.
Bubbe sighed and grabbed the stone wolf that hung from her neck. Her eyes closed, and her lips moved.
Something shifted in the trees.
I glanced toward them, expecting Mateo, who hadn't reappeared since shooting out of the barn.
But instead I saw a wolf, gray and rangy. His nose lifted to sniff the air. I tensed. His eyes scanned over those of us gathered in the yard, coming to rest on the old priestess, her eyes still closed, her lips still moving. He padded forward until he stood next to her, then he lifted his nose and nuzzled her hand.
With a smile, she opened her eyes.
"See, the wolf, you think he comes to the crazy?"
The creature, Mel's family telios, turned eyes old and wise on me. I'd seen the priestess call him before but wasn't sure then or now if he was real or just mist gathered into his shape. His eyes were knowing. They held wisdom I knew I'd never gain, and I wished more than anything I could see through his eyes to know what he knew.
Bubbe laughed. "Not for you, queen. Your telios is like our goddess. . jealous. Best you learn about him before you cheat with another."
She raised her hand and the wolf disappeared, answering whether the animal was real or magic. But she had made her point, whatever had happened to her back at the camp wasn't affecting her now.
She tapped her temple again. "Did you not feel it? The probing? Someone tried to get inside, but I hold that key close. There is too much hidden in here to let go easily." She laughed. I wanted to laugh with her, but I couldn't; what she had said was too chilling.
"You felt someone in your mind?" I asked.
She nodded. "Here"-she touched her temple-"but not here." She placed her fingers over her heart. "That was her mistake. The brain holds knowledge, but the heart. . that is what makes an Amazon strong."
My mind whirled. The thoughts I'd had while staring down Thea. . the doubts. . they had come from nowhere.
"No priestess has such skill. We don't poke where we do not belong," Bubbe added.
Cleo had already shared her story, or what she remembered, with us. Like Kale, that was very little. But she repeated it now.
"I was in the barn. Thea and Areto walked in. They knew something, I could tell. I acted casual, positioning myself to fight, but then"-she frowned-"I didn't want to. I didn't want to do anything. I'd been feeling lethargic all day, since breakfast, but this was worse. It scared me; I forced myself to push through, but it was like swimming through oil. I bent for a broom, to use as a staff, but I was shaky, couldn't concentrate on more than staying upright. Then someone hit me from behind.
"Falling was almost a relief. Losing myself to the darkness was too." She looked down and shook her head. "When I woke up, I was under the hay. I don't know if I could have escaped if I'd wanted to, but the fact was, I didn't want to. I was happy just to lie there staring at the darkness." She walked to the edge of the woods. Her back tense, she didn't move, just stared into the shadows of the forest.
I looked at Kale. "Did you see Padia there?"
She picked up one of the pieces of wood Mel was carving into knife handles. "I don't know." She dropped the wood and looked back at me. "I don't remember what she looks like. I've tried to remember, but whenever I try to recall her, I get a blank. I can't even tell you what her hair color is or how tall she is."
"How long were you on the council together? How many times did you meet? If you saw her, you'd know, right?"
She ran her hands down her shorts. She whispered, "Twenty years, hundreds of times. Would I remember her now? I don't know, but I don't think I would."
I licked my lips. She had to be wrong.
I looked at Bubbe. "Could Padia do that? Could she wipe Kale's memory?"
The old priestess pursed her lips. "No."
A bit of tension left my shoulders. Whatever had happened to the two warriors, to me. . to Bubbe. . it wasn't what we were thinking. There was some other explanation, some simple one that didn't involve someone probing around inside our heads.
"But then, she couldn't convince Kale to kill those humans, make her forget what she'd done, make my daughter lose her will to fight or try to tip her toe into my head. She couldn't do any of those things. No one could, but someone did."
I'd been worried about recognizing the enemy; now I learned she might be inside me. . or could get there.
Silence settled over us.
Mel broke it. "What about Tess? Was she at the camp and we missed her? We missed Mother."
I answered, "Thea claimed she hadn't seen Tess or the baby." Thea's other comments, her suggestion that perhaps Tess had taken on the job I'd refused, nagged at me.
"Thea lies." Lao stood on the porch holding a tray of sandwiches.
I acknowledged her comment with a nod. I didn't trust Thea either. I couldn't even be certain Tess wasn't hidden in the barn. Despite the mess we had made, there were still plenty of bales left stacked.
"She could have been in the house," Kale suggested.
"Or hidden somewhere else on the property," Mel added.
Both possibilities I'd already considered. I stared at the pile of knives Mel and I had repaired. I had two missions now: save Tess and Andres and stop Padia.
Unless what Thea suggested was true. Unless Tess was on the other side. . unless she hadn't been taken, but had taken Andres all by herself.
An owl called from the distance. I searched the trees for him. Funny how I'd lived in these woods for over a decade and I'd never seen as many owls as I had in the last few weeks.
The thought pinged inside my brain like a metal ball in an old-fashioned pinball machine.
I looked at Jack. "Where's Mateo?"
"I haven't seen him since he flew out of the barn."
Literally. He'd seen the owl. . shifted and taken off after the creature.
"Jack, do you speak wolverine?"
The group stared at me, their expression a tad too quiet, but the son answered. "If you mean do I understand what a wolverine wants when he makes a noise that sounds like a growl or a grunt, yes."
"And you can talk back?"