Part 3 (1/2)

Open your circle, scatter the salt along the floor, then sweep it all up and dump it out your window.

See you at dinner!

I picked up the mug and sniffed it. It was still quite warm. It smelled like-and I know this will shock you-herbs. Between you and me, I'd be so thrilled to just have a nice cuppa Lipton. If one can get sick of herbs, and I believe one can, then I was well on my way to being sick of herbs.

Down the hatch with the tea. It wasn't very pleasant, and a little shot of brandy would have gone a long way to improving it. But I got it down. Then I went and checked out the robe in the wardrobe. Quick aside: The word cupboard is about as descriptive and simple as you can get. It began, literally, as a board to put your cups on, way back in the day. And wardrobe? Ward-robe. It would ward, or guard, your robes. Your gowns. Interesting, eh? Stick with me-you'll learn a lot. Not all of it reprehensible.

The robe, which I hadn't seen before, was of heavy white linen, washed to be very soft. It was simple, like a nightgown, and had runes embroidered in white thread around the neckline. I saw kenaz, which meant revelation, knowledge, vision. Algiz, as a ward-evil. Laguz-water? I had just relearned all this. Right-water, dreams, fantasies, visions. Berkano was the symbol for female fertility, growth, and renewal. Fabulous. I turned the gown in my hands and saw dagaz, daybreak or dawn. Awakening, awareness. Finally, at the back of the neck was othala. I let out a breath. Othala stood for one's heritage-literally, the land or estate that one inherited, one's birthright.

The estate that I was the sole inheritor of had been destroyed, razed to the ground, when I was ten. I saw its rubble when I was sixteen. Had never been able to bring myself to go back after that.

I pa.s.sed Anne on my way to the bathroom. She came out, face flushed from steam, dark, fine hair sticking wetly to her head. She smiled when she saw me and kissed both of my cheeks as if she hadn't seen me in a long time.

”I love New Year's Eve,” she said. ”I'm very glad you're with us.”

I was still unused to all this open expression of feeling and replied with an embarra.s.sed, troglodyte mumble.

”Tonight will be very exciting,” Anne said, not put off by my cloddishness. ”Be sure to wear your new robe to dinner-everyone else will.”

”What will we do at the circle?” I asked.

”A New Year's circle is usually designed to help us clarify things in our past and give us an inkling of what the future holds for us,” Anne said. ”People often have visions of events that have yet to happen.”

”Ew,” I said. I myself almost always had visions during magickal circles, and they were pretty much always heinous.

Anne laughed. ”It'll be okay,” she promised. ”We'll all be there together.”

I nodded somewhat glumly and went to take a ritual bath.

CHAPTER 5.

My post-bath hour of meditation was a failure. I'd been spooked by Anne's prediction of vision-seeing tonight, and was still all jangled and raw-feeling from last night's nightmare about Incy, remembering my family today, the at-work incident that I was done thinking about, and the whole ongoing Reyn thing.

Still, obedient Nastasya made a circle with salt, lit a candle, and sat there till my b.u.t.t was completely numb. Finally I sighed, blew out the candle, and sprinkled the salt everywhere as instructed. I got the broom from down the hall and swept my room, then dumped it all out the window.

I looked at the robe lying on my bed. I would feel stupid wearing this. It was so... cliched, the robed witches dancing around a fire at midnight. Maybe I would suddenly come down with something. Stomach flu. Maybe I should just go to bed and stay there all night. Maybe I should- Knock knock.

It was Brynne-I felt her vibrant energy.

”Yeah?” I called.

The door opened. Brynne stood there, beautiful in a scarlet robe. She was our only black member-we weren't an incredibly diverse bunch (I mean here at River's Edge; immortals in general were of course plenty diverse-just about every culture has them)-and to me looked the most teenagery. Her finely boned face was beautiful, and she was long and lean, like a Brncusi sculpture. Only smoother. I felt short, pale, and plain next to her.

Seeing me sitting on my bed, she laughed. ”I knew you were in here being a chicken!”

”What does one wear under this?” I asked, holding up the robe. ”I'm thinking long underwear.”

Brynne grinned. ”Why would one wear anything?”

My eyes flared in alarm. ”Oh, no. No, I've got to have something on under this.”

Brynne tucked her hands under her arms. ”Bawk, bawk, bawk,” she chirped.

”It'll be freezing,” I pointed out.

”You won't feel it,” she promised.

”You don't really mean naked under this?”

Brynne made obnoxious clucking sounds and left. I heard one final bawk! as she went down the hall.

I gritted my teeth.

At dinner I felt stupid and self-conscious in my robe, despite the fact that everyone there was wearing one. They were in all colors: River's was silvery gray, like her hair; Anne's was a deep cerulean blue. Daisuke's was a dark charcoal. Charles's was emerald green. Brynne's of course was red, and she raised her eyebrows meaningfully at me as she took a long sip of her champagne. I scowled at her.

Glancing around, I saw I was the only one in white. As well as the only one with a fine wool scarf wrapped closely around her neck. I saw River glance at my scarf, but she didn't say anything. She knew I wouldn't go without it.

”Pa.s.s the chickpeas, please,” said Jess, on my right. His voice had been shredded by his various excesses, and I didn't know if it would ever recover. His robe was black. I wondered about the symbolism.

”All of these dishes are traditional, meaningful New Year's foods,” said Solis. ”If you eat a bit of everything here, your new year will be lucky, prosperous, healthy, blessed, and full of good fortune!”

I was too busy feeling like a Halloween ghost wrapped in a sheet to focus on what he was saying, but other people laughed and clinked gla.s.ses. I saw my champagne and grabbed it. Champagne is meant to be sipped, but I hadn't had any alcohol in almost two months, and I drained that sucker.

Asher grinned and refilled my gla.s.s. ”Now, sip it,” he admonished. ”Make it last.”

I took a ladylike sip and set my gla.s.s down, pretty sure it was eighteenth-century Venetian handblown crystal. It was gorgeous, imperfect, and as delicate as a b.u.t.terfly's wing.

Someone brushed against me as he stepped over the bench to sit down.

I knew without looking up that it was Reyn. My face froze as I caught a glimpse of his robe, a deep amber color. Quickly I took some sauteed greens from the main bowl and glopped them onto my plate.

”You're late,” said River, but she smiled at him.

”Sorry,” he said shortly. I swear, that man could charm the skin off a snake!

”Well, now that we're all here, let's talk resolutions!” Asher rubbed his hands together. ”I will, of course, resolve the usual.”

I was about to ask what his usual was, but Anne said, ”To make the perfect chevre?”

”Yes! This will be the year!” Asher practically glowed, and everyone laughed. I'd walked past the wheels of curing goat's milk cheeses in the root cellar but hadn't thought much about them except, Hoo, boy, glad I don't have to mess with them.

”Next?” River looked at all of us.

Daisuke spoke up. I knew him the least well of all the students. I knew he was one of the more advanced students and often studied one-on-one with River. He was pleasant but shy. ”I, too, resolve the usual,” he said in a soft voice. ”To achieve enlightenment, free myself of all want, and become one with the G.o.d and G.o.ddess.”