Cate Tiernan: A Chalice of Wind

Jules and Sophie shifted uneasily in their seats. Daedalus seemed coldly angry, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he watched Luc, Luc looked directly at me, and I found myself unable to tear my gaze away. "And some of us," he went on quietly, "are tired of immortality. And we would like to die."

The airplane intercom crackled. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're experiencing a bit of turbulence. At this time, please put your tray and seat in their upright and locked positions. Please make sure your seat belt is securely fastened. The captain has put on the remain seated' light, so do not move about the cabin until the light is turned off. Thank you."

Petra turned off her small overhead light and sat with her hands in her lap. Flashes of lightning illuminated the dark night outside, and horizontal lashes of rain streaked across her window. The plane suddenly dropped several feet, and a woman gave a short cry of alarm. A baby started crying.

It began to feel like a roller-coaster ride, with sudden, jarring jumps and drops and general shuddering in between. Across the aisle, a woman started praying out loud.

Petra closed her eyes, cleared her mind of everything, and began to murmur a general calming spell under her breath. Into the airplane cabin she sent soothing tendrils of calm and serenity, easing fears, cooling raw nerves, blunting the sharp edges of fear and panic.

She didn't bother with a protection spell for the plane. She knew it would be all right.

Ten minutes later, the atmosphere inside the cabin had achieved a lulling sense of divine reassurance. The man next to Petra gave her a small smile when another bolt of lightning cracked outside,

"Natures fireworks," he said,

"Yes," Petra agreed. In fact, Petra was deeply afraid. Not for herself-that was pointless. Nor for the plane and its occupants, whom she knew to be safe. No, Petra was afraid of what might be happening below, 1500 miles away, back in New Orleans. Despite leaving Ouida in charge, Petra felt her base of power in danger of eroding.

The sooner she got back to New Orleans, the better. She had almost finished her mission: Thais would come to live with her, and Petra could keep an eye on both twins. Then she would try to formulate more of a plan, quickly. One that would take the twins away, keep them out of the Treize's long reach. Right now, only one thing stood between the twins and certain danger, possibly even death. That one thing was Petra.

She hoped she was up for the task.