Eleos (Book two in The Empaths series)

Chapter Fifteen

Lilith, Riley and Rachel were chatting and laughing loudly as they approached the cottage. Lucy could hear them from the sitting room. Tristan sat beside her, gently rubbing her back as she leant on her knees, staring at a candle on the table – its little flame flickering to life and then disappearing again as she called and released fire.

She had managed to get her brother settled in his bedroom with something to eat after their conversation, asking if Tristan could stay with him for a few moments while she went to see Scarlett.

Lucy had jogged the entire way. She broke into a run when she reached the meadow, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she approached Luke's cottage.

Scarlett must have seen her through the window, because she burst out onto the porch with a look of terror on her face.

"Is everything alright, Lucy?"

Lucy stopped running, coming to a halt by the porch. "Everything is fine," she replied, waving away Scarlett's fear. "Honestly, we're fine. I just have an important question to ask."

Scarlett took a deep breath. "Thank the goddess" she said, "You had me worried for a moment there." She stepped down off the porch to stand in front of Lucy. "What did you want to ask me?"

Lucy took a moment to get her breath back before answering. "We just need to know where dad's old cottage is."

Understanding crossed Scarlett's face and she nodded. "Of course. I can take you there if you would like?"

Lucy smiled at her. "That would be great, thanks Scarlett."

Scarlett reached out and wrapped her arms around Lucy. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll come right over." She stepped back, her hands still resting on Lucy's shoulders. "Would you like to wait with me or would you prefer I meet you at your cottage?"

"I need to get back to meet the others, but we'll wait for you there."

Scarlett smiled and nodded. "I'll be there soon."

Now, as Lucy stood up and crossed the room to meet her friends at her front door, she felt a tiny twinge of anxiety resting in the pit of her stomach. She took a steadying breath before swinging the door open.

"Change of plans, guys," she said as she stepped aside to let them in.

"Really? What's wrong?" Riley asked.

"Nothing," Lucy replied. "We just need to make a small detour before we go swimming."

Riley rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Sounds intriguing. Where are we going?"

"To our dad's old cottage," Jared replied as he bounded down the stairs and stopped beside his sister.

Rachel smiled at him. "That's a great idea," she said. "I'm surprised you guys haven't already been there."

"I think we just got so caught up in the excitement of being in Eleos that we completely forgot that our father lived somewhere separate to our mother back then," Jared answered. He looked over at Lucy with a sad smile. "It's hard to imagine them being apart at any point in their lives."

Lucy nodded silently, that tiny twinge of anxiety growing just a little more.

"We're just waiting on Scarlett," Jared continued. "She's going to show us where dad's old place is."

"Well, we won't have to wait long," Lilith replied, pointing toward the front garden where Scarlett was making her way along the path.

She waved as they all stepped out onto the porch.