“You have been acquainted with so few of our kind,” Cate said, “you may not know that we are all born with varying degrees of power.”
Until coming to London, I had known only three other goddess born, and the differences between us had been significant. “My mother’s power far exceeded both my father’s and brother’s. And she said I had been born with a gift that exceeded her own.”
“So it was for me as well. Even amongst an entire tribe of goddess born, such a power as mine had never been known. While still a child, I surpassed every healer in the village, and against tradition, the elders named me a full shaman long before I had reached womanhood. My parents were pleased by these abilities, but it was my grandmother who encouraged me to explore the full extent of my power. We used to go into the woods together for hours on end to test the boundaries, and soon discovered that I could indeed heal myself.”
“Is this when you learned to pass your thoughts onto others?” As a recent recipient of her skill, I should have sounded more offended. Instead, I heard an underlying excitement that belied an aspiration I had yet to admit.
She nodded slightly. “Though not at first. My grandmother knew I could feel others’ emotions whenever I healed, so she took it into her head that I should be able to hone this skill into reading their actual thoughts.”
Excitement jumped inside me. “Can you?” I asked, making no attempt to mask my true feelings.
A smile touched her lips, and she gave me such a look, it seemed she could read my mind from ten paces away. “Yes, I can, and that ability alone has saved my life countless times over the years. It’s hard to be taken unaware when you know a person’s true intentions.”
Warm tingles ran under my skin, right up to my crown. Saints above! How often had I wished for that skill? Yet, all this time it had never occurred to me to push the boundaries as Cate had done. “Did you learn to do anything else?”
She didn’t answer at once, but let her gaze drift to the window where the rain pinged against the panes. The extended silence spurred my impatience, and I soon started to worry at one of my rings.
After a moment, she turned back to me. “I will show you something else that I discovered long after my grandmother’s death, but you must promise to stay calm.”
My fingers froze in mid-motion. “Does it involve the inside of my head?”
Cate laughed. “No, my dear, this particular trick involves only me.” Unfolding her hands, she placed one on either side of the bed. “Prepare yourself. I’ve been told the first time can be quite a shock.”
Anticipation thumped in my chest. Unsure what to expect, I followed her lead, bracing a hand on either side of the cushion. Then I leaned forward to have a better look. “I’m ready.”
She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. I stared at her face, and for half a heartbeat, saw nothing more than the shadows cast by the diminishing daylight. In another heartbeat, the shadows appeared darker against her fair complexion. I gasped, a hand pressed to my mouth, as deep creases stretched across her forehead and cheeks. The once firm skin grew puffy and sagged at the jowls. When her shoulders slumped forward, I noticed the rich auburn curls had turned white as snow.
Her eyes popped open, and I started with alarm. “What do you think?” she asked, in a voice so altered I would never have recognized it for her own. “Am I not a sight to behold?”
My mouth opened and closed like a guppy, while producing nothing more than a series of unintelligible squeaks. Blinking also proved elusive as I stared wide-eyed at the woman who had just aged sixty years in a matter of seconds.
“Are you all right, Selah? Shall I calm your nerves again?”
She made to move when I frantically shook my head. Dropping the hand from my mouth, I forced air past the tight knot that had lodged inside my throat. “How...how did you...” The words cut off for more air.
“It’s easier than it looks once you’ve mastered a few basic skills.”
Partway between terrified and amazed, I squinted in an attempt to find the young woman beneath all the wrinkles. Nothing looked familiar, except perhaps the spark that remained in her clouded blue eyes.
“Let me help you,” she said with kind amusement. In a few short seconds, her shoulders straightened and the creases began to fade from her skin. Then the hag disappeared entirely, giving way to the young woman.
Wonder spread across every inch of my face. “How is that possible?” Even with my gift to heal, such an extreme alteration seemed nothing short of a miracle.
Cate shifted on the bed, and her bare toes peeked from beneath the silk dressing gown. “Consider it the opposite of what we usually do. Instead of healing the sick, I am corrupting the healthy.”