To Bind a Dragon - Dragon Affairs, Book 1

07. Witch of Silence

— Oli —

She heard their muffled voices, but it felt rude to listen in while they talked. Even in a moment like this, when her everything was at stake, Oli had to hold onto the two things that always carried her through life: her morals and plain, dumb luck.

Oli scoffed at the thought. The problem was that she didn't have much luck in the past decade and she knew her morals were skewed. What she had for sure was an intense will to disappear into the vo—no, wait, that was old Olívia. New Olívia, post-crippling-anxiety Olívia, just needed to succeed this time. That was all.

One win; that was all it took.

With a deep breath, she focused on a visualization exercise she'd learned on one of the free yoga apps she'd tried over the years. She imagined a light, bright and warm, that touched her feet and slowly climbed up her body, melting down her worries.

What if you fail again? Can you imagine if you lose your powers? Will Madam Nastácia still let you keep your dead-end job?

The light, Olívia. Focus on the light.

How will you pay the bills? Mom and Dad lost their pensions with the new mystic laws; they're relying on you. Will you fail them? Will they lose the house? Can you even survive for long enough to worry about that?

"All right, shut up," she mumbled. Oli clenched her teeth and growled, whisking the eggs harder. With the added strength from her thoughts, she'd definitely make this omelette extra fluffy.

***

Oli swallowed the last bit of her omelette and glanced at Hel. The latter had spent the entire breakfast in silence; in the few times she had acknowledged Oli, Hel looked at her like a snake would look at a rabbit. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it spelled trouble.

She had thought long and hard about this for the past two and a half hours. Her plan was simple; first, earn Hel's trust. Second, gain access to Hipátia's library. That should be enough to convince Celeste and Honorable Grazela that she could handle herself in here.

"It tastes really good with the cheese, doesn't it?" Oli tried again. She had never tried so hard to talk to another woman before, mainly one like Hel.

Hel's answer was a noncommittal hum and a slight shift in posture that closed her off even more.

Great.

Oli let out a frustrated sigh. She had books to research, spells to write, and a ritual to perform, for fuck's sake! Oli finished her toast with a slightly soggy crunch and started to collect the crumbs around her plate. She glanced at Hel again to see if she'd have another opportunity to try chatting, but the woman seemed lost in her own world, too far from Oli's reach.

Her plan would work, right? Hel and Hipátia seemed to have some issues, but they were still mother and daughter.

Not every person on the planet had an unsalvageable relationship with their mothers like Oli. Surely Hel's situation was better than hers. Oli furrowed her eyebrows and stood, snatching Hel's plate from her.

"Hey, I'm not finished!" Hel said.

"That's too bad," Oli said with a huff, pivoting around and marching to the kitchen sink. She froze. Grimaced. Then, she turned around and slowly placed Hel's plate back in front of her. "Uh...sorry."

For the first time that morning, Hel looked something other than bored.

"No. Go ahead." Hel gestured at the table and leaned back, crossing her arms.