Morgan had bought a casual coffin, but an expensive one all the same. From the way Aeron told her, she had dressed herself in her best clothes the night before and had called him to tell him to come and ‘collect’ her no later than 9am, which was when he had found her. She had made all the appropriate arrangements, having sent out invitations to her funeral and wake that week and even gone so far as ask Aeron to prepare a few modest remarks – nothing too fancy, she had insisted.
Jessica wandered around aimlessly. The Darjeeling house was empty save for the coven members that were not ‘elsewhere’, which is how Aeron explained their absence. Jessica did not know many of them personally. It felt strange being amongst them as Morgan’s successor.
“Drink?” Delia asked, handing her another glass of white wine.
Jessica accepted it with thanks. Delia was Aeron’s eighteen-year-old daughter, destined to follow her father as Coven Loremaster. This meant she was a brainiac.
“You alright?” she asked her, and Jessica blinked rapidly, trying to clear her eyes.
“Yeah.”
“It’s happening already isn’t it? You’re the youngest Cassandrian, so you’re inheriting all the gifts and curses. Am I right?”
Jessica looked at her, struggling to keep her vision from blurring.
“Yes, you’re right.”
Delia’s eyes lit up and she drew Jessica off to one side.
“What’s it like?”
Jessica stared at her. What kind of question was that?
“It’s like going blind,” Jessica told her flatly, “my eyesight is going, Delia, it’s not something you can just describe.”
“But is it like being blindfolded or is it like something else?”
Jessica took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. Delia was just trying learn.
“It’s like trying to blink water from your eyes only it doesn’t help.”
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