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walked out. Right through the bald priest. I gasped. She turned back around.
    "Are you in pain? " she asked with concern, walking back to my bed.
    I shook my head, keeping an eye on Annen in my periphery. He hovered motionlessly in the doorway, filling the entire doorjamb up with his presence. He blocked the light from the hallway. Couldn’t she see that?
    "There’s no need to be brave, hon. The doctor ordered you pain meds, so you might as well take them. " She punched some buttons on the IV machine and a few shrill beeps later, I felt a medicinal calm spreading through me.
    "If you need anything else, buzz me, " she instructed as she left. She didn’t even flinch as she walked right through the priest’s transparent body.
    Annen floated toward me, stopping at the foot of the bed.
    "Why are you here? " I hissed quietly. My mom stirred, but didn’t waken. I was uncomfortable having Annen here, in the same room with her. I still didn’t know what his real motives were or what exactly he was capable of.
    He shook his head silently, his black cloak swirling around him even though he was standing still. He smiled one more creepy grin and then slowly pointed at my hand with one long, gnarled finger.
    White hot pain instantly seared into my palm and I gasped, gripping my hand. After a long moment, the pain died and I released my hand, allowing my fingers to fall open. Words had been burned into my palm, as though someone had written them there with a flame-tipped pen.
    Harmonia’s Necklace
     
    "Harmonia’s necklace? " I whispered. "What is that? "
    Annen just shook his head again. His silent routine was getting really old. He had never bothered to hold back his opinions before.
    "What is wrong with you? " I demanded. "Cat got your tongue? "
    He stared at me with his glittering black eyes for a moment before he opened his mouth wide.
    Very wide. Where his tongue should have been, there was nothing now but a tiny stump.
    It had been cut out. I wanted to scream, but couldn’t. A heavy, heavy weight formed in the pit of my stomach. I had a very bad feeling that his injury had been at the hands of the Moirae.
    "Who did that to you? " I asked shakily. It had to have been someone very powerful.
    Annen had very, very strong magic of his own. He would have been able to protect himself against almost anyone. Except the Moirae. Or their sisters.
    He shook his head again, as though my question was inconsequential and pointed once more toward my other hand. The white hot pain seared into me once again. I grimaced, but I was prepared for it this time.
    "You know, " I hissed. "A pen and paper would work just as well! "
    I opened my hand.
    Be careful.
    "Of what? " I asked, looking back up at him.
    But he was gone. I so hated their ability to do that. What was I supposed to be careful of?
    I opened my hands once again, just to re-read the messages, but like their author, they had disappeared. Not even a scar remained in their place.
    I slumped back into my pillows. What did all of this mean? One of the most powerful priests that I knew had been mutilated by someone and was now trying to warn me. My own Aegis hadn’t appeared to me yet and with everything going on, I felt vulnerable and helpless without my bloodstone. Not to mention that Jade was apparently more vital than ever to the Fates in this life. I had a terrifying feeling that my life this time around was really going to suck.
     

 

     
     

Chapter Three
     
    "I still don’t know what could possibly have been wrong with you, " my mom fretted as she handed me a soda. The afternoon light poured into our kitchen, slanting across the sunshine colored walls. This room really was cheerful. It was probably my favorite room in the house for just that reason.
    "Mom, you heard the doctor. I must have just had really horrible indigestion. Maybe I should stop having pizza for breakfast, " I joked.
    I knew it wasn’t the two-day old cold pizza that had caused my intestinal agony, but