I'd become a "regular" at Patty's. She unlocked the front door at seven every morning, and I was always waiting. I didn't have much else to do in the mornings, it gave me a good view of the library, and I'd grown accustomed to a morning cup of coffee during my time with the pack.

I'd found a decent cave near a creek where I was able to bathe and wash my clothes. My phone had died a few days ago, and I hadn't troubled myself to charge it. I'd talked to Asher and he'd given me the run down of their defeat of the Black Dragon and that they had acquired a whole stable of Ancients. The presence of the Ancients blocked my vision of the pack, which was frustrating, but probably better in the long run. It kept me from watching them from afar and missing them as much. 

Knowing that the Black Dragon no longer presented a threat, however, didn't give me much encouragement to push forward with the kids. Even though I'd had the argument a hundred times, I kept debating whether to go back to the pack or stay, and every time I came to the same conclusion. Whether they knew it or not, these kids needed to be trained, which meant they needed me.

They seemed to be doing okay, though. I kept waiting for a chance to talk to their librarian guardian alone, but every morning, at least a pair of them accompanied him to work. I wanted to talk to him freely, where he wasn't worried about protecting the kids from me. If this continued much longer, I would try to mindspeak him—the strength of his delicate blueberry scent told me we were compatible enough that I could—but I wasn't an uncivilized hermit anymore. I knew better than to mindspeak someone without permission. 

Okay, maybe I was back to being a hermit, but the social laws of the pack gave me a structure I'd sorely missed in my wilderness living.

My train of thought came to an abrupt end as I saw Theo open the door of the library, which was directly across the square—without the kids this time. I fished a twenty out of the envelope Asher had given me—already worn with use—slapped it on the table, and started across the street.

The bell rang over my head as I entered, and the rabbit shifter looked up, alarm crossing his face. I put my hands out in a placating manner. He was behind the desk, so I slowly approached it, making sure to leave him clear exits to the door to prove I wasn't here to harm him.

"You're not taking the kids," the small man said. "They've been through enough without being used as soldiers in some war."

I nodded. "I agree."

His mouth opened slightly in shock and I looked around for inspiration. I didn't know how to talk to people without my visions to guide me. Even then, I wasn't good at talking anyway. A bronze name plate gleamed on the edge of his desk. I picked it up.

"Is your name Theodore?"

"Theo." He plucked the name plate out of my hands and put it back in its place. "If you're not here to take the kids, why are you here?"

I knew better than to tell him that my visions told me to come. "We wanted to make sure they were safe."

"Well, they are. Will you leave town now?"

I shook my head.

He sighed, giving me a once over. "I didn't think so." He sat in his chair. I guessed I had proven I wasn't a threat. "Why else are you here, then?"

"The kids need training." I wasn't sure how much I should divulge about their powers. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to abuse that knowledge, but looks could be deceiving. 

"And you're the one to do it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I... am like them." It was going to be hard to convince him if I didn't tell him the truth, and impossible if I did.

"You're gifted, too?" Theo hesitated on the word gifted. He knew enough, then, and he knew better than to expose the kids unnecessarily. That was good.

"Yes. I... I see things."

Theo rocked back in his chair, examining me. "They're scared of you. They said you attacked them."

I ground my teeth as I searched for the words to explain.

"They also told me a lot about this 'Master' of theirs. Were you with him?"

"Did I work with him? Absolutely not."

That answer seemed to satisfy something in him. A tension lessening around his eyes, perhaps. His eyes bored into me. I glanced away, uncomfortable with the attention. The library was so empty.

"The kids didn't come with you this morning."

The silence stretched uncomfortably before Theo said, "My mom brought over cookies last night, so they went kind of wild, stayed up late, and were like zombies this morning." Theo tapped a pen against his desk rapidly. "So what's your connection with the kids? They're terrified of you, but I get the sense you're not a bad guy. And I tend to trust my instincts. But it's hard to overcome their response to you."

I nodded. That was fair.

"What's the deal with this ‘Master’ guy anyway?"

I couldn't prevent the expression of disgust that twisted my face. "He was a vile man. He kidnapped them, killing many of their families so that no one would look for them. He used them as soldiers in his own, personal war."

Theo nodded, his expression grim. "I thought something like that. But why you? Why did you go after him? Why have you come after the children?"

I wasn't used to talking about my gift with strangers, so the words came with difficulty. "Sometimes, I see a thing I have to do. There is no other path. Sometimes I see a thing I must do, because all the other paths lead to darker futures."

Theo set the pen down and folded his hands, resting his chin on them. "And you training the children, if you don't do that, does it lead to a darker future?"

"I don't know. This is a thing I have to do, but I cannot see the path." My stomach dropped at admitting my weakness out loud, but at the same time, it was liberating. Most of my life, I had wanted to be like other people. Now that I was, in some sense, I hated it, but I wasn't constrained by my knowledge of the future. I could say and do anything without knowing it would lead to danger or darkness. I could just speak. It was freeing. It was terrifying.

"How do you plan on winning the children over?" Theo asked.

My shoulders drooped. I had no clue. "I figured the first thing I needed to do was talk to you."

"Well, you've done that. I'm not on your side, but I'm not against you. It's the kids you're going to have to convince, not me."

I nodded, but had nothing more to say. I didn't have any ideas about how to approach the kids.

"Tell you what, tomorrow, I'll make sure it's Gideon who comes with me in the morning. He's going to be the most difficult to win over, but once you've got him, you've got them all."

"Thank you." I started to leave.

“Hey! What’s your name?”

I turned to face him, sticking my hands in my pockets. “Caspar.” The worn edges of the envelope in my pocket reminded me I could at least help out a little. I pulled the envelope out and placed it on the desk. "This is for the kids."

Theo reached for it, but I was outside before he opened it.

How to win the children over? With my vision blank, I needed to talk to someone. I pulled out my phone to call Asher, but it was dead. I'd have to return to my cave to get my charger, and then find somewhere to plug it in.