Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund Read Free Book Online

front of his robe and smiled at us. “We feel that until now, we have been supportive and yet unnecessarily distant.”
    Cory grumbled under her breath, “Fantastic. They wait until the heavy lifting is done then choose to stick in their oar.”
    “We wish to offer you whatever help we can,” Father Guillermo continued, “though we are aware that this incarnation of the Order of the Lioness—well, it’s not a religious order at all.”
    I looked at the other girls. He could say that again! In searching for eligible hunters, Neil already had enough of an uphill climb without requiring that they be Catholic as well. In fact, I was pretty sure only Rosamund, Melissende, Ursula, and Dorcas had any claim to Catholicism, and of those, only Rosamund was devout enough to attend mass.
    “Had we been consulted,” the priest said, his smile somewhat faded, “we would have encouraged you not to utilize the trappings and name of a Church organization. But,” he said with a sigh, “we were not.”
    Cory’s hands balled into fists.
    “However, we are very happy to offer our assistance, even in these unusual circumstances. I suppose”—and here he placed his hand on his large stomach and gave a little chuckle—”that you could call it the opposite of a faith-based initiative. For you are a secular organization receiving Church funds.”
    Phil’s composed smile was now frayed at the edges.
    “I will be the liaison between your group and the Church, and I look forward to assisting you and seeing you work these miracles firsthand.”
    “That sounds like a pretty dangerous idea,” said Grace, cleaning under her fingernails with an alicorn arrowhead. She shot him a crafty smile, then pricked her fingertip with the point. A single drop of cherry red blood welled and plopped to the cobblestones before the wound knit together.
    Bonegrinder, who’d been lying on the floor pouting that she wasn’t allowed to eat the priest, raised her head and sniffed at the scent of blood in the air. Father Guillermo took a few steps back.
    “Besides,” said Melissende, “we aren’t miracle workers.”
    “Nonsense,” said Father Guillermo. “Your skills in battle, your gift of healing—what are they but miracles from God?”
    “Sorcery?” Melissende suggested with a shrug. Rosamund scowled at her. “What is your word for pagan magic?”
    Phil’s smile had completely withered and thunderheads were brewing in Neil’s expression. Ursula tossed a polishing rag in her sister’s direction to shut her up, but Melissende was on a roll.
    “Our hunter gifts were bestowed on the line of Alexander the Great by the ancient goddess Diana,” she said. “Certainly you know that.”
    Father Guillermo didn’t miss a beat. “Certainly I know what the old pagan myths say. They are very pretty stories, to be sure, and they were all the ancients had, since Christ had not yet been born. No, my dear, trust me: your gifts are miracles of God. The powers you wield, the Order of the Lioness, are like the Pantheon—an ancient pagan artifact that has long since been refocused to give glory to the one true God. I will pray that you glorify Him and that He keeps you safe on your next mission.” He made a sign in Melissende’s direction.
    The real miracle, if you ask me, is that Father Guillermo shut her up.
    He nodded as if the matter was settled. “Now I want to take a few moments to discuss a few policy adjustments we’ll be instituting in the coming days.” He took in our shocked faces. “Don’t worry, my dears. This is nothing drastic. We’re not requiring you to take holy orders. There are simply a few things we at the Church think will better reflect our core values.”
    I shook a few fold wrinkles out of the material and turned around to face Phil. “Well? How do I look?”
    My cousin bit her lip to keep her grin contained. “I think it’s … cute.”
    “Cute?” I snapped, and my headscarf slipped down over my forehead. “I’m