“Makes sense,” Sarah Beth said, her gaze suddenly drawn to the fountain in the middle of the room, where a sculpture of St. George slaying a slithering dragon—marble and bronze, wet and glistening—rose from a pool of gurgling water jets. Water sounds echoed off the dome, creating a soothing and natural cadence . . . like a babbling brook in a forest. Encircling the fountain, a ring of comfortable-looking sofas and recliner chairs faced inward, each with a dedicated side table.

Oh yeah, I’m definitely going to be spending lots of time here.

Pastor Dee glanced at her watch. “We have about forty-five minutes before dinner, so if you’re up for it, we can start your first lesson.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Corbin smiled and gestured for Sarah Beth to join her on one of the sofas. Pastor Dee sat opposite them on an ottoman, leaning in, elbows on knees.

“You’ve already demonstrated a gift for locating. You and I have done it together, but you’ve also done it alone,” Corbin said.

She nodded again.

“So far, and correct me if I’m wrong, you’ve only been able to locate those people with whom you have a strong connection. Like Jedidiah and your mom. Is that correct?”

She pursed her lips and bobbed her head from side to side. “Yes and no. During the Vatican attack, I had a lucid dream . . . I felt like I was there with the Dark Ones in the Ethiopian College on the Vatican grounds.”

“Okay, that’s sort of a different skill—more advanced but related,” Corbin said. “If you can master locating, then we’ll work on projecting next.”

“Oh, so that’s what it’s called,” Sarah Beth said, excited to hear that what she’d experienced was more than just being trapped halfway between being asleep and awake, which was sort of what it had felt like.

“Yep, projecting is very cool. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First, we need you to master locating. It’s, like, the foundation of what we do.”

“Got it.”

“So why don’t you lean back, close your eyes, and relax. I’m going to be talking to you the whole time, but I’m not going to pop into your headspace because I don’t want the amplification effect. It’s important that you can find the threads yourself and follow them without my help. There are going to be times when you’re alone and under pressure and you need to be able to use your skills without it.”

“I understand.” Sarah Beth thought a moment about telling Corbin she had followed threads several times on her own already. She glanced over at Pastor Dee, who was smiling patiently at them, and decided that she would wait.

“I want you to try to find your roommates,” Corbin said. “Remind me of their names.”

“Darilyn and Elizabeth.”