We’d decided to come here for a couple of reasons. One, in all of David’s readings, he’d realized that the past Oracles were always having visions in nature-y places like caves or forests. There were a few woody places around Pine Grove—there was a reason the town was called what it was—but since none of us were in the mood to tramp through underbrush and risk snake bites, ticks, and God knew what else, we’d chosen... civilized nature. Plus it was a nice, private space still in town, but not too close to anything else, just in case this got out of hand.

The country club was a pretty building made to look like an antebellum mansion, and as we drove past it, spotlights on the tall white columns, giant tubs of azaleas by the front door, David snorted. “I feel like I should start humming ‘Dixie.’”

“Have you never been out here?” I asked, and he shook his head.

“Saylor came out here for lunch sometimes, but it’s not exactly my scene.”

There were still shadows under his eyes and his nails were bitten almost to the quick, but in that moment, there was enough of the old David in his face to make me feel a little better about what we were about to do. David’s powers still scared me, and for all that he wanted to use them to the best of his abilities, I thought they scared him, too. And with the Peirasmos still going on, what if him doing this... violated that somehow?

I didn’t want to think about what the repercussions of that could be, but I felt like this was something I owed David. He was asking me to have faith in him, and the least I could do was try.

Ryan’s SUV drove silently over the asphalt lane winding its way to the golf course. We’d decided to attempt this on the eighth hole. Well, Ryan had decided, pointing out that that part of the golf course was hidden from the main road by a hill, plus there was the lake to one side, and trees to the other.

Once the car was parked, we piled out, and for a moment, we all just stood there, looking at the fairway.

“We’re really going to do this,” Ryan said, his hands in his pockets.

At his other side, Bee nodded. “We have to.” She looked over her shoulder at me, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear. “Right, Harper?”

I nodded without thinking. “Right. So let’s get started.”