“What did you do to Cheryl?” Heather asked in a surprisingly steady voice.
“I didn’t hurt her if that’s what you’re afraid of,” Peri assured her.
“Well what else would I be afraid of, that you had turned her into a pig that oinked the national anthem?” Heather asked as her hands landed on her hips and she looked up where she knew the tall woman’s face to be. She could feel the woman’s breath on her hair which told her she was definitely taller than her, which wasn’t hard since Heather was five foot nothing.
“I thought everything was bigger in Texas.” Heather heard a deep voice mutter and then a grunt which assured her that the male who had spoken received an elbow to the gut.
“Well I see being blind hasn’t made you docile.” Heather could hear the grin in the woman’s voice and though she sensed that this woman was no one to trifle with, she didn’t feel threatened.
“And being able to see hasn’t given you manners.”
There was a collective groan from the group still by the door. Heather turned her head in their direction. “Should I be shaking in my boots? Is that why you, let me see…,” she paused to listen to their breathing, to the shuffle of their feet and the little noises they didn’t even know they made. “You six stand over there looking like I’ve just insulted the Governor of Texas by telling him I voted against the death penalty?”
“I don’t even know what that means,” one of the girls muttered.
“Don’t ask, it’s a touchy subject in these parts,” another girl responded.
The woman standing closest to her cleared her throat bringing Heather’s attention back to her.
“All you need to know at the moment is that we will not hurt you. But there is another who will, if you don’t come with us.”
Heather considered her options, not that she really had many. Shoot, she knew she was a blind girl from a small town in Texas with no family to speak of and living on next to nothing. She wasn’t so blind to believe that something big wasn’t happening, something more had finally come.
“Will Cheryl be alright?” She asked tentatively.
“She will be fine. She will wake up believing that you found a long lost cousin and have left for a nice long visit.”
“I’m not coming back am I?” Heather’s forehead wrinkled as she thought about never seeing her little house again, or never spending time training her beloved dogs for people who needed them so badly.
“You might one day convince your mate to bring you for a visit,” the woman said as she took her arm gently in her small but firm hand.
“My what?” Heather asked just as she felt a powerful pull against her body. She didn’t know what was happening but she knew she wasn’t in Kansas anymore.
Peri let go of Heather as soon as they appeared in her home across the veil in Farie. She stepped away from her as soon as she was sure that the young woman had her bearings. The others appeared seconds after her and stepped back to give her room.
“Another one?” Stella asked as she, Anna, and Crina came into the room. She stared at Heather with unapologetic curiosity. “And she’s blind. Are you trying to make the beginnings of a bad joke? A stripper, a gypsy and a blind girl walk into a fairy house.”
“Been gone two minutes and already this is more interesting than my life,” Heather chirped.
“We don’t have time for introductions or explanations,” Peri ground out as her hands clenched at her sides. She could feel the last healer slipping away from her, could feel her sister getting closer and she couldn’t let it happen, not to another one. “Heather, here’s the group, group this is Heather. In case you are just that dense, she is blind. She is not deaf, she is not stupid and she is not going to answer every ignorant question that pops into your heads.”
“She also can speak for herself,” Heather added dryly.
“Pipe down, Helen Keller,” Peri retorted. “Just because you can’t see doesn’t mean I will treat you any different than any of the rest of these know it all’s.”
“She’s all bark and no bite,” Sally added unhelpfully.
“Literally,” Lucian added.
Peri’s head snapped around to glare at him. He shrugged. “Sarcasm, I learn quickly.”
“I would like to point out that, since you said I’m not stupid, that Helen Keller was blind and deaf. I can hear your screeching voice just fine.”
“What is with you people? You’re supposed to be frightened and confused and yelling about wanting to go home? You should be frantic with worry about your families or blubbering on about Mr. Whiskers who will pee all over your house if you don’t change his litter box at exactly six o‘clock.” Peri stared, huffing and out of breath, at the three girls who didn’t seem the least bit afraid.
“Maybe what’s behind us is much scarier than what is in front,” Anna spoke up for the first time.
“It can’t be that easy, but I don’t have time to psychoanalyze three gypsies who are obviously not in their right minds. Those of you going, grab a hand,” Peri nodded to Crina, “You got this?”
Crina nodded. “I’m good, go get the next one and bring my mate home safe.”
“Sally, where we headed?” Peri looked at the healer, her shoulders tight as if awaiting some horrible verdict and, in a way, she knew she was.
∞
Lorelle felt as if she were on some elaborate race against time, only it wasn’t time she was contesting with, it was her sister and her own life. She knew Volcan would follow through on his threat, if she didn’t deliver more than one healer he would destroy her. How he would go about doing that, she had no clue, but who’s going to argue with a spirit that has somehow survived for centuries in a place that was supposed to have been basically quarantined? Yeah, she wasn’t going to either.
She had left Jewel standing in the dark forest, no doubt more than a little confused and scared and allowed the pull of Volcan’s magic to take her to the location of the next healer. As she opened her eyes and took a deep breath of salty ocean air, she could only hope that her sister hadn’t beaten her there. She didn’t know how Volcan’s magic worked or how she was able to pick out the healers from all the other Joe blows in the vicinity, she just knew. Then again wasn’t that why it was called magic, something unexplainable, something that should be unattainable but somehow made possible?
Lorelle heard a sea gull call out only to be answered by another and then another. She turned in a slow circle to find the very big ocean behind her. Light brown sand made for what she was sure was a nice beach, if you liked nice beaches and liked being half dressed with a bunch of strangers bouncing around in what amounts to a giant bath tub like rubber duckies, then yeah she was sure those yahoos enjoyed it.
She closed her eyes and tried to focus, tuning everything else out. “Come out, come out wherever you are, little healer,” she muttered under her breath. Okay, creepy much, Lorelle, she chastised herself. That was when she felt it, the goodness, the wholesome purity that only came with a healer. She followed the direction of the power to a diner just off the beach. The sign read Crustaceans, they’re what’s for dinner. Lorelle’s eyes narrowed and her lips puckered as she read the ridiculous sign. “Seriously, that’s what you came up with?” She retorted as she paused for just a moment to watch the people who unknowingly found themselves in the presence of a predator. A small smile escaped as she considered the irony of the ocean at her back with sharks swimming to and fro, hunting, and searching for that perfect meal; just like she was.
∞
“I swear if one more person snaps their fingers at me for a refill, or t ells me their fries are too chewy or too crispy, I just might have to accidently spill my pitcher of water on them,” Kara whispered to Lisa.
“I hear ya, waitressing in the summer time with the tourists blows serious crab chunks,” Lisa huffed and blew a stand of hair from her face as she quickly wrapped silver ware into napkins to put on the clean tables.
“I’ve got one year left
Lisa, one year and then no more greasy burgers or pushy customers.”
“Where ya gonna go Kara?” Lisa asked, smacking on the gum that she seemed never to spit out. “Not to be a total buzz kill, but with no family and no money, your prospects are looking pretty grim.”
Kara knew Lisa wasn’t trying to be cruel; she was just honest in that way that made you want to stuff a Twinkie in her mouth and tell her not to chew. “I’ve been working since I was fourteen and saving my money,” Kara explained. “I have a plan. It’s not like I live in some fantasy land where I get saved by some white knight or some crap like that. I know exactly where I’m going and what I’m going to do.” Lisa started to speak but Kara held a hand up stopping her as yet another customer snapped their fingers at her and pointed to their half empty drink glass.
“More lemonade?” Kara asked politely though she wanted to tell the rich tourist to get their own damn lemonade. Kara didn’t know what was wrong with her lately. Usually she wasn’t so testy. Usually she had more patience with people. But for the last couple of weeks she had been restless and short tempered.
“I really shouldn’t have to point it out to you, it is your job to take notice of these things,” the lady griped.
“I do apologize about that ma’am,” Kara told her as she picked up the glass and hurried to fill it and then return it to the woman before she could say anything more. She honestly didn’t know how much more she could take. She worked constantly in the summer to save money because she couldn’t work as many hours during the school year. Her foster mom, or really it was more like foster grandmother because Pearl was ancient, hardly had enough money to feed the hoard of cats she kept, let alone take care of Kara. But Kara didn’t complain because at least Pearl let her be. She didn’t hit her, yell at her, tell her she was a burden or touch her in ways that made her want to peel off her skin. She did, however, treat her like one of her precious kitties from time to time and that was pretty disturbing.
Grab your bootstraps, pull yourself up, and carry on, Kara thought to herself as she ground her teeth together. There was, after all, nobody to do it for her or even offer a helping hand. She was on her own, always had been. There were times that she feared she always would be.
It was late afternoon when Kara felt something shift in the air. She turned to Lisa who was wiping down the fountain machine and frowned. “Do you feel that?”
Lisa paused and looked around expectantly. “Feel what?”
“I’m not sure, it feels dark, or evil,” Kara shivered, though it was still quite warm outside.
“Kara, I’m not sure what to think about you when you get your little feelings. I’m not saying I don’t believe you because, hey, I’m totally open minded and all that, but sometimes you kind of wig me out.”
Kara smiled. “Sometimes I wig myself out.” She was trying to keep it light because she didn’t want Lisa to know just how ominous the feeling in her gut was. Something was wrong, like seriously wrong.
She stepped out onto the outside of the pier and began wiping down the tables and folding down the umbrellas that shaded them. Her eyes roamed over the beach that was beginning to empty as the beach bums and tourist began to head home, or just for dryer endeavors. It was as her eyes scanned back to the left that she saw her. Just as her eyes met the cool grey eyes of the indescribable beauty, she felt another pull to the right only this one was bright and full of hope. Her head swung around and she was sure she was seeing double as she looked at a woman who looked nearly exactly like the woman on her left.
“What the,” Kara mumbled. She stood frozen, and her eyes widened as suddenly more people appeared, literally just appeared around the woman on her right. “That didn’t just happen,” Kara mumbled. “That’s not possible, it’s not real. I’m just tired.” She was trying to reason with herself and failing miserably, especially when the women began to talk.
“You cannot have her, Lorelle,” the woman on the right said coolly.
The woman called Lorelle laughed and it made Kara’s skin crawl. “You aren’t going to stop me this time, Perizada.”
Okay, so that’s a strange name, Kara thought and then added really you’re worried about her name and not the fact that they appeared out of thin air?
“You have a weakness that I do not,” Lorelle told Perizada. “You care. You care for humans and the miserable existence they call life. So how are you going to save one healer when there are dozens more in danger?” Lorelle lifter her hands and Kara watched as the woman literally shot light from her palms directly at the diner.
She heard the other woman yell but didn’t wait to see what she and her band of suddenly appearing people would do. She dove off of the pier into the sand below, all the while yelling Lisa’s name. The explosion was not near as big as Kara thought it should have been and when she looked up she saw why. The woman named Perizada had her hands out in the direction of the diner as well and was doing something to minimize the damage that the first women’s strike had done. Suddenly there were feet by her head. She looked up slowly and into the face of Lorelle, the woman she had first seen, the woman who felt like malice and emptiness all rolled up into one.
“You are coming with me,” she told Kara as she snatched her wrist and jerked her onto her feet. She didn’t appear that strong, but she lifted Kara as if she weighed nothing at all.
“Ah-ah-ah, Lucian,” Lorelle chided pulling Kara against her chest and wrapping a hand around her throat. “Move any closer and I will snap her neck.”
“You will not. You need her, though for what I do not know,” the huge man she called Lucian said calmly. A little too calmly for the circumstances if you asked Kara, which he did not. In fact he didn’t take his eyes off of the woman holding her. His silver eyes seemed to glow as he bore down on them.
“If you were sure that I would not kill her, then you would charge me. But you are not sure; therefore, you will stand there like the helpless male that your species constantly produces and watch me take what you think belongs to you.” Lorelle tightened her grip on her as more of the group appeared.
“This isn’t over, Lorelle.” Perizada’s eyes could have burned holes into Lorelle with the anger that her gaze bore. “Oh and don’t bother looking for the other healers, I think the score stands at 3 to 2. As usual you’re losing.”
Please don’t taunt the woman who might snap my neck, Kara thought as she stared at the group across from her. They all looked ready to kill, and she had no doubt that even the smallest among them could.
“I grow tired of being in your bitchy presence, Peri. Rest assured you have not seen the last of me, and boy do I have a surprise for you. My master will not be pleased you have thwarted his plans.”
“Then I imagine it’s your own ass you should be worried about,” Peri snapped.
Lorelle shot another bolt of light at the group just as darkness swallowed them. Kara tried to close her eyes and take slow deep breaths because she knew at any moment she was going to puke all over the not nice lady who wanted to kill her. Then again that might not be such a bad thing.
Kara felt her feet hit the ground and stumble forward, her face nearly colliding with the grass and dirt beneath her. Thankfully her palms slammed into the ground first stopping her from getting a mouthful of earth. She pushed herself up quickly, not wishing to be vulnerable to the threat she knew Lorelle posed and quickly looked around. Forest surrounded her and Lorelle was several feet away staring at her as if she had grown a second appendage in an unsavory location.
“If you’re going to cry and moan please get it out of your system now because I get irritated with bumbling twits, and when I get irritated I do painful things.” Lorelle’s lips tightened as she spoke and her whole body seemed to tense up.
Kara didn’t respond to the remark but instead turned to see a girl around her age emerge from the forest. She was fair skinned with strawberry blonde hair and radiated gentleness. She wore worn out jeans and a grey t-shirt that said ARMY across the fr
ont that looked like it might have actually been in a war.
“Are you like her, or me?” Kara asked wanting to know exactly what the score was.
“Last I checked I couldn’t just vanish into thin air only to reappear somewhere else,” the girl told her.
Okay, so two to one, Kara thought. But judging that the one can shoot bolts bombs from her hands really makes it more like two to one thousand. So not so great odds.
“I am going to make this as simple for you two as possible because frankly I don’t like talking to you. You both are descendants from a long line of gypsies; please tell me you know what a gypsy is?”
“A nomadic people that primarily lived in Europe until they began to migrate to the United States in the 1800’s,” Jewel recited quickly.
Lorelle’s eyebrows rose. “Let me guess Wiki is your one true friend?”
Jewel didn’t seem offended as she answered. “I work in a library; you learn stuff when you work in a library.”
Lorelle shrugged. “Whatever, okay so you know what a gypsy is. Well you two little lovelies have gypsy blood somewhere in your heritage. Don’t ask me where because frankly I don’t give a damn. Because of your gypsy blood you have an affinity for magic that regular, mundane, humans do not,” Lorelle took a deep breath and then continued on. “And because of that you have been chosen by the Great Luna to be healers to the packs of Canis lupis around the world. Any questions?” She held up her hand to stop the two girls who had both opened their mouths. “Wait, I forgot, I don’t care.”
She closed her eyes briefly and rubbed the frown that was forever gracing her lips with her hand. Finally she looked up at the wide eyed healers. “I would tell you to stay here, but really where are you going to go? I’ll be back,” she thought about it and then waved a hand carelessly, “before you can starve to death.” Then she was gone, just poof gone.