1.5 True of Blood: Kallen's Tale (5 page)

She rolls her eyes in an infuriating way.  “
In danger from crazy people in the woods who seem to think they’re Fairies?  Yeah, I care about that
,
which is why I’m trying to get out of these stupid woods and back home
.  S
o
,
thanks for saving me back there from your twisted little friends
,
but now you need to go away and leave me alone.”

“It is not that simple,”
I
say.
 

“My dad has a shotgun and he taught me how to use it.”

I try hard not to laugh. 
“Cowan weapons do not frighten me.”

Now, s
he seems exasperated with
me
, as if I am the one who is
oblivious
and reckless. 
“Will you stop it already with this LARP stuff or whatever it is you’re doing?  I don’t want to play your stupid game. 
Especially if I’m some kind of target in it!”

What gibberish is she speaking now?  I am adding
lunatic
to her list of negative attributes.  Perhaps that will stop me from paying attention to her positive ones. 
Which, at this point, are turning out to be all
physical.
 
“What is a
larp
?”
I
ask
.

She
roll
s her
eyes
. 
A
gain.
 
Seems to be a nasty habit of hers
.
  “Like you don’t know it means live action role playing.  Good for you, you stay in character very well.  Now, why don’t you go find your clothes so you don’t freeze to death
,
and then find some other girl in the woods to mess with.”

Again with the crazy.
 
I do not know how to respond to it.  In an attempt to get off this subject, whatever it may be, I go with,
“If I become too cold
,
I will return to my raven form.”

“Well, then why don’t you change back into your ‘raven form’ and fly away,”
she
say
s
and
start
s
walking again.  “Your friends are probably missing you.”

There is no realm in which I would call either
Maurelle
or
Olwyn
a friend. 
“They are not my friends
,
and they will be incapacitated for a while.” 
I
fall into step next to
her, and I can’t help but notice
that she is trying hard to avoid looking at me.  She truly is embarrassed by m
e
being sky-clad.
 
Yet quite curious, as well.

“Why, did you throw a paint ball at them and now they have to play dead for a while?”

I am pretty sure she is heading towards
completely insane
now
.
 
I speak
more
slowly, hoping she will understand better
this time
. 
“No, I threw a Fa
iry
dart at them
,
which will keep them in a weakened state for the next twenty-four hours.”

“Why not just kill them?”
she asks
.
 

Is she serious?  Does
the
life
of others
mean
so
little to her?
 
Perhaps that is why she will open the realms. 
On the other hand, I doubt she wants to give up her own life in the process. 
“It is not the way of the Sheehogue to kill another,”
I say.  I cannot help adding
under
my
breath, “Unless it is for the greater good.”
  Grandmother’s words are haunting me now.  I truly have to decide if this girl lives or dies
; and
I do not want that responsibility.  I should have refused to come here
, even if that meant Isla never
spea
king to me again
.

“And I suppose you get to dec
ide what the greater good is?” she asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“Yes.”
  At least, according to Grandmother
,
I
do
.

“Well,
good
for you.  You obviously aren’t going to kill me
,
or you would have already
,
so go away.”
 

I am not sure how she came to that conclusion
.  She cannot know that if
I
do not know it to be true at this point
. 
“I have not decided that yet.”
  Hopefully, I have a fair amount of time before I have to make that decision.
 
As I watch her from afar.

She pe
e
ks at me from under her eyelashes
, and her face is flushed with embarrassment again
, as she cannot avoid seeing at least part of my sky-clad body
. 
“Okay, seriously, my parents are not going to be pleased if they see me walking with a naked boy
,
so you really have to go away, like now.”

If only I could. 
“I am duty bound to protect you from the Pooka.  Whether I like it or not,”
I add.
 

“That doesn’t sound reassuring,”
she
remark
s
. 

“It was not meant to be.  I am not here of my own will
,
and this is not the course of action I would have chosen if it was for me to decide.”

“What would you have decided?”

At the moment?
  “I believe keeping you alive is too much of a risk.” 
This is not really how I feel, but I do believe she needs to be scared, otherwise,
I think she will blunder her way into helping the Pooka.  Even I cannot protect her from herself.  That was a bit harsh, though.  I am about to tell her that I did not mean that, when I am hit with a wall of pain.  I drop to my knees in the snow
and become immobilized
.  My
rage, though,
far outweighs my pain, as I cannot believe I missed this.  If I had not been so focused on
the girl
, I would have sensed the magic.

“What’s wrong with you?”
she asks.

What is wrong with me?  I am in a strange realm with you, is what I want to say.  I do not. 
“It seems your mother is more intelligent than I originally thought.  I am not able to move forward or back.”

“What, like you’re stuck?”

With a glower
, I
say, “You are very astute.”

“Well, how do you get unstuck
,
so you can go away?” 

“He can only move if I set him free,”
a spirit says.  Who is she, and why is she so cognizant of her surroundings?  Spirits are generally souls at unrest, looking for revenge or power.

Addressing me now, the spirit says,
“I will never give my daughter to the Pooka
K
ing and allow your kind to roam free in our world.” 

This is her mother? 
A spirit?
  Pushing that thought aside,
I
look up at
her, barely able to contain my
ire
at being referred to as a Pooka
.  “I am not Pooka, I am Sheehogue.  I am here to protect the daughter you have apparently kept ignorant.”
 

“She doesn’t need your protection, she has mine,”
the spirit
says.

Is she serious?  Apparently, crazy runs in the family.  I attempt to stand, but the only thing I accomplish is a grimace as the pain increases.  I swear, as soon as I am free, I am flying as far away from here as possible.  In the meantime, perhaps her mother will listen to reason.  I doubt it
if she is anything like her daughter
. 
“It is only a matter of time before your trifling Witch magic fails you.  You are no match for Pooka warriors.” 

“You don’t seem surprised that my mom is a ghost
,
”
the girl says. 

These are what
she is choosing to worry about at the moment? 
First, my nakedness, and now my lack of surprise at seeing a spirit?
  There truly is something wrong with her. 
I should have taken Kegan up on his offer to accompany me; he would be greatly entertained by the girl
and her idiocy
. 
Perhaps he could have helped me see the humor in it, as well. 
“She is not the first Witch spirit I
have seen
,
nor is she the strongest.”
  She definitely comes close, though.

For some reason, the girl takes offense to my words.
  “You are such a jerk.  Mom, can we go inside now?” 
Could she be any more sensitive?  Perhaps, it is the fact that her mother is a spirit that makes her so touchy.  I guess I could understand that.  I still do not like her, though.

Thinking back to what she said, I am in complete agreement. 
Yes,
I silently beg the spirit,
please take her inside. 
Even if that means leaving
me
trapped here until my magic attunes itself to the Witch’s magic
and
I can free myself.  I will gladly suffer the pain if I do not have to be in her company.

“Yes,”
the spirit answers her, but she is looking at me.
“I will free you this one time
,
but if you try to cross this threshold again, I will not be as kind.
”  I am tempted to roll my eyes, but if she is offering to free me right now, I will not antagonize her.
 
“
Earth, water and air combine, protect my home, protect what’s mine.  Allow this foe so evilly charmed, who sought us out, to leave unharmed.” 

I
fall backwards into the snow as
the trap releases me.  Now, my entire body is cold
.
  I push myself to a sitting position
just
as the girl turns
towards the house
.  She surprises me with a quick glance in my direction just before going inside.  Her face is flushed
again as she observes me
in my natural state
.  I would be more flattered if she was not a raving lunatic.  Tired of the cold, I shift into my raven form and fly back to where the bag Tabitha had sent with me is stashed.  She was kind enough to pack enough food into it for the next couple of days and I am starved.

Chapter 4

I usually prefer to only stay in my raven form for short periods of time.  But, after giving up my fantasy of either giving the girl to
Maurelle
, or of leaving this mountain and forgetting about the ungrateful snit
and everything to do with her
, I find myself in a tree, watching her house
.  I am
in my raven form
because I am
hoping she will not notice me
like this
.

My luck does not hold
out
for long.  A window covering moves and I see her peeking out
.  I dread the moment her eyes move in my direction.  Which, they inevitably do.  Instead of shrinking back behind the window covering, as I hope she will, she opens the window and yells in my direction.

“Shoo,” she says.  I ignore her, hoping she will
take her own advice and
go away.

I am encouraged as she disappears back into the room.  After a moment, though, she is back and she is throwing a ball at me.  I will add the inability to aim to her negative attribute list. 
The list is getting longer.  Definitely longer than the positive list. 
She disappears again,
this time coming
back with a dart.  Perhaps her aim is not as bad as I
thought, for the dart is coming straight for me.  Unfolding my wings, I have to fly to another branch to avoid being hit.  I am tempted to shift back to my Fairy form, retrieve the dart and throw it at
her
.  I never miss.

When
she
pulls back into the room this time, I expect her to return with something larger.  After a few minutes,
though,
it becomes obvious that this is not her plan. 
Good. 
Maybe I can get a few hours of sleep
, now
.  I will
still
be able to sense
Maurelle
and
O
l
w
y
n
if they come near the house.  Closing my eyes and making sure I have a firm grip on the tree limb, I
am able to
drift off.

A short time later, a scraping noise wakes me.  There she is, climbing out her window
, obviously intent on bothering me
again.  I hate her
.  “Go away
,
you stupid bird!” she hisses at me.  Then, she has the nerve to pick up a stick and throw it at me.  My control over my anger is not going to last much longer, if she keeps this up.  I may have to show her how powerful my magic
really
is.  At the moment,
though,
I would be happy if she just stopped throwing things at me.  She clips my wing with the next stick.  I am not going to let her continue to do this.  I shift back into my Fairy form, still perched on the limb. 

As she looks at me, blood r
ush
es
to her cheeks
yet
again.  “Good lord, will you please put some clothes on?” she complains
, averting her
gaze
.

I roll my eyes and cover the bottom half of my body
, hoping to get this conversation over with as soon as possible
.  “Are you planning to throw things at me all night?” I ask.  If she says yes, I am going to force her back into the house with my magic.  And keep her there.

“Are you planning to stare at me all night?” 

Me? 
Staring at
her
?
  Her window has been covered except for the times she peeked out at
me
. 
And just what does she think I am doing out here in the cold – waiting like a peeping Tom, hoping for a glimpse of her? 
She cannot be that vain. 
“I am keeping watch in case
Maurelle
and
Olwyn
decide to return.”
  Though, I do not know why.  All I am getting is grief.

“Then shouldn’t you be watching the woods instead of me?  You won’t be able to see them if your back is too them,”
she says
.

She speaks of things that she knows nothing about. 
“I do not need to see them; I will feel their presence when they are near.  I am more concerned that you will do something foolish and cause yourself to be in even more peril than you already are.”

“Gee, thanks.  Glad to know you think so highly of me.”

Right.
 
I know she is being sarcastic, but I respond anyway. 
“I did not say I think highly of you.  I think you are rather foolish and naïve.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“And I was being honest.”

“Yeah, well, you can keep your honesty to yourself.  Why don’t you fly off and go look for those other two crazies and leave me alone.”

Yes, because I want to go traipsing through the woods
nonsensically,
when I can sleep here. 
“It makes more sense for me to wait where they are sure to come
,
than try to find
them in a sea of trees.  If you had any common sense, you would have figured that out on your own.”
  I have never been this mean to a female in my life
.  W
ell, maybe
Maurelle
.  S
omething about
this girl
gets under my skin
and insulting words
come
tumbling out of my mouth
.  I am starting to feel badly about it. 
To an extent.
 

“Do you always talk like that?” 

Now what is she talking about?
“Like what?”

“Like you’re going to get an E in English if you don’t speak as properly as possible.”

“I have no idea what you are going on about.  My English is nothing less than perfect, as is my grasp on all Cowan languages.”

“You speak other languages?”

I am sure the disdain I feel for her is eviden
t
on my face
.  “It is important to the Sheehogue that we are able to communicate with all lower life forms
;
whereas
,
most Cowan only care to communicate with those in their immediate vicinity.”

She rolls her
eyes
again
. 
She is actually kind of cute when she does that. 
I am going to forget that thought. 
“Will you stop with this Cowan and lower life form crap?”

“How would you rather I respond to your questions
,
if you will not have me speak the truth?”

“It may be your idea of the truth
,
but it’s not mine.  Here on earth, we believe that everyone is born equal.”

I cannot help but
smirk
.  Does she know nothing about her own realm?
  “Your history does not uphold your claims.  And where do you believe the realm of the Fae to be if not on this earth?”

“Actually, I don’t want to know where the realm of the Fae is, I just want you to go back there.”

She has no idea how much I want to comply with that request. 
“And leave you with only a Witch as protection?  That would ensure the destruction of the Cowan.”
  Obviously, she does not care.

“Again with insulting my mother?
  She seems to be able to keep you at bay
,
so what makes you think she can’t keep those other two away as well?”

Her ignorance astounds me – or has knowledge of the Fae truly been forgotten?
  “Fairies are able to attune themselves to the magic of Witches.  It is only a matter of time until I am able to shake off the effects of this flimsy shield
,
and
then
walk right up to your house as if it is not even there.”

Our conversation is interrupted by another spirit. 
A Cowan spirit.
  Now, that is remarkable.  “Your mother’s magic may be stronger than I initially believed.  It takes a powerful Witch to bind two souls to this plane.”  She ignores me as she turns to this new spirit.

Apparently, he is her father, and he is none too pleased to find her out here with me.  Good, maybe he will insist she go back inside. 
And stay there.  S
till
, I
shake my head in
astonishment.  I wonder how long her parents have been spirits.  That must have made for a rough childhood
;
maybe I should cut her a little slack. 
Tomorrow.

The Cowan spirit does insist she go inside, and I cannot help but smirk as Xandra peeks at me
over her shoulder.  I also cannot help but notice
again
that s
he has the most amazing eyes.  I
try to erase that thought from my mind as I
groan inwardly.  I cannot let myself get tied up in her appearance.  I am here to do a job, nothing more. 

A cold job.
  I need to stop teasing her with my sky-clad body and actually create some warm clothes.  But, that is for tomorrow.  Right now, I am going to shift back into my raven form and get as much sleep as possible. 

Unfortunately, sleep is not coming
as
easily now
, and I do not want to think about why
.  Perhaps a short flight will help.  Leaving my perch, I soar abo
ve
the trees, reveling in the fresh, clean air that is filling my lungs.  With the reports of how the Cowan world is progressing, there is always a comment about how they are polluting their realm.  It must not have affected this area, yet. 

I do not go far from Xandra’s home.  I still need to be on the lookout for
Maurelle
and
Olwyn
, even though Tabitha’s Fairy darts should keep them immobile at least until morning. 
Even then, they will be quite sore and feel as if they have the worst hangover of their lives. 
But, Dagda likes to plan for all scenarios.  He may have sent them with items that would help them heal faster. 

Exhausted when I land
back on my perch from earlier, I finally feel like I can get some sleep.  I am about to close my eyes when I see her face in the window.  What in the world is that on her head?  It looks like an oversized turban.  I cock my head to the side
as I ponder why she has put this on. 
I give up, I have no idea. 
To my relief, she ducks back into her room without trying for more conversation.  I can now retire for the night.