Spinning Tales

by Brey Willows

  “I don’t have the entire story yet, but the gist of it is this. After we left, there was no tale spinner left to keep things in order, and the villains started taking over. At first it was their own villages, and then they spread out to neighboring villages who didn’t have villains in the first place.”

  “Like mine?” Shamus said, his nose twitching.

  “Right. They started demanding payments, and not necessarily in money. Artifacts that were important to that community were either given or stolen. Fairy tale creatures were separated from humans, and both were forced to leave their homes in order to create sectors where they didn’t live among one another.”

  Maggie held up her hand. “Question. Why would they do that?”

  Kody shrugged. “No idea. Many of the villains in this world are fairy tale creatures of some sort who get bested by their human counterparts in the story. Maybe they want an us versus them situation. I don’t know.”

  The purple fizzy drink was going down too well, and Maggie set it aside before the room started to tilt any farther. “How do fairy tales work?”

  The other three just stared at her.

  “There’s a story, right? This person does this, that person does that. There’s a problem, the hero overcomes. Lessons are learned. But why a world for that? Does that mean that story just replays in everyone’s lives, every day? Is it a loop?”

  “Ah. I understand what you’re asking now. Sorry, that first question was a little too big to answer.” Kody’s eyes looked heavy and she blinked several times as if to keep them open. “I guess you could say it’s a loop, but it’s not the same story every day. Everyone is here because of an original story, but once that played out and got written down, the story could adapt and change to some degree. But it’s often the same theme throughout people’s lives. Like, someone always wants more, and when they get what they want, it’s not what they thought it would be.”

  Brenda spoke up from where she lay curled into a pillow. “Or in the case of the true fairy creatures, we’re simply always true to who we are. So the mound people are territorial, protecting what’s ours. The fairies care for plants, the Cat Sith watch over children or help the witches. We just do what we do, within the realms of what we do in the stories we feature in.”

  Maggie picked her drink back up. Maybe alcohol would help it all make sense.

  “Anyway, it got to the point where the villains had taken most everything they could get their hands on, and they got bored. Then someone came up with the idea of seeing the other world, of conquering it too.” Kody shook her head before Shamus could fully ask his question. “There’s a lot of secrecy around who is making the big decisions. All Giselle knew was that suddenly there were a hell of a lot less villains around, but people still can’t breathe easy.”

  Maggie hid a yawn behind her hand. “You said not all the villains were gone.”

  “And they’re not. The ones still here have a lot of power, and the people in those realms have moved as far to the outer edges as they can. Some have even moved into the central trading sector and set up camp.”

  Maggie looked down when she heard a soft thump. Shamus lay sprawled out on the carpet, snoring away. Brenda, too, was breathing steadily, totally asleep.

  Kody smiled at Maggie. “Looks like today wore us all out. I’ll take the other room. You sleep here with them. That okay?”

  Maggie stifled another yawn. It wasn’t okay. She wanted to sleep right next to Kody, where she felt safe and wanted. “Yeah, no problem. I’m bushed.”

  Kody swung herself off the bed and stopped beside Maggie. She leaned down and placed a feather-light kiss on the top of her head. She moved to the door and looked at Maggie before leaving the room.

  “Good night, Maggie McShay. Welcome home.” She closed the door softly behind her.

  Maggie heard another door open and close nearby and was glad Kody was that close. She went to her bag and pulled out some shorts and an old T-shirt with “No coffee, no talky” on it. She went into the little bathroom and changed, even though Shamus and Brenda were out cold. She thought of the many times she’d changed with Blech in the room. Should she be weirded out that her talking cat had seen her naked plenty of times? She shook her head and crawled into bed after laying a quilt over Brenda. She felt the bed shift and Blech curled up at her feet, his paw resting against her foot.

  There was plenty of other weirdness to worry about right now. As she fell asleep she thought of Kody’s parting words.

  Home. What did that really mean?

  Chapter Twelve

  The woman knelt beside a gravestone, her face in her hands, her shoulders moving with silent sobs. Rain pelted down, making her clothing stick to her, but she didn’t seem to notice. Naked trees swayed all around her as though sharing her pain. Maggie wanted to go to her, wanted to tell her it would be okay, but her feet were stuck in the ground and vines began to snake their way up her legs—

  Maggie woke with her heart pounding, ready to scream. Brenda and Blech lay curled against each other on the pillow beside her. Moonlight slid beneath the curtain, casting shadows that made Maggie want to flip on a light. For all that it looked peaceful, something was heavy in the air, like the world was holding its breath, waiting for the sky to fall. She quietly climbed out of bed and closed the room door softly behind her. She made her way back to the hallway with the huge windows and curled up in a chair that gave her a perfect view. Tiny lights danced in the trees. Lightning bugs? Or something else? Whatever they were, she focused on them until her gaze became unfocused and she could concentrate on her thoughts.

  There were so many questions. She’d jumped into this life without asking as many as she probably should have. But when faced with Shamus, it wasn’t like she could doubt. Still, where did that leave her? She’d had to run from her home to a world she hadn’t known existed two weeks ago. Her trio of companions was anything but typical, she had some big role to play that she still didn’t fully understand, and to top it off, someone might very well want to kill her.

  It wasn’t what she thought she’d be doing with her life.

  “Jesus Christ!” She put her hand to her chest. “Nobody else will have to kill me. You’ll scare me to death first.”

  Kody held up her hands apologetically and took the chair beside her. “Sorry. I’ll make more noise next time.” She had a bottle in her hand, and her eyes were glassy.

  “Have you been to sleep yet?” Maggie wished she could take the bottle away and smooth the lines around Kody’s eyes.

  “That’s what this is for. Hopefully it will knock me out.” Kody took a long swig and winced. “Tastes like bog piss.”

  “Not sure I want to know what that tastes like.” They sat silently, and Maggie watched the flickering lights in the distance. “How’d you know I was out here?”

  Kody sighed and stretched her legs out in front of her. “Because I’m your shepherd. Now that we’re traveling together and you’ve come into your own, so to speak, we’ve got a kind of connection. I’ll always sense you, unless you learn to block me.”

  Maggie frowned, still watching the lights. “That’s disconcerting.” She turned to look at Kody. “What does a shepherd do?” Kody raised her eyebrows. “I mean, you said they protect the tale spinners. But what does that mean?”

  Kody drank from her bottle and set it down empty. “That’s a big question.” She stared out the window, looking like she was far away. “For as long as anyone can remember there’s been a shepherd with the tale spinners. The shepherd doesn’t just protect the spinner. They help, too. If someone takes off, or gets in trouble, the shepherd is right there at their side.” Kody looked at Maggie, her expression haunted. “And if someone needs to be dealt with in a more permanent sense, that’s the shepherd’s role.”

  The look in Kody’s eyes told Maggie what that meant, but she still had to ask. “What would a more permanent sense be?”

  Kody closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “Sometimes th
e bad guys get really bad. Sometimes a fairy tale is left alone for so long, maybe forgotten by the other world, that it takes on a life of its own. If the villain starts to win, the spinner has to put a stop to it. They do what they can to re-spin the tale and change the villain’s path, but sometimes…” She shrugged, still with her eyes closed. “Sometimes they have to make a call in order to keep everyone else safe.”

  “You mean the spinner gives an order to kill someone?” The thought was repulsive.

  “As a last resort.” Kody finally opened her eyes. “Maggie, fairy tales are dark places. In traditional Western fairy tales good often wins. But most fairy tales aren’t that clear-cut. The spinner has to know where the lines are, and when they’ve been crossed to the point of no return.”

  In the silence of the moonlit night, Maggie contemplated Kody’s words. She couldn’t fathom having to give that kind of order. Struck, she said, “Are you saying you’ve had to do that? Were you a shepherd to another spinner before me? Is that why Brenda and Lacona seemed afraid of you?”

  Kody was quiet for so long Maggie didn’t think she was going to answer. When she did, Maggie had to concentrate to hear the softly spoken words.

  “I was shepherd to a spinner before you. Jessia was amazing. Everyone loved her. She always made the right calls, and she had a gift for spinning tales so that everyone stayed happy.”

  Maggie waited, but nothing else seemed to be forthcoming. “And?”

  Kody looked up, as though startled to find Maggie there. “And…during the purge of spinners, she got caught in the crossfire between a dragon and a soldier. She wasn’t supposed to be there. She said she was staying home, so I didn’t need to worry. We’d been on the road for ages, and I went home to see—”

  She stopped speaking and wiped her hand over her face as though trying to wipe away memories. “Anyway.” She stood and shoved her hands in her pockets. “I failed her. I want to promise I won’t fail you, but my track record isn’t great. I should have been around to protect you when you were younger. I should have intervened, even from a distance. I’ve already failed you, to some extent. You’d be better off with a different shepherd, but since I’m the last one, I guess I’m all you’ve got.”

  Maggie ached at the sadness and guilt she could feel emanating from Kody’s soul. As much as she wanted to get up and hug her, she had a feeling that would only make Kody feel even more vulnerable, which wasn’t a good idea. She settled for words, which were all she had. “I went through normal kid stuff, and a hell of a lot less than what some kids have to go through. It’s not like I’m messed up because you weren’t there. And thank you for telling me. And thank you for answering my questions.”

  Kody nodded but didn’t look at Maggie again. “Sure. No problem.” She motioned over her shoulder. “We should probably get some sleep, and you probably shouldn’t be out on your own until we’ve got more facts.”

  Maggie nodded. She didn’t feel like sleeping with all the questions and emotions playing bumper car in her head, but Kody probably wouldn’t go to bed if Maggie stayed out. When they got to Maggie’s door, she put her hand on Kody’s arm.

  “Just for the record, I think you’re the perfect shepherd for me. And I don’t think spinners are often wrong, are they?”

  Kody’s lip twitched in a smile. “Like I’m going to admit to something like that.” She squeezed Maggie’s hand before letting it go and heading to her own room.

  Maggie slid back into bed and gave Blech a small smile when he put his paw against her arm and blinked at her before closing his eyes again. As she drifted to sleep, she thought about all Kody had said.

  If it came down to it, would Maggie give the kind of order that put ghosts in Kody’s eyes? Could Maggie do it herself and save Kody the pain? Villains had killed so many people, and God knew what they were doing now, and in New York. She had to stop them, but what if that meant taking a road there was no way back from?

  * * *

  Knocking at the door woke Maggie and she winced at the sunlight streaming into the room. Brenda and Blech were both gone.

  She stumbled out of bed, got her foot caught on the blanket, and went headfirst toward the floor. She managed to catch herself, but her right wrist twisted and she grunted in pain. The door flew open and Kody raced in, looking around.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” She stopped and looked down at Maggie, taking in that the only danger was from bedsheets. “Are you always this clumsy?”

  Maggie kicked and pushed at the blanket wrapped around her legs. “I didn’t think I was clumsy at all until I met you, thank you very much.” Finally disentangled, she stood and pushed her hair out of her face. “Is something wrong?”

  Kody shook her head and stepped back into the hallway, where she retrieved a tray. “I brought you breakfast.”

  Bright, beautiful fruit was arrayed around what looked like an omelet, and there was a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee as well. “Wow. How hungry did you think I’d be?”

  She set the tray on the table. “I didn’t know what you like. But Shamus told me how you like your coffee, so that should be okay.”

  Maggie sipped the brew, immensely glad coffee was a thing for fairy tale creatures too. Kody looked adorably shy, even though her eyes were bloodshot and she looked a little hungover, and once again Maggie wanted to reach out and hug her. Instead she picked up a strawberry. “Thank you.” She nearly moaned at how juicy and sweet the fruit was. But then, that made sense. Things in books were often better than they were in the real world.

  “Shamus and Brenda will be up in a few minutes with their food. I thought we could talk over breakfast and figure out our next move. That okay with you?”

  Maggie nodded and grabbed another piece of fruit. “Do I have time to shower?” She didn’t miss the way Kody’s gaze took her in.

  “You should. You stink.” Kody grinned and backed out of the room. “Back in ten.”

  Maggie made quick work of the shower, though she didn’t stop thinking of the way Kody had looked at her. It made her wonder, though, about Kody’s former spinner. Had Jessia been a lover? Or was it just work? She said she’d gone home to see someone…or that’s what it sounded like she’d been about to say. So maybe it wasn’t Jessia. But given that she’d left her world behind to watch over Maggie, whoever she’d been with, they obviously weren’t still together. What happened?

  So many questions. She towel dried her hair and pulled on her favorite bohemian silk skirt and tank top. Her wrist was still sore from where she’d landed on it, and a bruise was beginning to show. That would make carrying her duffle a pain, but she’d deal with it when she had to. When she emerged from the bathroom, all three of them were eating and chatting.

  Brenda looked up from her bowl of green something. “Love the skirt! Very trendy.”

  Maggie smiled and grabbed another piece of fruit. “Thanks. You’re looking pretty spiffy yourself. Are those actual leaves?”

  Brenda got up and did a little twirl, sending the leaf skirt billowing. “That’s right. Leaves from every type of tree in the forest near my home.”

  “I wish you’d left the eucalyptus one out.” Shamus batted at the offending leaf. “It smells like Valendian hogwaft.”

  Maggie decided she didn’t need to know what Valendian hogwaft was, especially over breakfast. She turned to Kody. “So, what’s next?”

  Kody sighed and put her spoon down. “There are options, but I think you’ll have to decide. I think we need more information. I want to understand which villains are here, where they’re stationed, and how they’re keeping people in fear.” She motioned with a piece of pineapple before taking a bite. “We need to decide where to go for that information, and then we have to decide what to do about it. In the meantime, we need to find someone to train Maggie, so that when we do figure out what to do about it, she’s ready.”

  Maggie sighed. “Yet again, I’m right here. You don’t need to talk about me like I’m not.” Kody shrugged b
ut didn’t look in the least apologetic. “Okay. Where would you usually go for information?”

  “Shepherds and spinners often had a network of sources throughout every sector.” Shamus shook out his fur and licked the juice from his paw. “Kody, you might still have sources in the Common sector.”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “I could check in at the Key Keepers Inn. I knew a woman there—” She laughed at Maggie’s expression. “Don’t judge. We all have a past. She might be able to tell us what we want to know. And it will give us a place to stay tonight, too.”

  Maggie wasn’t sure it felt right, but without other options she didn’t know what to suggest instead. “Will we be passing my parents’ lands?”

  She didn’t miss the look Shamus and Brenda shared. “What?”

  Kody pushed away her breakfast. “We will. And we can stop at your old home, if you want to.” She looked at Shamus and Brenda. “If you two want to stop at your places, you should do that and then meet us at the old spinner’s place.”

  Brenda jumped down off her seat. “I’d like that. I’ll drop my bag with my ma and da, and grab some new stuff.” She looked at Shamus. “You?”

  He shook his head. “I’m going to see if I can get more information here. I’ll meet you at the house at noon.”

  “It’s a plan. Maggie, can you be ready in fifteen? I’d like to get out of here before it gets too busy and people are around to see us go.”

  “Sure. I just have to shove some stuff in my bag.” Now that the exhaustion of the day before had vanished, excitement took its place. She was about to explore the world she’d been born to, and she was going to see where she really belonged. She couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Don’t touch that. Or that. That one will give you hives.”

  Maggie sighed and pushed her hand into the pocket of her sweatshirt. Every time she went to sniff a flower or inspect a leaf, Kody was beside her telling her not to. “Is there anything here that won’t kill me?”