Cadence of Ciar (The Fate Caller Series Book 1)

by Zoe Parker

  “Don’t you dare, Keri. I’ll kill every single person in this fucking school, I swear it.” A heartbeat is loud in my ear, “wake up so you can stop me, wake up Keri because if you die I can’t go with you because your fucking Triad isn’t complete. I’m going to kill that idiot, hiding like he is.” Ciar’s words start to run together and some sensible part of my brain should try and remember them, but the colorful tunnel is calling me.

  Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like flame.

  ~William Butler Yeats

  The white magic is pretty, not as pretty as the colors but—hey, why is it grabbing me? Hey, that hurts! Pain fills me like a hive of angry bees.

  Yelling as my eyes jerk open, I fight to keep in another one as agony flashes hot through me. Gods, that flipping hurts! Taking gasping breaths, I fight to relax, hoping that’ll ease it.

  For the first few seconds the room is blurry but then it comes into focus. The healer is shoved to the side as Ciar’s worried face pops into view and an almost full-sized dragon blocks out the rest of the room.

  “Keri?”

  “Hi,” my voice is hoarse, “fancy meeting you here.”

  A glass of water appears as he lifts my shoulders for me to sit up enough to drink. I notice he’s not wearing a shirt. Drinking it greedily I wait for him to refill it and I chug it too. Feeling a bit better, I sigh when he lays me down again.

  “Why do you smell like puke?” Why do I smell like puke?

  “Because you puked on both of us.” He says it as an afterthought while he uses a claw, I’m sure the gaping healer sees, to cut off my smelly shirt. My bra is next and then a warm cloth replaces them.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, as bits and pieces of what happened before I passed out and the healer yanked me out of near death, because I don’t doubt I was dying, start to coalesce in my head.

  Actually, I puked twice or more, it’s possible I did it and don’t remember. That’s some love right there, him cleaning puke off me. Wait, love? The warm cloth pauses, and I meet his gaze.

  Yes, he loves me. There’s not a single shred of doubt about it.

  The cloth begins to move again, and I decide to not comment about the love thing, not yet. I’ll do that when I don’t smell like vomit-y cupcakes and have more clothes on. Or am at least naked in better circumstances.

  “Who’s hiding?”

  He shakes his head, a smile on his face. Is that relief I see? It looks like relief. I wonder if I take him out for a steak dinner if it will make up for the puke?

  “The other two idiots of your Triad. You—unfortunately—called ones who don’t know how to act civilized, no matter how strong they are.”

  “You’re a Puca who eats people.” I say deadpan, He full on laughs and then gently wipes off my face and neck.

  “I can pretend to be civilized, Keri. We’ll talk about this later, soon enough they’ll show themselves.” He turns to the healer, “I need a blanket to wrap her in… you’re dismissed.”

  “You should be nice to her, she saved my life,” I chastise.

  “She barely saved your life, I had to give her a bit of encouragement. She informed me you were too close to death to save.” Well, that explains his short temper with her.

  Still, “Thank you for saving my life.” After a fearful glance at Ciar she nods and practically runs from the room.

  “Why didn’t you check your food, Keri?” I shrug, or at least I try to. My shoulders are stiff and tender and don’t want to move.

  “Cupcakes, who blasphemes them in such a way?”

  “Apparently whoever is trying to kill you.” Fudge. “I think we need to go to the house early, it might be safer for you there.”

  “I promised Lucinda she could go.” He gives me a dirty look but still wraps me in the blanket like I’m a fragile piece of glass.

  It’s sweet, annoying, but sweet.

  “Fine, but Saturday morning instead of later.”

  “Okay, okay. Can we go to the room now? I need a shower and to sleep awhile I think.” Healing requires rest, the healers can only do so much before your own body needs to kick in and do the rest of the work.

  Lifting me into his arms like I’m a feather, he carries me in a brisk walk to our dorm room. I’m pretty sure I nap most of the way considering I don’t remember the trip.

  Staring at the shower from his arms I sigh in defeat. There’s no way I can stand right now, and a bath is a drowning waiting to happen. I feel his eyes roll.

  Stripping me down he sets me on the lip of the tub and strips his clothes off. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, but I stare anyhow. Wow. My clothes are next, and I don’t fight him one bit.

  Reaching past me he turns on the taps and waits for steam to come rolling out of the door. Lifting me up he steps into the shower and I sigh in absolute bliss. Setting me on my unsteady feet, he keeps me in between him and the wall as he thoroughly washes my body and then helps me wash my hair.

  No dilly dally time today, he washes himself just as fast and before I know it I’m washed, dry, and wrapped in my warm robe. Ciar is my hero, especially when he crawls into the bed with me pulling me into his strong, safe embrace.

  Zag appears out of nowhere and curls up around my head, his throat vibrating against me with little warbles of worry as he strokes my neck with his tail. It’s adorable. Love you too bud.

  Sleep isn’t gentle as she pulls me under in seconds.

  At some point, the warmth surrounding me in a cocoon of tranquility disappears. Of course, I roll over and go back to sleep only to be woke up later by him climbing back in bed with me smelling like copper and fear.

  Snuggling back into the comfort of his arms I sigh. Yeah, I’m pretty sure he went out and hurt someone. But right now? I don’t care.

  Raindrops are like Fairy whispers. ~Author Unknown

  There are two things that can pull me abruptly from a good dream, only two. Imminent danger and Brownie Baked Bacon. The smell is so close to my face I wonder briefly if I can just open my mouth and it’ll fall in?

  “You’re not a baby bird, monster girl. Get up, we’ve got stuff to do.” The pillow disappears out from under my head and the wonderful, mouth-watering smell of bacon vanishes.

  “Nooo.” My eyes pop open as I sit up, seeking out the source of the heavenly smell.

  A brown bag, smelling so good I literally start to drool, appears under my nose. I snag it before Ciar changes his mind. Inside it are bacon stuffed biscuits that are so fresh they crumble when I bite into one.

  Pausing mid-mouthful, I eye him, “Why are you buttering me up?”

  “It’s Saturday.” The food in my mouth loses all its flavor so when I swallow it feels like a bunch of rocks going down.

  Since the ‘PI’, puke incident, sleeping and occasionally eating have been my only activities. The cupcakes were stuffed with Faebane in an incredibly high dose, masked with magic, so Zag says. This time it wasn’t just the poison, there was a spell locked in there too.

  A small, happy spell to keep me from fighting off the symptoms. All those pretty colors were trying to help kill me.

  Today we’re going to go to my old house, to all those old memories.

  “Can I take a sick day?” His eyes fill with sympathy, but his mouth tells me no.

  “It’s past time, Keri. You’ve avoided it for a long time and, as much as I hate agreeing with your Mage friend, the time for putting it off has ended.” Folding the bag down I set it aside and climb to my feet.

  “You don’t care for her, do you?” The carpet feels rough on my bare feet as I walk towards the bathroom. It’s clean of course. Because Gertie has been here, but the carpet isn’t meant for comfort.

  Why have I never noticed this? We’ve been here for weeks.

  “No,” he finally answers.

  Digging around I gather my toothbrush and toothpaste. “Any particular reason?” I stand in the doorway brushing my
teeth while watching him and Gertie–who appeared from nowhere, I might add—gather our things into bag. All our things.

  What the fudge?

  “Something about her feels off, but you like her so I’ll reserve my judgement.”

  “Why are you packing our stuff?” Bits of toothpaste fly out of my mouth landing on Zag who’s hovering in front of me. As he complains and flies past me to the sink, I flick his tail.

  He’s in on this too.

  Stomping back to the sink I spit and rinse, all to the protests of the Dragon perched on the side of the sink and ultimately in the way of some of the spit. “I’m sorry Zag. Here.” I clean him off and make sure I stomp louder when I walk out of the bathroom.

  Ciar needs to hear how unhappy I am about these plans he has, that he made without talking to me about them.

  The—the—the bad dog!

  “Keri, I understand you’re not thrilled with this idea but,” he pulls Fluffy out from under the bed—no wonder he hasn’t been his normal blubby self. The sneak cocooned!— “we can put wards on the house and we can defend from there. Keri, you need a home because we aren’t going back to the forest.”

  Wait, what?

  “Why aren’t we going home?” I demand, breaking down and helping him to wrap Fluffy’s cocoon in a sleeping bag.

  I suspected this but hearing the reality of it makes my heart hurt.

  “Mada is moving the forest. There’s a threat looming on the horizon and for the forest’s safety they have to be hidden.” After zipping the bag, I sit on the edge of the bed. Why didn’t anyone tell me?

  “Keri, there’s a power struggle among the Elders—the king is making some choices that are making quite a few of them angry.”

  “But you’re a—”

  “No, I’m your Pinnacle.” He sits down beside of me. “They all send their love and will come and visit. Now about this move—soon there will be two more additions and where exactly will we put them?” Logic? He’s using bona-fide logic? How dare he.

  So I reach, and I reach hard. “They’re slinking around hiding so why do you care where they sleep? They’re too ashamed of me to show themselves.” Okay perhaps I reached a bit deep inside myself and ended up with stuff that’s true.

  A side effect of this whole Awakening business is I can feel them out there. The threads lead out away from me, one blue, one gold, connecting to some unknown person on the other end. The difference is, the link between Ciar and I pulses with magic and life, while the other two are there but still and dim.

  “It has nothing to do with shame,” he leans his shoulder against mine, “if I had not known you as I do I would’ve have kept a distance and watched. Waited until I knew my reception would be received. It is not you they’re ashamed of, it is your reaction to them.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “Only someone like me can survive someone… like me.” I can’t refute his explanation and I see no reason for him to lie to me.

  “Are you saying they’re both Pucas?” I can’t help it, I have to tease him.

  “No, they’re different but the same too.” This makes me look at him.

  He watches me closely.

  “Are you telling me that the other two are rare and potentially the only ones of their kind in existence?” Smiling, he bops my nose with his fingertip and climbs again to his feet.

  That doesn’t tell me if I’m right or wrong, the enigmatic pain in my butt.

  Watching him pack the bathroom things in plastic bags and then into a box I realize something. If I’m completely against it, I’ll fight tooth and nail. Concerning the house, my protests are weak at best and the dread I’m feeling isn’t nearly as bad as it would’ve been even five years ago.

  Maybe I’m ready to face my demons because he’s right, it’s past time.

  And having more than one bathroom is a perk too.

  “Gertie, are you okay with us having a house?” She pops out of the closet, a big smile brightening her face.

  “Oh yes, my dear. I can bring my family now.” Gods, I didn’t think of her family, Brownies typically travel in family groups… I’m an idiot.

  “Of course, all of them if you please. There’s a guest house that you can live in—make it your own.” Her eyes grow rounder and then fill with tears.

  Gods, what did I do wrong? Little arms squeeze my neck in a hug and after a moment of confusion, I hug her back. Releasing me she pats my cheek and disappears along with all our packed things—including Fluffy.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “You gave her a house, that’s a big deal to a Brownie. It means they never have to leave it,” Zag explains, twining around my shoulders. The minty smell of toothpaste emanates from him. I know it’s bad of me to laugh at something that I caused but I can’t help it. My dragon smells like a piece of gum.

  He blows smoke at me, but I can feel his humor. At least my Familiars have senses of humor, they’re going to need it to be around me.

  Okay, I can do this. Standing, I slip on my shoes and head towards the door before I change my mind. Ciar is close behind me, his presence like a blast of heat against my body.

  The heavy cloud that lingers at the Menagerie lifts as soon as we walk through the gate. Taking a deep breath, I choose to enjoy the walk, while I can.

  Summer is starting to wind down, so the air is a pinch cooler than it has been. The leaves are starting to turn into those golden browns and vivid oranges that paint the landscape like a dream. Fall is one of my favorite seasons. In the forest the trees sing as they shed their leaf skins. Their songs filling the night sky, lulling me to sleep, is one of the best memories I have.

  Smiling, I link my arm through Ciar’s and slow my pace, there’s no need to hurry. The house isn’t going anywhere and although I accept—easier than I thought I would—that I need to deal with things, that doesn’t mean I’m in a hurry.

  Ciar, sensing my need to go slow, stops for ice cream and to watch a street play put on by Gnomes while we enjoy our treat. Arms still linked we sit companionably until the end and when I start to stand as the small crowd clears, he keeps me seated.

  “My favorite color is purple—I think it’s because of the heather that bloomed near my home as a child. My favorite food is butterscotch pudding, I can eat an entire package of it in one sitting. The belly button victim is the one I ultimately lost my virginity to, she was a Fairy. I was thirteen years old and I imagine she was much older than that. She also tried to enrapture me with magic and was incredibly disappointed when one of the Sluagh caught her in the process and dealt with her accordingly.”

  Which roughly translates to they ate her.

  “I, like you, love music and am gifted with the ability to sing.” Gods is he good. Still, I remain silent and let him continue. “I think it has something to do with your Calling.” He continues on, sharing stories of his adventures and how he always watched and waited, sensing there was something greater coming for him.

  “Everything else you know.” Now he stands and pulls me to my feet, tucking my arm in his again.

  “How can being a Pinnacle be greater than the Hunt?” He gets to do something incredible and adventurous.

  “The Hunt is rather boring. Someone commits a crime—they run and we always find them and then… they die. It’s unchanging and tedious and there’s no challenge to it anymore. But,” he smiles his toothy smile and pats my hand, “being with you is always a challenge.”

  I can’t refute it.

  When he stops, I find out that we’ve already arrived at my childhood home. I look up at it in trepidation. Stark white with blue trim it looks so alone and sad underneath it’s dressing of brush. The weeds are overgrown and obstruct the front yard and windows from view, while vines are crawling up the walls and digging in the spaces between the siding. Other than that, the house looks the same.

  Even the house number above the mailbox is still leaning slightly to the right. The formerly red letters faded and b
arely legible.

  Gertie pops into existence.

  “We’ll have this right as rain in no time, don’t you worry,” she says, and disappears again.

  My feet are like concrete blocks as Ciar leads me slowly but determinedly towards the front door. On the mailbox is a blue handprint. Peter and I were painting, and he told me to mark this place as my own.

  The door opens and the creak sound echoes in my head. Taking a deep bracing breath, I push myself to take the final steps, entering the house for the first time since I was fragged out.

  Against my will, my eyes seek out the bloodstains that should be on the floor, in the very spot where I stand. Something inside of me relaxes when I see nothing.

  Releasing my death grip on Ciar’s arm, I run a finger over the bannister to the stairway, a thick layer of dust coats the tip of it. The pictures that used to hang on the walls of my mother, are gone, leaving squares of discoloration in their wake.

  The knickknacks and statues that I detested no longer line the shelves along the entranceway. Someone knew these things would impact me, someone took them away.

  I bet that someone is standing beside me. Their removal looks recent.

  Walking through the hallway into the formal living room, I stare at the cloth covered furniture. She loved the velvet covered junk. Our food money was spent on things like this. Luxurious things that didn’t fill our bellies but instead gave her some false sense of worth.

  Her worth was all that mattered to her.

  “Zag, can you go scout around the perimeter of the property?” Ciar requests, and with a nuzzle of his scaly head, Zag shoots out the doorway. “We can get rid of it all, start over.”

  Nodding, I turn away and head towards the kitchen. Crossing it quickly I avoid the dent in the counter and wall. That is where it started. But it is not my destination, that is a small room off the kitchen that isn’t much bigger than our bathroom at the dorm.

  This was my room. The maid’s quarters. I’m only half surprised to discover that everything is smashed beyond repair, even the bed and bedding are shredded. My mother vented her rage here. The claw marks down the wall are testimony to her inhuman nature that she hid so well from me.