Cadence of Ciar (The Fate Caller Series Book 1)

by Zoe Parker

  To say dinner is an awkward affair is a complete understatement. Gertie somehow produced a large dining table to fit the dozen or so dinner guests.

  Rime is staring at the plate in front of him like he wants it to catch on fire. Penelope is chattering about mundane things in a snotty rude way while watching the Fairy men with a bit of envy in her rather dull brown eyes. Fairy and Brownie servants are considered a boon in society.

  To me they’re just family who are nice enough to clean up after my messy bum.

  She’s pretty, with a cherub face and those pouty lips that men covet so much. Her hair is a thick wavy blonde that some might say resemble feathered velvet, perfectly laying on her head like the cloud of goodness it is.

  Her makeup is immaculate and in a roundabout way she reminds me of Lucinda except this time, I hate her. Every time she opens her mouth and speaks I hate her more.

  Rime, other than the occasional grunt, has remained silent throughout the entire endeavor while Penelope hasn’t shut up. Not that I mind chatty people, I can be incredibly chattery myself, I mind what she’s saying.

  How she thinks Fairies should lose all their rights. That all wealth owned by ‘servants’ should be turned over to the ‘master.’ And the worst thing, this obvious mother to be that’s supposedly pregnant by a FAE—all mixed blood children should be placed in servitude.

  Does this moron realize who she’s talking to?

  The Fairy and Brownies are stone-faced, and I don’t blame them. Gods, this is my fault. I let him bring this awful woman here all because I didn’t want to force him to choose. The pull of a Triad is strong, and since there isn’t true love between them, that pull is stronger than his pull to her.

  Even magically enhanced like she’s probably making it because something fishy is going on here and I think Rime knows it deep down inside.

  ‘Is it one of those Enrapture spells you told me about?’

  ‘No, it’s worse, whatever it is. I can’t see the spell through his wards.’

  ‘If you can’t see through his wards, how did a spell get in there?’

  ‘Sex is a very vulnerable time for many Fae. Especially if you trust the person you’re having sex with.’

  That’s good to know, and when I meet Ciar’s eyes he rolls his, knowing what I’m thinking. ‘You’re not putting your finger there, monster girl. That is unless I can put mine there first.’

  Coughing to cover a laugh, I pretend to wipe my face with a napkin to hide my smirk.

  “Karen, what did the Menagerie pick for you as a job? Since I don’t see any clan or house banners I’m assuming you were chosen for manual labor?”

  First off, she got my name wrong, second… no, can’t think the second, it involves me causing her bodily harm. I open my mouth to reply but Zag saves the day.

  “My mistress is an independent, if you must know. As well as Awakened, which is something you aren’t familiar with I imagine, since it hasn’t happened to you yet and since you’re breeding, won’t. Speaking of breeding—” I wrap my fingers around his nose to quiet him.

  “Rime, since you don’t seem to know a lot about what’s going on we thought we’d give you the Awakening handbook. It’ll give you ALL of the information you need to move forward in this incredibly messy situation,” Ciar says, way more diplomatically than I expected him to be.

  The book appears on the table in front of Rime, right in his plate of untouched food that he’s merely been pushing around for a half-hour. Penelope attempts to touch it, but it zaps her.

  “That’s a Fae only kind of book,” Ciar states, with quite a bit of amusement in his tone.

  My eyes fall on Rime to find him, surprisingly, looking at the book with a bit of awe on his face. Has he never seen a Fae book before?

  “This will tell me everything I need to know about what’s going on?” he asks, quietly.

  “Yes, everything.” Ciar stresses the word but no one gets it, okay everyone but Rime and the twit next to him gets it. I swear, even Gertie coughs to cover a laugh.

  Rime tucks the book away in his space and picks at his food. Ignoring the whole lot, I finish my steak and thank Gertie for a wonderful meal.

  “It’s okay, I guess. Shouldn’t she be a better cook since she’s a Brownie?” Penelope’s whiney voice filters through my happy food coma.

  Aw, it’s a shame that after three helpings the food isn’t what you expect. I figure that’s something you notice on the first helping. I manage to catch the thought before it leaves my mouth, but barely.

  Ciar chokes on his food and I can hear his laughter mixed in with the coughing. I look everywhere but him, because I know I’ll laugh and there won’t be any disguising it.

  Instead I say, “You can buy pizza if you prefer.”

  “What are you insinuating, Keri?” Rime asks, quietly. His spectacular eyes pin me to my seat. Instead of shifting uncomfortably or feeling guilty, which is what he wants me to do, I smile.

  “That maybe she prefers buying her own food?” I put as much innocence into that statement as I’m capable of. It’s taking everything else to keep my face straight.

  His jaw clenches, he senses more, but because we don’t have a full on bond he can only guess. Continuing to smile inanely, I put my dishes in the sink and go to leave the room.

  “We need to practice the dance,” Ciar says, surprising me.

  “We’re still doing that?” I was hoping he forgot since the last time we talked about it.

  “Yes, because of our circumstances… we need to establish our powerbase in the Fae world and rubbing it in their faces is the best way to do it.” Why are we having this conversation out loud? Taking our audience into account, slyly I look at Rime and see his interest, even though he’s trying to hide it by staring at his untouched plate. His head is turned to the side to hear our conversation.

  ‘He’s paying very close attention. Her hold on him isn’t only magical like I first believed, it’s coupled with something older than that.’

  ‘What’s older than magic?’

  ‘Guilt.’

  I have no idea about the history of these two, no information from which to make an educated guess. For all I know, Rime is a wife beater. ‘How ignorant is he of things to think that the kid is his?’

  ‘Relatively so. He’s angry with you for Awakening and summoning him here, it’ll take him awhile to get over that childishness.’

  ‘You don’t agree with his stance on things?’

  ‘I find it hard to believe that a mature member of our Triad—which for all intents and purpose he is—demeans himself into thinking that someone like her deserves the title of ‘wife.’’

  Whoa, Ciar sounds angry.

  ‘Keri, I know that you don’t expect a physical relationship with your Triad, but you should. This is not a run of the mill type of connection and he knows it, it’s why he’s so pissed off at the situation.’

  ‘I don’t want either one of us to be forced into anything.’ And I won’t allow it to happen that way either. Ciar sees this entire situation differently than I do, he’s known a lot longer too and had more time to prepare for its eventuality.

  ‘This woman is a big part of his life—whether or not that’s his baby. Maybe she’s super sweet when no one is around and makes him feel over the moon?’ Chancing a glance at Rime I catch him staring at me with a frown on his face. He suspects something strange is going on but isn’t sure what.

  ‘You refuse to use the magic you’ve got and unless this idiot wises up and acts accordingly, the threat to your life is very real. I can’t always be here because of the stupid fucking Hunt and this one can’t pull his head out of his ass enough to guard you.’

  ‘I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself.’

  ‘The bomb under the bed, the poison in the food.’

  ‘Okay, I’m mostly capable of protecting myself.’

  ‘You’re splitting hairs here. The entire point of a Triad is to protect it’s Center.’
/>   ‘Wouldn’t it make more sense to talk to him about it instead of talking about him?’

  ‘Go right ahead.’ Well, fudge, I didn’t mean right this second.

  Clearing my throat, I turn back towards Rime, super uncomfortable because I have no idea what to say that isn’t going to come out rude. Ciar, of course, saves the day.

  “Read the book, you know it isn’t tampered with. It’s the real information about an Awakening and Triad.” Ciar has that no bullcrap tone going on. It’s kind of hot.

  Grabbing my arm, he pulls me behind him out of the room and up the stairs. Playfully tossing me on the bed he pins me against the mattress and stares down into my eyes.

  “You’re too kind at times, monster girl.”

  “How am I being too kind this time?”

  Kissing me softly, he rests his face in the crook of my neck. His breath is hot on my skin and gives me little tingles every time he exhales. Chuckling, he nips my throat and lifts his head.

  “There is a little-known rule to Awakenings. If the Triad hasn’t bonded, a stronger member can step forward and hijack the bond.”

  Sitting up, I push him off me. “Do what?”

  “With the bond only in its infancy but active, someone else can technically come in and steal it from the idiot.”

  “Are you fucking serious?” The shock on his face almost brings me out of the near panic state this news has me in.

  Blinking a few times, he opens his mouth, then closes it, then repeats it. “Did you just say fucking?”

  “Yes. Now answer my question,” I demand.

  “The moment you Awakened, the bond threads opened and you could see them, correct?” I nod. “And I bet you can feel them both but its vague and not solid, right?” I nod again. “Well that means that bond thread is wide open and… receptive.”

  “So, you mean to flipping tell me that if someone strong enough wants to, they can bond with me and become part of my Triad instead of snow boy?” After a moment of carefully looking at my face, he nods.

  Every pillow on the bed explodes in a cloud of stuffing that drifts around us like fat snowflakes.

  The fey wonders of the world only exist while there are those with the sight to see them.

  ~Charles de Lint

  Ciar has disappeared off to wherever he goes to get ready for a Hunt which leaves me alone in the dark, listening to the argument happening above me. I’ll freely admit that it’s more interesting than I imagined it would be.

  Her voice is shrill and tear-choked as she rails at him for not making sure she has money for more maternity clothing. While Rime, surprisingly patient, asks her what happened to the other new clothes he bought her.

  She informs him that it’s not enough. She needs a few outfits a day to feel happy. Wow, just wow.

  “Why are you reading that stupid book. I already told you about Awakenings.” Her voice is less shrill but snider now. I really don’t like the woman and I never will. It’s obvious she’s manipulating him magically and otherwise.

  If only I knew how the guilt plays into it.

  “I hate to say it Penelope, but I feel like you’re not being completely honest with me about all of this. You disappeared for months and then track me down saying you’re pregnant with my baby.”

  “It’s your fault I left! You said you were sensing an Awakened. I didn’t want to be second in your life and now that we’re here, I don’t want to share you with that fat troll.”

  Fat troll? For a moment I want to go punch her right in her whiney mouth, but then I remember that she is pregnant, and, in her place, I wouldn’t be thrilled if my husband went off chasing some strange person.

  Then again, it’s an Awakening and I’d probably be more understanding about it. It’s not like I’m all up on his lap or anything. In fact, I’m pretty sure I don’t really like him much either. This situation isn’t my fault any more than it is his.

  “It says here that a member of a Triad can’t have a baby until the Triad is formed.” Oh, things are getting interesting now.

  “That’s a bunch of bullshit and you know it. You’re looking at me gross and pregnant with your baby and saying that?” I can feel the spell she is casting lapping around his Aura, which is new. Or maybe it’s because I’m sitting here being a creep and listening in on a private conversation, so I’m concentrating harder.

  “These books can’t be tampered with,” Rime defends.

  This is something all Fae are taught as children when they first start to show magic, but she won’t know that because she isn’t Fae. This is about to get incredibly interesting now.

  “I don’t understand how a book can’t be rewritten. Your Fae gods make no sense to me. Give me that and I’ll throw it away.” She squeaks when it zaps her. You’d think she learned the first time.

  Is there a chance that the wards on this place are interfering with her magic on him?

  There’s some stomping above me and a slamming door, but no more words are exchanged. Slightly disappointed he didn’t straight up call her out for her deception, I roll over and fluff my pillow.

  Rime isn’t demonstrating a lot of intelligence here. I’m kind of magic dumb and even I can see her magic coating him in its oily residue. Looking at him, feeling what I can feel from him—he’s too strong for someone like her to be able to pull this off.

  The guilt factor must be strong indeed for him to sacrifice his freedom for someone who is lying about something as life-altering as a child. There’s no going back from being a parent. At least a decent parent, and if I had to guess, dumb or not, if he’s willing to accept the baby even if it’s not his, then he’ll be a good parent.

  I’d bet money on it.

  There’s also the chance that the woman has more than her own magic involved. There are such things as enchanted objects and such. It can also explain why I don’t feel it. I can’t pick up something like that, but I know who can.

  “Zag. I know you’re awake, you were eavesdropping too.” There’s a grumble from the covers at the foot of the bed, then he pops his head up, his eyes glowing in the dark room.

  “It was a rather engaging episode. I look forward to others than involve less door slamming.”

  “It’s not TV you butt head.” I poke at him with my foot.

  “Close enough. Now what is it you need?

  “I need you to find out if there is a spelled object on Rime or Penelope. I can’t sense them, but I know you can.”

  “As you wish.” He settles back down into the blankets, “I don’t like that human Mage.”

  Me neither, but I keep that to myself. “Thank you, Zag.”

  “The dark lord is right you know.” Isn’t he always?

  “How’s that Zag?”

  “With this foolish man’s reluctance to forge the bond he creates an opportunity for someone to step into his shoes.”

  “Do they have to be compatible or can any jerk just waltz in and do it?”

  “It has to be someone similar to the destined one.”

  “So, how are they destined if anyone can take their place?”

  “Normally they aren’t reluctant.” Well, that answers those questions. Great, just great.

  “You know, I’ve never asked you, but how do you talk so well for someone who supposedly lived alone and far away for an eternity in some dank cave?”

  His chuckle makes me smile in the dark.

  “TV, duh.” He cuddles my foot and sighs as he settles in for sleep. That’s what is making my eyes heavy and my body sink further into the bed.

  “How did you learn the way you did, living in the forest with a bunch of monsters?” he asks into the sudden stillness of the room.

  “TV, duh.” Clenching my hand to tuck it under the pillow, I freeze. My hand is no longer empty—instead the warm wooden neck of a violin fills it. Is this some kind of weird cosmic hint? Because I’m not hurting a pregnant woman. Nope, nu-uh.

  Gods, I almost forgot about the violin. So much has been going
on and… apparently, it’s tired of me forgetting about it. Ciar did say it’s sentient. Patting it, I close my eyes to sleep. It’s not glowing or making noises, it’s simply there, so I take that as a sign that it’s safe to go to sleep.

  Maybe it wants a cuddle too.

  I realize something as sleep claims me hard and fast, having its presence there reminds me a little tiny bit of Ciar.

  “Run, Keri!” Why is Peter’s face all bloody? Mother did it! Mother hurt Peter! Running through the hallway I look behind me, seeing the shadow of my mother creep around the corner, the dagger held high in her hand.

  “Come here pretty girl, mommy has a present for you.”

  I want to help Peter, but mother is scary, she never calls me a pretty girl. Peter’s delicate hands grab me in a strong grip and drag me backwards towards the door, just as mother comes around the corner.

  But… but she doesn’t look like mother anymore. Her hair is a tangled mess around her head and her face has streaks of something dark down one of her cheeks. Are those claws on the hand wrapped knuckle-white around the dagger?

  “Okay Keri-bell, you have to run as fast as you can, you—” Peter starts to say, right before I’m jerked out of his arms and find myself dangling from the floor against the wall. My mother’s hate filled eyes stare into mine.

  “Now he’ll pay for everything.”

  The knife digs into my flesh, burning, burning so bad. A sharp pain that turns into a wave of agony that I can’t hold back. I scream each time the knife goes in. Then I see Peter, my Peter, with blood on his pale face.

  He grabs my mother from behind and with all his strength tosses her out the door.

  “Remember our game, Keri-bell? Play dead for me. Whoever does it the longest wins,” he whispers into my ear, giving me a hard kiss on my cheek.

  No Peter! Something bad is going to happen—

  “Karen, wake up.” The unfamiliar but familiar voice pulls me out of the nightmare that’s ripping through my brain. Memories from so long ago that I hope every day to forget.

  “You,” I swallow the lump in my throat, I’ll be darned if this man sees me cry, “know that my name isn’t Karen.”