Stone and Crow (Veiled Kingdoms: The Lost Fae Book 1)

by Stella Snow

  Taking a deep breath, Melodie laid her hand over it, like she always did when she was nervous. “Wish me luck, Mom.”

  There was no answer, of course, but Melodie squared her shoulders and smiled a little brighter in the mirror.

  When Melodie got back to the living room, she could hear her grandmother humming from outside. Grams was in the front yard with a pile of weeds around her legs, and a smear of dirt across her forehead.

  Throwing open the sash, Melodie poked her head out the window. “Alright, I really have to go, or I might be late. Where are the keys?”

  Grams pulled another weed free. “Your interview isn’t for almost another hour.”

  “There could be traffic! Or I could get lost, or the address could be wrong,” Melodie insisted. “Better safe than sorry.”

  With an eye roll, Grams finally relented. “They’re on the couch I think, but they may have fallen off.”

  The keys were wedged between two cushions on the couch. Her purse had slipped behind a box by the front door. As many times as she had moved, Melodie still struggled to stay organized during the unpacking process. It was always a nightmare.

  “Bye!” Melodie waved as she trotted out the front door to the truck.

  Grams waved back, her eyes following Melodie like she wished she could stop her. The old seat squeaked as she clambered into the old truck. Grams kept the seat ridiculously close to the steering wheel due to her short legs. The lever that moved the seat had broken a couple of years ago, so she was stuck with her knees bumping against the dash. Grams kept saying they’d get something new soon, but the old woman treated new things with the same suspicion she treated strangers. They’d be in this hunk of junk forever. With a sigh, she put the gear in reverse and backed slowly down the narrow driveway. Grams watched her the entire way, waving once again as Melodie turned onto the road.

  Twenty minutes later, she pulled into a small parking lot and parked the truck as far from the office building as she could. The drive to town had done a lot to steady her nerves, but they’d returned full force as soon as she’d arrived. With a cleansing breath, she took in her possible new place of employment. The office was a small metal building, but behind it was a large warehouse. There was a separate entrance for the delivery trucks, which she could see from where she was. Several trucks were being loaded with cabinets ready to be installed while another had stacks of wood being unloaded and carried inside the warehouse.

  She’d been worried it would take weeks to find a job after their move, and since she only had a few months before classes started, she could have missed the chance to work entirely. After submitting over ten applications for part-time positions at various offices in town, this place was the only one to call her back. Getting the job would be a dream come true. If it didn’t work out, she’d be stuck in the house all summer, continuing to live like a hermit.

  Pulling down the visor mirror, she smoothed down her hair, made sure nothing was in her teeth, then checked her phone. Thirty minutes until the interview. That was too early to go in, so she waited in the truck rehearsing answers to possible questions in her head over and over until it was finally two forty-five. Fifteen minutes didn’t seem too early so, with a calming breath, she patted at a wrinkle on her button-down shirt, then climbed out of the truck.

  A little bell tinkled overhead as Melodie pushed open the door. The woman sitting behind the receptionist’s desk turned her head and nodded at Melodie, fanning her reddened face with a manila folder. She was leaned back as far as the chair would go and her enormous belly made it look like she had a boulder pinning her to it. There had to be more than one baby in there.

  “Hi, I’m Melodie Smith and I have an interview at three p.m.,” Melodie said in her brightest voice. She was often accused of having a permanent frown, something about the shape of her mouth just said ‘back off’. So, she plastered on the smile she had practiced in the mirror earlier.

  The woman didn’t look especially welcoming, but she did nod in greeting as she leaned over to pick up the phone with a grunt. “Dale, your interview is here——yeah, sure.” She hung up the phone and turned back to Melodie. “You can take a seat. Ethan will come get you in a couple of minutes. Apparently, Dale is running behind,” she said with an air of complete exasperation. “Which is why he needs an assistant. Lord knows I don’t have time to help him.”

  There was a solitary brown leather armchair set out of the way against the wall. Melodie sat down, then cringed as the chair made a horrendous squelching noise. The receptionist didn’t so much as glance over at her, much to her relief. Melodie stayed perched on the edge of the chair and waited for someone to come get her. She fiddled with her necklace, tapping her fingers against the gem.

  The receptionist alternated between fanning herself and typing furiously on the computer while muttering. When Melodie tried to subtly adjust how she was sitting, the chair made the same horrible noise, so she gave up on getting comfortable. When the back door finally opened she let out a sigh of relief.

  “Hey.” A tall guy strode toward her who didn’t look any older than she was. He had wavy brown hair, a wide smile, and eyes somewhere between green and hazel. “My name’s Ethan, are you Melodie?”

  “Yes.” She stood and shook his hand.

  “I’ll take you back to Dale’s office, he’s almost ready to see you. It’s been kind of a crazy day, much like every other day around here,” Ethan said as he led her down the hall. The walls were freshly painted, but the carpets were threadbare and covered with a thin layer of sawdust.

  “How long have you worked here?” she asked, hopeful they could be friends if she got the job. She’d learned the best way to make friends was to simply start asking the other person questions. Most people loved to talk about themselves even if they didn’t realize it.

  “I’ve just been working here over the summer until they get someone hired, but they seriously need more help since I can only be here a couple of days a week,” Ethan said.

  “Do you go to a college around here?”

  “No, I’ll be a senior at Shield Academy next year.” Ethan opened the door to a wide office with two desks and a rickety bookshelf stuffed with manuals and product information books, the whir of machinery a steady hum in the background.

  What caught Melodie’s eye was the large window that looked out into the shop. There were a couple of men cutting boards on large saws and another sanding. A group of three stood in one corner discussing something over a workbench. Ethan stepped up to the window and waved. The tallest of the three looked up and gave a short wave back.

  The man, assumed to be Dale, had broad shoulders and a heavy black beard. He could be a Viking if you threw a bearskin around his shoulders and put a horned helmet on his head. He grabbed an air gun and turned it on his arms and beard. Sawdust that had coated his extremities blew off in a cloud. He smoothed down the now ruffled hair of his beard as he headed toward the stairs.

  Glancing at Ethan, Melodie wondered if the two were related. They didn’t look much alike at all. Dale was much stockier than Ethan, though he had no shortage of muscle himself.

  The deafening racket of the shop poured in as Dale opened the door separating the shop from the office, then cut off as he shut it behind him. He pushed his safety glasses to the top of his head and pulled out his earplugs, which hung on a cord around the back of his neck.

  "Melodie Smith?" He held out his hand for her.

  “Yes, sir.” Melodie scrambled forward to shake his hand, nearly wincing at the firm grip. She tightened her own to match it, not wanting to come off as nervous.

  “Here you go,” Ethan said as he dragged a folding chair over to the front of the desk to her left. “You can sit here.”

  Dale settled into the chair behind the desk and crossed his hands over his stomach. “Okay, are you punctual?” he asked, focusing all of his attention on her.

  “Yes, sir,” Melodie said, willing her face not to flush with nervousness.

/>   “And you don’t mind filing or making phone calls?”

  “No, I’ll do whatever you need me to.”

  “Alright, the job pays minimum wage and we’ll need you about twenty hours a week. Any of that a problem?”

  “No, sir,” Melodie said, unsure what minimum wage in California even was.

  “Good deal, can you start tomorrow?”

  “Wha––I mean, yes. I can start tomorrow.” She’d expected more questions, but maybe the job was so easy it didn’t matter if she had no experience or skills.

  Dale smirked and coughed, though it sounded a bit like a laugh. “I’d like you here from eight to noon on weekdays.” He nodded in dismissal. “Don’t be late.”

  “I won’t be. Thank you so much for the opportunity, sir. I’m really excited to start.”

  Melodie stood and followed Ethan back out to the reception area still in shock, but managed to wave and hopefully smile properly at him and the receptionist on her way out.

  Once seated back in the truck, she covered her face with her hands and squealed in excitement. She had no practical experience and no idea why they had gone ahead and offered her the job. It had sounded simple, so perhaps it just didn’t matter. She had expected to get a call back in a week or two saying they had filled the position and thanks, but no thanks. The truck rumbled to life as she grinned uncontrollably. Things were finally going her way.

  She trundled along the winding roads leading from town to the rental house. Even as far from the ocean as they were, she could still smell it on the steady breeze. The sun was high in the sky and brightening up the dense forest hugging either side of the road. She enjoyed the slow drive, in no rush to get home.

  A deer darted into the road and Melodie slammed on the brakes, her breath catching in her throat. The back end of the truck fishtailed as she jerked the wheel to the left. The animal stayed frozen in place until the truck skidded to a stop less than a foot away.

  She sat panting with her hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as the deer stared at her. It blinked and bounded away, disappearing into the woods on the other side of the road.

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Her head fell forward onto the steering wheel. “Grams would have killed me if I had hit a deer the first time she let me go somewhere by myself.”

  As she lifted her head, a flicker of movement from the trees where the deer had come from caught her attention. She expected to see the rest of the herd, instead, a large black shape hovered in the shadows. It looked large enough to be a bear.

  The creature stayed still for a moment, then a howl sounded from somewhere in the distance. It stepped back and disappeared. Melodie swallowed and hit the gas, her hands trembling slightly. If she could just get back home, she’d feel better.

  Chapter 3

  A blissful mix of sugar and chocolate tickled her nose before she even got the front door open.

  “Grandma?” Melodie called out as she locked the door behind her. The living room was empty. She waited a beat, but there was no reply.

  The cookies beckoned her to the kitchen, so she set everything down on the couch before walking over to investigate. They must have been put in the oven recently. The little balls of dough had begun to spread out, but they’d need another five or ten minutes at least. The smell was absolutely divine.

  “You’ll never guess what just happened!” she shouted over her shoulder. When met with further silence, she walked to the window to see if Grams was still messing around in the garden in the backyard, but she wasn’t there either.

  Melodie twirled her necklace around her finger and bit at the inside of her cheek. Her grandmother wouldn’t have just left the house with cookies in the oven, and besides, she had the truck. Unease crept back up as she walked quickly to her bedroom. Then her grandmother’s. Then the bathroom. She wasn’t there.

  Heart pounding, Melodie ran to the back door and stepped out on the porch. The entire fenced area was visible and empty except for a pile of recently pulled weeds. She took a step forward and her foot scuffed up against something rough. There were four deep gouges in the wood of the porch like something had clawed at it. Something massive.

  A chilling howl rose from the trees. It sounded close. The little gate near the corner of the fence swung a little as the wind picked up. It had been left open. This wasn’t right. She had no idea why her grandmother might have gone out there, but where else could she be? Swallowing down her fear, she grabbed the hoe that was leaning against the wall and ran toward the forest.

  As soon as Melodie stepped under the cover of the trees, her unease increased. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She glanced over her shoulder, expecting to find something watching her.

  There was another howl, then a yelp, and she ran toward the noise. Underbrush clawed at her legs and she stumbled, barely catching herself from falling. The thick trees made it hard to see more than a few feet ahead. Her labored breathing seemed overly loud with her heart pounding in her ears.

  She slowed when something moved in her periphery. Or was it just a shadow? Goosebumps covered her arms as a shiver of fear went down her spine. “Grams!” she shouted as she came to a stop.

  The wind picked up, sending the trees swaying and the branches creaking. There was another noise, but she couldn’t tell if it was a footstep or just the wind. Maybe she was being paranoid. Sweat trickled down her back as she realized she wasn’t sure which way led deeper into the forest, and which way led out.

  A rumbling growl set a spike of fear through her. A shaggy black creature stepped into view. It stood at shoulder height and looked like a cross between a bear and a hound with the heavy bulk of its shoulders and long legs. Its mouth curled into a snarl, baring yellow fangs at least two inches long. Thick saliva dripped from its jaw and hit the forest floor with a hiss and a curl of smoke. The wind shifted, carrying with it the stink of sulfur. For a moment she was stuck in a nightmare, paralyzed and unable to make a sound.

  Melodie took a step backward, lifting the hoe with shaking hands. The creature took a step forward, then another. She held her ground this time. Her fingers tightened around the rough wooden handle as the creature tensed.

  It lunged forward and she swung as hard as she could, unable to hold back a scream as the metal end of the hoe connected with the creature’s head. The bulk of the creature still slammed into Melodie, knocking her onto her back. All the air left her body in a rush. She didn’t have a chance to regain her breath before the creature rounded and snapped at her face. Its saliva splattered against her cheek. The sickening scent of her own burning flesh made her want to vomit and the pain tore a scream from her throat.

  One thought pounded over and over in her panicked mind: it’s going to eat me. She refused to die like this. Grams could be out here somewhere, hurt and alone. With an enraged shout, Melodie shoved at its neck and jaw with the handle of the hoe, scooting her head as far to the side as she could. Her eyes watered from the foul scent it carried and the lingering burn on her face.

  It snapped again and she shoved the handle of the hoe into its mouth. It bit down, wrenching its head back and forth until she lost her grip on it. She wrapped her arms around her head and curled into a ball.

  The creature yelped, and then its heavy weight was gone. She scrambled backward through the dirt, frantically searching for another weapon. It would be back, and she had to be ready when it was. The dropped hoe was only a foot away. She lunged for it and pushed back up to her feet as the creature turned away, putting its back to her. A newly embedded knife stuck out of its flank.

  Grams ran toward them, another knife held ready to strike. “Melodie, run! Get back to the house!”

  The scene in front of her made no sense. Her grandmother shouldn’t be running through a forest with knives. There shouldn’t be a demonic beast trying to eat her. She took a step back, the urge to listen to Grams and flee pounding through her, but two men wearing strange costumes were running up behind her grandmother,
swords drawn.

  “Behind you!” Melodie screamed.

  Her grandmother twirled around, ducking under the swing of a sword. Her silhouette stuttered, her skin flashing from white to brown, and her hair fading into shades of green. The two men were fast, but somehow Grams was faster. She dodged and struck back against every attack the men threw at her. The beast turned its attention back to Melodie, limping slightly from the two knives sticking out of its flank.

  A painful tingling sensation shot through her limbs as her heart clenched in her chest. The creature lunged and she stepped to the side as she swung. The hoe connected with the side of its head. Metal hit bone, the impact making her hands go numb. A rush of electricity pulsed down her arms and exploded outward with a clap of thunder that threw both Melodie and the creature apart.

  As she hit the ground, something cracked deep inside her chest. Her hair lifted from her shoulders and electricity surged up from the ground to every part of her body. Rolling over, she struggled to her knees, but the ground sucked at her, pulling her wrist deep into the dirt. She pulled her hand away, but a thick vine followed, curling around her wrist and creeping up her arm. Panic rose in her chest as she flipped over onto her back with a shriek and tried to shake it off.

  The creature’s growl slid up her spine. Its red eyes locked onto hers as it prowled closer. It lunged and she screamed, throwing her hands up in front of her face. Instead of the expected impact, there was a yelp. Something scraped along her back, wrapping around her shoulders like a vice, but there was no pain. No burning saliva. No bite.

  Vines had sprung up around her like a cocoon. The creature was tangled in the thorns, completely unable to move. They were both trapped. Between the vines, thick as her wrist, was a flash of red hair and the glint of a sword. Apparently, the hell beast had an owner.

  “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” said a rough voice, laced with amusement.