Faerie Blood
Page 30
Not a bit stunned myself, I asked softly, “Will you show me?”
Christopher gave me another nod, this one surer; his smile flared up again, lighting his face with pride. “But I’ll not abandon Newfoundland even if I can’t ever go back myself. I’m going to keep in touch with my uncle. He promised he’d tell the family where I am. I, ah, I guess I need to learn more about computers so I can send ’em email.”
He hadn’t told me yet how the conversation with Thomas Hallett had gone, and more relief swept through me at this news. “I’m glad,” I said. “You can have an account on my mail server, if you want. And you know you can borrow a cup of Internet any time you like, if you want to get them in video chat.”
“I’ll pay a share of your bill,” Christopher stated firmly, and though I’d found out fast he was living practically hand to mouth—he brought alcohol deliveries to the Penguin and took other odd jobs as they came—I wasn’t about to argue. Not when he had that determined set to his jaw, and not when his eyes shone with a hopeful light as he went on, “I’ll find others from back home, maybe, and with this…” Lovingly, reverently, he stroked a fingertip along his bouzouki’s strings. “With this, maybe I can help ’em feel like this city’s a little bit of home.”
“Teach me all the Newfoundland songs you know, okay?”
His entire face lit up at that. “I’ll do better! There’s a band from back home. They come round this way, sometimes, for shows. We’ll go next time they’re here, and—”
Then Christopher cut off, a very strange look coursing over his features, and he stared at me as if seeing me for the very first time. “What?” I blurted, startled.
“It occurs to me,” he said, sounding abruptly thoughtful, “that if a man plans to take a girl on a date, he’d best ask her if she’s open to him courtin’ her.”
My eyes went round. Courting. Was he serious? “Christopher MacSimidh, what kind of man uses a word like ‘courting’ in this day and age?” I breathed, trying very hard not to giggle and desperately hoping he wouldn’t realize how ridiculously, quaintly, thoroughly charming I found that word coming out of his mouth.
The man at my side looked me straight in the eye, his own gone very green, shining through a filter of gold. “The kind who’d like very much to court you, Kendis Thompson, if you’ll have him,” he whispered.
Had those husky words made my brain shut down? I couldn’t seem to hold back an enormous, foolish smile as I babbled, “I’m not sure yet. Maybe you’d better give me some idea of what you have in mind?” Something had definitely shut down. My throat went dry as I spoke, and I couldn’t quite remember how to breathe. It was almost like being thralled—and yet not at all, for the giddy anticipation and the exquisite awareness of Christopher’s nearness were completely, delightfully my own. I didn’t even care that the moment the words escaped me I’d made an invitation. I just prayed I hadn’t sounded too much like an idiot doing it.
If I had, Christopher didn’t seem to mind.
With deliberate care he set his bouzouki aside and took my violin and bow out of my hands as well. Then he slipped his arms around me, pulled me to him, and lowered his mouth to mine.
And he showed me.
Author’s Notes
I originally wrote Faerie Blood back in 2003 as part of that year’s NaNoWriMo and finished off the first draft the following January, in 2004. After that I did put it through a few rounds of editing, but the version that eventually reached Drollerie for publication did not receive much more editing beyond what I’d already done.
And in the meantime, I was working on editing the much more complex Lament of the Dove. That whole process taught me quite a bit more about how to tighten up my writing, and now, in preparing Faerie Blood’s new edition, I found a lot of areas where I could tighten things up here too. This edition has some cleanup of extraneous ellipses, and where appropriate, a few minor changes in sentence structure.
A second problem that arose was one of the year in which the story was set. Much urban fantasy is ostensibly set in the real world, in the present day, and Faerie Blood was never intended to be an exception. The problem though is that since the book was originally written in 2003, ‘present day’ in the Drollerie release of the story is in fact 2003. I have therefore tweaked a few minor details to accommodate a jump forward to 2012: the reference to Kendis’ year of birth (and other dates as appropriate), any Seattle-specific references affected by the shift in ‘present day’, and any technology-specific references such as the capabilities of cell phones.
Lastly, while I’ve tried to keep Christopher’s Newfoundland-English dialect minimal for ease of reading (and also because, in character, Christopher has lived in the States for sixteen years and this has impacted his normal speaking patterns), I noticed I was not quite using “after” correctly in some of his lines. This has been now been addressed.
For those of you who may not have noticed such things in the first edition, I hope that the changes will not detract from the overall character of the story! And for those of you who are sufficiently detail-oriented to have noticed them, I hope they’ll improve it for you.
Acknowledgements
This book would not exist without C.E. Murphy. She made me do NaNoWriMo in 2003, which got me 50,501 words by the end of November, a complete first draft by the end of January 2004, and the writing habits that have let me finish two more novels since. Plus, she and Sara Dennis convinced me to attend Writer’s Weekend in 2004, and Sara gave me help with writing its synopsis. Willowholt writers for the win!
Writer’s Weekend in general deserves a shout out, for helping me hear firsthand from the pros how to go about submitting a book for publication. Thanks to Karen Junker for giving me a shot at an invaluable learning experience.
Many thanks also are owed my beta readers, who helped me pound multiple drafts of this book into shape: first and foremost, the fabulous Mimi Noyes, without whom Chapter 18 would not have achieved its tree-through-roofy goodness; Roger Crew, Cheryl Couvillion, and Sarah Kaye in the Seattle area; Jaime Wurth from the Writer’s Weekend crowd; avowed Elessir fan Janne Tørklep; former housemate and fellow writer Vicka Corey, who tickled me pink by comparing me to Esther Friesner; Janis Neville, fellow member of the Lexington Fantasy Assocation; Jen McKinney from the Gruntland.com forum; peregrine_ek and kriski from Livejournal; and last but not least, Geri Werthner, Michaelene Greathouse, OntarioGurl, and everyone else on the OKP who urged me on with kind words and encouragement. There’s no bass like an Outer Cove bass, and there’s no fandom like Great Big Sea fandom.
More thanks go to the Drollerie Press authors Sarah Avery for pointing me at Drollerie to begin with, and David Sklar for last-minute beta reading. Even though Drollerie has sadly shut down, it will retain a special place in this book’s history as its first home. Much love and thanks to all my fellow former Drollerie authors, who shared several Drollerie blog tours with me, and who in several cases provided me with excellent reading; to Drollerie staffers Selena Green and JoSelle Vanderhooft for grace under fire and for keeping us all in the loop; and most of all to chief editor Deena Fisher, who gave this new kid a shot and not only edited my book, but gave a face to Kendis for the first time.
With this new release of the novel I’d like to thank tiggymalvern on LJ for pointing me in the direction of artist Kiri Moth, who I’d like to warmly thank in turn for providing the new face of Kendis; romance novelist Courtney Milan for advice on how to format your ebook and where to send it once it’s ready; Guido Henkel, for posting an excellent series of blog posts about how to do your own ebook formatting; Vladimir Verano at Third Place Press for the creation of the print edition; and last but oh my not least, my own beloved Dara for dusting off her previous layout experience from the days of LOW ORBIT PUBLICATIONS to prepare Faerie Blood to be printed.
The maddest of mad props go out to all of the supporters who kicked in for $50 or above on the Faerie Blood and Bone Walker Kickstarter project: Scott Hawley, Danie
l Strømmen, Alfvaen, Zeus Esbhani, Cliff Winnig, Lexie, Sally Rose Red Robinson, Stevie Carroll, Vixy, Lauren A. Haley, Yngvar Følling, Matthew McCloud, Lynn Gardner, Octavio Arango, Margaret M. St. John, Anonymous, Heidi, Rax, Beth Moursund, John and Cync Brantley, James Venes, Ann Mittelstaedt, Susan who is the most awesome Le Vent du Nord fan in the world (you DID say to surprise you, Susan!), Sparks, Sandra Crump, Tiggy, Eli Huntington, Cynthia D. Price, Amy and Erin Schram, Glenn Stone, fellow Great Big Sea fan Sara Petersen, Paul Johnson, Juan T. Alvarado, Ellen Eades, Thom Watson, and Maria-Katriina Lehtinen!
Thank you, all. Every last one of you rocks.
And as a final note, since I’ve been asked this a few times, I should mention that Mama’s in downtown Seattle is very much real, and it is indeed decorated all over with Elvis memorabilia. The food is good too, and if you like Mexican, you should very much eat there.
The Electric Penguin, on the other hand, is fictional. Although I would totally frequent the place if it existed, and if I ever win the lottery, I will make sure it gets built.
About the Author
The very first thing Angela Korra’ti ever wrote, at age 8, was a short story about a girl spirited away to rule over the leprechauns for a day. She progressed rapidly to pretending to take notes in class when she was actually writing novels, and writing fanfic before she had any idea what fanfic was! Music has been a part of her life almost as long, thanks to six years playing flute and piccolo in school band and an adulthood dabbling in flute, guitar, bouzouki, and mandolin. Music is likely to make an appearance in anything she writes. Particularly music that involves Elvis, bouzouki-playing Newfoundlanders, or Quebecois trad.
Angela (Anna the Piper to her friends) lives in Kenmore, Washington, along with her wife and their housemate, two cats, and a whole heck of a lot of computers and musical instruments. Despite the fact that she is a mild-mannered former employee of a major metropolitan newspaper, rumors that she is a superhero are exaggerated. (Even if she did pull the door off a refrigerator.)
As Angela Korra’ti, she writes the Free Court of Seattle series and other works in the Warder universe. As Angela Highland, she writes the Rebels of Adalonia trilogy for Carina Press. You can find out more about all of her works under either name at angelahighland.com.
Bone Walker
Also now available: Book 2 of the Free Court of Seattle!
Two months should be long enough for a girl to learn to cope when she finds out she’s half-Sidhe, or so Kendis Thompson has convinced herself. She wants nothing more than as normal a life as possible, playing her violin and pursuing her growing relationship with Christopher, Warder Second of Seattle. But when the Unseelie bard Elessir falls through a portal out of Faerie, bringing with him a ghostly peril that puts her best friend Jude’s life and sanity in danger, Kendis must test the strength of her new magic. And when the bone walker Melorite threatens all of the Emerald City, Kendis must fight to save everyone she loves—even if it means succumbing to the dominion of the Unseelie Court.
Find out more at Bone Walker’s official page:
http://www.angelahighland.com/books/bone-walker/
Bone Walker: The Free Court of Seattle Original Soundtrack
You’ve read the book—now hear the music! A new release from Crime and the Forces of Evil!
Featuring Special Guest Artists
Alexander James Adams
Ellen Eades
Sarah Kellington
Sunnie Larsen
Leannan Sidhe
Klopfenpop
Available January 30, 2015
music.crimeandtheforcesofevil.com
Valor of the Healer
Also available from the author, writing as Angela Highland for Carina Press: Book 1 of The Rebels of Adalonia!
The Rook
An assassin hired by vengeful elven rebels to kill the calculating Duke of Shalridan, Julian walks into a trap and barely escapes with his life. Healed by a beautiful captive in the dungeons, he’s enthralled and vows to free her from the duke’s clutches.
The Hawk
A Knight of the Hawk duty-bound to cleanse elven magic from Adalonia, Kestar has a secret—and heretical—ability to sense the use of magic from afar. He knows something suspicious is happening in the duke’s keep, but he has no idea how deep the conspiracy goes.
The Dove
A half-elven healer with no control over her magic, Faanshi is the goddess’s to command. She’s always been a pawn of the powerful, but after healing two mysterious and very different men, she faces a choice that may decide the fate of the whole kingdom…
Find out more at Valor of the Healer’s official page:
http://www.angelahighland.com/books/rebels-of-adalonia/valor-of-the-healer/
Vengeance of the Hunter
Also available from the author, writing as Angela Highland for Carina Press: Book 2 of The Rebels of Adalonia!
The Knight
After nearly being destroyed by a conspiracy within his Order, Kestar faces a crisis. The Knights of the Hawk have always stood against elven magic, but how can he proceed after discovering his own elven heritage? How will his Order react when they discover the truth?
The Healer
Free of the shackles of the Duke of Shalridan, Faanshi sets out to pursue her destiny with the elves—and finds herself at the head of an open rebellion. But her goddess isn’t done with her yet, and controlling her magic turns into the fight of her life. One she cannot win without both Kestar and Julian by her side.
The Hunter
Rattled to his core after Faanshi healed his eye and hand, and haunted by guilt and a growing love for the elven healer, Julian flees. As he seeks retribution against shadows of his past, convinced of his own unworthiness, he’ll need all of Faanshi’s faith to turn him from the path of vengeance to help save Kestar, and the whole of Adalonia.
Find out more at Vengeance of the Hunter’s official page:
http://www.angelahighland.com/books/rebels-of-adalonia/vengeance-of-the-hunter/
Victory of the Hawk
Coming April 6, 2015 from Carina Press: Book 3 of The Rebels of Adalonia!
As war rages across Adalonia, their only hope is a sword named Moonshadow, the weapon that first saved the elves from the Anreulag.
Julian
Julian yearns to confess his love to Faanshi, the elven healer who captivated him since their first chance encounter. Though he fears she and Kestar share a deep connection, he must thrust such worry aside as danger descends upon them and their uneasy elven allies…
Faanshi
Faanshi’s connection to Kestar is inexplicable, born of her magic and their shared elven blood. She knows his every thought and desire, but her heart lies with Julian. She’ll have to find a way to tell him soon, even in the midst of rebellion…
Kestar
Though he knows not why—only that it involves his own recently discovered elven heritage—Kestar has risked the lives of everyone around him. For the Anreulag, the Voice of the Gods, has been freed of Her magical prison and will kill all in Her path until he is found.