Storm Crossed

by Dani Harper

  A fresh latte appeared in front of Lissy, and she drank gladly enough, but her mind raced. What do I do now? I can barely teach Fox enough coping skills to manage everyday life. We’re still working on stuff like grocery shopping, for heaven’s sake! I don’t know how to teach him to control magic!

  A familiar voice slipped into her head, steady and calming.

  I do.

  And then it was gone.

  NINETEEN

  The tall fae stared at the door with furrowed brow, as if it were personally responsible for his discomfort. He was determined to align himself with human custom for Lissy’s sake—but in the absence of servants, he was uncertain how to announce his presence. No bell ropes hung from the small porch roof, no embroidered pulls along the walls in either direction. The annoying neighbor had banged on the door and shouted Lissy’s name like a kobold selling fire salamanders in the marketplace. Surely that cannot be right . . .

  As he pondered what to do, a scraping sound above made him take a few steps over to look past the roof. A blond-haired boy folded his arms on a second-story windowsill and rested his chin on them as he regarded Trahern. Braith’s massive head hovered over him like a great lion.

  “Dude, how come you’re still on the porch?”

  “I’m observing the rules of courtesy and waiting to be granted entrance.”

  Fox frowned. “You mean like waiting for somebody to let you in? Braith says you’ve been here a long time. You know you’re supposed to knock on the door, right?”

  “Your mother did not appear to like it when Claire knocked.”

  Fox rolled his eyes. “Duh! That was too loud. And she yelled, too. My teacher, Mrs. Fletcher, says yelling’s only for when there’s an emergency. Like if the school’s on fire, you know?”

  As Trahern attempted to digest that, the boy rapped his knuckles on the windowsill. The sound wasn’t disagreeably loud yet had an urgent pattern to it, like a coblyn might use to lead human miners to richer veins of coal.

  “Kinda like that,” continued Fox. “If you do it too hard, though, people get mad at you. I know because Mr. Murray next door yelled at me for it. I said yelling was rude, but he just got madder.” He shrugged. “People are hard to understand. I like animals better.” He pulled his head back in and shut the window. Braith’s great head lingered on the other side of the glass, incorporeal for a few moments, with his jaws grinning widely as if laughing at his twin below. Then he disappeared as well.

  “That was illuminating.” Trahern turned his attention back to the door and mimicked the boy’s knock.

  Lissy opened the door almost immediately. “Trahern! I thought I heard Fox talking to someone.”

  “I was being instructed in the finer points of human etiquette.”

  “I see.” Her beautiful full mouth twitched. “You’re doing very well. Please come in.” As he crossed the threshold, she waved a hand at herself. “Sorry about the pajamas and wet hair. It got kind of late, and I hadn’t heard from you, so I took a shower. I’m not exactly presentable for company anymore.”

  As she walked in front of him, he thought she looked extremely presentable, at least to him. The loose fabric of her tunic and leggings boasted a pattern of tiny colorful owls—what female among the Tylwyth Teg would wear such whimsical garments? Lissy’s damp hair and skin left a trail of scents in the air. He discerned soaps and perfumes and a faintly pungent compound common to human water. But over it all lay her own unique scent—warm and earthy, salty and sweet. Like an exotic spice, he would recognize it anywhere.

  “I came to instruct Fox,” he managed.

  “At this time of night?” They sat across from each other in what he now knew was oddly termed a living room. “I’m guessing that you don’t know it’s a little late for a lesson,” she said. “Fox only has an hour left before bedtime, although he certainly seems full of energy tonight.”

  Trahern cursed himself inwardly. Mortals lived with the burden of set hours that measured out their lives. He would have to adopt the concept of time. “The moon is nearly full, and its influence is potent. Perhaps Fox simply feels constrained by being inside.”

  She sighed. “I can understand that. As a geologist, I’d much rather work outside than indoors.”

  Perhaps we should visit out of doors, then.

  That’s a nice idea. But why don’t you visit with Fox now? Maybe you could set the stage for his future lessons or something, give him a little introduction. That way, he’d be able to have his snack and get to bed on time.

  As before, Lissy made the transition to mind speech smoothly and easily, as if she had done it all her life. Trahern decided he liked this intimate communication with her. Her warmth and humor—and even her occasional irritation—evoked a pleasing sensation in his mind that he would be hard-pressed to describe. Most unexpectedly, it also filled the terrible void left by his brother’s silence.

  “There’s one thing I should tell you,” she said aloud. “I explained to Fox about how you’d like to be his magic teacher. And he didn’t quite understand, so I used a movie he knows to help make the point. I don’t suppose you’ve seen Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone?”

  “Who is Harry Potter? Is another sorcerer seeking to interfere with the child?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No, no, no. Harry Potter is a character from a famous series of books written by J. K. Rowling. He’s a little boy who finds out that he’s really a wizard and gets invited to attend a wizarding school. They made the whole series into eight wonderful movies—those are stories you watch instead of read, kind of like a play.”

  “A form of entertainment,” he supplied.

  “Yes! The problem is, I could never get Fox to watch more than one of them.”

  Her words brought up a wealth of questions, but Trahern forced himself to focus on the issue. “Why would that be a problem?”

  “Fox just wasn’t very interested in Harry and his exciting magical adventures. The only character he really liked was Hagrid, the man who talked to animals.” She sat on the edge of the couch with her hands folded on her knees. “You know, a little of it might be because Hagrid lives by himself in a house near the forest. Fox would be very attracted to that—he does better with peace and quiet, and the fewer people around, the better. But most of all, my son definitely has a thing about animals.”

  “A thing?”

  “An affinity. It’s more than just liking animals, he’s comfortable with them. Fox would really rather be with animals than people.”

  “So he has said to me.”

  “Well, he’s also mentioned more than once that they talk to him. I made the mistake of chalking that up to a child’s imagination. Now I think that he really can communicate with them, all of them, just like he seems to do with Braith.”

  Trahern committed Lissy’s words to memory. “Knowing such details may prove helpful as I instruct him.”

  “I just don’t want you to be disappointed if he isn’t interested in your instruction.”

  “Any disappointment I might experience will be the least of our concerns. I must find a way to encourage Fox to learn. And I must make a beginning.” They stood, and he took a step toward the staircase. Stopped. “Do you require your son to remain in his room?”

  “Of course not! He ate supper, and then he said he wanted to play with some of his toys. That’s pretty normal for a nine-year-old.” She shrugged. “And his room is kind of a sanctuary for him—he likes it a lot.”

  “This night, with such an auspicious moon, I would like to work with him outside. If he is willing, of course,” he added quickly. “We would remain close to your home, and—” Trahern paused for a long moment. “It is possible that I may be more successful in gaining Fox’s attention if you are not present. Will that cause you concern?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. I trust you. How about our backyard? It’s not very big, but it’s completely private, and there’s even a fire pit if that’s something you need. Alt
hough it’s pretty small, too.”

  I trust you. He heard little else. Words possessed power, and these were words Lissy had not spoken before. The truth in them shook his senses. Trust was no light thing between mortal and fae, but he hadn’t been expecting the relief that washed through him like a cool mountain stream, and a kind of giddiness took hold. Before he formed the thought, he’d already pulled Lissy to him and pressed his lips to hers.

  Sight and sound fell away, leaving a world composed solely of subtle sensations. They were no less powerful for their simplicity. Lissy’s delicate breath against his cheek and the spicy-sweetness of her mouth. The warmth of her skin and the softness of her hair. He nuzzled her face and throat, kissing, licking, indulging in her scent that had so captivated him. Her arms slid around his neck and pulled him close, even as he molded her gently rounded body to his angular one as tightly as he dared. By all the stars, he wanted more, all, everything—

  Something hit the side of his head. He barely gave it any heed before several more somethings pelted him in quick succession—and stung like fire-bees! Trahern pulled back midkiss, instinctively placing his body between the mysterious attack and Lissy, just in time to be hit squarely in the center of the forehead. He threw up a spell, and a dozen small objects struck an invisible wall and clattered to the floor.

  Acorns?

  “It’s about time ya came up fer air, ya lecherous son of Oak!”

  Ranyon stood on the back of the living room couch, twiggy hands planted on his hips, his strange blue cap on backward and his gnarled face screwed up into a frown of epic proportions. “You’d best be steppin’ away from her!”

  Self-control and discipline were the greatest powers a master sorcerer possessed, and Trahern found himself exerting a great deal of both to keep from tossing the ellyll out the nearest window. “I see no reason for your concern,” he began as soon as he got reliable control of his voice. Too late. Lissy had already marched around him and confronted the ellyll practically nose to nose.

  “What on earth do you think you’re doing, and why are you in my house?”

  “Well, no one answered the door, now did they? I looked in the window fer fear that ya might be in danger, and here ya are snoggin’ with a fae!” he sputtered. “He’s Tylwyth Teg—yer lucky he didn’t steal yer breath like a shadowcat!”

  “Ranyon! I can’t believe you’d say such a thing!” She thrust her palm out, displaying the blue symbol. “I trust my child with this man, and you yourself said Trahern could not break his oath.”

  “Well, I didn’t say he couldn’t break yer heart, now did I?” The ellyll folded his arms in front of his bright-blue shirt and harrumphed loudly.

  Her voice rose. “Listen, mister, I’ll damn well snog with whomever I want to, and it’s none of your business!”

  “None o’ my business? None o’ my business?” he shouted, and threw his bright-blue hat to the floor. “Lissy, darlin’, ya said yerself we’re family. And as family, I can’t be watchin’ ya mourn again.”

  “For the love of little fishes, my own mother is giving me a hard time about not trying harder to meet men. Now you’re upset because I’m actually enjoying a little male companionship?”

  “No, I’m givin’ ya the fifth degree because he’s not a man, he’s a fae!”

  “It’s third degree, buddy. And you don’t have the right to—”

  “Dude! How come everybody’s yelling?”

  The three of them froze. Lissy turned slowly to see a wide-eyed Fox standing on the staircase.

  TWENTY

  This must be how the Grinch felt when little Cindy Lou Who surprised him . . . Unfortunately, she had no Christmas tree to hide behind. “I’m sorry, Fox,” she began. “We were disagreeing, and we got carried away.”

  “Braith says you were kissing Trahern!”

  That Braith is a tattletale. She threw a glare at the dog looming behind her son, but the great creature simply wagged his tail. Her cheeks reddened—she could feel the heat—as she scrambled for something, anything, to say to her son. Great. I got nothing.

  Trahern, however, wasn’t as tongue-tied. “Your mother is a remarkable woman,” he said with a lot more calm than she could have managed. “And I have a great liking for her.” Ignoring the loud raspberry from Ranyon, he continued. “Therefore, I kissed her.”

  Fox made a face. “Dude, that’s so gross!” He bounced the rest of the way down the stairs, with Braith following him like a silent gray shadow. “Can I have ice cream?”

  Either he was satisfied by the fae’s explanation or he was as mercenary as every other kid Lissy had ever met. Nothing like exploiting a parent caught in a weak moment. “We don’t have any ice cream right now. But you can have three cookies and a glass of milk before bed.” She waved a hand at the fae next to her. “Trahern actually came over to . . . to visit you!” Lissy almost said give you a magic lesson, but that sounded incredibly weird. And maybe off-putting considering her son’s lack of interest in the subject.

  He shrugged. “Yeah, okay.” Fox ambled over to Trahern and stared up at him. He was barely half the fae’s height but didn’t seem intimidated in the least. “Your brother says you want to teach me how to do cool stuff. What kind of cool stuff?”

  “Perhaps you could show me where the backyard is. We can sit out there while we talk about it.”

  “Can we have a fire? We can look at the stars, and I know where the Big Dipper is, too!” said Fox, grabbing Trahern’s sleeve and towing him toward the kitchen where the back door was. Lissy was shocked. Her son didn’t often touch people, not even their clothing—

  “And I’ll just be goin’ with ya!” The ellyll jumped from the couch, picked up his hat, and dusted it off before jamming it over his strange leafy hair. “If a fae is going to be tutoring our boy, then someone’s got to be keepin’ an eye on things.”

  “Ranyon!” began Lissy.

  Trahern stopped, although Fox continued trying to move forward with his small feet sliding uselessly on the smooth floor. “I do not require supervision.”

  “Aye, so ya say. But I’m bettin’ ya don’t know the first thing about human children.”

  Lissy put a hand on Trahern’s arm before he could answer. Remember that we talked about not arguing in front of Fox? You have no idea how lucky we are that he didn’t get upset when he came downstairs. The last time we were all in this room together, you had to put a spell on him to get him to settle down.

  He nodded. So I recall. You wish me to acquiesce to the ellyll?

  I wish you not to argue with him! Look, I know you don’t need any assistance at all from Ranyon, and I honestly don’t know why he came here, but maybe he’d feel better and leave you alone once he saw what you planned to do. Can you put up with him for a little while?

  His eyebrow rose, and she had a sudden silly wish to trace it with her finger. What does it mean to put up with him?

  Tolerate him.

  For you, good lady, I would tolerate an audience of drunken bwbachod.

  Um, sure. Thanks. I think. As Trahern again permitted Fox to drag him from the room, followed by the silent Braith, she stepped squarely in front of Ranyon. “Hold it right there, mister. If you’re going to be part of this, then there are going to be ground rules,” she whispered fiercely. “And number one is there will be no more arguing. None! You will not attempt to undermine Trahern’s efforts in any way, or distract my son, or encourage my son to obey you instead of him. I love you, Ranyon, but you’re going to work with Trahern or you’re going to stay away when he’s here. Capiche?”

  For a few seconds, the little ellyll rubbed a toe on the floor in front of him and wouldn’t look at her. Finally, he sighed and rearranged his hat upon his head as if rearranging his attitude at the same time. “Aye, I’ll agree to yer terms.”

  She sighed. “Look, I just don’t get what the problem is. Aren’t you the one who told me how important this was for Fox? Why are you acting like this now?”

  “Why,
the thought of you and Trahern, a’course! I’d rather be marrying a basilisk myself than see ya with one o’ the traitorous Fair Ones.”

  “That might be, but you know that Trahern is different.” Her voice softened, and she knelt to hug him. “Of all the people in the world, you have ample reason to hate the clan he came from, but he is not them. I’m asking you, for Fox’s sake, to just work with Trahern. And if you really can’t, then I’m asking you to keep out of his way. Okay? Because he’s setting the foundation for you and Brooke to teach Fox later.”

  “Aye. But Lissy, dear?” His bright-blue eyes in his gnarled face were earnest. “Promise me you’ll be as wary as a mouse in a tree full of starvin’ owls. Faeries and mortals live apart fer a reason, dontcha know. Trahern might not harm ya, and Braith surely won’t, but what about their relations?”

  “You mean their family? The House of Oak?”

  “’Tis exactly what I mean. Where are they? Maybe ya need to be askin’ some questions, is all.”

  “Okay, Ranyon. I hereby promise I’ll ask a whole bunch of questions. And I’ll be very, very careful.”

  Lissy watched him make his way slowly to the kitchen, head drooping, as if he walked his last mile. It was all she could do not to hold her breath until she heard the squeak-clunch sound of the back door closing. Finally! If I have to referee anyone else today, then I want a goddamn whistle!

  She dropped into an armchair like a rag doll, completely and utterly spent.

  “Fox, do you understand why I’m here?” The three of them sat on the smooth wooden benches beneath slender young birch and mountain ash. Trahern was pleased with the choice of trees. Birch was useful for healing, and the other was a tree of great power. Ivy had overgrown the fence in one corner, a natural protective ward. The entire green space—the yard, as Lissy called it, though he could not understand the term—was more of a grassed-over garden, really, and small indeed, but otherwise it was an ideal space in which to work magic. Tall cedar fencing surrounded it, offering additional ambience and energy, as well as privacy. Trahern took the extra precaution of veiling the entire area so that no one, human or fae, would see or sense them.