by Leah Cutter
“No, I don’t think so,” Mom said, her voice still raspy.
“Please, hon, I am so sorry about any pain I ever caused you. Or the kids.”
That was it, Nora realized. Dad sounded sincere—was sincere—at that moment. He believed he spoke the truth. However, he was as changeable as the fairies. He wouldn’t be sorry or apologetic for long.
“I’m sorry, too,” Mom said. “Sorry to have caused you pain.”
Nora’s stomach sunk. Didn’t Mom see that Dad was lying, or would be lying soon?
“However, I’m not sorry I took the kids and ran,” Mom concluded, sounding stronger.
Nora grinned. Warmth blossomed in her chest for the first time since Queen Adele had started taking her name.
“You’re not a good father,” Mom continued. “Or a good man.”
“You’re going to break apart our family over a silly disagreement?” Dad fumed.
“You’re the one who was going to break it further apart,” Nora accused, stepping up to him. “You were going to steal Dale and leave me on the side of the road.”
“He told you that?” Officer Palace asked.
“Yes,” Nora said.
“I said no such thing, young lady,” Dad said, scowling at Nora.
“That was exactly what you had planned,” Nora said hotly. “I heard you.” Nora paused, choosing her words carefully. “And so did my friend sitting in the back seat.”
Nora had never seen someone grow pale like that before.
“You’re an evil child,” Chris declared. “In league with the devil.”
Nora stepped back, feeling like she’d taken a physical blow. How could her dad believe that of her? She wasn’t bad like the fairies. She didn’t want to admit her lie, though, that Adele wasn’t her friend.
“Get out,” Mom said, her voice like steel. Nora had never heard her mom so angry before. “You’re never going to have contact with my children again. Ever!”
“That’s enough,” Officer Palace said. He jerked Dad’s handcuffs and hauled him out of the room, handing him over to another police officer before coming back into the room. “Ma’am,” Officer Palace said, addressing their mom. “We’d be happy to enforce the restraining order you filed against your husband.”
“I didn’t—” Mom said, then she stopped, looking confused.
Nora suddenly remembered the papers Mr. Patterson had insisted on dropping off at the courthouse. “Those were the papers you asked Mr. Patterson to file for you, remember?”
“I don’t think those are the same,” Officer Palace said. “These were filed in California a couple weeks ago. As your friend Robert had suggested.”
Mom nodded slowly. “Yes. Robert.”
“Mr. Patterson just brought those papers to our attention,” Officer Palace said, looking at Nora. “We’re happy to honor the California order.”
“Right,” Nora said, nodding. She knew her mom hadn’t filed any papers. She also suspected that between this mysterious Robert and Mr. Patterson, the police were willing to believe that she had.
“He won’t bother you again,” Officer Palace assured them all before leaving. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Nora smiled at Dale, then her mom. Yes. Now. Everything really was going to be fine.
Epilogue
Queen Adele coughed as she cursed Kostya’s name. The dust made it hard to breathe. Adele used the smallest trickle of magic she could for light. She didn’t want to drain herself and be buried in these tunnels until she wasted away. At the next blocked intersection she dug deep into her own strength to shove the boulders out of the way. A thin trail of clear air tempted her on.
Kostya had gone too far. He’d had the audacity to dig tunnels under the palace itself. They’d given her a place to escape from the secondary blast that had shaken the very foundation of the palace. It still wasn’t right, merely ironic, that though his machine had destroyed her kingdom, his own plotting had saved her.
How many survived? Did it matter? Cornelius had been conveniently absent when the machine had blown up. Had he tried to warn her, and had she not listened? That would be his story, she knew. She spit out more dirt, the bitter earth sweet in comparison to her dark thoughts.
It didn’t matter what Cornelius or any of the royals thought. Adele had other resources. She still had the name of the Tinker, as well as most of the name of the Maker. Though it would take her months to make the trip to the southern kingdom, Gaurand, and even that nasty Savit, would help her. Then Adele could come back. Re-take her kingdom.
Get her revenge.
***
Eli sat in his truck outside the house, monitoring the spirits inside: the frail, completely human spark of the mother; the cooler, more calculating magic-tinged boy; as well as the warmer glow of the girl. He’d been too greedy, overlooking the mother’s illness and endangering all three of them. He’d wanted Nora’s magic for his realm and hadn’t been patient. Eli shook his head. At his age, he should have known better.
The moon glinted off Eli’s golden, hawk-like eyes. He shook his waist-long white hair. Now, the girl would be cautious. Even through the wood and sheetrock of the house Eli saw the tenuous ties that connected the twins were stronger than they’d been before their ordeal. Those, too, would be more difficult to sever.
At least they’d be safe. The fairies would keep their distance, now that their queen had gone. Kostya, too, hadn’t been seen for a while. Not that any of them understood what Eli was. He’d watched them all arrive in his land, even the white man.
Old Eli’s usefulness was just about finished. In a couple years he was going to have to pass away. Then his son—no, his grandson, would have to come take over the family business. A charming stranger, with magical eyes that Nora wouldn’t be able to resist.
Their offspring would remarkable. Too bad they generally killed their mothers.
About the Author
Leah Cutter currently lives in Seattle—the land of coffee and fog. However, she's also lived all over the world and held the requisite odd writer jobs, such as doing archeology work in England, teaching English in Taiwan, and bartending in Thailand.
She writes fantasy set in exotic times and locations such as Tang dynasty China, WWII Budapest, rural Louisiana, and the Oregon coast.
Her short fiction includes literary, fantasy, mystery, science fiction, and horror, and has been published in magazines as well as anthologies and on the web.
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