by Cassie Power
Merry led the way inside, seeming happy as she did it. There was a bit of a lilt to her step and even with the room not being all that hot, she was still warm enough that he could feel it from several feet away. Her skin had a rosy glow, visible clearly when they went outside for a bit, between the bathhouse and the kitchen door.
It was dimmer again, inside, but the windows allowed enough light for him to see her by. That… It was surprising, but he really didn’t want to take her out into the snow just then. Dan would have much rather taken the chance to get closer to her. Sitting on the sofa and chatting about her life. Not his, since mystery was just a built-in thing on that topic. It would pay to lead her to think he was just some trust fund brat that had managed not to be all that into his own self-interests. Really, he wasn’t doing that one very well yet. He’d claimed to be an artist, but his skills were just too varied and well-honed for that really. Then, even being really smart, Meredith hadn’t called him on that part yet. It was just possible that she hadn’t really noticed.
A man that knew how to do man-stuff, like start fires and get wood from a pile wasn’t that remarkable. Smiling he pulled out the heavy jacket and gloves he was going to use. Then he dug out the snow shoes. His were the largest ones, since very few people were bigger than he was. The rest had been to share. That meant he’d brought the smallest things he had, which would work just fine for Merry.
That was a great name, he realized. Happy.
“We need to wrap your feet in something before you put these on. Unless you have boots in the car?” Those could be gotten. There had been more snow, but it wouldn’t take long for him to get at things now. The hardest work had already been done.
“Nope. Believe it or not I hadn’t expected to be snowbound like this. Honestly, how did you know to bring all this?” She looked at him suspiciously, as if he’d been behind the poor weather.
That was ridiculous, since it wasn’t a particular skill of his. Not any longer. Not that people like him couldn’t learn how. He had in fact, when he was younger but it was a skill as well as a talent. Like playing an instrument. That was a thing he kept up on, however. Not that well, but it was enough that he could manage to hold his own in an amateur setting. Possibly a bit better than that, if he wished. There had been a lot of practice over the years, which made a difference. It was a thing that he hadn’t done with magic, really.
His people sang, but most of their skill actually came in impersonations. It had been a thing that they’d all practiced doing daily, when he was a boy. Even after the move south. It didn’t come up that often now, but he did enough to keep up with the skills. It was a good part of his heritage, so losing it seemed like a shame. Bringing the storms had been a part of what they did when they’d taken people in the night.
A thing that was best left in the past.
In the end he wrapped, and tied, two small wool blankets around her shoes. Then got her outside and connected the snow shoes. Her feet were fat now and probably too warm, but she didn’t complain, even when he made it all tight.
“Otherwise they’ll fall off, which is a pain, on the trail. Make sure you pick your feet up each time, and toss it into place. Like this.” He demonstrated, which was just walking to him. Then, as she tried, he moved closer, catching her as she nearly fell at first. It wasn’t that hard to work out however, so after a few minutes she was ready, more or less.
“This way.” He started off, checking on her every thirty seconds or so. Her breathing was loud, which was just a beginner’s problem, rather than being out of shape. It was hard to be both new and efficient with things like that. Just as she was settling in they started up the hill. It was steep enough that he kept expecting the gasping woman to ask for a chance to rest.
Merry didn’t even speak. Her movements didn’t slow either, even though she had to be in a lot of discomfort. Looking away, toward the front, he broke the trail for her and held to a steady pace. The goal was to get there, which meant working together. That was another lesson from his youth. Even when the hunting of people had been left behind, his tribe had gone after other things. They used the skills and one of the lessons of the ice had always been that you lived and died by your people. Your tribe.
Right now, his family was built of one person. Meredith Seaford. So, they moved at her pace and she didn’t slack off, making certain he wasn’t held back more than was needed. They got into a rhythm after a while. Slogging through the damp white, making crunching noises as they did it. There were trees on either side, but no sign of large footprints. No scents that would give away a predator either. Not even a hungry bear that had been caught out in the storm.
In a way, moving upward was good for that. Not that Dan could tell every scent in the area from a distance, but if there had been one of his people he would have gotten that. Really, even if a human being had been around, other than himself or Merry, it would have been apparent. There were a lot of deer, some turkey and several things that were small and ate only vegetation. Rabbits, most likely. They were low to the ground and hidden off the trail, but anything small would have been at the moment.
When a hint of a breeze hit, whipping over the snow, he was certain of that one. Rabbits. About six of them, not far away.
Making as much noise as they were, nothing closed with them, which a hunter would have. So at least in this direction there was nothing. Oddly enough that left him feeling pretty good about it all. If the only thing that came of this was a chance to make a new friend, then it had been well worth it. The trick would be in not letting her get away.
That one was hard, for him. Visions of complicated meetings came, moving off to be Danson Meeres. Then running to her as himself, without making it seem like he was having affairs tickled his mind. He’d lived that life before, and while not impossible, it was a lot harder than it sounded. Especially in these later days. Women had been more trusting, in the past.
It was possible they’d merely assumed that he was going to see other women when he’d claimed he needed to travel for work, and had just stayed silent on the idea. With someone like Meredith that would take a lot more to make happen in a realistic fashion. He didn’t like to lie at all and it was harder to do with someone he respected.
Which he did. So far everything she’d done had been right for her world, and his own. That was rare, for anyone.
Holding up a hand, he stopped, which got her to, before she walked into him.
Then, brilliantly, she whispered.
“Is… there something?” Her eyes scanned the world around them, searching for anything that might be wrong, or out of place. Like a Sasquatch coming out of the woods. Or people holding sharp knives and steak sauce.
“No. We’re just here, I think. At the top. See there, through the trees?” He pointed, his black glove stiff over his fingers. “There’s a tower over there.”
The lady had to take her own gloves off to use her phone, but it wasn’t that cold anymore. Thirty-seven, at a guess. Fahrenheit. Five degrees above the freezing point of water.
There was a soft gasp then.
“Oh! Hey, not bad. Three bars. Let me…” She dialed, using a number that was in her phone already, then waited, looking at him with her large brown eyes. A wisp of hair that looked artful fell down into her face as she held the cell to her right ear.
“I’m trying for Monty. The director…” Then her demeanor changed, lighting up a lot. “Monty? It’s Merry!” Then she laughed. It wasn’t like a tinkling of bells, but it was hard to come up with a better description at the moment.
The man spoke, his voice a lot higher than Dan’s, but carrying well, in the cool of the hillside.
“Thank God, girl. We were just about to send out the search dogs. Did you get a hotel? That storm… It made the national news. A total freak thing.”
She spoke, her voice a lot more professional sounding suddenly, than she had been with Dan most of the time.
“Nope. I’m snowed in with Dan Meeres. Danson M
eeres’ grandson? Luckily. He actually knows what to do for this kind of thing. He’s the psychic? Only he isn’t. He’s not half that flaky. Thank God. If he was, then we’d both be dead about now.”
There was a laugh then. It sounded half real, and half like the man was a bit jealous.
Dan could see that. It was a gift to have Meredith alone, all to himself.
“Right, but is he cute? Dish now, since the other kids are going to want to know. Also, are we supposed to head up now or what? We ended up staying in town, when you didn’t call. Worried to all hell too, just in case you don’t feel loved enough.”
There was a pause, and it was kind of clear that she didn’t understand he could hear the whole thing.
“Um… Yes, he is. Don’t come yet. Things are melting, but I doubt anyone is getting in or out for a few days. We’re about… What, three miles from the cabin?” She looked over at him, and waited for an answer.
“Closer to a mile and a half. It was uphill, so it took longer than normal.”
She sighed and shook her head.
“I need to get in better shape. Today has shown me that one. Anyway, we haven’t seen anything yet. No Bigfoot gang walking around out here or anything. Not even any wildlife, but that’s probably thanks to how loud I was wheezing, getting up here.”
Monty, the man on the phone, made a sound that was considering.
“Right. Well girl, you go get ‘em. Just make sure you don’t get pregnant. I can’t afford to have you down for half a year. Though if you are going to do it, hooking up with a Meeres would be the way. I didn’t even know Danson had a kid, much less a grandson. Well, give him a kiss for me?”
That got a laugh.
“Maybe. It depends. Anyway, I’ll try to be in touch, if I can. We have food and wood for the fire and the cabin is solid. Not that I wasn’t scared out of my wits last night. I thought the whole thing was going to fly away a few times. That or a tree was going to fall on us. Talk to you in… Call it a day or two? I’m going to be so sore tomorrow I may not feel like climbing a small mountain for you.”
The man on the phone chuckled, his voice a bit sinister seeming.
“That’s the spirit. Talk to you soon, love. Be good. Not too much, though.” Then he hung up.
Meredith did too, almost instantly.
“I need to save the battery. So, we should get back now? I’m getting a little hungry.”
Smiling, Dan nodded. Eating enough really helped, if you were working hard in the cold.
“Let’s do that?”
Then, in near silence, they did.
Chapter seven- Merry
She hadn’t lied to Monty when she’d suggested that she might be too sore to walk the next day. As it stood she could barely make it all the way back to the cabin without stopping every minute for a break. Not that she was going to let herself do that kind of thing. In fact, when they got to the door she was rather proud of herself.
They’d traipsed up and down a small mountain and she hadn’t stopped even one time. True, her entire body ached already, but that could be dealt with.
She looked at the massive shoulders of her new friend, who’d been working even harder than she had and shook her head a little as he led them inside.
“You are secretly a masseuse in your spare time, right?” She smiled, trying to be playful about her discomfort, when a large pale hand came up. She didn’t know what he was doing that for, at first, but he hunched and took a deep breath. Then a large hand was held up, getting her to stop.
“Someone has been in here. Wait here, off to the side of the door. If anyone runs out, just let them go. We can follow them later, if we have to.” He whispered the words, his voice a bit more hard and gruff than it had been before.
A thrill of shock and fear ran through her, though she couldn’t tell how he knew that anything had happened. There was no sound for a long time, until about two minutes later, when not one, but two invaders dashed past her, their tiny fur covered bodies scrambling in the deep snow. It got her to jump in shock. It was nearly an electric feeling. Like static on her skin.
Merry kind of felt for them, as they managed to get away toward the tree line, their masked faces giving the raccoons away for what they were, even to a city girl like her.
Dan followed them out, but stopped at the edge of the porch, shaking his head.
“We lost half a loaf of bread. I think that’s all of them.” Pulling back, he waited inside, which was much darker the instant he pulled the door closed. The place was very cool, even if a well damped down fire had been left going. That was due to the broken window in the front room. Thankfully it was the smaller one off to the left-hand side. The glass was broken inward. It had clearly been how the animals had gotten inside the place.
“That… Do raccoons know how to break windows without cutting themselves up in the process?” It was probably a stupid question, but her new friend chuckled a little and shook his large blond head in response.
“Not that I know of. This wasn’t normal for their kind, even given that storm we had. It had to be them though. Let me…” He left, through the front door, and came back before she could decide to limp after him, her back horribly sore already. “There are no prints. So, no one snuck up and put them inside like that. Then who would? Weird.”
Merry could see that. It was natural world strange though, not Bigfoot level harassment or anything like that. The little beasts had been hungry and smart enough to figure out where the warm place filled with free food for the taking was. How they’d done it all, breaking the window in the first place, well, she hadn’t a clue. Neither of the things had been covered in blood that she’d noticed. It was hard to remember, probably due to her shock at seeing anything there at all.
Dan, moving in near silence, went to the stove first, in the front room. That still had coals in it, since it had been carefully banked. The place was cool inside, which was a bit odd. Cool, but not freezing cold for some reason. It was far warmer than outside, so it seemed almost like she was on fire herself.
In five minutes there was a nice blaze going again. The front of the metal beast was closed up, as her new friend stood up and stretched a bit.
“Okay. I need to check this out, then cover the window. It’s going to get cold in a bit. Colder. Plus, I kind of want to know how the little robbers managed to get in. You’re right, about the window. It was where they came from, but how did they do it? Just walking through the glass on the floor should have sliced them both up. At least I didn’t notice tiny shoes on them, to protect their feet.”
Merry moved with him, as he went to the broken window. What was going on there was odd. Even she could see that one. Pointing, she sighed.
“The… Um, not to be conspiratorial, but the glass is on the outside. Meaning it wasn’t kicked in. There isn’t a rock or log or anything there either. I mean, a big raccoon might push the glass in, I guess. That, it would be inside though, right?”
Dan didn’t speak. Not at first. Instead he nodded, then moved outside. She traipsed along, since there might be more invaders inside still. That led to a second issue. One that Dan got first, this time.
“This is where they came in. It’s the only entrance at least. Only… There isn’t enough glass out here, either. I guess it could have melted into the snow. Still, you called the situation correctly. It was broken out, even if that’s the case. That…” He shrugged. “We would have been able to smell it, if a raccoon had been inside with us all night. We were alone that way.”
Shaking her head, Merry looked at the ground as well. If there was glass there, it was invisible in the snow. Being stupid, or daring, she moved in and started to feel around. Digging a bit, with her bare hand. It trashed the footprints, but they weren’t getting castings anyway.
“It’s just snow. My hand would be cut up if it wasn’t.” Not that she could feel it any longer. There was no blood spurting from her tender flesh, which was a good.
Instead of telling her
that she was being silly, checking like that, Dan just nodded.
“Right. We need to secure the hole. Strange or not, we have to make sure we live through the night. The weather is a bigger danger than raccoons.” He smiled, seeming almost playful. “Unless they’re really clever about things, I mean. Still, I doubt that our lives are in danger from them. Our bread might be, but…”
That just made sense.
When they moved inside, Merry kind of thought that they’d have to cover the broken-out window with wadded up material, but Dan actually did it with cord wood from their stash of firewood. Then he covered the whole thing with plastic and did the same on the other side. It was just trash bags and firewood. It made a very solid wall however.
His deep voice thrummed along her spine as he explained.
“This isn’t perfect. It will be warm enough, though. I doubled it up to help keep things out. If nothing else it will make a lot of noise, if anything tries to get in that way. Not that whatever did this won’t just make our windows vanish again.” He snorted, a bit derisively. That was a first for him, so far. “Not that whoever did this was all that great. They left signs that it happened. So, it wasn’t teleportation or anything sophisticated like that. At least it wasn’t done well, if it was.”
It sounded a bit like he was making fun of the idea. That made sense, given that magic wasn’t real. Except that there was magic. Stage performances and things like that.
“Um… Well the easy way of doing this would be to come in along the path that we made, then take the window out. That wouldn’t get the Raccoons in though. Unless they were trained?” She grinned then, since making up complex stories like that were how most supernatural things really happened.
They started out being pretty basic, no doubt. A little mystery, like their thing with the missing glass. Then people assuming that it must be ghosts or wizards making it happen, since that was simpler than just admitting that they didn’t know. People loved to understand reality. They just didn’t, a lot of the time.
