Crying Fire

by Zenina Masters

  She grabbed some chopsticks from the container on the table and started to eat the shredded chicken, mixed vegetables, and rice.

  Her father walked into the kitchen and sat across from her at the table.

  “So, what happened last night?” He folded his hands, and she could tell he was trying to be calm.

  Thadra took a mouthful of food and chewed it before chipmunking the food and answering. “It was pretty textbook. I observed, I verified, I executed him with maximum pain for the longest amount of time I could manage.”

  She moved her food and finished chewing. He was irritated, so she was pushing a few buttons. Her eating habits were one of them.

  He didn’t let her eat with her fingers, so chopsticks were the next best thing. Arranging her meals into neat bites was one of her hobbies. She wasn’t allowed much more than that.

  “So, there was nothing out of the ordinary?”

  She thought about it. “The resort was pretty booked. It is possible that someone saw something, but the snow was falling heavily, and I did take him deep into the woods. My wards might have cracked because he was yelling so much.”

  He drummed his fingers on the table. “No, that isn’t it.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know what else it could be. The witness spell was in place, the court got their result. I don’t see a problem.”

  Her father leaned back. “The king was here.”

  “Here? When?”

  “Last night. Didn’t you see him?” His look of disbelief was apparent.

  “No. I went out to the island, added a few more feet to it, and took a nap or passed out. I am not sure what happened.”

  She continued eating until he asked, “Did you dream?”

  She paused and swallowed. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

  Her father reached out and took her free hand, giving it a squeeze. “I am sorry.”

  She squeezed back. “It’s okay. Just a little bit of mom left behind.”

  “They consumed her. I don’t want that fate for you.”

  Thadra nodded. “I know. I am only consuming the pain of those injured by my assignments. The blood of Baku is insistent on taking the dreams and giving luck in return. It isn’t a bad side effect to the other talents that I have been given.”

  “Too many. I thought that Mele’s mixed bloodlines were fascinating, but they also were her doom.”

  “I know, Dad. I know. I don’t take people’s nightmares and sorrows on me on purpose. It is just a side effect of the executioner work. A link is forged when they die with everyone they have ever hurt. Taking that pain isn’t something I was ready for, but I am used to it now. I can deal with it.”

  He leaned back. “You don’t have to. You are no longer court executioner.”

  Her plate was empty, and it was a good thing because she lost her appetite. “What?”

  “You have been retired from your position as executioner, and you are being ordered to go to the Crossroads as soon as you are able. His Majesty has ordered it.”

  “I don’t want to go.” She blinked and was sure she was pouting.

  “It was not a request. It was an order. If you are not there in two days, he will come here and bring you there himself.”

  Thadra blinked. “Shit.”

  “Language.”

  She gave him a bland look. “Fucking hell.”

  He grinned. “Better.”

  She chuckled. Her dad looked like a rabid historian to the outside world, but to her, he was the man who had held her when her mother passed, had educated her in every global history he could find, and had dealt with the dizzying array of talents that she developed over time. He was half of her genetics and her agent to the court of the fey. He might be a little off-putting to strangers, but he had her best interests at heart when he finally realized that she needed help.

  He cocked his head. “Now, you had better go and pack. Oh, and if you are choosing a mate, try and find one with an interesting pedigree. You know how I love to get my teeth into research.”

  She chuckled. “I will keep that in mind while I am looking for a mate. Interesting pedigree. It is going on the list.”

  “Go and pack. I will get the location of the portal, and you can transport yourself to the Crossroads.” He nodded and got to his feet.

  She watched him leave and sighed as she realized that her father had been up all night working out how to tell her and how he would handle the change in their lives. In human terms, her father would be autistic. He went in one direction with his whole heart, but any changes would send him spinning. She was used to his moods, his requirement for solitude, and his constant mourning of her mother. How was a mate going to deal with the necessity of being here and dealing with her father on a daily basis? She wasn’t going to live without him near her.

  Chapter Three

  If her father said she was expected at the Crossroads, she was expected. He never got the details wrong.

  Thadra sought out the feel of the portal, and she latched on, using the connection to the earth to pull her up and into the Crossroads dimension.

  The moment she landed, she stepped to one side in order to not block the portal if anyone else wanted to come through.

  Against her instinct, she had dressed up a little for her arrival. She was dressed in her family colours and a light and airy gown. She looked as much like a member of a fey family would, aside from her curves. Those she couldn’t conceal, so she made the best of them.

  A female shifter who radiated power came toward her. “You must be Thadra.”

  “I am.”

  “I am Teal. My mate is Tony, but he is showing another client around the Crossroads. Welcome.” The woman’s face was friendly, and her smile was genuine.

  “Thank you for the welcome. My order to come here was short on details.”

  “Well, we have a contract here in your name that has been authorized by the fey court. You need to sign it, and we will give you a bracelet with a charm on it that works for payment of all expenses while you are here.”

  Thadra nodded. “That’s something at least. Wow, you have my whole name and everything.”

  “Apparently whoever filled out the paperwork for you with the court was very thorough.”

  Her name was emblazoned with the first two names being the ones given by her father and mother. Thadra Keaka Hellerwell was what was on her driver’s license, but the other nineteen names in the middle of that were family names that both of her parents had wanted to keep out in the open.

  Teal smiled. “You have a very long name.”

  “I do. My father is a stickler for details, so I wear the family names for ten generations on either side of my parentage.”

  “Um, this says you are half-fey.”

  “I am. There are thick threads of humans or spirits in my bloodline. I am not fully fey.”

  “Oh. Okay, that makes more sense now.”

  Thadra signed the page, and she got the tiny charm on her wrist, the small flame was her emblem, and it had a small crystal in the centre.

  “It is cute.”

  “I am glad you like it. You can keep it as a keepsake of the Crossroads after you find your mate.”

  Thadra quirked her lips. “I think that the mate himself will be enough of a keepsake.”

  Teal smiled. “True. Are you ready for your tour? We have you booked in at the Axion.”

  “The fey hotel? Very well. I do need to warn you, I might not be welcome.”

  Teal blinked. “Why not?”

  They started their walk out into the light of the Crossroads. “I will let you know if it comes up.”

  Teal nodded. “Fair enough.”

  They walked through the streets paved with crunching gravel.

  Thadra asked, “So, if I find a receptive male, does it matter what he is?”

  Teal shook her head. “Oh, sorry. No, it doesn’t matter. You and your mate will connect, and it doesn’t
matter what you are. The contract is binding, and the fey agreed that whatever you choose will be yours. As his people will have done.”

  Her host coughed. “That is what the crystal does; it leaves you visible to the fey.”

  “Ah. I did wonder.” Thadra looked at the salon, the restaurant, and the café and general store. “So, for a meal, can I book a dinner somehow?”

  “The café is always open, and your host at the bed and breakfast can book a table for you at the restaurant.”

  “Lovely. I just need to know where to get something to eat now and then. A nice dinner goes a long way.”

  “Well, there is the Crossed Star, so you can dance if you like or just sit and socialize with those who are of a similar frame of mind.”

  Thadra was amused. Teal had suddenly realized that the entire mating thing was a bit of a hard sell for Thadra. It showed in the way she began to discuss the amenities of the Crossroads.

  “We also have the Isthmus if you want to spend a day at the seaside or, at least, our equivalent. A lot of the aquatic shifters are out there.”

  Thadra smiled. “I like the seaside.”

  “If you have time, you should definitely go. It is just over the hill and past the meadow.”

  “Good. I will go exploring after I get settled.”

  Teal nodded and walked her to the door of the castle that was sticking up and out of the landscape.

  The door opened, and the smiling proprietor was in the doorway. “Welcome to the Axion.”

  Thadra stood back and waited for Teal to make the introduction. “Drak, this is your guest, Thadra Hellerwell.”

  His smile froze in place. “Hellerwell?”

  Thadra gave him a bland look. “Retired.”

  He looked over his shoulder nervously. “Of course.”

  Thadra raised her eyebrows. “Will I make you uncomfortable?”

  He blushed hot bronze under the gold of his skin. “I am sure we can manage.”

  Teal blinked and stared. “I am confused.”

  Thadra turned to her. “Until this morning, I was the executioner for the fey court. I wasn’t sure that my identity had spread this far, but apparently, it has.”

  Teal made a decision. “Right. The Isthmus it will be. The tower is enchanted, and you only have to ask for what you want.”

  Drak cleared his throat. “That would probably be for the best. A mass exodus of the fey here would be awkward.”

  Thadra smiled. “I would agree if King Larion hadn’t ordered me here.”

  Teal sighed. “Right. I will contact the Isthmus. Drak, can you at least offer her tea?”

  He nodded. “Of course. I am very sorry, Miss Hellerwell. I am sure that you understand.”

  “I do. I am the bogey man for the fey, and I have been for decades.”

  Drak gave a rueful smile. “Indeed. I heard about you and the... efficiency of your work before I came here.”

  “I won’t take that as a compliment. The work is horrible, but it is necessary. The human courts can’t deal with the fey or the half-fey.”

  He nodded. “Right. I hadn’t thought of that. Please, come this way.”

  Thadra followed the golden elf into the castle, and she let him escort her to a small room and closed the door so that she wasn’t visible from the hall.

  “I have sent for tea. It will be here in a moment.”

  She settled in a chair, and he took up a slightly tense position on the couch. Thadra sighed. “You don’t have to wait on me.”

  He lowered his gaze. “I am behaving rather badly.”

  She tilted her head. “I have had worse. When I appear at court, they hide their faces from me, and some of the family of my assignments run up to spit at me.”

  “Assignments?”

  She shrugged. “They are not my victims. They are criminals determined by the fey or human court who are beyond the reach of normal law enforcement. My criteria for carrying out the sentence is strict.”

  He frowned. “You have to catch them in the act?”

  “Indeed. I take care of serial offenders and their victims.”

  The tea service floated in and settled on the table between them. Drak leaned in and served her tea. “Milk or sugar?”

  Thadra smiled. “Both, please. Two lumps.”

  He added them, stirred with a tiny spoon, and handed over a cup that looked out of place in his hands.

  She settled the saucer on her knee and sipped at her cup. “It’s good. Darjeeling?”

  “Yes. You have a good sense of taste.”

  She smiled. “I drink a lot of tea.”

  He blinked and poured himself a cup, sipping quietly as he thought. She could almost see the gears going around in his head.

  “You aren’t a half-elf.”

  She smirked. “That is correct, though my legal classification is as a half-elf. It turns out if you mix enough gods and lesser fey into a bloodline, they look human again.”

  He nodded soberly. “That would explain a few things. Any particular geographic origin for your talents?”

  Thadra laughed. “It is a great big world, and most fey get excited when they meet a bed partner they can’t accidentally kill.”

  He blinked at her candour. “Do you even know?”

  “Yes. My father is one of the great archivists. He specializes in bloodlines.”

  “Oh.” He seemed surprised.

  “I do have a father, and I did have a mother.”

  “Did?”

  “She passed on.” Thadra sipped at her tea and smiled at Teal when she came in. “All sorted?”

  Teal nodded. “The Isthmus is preparing a room for you. It will be ready when we get there.”

  Thadra set her cup into her saucer carefully. The delicate china didn’t deserve rough handling.

  “Thank you for the tea, Drak. It was a nice chat.” She bowed slightly and left the room before he could scramble to his feet.

  Teal followed Thadra as she walked to the base of the sidewalk. She looked at her guide. “Which way are we going?”

  “Back to the Meditation Centre, where you arrived. There is a kiosk that has been enchanted for transport.”

  “Excellent. Lead the way.” Thadra was amused by the situation, but she had no qualms about camping if there were no rooms available.

  This time at the Crossroads was drawing a line under her time as an executioner, and she was taking the opportunity afforded to her, simply to get some rest.

  If she had to camp out in a meadow or rest her head on a stone at the seaside, it wouldn’t be the first time.

  After stepping free of the portal stone, she smiled at the new couple who was there to greet her.

  A woman with a shifter’s energy smiled. “I am Juno, and this is Derix. We are the caretakers of the Isthmus.”

  “I am Thadra Hellerwell. I am here to find a mate... maybe.”

  Derix’s eyes had gone wide. He was the fey part of the pairing, that much was certain, he looked like autumn personified. “Teal did say it, but I hadn’t expected you to look so... ladylike.”

  Thadra cackled. “I have not heard that one before, but I was ordered here to find a mate, so I dressed accordingly.”

  She looked down at the elven gown that she had on with the tabard carrying the Hellerwell crest. She was ready for a formal meeting with the judicial court or the king.

  “Well, you look lovely. Let’s get you settled, and then, we can show you the bright blessings of the Isthmus and all of its growing inhabitants.”

  Thadra enjoyed his fast recovery, and she followed as he led her up the spiral staircase of the tower, past a few interesting-looking men, and one who saw her, paled, and made a run for it.

  Ah, it was so nice to be recognized. She wondered how fast gossip spread at the Isthmus. Heck, she was about to find out.

  Chapter Four

  Juno walked Thadra up to her room and smiled. “I don’t know what has
gotten into Derix, but I am sure his mood will improve.”

  Thadra smiled. “It is fine. I get that response a lot from folk associated with the court.”

  Juno shrugged and stopped at the door that appeared. It had a volcanic black stone around the edge and a rich crimson door. “That’s new.”

  Thadra was perplexed. “I thought that you were a caretaker here.”

  “A guardian. Yes, but the tower is living magic, and it makes its own rules so that folk can be comfortable. It thought that this doorway would make you feel at home.”

  Thadra reached out and touched the stone. She smiled softly. “It does. I live on a volcanic island most of my days.”

  “Wow. Huh. Nailed it.”

  Thadra laughed. “It certainly did.”

  Thadra opened the door and stepped inside. The room was filled with sunlight, and a breeze was blowing in off the ocean.

  “So, it is a standard hotel room. Ask the tower for what you need, and it will do its best to provide it. The portal can be used for a link to the Crossroads, or you can walk over the hills.”

  “There are places to eat here?”

  “Yes. We have more of a boardwalk vibe. There are clothing shops, snacks, music, and dancing here, as well as over at the Crossroads.”

  “I look forward to discovering it. Are there a lot of long-term guests here?”

  Juno paused. “A few. How did you know?”

  Thadra laughed. “Very few things actually synch up the way the seers would like them to. All they can do is try to fling us into the same place at the same time and hope for the best.”

  “Um, right. You have a good attitude toward this.”

  Thadra gave the woman a slight smile. “I have had to have sunny attitudes about a number of things. This is just the next thing on the list.”

  Juno inclined her head. “Well, I hope you enjoy the visit and find a mate worthy of your humour.”

  Thadra inclined her head in response as the woman left, and she dropped her bag. With a deep sigh, she walked to the balcony doors and looked down at the narrowing span where the fresh and salt water met. She could smell the change in the water, and it mingled and mixed its way into her nostrils. Saltwater was her favourite. Freshwater made her uncomfortable.