Unwanted

by Mari LaRoche

  …he’s right, I hear an entire troop. You can’t change yet, so trust him.

  How can you hear better than me? We’re in the same body!

  I know what to listen for.

  Viv climbed into the chest, swearing mentally.

  Amir reseated the lid. The top inch of the underside of the chest was decorated with open wood carving, forming a pattern of bars. It permitted the scent of the cedar lining to drift out but was overshadowed by the lid. The thick odor of cedar made it hard to breathe, and while she wasn’t squeezed, the chest felt uncomfortably close to a coffin.

  She’d never examined it before, but it both allowed airflow and the ability to peer out in a limited area. She caught sight of Amir as he swept a hand over where her blood had fallen. Smoke rose, and he nodded to Donal.

  6

  The door creaked. Viv shifted again; she could see Donal’s back. His body obscured whoever stood outside. Amir moved to stand next to him.

  “Donal.” A stream of unfamiliar words followed.

  “Speak English, Crixus. My friend doesn’t speak the goblin tongue.” The weight he put on the word friend made it clear it was a euphemism for much more.

  From her angle, Viv could see Amir’s clasped hands clench behind his back.

  “I need to search the premises for a fugitive.” The voice was high-pitched and slurred.

  “Who? Did my uncle get away again?”

  “A human who knows too much.”

  “Really? Are you implying that I’d willingly associate with a human? Or that my lover would tolerate a threesome? You know how peri are, so jealous. And territorial; this is his house and outside Morgan’s territory.” The snide tone made Viv’s palms itch to slap something.

  “Can he speak for himself?” The harsh voice was amused. “And does your Nia participate as well?”

  “As if.” Nia’s voice poured scorn on the idea like syrup on a sundae. “Not funny, Crixus.”

  Donal turned from the door and kissed Amir, a lingering caress he broke off after a long moment, running his hand down Amir’s arm.

  Viv blinked.

  A chuckle sounded in her head. If only, I’d have loved to watch that.

  “I have better uses for his mouth than speaking to you, Crixus.”

  Laughter from multiple sources hissed like sleet.

  Crixus said, “I obey your command, Donal. I must tell Brigit what I have seen; your sister will not approve of you wasting your time.”

  Donal shrugged. “As you will.”

  He shut the door and strolled to the window, obviously watching.

  Amir remained still by the door as the hooting and hissing moved away.

  “Do that again without permission, and there will be blood.” Amir’s voice fell like stones in the silence, so soft that Viv barely heard the words.

  Nia raised a hand. “I’m going outside to walk the dog. I want to maintain my deniability.”

  “Go.” Donal waited until the door closed again. “Sex for recreation is something goblins don’t understand. They think it’s funny, and if they’re laughing, they’re leaving rather than fighting. Did you want to risk them finding her?”

  Amir knelt by the chest. “Just stay in here a few minutes more. Until they’re far enough they can’t see you.”

  "I want to participate in the next planning phase.” Viv felt foolish speaking through the chest.

  Donal pulled a chair into her line of sight and said at normal volume, “I do love the sight of you on your knees, peri.”

  A faint growl emanated from Amir.

  Donal smiled, his voice lowering to a purr that blended with the rain. "The plan as it stands. Before I got here, I made arrangements for the Rán to stop here in the morning. I told them to chart a route to Cuba and back, a little cruise so I can think and relax while events are happening on land. Round trip, about a week. More, if I tell them to let you do some fishing.”

  “A week?!” Viv couldn’t help the squawk.

  Amir shook his head. “How is that a plan? If we’re on a boat, there’s nowhere to escape.”

  “There’re more places the boat can run to than a car could; Brigit doesn’t go out on the open water, but on land, she’s got an intelligence network second to none and many favors owed to her. If you stay on land, she’ll find you.”

  “How will a week make a difference?” Amir’s tone was quizzical.

  “She’s decided to move fast and hard. Something has tipped her off. This buys time for me to figure out what she knows and buys time for Viv to learn to use her abilities, now she can tap at least some of them.”

  “How am I supposed to do that?” Viv snapped the words, hands pressed against the inside of the chest.

  “I’m not a mage, Ms. Rivera, nor a Seer. I do know power often manifests in response to traumatic events; the past days been traumatic for you, yes? Being somewhere safe will help you harness any abilities that pop up in the next few days.” Donal regarded her with a sympathetic smile.

  Viv recalled the name. From the Norse pantheon, Rán was the wife of a giant associated with the sea, known for collecting the drowned. “I don’t think sailing on a boat named after that goddess is safe.”

  Amir raised a brow. “Why did you name your boat after her?”

  “Because it was a really bad date.” Donal shrugged.

  Amir walked to the front window and peered through the blinds. He turned and mouthed, “Still there,” before returned to sitting by the chest.

  “If you’ve been watched,” Donal continued, “then they know you’re phobic about the ocean. Nobody will look for you there. At the end, you’ll be dropped back off here; by then, I’ll have had time to make other arrangements. That way, you’ll be safer, Ms. Rivera. Amir will go with you to help you.”

  He crossed his legs at the ankle. “We’re doing this as a precaution. Morgan being Morgan, no place is completely safe. Even among my best-vetted staff, it’s possible she’s set up a sleeper agent. You could tangle up spiders in her webs."

  It was hard to be forceful and soft-spoken while peering out through the crosshatching of bars. “I don’t want to go out on a boat. Especially if there’s a chance someone will try to kill me there!”

  Yes. My enemy drowned me, at the end. Not in water, precisely, but I’m not happy about this journey either.

  The expression of weary pain that crossed Donal’s face made her heart hurt, even though it was Ušum’s emotion. Vivian had never been troubled with too much empathy.

  It was like she was two different people, and she didn’t like the feeling.

  “You’ll do it if you want to live, Viv. Brigit won’t stop until she catches you. Goblins are very good at finding things, but they follow directions to the letter. You have a better survival chance on a boat." Donal spoke reasonably, but she could see him withholding the charming overtones.

  Viv exhaled, defeated. “It just sounds…feels…futile. Like it will never stop.”

  "So where do you plan to sleep?" Amir broke the pause following her words, looking at Donal.

  "Nia and I can’t leave while they’re still searching, Amir.” Donal tapped on his phone. "I've texted you the pickup information."

  "Will there be a problem taking Nuby? And do either of you know someone who calls herself Fate?" Vivian watched their reactions carefully, having opened with the question about Nuby to relax their guard.

  Good! This should be amusing.

  Amir stiffened. Donal froze for a moment, then rested his chin on his fist.

  Amir recovered first. "Why?"

  "Because a woman who said she was named Fate was sitting at my kitchen table just before all this started. When people started breaking in, she had my cat in her lap, and Bast is with her now, and I'm worried.” She glanced from Donal’s face to Amir’s, trying to read their expressions.

  Amir seemed excited, Donal doubtful but with a similar undercurrent of excitement.

  “Since you know her, do you know if she will
be good to my cat?"

  It was a non-life-threatening worry, but now that it had worked its way to the forefront of her mind, she couldn’t budge it.

  "If she's involved, that’s the confirmation I didn’t want." Donal didn’t raise his head from his hands.

  An irritated snort resounded between Viv’s ears. Perhaps ex-lover, then.

  Well, you are dead…? Viv made it a question.

  I’ll answer that when you can focus on our conversation.

  Amir nodded. "One can never tell with her. I think she'll treat Bast well. She always enjoyed cats."

  Donal rose, walked to the window, and peered out the blinds, his head cocked as if he were listening. He gave a thumbs-up gesture.

  Amir removed the lid.

  "Can you tell me who she is exactly?" Vivian staggered as she stood; she’d gotten stiff while waiting.

  Amir’s hand on her elbow steadied her. She moved to the fridge and pulled out a beer. It seemed to be appropriate. So did draining it in a series of long swallows.

  "She's the embodiment of fate." Donal raised his head. "She's on everybody's side, nobody’s side, but I'm really hoping she's willing to nudge things in our direction. I know for a fact she doesn’t favor the opposition because otherwise, they'd be here right now."

  Viv’s blood chilled—both at the idea of fate having a consciousness and at her cat being in its hands.

  “I’ll…think about your offer. I need to shower.” Viv brushed at her clothing then gazed at Amir.

  She appreciated that no one commented on her attempt to save face since she actually had no choice. And arguing was a waste of time.

  “The suitcase has clothes for you in it.” Donal pointed over his shoulder. “Best guess at your size. I bought personal things in a range of sizes.”

  Her jaw dropped. Her expression called up a gleam of humor on Donal’s face. “Can’t send you off without clothes and make it too easy for Amir. While he needs all the help he can get, I have to draw a line somewhere.”

  True, though he was the one who always said no.

  Viv picked up the suitcase, ignoring internal and external comments, and retreated to the bathroom.

  Fresh from the shower, she opted to sleep in shorts and a t-shirt rather than the white silk pajamas printed with blue boats. Annoyance made her exhale sharply. It was like giving a bird a cage liner printed with cats. It showed he was aware of her dislike of sailing as well; it was too pat.

  Nia dropped three sleeping bags on the floor as Viv walked out of the bathroom.

  Amir shook one out. "Do you want my mat or a sleeping bag?"

  Vivian stared at the fluffy sleeping bag. "I'll take a sleeping bag."

  She was going to be stiff in the morning. Every bone ached at the thought of a night sleeping on the floor. Pride forbade taking the mat after everything that had happened. Besides which, it wouldn’t help much. All these young-appearing likely immortals prancing around, and she was stuck with stiff joints.

  "I'll set the alarm," Amir said. "Where's your phone?"

  "I left it at home." She’d backed it up to the cloud, so at least her specimen pictures were safe. The mental image of the rocks—thinking about the steps to identify, mount, and catalog them—was a well-worn path for her thoughts and made the stress recede.

  The unwelcome thought the intruders might have taken her phone crept into her mind. There was nothing she could do about it right now, so she concentrated on letting that thought go.

  "Good. That’s one less way they can track you. We'll leave with the tide, so we need to be up before dawn."

  Donal settled in the chair, staring at the closed blinds of the French door as Viv spread the sleeping bag on the floor. Nia tapped at her phone. While it was turned down, Viv could hear the faint strains of a timewaster game in progress.

  Amir shook his head. “Your back is going to be killing you tomorrow, Viv.”

  “Probably. But this, at least, is a choice I can make.” Any control at this point helped her mood. S

  he crawled into the sleeping bag and closed her eyes, listening as the others settled. After a while, she began to relax. Curious, she focused on her hands. Could she make the claws grow at will?

  An odd sliding sensation, this time without pain, answered her.

  Sleep rolled over her.

  A woman stood next to Viv, smiling. Her long dark hair fell in thick curls past her hips, framing a face too strong for beauty. Her large dark eyes were outlined in kohl, and the air bore a faint perfume.

  “Ušum?” Viv looked down; she was in her favorite pajamas, soft and worn.

  “Yes. Sort of. You’re her, actually. I’m a ghost of her memories; Fate made me so you could access your past and use your powers within the confines of a human lifespan. So, I’m a recording of her, to help you remember her.”

  “That sounds…cruel and unfair.”

  “Especially the part where I can’t eat or have sex. I’ll help you, Viv. Will you help me get a body so I can have a separate existence?”

  “If I can.”

  Relief swept Ušum’s face. “Thank you.”

  She wavered in Viv’s view, becoming translucent. She spoke rapidly. “We can’t be in contact like this for long, and you need to rest. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Viv plummeted into an odd, erotic dream with Donal as the male lead. Even in dreams, it made her want to laugh and ask for Amir, who attracted her more.

  She felt a reproving swat in the back of her mind, then woke and sat up in response to a gentle tapping on her shoulder. She winced as her back protested.

  Donal sat tailor fashion next to her. “Sorry to wake you, Ms. Rivera, but I had a few things I wanted to talk about without Amir listening. He’s very protective of you, and he has hopes I don’t want to shatter before I have to.”

  Viv nodded, waiting. A heat tried hard to creep up her cheeks.

  “I’ll be honest; I believe you’re the newest Seer, but I hope Amir’s theory that you’re the reincarnation of the last seer is wrong. That carries a lot of baggage, and I do want you to survive. To do that, you’re going to have to toughen yourself up mentally. You don’t have a prayer of matching any of us physically; you’re a human and you’re old.” Donal frowned.

  “Thanks, I think?” Vivian kept her voice low.

  His frown lightened at the sarcasm. “Reasonable signs point to you being a mage. You need to find a way to tap into and manipulate your magic consciously; it’s what gives you the ability to see clearly. I had a mage friend, years ago, and he told me once that joy was what let him tap into his magic and understanding himself was what helped him manipulate it. Mages are very rare; that really is all I can tell you, other than they all find a way eventually to their magic. You’re older than most. I don’t think it’s because you’re weak. But I’ve watched you, along with Amir, and you often go for the easy, comfortable path, and you need to look to the hard path from here out, so you’ll be ready for what’s coming.”

  Outside, mixed in with the now gentle patter of rain, Viv heard the hissing language again of the goblins.

  Donal sighed. “They’ve assigned guards, just in case you were hiding here. Nia and I will commandeer them and leave on a task we need to do anyway. Use the time we’re buying you, Ms. Rivera. It’s a rare, precious commodity. When next I see you, I hope you’ll have learned enough to defend yourself.”

  He rose, lithe and graceful, and strode to the door where Nia waited. They slipped out into the darkness.

  7

  Viv stared into the darkness. She wanted to know more about their world, and the only…person…who seemed straightforward was Ušum. She wished she’d thought to ask her questions about it.

  Meditation could perhaps help quiet her mind and let her sleep. She’d toyed with it from time to time as an anxiety aid.

  She arranged herself, breathing deeply and evenly, and focused her mind on the image of a candle flame, dismissing other thoughts and worries one by one. Focusing
on the candle, and only the candle, she tried for the next step, emptying her mind entirely.

  For just a moment, the candle morphed into the shadowed figure of Ušum. Then other mages rolled into her mind, refusing to depart when she tried to dismiss them.

  Darkness. Agony. Suffocation. Then, a last spasm as gentle relief spread through her body and gentle hands cradled her, large enough she could be held entirely within only one of them. Relief as she floated toward cool light, still supported by those compassionate fingers.

  Something fierce and hot snatched at her, threads of grief and anger weaving themselves into the fabric of Viv’s being. It fastened onto Viv, pulling her away from the welcoming coolness,

  Let her go, sister. If Death had a voice, it would be like that, vast and calm.

  No. I won’t have it end like this! The frantic energy of the denial was strong enough to move a world. The voices reverberated, jostling her, pulling her into the scene.

  Go! This isn’t something you should see. Ušum’s voice, sharp and full of concern.

  Once again, this time successfully, Viv tried to thrust them from her mind. She opened her eyes.

  The sky had lightened. Amir stood across the room, examining a note.

  “One day, Donal will learn to text.” Amir sat back on his heels. “We’re clear to leave. It’s chilly out this morning. I’d wear layers because it’ll be cold on the open water.”

  Her stomach curled with dread.

  He continued, “Alec next door is willing to board Nuby for the next two weeks.”

  The protest that rose to her lips died stillborn as she contemplated a drowned Nuby. It hurt, but she nodded.

  Nuby whined all the way to the neighbor’s, picking up on Viv’s mood. Alec, a retired fisherman, had several dogs, one of which was a spaniel like Nuby. He treated them all well, and she’d petted them when they went out for walks when she and Amir sat outside on her visits.

  The dog yipped and whimpered, the sound pursuing her as she walked away from the house. Amir’s hand under her elbow, kept her from turning. He set a rapid pace that she had no trouble matching.