by Alicia Fabel
“Hope you all don’t mind. I seemed to have misplaced my invitation,” greeted Marianna.
By the time everyone had settled back around the table, an extra stool pulled from a closet, Kale still hadn’t managed to say one word to Vera. The girls cooed over the baby crows Marianna had brought in the covered cage. For the Crone, she’d said. Soon, they were discussing how to take care of baby birds, which turned to news of Eggbert. The chick had apparently found a taste for eggs. With Gage gone, he’d needed a new home. So Marianna had taken him in and told Vera to visit any time. Not a good idea at all, Kale wanted to point out.
“By the way, how’s the magic sitting, dear?” asked Marianna. And that’s why.
“Good. Sometimes it flexes, but I push it back down where no one can accidentally snag it and go-go-siphon-master or anything.”
“That’s good. Wouldn’t want your own siphon to take notice of it either, of course” Marianna said.
“What do you mean?” asked Vera.
“Your siphon abilities are awake now. And they aren’t likely to go back to sleep with that mess of magic curled up inside you. Best to keep it well out of reach.”
“I can siphon magic already inside me?”
“Untrained the way you are now, yes. The world thread or your own magic from whatever else you are. If your siphon gets stronger than that other part of you, you could be in trouble.”
“How do I make sure that doesn’t happen?” asked Vera.
“The more you cultivate your other abilities, the better handle you’ll have on keeping the siphon in check,” answered Marianne, seemingly unconcerned.
“So, I need to what? Go to unicorn school before I siphon myself into a world-destroying psycho?”
“Something like that,” said Marianne with a laugh.
“What happens if Vera siphons the world-thread?” Kale asked
“It’s gone. Which is fine, so long as no one decides to go after the High Witches any time soon. But there’s already one corrupt Siphon Master running amok on Earth. We don’t need to add another.”
“I’ve been looking for the Siphon Master, but he’s gone off the radar,” Addamas said.
“He’s either learning to deal with magic withdrawal, or he’s hunting down any humans with dormant magical talents like yours and draining them, drop by drop,” said Marianne.
“That’s why you’ve had Ferrox watching me,” Vera said to Kale. The first time she’d looked at him that night.
Kale blinked, letting her make her own conclusions. He’d had Ferrox watching her for several reasons, not the least of which was the Siphon Master.
“All right. How do I begin training?” asked Vera.
“Kale could teach you how to defend yourself, so you don’t have to add any more locks to your door,” Mimi suggested.
Vera shot Mimi a look then cleared her throat, running a finger back and forth on the edge of her plate, and said quietly, “If you wouldn’t mind. That might help ease my mind so I can worry about the siphon inside me instead.”
“Sure,” Kale said.
“Good.” Weaver delivered the refilled cups to Kale for him to pass out. “The rest will be like working a muscle. You just need practice. For now, how about a toast?”
Kale slid a cup to Mimi and Addamas. Vera’s fingers brushed Kale’s when she took hers from his hand. She pulled back quickly, looking studiously at the inside of her cup.
Weaver raised her glass. “To bringing the world back together.” Marianne took a deep swig.
With a few murmurs, Kale’s friends followed suit. Kale took a mouth full and nearly spit it out when Vera began to glow. Everyone stared at the girl until she noticed. Her eyes grew panicked.
“Did I grow a horn?” Vera rubbed at the empty spot in the center of her forehead.
Kale leaned across the table and looped a finger through her hair, which glowed like Ferrox’s eyes in waves of black and red. Vera’s breath caught. Her eyes locked with his. Kale glanced at her lips for only a moment before pulling the lock forward to show her.
“I told you she was a redhead,” crowed Addamas.
Mimi smacked him.
“I didn’t know unicorns could do that,” Vera whispered, eyes locked with Kale’s.
“Neither did I,” he said.
“What does it mean?” she wondered aloud.
“It means you’re impossible to figure out,” Kale answered ruefully. “It also means your training starts immediately. Before your luck gets you into any more trouble. Plus, you’re running every day with Mimi because your endurance is terrible.”
“You know you’re a bossy jerk, right, Scotchie?” She bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling.
Kale let her hair fall from his fingers and sat back in his chair with a smirk. “And you’re a pain in the butt, Sprinkles.”
Vera’s heart lifted with the familiar banter. She’d finally made it back home.
Keep reading for a sneak peak of
Tempest Song (Unraveled World- book 2)
Available here for purchase or pre-order. Releases December 28, 2018
Also by Alicia
Want more Kale and Vera? Check out the next books in the Unraveled World Series. Available soon or now on pre-order.
Unraveled World:
#1 Siphon Magic (Dec 2018)
#2 Tempest Song (Dec 2018)
#3 Oracle’s Luck (Jan 2019)
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Acknowledgments
Holy cow! I’m writing acknowledgements, which means I really did this insane thing I set out to do. There are so many people who helped me get to this point. First off, my husband, who has been my biggest supporter from the start. And our kids, who put up with a distracted space-head for a mom. Thank you guys for not caring about having to eat on paper plates every day—we really should’ve bought stock in those, mac & cheese, and pizza rolls. Seriously though, this would not be possible without you guys.
Vicki, my friend, I would not have found the courage to finally pursue this path without your encouragement and advice as well. You are a rockstar for answering my billion-and-one questions. Sorry for all the ones that came to me at unholy hours of the night. And to all the other authors I’ve met along the way, who’ve made me feel a little more normal, thank you. You’re the reasons I have any clue about what I’m doing right now.
When I set out to find people to help me get my stories ready for readers, I never expected to find people I would count as friends. I truly got lucky finding you guys. Lara (Wynter Designs), you are incredibly talented. Chris (The Editing Hall), you not only made my stories sparkle, you gave me the tools and confidence to be a better writer. And Erin, for reading my stories in their earliest incarnations, you are a hero.
To everyone else who has cheered for me, offered support, and given feedback, thank you. To anyone taking the time to read these acknowledgements, you are part of the reason why this story is possible. And this is only the beginning. I cannot wait to share the other worlds churning in my head with you.
Here’s to all the paper plate days to come!
About the Author
Alicia Fabel got her degree in Resource Management from Iowa State University. Then, because she dreamed of a life with books but was too chicken to come out of the writer’s closet, she pursued a teaching certificate for middle school language arts. She never finished that certification, though. Instead, she finally came to her senses and started writing for real. Now here she is, talking in third person and feeling like a weirdo. But hey, she did it!
Alicia is a socially awkward misfit, who loves all things fantasy, sugar-coated, and cozy. She lives on the high plains of the USA with her husband, their four children, and a spaztastic cat. If she can achieve her dreams, anyone can, with a little hard work and persistence. So go make those dreams happen! <3
Tempest Song
&n
bsp; Unraveled World - book 2
Chapter One
“You like him,” Mimi singsonged across the dorm room Vera shared with her.
“You’re crazy.” Vera pulled a gray stocking cap over her messy bun and checked the mirror to be sure all of her hair was tucked underneath. She scowled at her flaming cheeks.
“Only as crazy as that man is adorable.” Mimi threw herself across her unmade bed with an exaggerated sigh.
“Who’s adorable?” Addamas asked, stepping out of a path from his room on the men’s floor.
“No one,” Vera answered at the same time as Mimi said, “The new librarian intern on campus.”
“That’s why you’ve been spending so much time at the library.” Addamas plopped down beside Mimi. “You’ve got the hots for a nerd, girly?”
“No.” Vera winced at the spike of pain through her temples. Her truth-telling superpower had raised the stakes since Summartir last year. What she wouldn’t give to have her plain-old bells back. The world-thread curled up in Vera’s gut shifted. She held it down until it settled.
“Hold up. I have a picture of him.” Mimi leaped from the bed to retrieve her tablet.
“You took a picture of him?” Vera spun around to gape at her friend, but Mimi ignored her. “Do we need to discuss how humans feel about stalkers?”
Addamas whistled appreciatively when Mimi turned the screen toward him. “Good work, Vera.”
“I’ve never even met him,” Vera protested. “Neither has Miss Paparazzi over there.”
“Oh, but that’ll change tonight,” Mimi assured. “Noah’s scheduled to work when our psych group’s meeting. And I have a plan.”
“How do you know his name?” Vera asked with increasing alarm. “And how do you know his schedule?”
Mimi shrugged with an impish gleam in her eyes. “I may have taken a peek at some files while you were hunting down another book on mythical creatures yesterday.”
“You told me you had to pee.”
“I pee fast.”
Vera smacked a hand to her face, covering one eye. “We’re going to end up with a restraining order, aren’t we?”
“Pshh.” Addamas waved a dismissive hand. “One minute with you and Noah’s the one who’ll need restraining.”
Dear Lady, help me. Addamas and Mimi were teaming up against her. The only time those two were ever on the same page was when they were trying to hook Vera up with a guy. With their meddling powers combined, they were unstoppable.
“Can we just go already?” Vera asked—begged. “I’m hungry.”
“For something other than book-boy?” teased Addamas, making no move to open a path to the meadow for their mid-week check-in. A.K.A. family dinner. A.K.A. a condition of Vera being allowed to attend college while a Siphon Master still roamed Earth.
“We’re supposed to be there in two minutes,” Vera pointed out. “Think Kale’s on his way yet?”
Last time they were late, Kale had stormed the campus. They’d had to hide the Guardian in the closet while security went door to door looking for a madman with a sword. Later that night, Kale had insisted Mimi and Addamas join Vera’s training session. He wanted to be sure they could protect his charge if some baddie had found her. The only reason he’d even agreed to let Vera enroll full-time last semester was because Addamas and Mimi had volunteered to enroll with her. How could the Guardian say no when she had a satyr bounty hunter and a morph queen for bodyguards? Truthfully, Addamas and Mimi were thrilled to be living a human-college-kid life. To make sure Kale didn’t pull the plug on their fun, they followed his rules to the T when it came to Vera’s protection. Even if that meant sparring with the thousand-plus-years-old Guardian to prove they were capable. They’d passed that night, but none of them walked straight for days. They were never late again.
Addamas stood and grumbled, “Gotta suck the fun out of everything, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes. Because this has been so much fun,” Vera said with more irritation than she’d intended.
“You okay?” Mimi frowned. “You seem like something’s bothering you.”
“I’m fine,” Vera apologized. “It’s just been a long day.”
“I’m sorry for giving you a hard time about Noah.” Mimi’s shoulders slumped.
Dang it. Now I’ve made Mimi feel bad. Vera had been determined to get through the day without making anyone else miserable. Way to fail.
“It’s not you. I’m just tired. Spring break needs to hurry up and get here.” Vera did her best impression of a smile.
Mimi nodded in understanding but still seemed deflated.
“You really think Noah will like me?” Vera asked.
That perked the girl up. “I’m totally sure.”
“If not, you’re taking me out for frozen custard after the library,” Vera said.
“Hun, I’m taking you for frozen custard either way, but you’ll be glowing not moping.”
Addamas winked at Vera when Mimi wasn’t looking. A path appeared in the middle of the room, looking like a portal into the woods. The boundary forest to be exact, where the gates to all the realms of the world were tethered. All those gates circled the meadow where Kale lived, and unlike Earth, the meadow was saturated with magic. Addamas gestured for the girls to proceed.
Vera wrapped her fingers around the two charms hanging from her neck. The small white disk with an acorn etched in it was a piece of Summartir eggshell. A symbol of good luck, she’d been told. While she didn’t believe in good-luck charms, she wore it to remind herself of the sacrifices made to protect the world from humans. And that’s where the black teardrop-shaped charm came in. It was a cloaking charm, which hid her powers and muzzled her siphon. With it, Vera couldn’t accidentally suck up the magic around her and become a magic-addicted, world-destroying monster like humanity’s ancestors. That’s what got them all banished to Earth in the first place. Heading into the meadow was like heading into a crack den for her siphon. A scary prospect even with her cloak.
“You’ll be fine,” Mimi said, obviously sensing Vera’s reluctance. “We’ll make sure of it.”
“Sometimes I wish I could just go back to being human.”
“I know.” Mimi squeezed Vera’s hand.
“That’s pretty selfish, huh? When the magic inside me keeps everyone here safe.” The world-thread stitched Earth to the rest of the world. Without it, the seams would unravel, and Earth would fall away. In a spectacular display of fiery-death and destruction for all her kind.
“Not selfish.” Mimi shook her head. “That thread also keeps the siphon inside you awake and hungry. It’s never selfish to wish for peace inside your own skin.”
“Since none of us wants you to destroy Earth to get that peace, let’s get to the meadow and work on waking up the good power inside you,” piped Addamas. “Those siphon urges won’t stand a chance against your unicorn, girly.”
“At this point, I wouldn’t even complain about a horn sprouting from my forehead if I could just get a leash on my monster,” said Vera.
Mimi raised a doubtful brow at that. “Mm-hmm.”
“Fine, I’d complain,” Vera admitted. “Just like you’d complain if your paws turned to hooves like Addamas’s.”
“Gods.” Mimi shivered dramatically. “Don’t say stuff like that.”
“Woman,” Addamas said to Mimi. “You only wish you could morph into a sexy-ass satyr instead of a flea-bitten cat.”
The corners of Vera’s mouth tipped up. Their bickering was soothing in its normalcy. It was just a normal day. “All right. Let’s do this,” she said.
***
Kale picked at his thumbnail. He’d barely been able to eat the lasagna he’d summoned for dinner—Vera’s favorite. Vera hadn’t eaten more than a couple of bites either, which worried him. He wondered if he should let his plan go. Maybe she did just want to forget.
Goddess save me from your incessant worrying. Were you like this before we were bound together? asked Ferrox.
/> What if she cries or something? Kale scrutinized Vera. She smiled at Mimi, but it was shaky.
Balls, she looks like she’s two seconds from a breakdown already, Ferrox observed through Kale’s eyes. Best of luck with that, old man. I’m headed out.
And you call me a coward.
If she loses it, the last thing you want is for her siphon to latch onto the demon in the meadow. That would be bad news for all of you.
She’s wearing a cloak, Kale reminded.
Yeah, and magicked items have never been known to fail. Ferrox moved into the borderlands.
So, you’re leaving for our protection? That’s the story you’re sticking with?
Just like you’re sticking with the story that you’re only worried about the girl’s feelings right now.
What else would I be worried about? asked Kale.
Oh, I don’t know. Why don’t you man-up and give her your gift? See if you figure it out yourself.
You’re a bastard.
Like all my brothers. Ferrox slipped through a gate and their link severed. Kale caught the scent of sandalwood and smoke in the air. The demon horse had decided to spend the night prowling around his home realm.
“Anyone want dessert?” Kale headed for the cupboard before he could talk himself out of it.
“Uh, you’ve got to ask?” Addamas asked around a mouthful of food and pushed his plate aside. “Bring it on.”
“Nice.” Mimi glowered at Addamas.
Addamas blew a kiss and her nose flared.
As always, the cupboard conjured precisely what Kale wanted. Right down to the twenty flickering candles. Vera’s eyes weren’t the only ones to widen when he set the cake on the table in front of her.
“Happy birthday, Vera,” he said. Stars blast me if this goes badly.