A Boat Made of Bone (The Chthonic Saga)

by Grotepas, Nicole

  “You’re supposed to be watching the store,” Ferg said grumpily.

  “Dylan and Jamie are there.”

  Ferg scowled and kicked the leg of Luke’s chair. “Why? Dylan’s not scheduled tonight.”

  “He showed up to watch Kate’s show and we all decided to take turns so we can see some of it,” Luke explained.

  “I’ll let you do it, just this once.” Ferg stood up and took his coffee cup into Salt and Sugar to refill it.

  Kate rolled her eyes and exchanged a look of mutual understanding with Luke—Ferg loved being a hard-ass.

  “Thanks for coming up, Luke,” Kate said.

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” he said, with a smile. “Zoe couldn’t come. Sorry.”

  “No problem.”

  No one said anything for a minute. Audra typed furiously into her phone. Before Kate even asked, she knew Audra was probably exchanging messages with that rich guy. “Who’s stealing your attention from me?” Kate leaned over to try to see her friend’s screen.

  “The guy who asked me out,” Audra answered, distracted.

  “Cool. So what’s his name? You never told me.”

  Audra paused and looked up. She tilted her head to an apologetic angle and cleared her throat. “Breck.”

  Kate laughed. “Really? Breck? Like the shampoo?”

  Audra smirked. “I know. It’s the worst name ever. But . . . he’s rich and cute. So it’s forgivable. Right?”

  “Lucky for him, otherwise he’d never get any action, like, ever. Breck. He might as well be called Cover Girl.”

  “So where’s your beau?” Ferg asked, as he returned with a full cup of coffee, interrupting Kate’s exchange with Audra.

  “He’s not my boyfriend. We’ve only been out a few times—geez. Lay off,” Kate answered. Still, she glanced up and down the street looking for him. Sunlight filtered down through the branches of the few trees planted in the middle of the sidewalk. Street traffic had died down a bit, but the surrounding roads were crowded because it was the commercial district. The small pull-out parking lot was full and Kate figured Ty would park blocks away, most likely.

  “Oh, right. Sorry. I won’t call him your boyfriend again.” Ferg said in a tone that Kate knew meant that he would do the exact opposite.

  One of the employees from Salt and Sugar came out and began organizing the tables that remained empty before helping another employee set up the little PA system.

  “Hey,” a voice said. Kate looked up just as her neighbor Ellis approached the table. He snagged a chair from another table and sat down next to Audra. He was laden with his guitar, zither, and other instruments.

  Kate’s table returned his greeting, curious about the interloper. The table was already crowded. “Excited to hear you play tonight, Kate,” Ellis said.

  Kate didn’t realize he’d be performing tonight too, but she nodded and smiled. “Thanks.”

  Audra stopped texting and sat forward to engage in conversation with him.

  Kate looked past Ellis, gasping quietly when her eyes caught sight of the physical perfection that was Ty. She stood to give him a hug. “Hi,” she said cheerfully.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said, pulling away, the musky smell of his cologne intoxicating Kate. That was better. Better than Ferg’s grumpy and biting remarks. Maybe she could perform. Now that Ty was here.

  “You’re not late. Haven’t even started yet,” Kate said.

  “Traffic was pretty bad on the way here. They’ve got part of the road closed for construction.”

  “No big deal,” she said. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

  Ty waved at Ferg, who said hello with a scowl. Kate introduced Ty to Luke just as Malcolm came running up, out of breath.

  “Took me forever to find a parking space,” he said, bending over to catch his breath. “Thought I was going to miss it. Ran the whole way.”

  “You guys should have parked at my house,” Kate said, chagrined that Malcolm came. She kept quiet, realizing he was Ty’s friend so she should make the effort to get along with him, not only that, she had to admit that she was slightly touched that the annoying guy would run just because he thought he’d miss her show.

  “Kate, can I pick you up a drink?” Ty asked. Kate opened her mouth to say yes, but caught sight of Frank, the Salt and Sugar employee, motioning for her to join him on the stage.

  “Maybe after. Thanks,” she said and grabbed her amp and guitar case and headed over. It was time. She skipped the sound check and sat down to begin—it was a very casual, intimate show.

  “This thing on?” she said into the mike. “Check, check, bill, bill,” she joked, receiving a smattering of laughter.

  By that time, most of the tables were full, and some people had taken seats along the concrete planter box at the edge of the pull-out parking area next to the road.

  “Great. So, thanks for having me Salt and Sugar, and thanks to all of you, for coming,” she said, strumming her guitar lightly. She made a few adjustments to the tuning. “My name is Kate Miller and I work over at Suga’s, so come in and see me sometime. I’ll hook you up with some cool records. I don’t have any CDs yet of my stuff. If you like what you hear, sign up for my email list and I’ll shoot you an email when I get some. And so, without further ado, let’s get this party started.”

  Her friends clapped and whooped. Kate grinned, feeling a surge of adrenalin as she launched into her first song.

  She didn’t play Will’s song first, because that was her whopper. She reserved it for her fourth song. When she finally did play it, it was like magic. The sun had lowered and its final, dying rays shot through the trees and buildings of the city. Twilight came and Kate felt like the crowd was putty in her hands. She noticed Luke leave at some point and replaced by Jamie. The other female employee of Suga’s gave Kate an excited wave.

  When Kate finished her set, she had the sense that she killed it. She placed her guitar back in the case and joined her friends at their table, her body abuzz with the feel-good drugs made by her own body and that unique, singular thrill of having won an audience over.

  She relaxed into her chair and listened to Ellis while Ty sat beside her, his hand resting across her shoulders.

  ***

  “I think it can be a distraction, but I also think it adds to the mystique,” Audra said, leaning eagerly over the round corner table at Lucy’s Diner after the show. Kate wanted to be alone with Ty, but she couldn’t dump the friends who came out to support her and run off into the night just for that selfish reason.

  Lucy’s Diner was a greasy spoon halfway up one of the nearby canyons and a popular spot for locals. It only took twelve minutes to get there, but it closed at ten—so driving there with Ty had given her a few minutes of alone time. And there’d be the drive back, as long as neither Audra nor Malcolm decided they wanted to ride down with them.

  “It’s just a joke, is all,” Ferg exclaimed, a vein popping out of his forehead. “He does it to show off. The only point to it is when you’re doing a record and you can layer the instruments. As it is, by himself, it’s just a joke. He has to put the zither down to play the accordion. It’s not even cool,” Ferg said, shaking his head vehemently, muttering under his breath how embarrassed he was by Ellis’s gratuitous set.

  “No, no, it’s cool. It sets a tone,” Audra said. “Plus he’s got a vibe. I like his vibe.”

  Kate heard a soft grunt of surprise from Ty. She smiled and noticed Malcolm’s eyes dart to Audra, then to Ferg, and back to Audra as he tried to figure out how he could contribute. At least, that’s how Kate interpreted him. His arms were crossed and he rubbed his triceps thoughtfully.

  “This is getting heated,” Ty whispered near Kate. His proximity sent chills up and down her spine.

  “They both like to argue,” she whispered back. She wished she had more to say to him, more excuses to have him whisper in her ear. Sometimes, anyway. Unless she was sleeping. And then all she wanted was Will.

  “
What’s that?” Ferg shouted, using an aggressive tone to intervene. With him there, Kate felt like she couldn’t enjoy Ty’s presence. Every time she saw Ferg bristle at something Ty said, she got the sense that if she approved of Ty, Ferg would disapprove.

  So she sank into her seat and got quiet, feeling burned out on her friends and the cacophony of their personalities. Kate loved them, but she preferred small groups where she could pay attention to one person or one conversation. As the dinner progressed, Malcolm and Ferg started to egg each other on, verbally sparring with Audra until Malcolm seemed to remember that Audra was a girl—a cute girl, no less.

  Soon Ferg was talking about how awesome Kate’s set was and everyone began contributing their opinions about which song was their favorite.

  “Yeah, Kate, I was actually pleasantly surprised. You reminded me of, I don’t know, Emmylou Harris, maybe?” Malcolm said, his mouth full of French toast as he pointed at her with his fork.

  “Thanks, she’s great. Thank you. Yeah, it was fun. It wasn’t my best performance, but it worked out good,” Kate said, struggling to be articulate despite her embarrassment at the compliments.

  “Kate, don’t be so modest. You were amazing. You had the audience wrapped around your finger,” Ty said, turning to her. His plate was empty already—he’d gotten an egg-white omelet. Kate noted the healthy choice, embarrassed that she ordered something as calorie-laden as pancakes and eggs.

  Everyone chimed in, agreeing. Red splotches appeared on Kate’s cheeks. She mumbled a thank you and tried to change the subject with a comment about how great the food always was at Lucy’s, but Ferg interjected.

  “She was captivating, no, wait, she was mesmerizing and commanding and enthralling. She was born to be on stage.”

  Kate gaped at Ferg. What was he talking about? And why?

  “I agree,” Ty said, turning sideways to look at Kate. His fingertips brushed her thigh and suddenly that was all she could think about. “I really think you could be a successful musician. Like Feist or one of those other girl singers. I don’t listen to them, normally, so I don’t know that many, sorry.”

  “I—I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it much,” Kate answered, distracted by his hand, which had settled on her thigh. It was forward, kind of, and she liked it, but she couldn’t think straight.

  “You could probably be big,” Ty said, raising an eyebrow and glancing at the rest of the table for support.

  Kate shrugged, catching Ferg’s gaze.

  “She could, if she wanted it, but Kate’s not big on being the center of attention, even though she handles it well,” Ferg said. He was now eyeing Ty with that disapproving sneer shaping his lips into a slant.

  “I’m fine being in the limelight,” Kate asserted. She wasn’t, really. She did it because she loved singing and some part of her wanted to share it. But she hated being on stage. She put on a front to do it. She pretended to be someone she wasn’t. She just didn’t want Ferg speaking for her. He knew Kate well, but he was being territorial.

  “See?” Ty said, smiling at Kate. “I would bank on you being huge, Kate. I’d bet everything on you.”

  “Thanks,” Kate said quietly, noticing that Audra and Malcolm had descended into their own conversation. Half of Kate’s mind was on them as she began to worry that Audra was going to hook up with Malcolm.

  “Audra, what did you order?” Kate asked, trying to intervene, which was so unlike her, but she couldn’t stomach the thought of waking up and finding Malcolm in her house. Kate could see it now—Malcolm was probably the type of guy who wandered around in his underwear, oblivious to anyone else having an opinion about not wanting to see him like that. She could just imagine him strolling sleepily down the hall, yawning, scratching his bare stomach as he searched for breakfast. Ugh.

  “French toast,” Audra said absently, tossing her hair and giggling at something Malcolm said. Oh no, Kate thought. They both got French toast. Audra would take it as a sign.

  Kate caught a glance from Ferg and they shared a look of mutual disgust.

  11: Disco

  Kate floated on a river in darkness. A loose shawl was draped around her shoulders, which she held onto with one hand. Water sloshed against the sides of the vessel that held her. She blinked. She wasn’t alone in the small rowboat. There were two shadowy figures nearby—without seeing their faces, she knew they were not Will.

  Taking a deep breath, she noticed that the river stretched into the distance, curving and bending in a sinuous line with thousands of floating lily-shaped paper lanterns upon it. It was beautiful.

  The figures on her boat were people, she realized, not something scary or malevolent like she’d suspected at first, for some reason. No, they looked like villagers. One of them held the boat in place with a long oar stuck down into the water, while the other lit the paper and bent over the side to place it carefully in the water. As far as Kate could tell, these two had lit all the lanterns, which then floated away like stars in the Milky Way.

  Where’s Will? Kate wondered. Was this the dream or just a strange, vivid dream?

  Oriental sounding music drifted across the river. Along the shore, Kate saw the milling crowds. Others crouched on the beach and lit their own paper lanterns that they released into the water. A few street lamps guttered nearby on the road cutting into the banks of the river. There was something ghostly about the night and it bothered her.

  She had to find Will.

  Finally the boat began to move downriver. Kate glanced over her shoulder and wondered if she was going in the right direction. How would she find him, trapped in the boat like she was?

  As the dinghy cut through the dark water, she had the urgent sensation that she needed to find Will as soon as possible. Now! These dreams are never long enough anyway.

  Her guide steered the boat while the other continued to light the lanterns and carefully place them in the water. Up ahead, Kate saw a patch of black shaped like an arch over the river. A weak light glowed above it like a fading halo over the brow of an angel. A bridge, maybe.

  They drew closer and Kate became more convinced it was a bridge. Hundreds of glowing lily lamps jostled around their boat, clustering in eddies and floating away on various streams. Kate felt like she was a dim star, void of its spark, swimming through the blackness of space against a backdrop of unfathomable illumination.

  There, on the bridge, a figure hovered alone, a stark shadow against the lights of the village twinkling on the hills behind it. Kate’s heart thumped. That’s him, she thought. She knew.

  As they passed beneath the bridge, Kate tilted her head back, watching the figure for some kind of indication that it was Will. She had the impression for just a moment that it wasn’t a man at all, but a giant crow, perched there with the faint light glinting off its dark feathers.

  “Kate!” the figure said. Oh. It was him! But too late! The boat was under the bridge. Kate’s pulse raced and before she knew what she was doing, she’d dropped the shawl from her shoulders and stood up, rocking the small boat with her sudden movement. Faintly, she heard the sound of cracking wood. She reached up, unthinking, just wanting to reach him . . . wanting to stop the boat . . . wanting . . . him. Her yearning reached out like a baby bird, stretching its tiny, fragile neck out as far as possible seeking the connection to its parent, its savior.

  As the boat emerged from the other side of the bridge, a strong hand closed around hers and pulled. The dinghy slipped away underneath her. Impossibly, she was lifted up as though she weighed nothing, and in the dream, that was probably true. Before she had time to marvel too long, Will pulled her through a gaping hole in the protective wall of the bridge and placed her next to him.

  “Wow,” she whispered, connecting the vague noise of breaking wood to the hole Will just pulled her through.

  “Kate,” he said breathlessly, touching her all over as though afraid she wasn’t real.

  “I found you, Will.”

  “We found each ot
her,” he said, cupping her chin and pulling her close for a tender kiss.

  She pulled away. “Took us long enough. Where are we?”

  “Doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’re together, again. Nothing can separate us.” Yet there was a hint of doubt when he said it. As though he knew, like she knew, how the entire universe came between them.

  ***

  “Let me take you somewhere,” Will said, rolling out of bed and pulling on a pair of convenient gray boxer shorts. He sat back down on the edge of the bed.

  “Ok. Why not? Where should we go?” she answered, smoothing the fabric of the comforter as she rested on her side. She sat up and inched toward him.

  “You’ve wondered about what I was like when I was alive—I mean, besides being a brilliant thespian and such. So I was thinking, and now I have an idea,” he said, grinning like he was about to do something shocking. As if anything could be more shocking than the life they’d been sharing in the dream.

  “Well, what is it,” she prodded, sliding her feet over the side of the bed. She leaned against him where he perched with one foot on the cross board of the bed. He didn’t embrace her; instead he kept his hands on the mattress where he was propping himself up. He chuckled as Kate nuzzled his arm with her forehead.

  “Just trust me, Kate. You’ll see when we get there.”

  “This doesn’t sound like I’m going to like it. At all,” she groaned and then fell over flat onto the bed, her feet on the floor and her back on the rumpled comforter. “But I guess I’m stuck?”

  “Yes, that’s right. You’re stuck. With me. Get moving,” he teased, pinching her side softly until she jumped up and went to the closet.

  She paused at the door. “So, what should I wear?” She’d gotten used to pretending that the dream was real, that she had to physically change her clothes, rather than just conjure something else up in her mind. Admittedly, she liked the process of taking off her clothes in front of Will, and then dressing again. There were hints that he liked it, too, that the ritual brought them closer together somehow.