by Lisa Daniels
Saffron’s expression was picture perfect and Bree burst out into giggles as Isaac finally stopped their discussion. “It’s all well and good for you to say, my dear, but I know you are just being kind.” When Bree tried to protest his declaration, the man changed the subject, “How about trying this one on?” He snatched a dress from his daughter’s hands and offered it to their guest.
Knowing that the discussion was best left where Isaac had ended it, Bree took the dress and gave him her best smile, “As always, you know exactly what will make me smile. Excuse me.” With that she swept out of the room and up the stairs.
When she returned a couple of minutes later, Saffron began clapping. Bree turned and twirled to show off every angle. Finally, Isaac spoke up, “It needs a little taken off of the middle because it isn’t quite slim enough for your figure. Have you lost some weight?” His eyes looked into Bree’s.
She shrugged. “It’s possible. I’m pretty sure that I still had some of the baby fat clinging to me the last time I was here, so it is very likely that my figure is a little tighter than it used to be.”
Isaac shook his head to disapprove of the change, “The thinner you are, the harder it will be to get pregnant.”
“Father!” “Isaac!” The two young women answered his assessment in unison.
The man gave them a look like they were being childish. “You are as old as my daughter, and a god bit more mature. If you haven’t thought about it yet, then you need to be aware that it is what men see when they look at you.”
Bree’s brilliant laugh filled the home, “There I am rather certain you are wrong. Men see pleasure when they look at me, and I only see toys. If what you say is true, I should be looking to lose more weight.”
Isaac threw his hands in the air, “There is never any winning with women. When I was young, all the women wanted was a husband and a family. Women today seem to be more focused on other things. Every time I am exposed to views on dating and love, I am further convinced that Annora and I are in the right.”
Both of the young women again proceeded to try to argue with the man. Waving them off, he moved out of the room. His parting words were, “I have work to do. If you will leave the dress on the rack, I will have it fixed up for you by the end of the day.”
Bree looked at Saffron, “Do you think I could get him to do it faster?”
“Do you have somewhere you need to be?”
There was a sharp intake of breath before Bree responded, “I have several good reasons to want to get moving quickly.” She gave her friend an apologetic look.
With a serious nod, Saffron instructed the guest to head upstairs and get the dress off. “If you are willing to run some errands, I’m sure dad can have everything done before we get back.”
Bree bounced up the stairs and returned to see Isaac waiting at the bottom of the stairs again. “Saffron has the list of things that need to be done. That should be payment enough.”
“Isaac, have I ever told you that you are a perfect angel?” Bree smiled at him.
He pulled the dress from her hands, “Only when you need something.” The middle-aged man started to leave the room.
“But I always mean it, even when you aren’t doing anything for me.”
Isaac turned and looked at her, “You are being unusually flattering today. We will have to talk about that when you return.”
“Thank you!” Bree called out to him. He gave a short wave and disappeared into his work room.
Looping her arm through Bree’s, Saffron lead the way out of the house. They stopped by several places, and Bree was able to negotiate a better price for most of the goods they need by offering medical advice.
“I wish you were around to do this more often,” Saffron said as they took off to the final stop. “We have spent next to nothing and I have learned so much from listening to you talk.”
“Perhaps you should consider becoming a medic. It will mean you get to travel anywhere you want in relative security.”
Saffron pondered the idea as Bree negotiated at their last stop. It didn’t take 10 minutes to procure the necessary items, and the women were back on the road to the tailor’s home.
They were giggling and talking when a familiar sensation caused Bree to stop and look around. Her eyes immediately fell on a tall figure who was talking to the butcher.
“Saffron,” Bree’s voice was low, “I need to get out of here.”
The young woman looked at her friend, the smile completely gone from her face. “Are you ok?” Saffron’s eyes followed Bree’s. “Oh. You got it. Head around the house here and back track a little. I’ll distract him.”
“You are nearly as much of an angel as your father.”
Saffron looked at the handsome man and drew herself up to her full height, “If you start telling me that I am mature and attractive enough to sleep with, the answer is no.”
Bree had to stifle a laugh as her friend took off. As quickly as she could, the redhead slipped behind the house. She listened to Saffron initiate a conversation, and realized that the young woman was actually trying to flirt with the man. Bree was ready to spring out to help the young woman when she heard Calixto respond in a way that was entirely unexpected. He was flirting back. Bree’s eyes grew wide and she nearly left her hiding place to stop the pair. It was difficult, but she reminded herself that Saffron was doing this for her sake. With a hint of jealously, Bree followed the instructions her friend had given her before heading out to talk to the shifter.
Arriving back at Isaac’s, Bree entered without knocking. “Isaac!”
The man materialized in front of her almost as if he were a wizard, “It is ready.” The dress was in his hands and he held it out to her. “I’ve done some initial stretching on it, and I think you will find that it will be able to take a considerable amount of punishment before you have to remember you are wearing a dress.”
Bree threw her arms around his neck and gave the man a kiss on the cheek. With a laugh he pushed her away, “I may be old, but not so old that I am unaffected by the charms of a beautiful young woman.”
“Well then,” she gave him another hug, this time pulling him close. “I can’t thank you enough.”
With a gentle pat on her back, Isaac pulled away from her, “Seeing you this happy is more than enough thanks. You aren’t quite the challenge Annora is to dress, but I can’t say that you don’t offer a unique challenge in your own right.”
“Speaking of that wench, I suspect you will be getting a visit from her sooner than later.”
Isaac tilted his head to the side, “You really think she might enter somewhere as populated and civilized as Kildeer?” His voice was heavy with sarcasm as he said it.
“I saw her just the other day in Defiance.”
Isaac burst out into a barking laugh, “Oh, she must not have known what has happened to that town.”
“You know her well sir. She was still looking for the Boar’s Snout Inn. I don’t know what she would have done if I hadn’t rescued her and given her a room in the Palace Paradise. Oh, but please don’t tell her I warned you. That will not go over well.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.” He waved away her request. “I take it you are rushing off now?”
“Unfortunately, I must. If I take too long, the world may very well stop.”
With a sigh, the man looked at her, “Please take good care of yourself and remember if you ever need a bit of time away from the busy life, Saffron and I will be more than happy to have you stay with us.” He paused, “Or at least I would be happy for the company. Saffron is spending more and more time away from home these days. I shouldn’t wonder that she will someday forget where she lives.”
Bree chuckled, “If she does that, I will be more than happy to let you adopt me.”
Isaac patted her arm, “Take care of yourself.”
“Just for you,” she replied. With a last smile, she headed up the stairs to change. By the time she was ready to go, Bree knew that
Isaac would be lost in his work. He never pressed for details or asked where she was going. He was like the perfect father Bree had always wished she had had growing up. Not for the last time she was jealous of Saffron.
With a deep sigh, the red head turned to go change.
Chapter 6
The Morning After
Once she was out of the house, Bree hurried to get out of the town and back to the task she had been neglecting for the past few days. If she didn’t start making progress on her mission, her employer would not be happy. As it was, the red head had already burned through nearly half of her time. For perhaps the first time in her life, the young woman wished she had the ability to move faster, like demons, or fly like fairies and dragons. Her laugh was mirthless as she remembered how often others had told her that they were jealous of her powers.
“How do humans manage it?” she asked the world at large.
“I dare say just fine.”
Bree’s head snapped to the left and immediately she burst into honest laughter. “Ye gods, but you startled me!” There were nearly tears in her eyes as Saffron finally caught up with her. Bree realized that she was not laughing hard enough to cry, but she was unwilling to think about what it actually meant.
“So, what is making you wonder about humans? It’s not like you are so far removed from us.” Saffron smiled at her. The truth was that Isaac and Saffron thought that Bree was a witch with a few powers. They had no idea exactly how powerful the woman was. It wasn’t that Bree thought they would treat her any differently, it was that she feared how the rest of the town would treat them if anyone ever found out what she really was. It was one of the reasons why she tended to stay away from them as well. It lowered the risk that they would be in danger because of her.
“Oh, you know, the usual. Getting up every day and cleaning the same home, doing the same chores day in and out, all those things.”
Saffron gave her friend a look, “It isn’t just humans that do that. I think you fail to realize that the vast majority of humanoids tend to fall into routines and patterns.”
“I suppose you are right. It’s just that no one does it quite so obviously as humans do.”
Saffron readily agreed, “That is entirely true. And I fear I’m much more like you. Staying in one place and living a single day over and over again.” She shivered, “I don’t think I can do it for my entire life. What would I need to do to become a medic like you?”
Bree thought about it, “I think it would be best to go to Achaean. That’s where I became a medic, and Saskia is there, so you will have someone who can help you with things like living quarters while you train.” She looked over at her friend, “Just make sure you tell your father about it first. If I find out that you just went running off without letting him know…” The look she gave was a warning.
“I know! I know! Gods, sometimes you really sound like Annora.”
When it comes to things like this, I take that as a compliment.”
“Well you shouldn’t,” her friend pouted. “Speaking of enigmatical people, why were you dodging that incredibly handsome man? He seemed like the perfect gentleman.”
“Sometimes you just want to avoid people you’ve encountered.”
Saffron gave her a knowing look, “Does he think that you two are dating or something? Bree, did you catch that poor man and fail to tell him that you were releasing him?”
Bree scowled, “It’s not like that.”
“Ah, I see. That was it exactly. Gods, but you are predictable sometimes. I feel so bad for him because he was so sweet, and his eyes.” She shuddered. “If you would just tell him that you were done, then he might be able to move on.”
Bree continued to scowl, “Are you hoping to catch him yourself?”
Saffron shrugged, “I think he seems like the kind of man worth catching. I don’t know. If I had someone like that, I may not mind being in one place so much. I mean, waking up to the view every morning would be a gift all on its own.”
Bree clicked her tongue, “You have no idea about him. It was a single encounter of a couple of minutes-”
“20 minutes,” her friend interrupted.
“What?” Bree looked at her.
“We flirted for 20 minutes before I finally told him that I needed to get back home.”
Bree had not responded to that. It suddenly seemed as though he wasn’t looking for her at all.
“As soon as I left him, I headed out of the town and well, here you are.”
Bree took a deep breath and tried to say that it was a good thing that Calixto was not trying to find her. He had just been a distraction. Their night had been incredibly enjoyable, but it was nothing more than that. A brief moment in time that reminded her that she was alive. If she thought anything else about it, then she was being an idiot. Bree failed to hear the rest of what her friend said as she tried to convince herself that the feeling in her heart was not jealousy.
When Saffron asked her a question, Bree turned to look at her. “I’m sorry, Saffron. I really appreciate what you did for me, but right now I think I need to get going on my own.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You just looked so distressed when you saw Teagan that I thought you should have a little company. You know to distract you.”
Bree looked at her friend, the question nearly coming out of her mouth before she realized Calixto had used a fake name. Her heart sank. It was possible that Teagan was his real name, not Calixto. For everything she thought she felt for the man, Bree knew barely any more than Saffron about the man. Bree squeezed her hands into fists at the idea.
Despite the way she felt, Bree gave Saffron a gentle smile, “I really appreciate everything you’ve done. If there is anything I can do, let me know. And before you go running off to become a medic, please take some time to consider what is required. You won’t be sewing material, you will be sewing human skin, and much worse.”
Saffron took a deep breath, “That is definitely not something I had thought about. Thank you, Bree.” Her smile was so sweet and genuine that Bree felt a pang of guilt for having been jealous of the girl. After all, it wasn’t Saffron’s fault that she had a good father, a safe home, and a positive outlook on life. Nor was it her fault that Bree was a different kind of creature.
Suddenly Bree felt exhausted. Keeping herself together for her friend, the red head pulled Saffron into a warm hug. “Take good care of yourself and don’t give your father any trouble. I’ve already offered to let him adopt me if you go disappearing too much, so keep that in mind too.”
Saffron rolled her eyes, “More like he would adopt you and Annora and try to build a new wing on the house to fit all of you. It would be heaven to him.”
“That may not be such a bad idea in a decade or so when we have outlived our purposes and don’t have a place to call home.”
Saffron gave her an odd grin, “Well, I don’t think that would ever happen because I think you will both have a change of heart someday. I just have to hold out so that I can say I told you so.”
“Hey you brat!” Bree gave her friend a small smack on the arm, “Not all of us lived pampered lives.”
“And that’s why it is taking you longer to come around to the same way of thinking as most people. I don’t doubt that you would both settle down if the right man came along.”
“Alright, if that’s the case with us, why are you married with three kids alright?”
“Because I have some very wild friends who have taught me there is more to life. Someday I will settle down, but for now I just want to live for the moment.”
“Be careful of the moment. It is followed by more moments until your life is nearly over.”
Saffron scoffed, “You are far too young to understand what it is like any better than me.
“Wrong. I have both heard and seen that look of regret a countless number of times in my life. There is nothing like death to make you assess life.”
Saffron shook her head vigorously, “I don’t k
now what you have done with Bree, but I expect you to return her soon.”
Bree laughed and licked her lips, “I know. I’ve not been quite myself lately, but it is just temporary. I think the job is getting to me a little bit. But don’t worry. I promise the next time we meet everything will be fun and games.”
“If I recall, those games were incredibly dangerous. I will expect you to keep that promise.” She hugged her friend again. Then Saffron turned and left Bree standing beside a fork in the road.
As soon as her friend was out of sight, Bree’s shoulder’s sagged. She really did not have time to stop and rest, but there was no way she could keep going. Promising herself that she would make up the time later, Bree moved into the woods and found a small grassy knoll. Lying down, she wrapped herself up in a wraith cocoon. Feeling adequately secure, the young woman closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep.
Several hours passed in a fit full sleep. The nightmare she had had ever since she was a child played through her mind’s eyes causing Bree to wake with a start. Her heart was racing as her mind tried to remember where she was. Completely disoriented, Bree felt arms wrap around her from the back. Her brain went into overdrive, and the young woman immediately tried to calm herself. Panicking first thing after waking often resulted in something or someone catching fire.
A warm voice spoke calming words, “It’s ok. You fell asleep in the woods and now you are waking.”
“How long as it been?”
“I do not know when you went to sleep, but it has been at least 24 hours since you left Kildeer.”
Bree was on her feet in an instant. “Oh gods! They will have decided that I failed by now. I needed to check in last night. Shit! Shit!” Bree ran her hands through her hair. Failure was not something she had ever experienced because the death was a strong incentive to succeed.
“You are a sorceress. What do you have to fear of humans?”
Bree stared at the ground, “Who said that I am dealing with humans?”
There was a pause. It was then that she realized she had no idea who had been holding her. A face immediately popped into her head. At first it made her smile, but that soon faded as she realized that had been the start of her failure. Slowly she turned. Leaning up against the tree was the man who had called himself Calixto.