by B. C. Sirrom
*~*
Once more, Ava shook herself out of unpleasant memories and realized that with Maddie down for a nap and no work waiting for her attention she actually had time to do something for herself. She grabbed a paperback she’d picked up on a whim a month ago and settled in the corner of her couch.
If glaring could start a fire, then the page Ava had just read for the fifth time would be ashes by now. Reading for pleasure was a luxury she didn’t get a chance to indulge in often. Between caring for her daughter and editing for students at the local college to pay the bills, she was usually too exhausted to finish the popular mystery that had been gathering dust on her nightstand. The dryer buzzer sounded and Ava jumped up to pull the clothes out, hoping she had time to finish before her daughter woke up from her nap. Unless startled awake, Maddie would usually play for about ten minutes post nap before making demands to be set free from her crib. About halfway through matching teeny white socks the sound of a loud thump and a frightened wail sent Ava running through the house. She reached the nursery door just as Maddie’s crying reached an angry note and opened the door to find toys flying around the room. MiMi zipped past her head and Ava snatched it before it flew down the hall.
Maddie was sitting on the floor next to her crib and Ava could see that the bumper pad was pushed down where little feet had used it as a boost to climb over the side. Toys started whirling faster around the room and some of them had the potential to do damage if they made contact. Dodging a plastic musical bee, Ava’s first instinct was to yell, but she quickly remembered Dwys’ teaching. Whenever she had either lost her temper or an eruption was imminent, he’d kept his voice even and calm. She took a deep breath and called out, “Maddie. Mommy’s here.” She took a step forward and dodged another toy. She raised her voice slightly to be heard over her daughter’s crying. “Maddie, you need to stop making the toys fly.” Ava moved quickly and dropped into a crouch in front of Maddie. She pulled her daughter into a hug and kissed the top of her head, the contact pulling the toddler out of her tantrum. The whirling toys dropped instantly. She pulled back to look into Maddie’s eyes. “You okay sweetie? Did you bonk?” Maddie’s russet curls bounced and she sniffled and raised her chubby hand to the left side of her head, near the crown.
Her lip quivered and she pulled in a shuddering breath. “Bonka head, Momma. Ouch.” A fat tear rolled down her cheek and Ava cuddled her close, talking to her daughter about not climbing out of her bed without help. Also about not flying toys around the room because she could hurt someone. Ever resilient, Maddie was squirming to get up to play within minutes.
Bedtime that night was a scene for more excitement as her daughter put on a show that included turning on the radio that sat on the dresser across the room and making her monkey dance in the air.
Ava took a deep breath. “Maddie, it’s time for bed.” MiMi did a little wriggly jig past her head and Ava pulled it from the air. “Young Lady, you know it’s not play time.” Maddie pouted and lifted her arms, asking to be picked up. Settling her on a hip, her legs started pumping and she giggled out a demand, “Dance, Mommy! Dance!” Ava couldn’t hold in the smile her daughter’s pleading brought, so she picked Maddie up and executed a short tango to the sound of the generic dance beat playing on the radio. The song ended and Ava turned the radio off quickly. “Time to brush our teeth, Sweets!” It was surprisingly easy to get Maddie into bed after that so Ava was able to sit down and attempt to do some work. She plodded through a history paper but stopped when she realized she’d been rereading the conclusion without understanding it. Her thoughts kept bringing up so many different scenarios of what could happen while taking her daughter out in public if a meltdown or temper tantrum occurred. Nothing her overactive imagination came up with turned out positively. She saved the document and then closed her laptop and scrubbed tiredly at her face. Tomorrow would be a better day, right?
Using Dwys as her inspiration in dealing with a stubborn two year old seemed to be working out fine. Maddie had grown tired of trying to surprise her mother, which meant that Ava had been successful in hiding her reaction when objects flew across the room. A filched apple was quickly forgiven since Ava was glad that her daughter hadn’t attempted to sneak the chocolate chips from inside the cabinet. Things were going so well she started to think she had overreacted to the potential crisis and decided to join the story time group at the library. Ava quickly discovered how dangerous it could be for someone so young to be gifted with power.
It had turned out to be a slightly gloomy day so spending an hour inside the beautiful old library before lunch was appealing. Maddie was excited to hear someone else read a story about one of her favorite characters. Ava loved the stories too. A kitten who thought he was a dog because his ears were too big had grabbed her daughter’s attention like nothing else. Today’s imaginary adventure would take place on Mars and Maddie clutched MiMi to her chest as she tried to wait patiently for the librarian to begin. The Story Time lady had a lovely voice and she held everyone’s attention as she read; soon cheers went up as the hero bounced his way home. Cheers turned to disappointed groans as story time ended and Ava had to pick Maddie up to leave the building because the toddler had refused to walk out on her own.
Halfway to the Jeep, Ava felt the hair on her arms and neck stand up and she picked up speed. She hit the auto-start button on the key-fob and Maddie went from resistant to clinging with a painful grip as her shriek fell into a frightened whimper. Calmly, but firmly Ava told her daughter, “Sweetie, it’s very important that you don’t short out the car today.” Maddie replied directly in her ear, “Scawy, Mommy, scawy. Scawy man. Mommy!” Ava scanned the immediate area in instinctual response to her daughter’s screech. The lighted bank sign across the street sparked spectacularly, the flash drawing her attention to a man standing suspiciously still considering the danger the sign above him presented. The gloomy day would have been the perfect camouflage to hide his appearance if the sign hadn’t nearly exploded, illuminating his features. Her vision telescoped allowing her to see that the man was relatively unremarkable except for the fact that his eyes were completely black. Terrified, Ava violated her conviction to never allow Maddie to ride unrestrained in the car and shoved her into the passenger seat as she climbed into the driver’s seat. They were backing out within seconds and she tried to decide whether or not going straight home was wise. The man could have been anything from a shifter from an enemy clan, some other type of creature or an innocent bystander with some weird eye condition. The latter highly unlikely though. Maddie climbed into the back seat without being told and startled Ava by scrambling into her car seat. Through the rearview mirror, Ava watched the buckles move and click into place.
Backing out, she had no choice but to drive past his position on the sidewalk. Thankfully, the man was on the opposite side of the street so he would have to step into traffic in order to approach her vehicle. He didn’t move however, just watched her with intense concentration. Her first choice would have been to go straight home, but without knowing what this man was, she wasn’t confident that the wards on her land were sufficient protection. Some things were not deterred by either wards or traditional firearms. A quick call to Isa, the local New Ager and semi-secret hoodoo woman responsible for the protection warding off the land she lived on and Ava was assured that anything supernatural intending harm would be unable to trespass. Isa had been her mother’s friend and now the woman felt responsible for both of them. It took a lot of fast talking before the older woman was satisfied with just a phone call upon arrival instead of a personal visit to the house. Adrenaline from the excitement was beginning to ebb and Ava didn’t have the energy to spare for someone like Isa today.
Taking the long way home meant an additional twenty minutes in the Jeep and Ava let out a sigh of relief when Maddie only wanted to go to bed when they walked into the house. A quick phone call to her mother’s friend and
then Ava collapsed on the couch. It was time to call in the big guns.
She waited until after Maddie’s bedtime to call. It took that long to work up the nerve. The phone rang three times before an achingly familiar voice answered.
“Dwys, I need your help.”
“T… Ava, you shouldn’t be calling.” Ava winced at his harsh whisper. She knew that he could get into trouble if he was overheard.
“Please, Dwys. It’s been over two years and I have no one else to go to for help.”
“I am… sorry for your loss child. I assume since you have contacted me, all is not well?” To most, Dwys’ overly formal voice would sound flat and uncaring; but Ava had lived with her mentor for many years and she heard the hesitance and concern.
“She’s beginning to Manifest, Dwys. Three weeks ago, she summoned her doll three feet. I think she’s been doing it for a while because it never wobbled. Every day since then it’s like she’s showing off. I thought since I followed your example and used patience and remained as calm as possible then it would all be fine. Nothing really bad happened for three weeks so I thought it would be safe to go ahead and sign up for story time. But this morning, after story time at the library she started to have a tantrum about leaving and the lights in the sign across the street blew out. And let’s not leave out the scary creepy man standing under that sign with black eyes who did nothing but stare even while the sign was blowing out. Maddie was so scared, kept screaming about the scary man. I think she might be more than just telekinetic. What’s next?”
He sighed heavily. “Ava, I did you a great wrong.”
The sorrow in his voice after all this time tugged at her heart. “Dwys, I had no right to demand that you leave the Clan for me. Especially since my choice damaged your standing with the Elders. I’m so very grateful you told me that my adoptive parents were alive and where they had gone.”
“I couldn’t tell you everything at the time.”
That ball of lead began to settle in Ava’s stomach again. “What do you mean?”
“The motivation behind the Elders’ decision to banish you when you refused to destroy the child.”
“Because they’re a bunch of bigoted, xenophobic assholes?” Her attempt at humor fell horribly flat. Even though she’d meant the words, Ava whispered an apology, “Sorry, Dwys.”
“Child,” his voice softened further, so much so that it would be apparent to anyone “you must understand why I couldn’t tell you; how dangerous the child’s father was.”
“Dwys!” Ava choked, “Are you telling me that you all knew who fathered my child?”
The ear piece of her phone buzzed with the volume of his answer. “He was a danger to all of us! And only The Great Dragon knows what she has inherited from him!” Dwys’ voice cut off sharply and Ava was sure he’d growled a very naughty curse. Only his breathing could be heard over the line for several moments. Her need to gather her composure gave him time as well.
Ava drew in a shaky breath. Dwys, whose name literally meant solemn, was nearly hysterical. He was the only male, or ‘rhys’ of their clan she had met that had always carried himself with dignity. The only rhys of the dragon clan she was born of that ever treated her as more than an inconvenience; the one who never raised his voice at her, ever… had just bellowed at her and had invoked the name of their clan’s deity progenitor. She could hear the fear in his voice and the lead in her stomach dropped down to her toes. “It’s that bad?” Her voice was barely audible, but she knew he could hear.
“Child, had he been a mere endowed human, the mixed heritage would have posed less of an issue. The man is a highly gifted telekinetic and precognitive.”
Never known for her patience, Ava interrupted, “I thought those gifts were welcomed in the Clan. Not that I don’t agree, but how does that make him dangerous?” Dwys didn’t respond, waiting as he always had when she interrupted him. “I’m sorry. Will you continue please?” She heard the smug approval as he resumed his explanation.
“Ava, Tywyll, the man who fathered your child was possessed by a Fallen.”
Ava sat down on the coffee table, oblivious to the creaking of the wood. Her daughter, her lovely precocious blessing was the offspring of a Fallen. Her people had the most extensive records regarding history and creatures and what little they knew of the Fallen was barely enough to fit into a book less than an inch thick. She remembered finding it while working in the archives. Reading it had left her with a strong feeling of foreboding. One passage stood out in stark relief in her mind. No one knew what would happen if a Fallen managed to produce offspring because known pregnancies were either terminated or the mother was killed before giving birth. Ava thanked Dwys with a whisper and hung up, oblivious to his protest.
A shriek of horror pulled Ava to her feet and she flew down the hallway and was through the door of Maddie’s room before she realized what was happening. Her daughter was sitting up in bed, terror clear on her sweet face. MiMi was clutched so hard to her chest Ava wondered if the monkey’s head might pop off. Maddie’s shriek trailed off and the toddler threw herself at Ava as soon as she reached the bed. “Bad! Bad, scawy, Mommy!” Her daughter climbed until she was fully wrapped around her mother and shivered uncontrollably. Ava began humming a lullaby she’d sung since Maddie was born. Ava was by no means a talented singer, but her daughter loved to hear her sing so she continued the humming. Paul McCartney had sung it better, but it was one of her favorite songs and it never failed to calm Maddie. She rocked her daughter with a rhythm as old as time and eventually the little girl fell back to sleep, her rounded cheeks flushed with exhaustion.
Ava managed to fall asleep a few hours later. When her daughter woke her up at the crack of dawn wanting to start the day with an enthusiasm that only the young can create after a night like that, Ava had to put on a happy face. “C’mon Momma! Pannycakes?” She managed to stumble-shuffle into the kitchen and the effort of maintaining a cheerful attitude eased as they enjoyed a humor filled morning. It was a welcomed distraction from the strain of a sleepless night. The anxiety and concern had been building since her daughter had shown her growing powers and Ava made an executive decision. They ignored the phone for the whole day, trying not to think about the potential danger of life in general for the Drake family. She focused instead on having as stress-free a day as possible. Curiously, Maddie didn’t mention her nightmares or the scary man during the light of day and Ava was reluctant to remind her daughter of something so terrifying. A quiet meal in the evening and an enthusiastic bath time left Ava desperately exhausted and Maddie cooperated by going to bed without protest. A few hours after Maddie’s bedtime Ava was sprinting down the hall again as her daughter screamed in terror of the ‘Scary Man.’ The closet door had a rather large dent from the dresser careening into it. Ava decided that perhaps they would both benefit from having a sleepover in her room so she sat Maddie in the middle of her bed and rummaged through her closet for the portable toddler rail.
Two days later, Ava was watching the news and started preparing the house for bad weather. The storm cell headed their way looked pretty serious and the announcer cautioned everyone to prepare for power outages. Maddie was playing quietly in her room so Ava made use of the time and gathered her emergency kit and other supplies in the dining room. Since the night Maddie telekinetically threw her dresser into her closet without opening the door first, Ava had had her daughter sleeping with her. There were still nightmares about the scary man, but as long as Ava touched her daughter right away flying furniture didn’t happen. Keeping her daughter occupied during the day as the weather built up into a very nasty storm was another challenge. Even with many books read, including multiple repeats of their favorite Kitty-boy and a rather guilty bribe of S’mores roasted in the fireplace Maddie was agitated. If she were merely hyped up Ava could attribute it to the sugar, but bath time was particularly trying when agitation morphed into a tantrum an
d a bottle of shampoo ended up squeezed flat against the wall, the liquid streaking down the tile to puddle on the floor. Afterwards her daughter seemed embarrassed and things calmed down a bit, enough that Ava decided to have an early night for the both of them. They rolled out their sleeping bags in front of the fireplace and Maddie snuggled in the crook of her arm and fell asleep surprisingly fast for the amount of sugar she’d ingested.
Ava sat up, breathing heavily. The storm was raging outside and she couldn’t recall what had startled her awake but she realized Maddie wasn’t beside her and she jumped up. A quick search didn’t produce her daughter right away and a cold lump dropped into her stomach. Both back door and front were still locked, including the heavy-duty hotel-style security locks she’d installed right after Maddie had started walking. As she passed her bedroom door, Ava heard a faint humming and she headed toward it. Even though the rest of the house was dark, the nightlight in her bathroom was glowing softly and as she pushed the door open her daughter’s body was reflected in the mirror. She was humming a lullaby Ava sang to her on nights Maddie seemed to need comfort. Maddie always asked for more when she sang. Smiling softly Ava reached for her but stopped when Maddie turned to look at her with pitch black eyes. A giggle fell from her daughter’s lips and a chill ran down her spine. Movement beyond her daughter drew her attention and Ava gasped at the sight of a large shadow moving in the dark. The shadows slipped away from his face and Ben smiled, his teeth gleaming in the dark. Ava pulled Maddie into her arms and backed away not understanding why her daughter was reaching out to him.
“Momma!”
Ava drew in a breath to protest and felt little fingers squeeze her face. Her eyes flew open and her vision was filled with the sweet face of her daughter.
“Hungee, Momma! C’mon!” Maddie bounced up off her stomach and Ava grunted. Her Little Boo was getting heavy. The nightmare started to fade and Ava thought about what it could mean. Possibly nothing, but her luck hadn’t been running that way lately.
Standing at the sink, Ava inspected the damage out in the yard while Maddie babbled to her stuffed monkey. There were branches everywhere. She would need to haul it all out to the brush pile on the back of the property soon, before the weather turned cold otherwise she’d have to either get a babysitter or hire someone to haul it for her. She pulled out the play dough for Maddie to play with while she packed them a lunch. The brush pile was due for a good burn and Ava was feeling the need to incinerate something. It was the reason she piled debris on the back of her property. It kept her land clear and kept her in practice. Accurate aim with fire wasn’t easy and she had no intention of letting that gift fall unused. She turned to her daughter and was surprised when she said, “Mommy make pwetty fires?”
Ava grinned. “Yes, Sweetie. Mommy is going to make pretty fire. But we have to clear up the yard first. You want to help?” Maddie nodded vigorously and they headed outside. With her daughter sitting on the back of the extra-large seat she’d had installed, Ava drove the garden tractor out of the garage and hooked up the trailer she used to haul stuff around. It took most of the morning and by the time they got to the brush pile it was time for lunch. Maddie kept picking up different interesting things and asking, “Wha’ dat, Momma?” Ava unloaded the trailer, Maddie doing her best to help before climbing up on the tractor seat to watch the fire show. Her daughter’s constant babble stopped mid-flow and Ava looked up to see her huddled on the seat. Her eyes were impossibly wide and fixed on something over Ava’s shoulder. Whirling around, Ava saw the scary man from town standing at the edge of the warding boundary, his coal black eyes locked on Maddie.
A rumbling hiss boiled up from what felt like the bottom of her soul and Ava let it out, feeling the burn of fire at the back of her throat. “Who are you and why are you here?” She growled out the question with a voice that would have been impossible for a human. The being turned his gaze on her and Ava felt the hackles on the back of her head rise.
“The girl is yours?” His voice was oily and tainted the air with filth. Ava clamped down on the instant instinct to incinerate this creature with a cleansing fire. She needed to know if he was working alone.
“She is mine and no one shall touch her.” The rhythm of formal speech seemed natural and helped with Ava’s struggle to maintain composure.
The creature ran his hands flat over the invisible warding boundary preventing his approach. He cocked his head and attempted a smile. “I assure you, she would be in good hands if you would gift her to me. I would be most generous in payment.”
Ava’s hold on formal speech slipped and she growled, “Go sell your crazy someplace else, asshole. I’m not handing my daughter over to you or anyone else who thinks they want her.”
His smile turned into a nasty sneer. “I am only one of many who would be interested in the child.” He paused when Maddie whimpered in terror and his smile widened. “Knowledge of her presence will spread and at least in my possession she would live, for I’m most interested in her power.” He scented the air, his movements lewd, turning Ava’s stomach as her rage started to build. “I am as yet uncertain if she would serve or apprentice; she could quite possibly be worthy as a vessel when she matures.”
Maddie’s scream broke Ava’s hold on her rage as it reached its boiling point and she ignored finesse for full immediate engulfment. Just before the fire reached him, Ava noticed his body shake as if receiving hard body blows. Shards of wood had embedded into his chest and they ignited as soon as Ava’s fire reached him. Her fire burned white hot and she squinted against the glare. If her eyes had either been closed or wide open, she would have missed the mass of oily black mist ooze out of the creature’s mouth and nose before streaking away into the forest. She tried to track the movement of the mist, but her attention was snatched back by the entire brush pile landing square on the burning body of the creature. The wood caught instantly.
Ava whirled to face her daughter and swallowed back a scream at the sight of her daughter’s eyes. They were nearly solid black, the green iris a thin outline. Shaking from adrenaline, Ava tried to maintain some calm and held back a relieved giggle when the black began to recede. For a brief moment, Maddie’s eyes had the vertical slit of a dragon before rounding out into a human shaped pupil. Tears glistened on her chubby cheeks and Ava ran to her, sweeping her up into a hug as she let the relieved laughter spill out.
Maddie leaned back to grin up into Ava’s face. “Bad man made pwetty fire!”
She probably shouldn’t have laughed, but she did and Ava really didn’t feel guilty.