Lost Girl

by Mary E. Twomey

  I gulped and stayed still, letting the stranger rub mud on me. Once he’d covered the wound from my temple to the bottom of my cheek, he pressed his palm to the mud. Instantly it grew cold, hardening and cracking in the span of a minute, making my face tingle. When his hand grew wet, I stepped away, confused. “Whoa. What are you doing now?”

  “I’m washing your face. Do you prefer the mud?”

  “I guess not. But how are you doing that?”

  “Elemental magic,” he explained. “I can produce water on command.” With his free hand, he held back the stray strands of hair while his other hand washed my face off. His fingers were gentle and smooth as he traced my features, lingering on my cheekbones to trace the crest. “Much, much better. Now I can see you as you are.” He brushed over my face again, drying me off.

  I turned to Bastien, since I didn’t have a mirror. “Does it look any better?”

  Madigan stiffened and Bastien let out a whispered swear at the sight of my face when the tingling subsided. I raised my hand to traced the abrasions I’d felt before, but the skin was smooth now. “It’s like the scrapes are a week old. I can barely see them,” Bastien marveled.

  Kerdik nodded in approval. “You’re my gift to Avalon, and I’ll look at you as I like. Now you’re good as new. A prize if ever I saw one.”

  I tested out my ankle, and was surprised to find it perfectly healed. “Oh, wow. Um, thanks. That actually is really helpful. I guess that was slightly more than a broken nail. Sorry about the uterus comment from earlier, I guess. How’d you do that?”

  “You truly know nothing about Avalon, do you.”

  “Only that you really shouldn’t have fixed my ankle if you wanted any chance at smoking me in a dance contest. Now you don’t have a prayer.”

  Kerdik laughed, popping his elbow to me like a gentleman once again. “Come, Fleur. Watch the storm with me. There’s nothing like a front-row seat to an Avalon tonnerre. This is no doubt your first as an adult?”

  “Yeah. Pretty crazy. There’s nothing like this in Common. Truth? I’m a little nervous about the hairy mind-warping leeches.”

  “As you should be, though you’ve nothing to fear while I’m around.” His voice turned sharp when he addressed the others. “Stay toward the back, or I’ll send you out when the hail falls. I’d like privacy with my princess.”

  I cast him a withering look. “That’s like, the exact opposite of what I told you I wanted. No more Kerdik the Destroyer. Maybe the next time you bark at people, add a little shoulder shimmy to it.” I demonstrated for him just to make him smile.

  “If only it were that simple.” Kerdik glanced over his shoulder at the others in warning. Then he pressed his hand to the middle of my spine to secure my place at his side.

  30

  Old Blessings and New Friends

  Bastien and Madigan were utterly silent as they moved to stand next to Aunt Avril at the back of the cave. Though it wasn’t actually private, Kerdik treated our conversation as if it was, trusting the heavy rain to drown us out as it reached our cave. The two of us stood at the edge of the abode, with the others hugging the back wall. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Fleur. Word spread that the Voix was in Avalon, so I tracked you down here.”

  “That’s some stellar timing you’ve got. Not for nothing, but I didn’t have a plan for how to get us out of this storm. Thanks for showing up when you did. And really, thank you for fixing my injuries. Totally annoying to be the weakest link. I already know nothing about this world, but to be limping on top of it? I appreciate it. I owe you like, seven chocolate milkshakes.”

  He smirked at me. “Seven, eh?”

  “Sure. Eight would make you puke.”

  Kerdik secured me to his side at the mouth of the cave, and turned us so we were facing the storm. My hip was glued to his, and for the sudden intimacy of the whole thing, I didn’t mind having him so near. It was nice to have someone to watch the storm next to.

  Before I could stop myself from blurting out my confusion, my mouth ran away with me with no polish added into my words. “I don’t know much about this place.”

  Kerdik was unruffled by my admission. “Well, I invented Avalon, so you can ask me your questions, Fleur.”

  “Um, well, how old is Avalon?”

  “Old. Older than you.”

  I shot him a look that was filled with sass. “You stink at this.”

  The corner of Kerdik’s mouth twitched upward. “Avalon is just over a century old.”

  I scratched my elbow and leaned into him. “I thought I knew my life, but now the most basic things seem like they need to be vetted. The Daughters of Avalon – Lane, my mom and the rest – are they…” I felt silly for asking. “Are they immortal or something?”

  “Most of them are dead now, so no. They possess a bit more magic than most, but nothing so grand as immortality.”

  “That makes sense. Sorry. I feel like I’m a million miles behind five-year-olds, who probably know all of this stuff.” Story of my life.

  “Anything else?”

  “Are you related to the Daughters of Avalon or something? I mean, you gave them the Jewels of Good Fortune. That seems like something you’d only trust family with.”

  “I have no children,” Kerdik said quietly, looking out at the rain contemplatively. Then he scoffed, coming back to himself. “Could you imagine me with a child? I get impatient if plants prove obstinate.”

  “You, impatient? I don’t believe it. You’re such a kitten.”

  His chest vibrated at my tease, and he nestled me a little closer in his half-embrace. It was cozy with Kerdik, comfortable without effort.

  The water was so heavy that the wheat stalks were bending under the punishment nature doled out. I shivered, and Kerdik snapped his fingers to the others without looking behind him. “I shouldn’t have to tell you that my flower needs a cloak. She’s clearly cold. If you wait until she shivers, you’ve already failed. Anticipate her needs.”

  I cast up a dramatic eyeroll to Kerdik. “No one here is my servant. If I wanted to warm up, I’d go get a second shirt myself. I told you to be nice. I think you missed that part. Your spontaneous deafness is mildly annoying.”

  Despite my protest, Bastien’s dirty spare flannel found its way over my shoulders. “Your majesty,” he said with no hint of personality to him. I could tell he was still waiting for Kerdik’s judgment.

  “You didn’t have to do that. Thanks.”

  Kerdik ignored my frown. “That’s better. When you settle down in Avalon, be sure your servants are better trained than that one. Untouchables are fantastic protectors, but it’s the submitting part they fall short on. Best train this one with a firmer hand.”

  “Oh, jeez. Look, I don’t want to talk about that, since clearly you have no idea what kind of a person I am, or what kind of guy Bastien is. I’ve got other questions, and I’m guessing you’re the only one who’ll have an actual answer.” I jerked my head to the far side of the opening and plopped myself down on the damp earth so I could lean against the wall.

  Kerdik looked down at me with amusement. “I admit, I don’t do much sitting on the ground.”

  “Well, that’s the way we play today, chief. I’m beat. Time to take a break from being Kerdik the Destroyer, and just be normal for a few.” I patted the ground next to me, eyeing his fitted, pressed trousers and dark gray vest that buttoned over his crisp white shirt. He didn’t look like the type to get dirty while playing with the mud.

  After much consideration, he sat next to me, leaning back on his hands. His right arm was slightly behind me, and if I leaned just a couple inches backward, I’d be resting against him. I made for sure to keep my spine rigid as I hugged my knees to my chest. I couldn’t picture myself getting super cuddly with someone of his hotness caliber. “How well do you know Lane, Avril, Morgan and all of them?”

  “Well enough to know that no matter what gift I’d given them, they would find a way to turn it into a curse.
Some have that ability, I’m afraid. Not all the sisters, but the more vocal ones were like that. I admit, I felt sad for Tyronoe and Gliten when I heard they had died.”

  “People seem to think that it was your responsibility to step in, to take the gems from Morgan and right all the wrongs. How much truth is there to that?”

  “My, you’re a direct one. Not bred for politics, that’s for certain.”

  “You want to play games instead? I thought you’d be the kind of guy who appreciated not having to figure out people’s motives.”

  “I do. It’s just unexpected. The sisters are quite adept at burying their true intentions. I found it tiresome after a while. I anticipated you being much the same. Perhaps there’s more of your father to you than your mother. Fortunate, that.” He cleared his throat as we looked out onto the unending golden field that was hazy through the curtain of thick rain that darkened the night. “They came to me with constant complaints that their lands weren’t producing enough, and the people were suffering across the board. They begged me for a solution, so I gave it to them. Imagine my dismay when my blessing turned sour in their hands after they started fighting over the gems. I can fix the land, sure, but I cannot fix greed. That’s a poison which runs deep, I’m afraid.”

  “And Morgan? My mother is greedy?”

  Kerdik raised an eyebrow at me. “As greedy as they come. But surely you surmised as much. If Lane was your guide, she must have educated you on Morgan’s ways. Lane always had a clear head about judging people’s character.”

  I nodded, and then rested my chin on my knees. “I guess I just needed an impartial person to confirm it. I don’t know why I was holding out hope for things to be different.” I studied the rain that punished the earth, as if the two elements were at war. “At least I’ve got my wicked dance moves. If I can’t have a great mom, then I’ve got popping and locking to console me. Total win,” I said glumly.

  “Your dancing is unlike any in Avalon.” I couldn’t tell if he meant that as a compliment or not. “Morgan is greedy, but to an extent, we all are. I want a great many things, and I’d throw morals, mortals and rules out the window to get at them. I’m sure the same can be said of you.”

  “I’m not about to destroy whole kingdoms for the sake of getting what I want.”

  “There’s nothing you want?” he hinted quietly at something, but I didn’t have a clue what he meant. “I know your shortcomings. I know the snares in your mind that hinder you.”

  I stiffened and glanced over my shoulder to ensure the others couldn’t hear us. My mouth went dry and my palms started sweating. “Dude, my mind is fine. And shut up about my shortcomings.” I didn’t want Bastien to find out I couldn’t read. I didn’t want him to know I was dumb. I wanted to be “Daisy”, not “Remedial Rosie” to him. “Remember when I told you to be cool back there? This is not being cool. How’d you even find out about that?”

  Kerdik moved his shoulder to touch my back so I could lean on him. “I’m sure it’s no secret by now, Fleur. It’s the payment your mind made to take in my blessing.”

  “Huh?”

  “Do you think blessings don’t require payment? That’s the same trap the Daughters of Avalon fell into. I blessed them with the stones, but not all of them gave the payment, which was to work together for Avalon’s best interest. Thus, the blessings turned sour. Blessings always require payment.”

  “What a sad worldview you have. Blessings are supposed to be only good. I feel sorry for you, thinking like that.” I tapped my forehead while Kerdik puzzled out the confusion that someone actually pitied him. “You did this to me? You’re the reason I…” I couldn’t say “can’t read” out loud.

  Kerdik’s dark chocolate-colored eyebrows pulled together in the center of his forehead. “The payment for the blessing of being the Voix was that you had to be kind to the animals who trusted you enough to speak, otherwise they would have turned on you and made your life miserable. What shortcoming are you referring to? Sleeping? Is that it? Because there’s nothing to be done about that. Immense amounts of magic are necessary to maintain a gift like yours. I’m afraid there’s no getting around sleep, my darling.”

  I raised my eyebrow at the term of endearment, when he was pretty much a stranger to me. “Oh. Yeah, that’s what I was talking about. Sleep.” I shook my head, bummed that there was no magical reason I couldn’t do things a second-grader could. “Lane told me that my mom only kept me around so I’d be her Compass and lead her to the Jewels of Good Fortune. Is that true?”

  Kerdik was quiet as we watched the rain. “Morgan doesn’t understand love, though she does a fair imitation of it.” His voice quieted to a gentle prodding. “Take that into consideration when you’re reunited with her someday.”

  My shoulders slumped. “Thanks for the heads-up.” When loud thumps crashed into the earth, I jumped, accidentally brushing Kerdik’s shoulder. “What was that?”

  Kerdik’s arm drew around me and pulled me into his nook, warming me with a ball of fire he conjured in his free hand. I gathered Bastien’s flannel around me more securely, and then leaned into Kerdik, indulging us both in the snuggle that was oddly comforting. It felt easy, like palling around with him was the most natural thing in the world. “It’s only the hail. You’re safe. This structure can withstand anything.”

  “Oh. I thought it was a dinosaur trying to jump on a trampoline. It’s like the sky is trying to take its anger out on the ground.”

  Kerdik gaped at me, as if I’d hit some mythological nail on the head with a guess. He skated over it and went back to the absurd. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. What’s a dinosaur?”

  I blinked up at him. “Like, you know, a reptilian monster.” I held up my hands like a t-rex and roared. Kerdik looked at me like I was telling a weird joke. “Okay, if you ever come up to Common, I’ll introduce you to a little something called Jurassic Park. It’s only the greatest example of terrifying monsters, plus the beauty that is Jeff Goldblum. You’ll love it. You think you’ve got magic? Wait until you see Jeff Goldblum’s smile. Totally dreamy.”

  “You’re not afraid of the terrifying monsters?”

  “I’m sitting here next to you, aren’t I? Aren’t you supposed to be the big, bad villain?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me, trying to judge if I was joking or not. “Yes, well. I suppose most blame the fall of the provinces on me.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “I don’t care what the Fae think of me. I’m not interested in picking up after the mess they’ve made.”

  I smiled sagely, channeling my inner Lane. “Ah. It sounds like you think your adventure is over. I’ve got news for you, pal. The adventure you go on with yourself isn’t even half done.”

  Kerdik quirked an eyebrow at me. “And how would you know anything about my journey?”

  I motioned to the troublesome cloud in his stare. “You’ve got that unsettled look about you. People don’t look like that at the end of a satisfying journey. You’ve only put yours on pause. I don’t blame you for that. Sometimes the trek to the end hurts too much to make it through without a few stops to regroup. But you’re not finished with your story. Your song isn’t nearly sung to its full potential yet.”

  Kerdik was silent a few beats. “You talk like you know, but you can’t possibly.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe I don’t know you, but I understand unfulfilled dreams well enough to get that you’re not done taking yourself on many more adventures.” I met his gaze with compassion. “Your best days aren’t behind you, Kerdik.”

  We were both a little confused by our close proximity, but neither of us pulled away. I could hear Cheval warning me to be careful, that Master Kerdik couldn’t be trusted. The three horses were scared for me, but they stayed back, watching with trepidation.

  I tried to take it all in stride and just chill for a minute. Everything had been so harrowing on the journey here. The two of us enjoyed the sounds of nature pelting the earth just o
utside our little stronghold. “Whoa! I didn’t realized the hail stones would get to be that big.” I pointed to a perfect circular-shaped hail stone that was the girth of a bowling ball. “That’s crazy. Imagine that one rolling toward the pins, right?”

  “‘Rolling toward the pins?’ I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

  “Oh, sorry. You probably don’t have bowling here. It’s just a silly game where you roll a ball about that size down a lane and see if you can knock ten pins down. Whoever knocks the most down wins.”

  “Sounds like a sophisticated kind of game.”

  I chuckled that he’d made a joke. “I can teach you sometime. It’s fun. Sometimes simple can be amazing.”

  Kerdik pondered my words. “I guess that’s true.” His green hand cupped my bicep to rub warmth into it when a chilled gust of air caressed us. “I’ve seen many a storm here, but this is by far my favorite – angry though she is.”

  “Now that I’m not afraid I’ll get knocked off my horse by a chunk of ice falling from the sky? This is probably one of my favorites, too. Something about nature getting all its anger out in one go is kind of spectacular.” Then it occurred to me that Kerdik hadn’t been seen in ages by anyone other than animals. “Why do you hide? Aunt Avril mentioned that you haven’t been seen in a while.”

  “Hiding implies that I fear the Daughters of Avalon. I merely grew tired of the complaining, the toils and the drama. I saw no reason to return to utter ruin. Besides, I’m immortal. A decade or two is a mere breath to me.”

  “Then why are you here now? Two-for-one sale on awesome hats?” I teased, tugging on the brim of his.