Storm Crossed

by Dani Harper

  The heat of the day yet lingered in the air. Perhaps that was why the child seemed to forget about the fire he’d been so eager for. Instead, he’d taken great delight in pointing out constellations, reminding Trahern of a time when he and Braith were young and old Heddwen had named some of the stars in the changeable skies of the fae realms. It wasn’t long before Fox fell silent, though, his eyes on the rising moon. Trahern had witnessed great golden hares in the fae realm that became almost hypnotized by the bright orb and danced in its pearlescent glow. Yet Fox was far from moonstruck. Rather, his face was serene, with a hint of a smile, as if the moon was a cherished companion sharing a secret. Without looking away, he shrugged in answer to Trahern’s question. “I dunno. Something to do with magic, I guess. But I don’t really wanna be a wizard.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Dude, because they’re always fighting each other! Somebody always wants to be the boss, and then they hurt people.”

  “What is a boss?”

  “You know, the person who tells everybody what to do.”

  He couldn’t disagree with the boy’s astute assessment. “Sometimes that is true.”

  “More like most o’ the time,” snorted Ranyon, but Trahern ignored him.

  “If you do not learn to use and control magic, Fox, then a boss might try to control you.”

  The boy turned to him then, his small brow furrowed. “Like Meagan and Brianna at school? They push me down a lot, and then they laugh.”

  The ellyll muttered something about tasting their own medicine, even as Trahern nodded at Fox. “Like that or worse. So you see, it is important that you pay close attention and learn as much as you can. Tonight, we will begin with a basic history of sorcelling. First—”

  “First,” interrupted Ranyon, “the lad would probably like to do something interestin’.”

  Trahern swallowed his initial response. As he had promised Lissy, he would not risk distressing Fox by arguing with the ellyll. And as much as it irritated him to consider Ranyon’s words, it was true that the boy had not grown up surrounded by spells and powers as Trahern had. Perhaps I should attempt a different approach—but what would be of interest to a mortal child? He had no answer for that. The Lord of the Wild Hunt had charged him with Fox’s training, and his own responsibility as a sorcerer demanded it, but for the first time Trahern wondered if he was up to the task. As he floundered mentally, one of old Heddwen’s sayings came to him: ’Tis a foolish man who asks no questions! He’d rather not ask Ranyon any questions at all—but perhaps the child himself could provide insight.

  “Fox,” he ventured. “Is there something that you wish to do with magic?”

  The boy seemed surprised to be asked, but his little brow furrowed as if considering. Suddenly he jumped up and ran into the house.

  Ranyon threw up his spindly arms. “Now ya done it! Ya didn’t even get started and you’ve scared the lad away!”

  “I did not frighten him! You called the lesson into question before I had even begun!”

  “Well, you’d begun by being boring.” The ellyll shook his head. “Dry old history of all things! Have ya not been around children at all?”

  “No,” admitted Trahern. “I was simply going to begin as I was taught at his age. Fox is intelligent and talented.”

  “And a lively young human boy. Easier to teach a wild kelpie to love dry land than force-feed Fox something that doesn’t appeal to him.”

  “A sorcerer must learn discipline! By rights, he should have been taught the basics long ago.” He shot Ranyon a pointed look. “And now we are behind. How can he control the forces of magic within him if he has no solid foundation?”

  “Pish—I know all that. I’m sayin’ ya gotta give the lad a reason to want to learn. And it’s gotta be a reason that’s important to him. Ya can sneak in the vegetables between the cookies, dontcha know.”

  Before Trahern could ask what that meant, Fox dashed from the house at full speed and abruptly stopped in front of him, holding up a small blue cylinder.

  “Can we make my flashlight better?” he asked breathlessly.

  “What is a flashlight?” asked Trahern, ignoring Ranyon’s barely smothered snicker.

  Fox clicked a button on the side, and the device delivered a weak glow. “I use it to read at night sometimes, but the batteries don’t last very long.”

  “Now we’re talkin’!” The ellyll was triumphant. “Let’s—”

  “Let’s do something better,” interjected Trahern. “In the faery realm, we don’t have to use flashlights when it’s dark.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Not at all. We use our magic instead, and our magic is always with us.” Trahern cupped his hands together and blew into them. When he opened his fingers, a sphere of light shone bright enough to make both Fox and Ranyon squint. He blew on it again, and the light dimmed to a pleasant glow. “You may make it large or small, and it will last as long as you wish.”

  “Dude, that’s awesome! Can I do that? Can we start now? You can teach me, right?”

  “Yes, you can do it, and yes, I’ll teach you.” Trahern glanced over at Ranyon and gave him a slight nod. The little ellyll had been right.

  Lissy tossed the TV remote onto the couch cushion in disgust. Although there were a couple of programs she normally might have watched, nothing held her interest tonight. She’d gotten up at one point, folded laundry, vacuumed the second floor, even taken a stab at organizing her office, only to return to her spot on the couch. Beside the remote lay two books, the latest issue of GSA Today, and a basket of papers to sort, all relatively untouched.

  Her son was learning to wield magic.

  Lissy didn’t have anything against magic per se—how could she when members of her family and some of her best friends were so adept at it? But the idea of training her impulsive child to control such power made her glad she was sitting down. Thank heavens I have help! What if she hadn’t met Trahern? Brooke had enough on her plate. And Ranyon, who would have been her own first choice of tutor, had grudgingly conceded that the tall fae was exactly the instructor Fox needed because of the type of fae magic he’d inherited.

  But what if her son didn’t want to learn? Fox had immense focus and patience for the things that were important to him but very little for subjects that didn’t interest him. With magical power already pulsing through him, what if Fox resisted Trahern’s efforts to train him? Right now, she had to cope only with supermarket meltdowns. What if her son blew up the grocery store the next time he became frustrated?

  A vibration at her hip had her digging for the phone in her pocket. It was Brooke.

  “Good timing,” said Lissy. “I’ve already run out of ways to keep myself busy.”

  “You? You’re the last person on earth I expected to hear that from! Everything going okay?”

  “Well, Trahern and Ranyon haven’t killed each other yet, so there’s that. I have no idea if Fox is learning anything.”

  “What’s Ranyon doing there?”

  “Supervising. And expressing his disapproval because I kissed Trahern.”

  “You kissed—oh, honey, we have to sign you up with a dating service, and fast.”

  “Why can’t you guys just be relieved that I’m showing some interest in the opposite sex? You’ve dropped enough hints over the years.”

  “Duh! Because he’s a different species, Liss!”

  “Oh, come on, it was just a kiss. I know the difference between attraction and anything more. He’s a fae. I’m a human. I get it.” Love is not known among the fae, Trahern had said. For most of us, it is only a myth. No danger of involvement there, although a little voice in her head reminded her of that odd sense of connection she’d experienced.

  “Do you know if you acted of your own free will? Are you certain?”

  Considering the look on his face when she practically accused him of coercing her, Lissy was very certain. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  �
��As your BFF, it’s my sworn duty to worry! As long as Trahern is Fox’s teacher, you’re going to be spending a lot of time around him. And the fae, they’re—he’s—well, he’s a hot fae. Hot as Hades. Supernaturally hot. Dangerously hot.”

  “Yeah, he is.” She sighed. And because it was Brooke, she admitted the rest. “And I’m enjoying the hell out of it.”

  “Okay, spill. I want every juicy detail. What’s it like to kiss a fae?”

  An hour had passed by the time Lissy ended the call. No one had come back into the house (thankfully) while she indulged in some serious girl talk with Brooke. But there was no sound from outside, either. Was everything okay? More important, was everyone okay? Fox was bright and quick to learn—but also easily frustrated. And what if Trahern became impatient with Fox? He’d be in for a surprise if he expected her son to be a perfect pupil. And, of course, Ranyon was a wild card. Despite his promises and his very best efforts, it was still possible for the ellyll to get carried away again and compromise the lesson.

  Damn. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t hover, wouldn’t look outside, would let whatever happened happen—but surely it was past time to check on things. Wasn’t that what a good mom would do?

  Thankfully, the kitchen light was already out as Lissy crept to the window. Sheesh, I feel like a spy! Drawing a corner of the curtain aside, she could see the string of tiny yard lights faintly illuminating the curved path to the fire pit, but no one sat there. As her eyes adjusted, she finally spotted the trio in the shadows only a few feet from the house. Ranyon stood on a bench next to Trahern. Both were bent so their heads were close to Fox’s—

  And suddenly a soft bluish glow sprang into existence in their midst, seemingly from within Fox’s small cupped hands. Lissy completely forgot about hiding and pressed her face to the glass to get a better look. The glow brightened, shifted colors from blue to gold, and grew into a sphere the size of an apple, illuminating the threesome like a lantern. Approval shone in the faces of Trahern and Ranyon, and the ellyll began bouncing up and down in his enthusiasm.

  But it was the expression of sheer wonder on her son’s face that filled her heart and reassured her as nothing else could.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Lissy dumped the hot popcorn into the last bowl and drizzled butter over the fluffy kernels as snatches of dialogue from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone could be clearly heard in the kitchen. She’d have to turn the volume down again—if she could pry the remote from her son’s hands. Balancing four bowls in her arms, she headed to the living room and paused in the kitchen doorway to appreciate the view from behind the couch.

  Braith sprawled on the floor in front of it as usual, but his hindquarters and tail extended comically beyond it. Next, over the back of the cushions, she could just see a tiny patch of bright blue that was the top of Ranyon’s baseball hat. After that was an untidy thatch of blond hair: her son. And on Fox’s right, Trahern’s wide dark-cloaked shoulders loomed large, and his long braid of white hair lay along the top of the couch. Who’d have thought that I’d be hosting movie night for such a diverse audience?

  It had been her idea. Although Fox’s first three lessons had gone surprisingly well, subsequent ones had been more challenging for the hunter-turned-teacher. He was confused by some of her son’s questions and responses, particularly when Fox kept asking why Trahern didn’t have a wand. Lissy understood exactly where those ideas were coming from. Time to bring Trahern up to speed on pop culture.

  The TV might be loud, but Fox had finally ceased to compete with it. He’d started out by giving a play-by-play of every detail to Ranyon, Trahern, and Braith, but thankfully his first bowl of popcorn put an end to that: it was hard for him to talk and eat at the same time. He was fully absorbed now, perhaps because magic had a brand-new meaning for him, and he accepted the fresh bowl from Lissy without even taking his eyes off the screen—or noticing that she’d traded the popcorn for the remote. Ranyon and Trahern had thanked her for the treat the first time, but they, too, were now completely immersed in the film, and she practically had to shove the bowls into their hands. Lissy resumed her own seat, a niche next to the tall fae (which felt a lot more comfortable and right than she wanted to think about). His thoughts weren’t reaching out to her at the moment, however. Ranyon, she knew, watched a great deal of TV with his dear friend and roommate, Leo, but the old man was more a fan of police dramas and baseball games than fantasy. But was it Trahern’s first experience with modern media? Did they even have anything like it in his world?

  Heaven only knew what he thought of the story.

  Thankfully, she’d managed to negotiate with Fox to watch just one movie tonight. He needed his routine and, most especially, his sleep. There’d be no survivors if Fox stayed up all night! It had been a challenge, of course. Like all kids, her son drove a hard bargain, and having Asperger’s made him even less able to be flexible. But in the end, they settled on watching the other seven films in a row, one per night. Her son had been sold on the idea of a weeklong Harry Potter marathon with his unusual friends. I sure hope Ranyon and Trahern are up to it!

  As it turned out, Fox sank lower and lower in his seat until he eventually slid off the couch completely to lie full-length on top of Braith. That’s where sleep found him sometime during the last half hour of the movie. When the credits rolled, Lissy moved to pick him up, but Trahern put a hand on her arm. The child is heavy. Permit me to carry him up the stairs for you.

  Thanks, but I’m used to doing it.

  If not me, why not my brother? Fox is already on his broad back, and Braith is undoubtedly heading to the boy’s room as well.

  She hesitated. The grim probably wouldn’t even feel Fox’s weight, but . . . He’ll fall off!

  A little magic will prevent that. “Braith,” he said aloud. “Would you kindly bear young Fox to his bed?”

  The great blue-gray dog rose easily to his feet and ambled over to the stairs. Lissy hurried after him, but there was no need for alarm. As Braith mounted the steps, Fox didn’t slide so much as an inch. Instead, he remained on the dog’s back as if glued there, arms and legs dangling limply over the sides. The grim made his way to her son’s room and stood alongside the bed like the most faithful of mounts, and Lissy was a little surprised that it was suddenly easy for her to roll the softly snoring child onto the mattress. She tucked him in and kissed his blond head, then put her arms around the great dog’s neck.

  “Thanks, big guy,” she whispered, and laughed as she successfully dodged his massive tongue.

  There was no one in the living room when she came downstairs. “Trahern? Ranyon?”

  Ranyon left to help Brooke with her nightly rituals. I am outside.

  Lissy grabbed a sweater and headed to the backyard. It was a tiny affair, but Fox loved it, and so did she, and many marshmallows had been roasted—or, more often, charred—over the diminutive fire pit. Trahern stood off to one side, looking up at the moon through the trees. Round and full now, it was crossed by long, thin streamers of cloud like so many waves.

  “My mother would say la luna está bajo el agua,” she said as she approached. “The moon is underwater.”

  “So am I, according to Ranyon.” Trahern turned toward her with a wry smile. “He assured me from the beginning that I am in over my head in this situation. I understand some of what he meant after viewing the moving story.”

  “Movie,” she corrected. “And yes, Fox has a lot of preconceived notions to unlearn. Did he ask for a flying broom or a wand?”

  “I thought he might, therefore I prepared to explain how fae magic is different. Instead, you were quite correct. The animals are what fascinate Fox the most. He feels quite well equipped to be a wizard now that he has my brother as his companion.”

  “You said wizard! I can’t believe you’re using the W word.”

  “And Fox has used the word sorcerer twice tonight.”

  She tried not to roll her eyes. “It’s in the title of the movie.”


  “I will accept victory wherever I can find it,” he said wryly. “We have far more pressing concerns. Magic is challenging work, requiring focus and concentration and a lifetime of study. More, a solid foundation must be established upon which we can build, and many basics simply must be memorized. So far your son resists this.”

  “He has the same challenges at school. His best subjects are math and science because he likes them, but it’s taken a long time to talk him into putting any effort into other subjects. It’s true of most kids to a degree, but with Asperger’s, Fox tends to be obsessed with specific topics to the exclusion of everything else.”

  “Such as rocks?” There was amusement in Trahern’s eyes. “I am lectured about them frequently.”

  Lissy laughed. “Especially rocks.” She thought for a moment. “You know, a couple of years ago, his teacher’s aide and I came up with some flash cards to help him memorize facts in his weaker subjects. Fox is a visual learner.” At Trahern’s puzzled expression, she explained the concept further until finally he nodded.

  “Such cards may prove very useful. I would like to create a set for herbs and plants. Not only must he be able to identify them all, he must know their properties and uses.”

  “That’s an awful lot of musts for any child, never mind one like Fox.”

  “I find I must do something as well.” He smiled and moved closer. “I must kiss you again.”

  She put her finger on his lips to stop him, but he simply took it into his mouth. Lissy shivered as her nipples tightened and her core suddenly clenched. Hard. “Okay, not right now,” she managed, clearing her throat with difficulty. “We’re still talking about Fox.”

  Trahern released her finger slowly, with a teasing expression. “Very well. But I will have two kisses later. What else about your son?”

  Focus on Fox, focus on Fox. “Homework—schoolwork you do at home—used to cause him a lot of anxiety. It can be hard for him to settle down and start things. Sometimes I’ve had to sit beside him with a whole pocketful of little crystals and rock specimens and dole them out as a reward for each completed question or task. Over time, having something pleasant to anticipate has helped Fox to be less stressed about it.”