Blood Threads: The Star Seamstress Book One

by Noella Royce

  Then I was alone. Adin had left me mostly naked, shivering, desperately turned on and very confused. My mind was a mess of fear and frustration, and my brain couldn't decide which issue to focus on first.

  My phone, flung on the floor, buzzed with a text. Reluctantly I got up to check it, and saw Jordan had written. Saw you called - everything all right? Get home okay?

  I started laughing like a hyena and couldn't stop.

  This is the state that Breanna found me in, no more than ten minutes later, dejected and shocked.

  My roommate was silent at first, only her footsteps echoing throughout the apartment. There was a moment where she paused and exhaled sharply, and I figured that was after surveying the wreckage that had once been her front door. She strode into the bedroom, and her eyes were huge, full of shock. Her cheeks were pale as well, and I was impressed that she didn't scream. For such a delicate, lovely woman, she was awfully tough, obviously tougher than me.

  "Veda!" she exclaimed as her eyes fell on me. "Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay?" She looked around at what was left of her door and her window. "How did you make such powerful enemies?"

  13

  Seeing Breanna and her stunned expression filled me with a strangling guilt. Not only had I destroyed my own room, I destroyed this very nice, patient woman's apartment.

  I started crying, letting the full extent of my insane emotions out.

  "Breanna," I gasped out, and then sobbed for a bit before I could speak in full sentences. "I am so sorry. I can't believe this happened. Your poor apartment." My head fell in my hands. "I'm so sorry." I didn't add that I was also very sorry for my skirt, that simple, innocent thing that had hung out in the back of my mind like a simple, warm awareness, and had died to keep me alive long enough for Adin to once again sweep in.

  "Oh, sweetie, shhhh." Breanna climbed on the bed and hugged me, her voice low and soothing. "It's okay; I know something horrible happened here." She rubbed my back. "Breathe. It will be okay," she repeated.

  "I was attacked," I rushed to explain.

  She wrinkled her button nose. "I see that." She sighed and gave me a squeeze with her arm. "Veda, you really have angered a mage or two, haven't you? Or some witches, perhaps?"

  Well, that answered that. She knew about the supernatural stuff that went on in this town, and it didn't surprise her.

  "I didn't mean to," I said with a renewed sob. "I promise you, it was nothing I meant to do. It's just... supposedly I have some sort of weird power, and it's made these creepy necromancers come after me, and while my skirt protected me, it's dead. Oh my god, my skirt is dead."

  Breanna knit her brows in apparent confusion, but she rolled with it. "Yeah, that's one group you really don't want to piss off." She stood and helped me up. "You're going to have to sleep on the couch for a while, I think, until I can get the contractors in here." Her expression became angry, and it was like I was looking at a different person. "I really wish those assholes hadn't broken my front door. That was really rude."

  I giggled, amused and distracted from my terror by the droll comment. "Breanna," she looked at me, "I'm pretty sure the necromancers here in town have Kyle. I saw Shawn, the boy who was kidnapped in front of me, but he was different this time. He was," I gulped, uncomfortable even saying the words, "dead. Dead but moving. It wasn't right."

  Breanna nodded and took my hand to lead me into the kitchen. I tried to ignore the absolute devastation of the living room, what with the door and splinters all over the place, as we walked by. I was still all wrapped up in the blanket since it made me feel safe, although not as safe as my skirt had.

  She put me firmly in a chair at the kitchen table and went over to the stove to grab a kettle, fill it, and place it on the stove. "Let me make you some tea. That's the least I can do after you survived an attack by a mage. Those bastards are deadly."

  "It was close." I remembered Adin's warning about how others would perceive his assistance and decided against telling Breanna about his involvement. "I had a magic object that saved me," I grabbed reflexively at my skirt, that was, of course, not there, "but it was destroyed."

  "Magic object, huh? Never good to waste those." She put a warm hand on mine. "Veda, I worry about you. You're making some awfully powerful enemies."

  "I know, trust me." I grabbed a paper towel and wiped my nose. "I don't know what I'm doing, and I think that's going to get me killed, and has now destroyed your apartment. I'm sorry, Breanna, for everything. I'm going to leave town first thing tomorrow, but I'll get you the rest of my rent, I promise." Screw the risk of being followed or killed; staying here couldn't be the right decision. I'd never felt terror like this before, and I wasn't keen on repeating the experience.

  There was that sorta terrifying rage again. "Leave?" She waved a hand towards the living room, lips pursed. "After this? Veda, even if it's late, I now need your rent more than ever. And anyways, if the Ashers want you, they're unlikely to let you just go. You need to find another answer, one that doesn't screw me over."

  I started to cry again, guilt and fear warring inside me. "I know, trust me, I know, and I'll get you the money from wherever I go. I'll put it in a contract if you'd like. But I can't stay here, don't you see that? Maywen is too weird. Weird and murderous, and I'm apparently number one on its hit list." I wrapped my arms around myself. "If I die, at least I won't just be sitting still, waiting for them to get me. Breanna, I'm almost sure they're the ones who took Kyle, and whatever they're up to, they're not done yet."

  She furrowed her brow. "Most of them are pillars of our community, Veda, and Maywen wouldn't be what it is without the Order. Have you considered some of the other mage societies in town? There are several that also include necromancers, and many are famously insidious."

  "There are other necromancers around? God, what is wrong with this place?" This was even more reason for me to hightail it out of here.

  She sighed. "Now is probably not the right time to talk about this, since I see how upset you are. Understandably, of course, but I don't think you're thinking straight." She put a steaming mug of tea in front of me and I wrapped my cold hands around it gratefully. I took a small sip and blinked at the unexpected taste. It was somehow both sour and bitter, and overall had a very deep, spicy taste. I never tasted anything like it.

  "What kind of tea is this?" I gave it a sniff. "I don't think I've had it before."

  She laughed. "I wouldn't think you had; it's a unique blend that a friend of mine makes. It's for calming and cleansing of the spirits and humors."

  I chuckled at that. "That's fun and old-fashioned. Humors." I looked down at my hand and saw that it was trembling. I smiled ruefully. "I think I need more than just my humors balanced. Maybe a full lobotomy would do the trick."

  Breanna sat across from me and leaned forward to squeeze my wrist, her angelic face suffused with sympathy. Her face was so interesting—beautiful and fine-boned, but there was an almost masculine line to her jawline and the tilt of her nose. She'd make a very attractive man. "Don't worry, Veda. This will all turn out okay. Figure out how you can pay me back, and maybe even how you can protect yourself in this town." Her smile was comforting, and I desperately wanted to believe her. "We'll get you through this."

  My crying intensified. I took another sip of my tea, and found that I was indeed calming down, and getting sleepy. My head felt strangely fuzzy and odd. "This tea, is it supposed to make me tired?"

  "It is, yes. That's part of the calming effect. It's all natural, of course, but it should help you get some rest."

  "You're the best." I sniffled.

  "Finish your drink, and everything will be okay." Her voice was so soothing, so harmonic, that I smiled and did as she said.

  And some point, Breanna must have helped me to bed, or, to be exact, the couch, and I must've fallen asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

  None of my dreams arrived, and I was grateful for the mental peace, sleeping much better than I had in a very lo
ng time.

  Breanna was gone when I awoke, but there was a note on the counter next to a mug of the same tea I'd had the night before. Throw this in the microwave for thirty seconds and then drink; it'll keep you calm, and won't make you sleepy, I promise.

  I did as she ordered, and as I got ready for work, I found myself in a state of calm unlike I'd felt for weeks. My skirt was still missed—damn it, how had I gotten so attached to it in such a short period of time?—but otherwise, I felt more grounded than I had in weeks.

  This allowed me to think clearly and ponder if leaving really was the solution to all my problems. I'd wanted to help the boys who'd been kidnapped; was I ready to throw in the towel just because I was afraid? And anyways, was it worth the risk that I'd be murdered at the town border the second I tried to cross it?

  Then, of course, there was the little issue of Adin and the fact I was apparently hell-bent on throwing myself at him as often as possible. He certainly was noble to reject my offer to sleep with him, and it made me reconsider his relationship with Erica. Perhaps he just liked being around women but didn't want to take advantage of them? That would make him an interesting sort of savior knight.

  A knight I still had many questions about. Why did Adin refuse to use his considerable influence and apparent power on saving the boys and stop whatever craziness was causing the earthquakes? How could he claim to care about Maywen, then leave it to whatever weird fate was headed its way? Could I really trust him?

  Maybe I should make another skirt, or a scarf, or something else to protect me.

  Fuck it, I was going to sneak into Barnes' and use his machine, or force Kristen to let me use hers. I needed to protect myself, and stupid river oaths and the unknowable motivations of moody vampires weren't going to stop me any longer.

  As I walked to work and pondered my options my stomach was oddly upset, and I decided it was lingering anxiety from the night before.

  When I got to work, Kristen and Amari were already there, looking at Amari's phone with upset expressions.

  "Hey, guys." I tried to keep my voice normal, but when their faces snapped up I saw Amari's eyes narrow. The man was very emotionally observant, I'd have to give him that.

  "You okay? You look pale."

  "I've had better nights, but I don't want to talk about it. I'm also a little queasy." Really, as much as I liked Amari and Kristen, they were not fully honest with me and my newness, and I wasn't sure I felt comfortable bringing them into my crazy necromancer-filled drama. "What are you guys looking at?"

  "This isn't going to make your day better, I'm sorry. Another boy's been kidnapped," Amari said, "and we all know him. He's in here all the time."

  "Yeah, he's such a good kid, and the university president's going to be so upset. She seems nice."

  I felt my blood freeze. "Who is it?"

  "Sun Ji Kahm." Amari turned his phone around so I could see the Maywen Register blog post, with Sun Ji's adorable, smiling mug right there. I almost started crying again. "He disappeared last night, and his mother hasn't heard from him since then."

  "Fuck!" I swore, and without thinking, swung around to punch a sketchbook. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." Why did it have to be Sun Ji? It's not like I knew him well, but he was a full person to me, someone I'd interacted with and learned to like. Damn it, Maywen!

  "Did you know him, Veda?" Kristen asked.

  "He knew her," Amari said, and his tone was a little too knowing. "Right?"

  I nodded, wondering if Amari had found me online. "He knew I had interest in costuming, and he invited me to his cosplay group. He's such a nice kid. Goddamnit." I felt enraged and powerless, and images of Sun Ji wide-eyed and undead like Shawn had filled my mind's eye. "Do they know where it happened?"

  Amari shook his head. "No. He went out to meet some friends to study, but they say he never arrived, and his mom isn't sure exactly when he left. He was going across town, so could have been anywhere."

  I sat my butt on the floor, leaning against the aisle closest to the checkout register. "Dammit," I muttered again.

  "Veda, there was nothing you could do," Amari said, coming around and crouching down to put a hand on my shoulder. "Whatever's happening is bigger than any of us."

  I nodded, only half-listening.

  Now leaving seemed especially wrong somehow. Sun Ji, like Kyle, was a good kid, and didn't deserve whatever horrible fate the Ash Order had planned for him. I kept being told I could help, and maybe it was time to start trying.

  Time to sew.

  It was just at that moment that Frank came crashing through the doors, pleasant face suffused with a genuine smile. "Hello, everyone. Do I have great news!" He then stopped as he looked down at me. "Veda? Are you okay?"

  I sighed and let Amari help me up, and wiped the dust off my butt. "No, not exactly, but I'll live. Just upset about the latest kidnapping."

  Frank came up and took my hand, which surprised me since he'd never done that before. It was a fatherly gesture, but I was still kind of uncomfortable when he patted it. His eyes shone, and it hit me that if someone put a white beard on him he'd look just like Santa. "I have good news, my dear, such good news. Unexpectedly, Thalia has finally agreed to release me from my oath, and I am now allowed to teach you anything I want to or need to. We are free!"

  I felt a rush of relief and clutched his hand in excitement. "Really? You can finally teach me how to be a Star Seamstress? I'll no longer be in the dark?" I sent out a silent thank you to whatever god had granted me this gift right when I needed it.

  He beamed, and Kristen made a sound of delight. "Yes, exactly. I can now impart to you all the knowledge I have, though be warned, that isn't much. But it's enough to get you started, especially now that you've already created your first item."

  I felt a rush of sadness as I thought of my poor, deceased skirt, and he saw my expression. "Oh no. Did something happen to your first creation? Kristen told me it was a lovely thing."

  I nodded. "I had some trouble last night with the Ashers, and my skirt was destroyed protecting me." I also got a little down and dirty with a vampire, but I didn't think he needed to hear that. I decided that information really was on a need-to-know basis. "Can we start now? It'd mean so much to me if I could help Sun Ji and get him back from those evil bastards."

  "Yes, of course. Come on!" He looked at Amari and Kristen. "You guys hold down the fort here, please; we're going upstairs to sew."

  I smiled, amused that such a mundane activity was suddenly so exciting and rich with possibility. The skirt had taught me that my magic worked, and with Sun Ji's kidnapping, I knew I wanted to get involved. Hell, I'd really like to see if I could save Kyle as well, before whatever happened to Shawn happened to him. I owed Breanna ten times that much.

  The sewing room was tidied up, but the fabrics he put out for me a few days before were still there, including the sparkly knit I'd used for my skirt. My hand lingered but I moved on, somehow feeling it would be disrespectful to that first, loyal garment, to create something so similar.

  I decided this time I was going to try create a dress, something that covered my whole body, and I was drawn to a bolt of bright green fabric that lay at the bottom. Would I be able to control the output this time?

  Frank clapped. "Good choice, good choice—those diamonds and different greens will be very fetching on you."

  I nodded, took a deep breath, and began to think in my mind what I wanted the dress to look like. As I did so a wave of nausea washed over me, and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Did I have food poisoning or something?

  I didn't remember exactly at what point in the process I had blacked out and just started creating last time, but I knew it had occurred not long after I'd sat down. I looked up at Frank. "Is there anything special I need to do? When it happened before, I just looked at the fabric, started to consider what I was going to make, and it happened. But I don't know what I did right, if anything."

  He shook his head. "It's a little diffe
rent for every Creator, from what I understand."

  "Well, that's all nerve-racking, but here I go." I stood, got up, and took a deep breath to settle my nerves and upset stomach.

  I started to measure the fabric. I didn't have a pattern, but I hadn't last time, right? Any moment now the world would go dark and the magic would happen.

  It didn't.

  An hour later, I was slowly working through every step of the process as if it was just another sewing project. I was fully aware of everything I was doing, creating a big, loose caftan type thing in measurements that I vaguely knew were mine, cutting out freehand to disastrous effect. The nasty feeling in my stomach and up through my throat got worse.

  "Frank, this isn't working." I was on the edge of tears.

  "Oh, dear." Frank wrung his hands, and his disappointed expression broke my heart. "You said you had a bad time of it last night, right?"

  I nodded. "It was very bad." Except for that desperate but delicious making out, but I didn't add that part.

  "Well, maybe that's it! Maybe because of the stress, you're unable to complete anything. There's a first time for everything, and it's not like I know everything there is to know about your magic. But I'm sure it'll come back and we can try again. We'll stop here for today?"

  "No! We don't have any time to waste." I crushed the fabric in my hands, and stifled a burp. "I can do this! Just let me try for a bit longer."

  Frank's eyes were full of pity. "Of course, my dear."

  Unfortunately, more time didn't help.

  "I don't know what's wrong, I really don't." I threw down the fabric on the floor, tears in my eyes. "I know I felt something, and I did something. I just know it. What the hell is wrong with me?"

  "I don't know, Veda." Frank's shoulders were slumped, and I could see he was trying to put on a brave face and failing. "You don't look well; we can try again another day, but you need to rest." He gently helped me up out of the chair and guided me to the door.