“Bitch,” one of them muttered. Terra didn’t bother to pay attention to which one it was.
“Pay up. Let me drink the water.”
“Fine,” another one grumbled, sounding to Terra like she was getting ready for a long sulk.
“Follow us,” said the three women, their voices sullen and empty of even the slightest touch of seduction. So Terra stood up and started walking behind them. It wasn’t bad that she felt a little self-satisfied that she had resisted their temptation and kicked their sorry asses at their own game, was it?
They walked across the stones until they reached a fountain, one that would have been pretty damn expensive in the real world—because Terra was strangely certain it was made entirely of diamond. “Now what?”
“Drink, of course.”
“Duh.” The woman who said this crossed her arms and huffed at Terra, who smiled a little and turned back to the fountain.
She cupped her hands and scooped up some of its water, bringing it to her lips, and drank it down. As it flowed past her lips and down her throat, something began changing within her. Her clothes were drying at a very fast rate, the water running down her skin and onto the ground, where it formed a puddle and then evaporated completely. “What just…what the hell, you three? Did you do something to me?”
“No, you idiot,” said the middle-hued one. “You did something to you.”
“You drank our water,” said the dark-blue one, “and now you have almost infinite power over water. Just like us.”
“If you have infinite power over water, why was I the only one who could get your clothes clean?”
“Must have been something lame,” said the pale-blue woman. “Like true love.”
“Guess I’ll have to try that the next time I do the wash at the mansion,” Terra joked. “A cup of true love instead of laundry detergent.”
“Now go,” the three women said, and one by one, each turned on her blue heel and stomped off.
Terra was alone once again and had absolutely no idea how to get back. But the river was only a small stretch away, and she did have power over water now, so did that mean she could have the water take her back to her car, wherever it was?
“Worth a try,” she said to the emptiness around her. She walked up to the water’s edge, dipped in a toe, and then walked into it up to her waist.
“Take me back to my car,” she said. And it did.
Chapter Thirteen
When she walked back up the bank, she was bone-dry after she’d taken only five steps away from the water. Freakin’ awesome! But what awaited her back at the car wasn’t awesome in the least. All four tires on her car were flat, and the acrid smell of burnt rubber filled the air. She threw open her car door to check on Onyx, who was cowering and shaking on the floor. “Onyx! Are you okay, sweetie? What happened?”
“Don’t…know…I’m just scared. Very, very scared. I think there was a fire, and some…don’t know.”
Terra scooped him up and held him to her chest. “It’s safe now, Onyx, you’re safe now. I’ve got the power of water now, and I’m sure it can fight off whatever burned those tires.” She rubbed his belly until he started to purr softly, and soon he was asleep. She placed him in his seat and got in on her own side, beginning to think. What was she going to do about her car? Her only transportation, now with no ability to move? Perhaps…yes, it was just crazy enough to work.
She took the car jack and tire iron out of the back of the car and removed each of the now-useless tires. Then she held her hand out over the edge of the bridge, watching in delight as water flowed past her hand and around the four areas where the tires had just been. The car began to rise, and she heard a small yowl from the inside of the car, followed by a flash of black fur. Onyx was now hiding behind her legs. “What are you doing, Terra?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“Just fixing our problem, that’s all.” She was grinning by now, and she let out a little gleeful laugh. This was fun! “Look, Onyx, now we can keep going. Isn’t that cool?”
“I guess…I guess it is cool. But is it safe?” He slunk out from behind her legs and walked up to a tire, sniffing it cautiously. “Smells like…fish.”
“I’ll bet it does. Now, let’s get in and keep going. Only two parts of the quest left, my cute little kitty-friend.”
“You sound a little too excitable.” Onyx sniffed. “Cool your jets.”
“No, someone else’s jets need cooling, and it’s not me. Whoever the bastard was who ruined my tires, that’s whose jets need cooling.”
“All I know,” Onyx said, hopping into the car and settling into his chair, “is that I’m pretty sure I don’t want to run into whoever it was. I singed my fur on a candle once, and I don’t want to experience the full-body version.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Terra said, starting up the engine. The car started rolling—or flowing? Terra thought—forward across the bridge, and it seemed to be moving even more smoothly than it had with the rubber tires. Terra was sure they’d be fine, or at least mostly sure. She couldn’t help but feel just a tiny bit worried, but she was too busy paying attention to her recent success to pay much heed to that little bit of fear.
*
The three blue women lay in ruins. The man with flaming horns was almost to the well, almost ready to complete the next part of the quest. But when he reached the well, he found it was dry, with not even a drop left in its basin. He got ready to scream out his rage, to burn every tree within a hundred miles. He should have done more than burn the car’s tires, he thought with immense fury…and really, he would have done more, but something seemed to stand in his way.
He wouldn’t let this stand in his way, though. He would just steal that stupid warlock’s power, steal it like he’d stolen the power of his family, the power that had given him his other form, this horned creature of fire. He could easy kill Saturn as he slept, and it wouldn’t take him long to locate his scent and catch up. After all, night was falling soon, and that was when his power burned the brightest.
*
Terra had continued down the road that started after the bridge, and the woods were starting to grow a little bit darker when she reached a small road to the left.
A handmade, wooden sign at the beginning of the drive said FOR TERRA on it, with an arrow pointing to the left—pointing to wherever the road led. Was she supposed to believe this was really for her? After what had happened to her tires, it very well could have been a trick—or worse. There was only one way to learn if it was, though, so she turned onto the driveway and followed it around a few turns, arriving at last at a wooden cottage. It didn’t look especially evil, and it was as good a place as any to spend the night—much better than in her car, at least.
She got out and stretched, and watched as Onyx did the same, his stretching showing far more flexibility than she happened to have. If only she had a bit more flex in her body…Athene surely wouldn’t complain if they could try a few new positions. Then again, magic could help with that, so…but Terra shook her head. Who cared about more flexibility when you had magic dildos, right? She looked toward the cottage, only about fifteen feet away from her car. “This place seem safe to you?” she asked Onyx.
“Safer than your car’s tires were.” He walked up to the house’s porch and climbed its three steps, then jumped onto a wicker rocking chair with a faded brown cushion. Onyx sighed happily. “Now, I think I’m going to take a little nap before supper. You still have some of that canned food for me?”
“I don’t think so, Onyx, but maybe we can find some food in the cabin.” Terra started to reach for her overnight bag, but…did she really need it now? After all, if she could change her clothes now through magic, why did she need that bag? It only held stuff she’d already worn, anyway. Not that she knew what she was doing with her new powers yet, not really, but maybe she could figure out a thing or two before bed. She was just happy she didn’t have any more driving to do. “Stay put,” she said to her
new tires, and then she followed Onyx up the steps and opened the cabin’s screen door.
“You should probably come inside with me,” she told Onyx, who slowly opened his eyes and yawned. “We don’t know who burned the tires, and we aren’t near any water. I still don’t have the hang of this magic stuff, you know.”
“Oh, do I ever. But I suppose you’re right.” Onyx jumped down from the chair, following her to the door. “Is it even unlocked, though?”
She tested the doorknob. Damn it all—it was locked. “So much for going i—”
The door swung open then, so suddenly that she almost fell over. “What the fuck?”
In front of her stood a raccoon or, actually, sat a raccoon, because it was on the back of a stag. “What the fook indeed,” said the raccoon, in a distinctly British accent.
Terra took a deep breath. “I guess…I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised by talking animals, not by now. Though I wasn’t really expecting company at this cabin. I’m Terra.” She shook the raccoon’s paw as gently as she could. But how on earth did you shake hands (hooves?) with a deer?
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Terra. Not that we animals di’n’t already know your name or what you’re here for, missy. Your mum warned us about everything that will transpire this night.”
“My mom? You knew her?”
“Yes, we did. Many years ago, or perhaps twenty-two, she told us she was with child, and you would be needin’ our help in about twenty-two years. So, we hung around here, played some chess, mated with each other when we were bored, and now, here you are, missy, and here we are, too. Name’s Freddy, by the by, and my steed is Uther. You’ll have to excuse ’is complete and utter lack of manners—’e’s a rude one, this stag.”
“Oh, shut up, Freddy. I’m not nearly as rude as you, you pernicious little nipper.”
“Ain’t a single bone in my body that’s pernicious, and I only nip when it’s called for. Like now!” The raccoon—Freddy—bared his teeth and growled at the stag, but instead of biting him, he patted Uther on the head and leapt down. “I suppose you’ll be wantin’ some information, so if I was you, I’d see if I had anything to drink to help me along my information-searchin’ way.”
“How did you know about the wine?” Terra wasn’t sure whether she trusted these creatures yet, as likeable as the two of them seemed. Not that she couldn’t hold her own against a petite creature like Freddy, but the stag would probably be a bit more of a challenge. “And why should I trust you two?”
“We knew about the wine because of your mum. She said you would bring some and that you would need it to see somethin’ important. Do you ’ave it or not, li’ul lamb?”
“Little lamb? Really?” But Terra had decided that the two creatures didn’t want to harm her, or they would have attacked by now. “Yeah, I have some wine. It’s supposed to show me my future, or something like that. I don’t know if it works yet.”
“I’ve been off the drink since those vomit-inducin’ thimbleberries we fermented and turned into juice, so the wine’s all yours. But I would recommend having a nice meal first. My wife and I fixed you some supper, and it’s just about ready. She made some delicious cilantro flatbread, and for dessert, we’ll be eatin’ some spotted dick.”
“You do know you just offered a dish with the word ‘dick’ in its name to a dyke, don’t you?”
“Yes, my wife Lizzie thought it would be amusing. Bit rude of her, aye?”
“It was your idea, ya dumb fook,” came a voice from inside the cabin.
“I’d be coming inside soon if I were you, missy. It’s not going to stay cold out forever. I can feel something very ’ot and very angry comin’ towards us. And our protective circle is only around the cabin.”
“Protective circle?”
“Your mum told us to get one set up. You ain’t the only one with a bit of magic to you. Now get your cat, get your wine, and get inside, you ’ear?”
The stag nosed the door open wider and said, “He’s right, you know. He may be a stupid, good-for-nothing, masked bandit, but he’s right.”
“Shut up!” Both Freddy and Lizzie yelled this, but they cackled right after shouting at Uther.
“Think we should trust them?” she asked Onyx quietly as they walked back to her car.
“I think so. Didn’t smell anything off about them, other than a lack of proper bathing from Freddy.”
“You rude little thing. Such a snob.” Terra nudged Onyx with her foot, but she was laughing as she did. She got the wine out of the car and made sure she had her doorway stone, too. She decided she might as well bring her bag, too. Then she went inside. Onyx rushed in next to her, almost tripping her as he raced through the front door.
“I suppose a lock isn’t necessary?”
“Oh, that door is always locked to everyone but us critters,” Uther said, nuzzling against Terra’s side. “You smell nice—like apple pie and powerful magic. What a yummy combination. Can I nibble on your hair?”
“’e’s just kiddin’, the stupid thing. I’n’t that royt, ya big antlered freak?”
“Kidding? I guess I was.” Uther laughed or, Terra thought, snorted.
“You guys are just a bunch of troublemakers, aren’t you?”
“Who ya callin’ troublemakers, missy?” Another raccoon, presumably Lizzie, said this, looking at Terra with surprisingly intelligent eyes for a raccoon. Then Lizzie turned back to the pot she was stirring. That must have been where the delicious smell had come from. A spicy and full-bodied scent had been tickling Terra’s nostrils since she’d gone inside.
“Are you making Indian? I thought you were just making flatbread and spotted dick, whatever that is.” Terra took a moment to examine the room now. Large windows were in every wall, through which she could see the trees close to the house and the ones a bit farther away. Something seemed to be making everything about ten feet away from the cabin a bit blurry. Was the magic circle causing that effect?
She turned her eyes to the inside of the cabin again. In the back were five large beds, each with a beautiful, multi-colored, checked quilt. Closer to her and to her left was what must have been the living room, with four armchairs, a short, leather couch, and two large bookcases near the window, filled with at least half as many books as Athene had in her bedroom library (half as many still was very impressive). Terra saw The Call of the Wild and a number of volumes of Shakespeare on its very top shelf, along with a large sampling of Vonnegut and at least six The Far Side comic collections. The thought of these forest creatures enjoying The Far Side brought a smile to her face. Or at least a wider smile, because she was really enjoying Freddy, Uther, and Lizzie’s company. They really were charming, she thought, and rather funny, too.
The kitchen section of the cabin contained a large, six-burner stove, an equally large fridge, a wall of upper and lower cabinets, and a long, rectangular table, surrounded by over a dozen chairs. Bowls, plates, silverware, and glasses sat at each place. One spot alone held a wine glass. Terra guessed that one was for her.
A question had entered her head, though, and she just had to ask them. “Is it just me, or is this place bigger from the inside?”
Freddy walked over to her and stood on his hind legs, placing his paw on his nose and pointing the other at Terra. “By Jove, she’s got it!”
“Rude, Freddy, rude and uncalled for. Just like always. But I loves ya all the same. By the way, Terra, love, supper’s ready. Would you care to call in the rest of our family, Uther?” Lizzie let go of the spoon that was in the pot and climbed down from the stool she’d been standing on. “They’re all excited, you know. They’ve been wantin’ to meet ya.”
“I guess I’m looking forward to meeting them, too.” Terra pulled a chair out from the table and sat down, placing the wine and the doorway stone on the table and her bag by her chair. This would be interesting, meeting all these critters—these talking critters—who apparently knew all about her. Who knew all about her and had been ex
pecting her, too. She hadn’t been expecting them, nor did she know what to expect.
She hoped they could explain all of this, because to the best of her knowledge, her mother hadn’t been psychic. That wasn’t a trait witches and warlocks ever had. Instead, it always belonged to other types of magical folk. Onyx could occasionally predict things, but not anything big. Once, he had known that the mansion would be getting a mouse infestation, with a few hitchhiking inside a load of hay for the horses. He had tried to warn Athene, who in turn had tried to warn her parents, but they refused to believe he’d known, even after the mice were dashing across the various floors in the palace and getting into their pantry’s expensive food stores. Onyx had been delighted, though, that they hadn’t done anything about it. He was at a rather unhealthy weight until the ten cats the Werths finally brought in to take care of the problem caught the mice. Not a single one of the cats was male and gay, to Onyx’s chagrin.
Terra was wondering, now, if in some way her mother had been able to predict the future, and if so, what that said about her daughter. And then the door to the cabin opened, and in came a young woman with ankle-length, white-blond hair and a warm, fuzzy-feeling-causing smile. Or at least that’s what it did to Terra, because she instantly knew that this woman was a kindred spirit, a thought she’d had only one other time, when she’d first met Athene.
“Hello, Terra. I am Woodbyne, and these are my friends.” The woman walked—or floated, almost—over to the table and sat down next to her, and what seemed like an unending stream of animals entered the cabin. There was a fox, a badger, two dark-brown squirrels, a skunk, a mid-sized black bear, another stag, a mountain lion that started purring when it locked eyes with Terra, and a bobcat with beautiful dark-green eyes to match its grass-colored fur and shiny, emerald-colored spots.
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