by Jean Winter
“Yes, my lord.” She feared she knew exactly what he meant by that.
After another moment he added, “And I am sorry I did no' tell you.”
“Thank you, my lord.” Lyra looked up at him. “They will be back, won't they.”
“Aye.”
Lyra wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer to her next question. “What do they want from me?”
With a sigh J'Kor went to his wardrobe and started to undress. “Nim promised she would keep this between herself and the professor … for now, but she wants you to be trained so you can work with her. Dr. Wyk just wants to study you.”
Lyra swallowed back some fear. “And what did you say to that, my lord?”
He laughed darkly. “I said no way.”
“But they will come back anyway,” she guessed, and she watched him drop his tunic to the floor like he had not the strength for anything else. “My lord, can you not do something to stop them?”
He turned on her, and his expression was suddenly inimical. Hard. “You do no' seem to appreciate how increasingly difficult it is for me to keep you under wraps, Lyra! Really, I only have so much influence, and you keep … doing things!” His arm waved in exasperation.
“I am sorry, my lord! I'm not trying to cause trouble for you. Believe me.”
“And yet, trouble keeps popping up, anyway!”
“I'm sorry,” she said again, weaker. “I … I don't know what else to—”
“I know, Lyra! I get it! All right?” He flumped onto the side of the bed to pull off his shoes. “I know you have been trying to keep your head down. I know you have no' desired any o' the attention.” One by one they got flung into the corner, clunking loudly against the wall before hitting the floor. “I understand that! You just … are failing so catastrophically, I do no' know whether to fly into a rage or—or laugh at the irony.”
A few ticks of the clock went by. Lyra stood awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
“And I do no' know if I can take it any more,” he finally finished.
Lyra went cold with fear. He was actually talking about it—about giving her up! Trembling, she went to the corner, picked up his shoes, and placed them neatly side by side in their place on the wardrobe's shelf. Then she picked his tunic up off the floor and smoothed it out before placing it on a hanger. She turned back, ready to humbly ask if there was anything else she could do for him, when he stood.
“Good moonrise. I will see you in the morning.” J'Kor grabbed a nightshirt and walked away.
Lyra reached to take his plate for him after another very quiet breakfast. She had been on edge since she woke up—feeling the overwhelming need to cater to him in every way she could think. Last night he'd sounded so dangerously close to just giving up.
“Lyra,” he said, a hand going over her arm. He looked so very tired.
“Yes, my lord?” she almost squeaked.
“The children will be home this afternoon, and I am most certain that Jos'lie has spent her entire week dreaming about seeing you again. Do you think you could put on a good face for the next two days—for my daughter's sake?”
Oh, thank goodness! Lyra almost laughed with relief.
“Of course, my lord. Yes.”
“Thank you.” His nod was solemn, and he let her go.
With renewed energy she went about her work. Lyra wouldn't let herself dwell too much on her new ability. If she were home, she would have been able to meet with a priesthood elder or even the prophet for guidance regarding this “magic,” but as it was, she simply didn't know how to reconcile it on her own. So like any intelligent, mature adult … she just tried to pretend it didn't happen.
The taxi trotted up on the dot that afternoon and Lyra realized that she had been waiting for it with some anticipation. She would see Jos'lie again. Simple, pure, accepting, loving Jos'lie. Lyra felt pretty certain J'Kor would not mind in the least if she hung out with his daughter for the entire weekend. That would be nice. With Jos'lie, Lyra could relax. With Jos'lie, she felt safe.
The girl hung out the window, shouting greetings and waving with all her might as the taxi slowed to a stop. “Mama Lyra! Mama Lyra! Good job! I do good job!”
“You did?” Lyra gave her a big hug once she'd helped Jos'lie down. “I am so proud of you, Miss Jos'lie! We have missed you.”
“Mama Lyra,” the girl laughed, cocking her head at her. “No' 'Miss Jos'lie.' I am Sweetness!”
Lyra laughed at the remembered term of endearment from last week. “Of course, Sweetness!” And she gave she bouncing youth another hug. “And what shall we do together today?”
# # #
With mixed feelings, Kade watched Lyra and his daughter embrace. It was great they were getting along so well, but he feared Jos'lie becoming too attached. More and more the woman was presenting a risk to his carefully built life.
What if D'Pendul decided to expose her? What if D'Pendul decided to expose him? And more recently, what will come of this new development with her gift? Kade empathized somewhat with Lyra's reticence regarding the “magic arts.” Despite his own dabblings in practical sleight-of-hand, Kade was a man of science—not given to believe in voodoo or witchcraft. But he had heard the mage legends before, and this appeared to be another one of those times when myth, had indeed, originated from fact.
Now, to what extent the myths were true, well, Nim was determined to find out. Honestly, he couldn't blame the woman. If Lyra's ability was anything like the old stories … that would just be too valuable to ignore.
“Hi, Papa!” Jos'lie yelled, leading Lyra by the hand toward him. From the porch, Kade raised a hand in response.
The thing was, it was probably only a matter of time before someone, for one reason or another, took her away. The only things of which he was not certain were, under what circumstances it would occur—and in how much trouble he would find himself when it happened. She had already been so much trouble. How much more was he willing to take? For a Believer? For someone so repulsed by his touch? Someone so conflicted?
“Papa!” Jos'lie launched herself at him in a great hug. “Mama Lyra and I go 'splore the pond. Okay?”
Lyra watched him from under timid lashes. “I asked her what she wanted to do first and she said she wants to go exploring for bugs and flowers and rainbows.”
Kade studied his daughter's shining eyes, the expectant expression. Maybe he would postpone his decision again until after the kids had gone back to school. He quietly nodded them on their way.
In addition to the usual curt hello from Breht as the boy strode past with his suitcase, Kade received an envelope. It was another note from the school superintendent. (Groan.)
“Most Honorable Lord J'Kor,
Although your daughter continues to show some, slow progress from month to month, the gap between her and her peers continues to widen …”
Blah, blah, blah. Blast! Another hint that Jos'lie be taken out of school. Kade gazed across his grassy fields and his flocks milling peacefully about in the wash of afternoon. He had been secretly toying with the idea of not enrolling Jos'lie again after harvest break so he could turn her education over to the private tutelage of Lyra at home. It would make things so much easier—if things had gone according to plan. Things were not going according to plan. Kade ripped up the letter.
He was later found by the pair as he oiled tack in the barn, Jos' all smiles and eager to show him the treasures they had discovered around the pond. They all sat down together on buckets, and as Kade joined Lyra and his daughter in simply enjoying some of nature's little miracles, he could not deny the infinitesimal lifting of his spirits.
Jos'lie showed him a bright yellow beetle with flat, broad, flipper-like legs they had found skimming across the surface of the water. Almost breathless with excitement, she recounted how they snatched it out of the water just before a large, scaly rooter surfaced to suck it down. Her impersonation of the fish and its round, gaping mouth that just missed its target made him laugh. Lyra
, too.
He was also shown a leaf that looked like a star and a rock Jos'lie thought was just the shape of her thumb. And lastly, from a grubby apron pocket, Jos'lie brought out a brightly colored seedpod that stretched the length of her small palm.
“What this flower, Papa?”
“Well, that is no' a flower at all, Sweetbee.”
“I told her I thought it was some kind of seed capsule,” Lyra said, “but I am not familiar with this plant.”
“That is not surprising,” Kade told her, taking the deep violet, kidney-shaped pod from Jos'lie's hand and holding it up to the light. “This plant is unique to this area. This is the seedpod o' sugarpip.”
“Sugarpip is an actual thing?” The look on Lyra's face made him grin.
“What? You have never read about it in S?”
Her returning grin was wry. “I've never claimed to have a perfect memory, my lord, and besides, it might not even be in there. We both know encyclopedia sets are not comprehensive as to the world's collective knowledge.”
“True,” he allowed, “but if it is no' in there, it should be.”
“Why, Papa?” Jos'lie pulled out one more pod from her pocket, slightly smaller and lighter in color.
“Because it is special,” Kade answered. He'd let some mystery creep into his voice, and his daughter's eyes grew satisfactorily larger. “Here.”
He waved it briefly under Lyra's and Jos'lie's noses so they could appreciate its warm, sugary odor. Then, he gave it a pinch.
Pip!
Out popped a few dark, juicy seeds which he shared with his captive audience, and each bit down to the enjoyable sensation of their seeds expelling its tart, fruity flavor.
“But,” he said with even greater mystery, “that is no' the end to its surprises.” Putting one end of the empty, hollow pod to his lips, Kade blew softly.
A doleful, ghostly tone echoed through the barn's interior, and Jos'lie clapped with delight. She eagerly tried the same thing with the smaller pod and got it to produce a tone a few notes higher. Then Lyra had a try with Kade's.
“Wow,” she gushed, unable to hide her enthusiasm.
With a smile, Kade took it back. “It looks good, smells good, tastes good, and even sounds good. I thought it fitting, anyway,” he said softly.
Henna's bosom! There was another blush on the Believer's woman's face! But what encouraged Kade even more was her bashful attempt to hide it.
“Jos'lie, I think it is about time for me to start dinner. Do you want to help?” Lyra said, getting up.
“Aye!” Jos'lie bubbled. She grabbed both pods and leaped after her “Mama.”
Kade watched them go. Rethinking. Rethinking …
At dinner he rethought more as he scraped the last of Lyra's pie dessert she had smilingly called bluetooth crumble—for its particular staining tendencies—onto his fork, savoring the final morsel as Lyra worked busily in the kitchen, drying and putting dishes away. When that was finished, she only stopped for a moment to quickly dab at her brow before heading down the hall to fetch the next load of the family's laundry. She was still trying extra hard to please him—earn her keep.
Well, she had an awful lot of “keep” to earn.
“Papa, Papa, Papa,” Jos'lie twittered, practically leaping on his back as she wrapped loving arms about his neck. “Do magic. Do magic with you coin. Pleeeeeease!”
“All right, baby. Just let me get settled over on the sofa.”
Jos'lie practically hung on him the whole way until she had to let go or be squashed when he sat down. She then (wisely) chose a spot of floor to occupy instead. Kade was surprised when Breht, skimming through one of the new encyclopedia volumes off to the side, suddenly put the book down and chose to take out his own coin for some practice with his father. It lightened Kade's mood considerably. It had been months.
Kade limbered up his fingers a bit then started off with some easy acrobatics, running his coin deftly between his knuckles, performing a smooth transition between hands, and then popping it into the air suddenly to catch it in his teeth. He had done this a hundred times for Jos'lie, but the applause he got was always as if it were brand new. She especially liked it when he pretended to accidentally swallow the copper ten-note then somehow bring it back up, shooting it once more into the air for a catch behind his back. Ta da!
The usual routine progressed with pauses here and there to coach Breht. In the middle of a basic disappearing coin trick, Kade glimpsed Lyra across the room, pausing a moment to watch in curiosity. A shapely hip jutted out to help support the weight of the loaded laundry basket at her side and Kade, just for a half second, lost concentration. He managed to finish his trick with empty hands, but Lyra's expression suddenly changed.
“Wait, I saw what you did,” she said, eyes glinting. “You transferred it to your other hand and let it slide into your pocket.” A genuine smile erupted. “Am I right?”
Drat. “Good try, but I am afraid your eyes have deceived you,” he answered in all innocence.
Now would be a good time to call it quits and distract them so he could sneak the coin out of his breast pocket and back into his hand. Then he could pull it out of Jos'lie's ear or something. He bent over, stretching, as if getting ready to stand up when Lyra dropped the basket and strode over, placing a restraining hand on his chest.
“Oh no, you don't.” The glint burned brighter. “Cough it up. Let's see.”
“A magician never reveals—hey!”
Lyra flashed searching fingers into his pocket that emerged triumphantly with the ten-note. Oh, the opportunity was too tempting to pass up! (For Jos'lie's benefit, of course—) He lunged for her arm, but missed as Lyra silkily stepped away. Jos'lie started egging them on.
“Papa, you cheat!” she crooned. “It Mama's now!”
“Admit you're a phony,” Lyra ordered, her natural sense of fun overriding her usual caution once again.
“Careful, my dear.” Kade stood to his full height. “Do no' start a fight you canno' finish.”
“Run, Mama, run!” Jos'lie squealed.
But Lyra just proclaimed with dedicated melodrama, “You will have to pry this out of my cold, dead fingers before I give it up.”
This time, Kade caught her skirt as she made for a sweep around his chair and with a cry of surprise, she lost her balance and went to the floor.
“I do hope it does no' come to that,” he said, quickly straddling her. “You should reconsider your terms o' surrender.”
“Jos'lie! Sweetness!” Lyra beseeched. “Hurry! Come take it!”
But the girl only danced around them in enjoyment of the spectacle. Kade rolled Lyra to her back, pinning her arms against the floor. “Now, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way.”
Lyra laughed, “I think we have already chosen the hard way, my lord.” She struggled under him, her slim fingers still clamped tightly around her booty. “But at least I proved you to be a phony.”
"O' course I am a phony.” He grinned. “Do you think I would be dawdling around this old place, working my fingers to the bone day in and day out, if I were no'?”
“Well, yeah,” she answered sardonically. “You love this place.”
Kade chuckled. She was right, of course. “May I have my coin back?” he asked in a less demanding tone.
“Can you say please?”
Not going to happen. “I would bet,” he said, “that you are the kind o' woman that is ticklish.”
Eyes growing wide, her struggles took on a renewed vigor. “No! Please no, my lord. That's not fair!”
The threat was enough, and Kade was able to wrestle his coin from her grasp. Loving this “game” between her father and new mother, Jos'lie continued to crow about. Breht however …
His lip curled as he rose from his seat. “You two are weird,” he said, and shaking his head, he left the room.
Kade hardly noticed his son's retreat. He was enjoying too much the feel of the woman under him, the slightly labore
d breath, the strain of her muscles against his body weight, the becoming flush to her cheeks. Her laughing smile suddenly faded.
Blast. Now, why did she have to ruin a perfectly good moment like that? Dumb doctrines.
Letting Lyra out from under him, he turned to his daughter. “And that, Princess, is how you take down an unruly pickpocket. Any questions?”
“Tickle me too, Papa?” she squealed.
Kade obliged, giving Lyra opportunity to collect herself up off the floor and quietly get back to her work. Then the wire receiver announced a call and Kade begged his princess's pardon to go answer it.
“Will you condescend to speak to me now?” said Sal, a planned hurt to his tone.
“Aye. Sorry, brother,” Kade said, sitting down at his desk. “Yesterday ended up being … a bad day to talk.” Here it comes.
“Please tell me it was because you were too busy making love.” Sal didn't sound very hopeful even as he said it.
“It was no' the right time—”
The sigh from the other end encompassed the efforts of a life's work down the drain. “Mate, it is time to place less emphasis on the gentle- and let the -man take over for once. Women do no' like to admit how much they admire a take-charge attitude. Do that charm thing with your eyes that ropes them in and then do no' give her a chance to question what is happening.”
“I have an 'eye charm' thing?”
“Aye. You know, that twinkling crinkle thing you do when you smile. Very sexy. It even makes me hot for you sometimes.”
“Ah, so that is my problem. This whole time, I have been trying to make that technique work on a woman. No wonder she has no' been putty in my hands.”
“Hey. Do no' make me come over there. I expect results from you, young man.”
“Are you done?”
“Two days, mate. And then I am on your doorstep to personally supervise the matter.”
“Sure, Sal.”
“Two days. Are we clear?”
“Good night, Sal.” And Kade hung up.
Wearily, he reclined in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk, and for the thousandth time, tried to decide how he felt about … things … and what he should do.