Rory’s bedroom returned. The soft pillow under her head and a thin blanket over half her body. No one from her past lingered beside her, and for that, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. There was a presence in the room with her, however. But it was familiar and comforting.

  Rosemary lingered on the edge of her bed, a steaming cup of tea in hand. Upon seeing Rory’s eyes flicker open, worry lines formed on her forehead. “I’m sorry to wake you,” she said and offered the cup.

  “Don’t be, thank you,” Rory said as she sat up in bed to accept the offering. Her hands shook hard enough to spill a few drops of the scalding beverage.

  “Nightmares?”

  The cup stopped halfway to her mouth. “I wasn’t screaming or anything, was I?”

  “No, nothing so dramatic.” Rosemary smoothed Rory’s sleep mussed hair. “I woke when someone toyed with the wards. It wasn’t hard to figure out who it’d be, since there’s only a single witch I’m aware of powerful enough to get through. Add all the magical residue she left lying around—my, she’s gotten sloppy in her old age—it wasn’t hard to follow the trail straight to your room. I wasn’t sure what she was up to exactly, but I figured a cup of tea couldn’t hurt.”

  There was kindness in the woman’s eyes, but Rory couldn’t help a moment of distrust. “This is going to sound insane but humor me, please?” She eyed the cup of tea in her hands and sniffed it. Do I even know what it would smell like if she put something in it?

  Rosemary’s lips drew in a tight smile that failed to reach her tired eyes. “Go on, dear. I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.”

  Was that resignation in her tone? It was bad, but not THAT bad. Unless she saw it too. Is that even possible? Rory sighed. “Is this happening? I mean, you’re actually here in my bedroom with me this second, correct?”

  A soft chuckle left the older woman’s throat. Her long silver and gold braid fell to a shoulder as she scooped Rory into her arms. “What did she do to you this time? Huh?”

  “Visions, I guess. Why? What did you think I was going to say?”

  “With Mara, who knows?” Rosemary tipped a shoulder. “She tried meddling in the past, and that didn’t work out so well. For all involved.”

  “The gods died, I know. She told me. All of us witches, I mean.”

  The older woman drew in a sharp breath. “I’m surprised she told you. Mara doesn’t like to part with information without something in return.”

  A bitter laugh left Rory’s throat. “Oh, she’s gotten plenty in return. It’s safe to say my life’s been a mess since I met her.”

  “Tell me about it,” Rosemary said and put pillows behind her back to support her.

  Between hiccups, laughs, and occasional bursts of sobs, Rory told all, from Byron chasing her to her time under Mara’s instruction, before building the nerve to speak of the things she’d just endured. Once it all finally gushed out of her, she felt better and the world became solid again.

  Next to Rosemary, she was like a little girl wrapped in her mother’s arms after a nightmare.

  “That’s quite the tale,” the older witch said finally.

  “It’s the truth.”

  “I don’t doubt it for a second but there’s one thing to take comfort from, if you’re able.” Rosemary pulled away to look directly into Rory’s eyes.

  She fought the urge to rest her own anywhere but the intense stare she received.

  “Mara doesn’t do these things without reason.”

  “That doesn’t help. Like, at all.” Tears prickled her eyes, and she wiped them away in annoyance.

  Rosemary sighed. “Truth be told, I didn’t think it would help either, but it was worth a try.” She kissed Rory on the forehead. “Why don’t you go take a walk? Sometimes a bit of fresh air helps clear out the cobwebs.”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Rory said and shivered as the memory of the dream came back to her. She could almost smell smoke and burning wood. “Better than being in this place with so many memories. Thank you.”

  She stretched and hugged Rosemary before finding a pair of pants to put on while the older woman took her leave.

----------------------------------------

  From the wicker chair on the front porch, the silent world stretched out before her. While she missed the noises associated with nighttime, the new quiet was comforting. The crickets and bullfrogs only sang in Inboco anymore, leaving the rest of the world with the groans of lifeless trees and rustles of dead grass.

  Above her, the clouds continued their dance of ever spiraling, ever churning madness. Behind them would be a sky full of stars and a clear silver moon. How long before they became visible again? How much had changed since the last time she stretched out to gaze upwards? Was the north star still there? After the shift, is it even right to call it that? She wished she’d paid more attention in school. What direction did it point in then? Probably South?

  The wind picked up and tousled her hair. Come run with me, it seemed to tell her. Her bare feet dropped to the old wooden planks and icy cold nail heads until her toes sunk into the green lawn. A breeze pushed at her back, urging her forward, and she ran.

  Unsure where she and the wind were headed, they went there together. Fallen undergrowth swirled around her in tiny vortexes. The trees flew past at what seemed to be a dazzling speed. Her legs ached and a rock bit into the bottom of her foot. Still, a laugh escaped her, somewhat manic but pleasant all the same.

  The only thing she could do was run faster. The gale blew through her hair, and she remembered holding Byron as he ran. His cool skin against hers.

  The nightmare replayed in her head. Hungry kisses and a sharp bite on her neck. She pushed herself harder.

  A flash of spotted fur shot past her and stopped ten paces away. Leopard Asher groaned at her and sat directly in her path.

  “What are you doing out here?” The corners of her lips tugged up despite her disappointment with the end of her run. Had running always felt that amazing?

  He slowly blinked in her general direction.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, just enjoying a night out.” She attempted to pass, but he growled. The pleasure that arrived when she first saw him already wore thin.

  He sniffed her feet and sighed. A rough tongue lapped at the arch of her left foot.

  “The hell are you doing? That tickles,” she said and tripped, falling hard on her backside.

  Bare human legs walked into her field of vision. If she glanced up, she’d see him in all his glory. And she did. When she finally met his clear blue eyes, a smirk played across his handsome face.

  Yeah, yeah. I might have lingered a little too long over...

  He held out a hand for her.

  She stood with a hiss of pain from her foot and concentrated on his mouth, not allowing her view to drift back down.

  “Your feet are bleeding. It made tracking you easier after I caught your scent.”

  “Why were you tracking me?” she asked, though uncertain she wanted an answer and hobbled towards the farmhouse. But she couldn’t be sure which way was correct. The dead trees all looked the same, and she hadn’t exactly paid attention where she’d gone.

  Suddenly she was glad for Asher’s appearance.

  “You’re going in the wrong direction.” He grabbed her arm and turned her, sighing with exasperation. “It’s fortunate I found you.”

  “Why? So, you can have your way with me in the woods?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  His eyes moved away from hers and a dimple formed in his cheek she hadn’t noticed before. “No, but I wouldn’t object if you asked.”

  “Then why?”

  He waved a hand at the expanse of dead oaks and withered undergrowth. “Oh, I don’t know.”

  Before either could take advantage of their situation, there was a loud crash and a fiery streak of light scattered the rolling gray clouds. For a moment, she caught sight of a sky full of brilliant twinkling stars, just as she’d imagined, before the blanket hid them away again. A ball of fire plummeted to the ground and extinguished itself, revealing a large, undamaged object. Right before it crashed, in defiance of gravity, the bundle slowed until it drifted like a feather behind the treeline.

  “Starfall?” she asked and felt her body tingle with excitement. She liked to think of Starfalls as care packages sent from magic. No one was sure what brought them there or what they would be. Some were as small as a single box and others as large as a shipping container. Once in a very great while, it would be a new witch. It was how all but the witches from Inboco had arrived.

  Asher slid his grip from her upper arm to her hand. “Your foot too sore for an adventure?”

  Unlike the other men she’d encountered, instead of sending her home to heal while they bravely secured the goods, he asked her to come along. It was a welcome change.

  “Let’s go,” she said and pulled him forward.

  They walked through the overgrowth and dead trees for a few minutes without saying a word, enjoying the silence of the world around them. Until he glanced sideways at her and said, “You smell like my mother.”

  “What?” Rory nearly laughed before realizing Rosemary had been comforting her not too long ago. Is his sense of smell that strong? “Long story but I had a nightmare, or vision, I guess. She was helping me with that.”

  His body relaxed. “She didn’t send you after me?”

  “No, but why would she? And what are you doing out here, anyway?” Rory inspected him to check for—What am I looking for? Another excuse to look at his goods?

  “I go hunting at night to clear my head and get some fresh meat. As for why mother would send you, who knows. I stopped questioning her motives around a century ago.” Their eyes met, and he seemed to consider her. “You said you had a vision? There’s no need to answer if you’re not comfortable. But was I in it?”

  “Yeah.” Rory pressed her lips together tightly and focused on where to step to keep herself from falling again.

  “What was my part?”

  “Why?” She couldn’t understand what that mattered, let alone why he’d even care. He hadn’t exactly been Mr. Sensitive in the time they’d known each other.

  “It could mean something is all,” he said and shrugged.

  “If you want to know whether I’m having sexy dreams about you, then no. It wasn’t sexy at all.”

  He frowned. “I see. Was I the same?”

  “Not really. It was fucked up and I’m pretty ashamed about what happened.”

  “Did you kill me?”

  “No again.”

  He stopped walking. “Then tell me.”

  “Fine, but let’s get moving before someone else finds the Starfall.”

  His forehead knitted together as she spoke, and when finished he shook his head. “Why are you ashamed of that vision? You were powerful and deadly. Those are both appealing qualities.”

  The Starfall came into view and the muscles in his body tensed. His eyes grew wide and alert, the pupils reshaping themselves to slits. His top lip lifted, and he took deep breaths, sniffing and tasting the surroundings. “No one’s here.”

  “We’re safe. Got it.” She ran ahead before he could stop her. Her foot hurt, but that was a concern for later. Now she needed to see what the magic of this world had given them.

  The crate’s exterior had markings that appeared Russian. She pried at the top with her fingers, but noticed nails held it shut.

  “That won’t work,” he said, as if she hadn’t figured that out for herself already.

  “No shit.”

  “It’s too heavy to lift, but we can get it home another way.” He placed both palms on the wooden lid and bowed his head. Creases formed on his forehead in concentration. He looked up at her and scowled. “Are you going to help me?”

  “Oh, yeah. Um, what are we doing exactly?”

  “You’re attuned to air, right? Place your hands on mine and act as though you’re adding magic to the battery.”

  “With lightning or the other way?”

  “Only a boost, Rory. Unless you’re trying to kill me.”

  “Just making sure.” She laughed nervously and received another sharp look. After straightening her face, she settled her palms on his and forced magic into them. The crate shook and lifted, remaining in place by a pillow of air. They wouldn’t have to lift it, only push it to the farmhouse. “I can’t believe we did it.”

  “Me either.” He scratched the back of his head. “For a minute I was thinking I’d have to ask a shadowling to carry it.”

  “Do I want to know what that is?”

  “It’s not that bad.” He shrugged. “Just the creation of a lonely little boy who could make friends with the shadows.”

----------------------------------------

  It was light out by the time they reached the farmhouse. Doc waited for them in an old wicker chair and rose as they approached. His body twitched as though he meant to run for her. Instead, he stood his ground. His eyes moved to the crate and then narrowed at Asher’s naked form.

  Doc’s knuckles popped and cracked.

  Asher released the spell, and the box fell with a loud thud. “Calm down before you rouse the bear from hibernation. I was out hunting when I found her and didn’t have a set of clothing. Her feet need tending.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Rory said out loud and then whispered in his ear. “Can you go find some pants, please? It’s distracting.”

  Asher smirked.

  But she turned away from him. Doc sat watching. And the last thing she wanted to do was send him the wrong message about her intentions. Not that she had any clue what her intentions actually were. Things had gotten a little foggy for a minute back in the woods.

  “Fine,” he said and stalked into the house.

  Doc moved next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, meaning to help her hobble to the porch. “Dammit,” he grumbled and glared at the ground before picking her up. Instead of the warm softness she’d grown used to in his chest, it was hard and uninviting. He sat her down without a word and went inside.

  She wasn’t sure if she should follow to question him or wait for him to come back. Since he’d been the one who put her in the chair, she waited for him to return.

  When he finally came back with a bowl of water and a rag, he’d set his jaw and took to washing her feet.

  “Doc, what’s wrong?”

  “A number of things,” he mumbled. “First, why didn’t you wear shoes when you went for a walk?”

  “I didn’t think about it,” she said and felt her ears burn.

  “That’s about what I expected.” He sighed and gave her a helpless look.

  “Rosemary suggested I get some fresh air after she talked me down from a nightmare. All I’d planned on was hanging out on the porch and watching the dark gray sky get brighter. The mood to run hit me after I was already outside.” Her actions sounded even more ridiculous saying them out loud, but it was the truth and Doc always knew when she was trying to get a fast one by him.

  He’d been around Sven for too long, she guessed.

  “Well, that sounds like something you’d do.” He inspected the cuts once they were all clean and wiped them away with the tips of his fingers. White film flickered over his eyes, but the healing was minor and it vanished. The sharpness in his demeanor melted, and he shook his head at her. “What am I going to do with you?”

  She took in the wide set of his shoulders and the sturdy hands that so effortlessly wiped away the pain of others. The breath caught in her throat and she held back asking him about the picnic he’d offered. It would be selfish. Hell, hadn’t she just been flirting with Asher? She cringed at herself internally. Why is it Asher comes around and I’m nothing but a walking hormone?

  Doc dumped the water into the flower bed and tossed the dirty rag in the empty bowl. “So, what’s this you found?” he asked, motioning towards the crate.

  “Not sure yet, other than a Starfall. I watched it happen. Have you seen one before?”

  “A few times. First time I thought it was mortar fire,” he said and rubbed at the stubble on his cheek. “I might have panicked a little. It’s a good thing Sven was there to talk me down.”

  “Maybe we’ll see one sometime, together?”

  “Odds are in our favor that it’ll happen. Guess we’ll just have to stick around each other to make them even better.” He grinned and made to touch her face.

  She withdrew, and he frowned. “I don’t mind if you touch me, ya big jerk. Just not with foot water. Ick.” She swatted at him. “Hurry and wash your hands so we can dig into this thing. I want to see what’s inside. After, maybe you and I could go for a walk? Promise I’ll even wear shoes this time.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  She stuck her head in the door behind him and yelled, “There’s a Starfall here, guys. Everyone that wants the chance of calling dibs on something needs to get your asses out front!”

  Minutes later, the witches gathered around the Starfall crate. Rufus grabbed an old crowbar from the barn and pried it open. A sealed envelope containing a letter written in more Russian sat on a mass of packing straw.

  Holga, her hair a mess and still in an over-sized sleep shirt, began reading the message aloud, “Please find the requested items enclosed for your unit.”

  “You speak Russian?” Rory asked.

  “I’ve read multiple books on languages and while I wouldn’t say I’m fluent in them, I’m comfortable. Not that it matters anymore.” Holga appeared wistful for a split second before reading the rest of the letter. “I’m sending them personally so you understand the gravity of my appreciation for all you do in support of the motherland. Signed, B.Y. Hmm… Interesting.”

  They threw the packing straw aside until they found the treasures within.

  Rory and Nadine cheered as they uncovered ten large tins of coffee grounds.

  “Father Christmas came early this year, Ladies and Gents,” Sven said and grabbed multiple cartons of cigarettes despite Nadine’s outraged cries. He tore into a pack and lit it with a flame he produced from a fingertip. The gears visibly ground in his head before he returned for large gallon jugs of vodka.

  “Save one for me, at least,” Doc said and snagged a bottle from the Brit. “Not for drinking,” he said to the shocked expressions at him. “Our sterilization processes aren’t the best around here. It’s better than nothing in a pinch.”

  “Smart thinkin’, Doc,” Sven said. “Now I know where to look when I’m out.”

  “Ooh, you’re right, Mr. Sven, this is like Christmas! What else did we get?” Billie eagerly peered inside. “Phones? But they don’t work anymore.” He held a blocky satellite phone and grazed a finger along the number pad. “I bet it doesn’t even have Angry Birds on it.”

  “I’ll take them. If no one minds,” Holga said. No one protested, so she took them, all six in total. She ran into her shared room with Nessa and slammed the door behind her.

  “What’s she up to?” Doc looked from Rory to Nessa.

  “Not sure,” Nessa replied and moved around the rest of the packing straw. “What are these?” She pulled out a pair of goggles and gasped. “They’re so heavy!”

  “Night vision,” Doc said and whistled through his teeth. “These are from after my time, but they look similar to what we had. Those’ll come in handy.”

  “Will you mind keeping track of them then?” Rory asked. “Since I don’t know the first thing about how to make them work.”

  “Sure. I’ll have to figure out the battery situation, but a servant might help.” He dug around the straw a little more but came up empty. “That’s it. Thank you, Rory, for finding that.” Doc rolled his eyes. “And thank you too, Asher.”

  “It wasn’t a bother at all. I had a wonderful time,” Asher said. His blue gaze flicked to Rory.

  “Well, that’s great.” She cleared her throat. “Let’s get this all cleaned up. Then, I think Doc and I are going for a walk.”