Progress was a matter of perspective.
When viewed from above, the camp of mystics looked rudimentary- a geometric sprawl of squares and rectangles, like some overgrown game of Tetris. It sprawled beyond the campsite where it had begun, straight lines cutting greedily into the burnt sections of woodland, and butted against the lake. But it was always small and distant, irrelevant when aloft on her wings.
On two legs, however, the chaos of the growing village was almost overwhelming. Caravans, tents, pre-fab homes under construction, scaffolding and container offices sprawled and joined as pipes and wires snakes hither and thither. Muddy tracks were now coated in rubber grips to form paths and roads, and a few homes had begun to work with tarmac or gravel to properly designate driveways. Graffiti, decor and charms left the camp as wild as its inhabitants. Horned or hooved, clawed or lithe, big or small, fuzzy and scaly, bestial or graceful, the mystics of the Ranelk Anomalous Settlement Area bustled about her.
Karen rolled the heavy iron orb between her fingers and looked about the intersection uncertainly. There had to be some kind of logical pattern to the lot numbers. Surely. She could see number fifty one, fifty two, forty seven, sixty one- why were those adjoining!? She winced, rubbing the dull ache on her skull where the crutch had hit in the fight with Grant earlier.
“Hey kid, long time no see. You lost?”
“No, I’m fine.” She turned impatiently, only to meet familiar emerald eyes. Director Exi looked tired. Her dreadlocks were frazzled, youthful features tainted by dark shadows under the green eyes, and the granite grey skin of her six arms was flecked with a few burn marks.
“Fine hmm? Really Karen?” The amazon looked down on her, the green eyes softening, jaw loosening in that same sickening expression they all kept using. “Heard you were quite the heroine last sunday. Tough times, losing a friend. Just ask if you need help, okay?”
“I’m not lost. I know Diana’s living at number seventeen.” Karen grumbled, fist clenched tight around the metal ball. “I’m just checking in with her.”
“Then south street- see the two story?” One blocky grey hand steered her shoulder, another clapped her on the back.
“Don’t touch me.” She shot a glare and darted a wingspan away.
“Sorry kid.” Exi gave her a sad smile, hands raised placatingly. “Don’t worry. Things will get better.”
Karen turned on her heel and marched onwards. Of course they would- that was the whole reason she was coming here after school, her legs tired and head aching.
The lab turned out to be constructed of two container-offices, stacked with pipes and a metal staircase linking them. An austere OAR logo had been painted across the whole thing in beige and white, which in turn now hosted colourful doodles of sky, stars and mountains, spreading a colourful cancer. A canopy of sorts framed an attempt to turn the mesh staircase into a veranda, and beads hung in glittering strands around the doorway, tinkling as Karen’s fist rapped on it.
“Hmm- hmm?” The door slammed wide in a moment, unleashing a blast of heat, steam, and a red haired witch. Diana’s athletic freckly frame was smeared with smoke, a colourful sash belted around her waist, gleaming ruby at her clavicle, and dark goggles across her face.
“Oh- it’s the griffin girl? Good to see you, Karen. Here for more Veil? Got a favourite yet?”
“No, haven’t used much this week after… everything,” Karen waved an arm vaguely towards the burnt forest. “Can… can we go inside? It’s kinda sensitive?”
“Inside?” Diana lifted her goggles to reveal bemused avian golden eyes, then burst into a chuckle. “Shush, she’s being serious. Sorry, Karen- of course you’re welcome. Just give us a moment to finish up with this batch, alright?”
She didn’t have much choice in the matter, so Karen perched on the mesh stairs, watching the sky turn towards oranges and violets as odd moles and hunchbacked goblins stalked past. There was a tense camaraderie to the air, a place of meeting and greeting, though none had been neighbours for more than a couple months. It reminded her of moving into town as a rambunctious six year old, stumbling into Maddie, being fascinated by Emily, playing tag with Caleb. She scowled and stood, stretching against the metalwork, until Diana emerged.
Upstairs she was welcomed into a cosy but sweltering apartment, with barely a room or two. Most was a small kitchen, painted in bright colours with plenty of candles and post-it notes, and little nicknacks lined the shelves. Beyond, she spied a nest-bed combination, with perches and shelves bolted into the wall at various heights.
“Private enough? Not finished the wards yet.” Diana closed a window and gave a curious stare, “Now lets see. You’ve brought something serious, right?”
“You could smell it? Yeah, Logan said it was a big deal, magically,” Karen set the iron orb on the table with a clonk, the marble sized ball surprisingly heavy. “He called it a miracle stone.”
“Furies, it’s enormous.” A heated whisper escaped gritted teeth. Diana shook her head, golden eyes glaring darkly at the stone, “How? How much blood did they rip from those children?”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, as Karen found herself tensing, “Children- you mean the hatchlings?”
“Yes. The dragons. That’s not metal, StormWing, that’s dragon blood. Gallons and gallons of it, forced and fused down into a trinket. For efficiency’s sake.” Diana hissed, her eyes burning, “It’s hideous.”
“No- Diana, listen! Chill!” Karen stood as tall as she could, hands up, “It’s not from the kids. The big dragon- the old guy- it’s his blood. Uh, Svecola, him!”
“Scevola.” She corrected, surveying her intently. “He gave it to you? Or the Tohakens?”
“Nah- uh, he dropped it. Thought it was a bullet or a cool stone or something, so I kept it. Honest.”
“A cool stone.” The witch frowned, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “That… seems like something she’d do. Yes.”
Karen opened her mouth, trying to decide if that was an insult. It didn’t matter. The sudden rage seemed to be ebbing away, at least.
“Found it a few days before I changed. Then, a couple days ago, Logan sensed magic at my place, found it in my nest- which he should not have been touching- but told me about it. How it’s blood, magic, like a battery.”
“It’s sickening, isn’t it?”
“Uh… blood doesn’t really gross me out.” She admitted, “Scevola didn’t seem like… anyone could force him to do anything.”
“I wish that were true.” Diana sat with a tired smile. “Sorry. It’s… a matter near and dear to us. But we don’t use blood magic, why bring it to me?”
Karen carefully sat opposite her, spinning the orb between her fingers, “I… Logan thought it might help restore me.”
An eyebrow arched over her golden eyes, “Didn’t he have a potion to do that? How did it go?”
“Urgh,” Karen slumped, trying to hide her blush. “Well… it wasn’t the worst part of Halloween, but it was pretty damn bad.”
“That’s… she’s… Sorry to hear that.”
“You’re not gonna say ‘I told you so?’”
“It doesn’t do to gloat on misfortune. I’m glad you and your brother are safe.”
“Oh- oh, shit yeah, thankyou. You got them out, Ollie and…” Karen swallowed, “You saved him- thankyou. I was so scared.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry for what happened.” Diana murmured, eyes downcast at her own dark nails. “You did well to save people too. Don’t forget that. You are magnificent. ”
It took her a moment to breathe for some reason. To stop weak pathetic tears escaping her eyes. Diana took the time to raid her fridge, setting out a weird mix of ham, cheese, and grain biscuits on the table without comment or judgement.
“Thanks,” She ate a couple mouthfuls of ham, then tapped the miracle stone on the table again. “Sorry. Right, so, couple weeks ago, before Halloween, you said you had ideas to help me become my true form, remember?”
“You have your true form.”
“Dianaaaaa, you what I mean. My human form. Not this disguise.” She wiped her eyes, finding a smile echoing the woman’s. “I wanna look like my Mom and Pa and Ollie- and I’ve stumbled into that form. It’s part of me, I know it. And Logan’s sure he could help me somehow with this stone- something about attunement?”
“So why aren’t you asking him?”
“Cos you’re better. You’re a professional- and a woman- so it’s a little less awkward.” Karen blushed, “You can change whenever you like- couldn’t I do that? With the extra magic?”
“Having fuel, and knowing how to drive, are two different things.” Diana raised two fingers, “Shapechanging’s complicated. It’s not about the power- it’s about you. It would be hard work to learn that skill. And I’d lose a Veil customer if we succeeded, wouldn’t I?”
“Yeah? But you don’t give a shit about business.”
“True.” Diana laughed, clear and warm, “She’s an indomitable one, aren’t you? You’re not going to give up, Karen?”
“Not when it sounds like you’ve got an answer.” She grinned.
“Well, to be clear, you are asking to learn sorcery from me. Which I don’t teach lightly.”
“But what about if the pupil’s really magnificent and smart and sharp?” Karen sat straighter, forcing the eager, hunting thoughts to her mind. The pain came easily, burning through her retinas to expose the ultra violet world with a proud smile, “See? What’s sorcery anyway?”
“Honestly- that.” Diana leaned her chin on her steepled hands, “It’s innate magic. As talented as you are, alchemy, potions, books and maths don’t seem like your strongpoint. But pairing that fierce willpower of yours with the bloody stone? You could learn to shapechange. But I’ve got three conditions, alright?”
“Like what?”
“First, you’d be my apprentice, so a little work helping us out a couple of evenings a week.Second, you keep buying Veil during that time- you won’t get to stop using it all in one fell swoop.” Diana raised dark fingered nails one by one, her tone grave, “And thirdly, most important. You keep my secrets. This isn’t Avian, Karen. There’s matters that could get you in serious trouble, or do harm in the wrong hands. You’ve got to keep a secret, alright?”
The teenager had to resist laughing. What was one more secret to juggle?
“Yeah- like specifics, yeah? I’m gonna have to say something if people ask why I look like a different human again. Can I just say magic?”
“That’s the idea. Methods stay secret. I’d advise keeping the bloody stone secret as well, there’s mages out there that would kill for something like that.” She grimaced, then offered a hand, “So, that’s a deal, apprentice?”
Karen took it, “Sure. I don’t need to call you Master do I? Or Mistress?”
“Furies, no, how old do you think I am?”
“Uuuuh, like… twenty seven?”
Diana winced, “Right. Eat up- how much energy do you have? Have you had dinner?”
“No, but enough to fly for a bit.” Karen gobbled down a couple more slices.
“You do not need my help flying, we’re just walking for a bit. Eat up, and please drink some Veil before you need to borrow clothes from us, okay? You’ll help me out tonight, go over a few basics, and… urgh, I’ll take the bloody stone away for now.” She cringed, plucked up the blood iron orb with clear disgust, and trotted outside down the stairs. “There is some work needing done to both of you before you’ll have any reliable shot of shapechanging.”
Karen was left with the ham and a glass of water, in the amber sunset light. Sorcery. Apprentice. They sounded like Logan’s sort of words. Would he be mad? Matt and Diana seemed like rivals, but Matt was a condemned criminal, a mind thief. Who wouldn’t side with Diana? At worst she was apparently able to deal with spirits, but perhaps that meant she’d even know how to hunt them too.
She took a draught of spicy hot Veil, and opened the curtain, watching the ultraviolet tones fade from the sky past her own faint reflection. She was fully human again by the time Diana returned, now carrying two satchels of clinking flasks and offered one.
“This… Veil isn’t all for me, is it?” Karen slipped it over her shoulder, surprised at the weight.
“Leave your school stuff, we’ll be back soon.” Diana explained “Since you can’t help me brew potions, we figured that deliveries would be an easy way to help out. Apprentice.”
“Yup, sure.” She followed her out and down the stairs, glancing in the bag to find over a dozen flasks marked with plot numbers. “Do they have to go to the exact place?”
“No, some people get really fussy about what species they Veil into. Can you imagine?”
“Urgh, so entitled, that’s ridiculous.” Karen snickered, “Does anyone actually buy non-human?”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Yeah- faun, goblin and oni are doing alright.” Diana chuckled, “Gegenees is too complicated- like Director Exi? Eight limbs is a bit bewildering, apparently.”
The camp itself felt equally bewildering at first, until Diana explained. The original campsite had had a single zig-zag road like a snakes and ladders board, putting her lot seventeen between sixteen, four, eighteen, and twenty-four. But since new roads and streets had broken that pattern, the numbering was thrown entirely out of whack.
Going from number twenty one to twenty two meant either squeezing through a gap, or going around an entire block. Karen mused on it as she ducked between the caravans- leaping the structures would be much easier as a griffin, but people might consider that rude. And she’d struggle to either remove flasks from the bag, or let others far too close to do it themselves.
Yet they weren’t all strangers. Diana of course knew all of her customers well- Karen kept spotting her chatting cheerfully at doorways. Karen herself recognized a few faces she’d helped move in weeks ago, when she’d had a different face herself. Any house that didn’t answer after a couple of knocks, she left a calling card at- Veil was too valuable to leave outside, so they’d have to pick it up from Diana’s lab themselves.
Most folk were easy, accepting, but others had questions. At one, a familiar girl, a gorgon maybe Ollie’s age, with wild snakes and snazzy sunglasses, peered at her with mouth open.
“Hey- you’re not Diana- are you Sera?”
“Nope, name’s Karen. Just helping out,” She passed over the flask icily- why did gorgons even need veil? They were basically human already. And this one had gotten stuck in the burning woods on halloween because she was stupid enough to use naga veil.
“Ka- oh, are you in Junior Year?” The girl squealed, shouting into their small home, “Olive- Olive, Olive, is this her?!”
An ochre finger parted the blinds, and Karen flinched at the sight of two amber eyes, followed by a curse and the lean teenage snaky girl leaning round the doorway, setting sunglasses in place, “Yeah, that’s her Eda. What’s up, you get kicked out of town?”
“Ha ha. Nope, trying… I dunno, part-time job I guess?” She considered the younger sister who was clasping hands over her mouth, wobbling. “Is she okay?”
“THANKYOU!” Eda squealed, and lunged forwards to hug her, “You saved my life on Halloween- you were awesome, just jumping over fires like WHOOSH, and running under trees. And you came out of nowhere, I thought I was gonna DIE from the veil, the tail was so hard to wriggle, it was terrifying!”
“Don’t touch me.” Karen shoved the girl back, skittering steps back herself, “And next time? Just break it.”
“The tail?”
“No, the veil.”
Eda’s mouth gaped again, highlighting her fangs as she stared from Karen to her sister.
“Yeah, noone told Karen that stuff’s impossible, so she just kinda does it.” Olive smirked, “She’s kind of a badass.”
“The most badass. Auntie May said you were dangerous, but wow.” The kid wobbled again, thankfully resisting the desire to get closer. “Uh, can I… no, it’s… uh, I’ll find you at school, okay?”
“Wh-”
“Sounds great- give that to Mother, okey, good sis.” Olive grabbed Eda by the shoulders and shoved her inside, shooting a serious look. “Just roll with it, Karen, okay? You’re kind of her hero. This week at least.”
“Just make sure she doesn’t touch me.” She grunted, “She got many heroes?”
“A couple-that mermaid who swam the Atlantic, the centaur lawyer guy, big time Revealers. It’s an honour, just accept whatever she gives you before she figures out you’re a cartwheeling lunatic.” The girl drawled, then bit her lip. “You okay?”
“She’s loud.” Like her brother, Ollie. Except Ollie wasn’t loud anymore.
“Yeah. Listen, do you want a hand with those assholes in class? Irene and Grant?” Olive dropped her voice conspiratorially. “They were way out of line earlier.”
“Grant’s... I got him pretty good earlier. We’re… square. For now.” She considered, “I’d absolutely love to break Irene though…”
The gorgon winced, “Let’s… ground rules, no paralysis, maiming or murder, okay?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Good. Just… you don’t need to fry your brain tonight. We can talk to Hana and figure something out. Just us mystic gals.”
“And Maddie.” Karen added absently. Then caught herself, “Uh, and Emily. They’re human but they’re sick of her too.”
“Girl, are you concussed?” Olive’s eyebrows rose above the rim of her glasses, “You did get hit pretty hard.”
“I’m fine. Just got more deliveries to do, woohoo,” She turned, gave a tired wave, and stalked off, head roiling, “Seeya at school.”
The rest was much the same. Veil going door to door, the metal flasks clinking as she walked. She was someone’s hero. The sun set to an easy twilight. And the stupid numbering finally changed to a logical pattern as she reached homes growing beyond the campsite’s original plans.
They were rougher, more recent, but more ambitious in some cases. A couple had caravans adjoining building sites where actual houses were in progress, foundations giving way to scaffolding. Others were rougher, less human- one looked like a rising barn to fit a centaur, and another had a growing shed of corrugated metal.
She stopped at that one. Ninety three.
It was hard to tell just what made her hesitate. Perhaps a faint scent in the air. Perhaps because it was the last in the satchel, deepest down, almost obscured. Perhaps it was the faint claw-marks on a log by the barbecue outside.
Or perhaps it was the piercing gaze the woman grilling ribs met her with. She wasn’t an impressive lady- stout, middle aged, with olive skin and a thundercloud of frizzy hair streaked with grey. But an implacable confidence set her shoulders, and her brown gaze felt like looking down the barrel of a gun.
“Mmm. You’re the local cub, eh?”
“I’m basically an adult.” Karen bristled, forcing herself to step onto the lady’s- the griffin’s- territory. “Got your Veil from Diana.”
“Indeed. Cheers. She makes it nice and spicy, don’t she?” A quick grin crossed lips as she turned ribs over on the barbecue, flicked eyes from head to toe again, “Come on. You hungry?”
Always. She clenched her teeth. Approaching would look subservient. Fleeing would look cowardly. Standing still wasn’t much better, warring with herself- she had to say something.
“You’re one of the newcomers.” That didn’t sound smart. “The new cub, Alastair. You his Mom?”
“Si, I’m his Mama- call me Francesca, or Fran, or kree ska ska, is close enough, hmm? Though I heard your language ain’t so hot. Karen, right? The miracle girl?” She chuckled, hard and fast, “You made us get some weird questions, you know? Those OAR bozos. ‘Have you always been a griffin? Know of any changed griffins? Is this your son?’ Fumbling around and confused.”
“They don’t have a clue.” Karen scoffed, “He called me a miracle girl?”
“Alastair? God, no, you kidding? He remembered you might help him fly and that’s it, brain off, might tear down a tree, he’s so excited.”
“I didn’t say maybe- I said no. Why don’t you teach him?”
Sparks sizzled as she poked the barbecue, unblinking eyes fixed on the sizzling meat. “You want to come over here and ask me that, cub?”
“I’m not a cub- I can fly, I can hunt, I can even break Veil.” She snarled, stomping up a couple of metres. “That was just Logan’s stupid potion!”
“Si, yeah. But your brain, those instincts- they’re fresh as a hatchling, eh?” Francesca tapped her greying temple. “Me? I got forty one years used to this. Chat. Mingle. Walk. My son? He got seventeen years in the big city. Smile. Lie. Play. But you? It’s like you’re being jerked around like a puppet trying to scare me. Come, eat and quit fidgeting, we ain’t gonna fight girl. Or don’t, it’s up to you.”
She stepped within two wing ranges. Within a pounce. Within a body length. Within reach. And shoved the flask into her grasp. “Here’s your veil.”
“Thankyou,” Francesca hummed, eyes dancing with amusement, “Here- if he’s not here when it’s ready, it gets eaten, he oughtta have learned that by now.”
The rib was hot to the touch, slightly greasy as if fresh, and she tore a strip out with relish. “He’s not home?”
“Nah, nah, he’s off exercising. Saw your pretty wings and got all self conscious. Teenagers.” She took a rib out herself, spat on it, and cocked her head. “Ask what you gonna ask, I’m not a mind reader. Come on. Chat.”
“Fine- why do his wings suck? Why didn’t you teach him? He’s an embarrassment.”
“I got one wing, am I an embarrassment?” The mother arched a brow. “Hmm, didn’t think of that, didja, miracle girl? Tragic tale, so sad, I’m sure you’re gonna cry. I had two like you once. Bigger- you’re not grown yet- loved the wastes, the hottest places. You ever get a chance these days, fly over Nevada, is incredible. But, my mate, we fought, he tore my wing off. Asshole. Pretty much leave me for dead. He was an idiot, like you.
Karen scowled, mouth too full of glorious beef to respond.
“People can live with one wing. Most people live with no wings. So, I lived like that. Used my skills, raised my boy, over in Seattle. Turns out when you grow up where you can’t fly without being seen, with someone who don’t fly? You don’t fly. Is a pretty simple logic, same reason no centaur’s won the olympic sprinting in centuries.” Francesca raised a finger, “Now, no, I know what you’re thinking- wouldn’t that be unfair? But come on, world’s unfair, think of it- mystic olympics. Olmyspics. Or something catchier. Allow the use of Veil, let people compete as whatever they want, it would be glorious.”
She nearly choked as a laugh abruptly bubbled up. Karen coughed, spitting gristle out, and covered her mouth, before choking down the mouthful. “A- argh, sorry. Is that… is that what Alastair wants to do?”
“He wants to fly. Probably wants to show you up too. If you won’t teach him, you’re gonna be his rival, got no choice in the matter there.”
“Isn’t that awfully instinctive for such a grown kid?”
“Sure is.” Francesca plucked up another rib, “Everyone’s got instincts. Didja know humans have an instinct to bite babies? No, serious, it’s true. The mammal, the social brain, it thinks nipping is good for bonding. Like dogs little bites, you know? So even after all this time, they say stuff is so cute they could just eat them up. Aha, you heard that phrase? Oh, and don’t even get me started on the call of the void.”
“What?”
That got her started.
Karen ate a second rib, listening bemusedly as the older woman ranted about how humans apparently felt the urge to jump off high places, but labelled the strange sensation as intrusive thoughts. It was an eerily familiar impulse, Karen considered, but at least she had wings to justify it- or she did now at least.
Diana happened by soon enough, cheerfully greeted Francesca with familiarity, before calling her apprentice back with greasy fingers and an embarrassed smile. She had some hot dogs from a place in the camp, so the teenager was able to continue eating as they went back to the lab, feeling the hunger quell a little, despite how much she was putting away.
“So, not so scary, huh?” Diana brooched once she unlocked the door, and wandered back into her apartment.
“Hmm?” Karen swallowed, frowning, “What’d be scary?”
“Meeting other griffins. Guess we were worried for nothing.” She smiled brightly, dumped a satchel with empty flasks on the bench, and sat.
“Of course not.” She mirrored her suspiciously. Someone had called her a miracle within earshot of Francesca. And it didn’t seem a coincidence that she’d ended up doing the griffin delivery last. “You set me up, right?”
“Guilty as charged.” Diana shrugged, “I hoped that if you were scared of them, meeting a couple would set those fears at ease. Totally unnecessary, of course.”
“Of course.” Karen echoed, “Can I learn sorcery now?”
“Yup. We had a think on the walk about how best to start you off. There’s five major aspects to the sorcery you need to learn- stockpiling magic, forging a simulacrum, destabilising your form, maintaining the flow, and pooling all that together. Yeah, they’re all big complicated words, but you’re more of a kinesthetic learner- you learn by doing- so the feeling matters more than the theory with you.”
Karen wrinkled her nose, “Right, so what do those feel like?”
“Very painful. But we’re going to start you off with training wheels, of sorts. To make sure you don’t burn out your whole bloody stone before I set it for you.” Diana muttered. She hesitated, balling her fists.
“This isn’t gonna be like a brace is it?” She cringed, “Diana? You okay?”
“Yes. Karen, I’m going to trust you with something very special. And very secret.” Diana reached back, and unclasped the choker from her neck. She gasped as the fabric and ruby came away, her shoulders slumping, and clasped the pendant tight for a moment. “This… gem is my most precious possession. It holds a great deal of my power. A lot like your bloody stone.”
“You are going to wear it for the next two days, and tell noone, is that understood?”
Diana reached across the table, and Karen flinched as the ruby fell into her hands- it was hotter than the barbecue, like a burning coal against her palm. “Promise me.”
“I- yeah. I swear. Wear it, don’t let anyone know.” She nodded, surprised to find her skin wasn’t burning and bubbling from the mere contact. “Uh, where? People will probably see if I have it right… here?”
“Your arm. Or neck. You can switch it place to place.” Diana gave a tired smile, “Being in contact will help your body- and yourself- learn to store, and draw, magic from a charm like it. After I’m done, we’ll swap back and you can wear your blood iron however you want for the same purpose, though a little less stylish.”
She couldn’t argue with that. The ruby was glorious, set in a small brass clutch, with vermillion and indigo threads of the surprisingly stretchy band. It fastened tight around her shoulder, enough that she was surprised it didn’t choke Diana.
“It can fit any form?”
“Let’s not get into magical clothing theories, Karen. One step at a time.” The witch shook her head, “Now- off you go. Just stick this note for the old man in your bag, and… enjoy.”
Karen hesitated. The witch looked as drained as Logan had been after she clawed him. No, more than that, she seemed sad. And all just from agreeing to mentor her? The ruby blazed against her arm as she touched it, with half a mind to just give it back. It was no wonder Diana hadn’t laid this all out before, it was an incredible gesture of trust. One that she had to honour.
“Thankyou, Diana,” She bustled out, slinging school bag over her shoulders as she extracted her phone from the bag. She’d also promised to communicate better, but she didn’t fancy having to Veil again when she got home.
He answered the call on the second try, rough voice warm through the digital channel.
“Hey kiddo, you able to talk?”
Karen tutted, “Yeah- c’mon, you think I could dial with my talons Pa?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me that much.” He chuckled, “Yeah- it’s her, Ollie. Right. How you doin’? How was school?”
“Eh, not amazing. I had to walk all the way to the camp, on only two legs.”
“I could’ve given you a lift.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” Karen corrected quickly. “Listen. I got some big news. Good news.”
“Oho?”
“Diana’s helping me. She’s gonna help me return to my old self.”
“Really? And not the mermaid, or the faun or… what’s the other one?”
“Pa. I’m being serious. She’s serious. She’s going to teach me magic. Enough to stop using Veil.” She felt a grin cross her face, “Like… I… kinda ended up as her apprentice, I think? I’m gonna be coming out a couple of evenings after school for… a while.”
“Is she paying you?” He rumbled.
“In… she’s going to teach me. About stockpiling energy and… uh, focussing my… simulation? And, looking, changing my form. It’s magic terms, you wouldn’t get it.”
“You don’t get it either. Karen, I’m gonna lie, this does sound promisin’, but it also sounds like complete nonsense to my ears. And, to be fair, most everythin’ has for the last couple months. I know… she’s a magic bird lady, so I’m willin’ to give her the benefit of the doubt. But people, even apprentices, ought to get paid for workin’, and in more than just experience.” Her father lectured, “Do you trust her?”
“Pa. Yeah. Look, she sent a letter, it’s in my bag, I’ll be home to let you see soon, okay?”
“Alright, alright. This you for the night?”
“Yeah, I’m done. Love you, Pa.” She murmured, thankfully out of earshot of anyone else.
“Fly safe.”
* * * * *
The night was sweltering. Her garage room was well insulated, with a little heater for the wintertime and plenty of blankets. But she tore its plug out and batted the covers off her nest. And it was still too hot.
The ruby blazed at her throat like a sun. Its heat flowed through her body, boiling even when she panted hard and stretched her wings across the entire room. Sleep was an intermittent fugue, a deep dark rumbling with flames.
Twice in the night, Karen stirred to find herself not alone.
The first was when Ollie padded in, black hair askew, eyes lolling half shut, and collapsed on her back. She rolled and pulled a wing over him protectively, wishing she could fight off whatever nightmares ailed the boy. Yet instead he frowned, turned his nose up at the boiling embrace, and plodded back upstairs to his own bed.
Rude.
The second was near dawn, when her own face smiled at her across the room, sharp features and black hair framing two bright eyes like stars.