The first few months in my new home were simple enough. Rasmus brought game home for cooking. I cleaned the carcasses and cooked. Extra meat that could not be eaten within a couple of days was cut into strips, and Galia was shown how to salt and hang the meat in the smoking cave.
Galia came into the house one late afternoon and put her fists on her hips. “Why am I the only one who does the salting and hanging? It is a hard task and should be shared by both of us.”
Rasmus said nothing, and I had heard Galia whining about this for the last week or so and finally decided it was enough.
“Fine, Galia, I will salt and hang the meat in the smoking cave. I assume you know how to do the butchering, cooking, and cutting of the venison into the right size strips?” I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.
“No! I don’t know how to do any of that, but how hard can it be?” Galia thought she had me.
“Fine, next animal Father brings home, you butcher, cook the stew for the next few days and cut all the meat into strips. I will gladly take that and go out and salt and hang.” I had done this back home, it was not an easy job, but it beat being covered in blood for a few hours.
Galia agreed to the terms, and I looked to Rasmus, who just smiled and shrugged. I knew he was telling me I would end up fixing everything if I let Galia do the butchering and cooking, but it would be worth not listening to her whine.
The following morning Galia and I entered the yard to see a buck strung up and waiting for butchering. I handed Galia the tools to get started, and she just stared at them like I had given her a puzzle. I waited for about ten minutes as she opened the rolled leather tool kit and stared at it. I watched her look from the tools to the carcass and back to the tools several times. She pulled the big butcher knife out and awkwardly held it.
Not wanting to waste any meat, I moved up next to her and plucked the large knife out of her hand. I could see that as usual, Rasmus had field dressed his kill and had pulled the inner loins out. The loins were likely cooked and in the kitchen ready to be turned to stew. I pulled the skinning knife from the kit and began removing the hide. The buck had hung here long enough that it was ready for butchering. As I worked on skinning, I could tell that Galia was feeling sick, so I waved her towards the house.
“The inner loins should be ready to be set into a stew. Skinning and butchering will take me a few hours.” I never looked at her. Galia went into the house without a word.
I had finished the butchering and had all the meat cut appropriately for the jerking and smokehouse. It took me several trips to the side cave where we jerked and smoked. I spent the next several hours taking care of that chore as well.
When I finished, we would have enough meat for at least a couple of weeks. I wiped the sweat from my face and went into the house, heading for the bath. I ran cold water into the big tub and went to the kitchen to begin boiling water that would make the temperature tolerable.
When I entered the kitchen, Galia had our largest pot already over the fire heating. I looked at her, ready to give her a piece of my mind for thinking she would bathe before me. As I opened my mouth, Galia spoke first.
“The water should be just about ready. I will help you bring it to the bath. Thank you for what you did today. I will try to be more grateful for what you do.”
I smiled at Galia, “Do not allow yourself to worry. I wasn’t sure if I should do the butchering, you were so adamant that you wanted to do that job instead of the smokehouse and salting room.”
“I will go out and take care of that while you bathe.”
“No need, I did the jerking and smoking while I was out there. Everything is done. Just do me a favor and have some of that stew heated up for me, and we will call it all even.” I walked over and hugged her. We didn’t always get along, but we were living together and not being treated like we were useless, so I wanted us to be friends.
Galia pushed me away a moment, “You did it all? Why would you do that? I know you were mad at me for whining. I don’t understand.” She was, indeed, confused.
“Galia, remember, we are both in this together. Neither of us had families that wanted us, and father may have bought us from our families, but he has been a whole lot better than my home was. We live together and do our chores and studies together. I would prefer to be friendly than continually picking at each other. So if I can help you with the butchering chores and it means you heat my bathwater, I am not going to complain.”
The two of us lugged the large pot of heated water to the bathing room, and I sank into the warm water with a sigh. It was one of the few moments of bliss I enjoyed these days.
Galia and I got along very well after that. The two of us worked together, taking care of the game that Rasmus brought us and keeping our home clean. Rasmus returned from his wanderings once a month, but we were on our own otherwise. It was a pattern that continued for three years.
Rasmus returned one month, but he was not alone. Galia and I both stared as the horses entered the compound, and Rasmus tied them to the hitching post just inside the gate. He then moved to the side of the second horse and assisted a woman down from the saddle. I watched as Rasmus and the woman with him approached Galia and me.
“Aryanna, Galia, allow me to introduce Huiling. She is here to train you both.” Rasmus smiled and looked at the woman with a great deal of affection.
I nodded at Rasmus and then at Huiling.
Galia stepped forward, “Training? What exactly are we to be trained to do?”
Rasmus looked first at Galia and then at me. “She is here to train you both in magic.”
**************
The memories flowed through me, prompted by last night's dream. I had grown fond of Galia over the years we were together, but she was gone now. Shaking my head, I focused on getting through downtown traffic in one piece.
Reaching the Bondevik Securities building, I pulled into the underground parking level and swung my Mini into my spot. I grabbed my purse and backpack out of the passenger seat and climbed from the car. I let my senses roam the area, hearing, smell, and feeling all told me that I was alone.
I walked to the elevator, and while I waited, I continued to scan the parking area. I knew I was alone, but something, I just couldn’t stop the nervous twitch in my brain. I had just entered the elevator when it arrived when a flash of light, followed by a tremendous boom and a wave of concussion, threw me into the back of the carriage. I looked out of the doors as they were shutting and could see that my Mini was now a blackened frame consumed by flames.
I pulled my phone out and tried to wake it, but the screen was crushed beyond repair. I sat at the bottom of the elevator carriage, trying to think of what I needed to do. The elevator started moving up, an automated response to a fire in the building. I would be taken to the penthouse level and locked in. Marvelous.
When the car reached the fourth floor, I pulled the emergency stop button. I then worked my fingers into the door and opened them up. They tried to stay locked, but my strength was more than a match for the mechanical pins. The elevator car was just about a foot lower than the door to the fourth floor. I climbed out and onto the ledge, levered the door open to see chaos.
Stolen story; please report.
Everyone was on the phone or grabbing essential files. I straightened my skirt and putting my fingers to lips, let out a whistle.
“Stop trying to grab files and head for the stairwell! Everything is backed up offsite, if we have to reprint work later, so be it.” I yelled into the crowd.
Dani came running up to me and hugged me. “By the gods, I thought the worse, Aunt Anna! I saw in the security feed you had arrived, but then just seconds later, the whole building shook.”
“I’m ok, Dani. A bit shaken, but unharmed otherwise. Where is Johan?”
Dani looked around for a second, then seemed to gather her wits. “He headed for the stairwell to make sure it was clear so people could get out.”
Dani’s phone rang, and she picked it up to her ear and listened. She yelled out to the room. “South stairwell is free and clear; every one head out, keep calm, and help your neighbor!” She turned to me, “Johan is also calling the other floors to let those offices know about the stairwells. Emergency services are on the way.”
I nodded, took Dani’s arm, and headed for the stairwell with her. “Let’s get the hell out of here, just in case.”
Dani and I made sure everyone was off of our floor before heading down. On each level, we stopped and opened the stairwell door to yell out if there was anyone left in each office. Only once we were as sure as we could be that each floor was empty, Dani and I hit the street. The two shops at the front of the building had evacuated as well, one being a Sliders, one of my restaurants, the other a nail and hair salon. The girls at the salon were all independent contractors who leased space and shared their customer base. I provided power, water, and the furniture needed for the shop, but each girl supplied her own tools.
I walked across the street with the rest of those who evacuated the building. The fire department and police were already present, and an officer came looking for me. He escorted me off to the side so we could talk.
“The fire is out; most of the smoke rolled out, having no good vents to head to the upper floors. Those are good elevator doors you have.” He seemed impressed.
“They are the best. The doors are made specifically for dealing with fire. In the event of a fire, the doors close, and the cars go to the first floor, then stay open there—the entries in the basement level seal shut.”
As the officer and I were speaking, a fire investigator approached. “Officer, ma’am, I apologize for interrupting, but I think you will both be interested in this.” I turned and smiled at the young woman standing there. I stuck out my hand, “Aryanna Bondevik, of Bondevik Securities at your service.”
“Melody Cook, firefighter, and NFPA 921. That is to say, I do fire investigations, cause, and such. I found this under what was left of your Mini.”
I stared at the device and recognized it as the kind of cannon-like charge special effects people use to flip cars in movies. I said this to Melody, and she nodded.
“Your bomber, in this case, added a new feature. Whoever set this device, set it facing up, directly under the driver’s seat, and a small block of C-4 was spread on the inside of the ring for added effect.” Melody was watching my reaction.
I looked at the ring and the detonation platform. I realized that the ring had been reinforced to take the added explosive charge from the C-4. “By the Goddess, this is becoming too much.”
Melody laid a hand on my arm, “Are you alright, miss Bondevik? Do you know who might have done this?”
I looked at the inspector, and for a moment, I found myself lost in her presence. Melody had an aura about her that felt familiar. She was a little taller than me, around five foot four, and had short strawberry blonde hair cut in a stunning pixie cut. I could just tell that under her bulky firefighter gear, she was in great shape and well-muscled. I found myself intrigued.
“There was an attack at my home this morning. A group calling itself The Crusade for Humanity’s Purity accused me of being a ‘creature of the night’ and tried to use shaped charges to blow the doors off of my home. They were arrested, but they must have planted this under my car before starting the attack on my house. I can’t believe I didn’t look for it. Goddess, I am so stupid!”
Melody grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. “Now look, paranoia is a great thing …”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the red light as it passed over Melody’s shoulder to zero in on my chest. I looked up, and in a building near-by, I saw a figure disappear in a cloud of smoke. As I stepped back to draw the projectile, I noticed we were dealing with a rocket-propelled grenade. The damned thing had a laser sight on the nose of mini-missile itself, and it wasn’t aimed at me, but at the remains of the car-bomb Melody was holding!
Seconds were ticking now, and precious too many had passed as I had figured this all out. I was going to have to leave Texas. There was no question at all now, and I was about to make that a non-question. I moved with preternatural speed, darting over to Melody I snatched the car bomb skeleton from her hands and threw it skittering down the middle of the street. I then grabbed Melody and the police officer, I never did learn his name, and ducked into the nearest alley. The three of us just hit the wall beside a dumpster when the grenade hit the street a couple of seconds later and exploded.
I looked out into the street and could see a four-foot deep eight-foot radius hole in the road where I had thrown the car-bomb remains. I glanced up at the building where the rocket came from. The wind had whisked away any remains of smoke, and whoever had fired the missile, was gone. I needed to find Dani and Johan as quickly as possible. Bondevik Securities was going to have to move. I could not risk leaving any of my operations here at all. Damn it. This was unprecedented. I did not like my life being dictated by the actions of others. This purity group was not going to stop despite me showing them I could survive “God’s Holy Light,” but then again, their rocket user most likely saw what I did to save Melody and the officer.
Speaking of, I turned and looked at the two people in question. The police officer was in excellent working order. He was on his radio, giving commands, directing others to bring in barricades to keep anyone from driving into the newly formed crater. He told whoever he was talking to that they needed to get public works out here to check gas, water, and sewer lines and start prepping repairs. I shook my head in disbelief. Humans were so odd when faced with the supernatural world. They tended to find explanations for things like the speed I just used to save his and Melody’s life. He would probably tell others I had a burst of adrenaline or something.
I looked at Melody and found her giving me a crooked little smile. She knew exactly what was going on and wasn’t fazed in the least. I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Ok, not the reaction I was expecting. That smile almost looks friendly. Care to explain?”
Melody chuckled, “Sure thing, buy me a cup of coffee, and I will gladly tell you why I am not running and screaming. One question, though. How long have you been alone?”
I stared at the girl for a moment and then shook my head to clear it. I borrowed Melody’s phone and called Dani and Johan and told them to meet me at Superior Caffeine Desire for coffee and discussion. Melody drove me in her USAuto two-seater coupe. We arrived quickly, both of us laughing and enjoying the rush of zipping through late morning traffic.
“Damn, girl, wish I had your luck with traffic lights.”
Melody gave me a side look and a wink, “No luck involved, but I promise you, I will explain in a bit.”
The two of us ordered coffee, Melody ordered herself a giant cinnamon roll, and I got an overstuffed Boston crème éclair. I gave Melody an exaggerated frown when she told the girl to add extra crème and sugar to her coffee, and Melody stuck her tongue out at me when she saw I was leaving mine black.
“What is the point of drinking a bitter brew if you are going to doctor it up with stuff that mellows it?”
“The point is to make it civilized. I just can’t do coffee black. Please do not hold it against me.” For a moment, Melody looked as though she feared my anger.
I gave her a small side hug. “No worries. I am just a bit more used to things being bitter and harsh, that’s all.”
Dani and Johan arrived, got their coffee and pastries, and joined us at our table.
“Now, to answer your question, Melody, I am not alone. I have always surrounded myself with my family. My whole life has been lived to protect my family and make sure that they are happy.”
Melody looked a bit confused. “Your family? I am not sure I understand. How can they be your family? I am sorry, I am not trying to be disrespectful, but honestly, I know,” Melody looked around quickly to be sure no one was near enough to overhear her, “you are a vampire. I also know that you were turned before ever having any children. Hopefully, you can understand my confusion.” Again I got the impression that Melody was worried I would be upset with her.
I nodded. “I do understand. All of what you have said is true. Danielle and Johan are my niece and nephew, with about fifty-five greats in front of them. They are my brother's progeny. After I was taken away from my family by a man named Rasmus and began my training, my father died of a bad wound he received from some wolves during a night raid on our village. He died about two months after I left. My brothers were able to keep things going, but some of the other men in the village knew about the silver my father had gotten for me. They produced false debts against my father.” I sighed and looked out the window, and tears blurred my vision.
Dani reached across the table to clasp my hand, and Melody put her arm across my shoulder for a quick squeeze. I sighed, “Well, what little I know about it is what I found out when I returned to Sandsad, almost a full generation later. But to tell it right, I will have to tell you about what I went through after my father sold me to a man named Rasmus and what he had me trained to be.”