Kara (14 page)

Odefus’ information was sometimes
touch-and-go, not nearly as reliable as the deer from the previous
night. But Odefus did see everything. This pesky crow thought with
his stomach, so to get all the information out of him, Jesset
needed to feed him.

The racket woke Birch too and he added his
incessant barking to the clamor.
There’s a crow! There’s a crow!
There’s a crow!
And on and on the little dog went.

Jesset struggled to get up, his old joints
creaking. “Hush you two.” Both animals stopped instantly.

What do you got to eat?
Odefus
cackled.

Food?
Birch whined.

“Yes, food for both of you. Just give me a
moment to get up. Odefus, you can come in as long as you behave.”
Instantly, the crow flew in through the window and perched on a
chair, watching Jesset.

Still shaking off sleep, Jesset moved through
the leftovers and prepared two plates. The crow and dog watched
intently, neither moving nor speaking.

“Well, you can tell me your information while
I make your food.” Jesset said as he looked back at Odefus. The
crow blinked but remained silent. Jesset sighed and went back to
his preparations.

He placed two plates of grub, one on the
table and one on the floor. Jesset sat, watching them gobble down
his offerings. He gave the crow only a chance to get down two
beakfuls before he pressed further.

“Okay, talk.”

Pushy.
Odefus swallowed another
beakful.
Okay, so I caught up with this goblin skulking through
the forest. He was trying to be all stealth like. Stupid goblin. He
caught my attention and I thought ‘hey, I think this guy is up to
no good.’

The crow pecked at more food and took his
time eating it.

“Go on, and I do hope this is good info. I
seem to be getting an appetite for some crow pie.”

Cruel. My info is always good.

Jesset
humph
ed.

So anyway, this goblin shows up at the
dwarc’s house. You know, the one you have me and others watching.
Anyway, this little monster breaks in and causes chaos in the
house.

“Chaos? Was Kara there?” Jesset exclaimed,
suddenly alert.

Just hold your goats there. No one was at
home and I think that is why this goblin went to town inside, if
you know what I mean
. Odefus looked at Jesset with one eye as
if waiting for an answer.

“Yes, I know what you mean.”

I don’t.
Birch whined.

“Don’t worry about it. Finish your food.”
Jesset rubbed the little dog’s head, who quickly forgot about it.
Odefus finished his plate.

Okay, so this goblin leaves the dwarc
house and starts hiking somewhere. It is pretty much a direct path,
so I think to myself that he knows where he is going. I decided to
spook him a bit just for fun.
Odefus chuckled.

“What? So far this info is pretty much
useless. Hmm, do I use a sweet crust for my pie or a regular flour
one?”

Point taken. I scare the little goblin a
bit. Rattle his chain. But he makes it to this other house. Were
clan live in it, I think. Anyway, he looks in one window. And then
makes his way to another which is open. He spends almost fifteen
minutes staring before he starts arguing with himself.

“Arguing with himself? I still don’t see how
this is pertinent to me.”

Okay, short scoop then. Goblin goes in.
Scream. Human scream. Goblin starts to come out. Hangs out window,
then falls. Blood from his leg. Dwarc comes out and chases goblin
into the woods. Comes back when he doesn’t catch him and asks if
‘Kara’ is okay.
The crow cocked his head to the side in a smug
gesture.

“So what was the answer?” Jesset was now
intrigued, worried even.

Answer? Oh about the girl. Yeah she was
fine, I think. Now the goblin on the other hand. Not so sure on
that front.
Odefus pecked at his food some more. He took in
great beakfuls and the only remains would be crumbs.

Jesset sat silent, mulling over what Odefus
had told him. Kara was still with her friends, but why was this
goblin attacking her? La’ard hadn’t sent him, that was for sure. He
would never work with other races. But who?

“Odefus, did you recognize the goblin?”

Not really. I think his name was Sack or
Scratch or something like that. He was one of those that talked of
himself by his own name. Annoying.

“Yeah, I know the feeling.” Jesset mumbled as
he stood up.

Hey!
Odefus looked up from the plate.
Odefus doesn’t talk like that.

Jesset was right there to meet his gaze. He
grabbed the bird by the throat. “Is that all you have? Seems kind
of thin to me. Birch, how would you like some pie?”

Pie?
Birch barked.

The crow squawked in Jesset’s grip. He
loosened his fist so the bird could talk.

Necklace.

“What?” Jesset’s grip loosened enough for
Odefus to slip out. The crow flew to a higher perch, out of arm’s
reach.

That’s not good on my vocal cords. I need
this voice.

“Odefus, if you ever want anything to eat
again, shut up and explain what you said before.” Jesset’s eyes
burned.

The crow looked back, beak closed.
It’s a
good thing you are a good cook.

“Odefus.”

Okay already. Necklace. I heard the group
talking after the goblin left. Kara had put on a necklace.
Something about magical and her having dreams.

“Details.” Jesset was not letting up.
Something about what the crow was saying was making him uneasy.

That’s really all I know. Necklace ain’t
that pretty either, unless you like bats. Can’t stand the creatures
myself. Bug eaters. Yuk.

The crow was being useless. Jesset shook his
head. “So was Kara hurt by the necklace?”

Huh? Oh, no, no…no nothing like that. She
said it glowed and felt warm to her touch. But she seemed okay…Um,
what are you doing?

At the mention of the glow, Jesset abruptly
turned, making a path toward a chest. He lifted it to a table and
then slowly opened it. Inside was a piece of glass, no more than a
foot long. It was dark in color. But when Jesset picked it up, it
glowed partially.

He turned, facing Odefus. “Did the stone look
like this?”

For a moment, the bird didn’t say a word, but
then confirmed Jesset’s suspicions.
Wow, that’s creepy. You
Mordocks are really weird with your magic and stuff.

Jesset closed his eyes, as an immense sadness
crept over him. He turned and set the shard back in the chest. The
minute he removed his hands, the shard went dark again. With the
chest once more stored below the table, Jesset made his way to a
nearby seat. Birch scampered over and licked his hand.

So what does that mean? So it glows. Big
deal.
Odefus jumped down from his high perch and landed on the
tabletop.

The blacksmith gave Birch a quick scratch
before he stood up. “The big deal, crow, is that it means Kara
possesses magic. Magic feeds off other magic. That necklace could
be a big deal.”

And then with a quick step, he snatched
Odefus by the throat again. “Go find Kara and keep watch!”

Why?
The crow clawed at the hand
holding him aloft.

“Because I just fed you. Plus because you
want to do something nice for a change.” He released the bird, who
hopped back onto the table.

Well, Odefus will have to think about
that.

“Go!”

Odefus quickly obeyed and flew out the
window, but not before uttering some choice words for Jesset. He
watched the crow fly away, making sure Odefus headed in the
direction of the Territories.

Birch looked up from the floor, his plate
spotlessly clean.

Jesset bent over and rubbed the dog’s ears.
“You and I may have to go on a little journey,” he said.

***

The king stormed into Euphoria’s room. “I
told you about calling me ‘Father!’”

He approached the fireplace and the chair the
thing always sat in. Euphoria’s face held a calm expression, her
fingers tented in front of her as if expecting this.

It is nice to see you too, Paw Paw.
A
Cheshire cat smile spread across the face of his child. Anger
bubbled up inside wanting to explode out. Had this thing taken any
other form than his daughter, La’ard would have lashed out. His
anger could not overcome that sight, the memories it triggered, the
unending love.

“My daughter is trapped in the cursed mirror!
It is you who speaks using her voice. Not her. So do not call me
father…please.” La’ard began to break down and weep, the emotional
rush of this morning was just too much.

The thing just chuckled.
Pathetic
mortal
.

It only took a moment for the king to compose
himself and put on his emotional armor. “Why have I been called
here? You are interrupting my day. There has been no progress to
report.”

How was the queen today? Marble does suit
her.

La’ard remained stunned, as if receiving a
blow. He had never told this thing about his morning ritual. The
question evident on his face.

My dear La’ard, do you think I am helpless
in this room? I can see as far as the castle grounds. I cannot
bodily leave the presence of the mirror, but my mind’s eye can
travel far.

Again, the king composed himself, wiping the
shocked look off his face. “So the shard?”

Is not in the castle. If it had been, I
would not hinder your mission by concealing that fact.
Euphoria’s hands folded into her lap. One of the many castle cats
jumped into her lap. The calico mouse hunter did not appear to be
afraid of what Euphoria was, but as La’ard looked closer, he could
see its eyes were wide with terror. The demon petted it.

“Did you bring me here just to torment me?”
La’ard said, trying to peel his eyes away from the cat’s terrified
expression.

But surely you miss me, Father.

Red-hot fury washed over La’ard, but she went
on before he could have an outburst.

There is another piece of the puzzle out
there that I need you to retrieve.

“What? Another shard?”

No, Your Majesty. Another item I did not
know still existed, that has just come into play.
The wraith
rhythmically stroked the animal. The cat’s eyes still held terror,
wide and watering. But there was no struggle to escape.

“The deal was to get you the shard and I get
my daughter back. My real daughter!”

Key word in there is ‘was’. If you’d like,
I can void the whole deal now.
She waved her hand toward the
mirror. An image of a frightened Euphoria appeared in the shattered
glass.

“No…No!” La’ard began to run toward the
mirror, but it quickly went dark. He closed his eyes before turning
to the imitation princess.

Good. Because this piece is important. A
necklace. In the shape of a bat that has a stone similar to the
mirror’s surface.

“Jewelry? Really?”

It is much more than adornment, but I would
not expect a man of such limited knowledge to know or understand
what it can do.

La’ard gritted his teeth. How he hated these
‘talks.’ “And where do I find such a piece? At the market?”

I do not know
.

“But you just said you felt it. Surely, to a
creature as powerful as you that is like a beacon.” His voice held
tones of contempt and mocking.

A great ripping noise like that of fabric
tearing rang through the room. Euphoria’s hand came up from her lap
holding something. La’ard suddenly realized what it was and looked
at the cat. Its eyes were beyond terror now, still moving, still
alive with pain. The calico fur was gone.

La’ard had to turn away. He held his stomach
together, but he could not look anymore at the poor creature.
Euphoria dropped the bloody hide and placed both of her hands on
the cat. Another sound filled the room, that of crunching and
tearing, of a starving man digging into a meaty chicken leg. The
sounds only lasted a few minutes.

As they faded, La’ard regained his nerve and
looked back. The cat was gone. Almost, gone. Euphoria played with
one remaining white bone in her hands. The hide still lay crumbled
on the floor.

Do not mock me. I do not take kindly to
it.

“I’m…sorry.”

The necklace is important. I felt its
presence last night. A human female has touched it, one similar to
the last owner. Only a human female of certain qualities could
cause the surge that I felt.

“But that doesn’t help me locate the object.
We have had no luck with the shard, and now you want me to find
another item we have no clue where it is.”

I trust your resources, sire. One clue I
can give you. The captain of your guards, the Witch Guard,
it
laughed at the name,
once had the necklace in his
possession.

“Kreitan?”

Yes…Now leave me. I tire of this
charade.
And with another wave, the wraith dismissed him. His
mind was still processing information, but he did start to move.
His eyes glanced at the mirror, where his daughter’s image had
been. He paused staring at the dark abyss.

Soon, king, soon.

His head dropped as his heart coped with
another pang of emotion.

Chapter Twelve

“Do you think the guys will be okay?” Kara
asked holding back a branch so Grace could come through.

Snow, in rabbit form, hopped further ahead.
“They can take care of themselves. Hambone can get all worked up,
but he can be civilized when it comes time for confrontation.”

Grace twittered as if in agreement.

After the incident with Skrag, Kara told them
about her dream. Snow and Grace thought it meant something, but
Hambone and Dante were fixated on the goblin and didn’t pay much
attention. Hambone and Dante wanted to visit the market to see
Katrena. Snow thought it would be a good idea to search out Wizard
Ynob.