A Question of Faith
 

They drew closer to the valley and Kim’s smile faded. There was no one in sight and no movement anywhere. Something was definitely wrong.

“Stay alert.” Daji scowled, her whole body tensed at the first sign of her lover’s concern. "There might be trouble ahead.”

They reached the first cluster of farmhouses on the edge of town and still they saw no signs of life. Daji looked around with a critical eye. "I see no evidence of battle. Perhaps they went to celebrate in another town."

“No, the villagers never leave Honchoiton.” Kim frowned. Her instincts responded to the uneasy situation as she crouched to scan the landscape. “Didn’t you ever listen to Tochenu’s stories?”

“No.” Daji said with a shrug and Kim had to suppressed a laugh. In fact, from what Tochenu once told her, everything the town needed, they grew or made themselves. The villagers rarely ever traveled farther than the mountains and certainly never over them. Once a year, they’d meet with the nearest towns for the Spring Gathering. Even then the villagers didn’t leave. The festival was always held here.

"So, where are they, Princess?” Daji's dark eyes glittered as her gaze darted about. Her hand clenched and unclenched, expectant of a fight.

Kim could sense something in the air too and she didn’t like it. It felt like fear, but whose? She placed a hand on Daji's shoulder. “Calm yourself, Daji. What is…" 

Kim turned suddenly as movement from the corner of her vision caught her attention. A house, seemingly abandoned, sat not far from the dirt path. A small shadow dashed toward a window on the lower floor. "There!  Jian jian die!"

Daji turned to where Kim pointed.  "A spy? Where?”

Kim opened her mouth to answer, but never got the chance. From behind a stack of wooden crates, a figure sprinted away from them. In a flash Daji was in pursuit.

The person never got farther than a few feet before Daji had him by both arms, holding him about three feet off the ground. As she walked into the sunlight, Kim saw he was a boy, no more then nine or ten summers, kicking and squirming in Daji's grasp.

"Whoa, little one. We won’t hurt you.” The frightened boy still fought to get free, and Daji turned to Kim. "Do you think you can talk to him, Princess?"

She nodded and stepped forward, motioning for Daji to lower the child to the ground. Kim kneeled in front of their tiny captive, her tone low and gentle. "If you stop struggling, I'll have my friend let you loose. If there’s trouble here, we want to help. This is Tochenu's home. We’re his friends.”

“You know the little man?” The boy looked at her, his eyes filled with suspicion. “Prove it.”

“I can tell you that my friend Tochenu is Weefolk by race, and no taller then you are. The man that he travels with is larger than most men in this village, with hair like the blazing sunset.” The suspicion never left the boy’s eyes, but he stopped struggling and nodded once.

Kim motioned to Daji to release her grip. She did so, slowly, but stood nearby, ready in case he decided to bolt. "Now, that’s better, isn’t it?” Kim’s smiled. "What’s your name, child?”

Thomas’ eyes narrowed, and he looked them over. His eyes rested on Kim’s sharply pointed ears and then moved to her face, studying her almond shaped eyes, the mark of her people. Kim smiled at him encouragingly, but he didn’t return the friendly gesture.

“Thomas.” He muttered, his eyes running over the intricately carved head leather sheath that held her family sword, and further onto the crescent shaped blade on her hip covered in sharp “flames”. There were many weapons hidden on her body he could not see, and Kim was glad for this.

“My name is Kim Fa and this is Daji.” Kim smiled. “You live near here?”

He ground his teeth and stood there for a few moments, obvious contemplating answering her. “My father owns this farm here.”

"Where is your father then, boy?” Daji said impatiently. 

Thomas bit his lip, taking a step back from Daji. His gaze lit upon her long broad tipped spear that was strapped across her back. “He’s at the meeting with the others I guess.”

“Meeting?” Kim asked in a soft tone, watching Thomas carefully for signs of bolting. “Has something happened?”

I was…” Thomas looked about fearfully and shivered. "I was with my uncle when we saw the… thing pass the gates."

“Thing?” Kim moved a bit closer toward Thomas, her palms angled down in a gesture of calm. “What do you mean, Thomas?”

“I don't know what it was.” Thomas stuffed his hands in the pockets of his oversized vest. “When my uncle saw it he grabbed me up, dropped all the geese we’d caught, and ran towards the town.”

“What were you and your uncle doing out of town?” Daji studied the boy like she would a criminal, watching for any sign of deception. “I thought your people didn’t leave the village.”

Thomas took a stop back, eyeing Daji wide eyed. “We were…were…”

Kim shot Daji a reproachful look and then turned her attention back to Thomas. “It’s all right. We won’t tell anyone.”

“We were just hunting.” Thomas stared at his feet, a shameful expression on his face.

Daji and Kim both look at each other confused, but it was Daji who spoke, this time in a much gentler manner. “What’s wrong with that? There is not shame in hunting, boy, as long as you’re respectful.”

“High Priestess Maarete believes civilized folk have no need for such barbaric activities as hunting, when they could farm the fields and breed their own animals.” Thomas looked up tentatively. “We’re not meaning to be disrespectful. Uncle Oroius has been taking me hunting with him since my eighth birthday. When our last High Priestess passed away and Priestess Maarete took over hunting became a forbidden practice.”

“Uncivilized?” Daji huffed and crossed her arms in the familiar stubborn stance. “Maybe someone needs to set her straight. There is nothing noble about raising a cow to trust you and then killing the beast when its back is turned. At least in the wild the animal knows you are an enemy and stands a chance.”

 “Daji, this is not our home.” Kim touched Daji arm. It was best to end this now before she kept true to her threat about facing down some priestess in the woman’s own domain. Kim loved her dearly, but Daji was far from diplomatic. “We must respect their rules whether or not we agree with them.”

 “So you really won’t tell on us?” The look in his eyes was hopeful, and when they both nodded, Thomas sighed in relief.

“So about this ‘thing’,” Kim prompted. She was pleased he seemed more comfortable around them, but they needed to get to the bottom of what happened if she and Daji were to help.

Thomas nodded. “When we arrived the thing was gone and the Priestess was calling all the adults to the temple for a meeting. They sent all us kids to the temple cellar."

Daji raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. "And you aren't there now why?”

Thomas shuffled his feet and gazed at the ground. "I got bored."

Kim stood. It was time to seek the town elders and learn more. “You get back to where you should be before you find your own trouble. I’m sure your family will not be happy to discover you have left the safety of the temple. We can see Filia’s temple from here. Perhaps we can help.”

The boy pouted and headed off. The lightness of his step gave him hope their presence had helped already. “Let’s head into town. I hope they won’t mind us showing up at the meeting uninvited.”

Cryptic Voodoo

Mary was the love of Jude’s life, but she suddenly disappeared over a year ago, leaving no trace. Jude’s band mates Quin, Ben, Sabah, Nicki, and Ryo and their manager Martin have all excepted Mary’s gone, but Jude just can’t let go.  

Eve hears voices no one but she can hear, and her parents believe she is insane or possessed so lock her away from the world. Eve has survived through years of painful treatment and seclusion. She wants to be free, even if that means she must die. 

Jude’s grief is soothed by an evening of playing with her band, but the respite only ever lasts for a little while. The music is as much a part of her hereditary magic as her ability to call on the power of animals. And this night, both will be needed to safe a young girl’s life.

Excerpt

Jude Masters paced the kitchen, the phone clenched between her shoulder and her ear.

“You all have to work on the new set, Jude.  These songs won’t write themselves.”

Jude knew Martin was right.  The deadline for the new album to be completed was coming up on them fast.  No matter how disinterested Jude was as the prospect of continuing the work without Mary, there was the contract to consider and five guys who were a part of this band relying on her to pull it together.  “So what do we do for a singer?”

The other line was quiet for several minutes, and when his voice came back the tone was hesitant.  “Well none of the boys can sing for shit, but you sound good enough for practice.  By the time we are ready to hit the studio, well find someone.  You available to show up for a call to audition a new singer in a couple of weeks?”

She sighed and nodded, even though over the phone there was no way her manager could see her.  “I’ll be there.”

“We’re not trying to replace, Mary, Jude.”  Papers rattle on the other end of the line, a nervous habit that was common for Martin every time the conversation turned to personal rather than business topics.  “But we can’t just give up.”

How many times had Jude wanted to do just that, give up?  In the three years since Mary vanished Jude had drowned herself in a sea of self blame and despair.  If she’d been anyone else she might have turned to drinking, but with her unusual metabolism alcohol went right through her.  Unable to drown her pain, Jude took risks hunting the dark creatures of the city in an attempt to make amends for failing her friend. 

“Jude?”  Martin’s voice broke through her thoughts.  “You still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here,” she muttered.

“I said Tom and the boys will be there at seven.  Does that work for you?”

Jude clutched the hair at the nape of her neck, and pulled hard, willing her mind to stay on the present.  “Yeah, that’s fine.  Seven.”

There was a pause and than Martin continued cautiously.  “What do you want them to bring for dinner?”

“I’m not hungr--.”

“What do you want them to bring for dinner, Jude?”  Martin’s tone made it clear this was one subject not open for debate.

“Whatever they want I guess.”  Jude’s eyes darted about the kitchen, searching for any excuse to end the uncomfortable conversation.  “Well the place is a mess, so I’ll have to let you go so I can tidy up before the gang gets here.”

It was a lie.  One of the advantages to living in the penthouse was that there were maids that cleaned regularly.  These women were so well trained that Jude could be home when they came and still not notice them working. They were like ghosts; quiet and invisible. 

The dubiousness in Martin’s reply seemed to say he knew it was a lie too, but was to dignified to call her on it.  “Call me next week so we can set up the call.  First thing Monday so we can get the adds ordered in time.”

“Yeah, right.  Monday.”  She pushed the off button with her thumb and placed the phone in its cradle on the counter. 

Her stomach churned at the idea of spending the next few weeks looking for a new lead singer for the group.  the guys in the band had been patient all this time.  They’d been messed up over Mary going missing too, but after a year and nine months of searching, they’d accepted that she was gone and grieved.  Jude hadn’t.  Part of her still believed they’d find Mary and that she’d come back to them, to Jude. 

It was one of the few thoughts that kept Jude sane, the image that Mary would return, that their life would be the same again.  Deep inside she knew it was an irrational fantasy, but Jude didn’t care.  It was hers.  Mary was hers.  No amount of time could change that.  If she was out there Jude would find her and bring her home.  She had to.  The music, the fight, the world, nothing mattered without Mary.

Shadow Storm

book #1 of the Carnival of Shadows

“Out of the way, dork!”

Anoi squeaked in surprised and swerved against the curb as the sedan pushed by her into the school driveway. The two boys and trio of girls inside the vehicle laughed uproariously as her bike tipped, sending Anoi sprawling onto the sidewalk. She stood up slowly, brushing off her jeans, and grimaced at the growing crimson she could see beneath the thinning denim knees.

“Smooth move Raggedy Ann.” A boy called out the familiar nickname, much to the delight of his compatriots as they passed her on the sidewalk.

She didn’t look up at the boys, nor at the sound of the laughter that followed them as she picked her bike up off the ground. The paint was dinged in places, but all in all it looked in good shape.

Anoi sighed in relief. It’d taken her summer to build the bike from the spare parts she found in the local dump and with what she could buy with the money she made doing odd jobs around her neighborhood. It wasn’t much, but it gave her a sense of freedom and pride. Losing this bike would be like losing one of the best parts of herself.

She pushed her bike past the driveway and toward the rack on the north side of the school building. Anoi’s elbow’s ached from the fall as much as her legs, but the last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself. She’d learned a long time ago that school was like being a gazelle living among a pride of hyenas, one sign of weakness and the predators went in for the kill.

“Mmmm check out the transfer.” A familiar voice drawled, and Anoi turned to spot Kelly Jensen and her band of giggling groupie’s in heavy study of a tall figure making his way down the main walk toward the office.

The boy didn’t look at all familiar to Anoi, and by the affect he had on the girls he passed, she guessed he was the transfer Kelly was talking about. His long white blonde hair was tied back on a neat ponytail that dangled between his shoulder blades. His black shirt was worn tightly enough to accent his deeply muscled back, and the deep blue jeans that were painted along his lower half hid nothing of what lay beneath them.

Anoi turned back to the daily ritual of locking up her bike, but not before she caught sight of the boy. His journey halted sharply and he turned back to look around him. She shrugged. Anoi didn’t see all the fuss over some boy, but if he wanted to cozy up to Kelly Jenson that was fine by her. She’d been a even bigger bitch to Anoi ever since Kelly’s musician boyfriend had dumped her near the start of term. It’d be a relief to give her and her chattering geese something else to focus on besides tormenting Anoi.

“You’re hurt.” A deep voice said from right behind Anoi, causing her to jump and fall back onto the sidewalk. Anoi looked up to find a set of piercing blue eyes staring down at her attached to the handsome smiling face of the new boy. His skin was golden brown, like butterscotch, but it was his eyes that drew her in as if they could peer into Anoi’s soul.   

White Lotus

Luna closed the cabinet and turned to open the door. Her mother stood in the doorway, her pale blond hair confined in a pink and white towel turban. Like her daughter, Julie was albino too, but it barely showed on her. Her skin had a rosy glow to it, part make up and part natural that  next to the peach robes she wore now was simply beautiful. Her blue eyes were far stronger than Luna’s, less affected by the vision complications. Luna pushed up on the bridge of her glasses in a self conscious gesture.

“So, you up for something to eat?” Her mother curled a clump of Luna’s white hair behind her ear. “You look dreadful.”

Luna scowled. Leave to her mother to find a way to make her feel worse. “No, I’m not hungry. I’ll just get some water and maybe lay down until dad gets home.”

A look of fear flashed in Julie’s eyes and then it was gone. Had Luna imagined it? “He said he might be late. He’s messing around with that newsletter again I imagine. I don’t see why he can’t use his computer for his hobbies.” There was bitterness to her tone, which Luna heard there far too often.

 “He likes the socialization. It’s the only place he can hang out with people more like him and me. Dad likes to help them, he believes education is the key to non-Indians understanding our people.” Luna had told her mother that more times then she could number, but she never seemed to get it. Her father owned a thriving technology firm, but he loved the work he did at the tribal community center more than any office work.

Julie sighed and turned to the stairs, Luna followed. “I’m going out at six. You’ll be okay on your own until I get back won’t you?”

Luna nodded. It seemed like a stupid question. For months her mother had been going out in the evenings a few times a week. Some nights Luna’s father stayed with her, others she was alone, and every time Julie guiltily asked the same question. Her mother always said she was out with the girls, but sometimes Luna fount herself doubting the truth of it. Her father never did, or if he did, he never admitted to it.

She followed her mother through the dining room and into the kitchen. Julie filled a tall glass with ice and Luna leaned back against the doorway. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She could feel her stomach rumble, and didn’t know if it was hunger or something worse. Her father would be home soon, she reminded herself, he’d know what to do.

“I’ve been thinking, you and I don’t get much mother-daughter time together.” Julie opened the silver fridge door and rummaged inside. “You and I could go shopping this weekend, just the two of us. There’s a lovely spa down on capital near Goldi. We could spend a day there getting pampered and dolled up, than after we can shop until we fall over. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

The churning in her stomach grew worse, and this time Luna wondered if it was the idea of a day and the spa and shopping with her mother that had caused it. “I can’t, sorry. Dad and I are going to Madison. It’s my first blood ceremony.” Luna held her breath. “You could come. I really want you there.”

Her mother closed the refrigerator door. She carried a small bottle and a glass  to the table and set it in the chair closest Luna. “If you and your father want to go up dancing around in the woods with a bunch of strangers, that’s your business. Don’t ask me to condone such foolishness. It’s a waste of time.”

“Any more of a waste of time that facials and malls?” Luna snapped defensively.

Julie didn’t answer. She stormed out of the kitchen, nose high in the air. Luna clutched her stomach and leaned hard against the wallpaper decorated with cranes and other water birds. She shouldn’t have snapped at her mother, not matter how wrong Luna thought she was. Her father wouldn’t have approved at all. He never fought with his wife, at least he never had in front of Luna. Even so, she could tell his marriage was strained and their home was on shaky ground. Her friend Kiely’s folks fought, but when they were happy things were great, Luna sometimes wondered which way was better.

She slid down the wall and sat on the floor. The room was already getting wobbly, and she tensed in expectation of the dizziness that was certain to follow. Something hard dug into her bottom.

Luna moved over a few inches to find a set of her father’s keys on the floor. He was always loosing them, and with a chunk of keys like he carried she couldn’t imagine how he managed to misplace them. Her father always laughed and blamed it on mischievous wee folk. He’d leave an offering in the back yard of cream and honey rolls, and some enough in a few days he’d find what he lost.

Luna took her father’s keys in her hand and in that instant her whole life changed.