Fire Forged Read online

  Her mom made a face and stepped back. “You win, again.”

  “You weren’t trying very hard.” Shasta leaned down and picked up her mom’s staff.

  Michelle shook her head. “I thought after practicing with your dad you’d be tired enough that I’d win one for a change.”

  Shasta shrugged.

  “Elron never did say why you wanted to move your sword practice.” Her mom took her staff back.

  Shasta squeezed her eyes closed, wishing she was anywhere but here, having this conversation. Since she couldn’t figure out a good way to get out of it, she opened her eyes and set her face in a neutral expression. “Our morning sessions kept getting interrupted, so this seemed to be more logical.”

  “I see.”

  Shasta leaned her staff against the wall, picked up a water bottle, and gulped down as much as she could. As long as she was drinking, she couldn’t answer questions.

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with avoiding a certain elf, does it?”

  Shasta forgot how to swallow, dropping the bottle as she coughed and wheezed.

  “Perhaps I should’ve waited until you’d finished drinking,” her mom said thoughtfully.

  “You think?” Shasta managed to squeeze the words out between gasps. Her lungs and throat ached, but she was finally able to breathe normally again. She took a small sip of water, carefully swallowing it. At least she had remembered how to drink without choking herself.

  “Better?”

  She nodded.

  A soft click of the door opening and closing drifted down the stairs, quickly followed by footsteps. As she turned to get a look at who was coming down, she saw her dad step out of the men’s locker room. A moment later Cord appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

  She pursed her lips together, holding back a plethora of curses. What did she have to do to avoid him?

  She turned around to see her mom carefully reracking the staves. Her mom locked eyes with her and very deliberately said, “I think I’m done down here, but I could use your help upstairs.”

  “Sure.” She brushed past Cord, marched up the stairs and through the door, and then stopped. She didn’t know where her mom wanted her to go.

  Michelle came up next to her. “Conference room.”

  She followed her mom down the hall and into a room with a big table and oversized chairs. She sank into one, wishing it had the power to take her away from here.

  Her mom poured two glasses of water and set them on the table before sitting next to her. “Elron moved Cord. He didn’t see any reason in doing two sets of sword work a day.”

  “That’s logical,” Shasta said thickly.

  “It is,” her mom said slowly. “Are you going to tell me why you’re avoiding Cord?”

  “Are you asking as my mom or as my boss?”

  Her mom took a sip of water. “Why don’t I listen as both, then give you mom answers and then boss answers. How’s that?”

  “Do I get a choice?”

  “Nope.” Her mom said cheerfully. “I care too much to watch you wallow.”

  Shasta sighed. Loving parents could be really annoying.

  “Well?”

  So much had happened that she wasn’t entirely sure what her mom knew and didn’t know. “Since New Year’s, Cord had wanted to date. I had been saying no. We talked about it while we were in the Dragon Lands, and I thought we were going to end up dating. But when I killed the sorcerer, it changed how Cord saw me, made him rethink wanting a relationship.” Maybe that would be enough to get her mom to stop asking questions.

  “He’s known you for years. He’s always known who and what you are. After all, he was the one who rescued you from that place and helped you find us.” Those two words—”that place”—was as close as her mom would come to naming the abusive home Cord had rescued Shasta from when he was still a cop.

  “That wasn’t exactly it.” Shasta rubbed her fingers across the wood of the tabletop. “He didn’t like seeing me kill. He didn’t like hearing that the earth had designed me to be a hunter of evil and bringer of justice. He thought I’d lied to him by not telling him before.” She looked up at her mom. “I guess, in a way, I lied to both of you too.”

  Michelle scooted to the edge of her chair, leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around Shasta. “You didn’t have to. We always knew you were meant for something. We had a pretty good idea what that something was when you looked up at us with your big trusting eyes and said, ‘The mother told me I have parts of the two of you, Sylvia, and Varro in me. The mother said you could tell me about Sylvia and Varro. They’re important, part of my history and part of my future.’ Two people whose entire lives revolved around removing evil from the world, and they were part of your future? We knew. You didn’t have to say it.”

  It was the one thing that they hadn’t talked about after she’d returned from the Dragon Lands. There’d been no mention of sorcerers, evil, or justice. She’d been too afraid to ask what her parents thought, too afraid that they had some of the same reservations Cord did but were hiding it better. Shasta leaned against her mom, relaxing to the steady thump of her heart, and let herself cry until she was out of tears. Twice, her mom pressed tissues into her hand.

  When she finally could talk coherently, she said, “I was so scared. I was terribly ignorant of the world, and once I found you, I didn’t want to say anything that would make you love me any less. I didn’t want to be any more different than I already was.” She sucked in an uneven breath. “Now I like being different, I like being me. But I’m still learning what it is to be me.”

  Michelle rubbed Shasta’s back. “Oh, take it from someone who knows a little about grand destinies, plots, and living up to others’ expectations. You’re going to spend your entire life learning what it is to be you. Over time you’ll get more comfortable, and you’ll find the core of you, but knowing all of you is a lifelong journey.”

  Shasta snorted. “That wasn’t as encouraging as I’d hoped.”

  “I guess not.” Michelle chuckled. “But it is the truth.”

  “Truth is good.” Shasta pulled away from her mom and blew her nose one more time. She gathered up the tissues and carried them over to the trash before returning to her seat.

  Her mom studied her for a moment. “As a mom, I’m proud to have such a strong, capable daughter. Though I want you to feel comfortable reaching out to us. You don’t have to do everything on your own. We’re your family, and we’ll help when things don’t go right. Also as a mom, I’d like to go give Cord a piece of my mind.”

  Shasta giggled. That would be a sight. Cord wrapped up in magical ropes so her mom could yell at him to her heart’s content. There was a certain satisfaction about imagining that play out.

  “There are other men. You don’t have to wait on Cord. Especially if he’s being this slow. There are other people who will love you for you.” Her mom paused for a moment, and a wicked gleam entered her eye. “Date. Nothing serious, but date. Learn what you do and don’t want in a partner. Have fun.”

  Shasta lost her smile. “I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to them.”

  Her mom lifted one eyebrow. “And why not?”

  Shasta swallowed hard. “Because I love him. And I won’t risk hurting a good man because I’m in love with someone else.”

  “Very well. What do you want to do?” There was a watchful look in her eye.

  She’d been trying for weeks to find a good way to ask to work alone, to have some time away from him. She swallowed hard and met her mother’s eyes. “I want to go a day without seeing Cord.”

  Her mom sat up a straighter. “As your boss, I need to know if this is a request to work alone.”

  She couldn’t make herself say the words so she nodded.

  Michelle leaned back in the chair. Long moments passed as Shasta watched her mom think. She sent silent prayers to the earth, asking for a break from Cord, asking for her mom to be more of a mom than a boss. She needed time away from him to see if she could sever the bond and stop loving him.

  Finally, Michelle straightened in the chair. She was wearing what she called her police face. Friendly, but otherwise unreadable. “I wanted you to have a partner because you take on different cases than I did, or still do. Your talents are better suited to things like the Dragon Lands, corralling problem creatures, or helping hunt down fugitives. I don’t think anyone should go into those situations alone.”

  With that, Shasta felt her hopes of avoiding Cord crash to the ground.

  Her mom held up a hand. “I could partner you with someone else. However, I don’t think that would truly fix the problem. I think you need to get out of town. We had a job offer right before you came home from the Dragon Lands that I turned down. They didn’t want any men, and they didn’t see the point in hiring witches. We couldn’t come to an agreement, so that was the end of it. However, I’ll reach out, see if the job is still ours for the taking. If it is, other than being without backup, it would be perfect for you. It’s far away, and I can’t imagine Cord ever going out there.”

  “I’ll take it!” Even if it was a short job, a few days away from here would give her space to breathe.

  “It’s not a guaranteed job,” Michelle warned. “It’s just a possibility. They may have already hired someone else.”

  “I don’t care. It’s a chance to get away.” Just knowing she had a chance felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

  “Hold on, I’m not finished as your boss.” Michelle paused. “I don’t believe the two of you can be an effective partnership right now. One way or another, I’m going to split you up for a little while. If I don’t talk to you before then, stop by my office first thing in the morning for your new assignment.”

  “Are you done being my boss?” Shasta asked.

  Michelle relaxed and smiled. “Yes! I’m all mom now.”

  Shasta slipped out of her chair and hugged her mom tightly. “Thank you. Thank you for being awesome.”

  “That’s what moms are for.” Michelle hugged her a little tighter.

  Shasta leaned into her mom. No matter what Cord thought of her, she had a family who loved her for exactly who and what she was. Life didn’t get much better than that.

  From there her mom asked about the case, and they ended up laughing about the invisible cats, the one that had pounced on Cord, and a case her mom had had with fire-breathing cows. After nearly an hour, Shasta retreated back to her office. She had to see what Cord had done for his part of the report, which was surprisingly thorough, add her own notes, and make some corrections. She dropped the finished report on her mom’s desk. With work done for the day, she headed through the rambling lodge to her apartment. Some lingering tension eased out of her when she brushed her fingers across her door.

  The wood seemed to sigh, Oh, you’re home. The door swung open. That particular bit of spell work was all her own creation. The door didn’t have a lock. It simply recognized people and only opened for those allowed in. It hadn’t let Cord in since they got back from the Dragon Lands. He’d taken to arguing with the door, not realizing that it was the spell rather than a quirk of the wood.

  The apartment was small, but the vaulted ceiling made it seem much larger. To the left of the door was a small nook of a kitchen and to the right an equally dainty dining room table. The middle of the floor space was the living area. Behind the kitchen was her bathroom, closet, and then bed. Wooden screens carved with feathers blocked the view of the bed from most of the apartment. That was it. It was all she needed since there were plenty of public spaces in the lodge she could enjoy, and she spent most of her time in the Oaks Consulting offices or on a job.

  After a quick shower, Shasta heated up a bowl of soup. She was sitting down to eat when someone knocked on the door.

  The wood whispered to her, Michelle.

  “Open.”

  The door did as it was told.

  Her mom stepped through, a packet of papers in one hand. “Are you sure you don’t want to study more magic? I think you might be able to do more than you know.”

  “You say that every time you see that door.” Shasta shook her head. “That’s the most complex bit of spell work I’ve ever done. I think that tree was magical or something. It almost seemed to do the spell for me.”

  Her mom sat down across from her, and the door swung shut. Michelle pointedly looked at the door and then back at Shasta. “If you say so.”

  Shasta blew on a spoonful of her lentil-and-barley soup. Her mom would circle back to the point, which likely accompanied the stack of papers she’d brought with her.

  Michelle looked at her daughter. “I have a job for you, but it’s an odd one. There’s an island off the coast of Oregon that’s home to a group of sirens. They’re having some troubles, one or two minor attacks, and some items have gone missing. They haven’t been able to locate the individual behind these incidents. They want you to fly out and see if you can figure out what’s going on. You get two weeks to poke around. If after that time you’re making progress, they’ll extend the contract. And if not, you’ll give them what information you have and head home.”

  Shasta set the spoon back in the bowl without taking a bite. Her mom wouldn’t have been so cautious about this unless there was some oddity. So far it seemed like a relatively normal case. “What’s the catch?”

  “You are my daughter.” Michelle suppressed a smile. “I doubt you know much about sirens.”

  “I know they’re enchantresses, and I know they’re not native to North America.”

  “Right, but they’re very close to being immortal, and they’re all women.” Michelle waited for that to sink in.

  “All of them? And how are they defining nearly immortal?” To some people elves were nearly immortal. They lived for thousands of years, and it took some effort to kill them. By comparison, humans were positively fragile. It was all a matter of perspective.

  “This entire island is women. From my research, a wound that would be fatal to an elf would likely be fatal to a siren, but they don’t age. I also get the feeling they don’t like men. They’ve refused to allow any men on the island to investigate the problem. I told them the local police would likely be willing to send a female officer to help, but sirens said no. They didn’t want ‘outsiders’”—Michelle made air quotes around the word—”during the investigation.”

  “And I don’t count as an outsider?” Shasta asked, trying to understand the sirens’ motivation.

  Michelle sighed. “I think they wanted another nonhuman to do the investigation. When they first offered the job, I asked about sending a pair of female witches. They weren’t overly excited with that. Agatha, their leader, said there was no sign of magic, so there was no reason to send pure magic users. I told them I had a female half elf, and they were fine with that. They didn’t even ask what your other half was.”

  There weren’t many species that could interbreed, making half-breeds rare. “Are we keeping it a secret that I’m half witch?”

  “No, but between your ears, your golden hair, and your tall and slender build, you can pass for full elf. Unless they ask directly, I wouldn’t mention your magical abilities. Keep that in reserve.” Michelle looked at the papers again. “It’s a good job, but I don’t like sending you off without backup. In theory, it’s an outsider targeting them, and the sirens will be your backup. But…” Her voice trailed off.

  “The situation may not be that simple, and having a few surprises up my sleeve would be good,” Shasta finished for her mom. “It’s two weeks away from Cord. And I get to go exploring the island of sirens. I’m in.”

  Her mom pulled a paper off the stack and slid it across the table. “Pack up. You’re on a nine a.m. flight to Portland. When you land, you’ll transfer to a smaller plane that’ll take you out to Newport. A car will take you out to the dock, and from there the boat will take you to the island. Since I’ve had phone calls with Agatha, I believe your phone will work, so I expect some communication.”

  Shasta picked up the paper with her plane tickets on it. She was going to the West Coast. She was getting away from Cord.

  Chapter Three

  As the plane roared down the runway and darted into the sky, Shasta looked out the window and watched her problems get smaller and farther away.

  She sat there feeling especially satisfied for all of ten minutes. Then it really sank in. She wasn’t going to see Cord for two weeks. Her traitorous heart ached. She’d left without an explanation or goodbye.

  Closing her eyes, she reminded herself that she didn’t need him. All the goodbyes in the world wouldn’t have fixed what was wrong between them. She had fourteen Cord-free days to convince her heart to fall out of love with him.

  Oh, and to figure out what was troubling the sirens. Why did one of those feel so much easier than the other?

  Hours later, and with the better part of a continent between her and Cord, Shasta switched planes. Unlike the last one, which had held over a hundred people, this one had ten passengers. It zoomed through the sky, feeling a bit like a very gentle roller coaster, then landed at a small airport in Newport, Oregon, and Shasta stepped off the plane.

  A salty breeze tugged at her hair, and the sound of gulls filled the air. The land around her was nothing like north Georgia. Instead of rolling hills and towering trees, she was on rough coastal land. Most of the trees were pines, and a great many of them were on the short side. Back home the soil was red Georgia clay, but out here it was rock and sand. Instead of bushes, there was the scrubby grass that seemed to occupy every coastal area she’d ever visited.

  The baggage handlers rolled the trolley of luggage out. Shasta carefully shrugged into her backpack, the kind you took with you when you were going to leave civilization for a while. Then she picked up the duffel bag almost the same size as the backpack. Both were filled with all the things Oaks Consulting deemed necessary for this trip, including a shelter and slightly more than two weeks’ worth of rations. She was holding out hope, however, that the sirens would have better accommodations for her than the tent sitting in this pack.