Page 42 of Threads of Fate

Kreed laughs and walks up behind me. He points to the wall, “You see those veins in the walls?” I follow his finger and I notice long looking cracks in the walls. They go all around the room. Some are up high and some low to the ground. “Around dusk you will see them start to glow, there are some words I will teach you to turn them off or dim them.” I give him an absurd look. Who the hell is powering the cracks if there's no electricity? “It’s magic, well, there is a fable or tale about where it comes from. Though we have no idea if it’s true or not. I will tell you about it later.

“Shall I take my leave Lord Kreed?” Kreed and I look over at Erikson who is standing by the door still.

“Yes, but don’t go far, I have a vacation to send you and your wife on.” Eirkson nods his head and leaves.

“Bathroom? Closet?” I ask Kreed, I start for a door to the left of the bed.

“That’s the closet, I hope it is large enough for you.” I chuckle when I peer inside.

“It’s the size of my bedroom at home. I think It will be plenty big for my meager clothing selection.” I grab my duffle bags, tossing them in the closet. Kreed stands and watches me, enraptured with what I have no idea because I'm just throwing things around. I leave the backpack on the bench. I step in front of Kreed. “Bathroom?” Kreed snaps out of his trance and nods to the right. Oh thank god, a bathroom in the bedroom. I don't know why that’s so important but it makes life easier I guess. Convenience is nice. I open the door and gape at the bathroom. I turn to Kreed.

“This is huge. Goodness, Kreed, who were you planning on staying here? A football team?” There is an inset spa that is big enough to practically swim in. I walk in farther, next to the spa is a walk-in shower, no glass doors or curtains. It’s like a cave, you just walk in and your surrounded. The tiled bench stretches across the whole length of the shower. I could do cartwheels in here. There are two rainfall showers overhead. Baskets of soaps and hand towels are on the bench on either end. I walk back out and look at Kreed watching me intently. There's a door to the right of the sink. When I open it I find the toilet. A toilet! No shit buckets!

“Yes! No, Victorian shit bucket!” I say loudly, letting out a huge sigh of relief. Kreed chuckles.

“A what?”

“Well, we didn’t have plumbing way back when and people would shit in buckets in England and throw the contents of said buckets into a cesspool under their house or outside.” I say cheerfully. Kreed's face takes on a look of horror.

“What is wrong with humans? At the very least take it outside away…far, far away from the house. Those people must have always been sick. How often were their waters contaminated? Gods, that is foul.” He shivers dramatically. I laugh as I walk toward him.

“Okay, so what now? I have a room and I know there’s no shit bucket. I’m good to go.”

“Let me send King Furden a letter and I want to get Erikson on his way. You should shower or bathe or rest.”

“Yeah, I can do that. Wait, do I need to learn some magic words or anything?” I ask trailing off feeling a little embarrassed.

“No, it’s all real plumbing. I promise.” I grab his hand. Running my thumb back and forth across his skin.

“Thank you, Kreed. For everything. I would have still been crying in my room if it wasn’t for you.”

“Anything for you S’rella.” Kreed nods and leaves me to it.

Chapter 17

Kreed

I leave Dana to bathe or whatever she chooses to do. The brittle tether between us seems a little lighter at the moment. Feeling the hurt Dana is going through because of Noah, is heartbreaking. Like she was being torn apart. It’s like they are mates in every sense of the word. Which is strange because I didn't know humans could have mates in that sense. When I felt Aavin and Noah’s connection to her, I was pissed. I still am. My people only have one tether for our whole life. In other worlds out there; I have seen women as the center of many men and men the center of many women. Seems like a lot of work and a lot of headaches. So if Aavin and Noah were to get their shit together we have a lot to talk about.

I shake my head at the thoughts of Noah. I can’t believe he left her. How do you love someone and leave them? I even told him that he was attached to her soul. It’s not rocket science as humans would say. He is etched into her. I guarantee he is in so much agony right now. Not having her near and I don't feel the least bit sorry for him. Dana may not feel our bond but I can. I think the only thing that is holding her together even a little is Aavin and I. That’s the problem with soul bonds or tethers, they are literally tethered to your soul. When one leaves, whether in death or anger, the other feels as though part of them is missing. Like a severed limb. It’s painful. I have never been through it but I have watched my mother struggle to survive since father died.

I walk into my room which is just down the hall on the left. Earth has nothing on my creature comforts here. I missed my bed and my sheets. My clothes. There’s nothing like coming home from a long journey. Although my journey might well have been more of a move than a trip. I strip off my clothes and put on a pair of loose pants and a short sleeve shirt. I need to get Erikson squared away for a vacation.

After all this time, I appreciate Erikson more than he probably knows. I didn’t realize I would be gone this long but since the gateway was erratic for so long we lost track of Naomi. She started on the west coast of America when she came over. It took me forever to finally get a lead. Which led me to another and then another and so on and so forth.

I walk out of my room and head down the hall. I open the door to my office and find Erikson sitting in one of the chairs, opposite my desk, reading a book. He turns his head, closing the book and setting it on the end table between the chairs.

“Well, Lord Kreed, did you finally find Naomi? I see her daughter looks just like her.” I nod, walking into my office.

“I did and stop calling me ‘lord’. Sounds pretentious.” I say as I walk over to my desk and take my seat. I missed this chair. Soft leather. Perfect back support. I take in the room I haven’t set foot in for two years. Bookcases lining both walls on either side of me, filled with books, weapons and small trinkets. Nothing has changed. The rug is still on the floor, faded from the years. I rub my hands down the arms of the chair and look at Erikson. “Dana is my tether.” Erikson’s eyes bulged out of his head. He sits up so fast he nearly topples out of the chair. He grabs onto the arm and scoots back a hair.

“Your tether?” He sputters for a moment, “Well, Kreed, that is fantastic. After all this time!” He leans back again in the chair. “Wow.” He looks off into the distance. Erikson has been with me for centuries. We thought that I just didn’t have a tether, after all this time and no one was the one. There have been women but none that I wanted to stay with. That sounds terrible but I just couldn’t deal with the relationship. There was always fighting and jealousy. Whoever I was dating would be unbearable around other women. The women I dated knew they weren’t the one and they took it out on other women, afraid I would come across my tether. Jealousy was a constant rift. They also did not want to lose the position it came with being with me. I told Dana that we don’t mix business and pleasure but some fae are still…ambitious. Some will scheme and lie their way to the top. That goes for men and women. A woman is just more stealthy. Men just throw their weight around.

“It is very exciting. I’m trying to be easy on her. She is new to all of this.” Erikson furrows his brow at that. “Naomi never told her anything.”

“Well, she should start now. Did Naomi go straight to her parents? I feel like Dana should-”

“Naomi passed away a couple years ago.” That statement changes the atmosphere in the room immediately. Erikson jumps to his feet.

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