Page 10 of Tangled Fates

I glared at my brother who had a knack for setting things into fruition. Let’s hope we didn’t end up dead down here. We had a job to do and people were depending on us.

5

ORIA

Mariah Carey’s “Daydream” played in the background of the workshop while I finished packing my last box of the order. I triple and quadruple checked the order and I almost wished I could take a picture so that I had proof that everything was here.

Loki rubbed up against my calf as I picked up my mess, meowing incessantly like he was starving and hadn’t been fed in years instead of just hours.

“Why are you such a pain in my ass?” I scratched the back of his ear before he bit me on my hand meowing like he was talking back to me.

I rolled my eyes at this cat who had way too much attitude.

“Keep that up, Loki, and I’m going to leave you outside so you know how good you have it inside,” I snapped at him. “Maybe I’ll let Mother take you out.”

He hissed at me before walking away. I laughed knowing Mother wouldn’t take him, but nonetheless it was funny to let him think she would take him.

I followed Loki to my bedroom to change. Working outside left my clothes smudged with dirt and I quickly changed looking out the large window in my room. The sun was setting as I opened it up, enjoying the last rays of light. My throat tightened with emotion as I wished for a moment outside of this tower and these mountains.

My heart couldn’t take the ache anymore as I made my way to the kitchen to get started on dinner thinking it was a tomato soup kind of night. I grabbed the ingredients I needed and Loki’s food because that asshole would cry incessantly until I fed him.

“Oria!” Mother yelled from below me.

“Yes?” I yelled.

“The men are on their way to pick up the order.” She stepped into the wide living space. “Is it ready?”

“Yes,” I said, chopping some vegetables.

She walked up to the island watching me.

“After the men leave, I will be departing as well,” she stated.

“Ok,” I said, putting the vegetables on a tray. “I wish you safe travels.”

Her lingering presence was uncomfortable, like there were words left unspoken on her end. My mind wandered back to the conversation I had overheard. Where was she going and with who?

“I shall return within two weeks, well before the next shipment is to be picked up,” she said with that bite of authority. “I expect you to continue with your chores. The men will bring enough supplies to last you that long and with the garden, you should be fine.”

“Ok, sounds perfect,” I said, expecting our conversation to be over.

“I’m strengthening the wards, and I won’t forget to bring what you asked for on your birthday,” she said, with an underlying tenderness I wasn’t expecting to hear. “I’m sorry I’ll miss your birthday.”

“It’s fine,” I said, searching for something nice to say, but deciding against it.

Mother was acting strange and there was a part of her that felt on edge, like something big was about to happen. My brain scoured the memory of her conversation trying to dissect it. By the time I had finished dinner, I had a headache from overthinking the two-minute conversation from the other night and only being able to hear half of it. I only heard her side of it, but I was dying to know who that other person was.

I laid out two bowls waiting a moment for Mother before digging in. My earlier infusion of the moon water with my power left me starving. The sound of loud boots traveled up the stairs as I finished my bowl of soup.

“Ria!”

Tay’s loud voice traveled up, eliciting a hiss from Loki, who did not like Tay at all. My face split into a grin as I got up, running down the stairs to jump into his arms. He caught me easily being a huge man. His long wheat colored hair was pulled back by braids on the side of his head and a large one on top. He looked like a Viking straight from one of the books I had read, but he was actually a pirate, who came on land for supplies and to purchase Oria.

“It’s been too long,” he said, squeezing me before setting me on my feet.

Loki hissed at Tay again from the top of the stairs as Tay looked up to glare at him.

“You’re the one who skipped out coming last time,” I smirked looking back at Loki before walking into the workshop with Tay.

---