Page 24 of The Calling of Caellaias
Arturo clung to his wife tightly. She was safe in his arms, and that gave him comfort. After a few minutes, he pulled back to look into her eyes. “I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get back. I'm sure you've been worried sick, but I'm okay. How are you? The baby? Koda?” Moving one hand, he placed it onto Bernadette's swollen belly.
Bernadette smiled back at her husband. “We're all fine. We've just been worried aboutyou. I'm so glad to have you back.”
“I'm home now.” After kissing his wife softly, Arturo's sad eyes drifted to me. “What areyoudoing here, Maeyve? When I saw your car outside anddidn't recognize it, I started panicking because I knew it was just Bernie and Koda up here.”
“I came into town to get groceries, so while I was here, I wanted to check on you guys. I was concerned when I saw the shop boarded up, but I pulled on the door, which just opened. Then, I heard movement up here and came to check it out.”
Arturo looked back over to Bernadette and stroked her cheek. Sighing, he explained, “We have been in the area for too long now. I was out scouting and found a place with more shifters where we can blend in better. My family won't have to hide there; they are the most important thing to me, especially since we're growing again. I want to try this new place out and see how things go. If we decide to return, I'll still own this building.”
“I'm just glad you guys are alright. I'll get going. Good luck to you all, and congratulations on the pregnancy,” I responded sadly.
As I turned to leave, Arturo grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “I appreciate you coming to check on us. I know we weren't very close, but you've been great to work with over the years.” Reaching into his pocket, he handed me a wad of cash. “I won't need all of this where we're headed. There's a whole community, and I have much more tucked away if needed. I won't be able to help you anymore, so I'd like to give this to you. Good luck, and take care of yourself out there.”
Taking the money from Arturo, I whispered a teary thank you and rushed out of the building. As I got in the car, I stuffed the cash in my pocket and then headed further into town. There were grocery stores spread throughout the city, but I wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible. The first store I stopped at was too crowded, so I decided to skip that one and head for the next.
The parking lot of the next grocery store had fewer cars than the one prior. While it often meant the prices were higher, I didn't want to interact with more people than I already had to. Soon, that would have to change since I couldn't rely on Arturo for money or groceriesanymore. About thirty minutes later, I left the store with my cart piled high, full of everything I'd need for the next few months.
Once I arrived home, I debated checking on Anevae again. I wasn't sure if she was home yet, but with the time I was away, it was hard to believe she wouldn't be. I hurried to put away my groceries, undressed in my bedroom, tossed my clothes into the hamper, and walked out onto my back porch. The sun was visible just above the treetops, slowly sinking behind them. The sky was just beginning to turn from beautiful baby blue to streaks of oranges and darker shades of blue.
Returning my gaze to the woods ahead of me, I shifted and sprinted toward Anevae's property. As I traveled up the tree line near her driveway, I saw a second vehicle next to hers. I assumed it was her sister's, but I'd never seen it, so I wasn't sure. Strolling on, I stayed behind the tree line, lurking in case they were outside.
Rounding the corner of the house, I spotted Anevae's bright red hair through the greenhouse windows. She reached for the door, and I paused as she exited with another woman in tow. I sucked in a sharp breath, finally able to compare them side by side.
I knew without question that the woman following Anevae was her sister. Her sister's hair and eyes were silver, like a shiny coin, drastically different from Anevae's, but their facial features were identical. They both had an upturned almond shape to their eyes, upturned button noses, high cheekbones, and full, lush lips. The most significant difference was that Anevae was a little shorter and had curves in all the right places, whereas her sister was taller and lanky.
I stayed just inside the cover of the woods, watching them stroll around. Anevae explained her plans for the property with her sister in great detail, which seemed odd. From my discussions with her, I'd gathered that her sister didn't seem to understand or be interested in her work or endeavors. Listening to their conversation, I noticed that her sister appeared eager to learn about her work and the property.
As they approached the cabin again, Anevae turned to stare directly at me. When she recognized my fox form, she quickly got her sister's attention and pointed me out. Then, her sister started reaching for her back pocket. Withoutanother thought, I darted further into the woods the opposite way.
After running for about half a mile, I glanced back to make sure they hadn't followed me. When I didn't spot any movement, I took a moment to catch my breath. It was getting dark anyway. I was hopeful that Anevae and her sister had returned to the comfort and safety of Anevae's cabin.
As much as I wanted to check on Anevae, I didn't want to risk running into them again, so I wandered to the lake near my home for a quick swim. When I arrived, the sun had fully set, and the sky above was filled with millions of bright, twinkling stars. I admired the view for a while, searching for any constellations I could remember. I didn't know many, but I still enjoyed hunting for them.
When I had my fill of gazing at the stars, I searched for the moon. It was hanging low, just above the tops of the tall pines. Full and luminous, it reflected off the water before me. As I hopped into the cool water, the image became distorted.
I swam until my muscles ached and then climbed out into the brisk air, shaking off as much water as I could. On the trek back, I wandered through the meadow Anevae, and I had visited on our first day out, exploring the area together. It allowed time for my coat to dry a bit.
As I approached the meadow, I admired the gorgeous flowers that were just beginning to bloom. I'd always loved the flowers on Earth, but nothing compared to some of the varieties in Caellaias. One of my favorites was the orletaylaer. It looked like a teal rose but smelled like a sweet combination of vanilla and berries. Occasionally, I would wander near the portal to find some that managed to grow on Earth.
After admiring the meadow for a few minutes, I continued back to my cabin. As I walked up, I shifted back into my human form and went straight to the shower to wash off the lake water. Once I was done, I grabbed some pajamas and climbed into bed, falling asleep the second I closed my eyes.
Chapter fifteen
Maeyve
Iwas awoken from my slumber by an intense magical pulse. I shot up from my bed and sprang into action, ripping my clothes off as I ran through the cabin. Reaching the back door, I shoved it open and raced into the pitch-black night, shifting into my fox form as soon as my bare feet hit the porch's wooden planks.
Landing just over the edge of the porch, I began stalking around the exterior of my home, searching for threats. While looking around, I tapped into my other senses to the best of my abilities; I was still groggy, making it difficult to determine where the pulses were coming from. No scents or sounds stood out among the floral notes and hooting owls.
When I made a full lap around the cabin, I established that there were no imminent threats to me. Focusing on the pulsing again, I began to move away from my cabin as I tried to figure out where it was coming from.
About a mile into my investigation, I heard a car speed past me on the dirt road. Scurrying closer but still trying to be safe and stay out of sight, I peered down the road. Unfortunately, I could only see the vehicle's tail lights before it disappeared altogether.
Trying to orient myself, I glanced down the road in the opposite direction and spotted a mailbox. Standing there staring at it momentarily, I realized where I was. Panic struck, and my heart rate quickened, finally making me more alert to the situation. Without another thought, I sprinted up the road to Anevae's driveway. I instantly knew something wasn't right; the ward around Anevae's home was gone.
Rushing up the driveway, I hurried to the inscription. As I approached, I could see that it had been mutilated; there were lines drawn through it, and it was covered in some sort of dark liquid that I couldn't distinguish until I got closer. The sour stench of a greater demon's blood hit me, and I realized it had been poured over the inscription. Demon blood was often used to neutralize magic, and everyone knew that the stronger the demon, the more potent the blood. Unfortunately, I knew that if I stayed too close to this blood, I wouldn't be able to smell anything else for hours.
Returning to the tree line, I scanned the ground for clues about who could have done this. Two sets of footprints led from the inscription; one veered to the left, toward the front of the house, while the other led into the woods. Of course, other older prints were scattered around, further from the inscription, likely from Anevae and her sister wandering the property earlier in the day.
