Page 43 of Crossroads Magic
I studied the crossroad. Right there in the center…was that a blood stain, still lingering despite snow melt and frost? That was the place where my mother had died.
Pain swelled in my chest, grabbed my throat and squeezed and made my eyes water. My breath came raggedly as I wept silently.
I blinked my eyes to clear my vision and stepped off the concrete onto the intersection, and moved over to the center. There was no danger of being run over by anything. The world had stopped in its tracks.
My tears continued to flow as I studied the asphalt. It gave up no secrets. Nothing came to me with the sense of complete certainty I’d felt more than once, lately. It was just an empty intersection.
A rustling sound came from behind, and I turned, not quickly, for I didn’t want to pull my attention away from this spot, filled with invisible tragedy.
A deer had stepped out of the trees, just to the north of the old community hall, and stood with its front hooves spread, as it sniffed the ground, looking for a tender shoot to eat. It had huge antlers. I wasn’t sure what a “six-point buck” meant, but I suspect that this creature was grander than even that lofty huntsman’s ambition.
It lifted its head and sniffed, the moist black nostrils flaring. The big brown eyes fastened on me. I was the only living, moving thing within sight. I held still, to avoid startling it. I think I held my breath, too. I had never seen a real deer before. I hadn’t realized how big they were. This one stood four feet at the shoulder.
It pawed at the ground, looking for its morsel. Steam escaped its nose.
I remained motionless, awed by the creature. I didn’t want it to leave just yet. I caught my breath as it moved forward, head down, examining the treeless ground around the hall.
Slowly, pausing to paw hopefully at the snow, it moved down the length of the hall, until it was at the corner of the crossroad. Then it lifted its head. The large brown eyes settled on me once more.
My heart zoomed and slammed around inside my ribs. I swallowed dryly as the creature stepped onto the greenway. Its hooves made soft tapping sounds as it moved onto the better surface of the main road, which covered the intersection.
Three feet away. My heart squeezed.
The deer came to a stop right in front of me. I knew it was unnatural behavior, even though I knew nothing about deer. Yet, it seemed right that the creature do this. I could smell its wild, heated scent.
I lifted my hand very slowly, to avoid startling it. My heart screamed as I lowered my palm until I felt the soft fur of its nose against my flesh. I smoothed my hand down its muzzle and looked into its eyes.
There was intelligence gleaming there. The peace I could see deep within calmed my own heart, so that it slowed and beat without pain. I drew in a breath. “Thank you,” I told it, although I wasn’t sure what I was thanking it for.
“Oh my stars and garters…!” The soft exclamation came clearly to me on the still air.
The deer jerked, startled. It barely turned its head to spot the intruder. It reared on its legs enough to turn and run. Its feet clattered, even on the greenway. Then it leapt, springing across nearly a dozen feet into the snow over the ground by the hall. With a flick of its tail, it barreled into the trees where it had stepped out, and was gone.
With a deep sigh of regret, I turned to see who had broken the moment.
A man wearing round, steel rimmed glasses, with long ash-grey hair, and a face with wrinkles that flowed into mournful folds, stood on the sidewalk in front of the inn. His hands were held out from his sides, as if he had stopped himself in mid-step and frozen, afraid to move.
Slowly he lowered his hands to his side, his gaze still on me. “So…you’re here.”
He didn’t have to speak very loudly, even though he was dozens of yards away from me. The air carried his words with the clarity of a cellphone.
“I’m Anna,” I said.
At the same time, he murmured, “Dianna.”
I shook my head. “Anna.”
“Yes.” He blew out his breath, and I could see it steaming the air the way the deer’s breath had. “I’m Trevalyan.”
“Yes,” I said, because of the list of men whom Olivia had named, he was the only one I hadn’t yet met.
I felt self-conscious, standing in the middle of the crossroads as I was. I hurried over to the sidewalk and up to Trevalyan. Closer to him, I could see that he was quite aged. Under his simple coat and trousers, he was slender to the point of ill-health, but his eyes behind the lenses were bright with curiosity. They were the eyes of a much younger man.
He had a long mustache and a thin goatee, both the same color as his hair, which made them blend in with his remarkable face.
“I don’t know about you, Anna, but I’m freezing my nuts off out here.” His voice was wavery with age, but it was a rich tenor, the words well rounded, making me think of the British accent. Like Harper, he had a voice I could listen to for a long time. “What do you say we head inside and share a round of Hirom’s under-the-counter best?”
“That sounds like a great idea.” I couldn’t help it. I smiled at him, and followed him into the inn. The deer and Trevelyan’s mistake over my name didn’t just scoot to the side where I pushed all my unsettling thoughts, but faded away completely until I recalled them many days later, when it was too late.
