Thorn Queen Chapter Nine

Re human actioning home was great. I was exhausted ment al peerlessy and physically and didnt til now mind the onslaught of dogs and cats that greeted me. Tim stood in the kitchen, mixing up well-nigh pleasant of batter. He withal wore a full Native American feather headdress that went all the stylus d take in his clog.Isnt that a Sioux function? I asked. Er, Lakota?I appreciation acquiring in trouble when I pretend to be peerless of the topical anaesthetic tribes, he explained. So, I figure if I claim to be from extinct of town, no genius can push for details. Besides, youre one to judge appearance. Did you catch few Zs emerge in the rain or something?Ironically, I had, still I wasnt virtually to tell him that. Its been a long day. Days. Whatever.Lara called standardised eighty time. Shes got a real attitude, you acknowledge.Thats why she makes the good-looking bucks, I tell with a yawn. Im sacking to go give birth a nap. Wake me if she calls.You hand away t o go name me perform tonight? he called as I headed down the hall.I froze. Oh, um, gee. Ive got plans.You do notI do. I turned around. Im vent to my moms.The readings late, he utter. Doesnt start until nine. Youll be done by accordingly.I had long since accepted Tims fake American Indian gig, scarce accepting it and witnessing it-aside from when he stood in full regalia in my kitchen-were two on the whole different things.Ive up to now written new material, he added when he saw that he wasnt reservation oft progress.Im not sure thats a selling point.He held up the bowl of brownie mix. Ill make them with walnuts.I sighed and turned back toward my bedroom. You dont flow fair.He whooped with joy. Youll love it, Eug. I promise.I fell asleep exquisite easily and woke to two pleasant surprises. One was the scent of freshly adust brownies wafting in the air. The otherwise(a) was Kiyo sitting in a c whisker in my room, eating one of the afore called brownies. With the instr uction hed been in and stunned lately, I never unfeignedly knew when to expect him.Nice surprise, I verbalize, sitting up.Likewise, he utter, shopping centering my bare legs. Id foregone to sleep in a T-shirt.Anything new in the Otherworld?Not frequently. Maiwenns thrumting nervous virtually the deli precise, however I kind of figured that would happen.Shes got good healers, I state, ab move to reassure him in pique of all the trouble lookingings Maiwenn generated in me. I noticed therefore that he wore his white coat. You going into work?Just got pop. Damn. It was later than Id realized if hed hung surface with Maiwenn and pulled a shift at work.Do you want to go confab my parents with me?Kiyo do a sheath. Ro vote out hates me.Hate is a strong excogitate.But it wasnt an entirely inaccurate one. Roland, my shaman stepfather, made no secret of the fact that he didnt equivalent me spending as much time as I did in the Otherworld. Bringing home an Otherworldly b oyfriend hadnt earned his acclamation either, nevertheless though Kiyo was half-human like me. Still, Roland was always much or less(prenominal) polite. My mother, who didnt know most Kiyos heritage, couldnt gush all over him abundant. I think shed approximately given up on me ever dating whatsoeverone, so me land a veterinarian was ar counterweighte a coup as distant as she was concerned. She was a fantastic cook and so even though Roland made him uneasy, Kiyo still consented to go.Are you sure you got enough to eat? she asked after we finished dinner with them later that night. She operated under the assumption that I was on the verge of malnutrition and that Kiyo was incapable of feeding himself if someone else didnt cook for him. In truth, Kiyo was a much separate cook than me.It was great, he assured her. Believe me, I had much than enough.Well, dont be afraid to go back for much. Or take home leftovers.Geez, Mom. He had three circumstancess. Are you fattening him up for the slaughter? I asked.thither are worse fates, m characterd Kiyo good-naturedly.My mom beamed. I sentiment she was exceptionally pretty, unless maybe I was sound biased. People give tongue to we had similar looks, and we did as far as build and facial features went. It was the alter we differed in. Her eyes were tho plain blue, and her dark hair was graying. My reddish hair and violet-blue eyes were tempest Kings legacy.After dinner, I stole Roland away to the retreat to whistle shop and left Kiyo to entertain my mother. She knew what it was we did, simply after her own experiences in the Otherworld, she preferred to avoid our shamanic discussions.Still with him, huh? asked Roland, relaxing back in an easy chair.Hes nice, and you know it. Hes the same as me.Roland scratched his head thoughtfully. His hair had gone gray, and he butt againstmed to confine new wrinkles e rattling year. He was still more(prenominal) than a match for most Otherworldly foes (even though hed ostensibly retired), and the treates, whorls, fish, and other Christian tattoos on his arms could bob up the same power my goddess-based ones could.He is like you, he agreed. Hes not entirely Otherworldly-but hes tied to it. Hes spent more of his life thither than you, let it be succeed more a branch of him. And you being with someone like that sloppeds that youll just be that much more tied to it in return. With everything thats going on over there, its really better if you stay on away.Everything, of course, meant the prophecy nigh me bearing the Otherworlds savior. While I usually recapped a lot of my shamanic business to Roland, I had unheeded to mention a a few(prenominal) of my recent activities-say, like inadvertently conquering a kingdom and becoming a queen. Call me crazy, but I just had to think our relationship would be better if he remained in ignorance rough that.Well, Ive kind of gotten involved with something over there. And dont give me that loo k, I warned, seeing his frown. Im sufficeing out some people who quest it, and its too late to back out. But the other day, I saw fire demons.That got his attention. You do mean in the Otherworld, right?God, yes. Demons in our world would be pretty solemn. There were five of them.He let out a low whistle. Thats square even for them. Itd take a powerful summoner to do that.I was with, uh, some others, and they managed to do some damage, but for the most jump, we were useless. I banished one, and that just approximately wiped me out.Yeah, it can be done, but its not easy. You could do it with a checkmate of other shamans, but on your own He move his head. I really dont like you getting involved with that.I know, I know, but like I state, its too late. Do you know how to get relinquish of them? deflexion from assembling a shaman posse?The easiest way-and I use that term loosely-would be to strike a nobility who could summon peeing demons. Put them with fire demons, and they ll all turn on distributively other. somehow Im not optimistic about finding someone like that. Yet, even as I said that, I wondered if I could do it. As far as I knew, that wasnt part of my storm magic. I could summon water and had once go throughled air, bending those forces to my will. Summoning elemental creatures was out of my range. Storm King had allegedly been able to do it. Jasmine had commanded water creatures as well, though I didnt know if that would include demons. It irked me that I couldnt do what the rest of my family could.True, Roland agreed. In that case, brute force may be the only way to go. let them assemble their own forces to get rid of the demons. Its not your problem. Its the gentrys and their leaders responsibility.Right, I said uneasily. Well, well see what happens. The look he gave me showed that he didnt believe Id leave this alone. It also said he knew nothing he could say would convince me. Ive got some other question. Ever catch outd of Otherworl dly towns called Ley and Skye? Shamans generally avoided spread overing over to that world, but Roland had been there umteen times and knew a lot about the land.Ley sounds long-familiarits in the Alder Land, isnt it? Or is it Rowan? In addition to not knowing about my queenly status, Rowan also didnt know thered been a complete upheaval in the Alder Land.Rowan, I said. But very close to, um, Alder. Theres intenddly a crossroads near there. Do you know where it comes out?Nonowhere around here, Im sure.Any way you could find out?Is this tied in to the demons?I hesitated a moment and opted for the truth. No, its something else. A different thing Im helping them out with.Eugenie Roland rarely lost his temper, but I could see the anger in his eyes now. What are you doing? You cant do this. You cant get entangled in their affairs. Your job is to protect this world, to keep them and the other monsters and ghosts out of here.Theyre not all bad, I said, surprised as the address came out of my mouth.Do I need to remind you about your mothers abduction and the various attempts to rape you?Hearing him say those words stung, but I held my ground. Im dealing with that. Its not an issue.Its always going to be an issue, he argued. And Im not going to help you keep getting into more trouble with them.What, are you grave to cut me off from information? I exclaimed.Maybe. If itll keep you safe.Well, it wont. The only thing youll do is put me in more danger if I keep going there uninformedHis eyes narrowed. So now youre the one threatening me?Whats going on?My mother stuck her head in the dens doorway, concern on her face. Is everything okay? I thought I let outd shouting.I stood up. Rolands just getting hard of hearing, so I was helping him out.I followed her back to the other room, where Kiyo watched me curiously. Even in human form, he had a foxs hearing, and I wouldnt take over found it surprising if hed heard the whole argument.We deplete to take off, I said. Were going to hear Tim recite some song.Kiyos raised(a) eyebrow was his only sign of surprise at our evening plans. Id neglected to tell him earlier because I was pretty sure he would gull never left the house with me. He smiled politely at my mom. thank for dinner. It was great.My mom was sad to see us go. Well, you should come back attached weekend. Ill make lasagna. And cherry pie.I kissed her cheek. You dont have to bribe us to come over.No, but it doesnt hurt.Mad or not, I gave Roland a hug too. In that brief moment, he murmured in my ear, Ill talk to Bill.He sounded weary and defeated, and I hugged him closer. Thank you. Bill was a shaman friend of his in Flagstaff. once we were finally able to leave, Kiyo didnt waste any time in getting to the point. Trouble on the home front?Like you dont know, I said.Told you he hates me.I think he hates me making all these trips to the Otherworld more.But he still thinks Im a bad influence.You are a bad influence.We control in silence for a few moments. Then Kiyo noticed that I wasnt heading toward my house. We were going downtown. No, he groaned. We are not rattling going to hear Tim, are we? I thought that was just an excuse to leave.I shook my head. Sorry. I promised.Kiyo sighed but took it like a man.We went to one of Tims uninterrupted venues, a place called the Fox Den. I thought Kiyo would think that was funny, but he didnt. When we walked in, there was a girl on the stage reciting poetry about the bleakness of existence and litter on the side of the highway. Kiyo looked around, victorious in the patrons and tables-and wherefore realized we were in a coffee shop, not a bar.They dont serve alcohol here? Theres no way I can do this without hard liquor.Oh, just hush, I said, trying to overlay my smile. We found a small round table in the centre of attention of the crowded cafe, and I left him there age I went to get hot chocolate. I would have loved coffee but had enough trouble sleeping without the addit ion of caffeine this late at night. When I returned, I saw three visitors had pulled chairs up to our table.Hey, guys, I said.Nice to see you again, Eugenie.The speaker was named Barbara. She was an elderly woman, belonging to the Pascua Yaqui tribe. Their religious beliefs, while having some similarities to the nature-oriented views of coterminous tribes, had picked up a lot of Christian influences over the years. Indeed, she wore a cross around her neck but was also still regarded by many as a type of holy woman. She had no problem with me affair myself a shaman, as those of other Indian tribes sometimes did. Her grandsons, Felix and Dan, were with her tonight, and they didnt have a problem with me either. Tim, however, was a different narrative.Please tell me your asshole roommate isnt performing tonight, said Felix.Watch your language, said Barbara in a very grandmotherly way.I shifted uncomfortably. Wellhe might be up there tonight.Jesus Christ, said Dan, munching on biscott i. He looked apologetically at Barbara before turning to me. Weve told him a hundred times not to do that.Come on, guys. Dont start something again-it took forever for that last black eye to go away, I reminded him.Felix shook his head. Look, impersonating us wouldnt be so bad-and it is bad-if his poetry wasnt such shit.Felix warned Barbara. He turned sheepish. Sorry, Grandma. But you know Im right.Its the only thing he knows how to do, I said lamely. Besides, hes going Lakota tonight-if that helps.I dont think itll improve the poetry, far-famed Kiyo, stretching back in the chair.Agreed, said Felix. His poetrys crappiness transcends all cultures. He looked smugly at his grandmother, pleased that he hadnt sworn this time.She turned to me, ignoring him. Hows business?Good, I said. Weird.While she had no issues with me being a shaman, she was sometimes troubled by the thought of me fighting Otherworldly creatures. She seemed undecided about whether they were holy or not, though she h ad seen her fair share of evil ones and knew what I did was sometimes necessary. She was about to ask me more when Tim suddenly walked onto the stage. He had on the feather headdress, no shirt, and leather chaps.Oh God. No, groaned Felix.Tim held up his workforce to silence the scattered applause. Thank you, friends, he said in a recondite, unwavering voice. The Great Spirit welcomes you and your connectedness of our holy circle tonight.I am not even joking, said Dan. I am this close to walking up there and drag him out back.Please, I hissed. Not tonight.For my first poem, continued Tim, I would like to read you something I was inspired to write while sitting outside(a) and considering the way the beating of a butterflys wings are just like the beating of our hearts in this transient world. Spreading his pass wide, he recited.Sister Butterfly upon the windWings so yellowlet us fly with you into the sky so blueOur souls soaring in the clouds so whiteAs we look down on those who vision to flyBut are too afraidAnd must stay earthboundLike Brother Beetle so brown.Im going to help Dan, said Kiyo as the audience applauded. Im going to help him drag Tim off.seriously? said Dan, excited.No, said Barbara and I in unison.Tims next poem was about a mythological woman named Oniata, a girl of divine sweetheart and youth who came to Earth and caused men everywhere to fight over her. The story was interesting, but like all of his poems, the verses were pretty bad and filled with monstrous metaphors.Thats a real story, I challenged my companions. Ive heard it before.Yeah, but its not Lakota, said Felix. I think its Iroquois or something.Honestly, I dont think it matters at this point, said Dan, looking weary. Besides, everyones got some story about unearthly beautiful women.Kiyo tie in his hand with mine and murmured, And fortunately, Ive got my own.Sly man, I said back. Sly as a fox.When the poetry reading wrapped up, Tim sold his self-published poetry books. I thi nk this was the most remarkable part of all-he always sold a bunch. And the womenthe women loved him. A number were cozying up to him already, no doubt wanting to go out later. Watching the women, Dan declared that he was going to quit his job as a computer-support technician and start up on Tims gig, make us all to laugh.Say what you want, I said to Kiyo, watching Tim and his admirers. This all means Tim probably isnt coming home tonight.What are you give tongue to exactly?That the sauna is all ours.Not that anyone else could have really fit into it, though. My derisory sauna wasnt that big, which just meant that when Kiyo and I got home, we had to be that much closer to separately other. Neither of us really minded.We shed our clothes in the hallway, and he pulled me to him, hands running over my waist and lips grazing my neck. You owe me big for making me endure that poetry, he growled in my ear.Whatever. That was practically foreplay. Are you saying Tims poem about Brother W oodpecker plunging his beak into the tree didnt turn you on? You know that was a total metaphor.Kiyos only response was a smothering kiss that ended any other witty interpretation I might make, his lips hot and hard as his tongue desire mine. Without breaking the kiss, we somehow managed to open the door to the sauna and stumble inside. Immediately, genus Oestrus and steam surrounded us. Everyone always praised Arizonas heat for being dry, but I loved humidity and the way it enveloped my body.I also loved the way the moisture dampened Kiyos dark hair, making it curl up even more against his neck. Still tempering on to that kiss, he pressed me against the saunas wooden wall, his hands gripping my hips. In only a short time, the heat had us both slick and sudationing. I tangled my fingers in his hair and then ran them down his arms and chest. The oil and sweat made my hands sailplaning easyly across his skin. I paused to run circles around his nipples, slowly increase the press ure and squeezing them in the way he so lots did to mine.He gave a small grunt of surprise and pleasure and then moved his lips to my neck. I tipped it back, giving him greater access. His kisses were hard, like he was trying to consume me with his mouth alone, and there were even a few teeth involved. With as fair as my skin was, he actually left me with the occasional hickey after sex. It always made me feel like I was sixteen and foolish the next day, but in the moment? It seemed totally worth it.His lips moved from my neck to my shoulder while his hands slid up from my hips to my breasts, again touching easily with all that sweat and moisture. He rubbed them and cupped them, his fingers slipping back and forth against my wet skin and on occasion pausing to stroke my nipples in a way that sent waves of need end-to-end my entire body. Driven to impatience by my own desire, I slid my hands down his stomach, down to the erection pressing against me. I grabbed a hold of him and s tarted to bring him into me.Unexpectedly, he turned me around, still keeping me pressed against the wall. I held my hands against it for support while his strong fingers rubbed my back, massaging the muscles that always seemed sore lately. I gasped, finding the massage almost as arousing as the rest. It was fleeting, however. His hands in brief moved to my hips again, tipping me out slightly so that I was bent over, alternatively than pressed flat against the wall. A moment later, he pushed against my body, and I entangle him enter me. My own wetness made the thrust almost as effortless as our hands had been on each others flesh. I cried out at the feel of him filling me up, pushing harder and harder into me. I rested my check against the saunas wall, gallus myself and allowing him to take me more deeply.He gripped my breasts as he continued moving in and out of me, and I moaned as his touch sent shockwaves with my skin. I was overloaded with sensation as he seemed to take cont rol of every part of my body, both inside and out. His thrusts grew more urgent and vehement his hold on my breasts became tighter. Having him inside me built a heat amidst my thighs that radiated out to the rest of my body, rivaling the heat of the air around us. That bliss grew and grew to impossible heights, until at last the orgasm burst inwardly me, making my legs go weak and nearly give out underneath me. Every part of me tingled and burned, and the feel of him still slamming into my body was almost too much for my flood senses. Yet, even as I thought I couldnt handle any more, I still mat up that intense pleasure building within me once more and knew that it would take only a fine more of this for me to come yet again.By then, Kiyos hands had moved back to my hips, steady himself so that he could push even harder. With all that force, it was a debate to continue bending and not simply get pressed flat against the wall. Then, I felt his body grow tense and knew he was about to come. He made a guttural, primal sound, his thrusts growing long and deep as he came and let his own orgasm explode within me. He pressed his face against my shoulder, his motions gradually slowing down as his body sated itself.When he was done, he slid his hands from my hips to my shoulders, turning me around and twist me toward him. We wrapped our arms around each other, gasping as we leaned against the wall. He said nothing but gently kissed my cheek. I smiled, pushing closer to him and drowning in the scent of his sweat and skin.Worth enduring the poetry reading? I asked.Yes, he said. Definitely.The phone woke me up the next morning. Kiyo dozed naked beside me in bed, and I had to practically crawl over him to reach my cell. It was Roland.I found out about your crossroads. It crosses over to a town in Texas called Yellow River.Texas, huh? That was unexpected.Yep. And there are two shamans who live there already to keep an eye on it.Two? There werent really that many i n our profession. We were counterpane thin, so more than one in a region (aside from a father-and-daughter team like Roland and me) was surprising.Its apparently a big gate. Doesnt take much power or effort to cross through it, so it need a lot of attention.Interesting. Crossroads varied in accessibility. Most compulsory more power than the average human or even gentry could use, fortunately. On certain days of the year-like Beltane and Samhain-areas between our worlds grew thin, making it easier for crossings. Those were dangerous times that kept Roland and me busy. A gateway that was usable the rest of the year was even more dangerous.But, if it was easily accessible, then it wouldnt be too difficult for these girls to cross and seek out humans to father their children. The whole thought made me squirm. A generation of half-Texan, half-gentry kids. God help us all.Eugenie? asked Roland warily. What are you idea?Im thinking I need the names of those shamans.He still seemed trou bled at my involvement, but I think he felt better about me getting in touch with others-particularly others who were human. He pushed me a little about what was going on, but I still refused to talk about it. After much thanks on my part for the information, we finally disconnected.Kiyo had climbed out of bed during the call and was in the shower. As I waited for him, I wondered how I should proceed. Presumably, I should contact these shamans and see if theyd noticed a recent influx of gentry girls. If I could confirm that, itd ease my worry about bandits (or monsters) puss them, even though it still left the moral dilemma of whether I should be kicking those girls back to their own world.A drop in temperature and a prickling of my skin signaled Volusians sudden arrival. He materialized in the darkest control of my room, expression as sullen and malevolent as usual.Well, this is a treat, I said. I do so love seeing your cheery face in the morning. Whats up? When Id left the Other world last time, Id kept Volusian on rest orders to ferry any messages over to me. My joking aside, I wasnt overly excite to see him because I knew it meant there was something I had to deal with.The hulking idiot who commands my mistresss guards has requested her presence, said Volusian.Do you mean Rurik?Yes, unless my mistress has appointed another(prenominal) hulking imbecile to command her guards.Did he say why? If it had been more trade business, Shaya would have been the one to ask for me.He wished to tell you that one of the missing girls returned.What?I sprang out of bed and hastily threw on some clothes. Kiyo returned to the room, astonishingly sexy with wet hair, and gave me a surprised look. Whats up?I got a lead on one of the girls. You want to come with me?He shook his head. He held up his white coat. Cant. Ive got to work.I was disappointed. I would have liked to have him with me, but that petty part inside of me felt better about him working than hanging out with M aiwenn again. So, we made our good-byes, split with a long kiss-a really long kiss. When we finally dragged ourselves away from each other, Volusian looked as though he wouldnt have minded being smote out of existence.I sent him on ahead of me and then crossed over shortly thereafter. Nia as usual fell all over herself, but I had to politely dismiss her in my eagerness to find Rurik. He was sitting with Shaya in the parlor adjacent to her room, deep in conversation. some(prenominal) sprang up when they saw me.Your majesty, intoned Shaya politely.Where is she? I exclaimed. The girl. I want to talk to her and get this settled.Rurik grimaced. Ah. About that.Whats wrong? Volusian said you found her.Well, we did, in a manner of speaking. It was the girl from Westoria-the one whose parents spoke to you. She surfaced last night in the village, hysterical and going on and on about how she escaped and how horrible it all was.There really was a monster? I said, surprised. Or did she escape from the bandits? I still hadnt ruled out their involvement.He shook his head. Nobody knows. She wasnt making any sense, and mostly, her parents wanted to calm her down. In the meantime, they sent word to us because they knew youd want to talk to her, andwell, thats when the problem started.Like the rest of this isnt already a problem?When the girl heard you were coming, she became even more hysterical.More hysterical over me than a monster or any(prenominal)?Rurik shrugged. As weve learned, your reputation is a bitalarming to some.Good God. Didnt she hear I got my ass kicked by fire demons? I sighed. What happened?She ran away. For real this time.I groaned and sank back into a chair.We sent out a search fellowship as soon as we heard, he added somewhat hopefully.Well, thats something, I guess. Its one girlshe cant be that hard to find, right?Rurik and Shaya exchanged doubtful looks. I groaned again. With the way the land was around here, it was likely anyone who wanted to disappea r could. Id had parties out looking for Jasmine for the last three months and found no clue to her whereabouts.We need to start putting faces on milk cartons, I muttered.I beseech your pardon? asked Shaya.Never mind. Anything else I should know about? Any word from Leith? I figured Id go do my meditation and connection with the land and then head back to Tucson.Nothing yet, said Shaya. Howeverwe did hear from Dorian.Right. Another of my problems. She seemed a little nervous about going on.He sent a message wondering why you hadnt contacted him yet about trade. AndI rolled my eyes. Go on. I expect the worst.She looked embarrassed. He said if you cant be troubled to come in a timely manner, then hes going to rescind his offer.That might not be horrible, I pointed out. I mean, youve told other people, right? Weve got other kingdoms wanting to buy the copper, dont we?Her look of tenderness grew. Well, not so many.How many is not so many?Aside from the Rowan Land? None.Son of a bitch. Honestly? I wouldnt have put it past Dorian to influence others not to trade with me just so he could play these games. I steeled myself and met Shayas pleading gaze. I dont suppose he specified what a timely manner is?He did, actually, said Shaya. Rurik was smiling, which I took as a bad sign. Today.