~By the time Wrench stopped near the creek to catch her breath, the snow was falling in heavier amounts. The woods were thick in this part of the state, even when the trees were so barren of leaves and flowers. The white stuff just kept coming, sticking in thick blankets and pillows in the shapes of rocks and fallen branches. The creek was still bubbling away, but small parts of mud near the bank were already starting to freeze over.
None of this makes any sense to me, she thought as she brushed snow off a boulder overlooking the creek. She fished out her BlackBerry from her pocket and flipped through the photos that Conner sent her. He and Zane had arrived at the ski lodge half an hour ago, and she already missed their company and their warmth. A small part of her was chastising her for not going, but she was already spinning with emotion she didn't want to brood and ruin the good time for them.
She had to admit: she had a small crush on the boys. Both were handsome and hard-working and so kind to her; neither boy batted an eyelash at her when she showed she knew how to fix a car or change an oil filter. They accepted her and treated her with such respect and admiration.
This whole situation confused her; she, a woman born of money and wealth but had been chopped off at the knees and forced to live in poverty for so long, wasn't used to caring about anything except how to survive.
So what was she feeling, exactly?
Wrench sighed and put her phone away. She thought back to when she returned home to Louisa with treasures and gifts from the Duchess. She had been away for a year, courteous of the Duchess to let her stay and learn.
What her father didn't know was that his obedient daughter had been keeping a secret from the outside world, and even she knew Louisa wouldn't approve.
~It was summer in Italy, and it was so warm in the carriage that Tanya Mai had removed her gloves and petticoats to let her flesh breathe. The carriage ride had been smooth for a few miles, and the summer sun shone brightly on fields of green grass and vibrant flowers.
The carriage was a gift from the Duchess and her doting husband: an ornate mahogany machine trimmed in gold and bits of black iron that kept it sturdy and strong. The two mares pulling were a pair of black beauties with matching white stars and leather harnesses.
"My lady, how are you faring?" the driver said from the driver's seat.
Tanya Mai leaned her head out the open window a bit and smiled. "I fare well, good sir. How much longer, may I ask?"
The driver smiled. "Just a little bit more, my lady. This country sure is beautiful."
A mere hour later, she spotted her family's villa peeking up from behind a green hill. The red tiled roof bounced rays of warm sun everywhere, and the soft yellow of the villa made the garden roses look more dramatic. Horses grazed in the pastures near the lake, and she spotted maids and servants idly working and laughing among each other.
The carriage pulled to a stop near the entrance to the villa, and the driver stepped down and opened her door, offering a helping hand. Tanya Mai bowed her head in thanks and stepped down gracefully. Her dress of pink and yellow fluttered in a soft breeze, causing one of her ebony curls to escape its chignon.
She tried to hand him his payment, but to her surprise, the driver gently folded her fingers over the coins and smiled at her. "There is no need. Consider it a charity for a lovely lady with a soft soul." He started to pull her trunks off the roof.
The two doors flew open, and her beloved nanny came running out with tears of joy soaking her high collar. Tanya Mai embraced her and laughed and cried at the same time.
"My my, you look so beautiful! Your skin is darker and your spirits are high!" Louisa was beaming ear to ear, stepping back to look at the young heiress's face.
Tanya Mai couldn't help the grin that split her cheeks up to her eyes. "I feel so much better knowing I belong somewhere wonderful. The Duchess is impressed with my progress…" she softened her tone as more servants scurried to collect her things. "She wants me to stay there permanently."
Louisa offered a gnarled elbow and gasped. "Are you going to do it?"
The raven haired heiress couldn't hide her smile. "I said yes. I am telling my father tomorrow afternoon during tea time." Tanya Mai looked around expectantly, looking for anyone, but no one else came. Her sudden happiness melted to despair. "I wish my brothers and father would come and greet me."
Louisa looked sympathetic. "I know, child." The younger girl's brown eyes glistened with unshed tears as she waited for a warm homecoming from her father, at least. But no one came.
Tanya Mai's happy face fell into sorrow and loneliness. Louisa hugged Tanya Mai, and used a silken handkerchief to wipe away Tanya Mai's tears like they were the most precious treasures in the world. Tanya Mai collapsed into her nanny's arms and cried.
"I never wanted to come home. I wish I could take you somewhere else with me. I did not want to come home. I loved France. But I hate my home town," she sobbed. Louisa enveloped Tanya Mai's head on her shoulder, stroking the weeping child's hair with tender care.
"You know, I have to agree. Katherine has been acting so vain and above everyone. She has nothing to do but study and play around with your brother, Stefan, and she won't treat the Italian slaves fairly." She cupped Tanya Mai's chin and made her look the older woman in the eye. "It will be over soon, my child. Soon, you can join a permanent school somewhere else in the world until you marry, and I will follow you. I will never abandon you. You are too special to leave behind." Louisa felt a tear of her own fall down her cheek.
After a moment of silence between them, Tanya Mai lifted herself up and shifted her skirts and straightened her hair.
Louisa called for another male servant to fetch Tanya Mai's things while the old nanny slipped an arm around Tanya Mai's elbow and led her to the front door. Once inside, Tanya Mai sniffed the air. Freshly baked bread filled the room, and servants scurried through the room, up the stairs or to the kitchen. Or maybe they headed off to the garden.
Tanya Mai didn't see her brothers or father milling about, and a small part of her died at the lack of attention from her family. But at least Katherine wasn't around, either. The young heiress didn't forget how much she loathed the foreign girl
Louisa cleared her throat and led Tanya Mai towards the young girl's bedroom.
"Your, um, father, bought you a pleasant dress for a formal occasion. He says it is a welcome home present," she mumbled. Unlocking Tanya Mai's door, Tanya Mai walked in and looked at her old portraits of herself and closet filled with dresses. Her four poster bed was headed against the far wall, the black curtains hanging from the canopy bed frame. The window overlooked the folding hills in the distance. Her books and drawings were stacked neatly in a corner of a dressing table, and makeup and hair combs and brushes lined the cedar vanity in the corner near the window overlooking the pastures.
And on the bed, spread along the covers delicately, was a rose and champagne colored dress with a matching corset and slippers. The neckline was right above her cleavage, with lace and silk sleeves down to her elbows. The skirt was ruffled with roses and pearls, with more lace on the botton that barely touched the floor.
Tanya Mai didn't give it a second glance when she walked by and started to put away all her things. "Shut the doors, Louisa," she said. After she heard the lock click, she looked over at her nanny.
The heiress sat at her drawing desk and shifted so she looked out the window. "Louisa, do you have the precious gift I have requested?" she asked. The other woman nodded.
"I want to see it."
Tanya Mai's heart started to beat wildly. Louisa hurried over to a secret place beneath the rocking chair in the corner, slipping her fingers into a small spot. She came up with a black velvet covered box, and brought it over to Tanya Mai. She placed it in her lap. Tanya Mai knew that if anyone knew this secret, she would be forbidden to return to her home estate ever again.
Tanya Mai placed both hands on the sides of the box, and lifted the lid.
She gasped. It looked…just like her drawings.
A slick black dagger lay in a soft bed of silk and feathers. The weapon was a masterpiece, as the handle was a silver dragon breathing fire with ruby eyes and onyx stones delicately placed in symmetrical patterns. The guard was a pair of wicked looking dragon claws that were sharp as well as decorative. Tanya Mai lifted the blade into the afternoon sun and smiled at the sleekness of the blade, and how razor sharp it was. The blade itself was curved and made of the strongest iron, notched here and there to resemble a dragon's flame. It was a good foot and a half long, and it's other half was a black leather sheath that had been sized to fit her thigh perfectly.
The blacksmith deserves a fortune for this creation, she thought absently. She tested the balance and found it perfect, then slid the wicked weapon into its sheath.
Louisa finally spoke from the bed. "If your father found out, or God forbid your brothers, they will not like this," she said, worry laced in her tone.
Tanya Mai looked up from the dagger. "I do not care anymore. I am going to do things on my own since no one will notice me. If you do not like it, I am sorry. But it is my choice," she said.
"I just don't understand why you wanted such a dangerous weapon, my child." Louisa stood to hang up the dress that had been abandoned on the bed.
"Because this weapon isn't just for decoration," she said as she watched her nanny. "The core has white ash wood and the middle part is made of silver. I have a strong suspicion Katherine is not human."
~Wrench reached down and pulled the dagger free from its leather bind. The blade looked brand new, as if it had never been used. But she had honed the skill of how to keep it clean and sharp, using a whet stone she kept hidden under her bed. Every time a stone got knocked loose, she always had it replaced.
She couldn't count how many times she had used it to survive. It itched whenever she got close to the white ash wood center, merely because it was the one thing that could actually kill her, but she still loved the thing more than any treasure in the world.
The blacksmith definitely got a moderate fortune that day for forging it for her. She didn't dare tell the man it was for her, as it was a time when women didn't do anything but needle work and learn to dance and make babies, so she told the man it was a gift for her brothers.
Wrench sighed.
Then the same crow that had attacked Wrench earlier landed on a branch high in an oak tree. Wrench bolted up from her position, and tensed, ready to spring. The crow simply stared at her, watching her with its black eye. The great fat bird flapped its wings and cawed loudly, and that's all it took.
Wrench felt the Power behind its black wings, so she unleashed her own and felt her body morph. A sleek black raven took to the skies, with a cawing crow behind her, flapping furiously to keep up with her.
A few miles away and she suddenly realized that the crow had stopped following her. It had taken a hard left and was now heading towards a small area that was snow covered. It was Mrs. Flowers' boarding house; Wrench landed on the old chimney and watched the crow land on the roof of a small barn in the distance closer to the forest, and to her amazement, she watched a hawk land beside the crow.
The raven felt the Power emitting from the two birds, and she felt an old bell ring in her head. I know those two…but is it really them? Or am I truly losing my mind? She thought.
The raven cocked its head, watching the two hunting birds. After a brief moment, the two hunting birds flew off in the direction of the cemetery.
She almost followed them, but she was suddenly tired and weary. So she flew most of the way back to the shop, stopping to morph back to her old form again behind the garages.
Just as she made her way to the dorms, her phone started ringing. She smiled as she lifted the device to her ear.
"Okay, is Conner in the ER again?" she asked.
The answering swearing and laughter had her giggling. "No. Conner actually scored the room closest to the hot tub so he and I are just lounging until we go skiing tomorrow morning. How was the rest of your day?" She could hear the smile in Zane's voice.
"Actually…" she left her voice trail off as she thought about how to word her next question without sounding like a total moron. "Have you two been experiencing anything weird these last few days?"
There was a beat of silence. "Um…I'm sorry, what?" Zane asked.
Crap. I should not have opened my trap, she thought, silently kicking herself.
"Conner just informed me that the last day or two he's been feeling like something is watching him, but I haven't seen anything personally," Zane said. He didn't speak for a beat, then added, "Why do you ask, lovebug?"
Wrench willed her heartrate to slow and her breathing to even out. "I was just wondering. Jack said he thinks this place is haunted."
Zane laughed. "Nah…Conner haunts the place with his whining and moaning." She heard a thud and a lot more swearing, so she had to laugh. "I'm tired. I am going to rest and let you two enjoy yourselves."
Conner's voice suddenly came on. "We'll let you know when we're on our way back, Wrench. We miss you."
"I miss you boys, too." She hung up her phone, then continued to stare at it.
What the hell is going on in this town? She thought.
