Shadowing Bright, page 12
Four staff turned their heads and yelled, “Sofi!”
Her mother came forward with a pristine apron. She said, “So, did you get it?”
“I got it. I also have a request from the bride.”
“What? Why? Does she need to know where her meat comes from?”
“No, but she wants her Aunt Sofi to officiate.”
“Aunt... Vaia? Vaia’s getting married?”
Krys nodded.
“Wait. What happened to the dragon?”
“They are doing a vow renewal and are moving into the Grunwald mansion.”
“Does she know who you are?”
“Nope. She never met me.”
“Oh, right, and you have a given name for a last name.”
“Yup. It’s okay, if you say yes to contact, you can tell her then.”
Her mother smiled. “Yes. I missed that little girl with her big, sad eyes.”
“I wish I could have met her.”
“Well, it sounds like you did.”
Krys smiled. “She and the dragonborn are turning affection into love. It’s a pretty process.”
“What’s his name again?” Her mother walked to the back, where her office was located. Krys walked by and got a kiss on the cheek from her father while he made some delightfully thick porkchops.
“Azreen. Will it be a problem if I use you guys for the meat supply?”
“If it is, we will take it to the clan council. They haven’t given you anything, so they can give you this.” Her father, Miko, grinned. “If not, we will throttle back what we send to their restaurant. I am a huge fan of nepotism when my daughter benefits.”
She laughed and pressed her head to his shoulder. “Gotta see what Mom’s doing.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to miss anything.” He chuckled. “She’s got that look.”
Krys walked over, and her mother was looking up Azreen. “Oh. That’s cool. He does have a great voice.”
“Did you know he was a voice actor?”
“Nope. I just met them last night. I have been busy placing orders all day.”
Azreen was sitting and signing at a sci-fi convention and an anime convention in the photos. It was cute.
“So, he has a sense of whimsy and a sense of humour. Nice. Thanks for doing my online stalking for me, Mom.”
“Public figures are easy.” Her mom exhaled on her fingertips and buffed her nails against her shirt.
“What do you think the clan leader is going to say when he learns about this?”
“Well, he will probably be there, so he will either be proud or pissed.” Krys chuckled. “Or both. Either way, I am going to get a talking to.”
“You don’t want to give him a heads up?”
“Nope. I think he deserves a surprise.” Krys smiled. “Oh, and I ran into three other candidates for a wedding at the mansion, so as long as I am not trapped under the ice after this, it is going to be a ton of fun.”
“Four?”
“Sure, Azreen and Vaia, Neekil and Hannah, Kairek and Iris—that one would be kid-friendly—and then Emmers and Amhoran. Those two have the blessings of both clans, so it’s just about up to them. They are going to be invited to all the weddings, so that should move things along.”
Her mother smiled. “This is your calling.”
“Yup. And this wedding is going to be light on vegetarians, so you might want to get the order together while I run around and verify the flowers.”
Her mother laughed and smacked her on the butt. “Go be a pain in someone else’s backside.”
“Aw, but I can bug you for free.”
“Get. Shoo!”
“Right.” She took out her phone and sent Vaia’s information. “Send her a message. She missed her Aunt Sofi.”
“Yes. I will. She was so sad, so alone.”
“Well, let her know that just because you were taken away, it doesn’t mean you stopped thinking about her. It will help her. She needs family from our side.”
“You didn’t tell her?”
“Nope. She doesn’t know I existed, I don’t think.”
“She knew. I told her about my Krysalis.”
“And your weird penchant for spelling.”
“They gave it to me, and I passed it on. Deal with it.” She winked.
“I am. Tootles. Let me know what she says.” She made her way out of the butcher shop, where meat was in various stages of disassembly, and returned to her car. Flowers, vegetables, table and chair rental, and landscapers. She needed to lock them down that afternoon. This evening, she was talking with the couple and getting details, but first, tacos.
* * * *
Amy smiled at Dem-rah and ordered phonetically. “How was that?”
“Instead of chicken, you ordered dove, but otherwise fine.” He punched the order in with a grin. “Well done. Your restaurant goblin is coming along.”
Amy grinned. “Thank you.”
“You are here early.”
“I have to go to a clan meeting for the first time to be introduced. I thought it would be best to go on a full stomach.” She saw someone behind her and stepped to the side.
The woman behind her spoke in liquid goblin, which was amazing for such a guttural language. Dem-rah spoke in return and laughed. “She is going, too, Krys.”
Amy saw a familiar face. “Hey, you work at the office.”
“I do. In PR and marketing. I only have to step in when someone does something stupid. Fortunately, that isn’t too often, so I concentrate on getting creature scouts and mage guides tours.” She paid for her food.
Amy stepped over to the collection area. “Wait. Krys. Did you meet Emmers last night?”
“Emmers, Kaerik, Neekil, and Hannah. Yes, ma’am.” Krys smiled.
“Please call me Amy.”
“Amy then. Yeah, I met a bunch of people.”
“Are you heading back there?”
“Uh-huh. As soon as I finish with the clan meeting. I am guessing you are heading to it as well?”
“Yeah. Wait. Are you a member of Frostfire?”
“Yup. Don’t worry. I am lower class. My parents are both wolves.”
“Oh. Well, Normic is a wolf.”
“Yeah, he is an arctic wolf. My parents are just wolves born to the Frostfire clan. Well, my father is. My mother was a wolf born to a mage family.”
Amy collected her food and frowned. “What?”
“Power determines your place in the clan. I am way at the bottom, so I have other interests. Weddings. Lots of weddings.”
Amy walked to a table, and Krys followed her with her own order. She sat at one table over, and Amy moved to sit with her. “Why didn’t you sit with me?”
Krys snorted. “You will find out in about an hour. I don’t want to be considered as reaching above my station. There is the frostborn, the ones who have all the power, and then there are those of a lesser standing. I am in that bottom tier.”
Amy frowned. “I don’t play games like that.”
Krys extended her hand. “Then, we can be friends.”
They shook hands. Krys said, “You are going to hear them talk to me in a nasty tone. They are probably going to introduce you and then scoot you off for dessert or something.”
“I am not going to go. You were woken by the wave, weren’t you?”
Krys paused while jamming a taco into her mouth. She shrugged and took her bite.
“Me, too. I ended up with three aspects. You?”
Krys kept eating and counted off on her fingers. She held up three fingers. The fourth finger flicked up and down.
“So, three you are sure of. How many are pure Frostfire?”
Two fingers went up, and she swallowed. “A frost fairy and something a lot more powerful.”
“What is it?”
“No idea? If I turned hairy, I would have said yeti, but nope. It looks human, and it moves ice through the air like it’s conducting a ballet.”
“Nice. I can make things hypothermic or heat them up slowly.”
“I might ask you to do that if we have any meat supplier issues. A speedy but controlled thaw is always welcome.”
Amy smiled. “Are you going to the mansion after the clan event?”
“Yup.”
“I will see you there.”
“Excellent. It’s a lovely building. Vaia probably wants to show it off.”
“Yeah, that’s not really like her. Is it true that there is a living statue on the grounds?”
Krys nodded. “There is the soul of a murdered woman that has been offered safe harbour in a statue crafted by one of Neekil’s brothers. I think those two are dating, and it is for her that I am wedging this napalm hot food into my mouth. I have to come back to do it again with Benko. After the briefing at the mansion.”
“Why are you eating here for the statue?”
“Sable. Her name is Sable. She died before she got to experience much of the world. Lived alone, died alone. Almost no one looked for her when she was murdered. So, I believe it is up to us that let her feel and experience whatever life she missed, if it is within our power. Letting her taste tacos, burritos, and the sweet relief of lemonade is the least we can do.” She smiled.
“Wait. How does she taste it?”
“I had Benko make a charm, I hit it with a primer, and then I asked an acquaintance how to create a spell to do the copying, and now, I am sitting here with a charm in my pocket and eating food that is making my eyes water so that Sable can have a goblin-cooked taco.”
She sipped at the lemonade and shuddered. “I have no capacity for heat, but for a friend, I will do anything.” She kept eating.
Amy looked at her and stared. She finally said, “If you order in English, they give you human-hot.”
Krys looked at her and laughed behind her hand. “That has never occurred to me, and I have been stopping by here for five years.”
Amy laughed and ate her food, pausing to sip at the lemonade and wishing she had one of Emmers’ milkshakes.
When she finished eating, she said, “Why have you been coming here for five years if you don’t like spicy food?”
“Oh, my family’s butcher shop supplies a number of food trucks. I am the rep who gets orders and takes hints about what the businesses are aiming for. Like, the chicken for the quesadillas and chicken tacos. It’s easier for them if the meat is marinated, so that is done before packaging now. They thaw them out ready to go, and their sales are increasing dramatically.”
Amy blinked. “Huh. I hadn’t thought about that.”
“It’s weird minutia like that that makes me a good event organizer. Okay, I will see you at the meeting.”
“Wait. Can I follow you?”
“Sure. Just let me sprint to the building before you get out of your car. I am not supposed to arrive late.”
Amy blinked. “Why? Wait. I know. My birth clan were sticklers for propriety and levels and rules. I just thought Frostfire would be a little more relaxed.”
“Oh, it is, if they know you have frost-related magic. But they don’t because I don’t want myself put in a level above my parents.”
Amy stared. “I get it. I really understand. Well, we had better get going if we don’t want to be late.”
Krys nodded, wadded up her wrappers, and stuffed them into the garbage can, which chortled happily. She returned to the table, snagged her lemonade, and sprinted to her car. “I will wait until you are on my tail.”
Amy smiled and cleaned up, got into her car, and followed Krys’s vehicle at a safe distance as they twisted their way through the city to the event space that doubled as the meeting space. Krys parked at the edge of the lot and then sprinted for the doors.
Amy waited until Krys was inside and then got out of her vehicle and walked to the doors. They were pushed open at her approach, and she smiled as she walked in. Normic and Keel hugged her and welcomed her to sit at the long table at the front of the hall. She looked around and saw Krys way in the back at the second-to-last row. She sighed.
Keel looked at her, but then Normic stood and introduced her as their daughter. Amy stood when Normic nodded to her. “Good evening, all. I am very grateful to the Frostfire clan for taking me on. I am not an easy person, and though I have several useful aspects, I know the feeling of being rejected for lack of acceptable magic. The wave gave me what genetics should have, and the pain of being thought of as lesser was my life until that moment. I do not differentiate between those with magic and not, because a sudden wave can change everything, and no one wants to make an enemy of family. So, if anyone wants to chat, I am always up for a good conversation. Thank you.” She sat down again.
Krys was grinning in the back.
A few more pleasantries and awards for members were offered, and then Keel murmured, “You can go now.”
“No. I don’t think I will. I need to see how things are done. That means all things.”
Normic looked at her, frowned, and said, “And now it has come to our attention that one of our own is poaching work from the Northern Star Catering Company. Krys-Alis? What do you have to say about that?”
Krys’s family tried to stop her from standing, but Krys walked clear of the back seats and said, “I would like clarification, clan leader?”
“Derek has indicated that there is a very large wedding that you are catering this weekend, and normally, the larger events are given to them.”
“I was requested by the mayor’s assistant and the mayor himself. The extranaturals having their vow renewal are not members of the northern groupings. Our agreement stipulated that if I was requested, I could service any event that wasn’t for one of our own people. A dragonborn and a half shadow are hardly those with a link to anyone in this room.”
Normic said, “You will surrender the contract.”
“No.” Krys smiled, and it wasn’t a nice smile.
Normic blinked.
Amy could feel the room getting several degrees colder, and for a change, it wasn’t her.
Keel leaned and asked, “Is that you?”
She shook her head slowly and looked with focus at Krys. Keel’s eyes went wide, and he shot to his feet, but Normic was already committed to it. “You will surrender the contract, or you and your entire family will be kicked out of the clan!”
Krys raised her hand, and the doors froze shut.
Normic looked at her. “What?”
Keel cleared his throat. “I was trying to tell you. She’s an extranatural with temperature skills.”
“When did you figure that out?” his husband whispered hoarsely.
“When my feet froze to the floor.”
Krys called out, “Clan leader, retract that last statement, and you can keep your very pricey shoes. Also, Uncle, do remember that you are a member of my family, and your statement would banish your own ass.”
Normic blinked. “I... uh. Reverse my previous decision and declaration. It was said in the heat of the moment.”
“Yeah, because I am a pain in the ass, Uncle. Now, I want the clan to just treat me like an outside vendor, with the exception of my family’s shop. I am not servicing the northerners; I am working with anyone else. Even my cousin couldn’t call on me for help with her wedding. She had to deal with Nessa, and she fucked the big day up seven ways from Sunday. No bride deserves that.”
The woman with a baby, who must have been the cousin, said, “Krys is right. She ran around behind the scenes, fixing everything that she could, helping the caterers who hadn’t been able to get into the venue early because Nessa forgot to schedule it. Sure, Nessa looks great in a designer suit, but she has the organizational skills of a glacier. Krys is on the ball and looking for issues before they happen. I have been to a wedding that she organized, and everyone was so happy and relaxed. It was fun for everyone and a truly joyous day.” The cousin sat back down.
Normic cleared his throat. “Krys, can you please stop freezing the floor?”
Krys sighed. “Fine, but ask Amy to thaw it. I can’t remove my ice. Well, not indoors.”
Amy chuckled and melted the floor and doors. “So, big reveal?”
Krys laughed. “Not hardly. I just didn’t want to be pulled up to a higher social level and leave the rest of my family behind. I like sitting with them at meetings.”
Normic looked past her, and Amy saw what was obviously his brother, shrugging. “So, niece, what are your manifestations?”
“Oh, nothing much. The ones you are concerned with are just a weather witch, I think, and a frost fairy.”
A woman in the crowd said, “There is no such thing.”
Krys transformed into a woman with ice-blue hair, blue lips, a lot of sparkles around her eyes, and two huge butterfly wings made of snowflakes and frost. “Oh, no. I don’t exist. Woe is me!” She flicked her fingers, and a frost imprint smacked the woman in the face.
Amy snorted with laughter.
The wings fluttered, and she rose and looked Normic in the eye. “So, Uncle. What do you think? Can I continue to go about the matter of taking the jobs that I have been given by the mayor, or do you want to explain that someone he didn’t pick is a better fit for his expectations? Someone who doesn’t understand the needs of the variety of races that this city offers? Derek is a racist disaster when it comes to working with the undead or night creatures. He hates certain foods and won’t include them in end-of-night buffets. A little organ meat could fix so many things.” She shook her head and kept fluttering.
Normic said, “But you know all of these things?”
“Sure. I learned it when I started working at the XIA.”
“You work at the XIA?” His voice was weak.
“Yes. You had to sign an authorization. It was a few years ago. I work there part-time, in marketing and PR.” She continued to flutter.
Amy saw someone standing and approaching Krys. She opened her mouth, but Krys shook her head. Amy watched the guy stretch out his hand to grab a wing, and when he closed his fingers around it, he started screaming a moment later and let go.
Krys smiled. “Frostbite. He also won’t be able to shift for two weeks. Serves you right, Derek.”
Normic blinked. “It’s a shift lock?”
