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“Well, Port Townsend is a lovely town, though quirky. Beneath that veneer, however, there are several deep scars. It’s satisfactory for my needs, though. Starlight Hollow is too steeped in the woodland for me to consider living here. I feel rather claustrophobic.”
While she was speaking, I managed to get hold of myself and I flashed her a smile as she looked at me. “Well, we’ll have to have a party, then, once you’re moved in.”
“There’s no need for that, however I do plan on hosting high tea once a month. You will be required to attend. I’ll make certain it falls on one of your free days.” She paused, then added, “Don’t think that I don’t know how worried this makes you. You’re afraid I’m going to cramp your style and try to mold you in my image. However, while I can’t promise that I won’t offer advice, I’m not here to disrupt your life, my girl.”
“Yes, Grams.” I paused, then decided to address my worries later. “Where are you going to live? You said you bought a house?”
“I did. I bought a house on 58thStreet, overlooking the water. It’s not what I’m used to—it’s smaller than the family home—but it will be fine for me and for whoever I hire as an assistant.” Grams pushed her soup bowl back. “I’ll have you up to visit once I’m settled in.”
I froze. “I haven’t visited Port Townsend since I moved.”
Grams gave me a look that I wasn’t sure I wanted to see again. “Youwillvisit me there. Now, I’m old and it’s time for my nap. Feel free to do whatever it is you do this time of day. When do we eat dinner? I’ll want time to dress.”
“Dress for dinner?” The thought of visiting Port Townsend had thrown me into a tizzy, and now she wanted me to dress for dinner. Because ifshewas dressing for dinner, it meant we wereallgoing to dress.
“For heaven’s sake, you aren’t hard of hearing, are you?” Grams stood and, waving her cane, added, “Of course, we’ll dress for dinner. It’s the civilized thing to do. Now, what time do we eat?”
“Six, I guess. Seven? When do you want dinner? I’m flexible.” I ate when I was hungry rather than following a schedule, but Grams had always led a formal lifestyle.
“Seven will do. I’ll set my alarm for four and then I’ll unpack, have a wash, and be ready for the evening. Have a good afternoon, my dear. And as for you, Sir Fancypants, I look forward to our next round of chess.”
“And I, too, look forward to the game!” Fancypants perked up.
Grams disappeared into the living room. I peeked after her, in time to see her vanish into the guest room and shut the door behind her. A moment later, I dropped into my seat with a deep breath. The afternoon had been exhausting. I felt like I was in a dog show, and she was the main judge. My ears weren’t right, my coat wasn’t shiny enough,so manythings found wanting.
And yet, Grams loved me. She cared. I could feel the connection between us in my bones. Oddly enough, I’d never felt this with my mother, and that didn’t seem right. But there it was. And here I was. And Grams was moving to Port Townsend, and everything was about to change. I carried the lunch dishes to the sink and rinsed them, then stacked them in the dishwasher.
Deciding I needed a walk, I grabbed my walking stick and slid into sneakers, then headed out, Fancypants sitting on my shoulder. Maybe May could help me process everything that had gone on. I dropped her a text and she saidcome on over, so I steered us toward the trailhead that led through the thicket to May’s house, wishing it was time for Grams to go home.
CHAPTERTHREE
The forest calmed me down.Every time I felt on edge, if I could get to a thicket or a park and walk in silence, my feathers would unruffle. Of course, now with a serial killer on the loose, there was always a sense of trepidation that I couldn’t shake. There was no reason to believe he’d avoid private property, and the thicket between May’s house and mine was wooded enough to offer shelter, and give him an opportune place to strike. Then again, there wouldn’t be as many people out here as there would in a park. But even that thought offered scant comfort.
Fancypants flew off my shoulder and spiraled into the air, stretching his wings. He flew ahead of me, hovering lightly about six feet off the ground.
“What does it feel like to fly?” I asked.
“Freedom. It’s so freeing to be able to resist gravity. Although, my wings do get tired after awhile. I don’t know how birds do it—flying thousands of miles when they migrate. I know they can stay aloft for months on end, and some birds are in the air most of their lives.”
“Their bones are hollow,” I said. “I read that it acts as though they have extra lung capacity.” I tried to imagine it—life in the air, never touching ground. There were probably some birds that never touched the earth a day in their lives. The thought both boggled my mind, yet made me wonder what it would be like—to spend my life among the air currents.
“How long canyoustay aloft?” I asked.
“Several hours. Now, a dragonette bound to the air can stay on the wing longer. Our connections to the elements bind us into those spheres. If I’m traveling a long ways, it’s easier for me to travel into Sescernaht and travel between the worlds.”
I nodded. Sescernaht was the space between worlds where dragons and all their ilk gathered. It was like a wormhole world, but dragons were the only ones who could shift into that realm.
At that moment, we came to the border dividing May’s property from mine, and I turned onto the trail leading to her house. May’s property felt different than mine. She had poured magic into the land for decades, and it was super charged. While she was more of a kitchen-witch, May was still a formidable spellcaster.
The trail, like the path on my side of the thicket, led through open grass. The yard was huge, though I suspected that on the other side, she had less front yard than me. Beds of roses dotted the lawn, along with a patch of wild flowers. A large garden—easily twenty times the size of my kitchen garden—took up a good share of the back yard. A small orchard of fruit trees lay off to our right, further toward the front. The pond was on the other side of her house. During extremely cold winters, it froze over so that you could skate on it, and in summer, while it wasn’t large, the pond was big enough to splash around in.
May was out back, weeding in her kitchen garden. I didn’t see Bran anywhere.
“Hey,” I said, waving to catch her attention.
She looked up. “Hey,” she answered, removing the straw hat she was wearing and wiping her brow. “Let’s go inside. It’s starting to warm up. You want some coffee?”
I licked my lips. “Am I ever one to say no to coffee?”
