CHAPTER FOUR
TEREZA
The dead travel fast.
Damn them. Her neck hadn’t stopped prickling since she’d fled.
The hardest part of running for her life was deciding when, or if, it was safe to stop. And if she did stop, how long could she stay? How much of a lead did she have? Did she have any distance from her pursuers at all?
She’d tried to leave a confusing trail so Valo couldn’t guess her plan, and therefore her ultimate destination, and get ahead of her.
Bleary-eyed, and way past exhausted, Tereza drove until the thick woods, mountains, and volcanoes of PNW Territory filled her windshield. Turning into a scenic pullout, she uncurled her fingers from the steering wheel and slumped in her seat.
“We’re close, Goliath.”
The cat didn’t mind the extensive road trip, although sometimes he moped, like he was now. He watched her with his big, sad, green eyes.
Tereza stroked his soft fur. “I miss her, too.”
His deep, throaty purr filled the car.
It was four in the morning. As badly as she wanted to find the sanctuary, it was too risky to drive around in the dark on snowy, icy, and unfamiliar roads.
It wasn’t like her GPS could give her directions. All she could do was keep going. If she hit Port Storm, she’d stop for a couple of days and ask around.
It was a human city, but there was an Other World presence there. Surely someone would know where the sanctuary was.
Tereza needed some time to think things through. She took a deep breath. Cash was low. She’d used a big chunk of it to buy used cars three times. Her credit cards had been tossed after buying multiple airline and bus tickets to places she’d never set foot in.
Who knew what Valo could do? With his powers of compulsion, he was capable of just about anything. But it would take some time for him to track down her false trails.
She hoped.
Work, and a safe place to stay. Those were the priorities. She needed to find a job and lay low in a place far off the beaten track.
There’d been a town a couple of miles back, and that was as good a place to start as any. She turned the car around.
Ten miles later, she entered Bandrui’s Grove. It was more of a village with an old fashioned atmosphere that immediately appealed to her. There was magic here. It wasn’t the sanctuary she’d heard about, but felt safe all the same.
She could let her guard down for a few hours and get some decent sleep.
Fortunately, someone was stirring at the first B&B she saw. Tereza checked in, set Goliath up with everything he needed, and slept the entire morning, through to the afternoon. She woke rested and ravenous. When was the last time she’d eaten more than a snack as she drove? Before she’d started this crazy cross-country trip.
She headed for a nearby pub to refuel her body. A burst of warm air, magic, and laughter greeted her as she opened the door.
“Hello!” an unseen woman called. A sleek dark head popped up from behind the bar. “Take a seat anywhere and I’ll be right with you as soon as I’m done wrestling this cask into place.”
“Thanks.” Tereza picked up a menu, made her way farther into the pub, and chose a small table by the front window. A few people gave her curious glances, but no one stared or bothered her.
Prices were surprisingly reasonable. She could treat herself tonight, even with her low cash reserve. Breakfast for a late lunch, though? Or an early dinner? Did milkshakes go with breakfast? Ice cream was practically a food group for a winter Iele.
A bundle of silverware rolled in a napkin and a glass of ice water thumped onto the table, making Tereza jump. She lowered the menu.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I’m Maja. Can I get you something to drink?” The dark-haired woman from behind the bar wore a black apron over her jeans, a t-shirt that read “Bandrui’s Pub” on it, and a friendly smile. Her eyes were such a dark purple they were almost black.
“The water is fine, thanks. I’m ready to order, if that’s okay.” Tereza’s stomach chose that second to growl. She grinned ruefully and pressed one hand to her middle.
“No worries. We wouldn’t want to risk that beast escaping and endangering the other patrons.” Maja winked and pulled her ticketbook from an apron pocket. “Although, I can think of one or two I wouldn’t mind seeing getting chased a little.”
Tereza found herself smiling. It made her face feel strange, but good. “I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake, please.”
Maja jotted the order down. “You got it.” She turned to walk away.
“Is the pub hiring?” The question came out as a surprise to Tereza. But it seemed like a nice enough place, and she had to start looking for work somewhere.
“Not at the moment, but you can leave an application if you like. Never know when something might open up.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
Maja delivered an application form along with the milkshake and a basket of bread.
While she waited for her food, Tereza filled out the application. Not wanting to miss out on any possibilities, she listed everything she’d ever been, except for Winter Iele.
Waitress. Receptionist. Bookstore clerk. Valet. Dog walker. Cashier.
Maja delivered Tereza’s order and picked up the application. “You have bookstore experience. I know of a job opening. It’s more of a librarian job, but the pay is good, and since it’s so far from anywhere, they’re including on-site housing. Does that sound interesting?”
It sounded too good to be true. Tereza tried not to get her hopes up. “I have a cat.”
“I’m sure that would be all right as long as he’s an indoor cat.” Maja laughed. “They like animals, but the job is on a ranch, and you never know what kind of animals might be wandering around.”
“Goliath is definitely an indoor cat.”
“Perfect. You eat, and I’ll give my friend a call.”
The food tasted better than anything Tereza had ever eaten.
Maja returned a few moments later and held out a piece of paper. “My friend Nascha is happy to talk to you this evening, if you have time.”
“I do!” Tereza couldn’t stop herself nodding like a bobblehead. “That’s perfect.”
“Good. I wrote out the directions and her phone number. Sometimes these back roads can be tricky to navigate, and cellphones aren’t reliable everywhere.”
Tereza hurried through the rest of her meal, thanked Maja, paid her bill, and all but ran to the B&B.
She pulled a burner phone from her luggage and dialed Nascha’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Nascha. This is Tereza. I —”
“Oh! I’m glad to hear from you. Do you want to come out tonight? You can stay here, even if you don’t take the job. I want to show you what you’re in for, rather than try to explain over the phone.”
“Yes. That’s fine. Maja gave me directions. I can leave now. I, uh, I have my cat.”
“Bring him. I’ll leave word at the main gate, and they’ll explain where to go once you arrive. See you soon!”
As Tereza drove out of Bandrui’s Grove, the uneasy sensation returned. They must have really strong wards around the whole place. Something to remember in case she needed a place to hide later.
She drove past the viewpoint from that morning and followed the road around to the left. From one mile to the next, the uneasy sensation was replaced by a warm, safe sensation.
The ranch must be part of the sanctuary!
Maja’s directions were perfect, and it wasn’t long before Tereza pulled up to the gate to Utopia Ranch, where a shadowy figure in a pickup truck with tires the size of Tereza’s car waited.
A window rolled down and a striking woman leaned her head out. “Hi! I’m Nascha. Welcome to the ranch.”
She waved for Tereza to follow, and led the way to a long building where she stopped and got out.
Feeling ridiculous in her little car next to the monster truck, Tereza parked, put Goliath in his carrier, and joined Nascha as she unlocked the door, and reached in to flip on the lights.
The space contained rows of empty shelves and a few scattered tables and chairs. One long table held a collection of books, scrolls, animal skins, and tablets of clay and stone.
Tereza’s heart sank. “I’m sorry. I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I worked in a bookstore, but I don’t know anything about conservation of things like these. I mean. I know to wear gloves and handle them carefully, but that’s about it.”
“Oh.” Nascha shook her head. “We have someone who specializes in that area coming for those. We stumbled across a cave full of the stuff. It was flooding when we found these. I’m afraid we weren’t exactly gentle with them.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Fill these shelves with books, of course. I want to create a library for everyone who lives around here. We’re so remote, not all of us can make it into Port Storm very often. We’ll need everything from school books for students of all grades and for all subjects, to best sellers, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and whatever else you think might be of interest.”
A huge weight lifted from Tereza’s shoulders and she smiled. “Now that is definitely something I can help with.”
“You’re hired.” Nascha clapped her hands. “We have decent enough internet and cell service around here, but there are some parts of the ranch without electricity at all. We had a meeting, and the vote was for actual books. So we cleared this place out.”
“I can start first thing in the morning.”
“Then I’d better show you where you’re going to live so you can get some rest.”
Nascha locked up, handed they key to Tereza, and climbed into her huge truck. The engine rumbled to life as Tereza slid into her car. Tereza reached to close the door when a pine scent reached her on a breeze. She inhaled, breathing in a unique make scent along with the pine.
Her head snapped up and around, zeroing in on a shadow in a stand of trees. Rather than making her nervous, Tereza had an inexplicable desire to run straight to that shadow.
Stop it. You know better than anyone what sort of things live in shadows.
Resolutely, she pulled the car door shut and slid her key into the ignition.
A long dormant side of her surged toward the surface in protest. Sharp stabs of pain lanced her abdomen, and she doubled over with a gasp. Her father’s magic had never fought to emerge like this before.
What did it mean? Tereza twisted in her seat to peer into the shadows. Her hand landed on the door handle. It was like whatever was in the shadow was a magnet she was helpless to resist.
Nascha broke the spell with a honk of her horn.
Tereza shook herself out of her stupor, and followed Nascha’s old pickup down a dirt road, stopping in front of a cottage right out of a storybook.
Nascha jumped out of her truck with a box in her arms. She hefted it. “Some basics for the night. Milk. Bread. Cheese. Eggs. That sort of thing. Everything fresh and produced on the ranch.”
“That’s wonderful.” Another plus. If she could get everything she needed without going into a town or city, she could remain hidden under one more veil.
The A-frame cottage wasn’t huge, but it was adorable. There was even a small garden.
Inside, the kitchen was fully equipped. A couch and coffee table sat in front of a red brick fireplace. The bathroom was tiny and only had a shower, but she could swim in a lake, and there was a flushing toilet rather than a hole in the ground. A loft space held the bedroom.
“It’s not much.” Nascha sounded almost apologetic. “We can find you a room in someone’s house if you’d prefer to be more central, but this is more private, and definitely a lot quieter.”
“No need! I love it.” The idea of living in someone else’s space didn’t sit well.
Nascha smiled. “I’ll let you get settled in then. Oh, one more thing. Make sure to keep your cat inside, and neither of you should wander around after dark. We’re close to the National Park, and there are animals that roam through the property pretty frequently. Better to be safe.”
“That’s fine. Goliath is an indoor cat. He wouldn’t know what to do outside anyway. And I’m a morning person, so I like to go to bed early.”
“I’ll do a grocery run tomorrow to stock your cupboards. Text me a list if you want anything in particular or have any allergies.”
Tereza nodded, unable to hold back a yawn. After the stress of being on the run, she wanted to sleep for a week.
“I’ll get out of your hair for now. There’s a radio in the charger. It’s already on the correct channel. If you want anything tonight, just use radio, and someone will bring whatever you need.”
“Thank you, Nascha. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all this.”
“We are exactly what the other needs, so things have worked out for both of us.” Nascha waved and headed for her car.
The door to Tereza’s new home closed and she let out a breath. Freeing Goliath, she moved to the window and peered out.
The moon hung low over the hills, dripping pale light on the forest. The air was perfumed by evergreens and wintry air. The grandeur of the scene spoke of time — eons of it. This was the perfect place.
Even with her eyes closed, she felt the rightness of it. This place could become her home. A snowy owl wheeled overhead, and its gentle hooting was like a welcome.