Familiar Shadows: A tale from the Federal Witch Universe (Standard of Honor) Read online

  Dascha’s curiosity won over her sense of offense. Looking back at the witch, she saw that Glenfrey had stretched out and placed his head with its vicious beak carefully over the shoulder of the human. His raptor eyes, almost glowing gold in the subtle light of the room pinned her with his attention. His gaze intertwined with the stare of his human partner. She could’ve sworn that the human had blue eyes. But now his also had a golden glow. The young cat was totally weirded out. This was not what she had deduced from listening to the rest of her clowder. This was very different. It was not slavery, it was something else.

  <<<>>>

  The bonded pair had asked her many questions. They were intensely curious about her upbringing, her family, and the events that had led up to Glenfrey’s rescue of her. For the most part, they listen quietly, interspersed with an occasional question.

  The only time there was a major sense of excitement from them was when Dascha mentioned that she had tried to catch the strings in the air, the ones that had sparked her paws.

  << What did you see? >> demanded Glenfrey.

  << I saw glowing lines that stretch from cloud to cloud and from clouds down to the ground. They were in all sorts of different colors, and I kept trying to hook them with my claws. I could touch them, but they wouldn’t hold me. And every time that I ran my claws through one of them, it sparked into my feet and zipped up my body. >>

  Dascha could hear that same quiet rumble in the background that she had come to know meant that Glenfrey and Henley were talking to each other. Even though she knew that they were talking to each other, she could not hear exactly what they were saying. She was forced to wait for them to tell her what they wanted her to know, but that itch of curiosity was driving her crazy.

  “Tell me again what colors you saw in the threads in the air. You may have to be patient with me because humans and cats do not see colors in the same way,” began Henley. Continuing, he said, “I’m most interested in the major colors and what sorts of things they connected.”

  << The lines that ran from cloud to cloud were mostly shades of white. Some of them were darker than others, and I did see some that looked almost black. The lines that connected the ground in the clouds were primarily blue and green. They ranged from a light blue to almost a purple. There were a couple of them that were very thick and very purple, but those were attached to the clouds that were darker in color. >>

  “Were there any other lines or colors that you saw?”

  << There were some red lines that connected Glenfrey to some of the clouds, I think. But I’m not sure they were exactly connected to the clouds. It seems like some of them actually went sort of into the middle of the air and they formed a little spot where they ended up. >>

  Once again, the two males seemed excited, and Dascha could hear the mental whispering that indicated that they were talking to each other. They were not telling the confused cat what they were so excited about, but she knew that something significant had been said. Taking a very cat-like attitude toward the whole thing, she refused to ask them. If they were going to be sticky about that sort of thing, she wasn’t going to oblige them by saying how curious she was.

  Finally, it seemed like their consultation was over. Dascha gave herself a luxurious stretch, paws down, tail and butt up in the air, making sure that all of her muscles had that wonderful feeling of being used. She definitely felt better than she thought she would. With that thought, she stopped in shock. She remembered being wounded, having a sharp memory of how it felt to have her body pierced, blood flowing down her leg. Twisting around, she looked back at her left hip. There was no wound! There wasn’t even a problem with her fur. There was no mark, nor mar in her beautiful coat. The dense plush coat that was her heritage as a Russian blue was as perfect as it was before being attacked by the tawny eagle.

  Giving a small meow in surprise, Dascha tried to spin around and see if the other wound on her back was also healed. Unfortunately, it was impossible for her to see that no matter how limber she was.

  A small sound of amusement caused her head to whip up and her gaze to latch onto the witch. He had a small smile on his face, and his eyes gleamed a brilliant blue.

  “Yes, little one. You are all healed up. Glenfrey got you back here fast enough that I was able to heal you with no scars or nasty markings to detract from your beauty.”

  There was no mockery in the witch’s eyes, no derision. That lack of any form of ridicule and the compliments about her beauty were enough that what came out of Dascha’s mental mouth was far different than what she had planned.

  << Thank you. It hurt so much that I tried to block it out of my mind. I had never been that injured before. >>

  “Part of that was me, and the rest was Glenfrey. It takes both of us to heal, without him I’m not a very good healer.”

  Dascha’s mouth dropped open in shock. It was as if her brain was skittering around the inside of her skull like a frantic mouse trying to escape. She couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that the witch was admitting that Glenfrey participated.

  << So Glenfrey’s a healer? That does not make any sense to me. >>

  “Not exactly. We both have some skills in the area of caring for others. And we found early that our bond helps to put those skills together. When we do, it combines us to make one fairly competent healer. I can’t channel the energy necessary for healing. But Glenfrey can channel that energy and I can apply it. Luckily, you had both of us.”

  Without another word, Dascha made her way across the floor into a spot of sunlight that warmed the floor by one of the windows. Curling up in the warmth, she turned thoughts over in her mind. This is not what she had heard her whole life. It was not what she had expected. This was a partnership, not a master and slave relationship.

  She had much to think of.

  <<<>>>

  The sun had moved further up in the sky, pulling the warm spot away from the contemplating cat. The cooling of the floor was the only thing that alerted Dascha to the passage of time. She had spent the whole morning examining her thoughts on witches and familiars from a different perspective.

  Her mental balance felt shaky this morning. Something that she thought of as fact appeared to not be real. Maybe it was a fact for some people and not others. Things like this just made her fur fluff out. She was irritated, like when there was an itch that she couldn’t scratch.

  << Humph, I guess I’ll have to think about it later. >>

  << Then come on out, little cat. It’s a nice day and perfect for exploring what you can and can’t do. >>

  << I suppose that would be a good thing to do, Glenfrey. I will be right out. >>

  << <> >>

  The giant eagle was perched on a carved thick pole that was central to a clearing in the front of the house. Dascha was surprised to see that the house was all by itself. Every other human she had ever seen lived by more humans.

  Her perusal and confusion must have been apparent because Glenfrey gave a low raspy sound that she knew now was the equivalent of his laughter.

  << The kind of witch that Henley is, finds it difficult to live well close to others. Their emotions and feelings cause him headaches and wear him out. He and I both like open spaces and fewer people. >>

  << Isn’t it dangerous for him to live by himself? >>

  << Possibly, but no one has ever attacked here yet. Most the people in the area are very unsure about male witches. Henley has always been different from the others and so having him live someplace away from them, but still accessible makes the people in the area happier than if he lived in the village with them. Plus which, for some reason, they get a little nervous when I fly overhead. >>

  Dascha looked at the imposing bird. She remembered the 9-foot wing spread and his powerful dives. Shivering at the memory of the tawny eagle’s attack, she said, << Obviously, they are concerned about nothing. Right? >>

  << Very good little one! We will teach you how to be appropriately snarky one of these days. >>
/>   Dascha sprang up on top of a small pile of rocks directly in front of where the eagle was perched. Tilting her head to one side, she asked Glenfrey, << What do you expect me to do now? >>

  << <> >>

  Glenfrey and Dascha spent several hours exploring the cat’s ability to see the aether lines. They stopped only when Dascha was trembling with exhaustion. At the beginning of the session, it felt as if her eyes had been ripped open as she concentrated. Scintillating pain ran from her head to every edge of her body. It was if her vision had somehow altered when she wasn’t awake. She couldn’t identify exactly what was different, but everything she saw had a clarity and sharpness that had never been part of her experience before.

  She could see the different colored lines now even though most of them were far up in the sky. Dascha could see some of them as they connected clouds. The connections look like very thin ropes, almost threads, from a distance. Remembering how thick they were when she was up among them, Dascha knew that those lines were a long way away. She couldn’t reach out and touch them now, but she remembered how touching them felt. The shock going through her paw, through her claws, and down to the center of her head and chest.

  She knew the Glenfrey was pleased with her progress. He kept giving a contented little chirp that did not match well with his immense size. He almost sounded like a baby bird when he did that, although she was careful to keep that thought out of her mind. Cats have a very acute understanding of appropriateness. Especially when it concerns their continued existence.

  << That’s enough for now, Dascha. You are tired, and it does not provide any good practice for someone to work past exhaustion. You only start to make mistakes then, and you get unpredictable results. >>

  << As you wish, although I could probably keep practicing a little while longer. >>

  << Unintended coincidences and effects result when you push magical learning. Give your body a chance to recover, and we will try this again tomorrow. In the meantime, Henley and I have some things that we need to do. >>

  The small cat dropped down to the ground. It was a graceless landing, all fumbling feet, and clumsy tail. Dascha was pleased that Glenfrey did not say anything. Especially not “I told you so” or something of that ilk. Stretching her spine upward and then out, the Russian blue cat looked over at the patient eagle and asked, << May I watch what the two of you do or should I give you some privacy? >>

  Once again, she felt that mental susurration that meant that Henley and Glenfrey were talking. The witch emerged through the open door and addressed her directly with a smile, “We are just going to do some weather maintenance. It’s picky work, but you won’t hurt anything by watching us.”

  Finding a comfortable place in the grass, Dascha settled in to be entertained. What she got was both entertainment and education rolled into one.

  Henley raised his arms out in front of himself palms up and moved his hands slowly apart until they were at right angles roughly in line with the shoulders. A pool of quiet came into being around them. It was like coming through dense underbrush and suddenly finding yourself beside a calm pool of water. There was a stillness in that center that eased the soul and focused the mind. Dascha could feel her tensions, her aches, and her disquiet dissipating in that pool. All the tension of the day floated away from her, leaving her alert but calm.

  She could see the effects of that same influence on the other two. Tension lines that she hadn’t even noticed on Henley’s face relaxed and went away. Glenfrey’s stiffly held tail relaxed and draped more naturally over the back of his perch. There was an almost audible ping of “Ready” in the air, and Dascha saw the glowing ropes spring into being, tying familiar to the witch and witch to the familiar.

  These ropes were different. The one that ran from Glenfrey to Hanley was wild blues and purples swirling down the length of the rope. It was especially strong in its appearance and reminded her of Glenfrey’s tone, the wild beat of his wings, and the rush of exhilaration that she knew that he felt in the air.

  The ropes that went from the witch to familiar had more greens and browns. It smelled like the forest to her. The warmth of growing things, the freshness of new growth. It also was a very thick line, one that would be very difficult to break. Just seeing it made her feel energized, grounded. Once again, she could see the effect of that connection. Glenfrey seemed to grow bigger, his posture straightening. Henley also straightened his stance, looking years younger than he had just a few seconds ago.

  The witch continued his motions, slowly bringing his hands back together in front of him. Henley cupped them together and made a tossing motion into the air.

  Dascha couldn’t stop the little sound of a kitten-like meow that escaped out of her mouth. Glenfrey took off from his perch with one massive beat of his giant wings. Like an arrow shot from a bow, the giant eagle headed directly toward one of the clouds that Dascha could see in the distance. It was the cloud with the thickest line, one that was connected to a large number of other clouds. Glenfrey flew like a large bolt released, straight for that cloud.

  No longer was the clearing in the front of the house full of quiet. It no longer reminded Dascha of the noiseless forest but instead hummed with power and the heat of energy. It was like a heater on a cold day, warming both witch and cat with its power.

  That power poured out of the witch through the cable to his familiar. The power he fed to Glenfrey seemed not to tire the witch it all. Dascha could see a pool of light that was just on the edge of her vision and puddled around the witch’s feet. The puddle was slowly going into the witch. Dascha realized with a start that Henley was barefoot in the dirt. Legs planted in a level stance on the ground, the disappearing energy seem to be routed from the witch’s hands directly to Glenfrey. The rope was very strong now between the two of them, the line thick.

  Glenfrey had reached the cloud. He stretched out a claw, grabbing a part of the cloud in his talons. Performing an almost impossible flip in the air, the giant eagle started flying away from Dascha and Henley. As he flew the clouds went with him.

  Dascha heard Hanley start to gasp. Small little gasps, as if he was working particularly hard at something. Looking over at him in concern, she noticed that there were small trickles of moisture dripping down the side of his face.

  The witch closed his eyes. He was concentrating very intensely on something, and Dascha could see his lips move in silent speech. There was no sound of his communication with Glenfrey, so Dascha assumed at this point that he was saying the words of a spell. She wanted no part of that, and so she didn’t try to make sense out of the motions of his mouth.

  She watched him intently. Under that scrutiny, she knew the instant that Glenfrey was done with whatever he was doing. The relief and relaxation that came over Henley’s face were all that she needed to know.

  Looking up in the air, she was unsurprised therefore to see that Glenfrey had headed back. The clouds that he had moved were obediently staying to the south of them. The giant bird was flying faster than she had ever seen him go before. As he got closer to his witch, another rope connection, another aether line sprang into being from the eagle down to his waiting bond mate.

  Dascha could see what look like little bubbles traveling down the line from Glenfrey to Hanley. The exhausted magic user appeared to recover a little of his energy as the bubbles traveled to him.

  The eagle was coming in for a landing and Dascha could feel his presence. It was like a form of ultimate stability. One of her aunt’s favorite sayings came to mind, “If rocks had wings then mountains would never fall.” The idea of a flying rock had never made sense to Dascha before. Looking at Glenfrey, that’s exactly what she felt in his presence. A rock solid, dependable part of Henley’s universe.

  There just had to be a way of working the concept of a flying rock into their conversation.

  << Let them chew on that idea. >>

  Chapter 3

  The exhaustion of the day before had given rise to an early night and
a simple supper. Henley had headed to bed promptly and had risen with the dawn. He seemed uneasy and couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything specific. Glenfrey had gone out hunting in the early morning and returned looking sated and content. Now he watched his witch with concern.

  << What is wrong, Glenfrey? >> Dascha asked.

  << I don’t know, and judging from the way he’s acting right now, neither does he. >>

  << Then perhaps you better look around and see what’s making him so uneasy. >>

  Both the eagle and the witch turned and stared at the cat. Henley was the first to find his voice, “Out of the mouth of babes!”

  Without any other comment, Glenfrey sprang into the air. A few seconds and a few wing beats later he was high above the cottage circling. Once again Dascha saw the strong connection between the two partners. This time, there was only one connection between the two of them. It looked a different color this time, a mixture of blue green and a little bit of red.