Earthbound: An Otherworld Novella Read online

  I pressed my face to one of the large windows and stared into the dim space. I could see shelves lined with books and a glass counter that ran the length of the front. Feeling inexplicably excited, I turned around as Iris fit the key into the lock and opened the door.

  She glanced at me.” Welcome to your new world.”

  I stepped inside, gasping at the shelves filled with books. “We have storytellers in Otherworld, and we have our own form of books, but nothing like this. So many books…” I stared around, taking in the embarrassing wealth of visions and dreams and tales. “How can you even hope to read a quarter of all these books in a lifetime when you’re human? My mother’s people are…” My voice trailed off and I shook my head. “When I do go home, you can bet I’m taking a store’s worth of books with me.”

  “Oh, this is a fraction of the books available.” Iris laughed. “You love to read?”

  “I love stories. I love reading, storytelling, and everything that goes into it. I could never be a good storyteller—that’s not my path. But when I was little, my mother used to tell us stories. Every time our father was sent Earthside on a mission, she’d have him bring back books. She taught me to read when I was little, and I taught Menolly and Delilah.” I whirled around in the middle of the shop, my skirts swirling. “I’m so glad they assigned me this job. Maybe that freak of a boss of mine had some spark of regret in his heart, though I doubt it.”

  “Well, I’m glad that you’re happy. Come on, let’s see the rest of the place.” She led us through the store. It was all fairly basic. There was an office for me to keep accounts and business in, a storeroom, a very tiny break room, and a bathroom. The back of the store had a door leading out to an alley. And out front, a narrow staircase led upstairs to the suite of rooms Delilah would be using for her detective agency.

  We headed upstairs to the dusty suite of rooms, Iris tallying up a list of things we might need. The OIA had ensured that we had the foundation—furniture, and for the Indigo Crescent—stock. But there were no personal touches or anything to make us stand out in any way.

  “What now?” Delilah asked.

  I frowned. The OIA had really tossed us into the river without a boat. “I guess we do our best to make this work, if for no other reason than to thumb our noses at the OIA. Iris, this afternoon, would you teach me about the business? And do you know anybody who can take Delilah shopping for whatever she needs for her business?”

  Iris frowned for a moment, then brightened. “As a matter of fact, I do know someone who might be able to help. Let me give her a call.” She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. As she held it to her ear I picked up the faint ring of the bell. Another second and I could hear a faint voice echoing out of the machine.

  “Siobhan, this is Iris. I’m with a couple new transfers over from Otherworld, and one of them needs to go shopping for her office. I was wondering if you could take her because they haven’t learned to drive yet and I’m helping her sister right now…Yes, she’s Fae. A werecat…You can? That would be wonderful. We’re downtown at the Indigo Crescent. If you could meet us here, that would be great…Twenty minutes? Sounds good to me. Do you need the address?” She paused again, then said goodbye.

  “So, do cell phones work anywhere? I doubt they would work from home—Otherworld.” Most technology wouldn’t work over in Otherworld, but I really liked the idea of being able to contact my sisters no matter where any of us were.

  “Not exactly, but coverage is getting better. If you’re in the mountains or underground, or in a parking garage, you’ll usually have difficulty. But for the most part, they work fairly consistently and are getting better.” She tucked it back into her pocket and turn to Delilah. “Siobhan is a selkie. She’s with the Puget Sound Harbor Seal Pod, and is engaged to another selkie named Mitch. I think you’ll like her.”

  “Oddly enough, I think there are more selkies Earthside than in Otherworld. I’m not sure why they chose to remain over here during the Great Divide, but apparently they prefer it.” I ran my hand along the glass countertop. It was smudged and dirty. “Is there a cloth I could use to clean this glass with? I don’t like dinginess, or cobwebs or clutter. It all leads to a cluttered mind, and that muddies the atmosphere and the energy of the house as well as a person. And it muddies magic, and I don’t need my magic any more messed up than it is.”

  Iris laughed. “I think we’ll get along just fine. I’ll find something—give me a moment.” She hurried into the back. I heard the water running, and then she returned with a sponge and a spray bottle. “Here, I thought we might need this since the dirt is so embedded. I brought along a vinegar and water solution. It will cut the grease just as well as any harsh chemical.” She handed the bottle to me, showing me how to work it.

  As I began to wash the counters she found a feather duster and started dusting shelves. Delilah was busy writing up a list of what she thought she needed for her shop.

  “I’m not sure what to get, but I’m sure that I’ll find something.”

  “Do you have your check book?” I hoped she hadn’t lost it somewhere. Delilah could be a bit scatterbrained at times.

  “Right here,” she patted her pocket.

  We each had a checking account, as well as the household account. I wasn’t used to handing over scraps of paper for goods, but it wasn’t much different than our coins and gems at home. Currency was currency, regardless of the form.

  The door was open to air out the store when a man walked into the shop. I blinked. It was taking me some time to get used to seeing so many older people. Among the Fae, even the aged didn’t show it much. I was finding it hard to pinpoint what age meant over here, especially since I was older than a lot of people we had met.

  The man was about five foot ten, and what hair he had left appeared to be turning silver. He was wearing round glasses, a white button-down shirt, and a pair of grey trousers. As he stepped into the shop, a wide smile spread across his face.

  “Are you open for business yet?” He sounded excited.

  I glanced at Iris, who nodded for me to say hello.

  “Not quite, but we will be soon. My name is Camille D’Artigo, owner of the Indigo Crescent.” I held out my hand and turned on my glamour.

  One thing I had become very aware of was of the effect we had on full-blooded humans — or FBHs as the other Fae called them. It was like having charm magic on constant standby. I had found that if I closed my eyes and focused, I could rein it in, but I doubted that I could ever fully hide it. Glamour was as much a part of our nature as was breathing.

  “I’m Henry Jeffries. I suppose I’m what you would call a sci-fi geek.” He practically beamed as he took my hand, and the only thing I could sense from his energy was a happy joyful dance of light and color. Here was a man who was essentially happy. A rare find regardless of what world you lived in.

  “Well, Henry Jeffries. While we’re not officially open today, why don’t you take a look around and see what we have.” I wasn’t exactly sure what a sci-fi geek was, but I had a feeling I was going to find out.

  “If you don’t mind my asking,” he said, “are you from Otherworld?”

  The hushed tone told me he was a fan. The city of Seattle seemed to have embraced the appearance of the Fae, which meant we were suddenly thrust into the spotlight. It was going to take some getting used to—essentially, we were celebrities because of our birth place and race, rather than who we were or what we had done.

  “Yes, I am. And so is my sister here, Delilah. We have another sister named Menolly, she is a vampire and she’s asleep right now.” We had already decided not to bother trying to hide. It wouldn’t have worked, anyway.

  Henry clapped his hands. “Wonderful! I’ve never met anyone from your world before. Now, if I could just meet a unicorn. I’ve always wanted to meet a unicorn. I wonder, do you know if they really exist?”

  I caught a glimpse of Iris. She was shaking her head with a gent
le smile.

  “Yes, actually they do. In fact there’s an entire country in Otherworld where they live. By the way, allow me to introduce Iris Kuusi. She’s going to be my assistant here in the store.”

  Henry glanced over at Iris and his eyes grew wide as she proffered her hand and he reached to take it. “Miss Kuusi, my pleasure. How do you do?”

  I might be new to Earthside, but infatuation was an easy language to read, regardless of where you lived. Henry Jeffries had just developed a massive crush on Iris Kuusi. I had a feeling she was well aware of the sudden shift, because although she smiled in return, a wall rose up as she gently disengaged her hand.

  “Thank you. Now, if you’ll allow me to show you over to the science fiction section?” And within the blink of an eye she was all business, guiding him over to a section of the store. She brought him a chair so he could sit down to look at the books, then excused herself to return to the counter where she sidled close to me.

  “He’s going to be a loyal customer,” she whispered in a low tone that only Delilah and I could hear. That was one thing the Fae—and the half Fae—had on our human counterparts. We had acute hearing and could hear sounds outside of the human register. “But don’t you dare try to set me up with him.” She gave me a stormy look and I cringed. The winning little house sprite had suddenly become a formidable authority figure.

  “I promise, I promise!” I held up my hands to show that I wasn’t about to mess with her.

  “See that you don’t break your promise.” She paused, turning to the door. At that moment a slender young woman who was almost as tall as Delilah, and had hair as dark as mine, peeked into the shop. “Siobhan, you’re here. Come on in.”

  Siobhan was dressed in a linen skirt and a pink sweater. She was carrying what looked to be a leather handbag over her shoulder, and her hair was pulled back into a tidy braid. She turned her piercing blue gaze on Delilah and me, a faint smile on her lips.

  “Siobhan Morgan, meet Camille and Delilah D’Artigo. We really appreciate this. I’m trying to help Camille set up her shop and get it ready to open. Delilah needs to go on a shopping trip for her office. She may not know everything she needs, and I thought you’d be a good person to help her figure it out.” Iris paused, then added, “Delilah, Siobhan isn’t out of the closet. Her employer wouldn’t be all that supportive if he found out. So, while you’re in public, please don’t mention that she’s a selkie.”

  Delilah nodded as I extended my hand Siobhan. Her grip was cool and calm.

  She motioned to the door. “Do you mind if we get started? I can give you three hours before I have to leave for a meeting. But that should be enough to take care of some of the basics. Welcome to Earthside, ladies. I hope—I truly hope—that you enjoy your stay.” Her smile blossomed wider, lighting up her face.

  Delilah collected her things and, with a last glance at me, followed Siobhan out the door as Iris and I returned to the flurry of cleaning and warding the shop.

  Two hours later, we were relaxing with coffee as loud voices echoed from outside and Siobhan burst through the door, looking ready to murder somebody. Her dress was covered with mud and grass stains. Delilah followed her, sputtering, covered with speckles of blood and feathers.

  “I said I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean to!” She flashed me a guilty look.

  Siobhan whirled, leaning back against one of the counters. “Don’t you have any restraint at all?”

  “I couldn’t help it! Honestly, it wasn’t like I decided, oh look, there’s a gaggle of geese, let’s go rile them up.”

  It was at that point that I noticed that Siobhan had a number of small gashes on her legs, and both of them had bites on their hands. Delilah also had a cut across her forehead. Iris took one look at the pair and burst out laughing. She shook her head as they both turned on her.

  “Wait here, I’ll get the first aid kit.” Still chuckling, she headed toward the back.

  I leaned back in one of the chairs I had found in the back storeroom. “Do I dare ask what happened?”

  “You didn’t tell me your sister wasn’t trained. We were over at DelTora, the shopping center. They have a man-made lake there. Well, it’s really a pond, but who’s counting? Anyway, they have geese, and the geese get along just fine with everybody.”

  “Geese never get along with anybody, they’re mean.” Iris returned with the first aid kit and began opening bandages and tubes of ointment.

  “Regardless of the nature of geese, they weren’t bothering anybody. That is, until Delilah got it into her head to go hunting. We were standing there, discussing where to go next, and the next thing I know, she turned into a cat and waded into the flock, trying to pounce on the geese. I tried to catch her, and that’s when the geese attacked both of us. I managed to scoop her up, but before I could do anything, she turned back into herself in my arms, knocking me off balance and sending us both toppling to the ground with her on top of me. My dress is ruined. I have to go home and change, which means I’m going to be late to my meeting, and to top off the afternoon, we were both banned from the Plaza.”

  She had worked herself into a fine froth, but I couldn’t help it. I started to laugh, holding my stomach as I bent over from the waist. It sounded so ridiculous that I totally lost it. Iris tried to repress a snicker, but a moment later she had joined me, cackling loudly.

  Siobhan glared at us, but then, Delilah spit out a feather and started to laugh, too. Siobhan crossed her arms over her chest, but as angry as she was, even she couldn’t resist. Another moment and she was in tears, laughing so hard.

  “Good heavens, it was such a mess.” Siobhan wiped her eyes, trying to catch her breath. “I can’t believe the spectacle we made of ourselves.”

  “Did you see the older gentleman? The one who was shaking his cane at us?” Delilah threw her arm around Siobhan’s shoulders. “He was so nasty.”

  “Actually, I think he was shaking his cane at the geese,” Siobhan said. “He was a leering at you.”

  Iris motioned for me to go get two more chairs for Delilah and Siobhan. As they sat, she began to tend to their wounds while I picked feathers off of my sister. We decided the day was done and, after Siobhan left for home, the three of us headed out to forage. The food over Earthside was tasty, but it didn’t seem to fill me up.

  Chapter 5

  Shortly after Delilah and I arrived home, Menolly woke. The house still echoed, compounded by the lack of furniture. As we sat around the folding card table, wondering what to do, it occurred to me that we had to start acclimating more quickly so we wouldn’t be at loose ends all the time.

  “Well, at least we know Siobhan now. I think you’d like her, Menolly. She’s reserved, but nice. Though I hope that she’s not hurting too much because of those damned geese.” Delilah stared at the ceiling.

  “I’d go into work but it’s my evening off and Jocko would just send me home. Anyway, I can’t drive there, and I don’t feel like walking.”

  “I suppose we could call Chase to come over and talk. We know him. He talked about you all the time I was there, Camille.” Delilah glanced over at me with a grin on her face. Over the intervening days it’d become obvious that Chase had a thing for me, and while he was nice enough, I was getting annoying when he stared at my boobs and made subtle innuendos.

  “Oh yes, I would just love that. We have Iris’s number. We could call her.”

  “She put up with us all day, I don’t think we want to inflict ourselves on her tonight. I can’t believe we’re bored. We’re in a totally new world and have nothing to do. This is pathetic.” She paused, then jumped up. “We could watch TV!”

  Menolly and I groaned. Over the past few evenings Delilah had gotten herself hooked on The Jerry Springer Show. It was as bad as some of the circus acts in the bazaars back in Otherworld, only televised rather than live. But Delilah had developed a crush on the host, and she practically drooled over him.

  “Only if
it’s a show other than your hot to trot fantasy crush. No, let’s do something else.” I walked over to the window, staring outside. It was windy. Blustery, really, but the rain had subsided and the moon had broken through the clouds. “Let’s go for a walk. We know there’s a pond on our land. Let’s go down and check it out.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Menolly said. “I need to drink soon, though.” Her voice dropped, and she sounded almost embarrassed. Back in Otherworld, our father had forbade her to drink at the table or anywhere in his presence. In fact, he had forbid her to even talk about needing blood.

  I glanced over it Delilah, who was staring at the ground looking as sad as I was.

  “I’m going to propose something,” I said. “This is our house. So I’m making a rule. From now on, when you need to drink, you drink without feeling like you have to hide it. There’s bottled blood here, and neither Delilah nor I will get upset. So when you’re thirsty, go to the damned refrigerator, grab a bottle, and drink. Delilah and I are big girls. We know you’re vampire, it’s not like you’re trying to hide it. Does that work for you?” I turned to Delilah.

  “It’s fine with me. As long as you don’t offer me any.”

  “Well, as long as you don’t offer me part of a mouse if you catch it. I still don’t understand how you can eat those things.” But Menolly was smiling—a genuine smile, not the faint agreement that she usually made.

  Delilah and I bundled up against the chill—Menolly didn’t have to—and we headed outside.

  The porch off the kitchen led into the backyard. The house sat on five acres. A few weeks ago that would have seemed like a small parcel of land, but since we arrived and had seen a good share of the city, it now seemed extremely generous.

  We wandered through the backyard, Delilah holding a flashlight. I glanced up at the moon and froze. She was heading toward full, beautiful and silvery in her light. I raised my hand feeling like I could almost reach out and touch her.