you can throw me if you want

[truthwright]

It turns out that there was really not much point to making a schedule. Kas and Helen visit the witch clan whenever Helen feels like it, and stay as long as she wants, and go when she wants to be somewhere else, and it all adds up to plenty more time spent with the clan than away.

After the aquarium jaunt with Ranata, it's a little more than a month before they visit the clan again.

Comments

[carillons]

Helen jumps up and claps her hands. "Petaal!" she exclaims. "You got unlost!"

Kalavar launches herself from the back of Helen's chair into Petaal's arms.

[alicornucopia]

The witches peer at this scene.

They are very confused.

[carillons]

"Where's my spinach?" says Helen. "I wanna hug him! Was he worried?"

[truthwright]

"He's back at the hotel, button," says Petaal, cuddling the now chincilla-shaped Kalavar. "I'll fly you back, c'mon."

[alicornucopia]

The witches start whispering to each other.

[truthwright]

Petaal leads Helen out of the cottage.

[carillons]

"Thank you for finding my daddy!" says Helen, waving to the two witches. "Bye now!"

[alicornucopia]

The witches decide not to follow them.

[carillons]

It's a much shorter flight back, for some reason. Maybe Petaal's cloudpine is faster. Anyway, after only a few minutes Helen can see the city in the distance.

[alicornucopia]

Back in the cottage, another small animal dies.

[carillons]

The first Helen knows of this, the branch on which she sits starts to fall out of the sky. She twists around and sees a blur of flame where Petaal should be.

[truthwright]

The flame unblurs - she's a peregrine falcon, diving to catch the falling branch - she's a witch again, clinging to the back of the cloudpine while Helen clings to the front, and their flight levels out.

"You okay, button?" she says shakily.

[carillons]

"What happened?"

[truthwright]

Petaal angles the branch up to regain lost altitude.

"Somebody's trying to kill me," she says. "But I'm very immortal."

[carillons]

...Helen can only think of one obvious suspect.

"Oh no," she says, dismayed.

[alicornucopia]

The witches are in flight, now, but they won't catch up if Petaal continues to make forward progress.

[truthwright]

Especially since Petaal's branch is considerably augmented.

They land in front of the hotel - Petaal brought enough silk with her to cover one problem area, and assumed the appropriate witch shape, so no one gives them excessive trouble while they go up to their room.

[carillons]

Where Helen immediately flings herself at Kas.

"I met these witches and they said they'd do a spell to find you but they did it in Svaaric and—"

She can't finish the sentence; she just bursts into tears.

[truthwright]

"I know," he says, hugging her and kissing the top of her head.

And he brainphones Ranata Ekamma.

[So a couple of witches just tried to kill me and take my daughter.]

[alicornucopia]

[What? Who? What clan?]

[truthwright]

[Don't know. I'd ask Helen if they told her anything, but she's busy crying.]

[Didn't see any clan tattoos,] says Petaal.

[alicornucopia]

[Where are you?]

[truthwright]

[Toronto.]

[alicornucopia]

[Most likely the Ontario clan then, but not a guarantee - do you have any idea why?]

[truthwright]

[Nope.]