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]

"Yeah," she says. "I'm just really scared."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay. Don't you open up the door until you see Castarilan at the window telling you it's okay, all right? Call the front desk from the hotel room, and tell them that some witches from another clan cursed your daddy, but that someone from your clan is on the way, and they shouldn't let any witches except me in, tell them Castarilan's a broad-tailed hummingbird."

[carillons]

"I'll do that," says Helen. She gets out of bed and finds the phone and calls the front desk.

[alicornucopia]

"Are you still - how are you talking to me?" Ranata asks. There are the sounds of silk tying on and cloud-pine brushing against and lifting from the floor.

[carillons]

"I dunno," she says to Ranata, "I can just do that, it's a magic thing," and she explains the situation to the front desk person. She doesn't know how to make her voice heard where Ranata is and over the phone at the same time, so Ranata does not get to hear what she's saying to them.

[alicornucopia]

The front desk person agrees not to let any witches past the lobby unless they have broad-tailed hummingbird daemons, and asks if Helen wants a staff person to come sit with her while she waits for her clanmate.

[carillons]

"No, that's okay," says Helen. "I'd just be scared if it was more people I don't know. I'll wait for Ranata Ekamma by myself."

[alicornucopia]

"All right. Call us if you need anything," says the front desk person.

[carillons]

"I will," says Helen. "Bye now."

She hangs up the phone and curls up in bed and cries, still listening to Ranata.

[alicornucopia]

The wind is whistling past Ranata; she's flying fast, murmuring to Castarilan about possible spells that could have afflicted Kas in spite of his largely mysterious protections from Isabella.

[carillons]

Helen definitely listens to that.

[alicornucopia]

"I don't know what she did," Ranata is saying. "I don't know anything about what she did, or how. It sounds like any number of curses - why wouldn't she have - or couldn't she? - but if she could make him immortal -"

"Helen's the important thing," says Castarilan, "even if he's not fixable we can look after her."

[carillons]

"I love you, Granatee," Helen murmurs in their ears.

[alicornucopia]

"You're still - how does this work? I can't tell when you're listening or not," frets Ranata. "I love you too, Helen."

[carillons]

"I don't know how it works," she says. "I just - listen for you, and there you are. And it helps me not be scared."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay," says Ranata. "I'm coming. I'll be over the national border soon."

[carillons]

"Good," says Helen.

[alicornucopia]

"I'm going as fast as I can."

Ranata decides to save the question of whether she'll be able to fix Helen's spinach for when they're talking in person.

[carillons]

"I know," says Helen.

[alicornucopia]

"The queen will find whoever did it and make sure they can't ever do it again."

[carillons]

Softly but still very, very clearly: "Are you sure?"

[alicornucopia]

"It might take her a while, but she will find them."

[carillons]

"Okay," says Helen.

She hugs Kalavar, and listens to Ranata, and waits.

[alicornucopia]

Ranata is out of things to say, but there is still the rush of wind, and her breathing.

[carillons]

The time passes with an occasional 'I love you' or 'where are you now?'.