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

[truthwright]

"Thank you," says Kas, and he hugs Ranata. Petaal bounds along beside them as a doe.

As soon as they're in sight of Charlie, Kas rushes forward and scoops Helen out of her grandpa's arms.

"Button, I'm here, I'm okay, see?" he says.

[carillons]

Kalavar dives onto Petaal's back and clings.

Helen clings likewise to Kas, still crying.

[alicornucopia]

Ranata sits down again. She puts her dagger in its sheath, and leans her head on Charlie's shoulder, looking drained.

[truthwright]

"It's okay," Kas murmurs into Helen's hair. "I'm right here, I'm fine."

[carillons]

"Are - you - sure?" she sobs.

[truthwright]

"Sure as sure," he says, hugging her tight. "I promise."

[carillons]

In half an hour or so, Helen is calmed down enough to say,

"I wanna see Shura."

[alicornucopia]

"I'll go find her," says Ranata, and she gets up and flies away.

A while later, Castarilan leads Shura to where they've all been sitting; Ranata returns a minute later.

"Helen, what's wrong?" Shura asks.

[carillons]

"I got kidnapped by some scary witches from another clan and they froze Kas into ice and Ranata had to stab him to make him better!"

[alicornucopia]

"How does stabbing make somebody better?" asks Shura, peering at Kas, who doesn't look very stabbed.

[carillons]

"I dunno," says Helen, "but she did it and it worked." She hugs Kas tightly.

[truthwright]

Kas pets Helen's hair.

"It's 'cause I'm so peculiar," he says to Shura. "If somebody tries to kill me, I get better from things instead."

[alicornucopia]

"Wow," says Shura, "I bet that comes in useful. And now you are all okay?"

[truthwright]

"Yeah," says Kas.

[carillons]

"I'm still scared, though," sniffles Helen.

[alicornucopia]

"The clan lands are blessed a lot. Nobody can curse us here," says Shura.

[carillons]

"That's good," says Helen.

Kalavar turns into a kitten and bounds up to Nicoa.

[alicornucopia]

Nicoa has been being a turtle, but now he turns into another kitten.

[carillons]

Kalavar snuggles up to him.

Helen sighs and hugs Kas.

"I'm still scared," she murmurs. "Even though we're safe now, I'm scared."

[alicornucopia]

"Can we help?" Nicoa asks.

[carillons]

"You're helping now," says Kalavar, nuzzling him.

"And you reminded us the clan lands are blessed," says Helen, "that helped."

[alicornucopia]

"Any witch who's any good at magic does a blessing of the lands when she gets to be about fifty or sixty," says Ranata. "They add up. I did one myself."

[carillons]

Helen nods slowly.

[alicornucopia]

Nicoa snuggles Kalavar and purrs soothingly.

[carillons]

Kalavar is soothed. So is Helen.