The Crystal Warrior

The Crystal Warrior (Chapter 9)

The Crystal Warrior

By Maree Anderson

Chapter Nine

Jai demonstrated once again that he was Mr. Efficiency in a crisis. Chalcey was tucked beneath the comforter, and given painkillers and an icepack for her bruised jaw before she could form a coherent thought. Unfortunately, even Jai was fallible. The quiet he'd promised was not going to happen, because when he left, he didn't take Francesca with him. She so wasn't looking forward to Francesca's inevitable lecture.

She waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Finally, hoping her mother had sneaked out of the room, she pried open her eyes.

"Chalcedony."

Drat. "Yes?"

"Are you in love with Wulf?"

"In love? Puhlease. I hardly know him. I'm certainly not in love with him." In lust maybe, but not in love.

Francesca sighed. Theatrically. She'd always been a master at highlighting Chalcey's supposed inability to grasp what was really important. "Unfortunately, Wulf loves you—in his way. As much as a man like him is able to love."

Broadside your daughter with a change of subject, why don't you? "Yeah, riiight. Like you can tell after having met him for what, five whole minutes?"

"I know what I know."

Argh. She hated it to bits and beyond when Francesca pulled that crap. How was anyone supposed to muster a coherent response to a cryptic statement like that?

"And I have no doubt that this has something to do with the way you are feeling." Francesca thrust something so close to Chalcey's face that her eyes crossed and she saw double. She heaved herself upward from her prone position and scooted up the mattress to lean against the wall... and  discovered that she wasn't seeing double at all because Francesca happened to be brandishing the two halves of broken crystal Chalcey had stuck on the crate beside her bed.

"That? Gee whiz, Francesca, they're broken hunks of stone. Are they by any chance supposed to be a brilliantly accurate metaphor representing my hypothetically soon to be broken heart?"

"Where did you get this crystal from, Chalcedony?"

"So far as I can figure out, some weird old guy gave it to me after I wandered into his store. It's obviously some cheap crappy stone because it broke shortly afterward. Do you want it? You can add it—them—to your collection if you like."

Her mother's gaze sharpened. "Can you take me to this store?"

Unease twisted Chalcey's stomach. She tried for light and airy, hoping that she could play down the incident. "Probably not. I looked for it again after—" She bit her lip before she could blurt all about the café and the episode of lost time. Francesca would have a field day and Chalcey would never get rid of her. Less was definitely more.

"I searched for the store but I couldn't find it again. Now don't start booking me in for psychiatric evaluation or anything, okay? I was distracted and probably got the wrong street. You know how it is in the city—the entire area is a planning disaster of monumental proportions."

"This old man, can you describe him to me?"

Chalcey sagged with relief. Thank God her mother didn't seem interested in her inability to locate the store. She'd dodged that bullet.

"Focus, Chalcedony. Can you describe the old man?"

"Other than him being old? No. Not really. Why?"