Chapter Nine
Never smiled as they pulled up, and Abel-ur came out of the door, opened Cora’s door, and helped her out of the car.
Cora smiled. “See? I am in good hands.”
Never nodded and got out, looking at Abel-ur, and she let her vision scan him to the edge of his soul. She smirked. “He was both exhausted and holding back. You won’t have that problem again. Well, when you can manage it, Cora.”
Cora grinned. “Are these treated clothes?”
“Of course.”
Cora grew by several inches with her horns out. She grinned. “There. All healed.”
“So, this was all a ruse?” Never arched her brows.
“A convenience. Your energy did begin the healing, and I was glad you were there to take over. You know I don’t like torture.”
Never sighed. “Yes, dear. I know. Abel-ur, you are going to watch over her while she recovers?”
He smiled and hugged his prize. “Of course. Probably quite a bit longer.”
Cora smiled and hugged him back, shrinking and dismissing her horns.
Never nodded and looked around, seeing her property in the distance. “Well, I should get going. Cora needs to settle down or act up or something.”
Never said, “You are just lucky he likes older women.” She squawked as she was pulled back against Tam-or.
He chuckled in her ear. “He isn’t the only one.”
“Really? You had me fooled.” She turned her head to his. She sighed. “Well, I should be heading home then. Call me if you need me, Cora.”
“Oh, I might be crying out, but it won’t be for you, Never.” Cora hauled Abel-ur into the house.
Never smiled at Tam-or. “They are off to defile your countertops.”
“That place wasn’t mine. My home is elsewhere in the neighbourhood.”
“Then, why have you been at Able-ur’s?”
“Because circumstances needed it.”
“What circumstances?”
“My sister is doing a reno on my house. I needed to be anywhere but there.”
“Oh, shoot. You have a sister.”
“I do. Four of them.” He wrapped his arms around her as if the news would make her bolt.
“Oh, right. Are you the eldest?”
“Second. My sister, Mylala, is forty-seven.” He smiled. “Then me, Eftufo, Nemiria, and Lakfuran, she’s thirty.”
“Well, you have already met my sister and probably my uncle, so that’s fair, I guess.”
He chuckled. “It is. Now, I believe you had a question about how much of me is tattooed.”
“You said I had to ask as a supplicant?”
“It is traditional if you want to ask a clan-related question.”
She patted his upper chest. “But your clan marks are up here.”
“As far as you know.”
“You really want me to go looking?”
“Oh, yes. As speaker, I am not allowed to pursue any lovers. However, if they offer themselves to me, I am helpless but can then take advantage of what is offered.”
“Helpless, huh. Well, as long as I know this is a temporary thing, I should get through this.”
He frowned. “Temporary?”
“Well, if someone just has to ask for your attentions, regardless of whether you have a partner or not, and you will just fall on them, that’s your business.”
“No, that is not how it is. If I have a partner, any request that they attempt to pay with sex will be refused.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because if I finally choose a partner, she is enough.”
“Oh. How would you know?”
“Well, she and I would be able to talk, she would turn to me in her sleep, and she would be ferocious enough to defend all around her if necessary.”
She smiled.
“The fact that she can go from businesslike hunter to pretty princess overnight is a definite selling point.”
“Selling? What am I worth?”
He hugged her tight. “I was thinking... the rest of my life.”
She nodded. “Fine. Back in the car.”
“What?”
“If I am going to be cataloguing your tattoos, I don’t want to do it on an empty stomach. Breakfast has worn off, so I was thinking about tacos.”
He grinned, and they walked back to the car together. “Funnily enough, so am I.”
She was still giggling when they pulled into the parking area of the food truck ten minutes later.
She ordered her food, but Tam-or insisted on paying. When Dem-rah saw her, he beckoned her over. She excused herself and walked over to the goblin king. “What can I do for you?”
“One of my grandchildren seeks a moment of clarity. I was wondering if you would consult with him and help him obtain understanding.”
“Um, I think I am here on a date. Is your grandson nearby?”
“Yes. He can be here in six minutes.”
“Okay. I will eat, and then we will consult. I may belch, so warn him.”
Dem-rah nodded with a laugh and pulled out his phone.
She nodded and walked to find her date, and he was already seated at one of the tables. She sat across from him. “I just got a request for my services. I am a little rusty, but I think I can manage it.”
“What do they need?”
“Shaman stuff. Goblin shaman stuff. It’s like being a magical guidance counsellor.” She grinned. “But the clock is ticking, so I need to eat.”
She covered everything in hot sauce and got to it. Her stomach was groaning when she finished, and she sipped some lemonade to calm things down.
“Why the rush?”
“I don’t know if it will take five minutes or five hours. I work for goblins, rock trolls, and orcs in equal measure.”
He smiled. “That is adding ideas to your tattoo design.”
“Clans have locks on their shamans, don’t they?”
“Yes and no. Things can be negotiated. They can have access rights to you, but their kings would have to negotiate it first.”
“With you.”
He shrugged. “With whichever clan you decide to make your home.”
She nodded. “None has offered me a home. My sister owns a dozen, but my situation keeps me from legally taking land as mine.”
“Why does she own a dozen?”
“She buys homes that are in dispute with obnoxious neighbours, and then she takes care of the neighbours and offers her clients full price for the duration of the dispute, so they can have their home back for the same if they want it. Most just want a new place without dark memories.”
“Why buy it from them?”
“It makes the entire legal responsibility hers, and since she’s a real estate lawyer, she’s in a good position to take action against the annoying neighbours. It’s fun for her.”
“Where do the families go?”
“Ah, Cora has a good relationship with a nice real estate agent, Hannah Lee.”
He chuckled. “It was at her wedding where Cora met Abel-ur.”
“Well, that just ties things up nicely.”
Dem-rah appeared with a very human-looking goblin. She looked over, and the goblin king gestured. She nodded to him and looked at Tam-or. “It’s showtime. Shall I just let you know when I am home?”
“I will wait.”
“But it could be—”
“I will wait.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “But I have calls to make.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She got up and crossed the lot to where Dem-rah introduced her to his grandson, Arduk-wel.
“Hello. I am Navender Kibra. You may call me Shaman Never.” She extended her hand, and he took it. He was careful of his claws. “Now, what did you need to speak to me about?”
He looked nervously at Dem-rah. They were directed toward an empty lot behind the food truck.
She smiled as he looked awkward and said, “Just a moment.”
She crafted a moonlight meadow with shadowed boulders for sitting. “Here we are. Now, what is your concern, Arduk-wel?”
He began slowly, but it turned out he could draw, was good at it, and was making money illustrating children’s books. It was a strange situation for him because he had fallen in love with a brownie whose parents said that being an illustrator was not enough.
“So, will she defy them for you?”
“She would, but I don’t want to cut her off from her family. My family has turned to you for the last four decades, so Grandfather said you were the one to talk to.”
“I see. And yet, I don’t get free food.” She smiled. “I have a few ideas for you, and we can see what the possible outcomes would be.”
He nodded. “Please, but how is this different from a seer’s predictions?”
“This is a view of living pathways in time. I am just going to take a look at them for you.”
“Can anyone else see?”
“We are a large shimmer in the lot. Now, the first option is that you do nothing to please her family.” She looked at the possibility and reported what she saw. She went through one scenario after another. She was surprised at the most favourable selection.
“Okay, so if you go for your graphic design degree while producing an online comic about mixed-race marriages, you will have them on your side forever.”
“Really?”
“Really. They just want you to have options to support your family. They worry for their daughter, and they have not seen you successful on your own terms. The trust fund that your grandfather gave you will not stretch far with three little ones in the house.”
He blinked. “Three?”
“And take a course on financial planning. That gets you to five children.” She chuckled. “When you are ready, my sister knows a great real estate agent.”
He was grinning, and his sharp teeth were visible now. He looked much more like Dem-rah’s relative.
“So, if I do this, it will come to pass?”
“If you set your foot on this path and follow it, everyone will relax, and you can plan your own future.”
“You are sure?”
“I see the way that living things move through the world. I don’t deal in folly; I deal in fact. The undead give me a headache.”
He laughed and took her hands, squeezing them. “What clan do you belong to, so I can send them a gift?”
“None, but thanks for the thought.” She grinned.
“Wait. Seriously?”
“Seriously. I think the speaker at the picnic table is plotting something, but everyone assumes I have been asked to join a clan, and it just hasn’t happened. Shamans are too long-lived around here.”
He blinked. “Right. One per clan or enclave.”
“Yup. All right. Do you feel you have your path?”
“Yes, Shaman Kibra.”
“Then, stand up. The boulder is about to disappear.” She got to her feet, and when he did the same, they returned to the visible world.
Tam-or was sitting there talking with two other men. She recognized the psychic imprint on them. Three speakers.
She looked at her client. “What are you doing?”