The Marradith Ryder Series Part 22
“Since your curiosity about my daughter’s welfare has been satisfied, I’m taking my child home. Marradith, get your purse. What’s wrong with you people…?”
Marradith only half listened to Nora fussing. She smiled, but tried to keep her composure.
Doherty had an odd reaction to her. He stared as if he wasn’t sure what he was seeing. She came around the table and gave her daughter a hug. “Dee Dee,” she whispered in Marradith’s ear. Her childhood nickname. The safe word that Justin had chosen.
There were papers to be signed at the front desk, and Nora slashed her way through them in record time. Outside, in the grayish sunlight, the two women chuckled in nervous relief.
Once they were in the car, the woman shifted from her imitation of Nora into her true form.
Justin had told her the night before that a Sojourner would come for her: a Shape Shifter that would take the form of her Mother. This was all part of his plan to get the police to stop looking for her. Still, it didn’t take away the strangeness of watching her shift back into herself.
She was a redhead with a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. She smiled and extended a hand to Marradith. “Fiona Shepherd,” she said with a smile. “I do hope I did a good impression of your Mom,” she said. “I only had a photo and Justin’s description to go on.”
“You did great, though you gave it away a little.”
“What did I do?”
“It’s just that if my Mom ever found herself picking me up at a police station, there wouldn’t be any hugs. Other than that, you did fine.”
She laughed. Marradith wondered if Fiona was as young as she looked, which would put her somewhere in her late twenties, or if she was really old like Justin.
“I hope I’m not staring,” she said. “But I don’t know anything about shape shifters.”
“It’s okay. It takes getting used to. Now, for the last leg of your journey. We need to get you to the compound.”
“Where did Justin go, and is he okay?” Marradith asked.
“I don’t know where Justin has gone, but I want to put as much distance between us and that police station as possible. I have a question to ask you.”
“Yes?” Marradith already felt her stomach turning in knots.
“That man back there at the station. What did he call himself?”
“Doherty?”
“Yes. You know, he wasn’t a human.”
“What?”
“He was not a wolf, though I guess you’d know that even better than I would. But whatever, whoever he was, he was working a glamour on you when I walked in.”
“Like hypnosis?”
“Similar,” Fiona conceded. “He was making you see another form. Shape shifters can see through that.”
“How did you see him?”
Fiona gave her a brief description.
Marradith pulled a photo from her purse.
“Like this man?”
“Yes, that‘s him.”
Fiona saw the stricken look on Marradith’s face. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Marradith crumpled the picture of Scott in her hand.
“Can you please pull over?” her eyes clouded with tears. “I’m gonna be sick.”
****
“He wanted to know where my family was. And of course, he never once asked me where Scott was,” Marradith shivered. “He’s with The Circle. My own brother!”
“I understand you’re upset,” Fiona said. “Lower your voice.”
They stood together under a shade tree in the park. Fiona took her hands.
“Justin is your Protector, but I have things to teach you as well. I don’t know how much he told you, but he intends to go after Leighton on his own.”
“He can’t do that..!”
“Listen,” Fiona continued. “I don’t know where he is. But you can find him.”
“How..?”
“You’re so upset. Calm down. Breathe. He’s a Wolf. And better yet he is your Wolf. In all the time you’ve been together, I am sure he has touched your skin at some point. A handshake, a hug, a pat on the back?”
“Yes.”
“Each time he did, there was an electrical signature left on your skin. Think back to that. Close your eyes.”
Marradith did as she was told.
She thought about every time that she could remember, from the night that he broke into her house until he left her at the police station.
Fiona’s voice seemed to move further away, until it became an echo.
“Center on him. This comes naturally to you. Feel it.”
For a brief moment, she felt like she was falling.
And then she saw him….
***
“What happened?” Marradith asked.
It seemed only a few moments had elapsed between the time she closed her eyes and opened them again. Dark clouds gathered in the humid air, where before the sky was sunny and clear. Thunder grumbled in the distance.
Fiona smiled. “You happened.”
“How long was I under?”
“Seven minutes.”
“I found Justin,” Marradith replied in wonder. “I know where he is, but we don’t have much time.”
—
© 2009 Lori Titus
Lori Titus’s The Marradith Ryder Series appears each Wednesday on Flashes in the Dark. She is the short story editor for Sonar4 ezine. Many of her stories have appeared on MicroHorror and Shadeworks, and her first anthology of horror stories is scheduled for release in 2010.
For more information see her at: http://www.myspace.com/talesforthedark
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
June 27th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Wow! Brilliant twist Lori! I didn’t see that one coming!
July 1st, 2009 at 8:17 am
I guess you weren’t kidding about this being a game-changer! Excellent!
July 1st, 2009 at 9:19 am
Oh I kid you not….
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
[...] “Close Encounters” by Stephen Graham Jones.(Flash) At Flashes in the Dark: “Thick As Blood” by Lori Titus.(Flash) At MicroHorror: “Eaten” by L.B. Kröger.(Flash) At [...]
July 4th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Awesome, awesome, awesome!
July 5th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Thanks for all the great comments…
December 29th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
hi this is your cousin, my sister told me about you, i’m happy to know that you are family. i’m happy for you, keep the good work up. love you
December 29th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I’M SORRY, MY SISTER IVY IN CHICAGO TOLD ME ABOUT YOU.
GEORGIA ANN WHITELOW
June 16th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Her brother is in on it, bummer that the Circle got to him but it happens. Time to stop Justin from doing something really stupid.