Sira pulled a fat ear of corn from the stock, filling the air with a sharp crack. She shoved the ear into a burlap bag, already heavy with the harvest. She faced acres of corn, ripe and ready, and her father's hands burned so he could not help. She forced her hands to move faster, pulling the ears of corn from the stalks and shoving them in the bag.
A cold wind blew through the cornstalks, rustling the leaves like the sound of a waterfall. She hauled the full bag over to the wagon and heaved it up next to the others. Then grabbed another empty bag from the pile.
The clouds overhead were as heavy with rain as her heart was. She'd always helped with the harvest. Even before she could walk, her father carried her through the fields and helped her gather in the earth's bounties. But she'd never faced the job alone. He'd always been there. But he'd been so angry last night, and even more angry this morning after he'd come back from sending the bus away. Angry and jumpy and closed to her.
But then she'd closed herself to him as well. If he felt her own anger, it would only make things worse. He'd banged around the house for a few minutes and then said he needed to go on an important errand. He'd been gone for hours, leaving Sira to work alone.
Blisters formed on her hands. Her shoulders ached as she hauled another load to the wagon. She consoled herself with the thought of a hot bath later and the chance to wear one of her new outfits. At least her father had let her keep those, shoes and all. Though he'd sniffed disdainfully at the orange polyester shirt.
She imagined where she'd be in school, if she could have gone. Which class. A warmth spread through her as she thought about eating lunch with Carla. A new daydream for each new row of corn while the clouds grew darker, promising rain.
In her heart she felt the school bell ring, and knew a whole day had passed without her. Todd and Possum had probably fought again on the bus. Her mind lingered on the memory of Todd's suntanned face. She'd hoped to get a chance to have Carla introduce her to him.
It felt strange; all the days of her life merged together one after the other, the hours and minutes, like one long breath, until she stepped off the farm. And that one day at school had been like a sudden birth, like she'd never really lived before or had been sleeping all her life and woken for one brief moment before falling back into slumber.
She lifted another sack of corn onto the back of the wagon. Her father was still gone, far away to the southeast end of the valley, so she could barely feel his life-essence. She walked around the wagon which was parked at the edge of the field and stared at the pole fence that separated the field from the irrigation canal and road.
The school bus rumbled past. Sira leaned on the fence and looked up at the kids in the windows. No one looked back. No one noticed her. Not even Carla. But no, she corrected herself. Carla's house sat around the bend up the street. Carla would already have gotten off the bus. Around the bend, up the street, it wasn't that far.
Sira gripped the top rail of the pole fence, and ancient bark crumbled beneath her fingers and sprinkled the ground. She felt her father still at the far end of the valley, busy, wrapped in power, focused on something else. If she hurried, he might never know she'd left.
Sira ducked between the poles and took a running leap over the irrigation canal. The street flowed away beneath her as she ran up it. She started around the curve, leaving behind her father's property and skidded to a stop.
His Majesty stood in the middle of the road as if he'd been waiting for her, his golden power wrapped thick around him. Sira's surprise turned to shock and then terror in a flash second. Her father had declared war on His Majesty. With a cry she stumbled backward, feeling for her father's property line. DeWheat reached out and grabbed her arm before she made it across.
"Sira, it's all right. It's only me." DeWheat kept his grip, and a powerful calm washed over her. "Your father has solidified his defenses around the property, so I can't enter. But I came as soon as I heard he'd had it out with Sunblade. Is he hurt?"
"No." Sira tried to pull away. Her heart beat with fear. His Majesty would read her mind. He'd learn of her father's treachery. She tried to shield her thoughts, but DeWheat's power rippled around her, a honey-gold wash of soothing bliss.
She crumpled to his feet, shaking.
He stroked her hair. "Sira. It's all right. I won't let Sunblade and his generals hurt you or your father. I've stationed men all along The Valley border. They can't get in without a fight."
"It's my fault. It's all my fault," Sira whimpered. "I should never have gone shopping." Because of her, her father had turned against their king, their protector, an Aos Si whose heart was only good and kind.
"It's not your fault," DeWheat said, tipping her chin up to look him in the face. "I'm the one to blame. I told the Greenhall girl to take you shopping. I didn't imagine she'd take you into Sunblade territory, though I should have thought of it. Where else would she want to go besides the closest mall? I'm just glad your father was there to keep you out of their hands."
Sira choked. "You think my father went to the mall to rescue me?"
"Didn't he?" DeWheat's eyes grew sharp, and his soothing power took on a painful edge. "What is going on?"
His question cut through Sira, and she cried out in pain. She clamped her mouth shut and tried to pull away from DeWheat, but he tightened his grip on her arm.
"Tell me. What is your father doing?"
His Majesty's command twisted inside her and forced an answer through her breathless lips. "My father is angry that you forced me to go to school. He thinks you have no right to do it. He . . . he said—" A ripple spread over Sira and DeWheat, disrupting his power and freeing Sira's tongue before she could utter the rest of her father's declaration of war.
DeWheat released Sira and spun away from her, trying to rebuild his power as he faced the being that had dispersed it.
Carla jogged up to them. "Hi, Mr. DeWheat. I didn't expect to see you here. I was just coming over to visit Sira. Thanks for the shopping trip, by the way. We had a good time. Don't you think Sira's new hair-do looks darling?"
DeWheat coughed, cleared his throat, reached down and helped Sira to her feet. "It's beautiful. I'm glad you girls had a good time. I heard about the micro-burst and thought I'd better drop by to make sure everyone is all right." He gave Carla a disarming smile.
Sira wriggled out of his grasp and flung herself back onto her father's property where his powerful shields could protect her.
Carla shrugged. "A lot of people got hurt. Nobody died at least. Mr. Springmorning's hands got burned when the electricity shorted, but I doubt he went to the hospital like everyone else."
Stop talking, Sira wanted to shout, but her throat still hurt too much from the power His Majesty had used to make her speak.
"My mother and I are okay. Sira didn't get hurt either. This really cute guy threw himself between her and the blast. I wish he would have rescued me instead." Her eyes sparkled until she looked away from His Majesty to smile at Sira. Her smile faded quickly though.
"Sira, are you hurt?" She rushed past the king to Sira's side. Sira's father's shield rippled as Carla stepped through it. He’d set them so humans could pass through, but Aos Si couldn’t.
DeWheat rubbed his hands together and faced both girls. A soft smile played on his face, but a cunning look lingered in his eyes. "I'm glad everyone is all right. Sira, I'm sorry if I scared you. I was just so surprised when you said your father had been hurt."
Sira gritted her teeth. She'd said no such thing.
"Please tell your father if he has a problem, any problem, he can come to me. There's no reason for fear or anger. Tell him I'm willing to talk. We can work things out."
"What about school?" Sira said. She swallowed, trying to overcome her hurt and shock. She'd always considered His Majesty her protector, but twice now she'd seen a different side to him. The first when he'd attacked her father to force him to send her to school, and second when he'd tried to use his power to force her to betray her father.
"School?" DeWheat closed his eyes for a fleeting second as if trying to be patient. "Is that what this is all about? School? Surely your father isn't still angry about that?"
"Surely he is," Sira snapped.
"Angry enough to go to Sunblade?"
"I don't know what you mean. He came to the mall to fetch me home. To make sure I was safe. I know it's my fault. I shouldn't have gone shopping without his permission." The conversation had taken a strange turn and confused Sira. She grew light-headed and wavered on her feet. Carla reached out and steadied her.
DeWheat let out a long breath. "Whatever it is, it's not your fault, Sira. This is far bigger than you and far older. When your father comes home, please tell him I want to talk to him before he does anything we may all regret. I'll wait for him at The Grove."
The Grove. Sira had heard of it, but never been there. It was a sacred site, said to be the birthplace of the Aos Si. According to her father, The Grove was neutral ground where no one's gifts would work.
"I'll tell him," Sira said. Her arms shook beneath Carla's steadying hand. "I-I just want everything to be good again, like it was."
His Majesty nodded and started to leave, but turned back. "Sira, did you like school?" he asked.
"Very much," Sira said.
"Did you like shopping?"
"Yes."
Wrinkles appeared around the edges of DeWheat's eyes as he smiled grimly and spread his hands. "Would you really be content to have things go back to the way they were?"
Sira shoved aside her own unhappiness. "I want my father to be happy again."
"Your father has not been happy since your mother died." DeWheat stared at Sira hard for a long moment and then checked his jeweled watch. "I'm sorry. I need to go. Give your father my message, please."
DeWheat gathered his power and walked away, waiting until he was out of sight of Carla before Walking the Light to his home on the hill.
"What was that?" Carla said, pulling Sira's attention back.
Sira shook her head, trying to clear it and regain her senses. "Mr. DeWheat and my father are not happy with each other. I think they may get to serious fighting between them."
"Over the whole school thing?"
Sira snorted. "Stupid, isn't it?
Carla laughed. "Adults take everything so seriously sometimes. I mean, really. What's the big deal?"
Sira shrugged. "Don't know. But I think it's going to rain soon. Why did you come out here?"
Carla grimaced and shuffled her feet.
"What is it?" Sira said, laughing. "Haven't we had enough drama from DeWheat?"
Carla smiled. "Oh, but this is much more serious than that. I'm afraid I did something really dumb at school this morning. And I need some help."