Read Online The Earl's Childe by T. J. Wooldridge - Free Book Online Page B

remember hearing what my dad was saying, just his voice. Not just the sound, but the feel of it—like every word landed in my stomach with the weight of a stone.
    When he was done, there was an audible pop , and Tom was standing in the circle Dad had drawn. His tail was straight up, his back arched, and all his fur was standing on end. He looked at me with wide yellow-green eyes. Rather than words, I got feelings from him.
    He was scared.
    I looked at my dad, who was pouring kosher salt into his left palm.
    I looked back at Tom. I was scared, too.
    Dad poured the salt in an unbroken circle around the fey cat. There was a hiss and a crackle as Tom tried to move out of the circle. Blue sparks sizzled as he hit the perimeter. I could smell singed fur.
    â€œStand still and answer my questions.” My dad glared at Tom.
    Tom went from scared to terrified. His tail swished and he tried to turn around, but he kept hitting the edges of the circle.
    â€œDad, stop it! Let him out!”
    â€œNo, we need answers.” Dad looked at me. “He told you not to tell us what you were doing last night, didn’t he?”
    â€œWe were in a hurry! And he knew I’d talk with you today!”
    Tom began to meow loudly, trying to circle tighter. More crackles of blue sparks fizzed around him.
    â€œStop moving, and speak with me,” Dad ordered again.
    Tom stopped circling and stared at my dad. He cringed backward. An especially bright and loud flash of blue sparks erupted as his whole tail hit the perimeter. He yowled, then hissed at us.
    â€œDad! You’re hurting him!”
    â€œHe just needs to stand still.”
    Another crack and yowl was enough for me. I shoved in front of Dad and wiped away the salt barrier.
    â€œAh!” The crack that hit me didn’t exactly hurt, but surprised me. I fell backwards into my dad and then quickly rolled away from him.
    Tom had flown the second he could. I caught just a glimpse as he paused on the windowsill to hiss at us before running away.
    â€œHeather, what did you just do?”
    My dad was furious. But now so was I. “You were hurting him!”
    â€œWe need answers if we’re going to be under attack from some Unseelie faerie!”
    â€œWe could have just asked! Nicely!”
    â€œHeather, as much as you want to, you can’t trust faerie. You just can’t!”
    â€œTom never hurt anyone to get them to do what he wanted!” I stood up, and so did my dad. I felt my arm shaking as a sensation of pins and needles started to set in. I looked down and saw the skin was bright pink, like a sunburn. I held it up to show Dad. “And he never hurt me, either!”
    My whole body started to shake right then.
    Dad took half a step back. “Heather, I—”
    â€œDon’t! I tried to get you to stop, and you wouldn’t listen. I did what I promised and told you when there was trouble with faerie, and you made things worse! Now Tom might not ever come back and I don’t know how else to contact Lady Fana and Lord Cadmus and I don’t know what it means if I don’t give them an answer tonight.”
    â€œWe’ll figure it out. I can fix this—” He took a step towards me.
    I saw the shock and guilt dawning on his face, but I didn’t care. It didn’t help right now. I backed away from him. “No! I’m not doing anything else till Mum gets home, and you shouldn’t either.” I took another step back towards my door. Like Tom, I had an overwhelming urge to run.
    My dad seemed to see it, too. “Heather, wait! Just—”
    â€œNo! Stay away from me!”
    He recoiled as if I’d slapped him. A knife of guilt thrust into my stomach to see the hurt on his face, but I was furious. More awful things came to my head that I could say to hurt him even more, so I turned and ran.
    I ran to the place he was least likely to follow me— Ehrwnmyr’s stable.

    The kelpie was dancing