Read Online The Soother by Elle J Rossi - Free Book Online Page A

before her had her stomach grumbling and her mouth watering. She’d passed booth after booth full of delicious food, yet she hadn’t eaten all day. Wandering through the small orchard at the west end of town, she eyed her choices before fixing her gaze on the winner. Plucking a ripe, red apple from a tree, she rubbed it on her shirt until it shone like a queen’s ruby, took her first bite and nearly moaned. When juice trickled down her chin, she swiped it away with the back of her hand. The sweet fruit had her taste buds cheering. Calliope gobbled it up before snagging another apple from the abundant tree. Was this what her blood would taste like to Krystoff? Sweet, tangy and irresistible? No wonder he stalked her like a wolf chasing a rabbit.
    A beautiful song caught Calliope’s attention. She smiled in spite of the mixed feelings she had toward the crooning witch. Her mother had the best singing voice in the coven. Sadly, that was the only voice Ambra Brennan used anymore. No one really knew the reason, though Calliope suspected it had a lot to do with having given her eldest daughter away. She’d done it to protect Meera. Everyone knew and understood that, but Ambra had never been quite the same and with each sequential year, she’d drifted a little farther away from reality. Explaining that Meera was fine, and would visit soon had made no obvious difference. Calliope the Soother could help anyone, but she’d never been able to help her own mother.
    She followed the sound of the soprano voice until she found Ambra watering the flowers behind her cottage. The rings adorning each of her fingers clanged against each other when she moved her arm side to side, sprinkling a cluster of yellow peonies. Calliope watched her for several moments before calling out. “Hello, Mama.”
    A slight hesitation was the only acknowledgment Ambra gave. Her fluid movements reminded Calliope of a ballerina as a barefoot Ambra quickly moved to the other side of the garden, her white dress flowing behind her like an ethereal apparition. Calliope tried to put her shields up to protect her feelings, but her shield had holes in it because the armor surely didn’t protect her heart. It ached to the point she found herself massaging her chest.
    Today’s song was about the fragility of glass. Calliope knew that all too well. Once shattered, the pieces could never quite match up again, no matter the amount of glue. Her mother’s world was either full of broken mirrors or foggy windows. Either way she couldn’t see what was tangible and real. She couldn’t see Calliope.
    The easy thing to do would be to turn and leave, but Calliope wasn’t a coward. She lifted her chin and picked her way through the garden. Crouched next to Ambra, she carefully pulled weeds and stuffed them in a nearby bucket. Using magick would have been quicker. A little razzle-dazzle and the flowers would sprout while the weeds wilted. Better yet, she could turn the weeds into sunflowers, Ambra’s favorite annual. She couldn’t explain why she didn’t do it, only knew that moments like this, when her mother would allow someone to be near, were few and far between. She’d replant the damn weeds and start over again if it meant more time in which Ambra wouldn’t shun her presence.
    As if sensing her youngest daughter’s thoughts, Ambra stopped and tilted her face toward the sky. The sun picked up the red streaks running through her wavy hair. The rusty color reminded Calliope of a flickering jack-o-lantern on Samhain. A long sigh, and then another song broke the somber silence. “Crystal tears glowing, while the wind is blowing. Storms cover up the sun, casting shadows on what’s done. Look away from what it makes. Look away before it breaks.”
    Calliope listened to her mother’s ballad, the melody so haunting it nearly hypnotized. “That’s beautiful, Mama,” she whispered.
    Ambra turned, her smile vibrant, her green eyes shining with pleasure. Calliope’s