Read Online The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kiki Hamilton
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upsetting Clara.
“What do you mean, you can call her?” Fiona asked.
Clara shrugged as she tightened two swatches of fabric around Doggie’s neck. “Larkin told me she would come if I ever needed her. Alls I ‘ave to do is call her.” The little four-year-old held her stuffed animal out as she ran around the table. “Look, Doggie can fly because I made her some wings.”
Tiki was suddenly alert. “Why would you ever need Larkin?” Her voice sounded shriller than she intended.
“Oh, you know—” Clara slowed to a stop, letting Doggie land on the corner of the table near Tiki. “She said to call if I was ever lonely or scared or—” the little girl’s lips quirked in a smile— “if I wanted to hear a faerie tale.” She shot a quick glance at Tiki out of the corner of her eyes to check her reaction.
“That’s very funny, Miss Clara Marie.” Tiki reached out to tweak the little girl’s nose.
Clara giggled. “I’m tellin’ the truth.”
“Clara,” Fiona said with a doubting snort, “how exactly, would you call Larkin here?”
The little girl twisted the wings she’d put around Doggie, the shiny fabric sparkling in the lamplight. “She told me all I ‘ad to do was whisper her name and ask ‘er to come to me.”
Fiona raised her eyebrows. “You think if you say ‘Larkin, come to me’, she’ll magically appear?”
Tiki smiled at the little girl. “Maybe that was one of her faerie tales.”
Clara giggled again and smoothed the worn fabric on the top of Doggie’s head. “That’s not ‘er name, silly.”
Tiki tensed. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” Clara said slowly, “that’s not ‘er real name.”
“Larkin told you her real name?” Fiona’s voice was hushed with disbelief. To know a faerie’s name was to possess the faerie. It wasn’t possible Larkin would have revealed her true name to a child.
For a moment Clara looked uncertain. “Yes. But she told me to never tell anyone .” Her blond curls swayed as a coy smile lit her face. “But I trust you.” She stretched her small arms wide and whispered softly in a sing-song voice, “A’ine Fiachna Eri—”
“STOP.” Tiki pressed her fingers against Clara’s lips. She leaned toward the little girl and said, “We don’t want Larkin here right now.” Tiki didn’t know whether to believe the little girl’s claims or not, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. “And I don’t want you to ever call her unless you talk to me first, all right?”
“All right, Teek,” Clara said, looking crestfallen as she sat down in a vacant chair. “I just thought since you were talking about ‘er an’ all…”
“Yes, thank you, that was very helpful of you. Now—” Tiki motioned toward the door, “let’s go read a story about—” she paused and her eyes fell on Fiona— “a handsome prince. Anything but a faerie tale,” she muttered under her breath.
IT WAS LATER, after supper, that Tiki questioned Toots further. They were ensconced in the parlor, the fire crackling cheerfully from the grate. Rieker still hadn’t returned. Tiki had lit all the lamps to chase the shadows from the corners of the room. Shamus was asleep in an armchair, his open mouth emitting soft snores.
“Toots, who was it that you went away with?” Tiki asked. No one had actually said the word “faerie” yet.
Toots shrugged. He was on his stomach on the floor playing checkers with Fiona. “Just one ’a the blokes I play stickball with. He asked if I wanted to ride a horse.”
“Then what happened?” Tiki sat in a chair before the fire, alternating between trying to make sense of all she’d learned and trying not to think about any of it.
Toots lifted his head. “Well…. that part was a bit strange. One minute we were standing on the street and the next we were in a big meadow with the horses.”
He turned round green eyes toward Tiki. The freckles splattered across his nose stood out brightly against his pale skin. “I
“What do you mean, you can call her?” Fiona asked.
Clara shrugged as she tightened two swatches of fabric around Doggie’s neck. “Larkin told me she would come if I ever needed her. Alls I ‘ave to do is call her.” The little four-year-old held her stuffed animal out as she ran around the table. “Look, Doggie can fly because I made her some wings.”
Tiki was suddenly alert. “Why would you ever need Larkin?” Her voice sounded shriller than she intended.
“Oh, you know—” Clara slowed to a stop, letting Doggie land on the corner of the table near Tiki. “She said to call if I was ever lonely or scared or—” the little girl’s lips quirked in a smile— “if I wanted to hear a faerie tale.” She shot a quick glance at Tiki out of the corner of her eyes to check her reaction.
“That’s very funny, Miss Clara Marie.” Tiki reached out to tweak the little girl’s nose.
Clara giggled. “I’m tellin’ the truth.”
“Clara,” Fiona said with a doubting snort, “how exactly, would you call Larkin here?”
The little girl twisted the wings she’d put around Doggie, the shiny fabric sparkling in the lamplight. “She told me all I ‘ad to do was whisper her name and ask ‘er to come to me.”
Fiona raised her eyebrows. “You think if you say ‘Larkin, come to me’, she’ll magically appear?”
Tiki smiled at the little girl. “Maybe that was one of her faerie tales.”
Clara giggled again and smoothed the worn fabric on the top of Doggie’s head. “That’s not ‘er name, silly.”
Tiki tensed. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” Clara said slowly, “that’s not ‘er real name.”
“Larkin told you her real name?” Fiona’s voice was hushed with disbelief. To know a faerie’s name was to possess the faerie. It wasn’t possible Larkin would have revealed her true name to a child.
For a moment Clara looked uncertain. “Yes. But she told me to never tell anyone .” Her blond curls swayed as a coy smile lit her face. “But I trust you.” She stretched her small arms wide and whispered softly in a sing-song voice, “A’ine Fiachna Eri—”
“STOP.” Tiki pressed her fingers against Clara’s lips. She leaned toward the little girl and said, “We don’t want Larkin here right now.” Tiki didn’t know whether to believe the little girl’s claims or not, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. “And I don’t want you to ever call her unless you talk to me first, all right?”
“All right, Teek,” Clara said, looking crestfallen as she sat down in a vacant chair. “I just thought since you were talking about ‘er an’ all…”
“Yes, thank you, that was very helpful of you. Now—” Tiki motioned toward the door, “let’s go read a story about—” she paused and her eyes fell on Fiona— “a handsome prince. Anything but a faerie tale,” she muttered under her breath.
IT WAS LATER, after supper, that Tiki questioned Toots further. They were ensconced in the parlor, the fire crackling cheerfully from the grate. Rieker still hadn’t returned. Tiki had lit all the lamps to chase the shadows from the corners of the room. Shamus was asleep in an armchair, his open mouth emitting soft snores.
“Toots, who was it that you went away with?” Tiki asked. No one had actually said the word “faerie” yet.
Toots shrugged. He was on his stomach on the floor playing checkers with Fiona. “Just one ’a the blokes I play stickball with. He asked if I wanted to ride a horse.”
“Then what happened?” Tiki sat in a chair before the fire, alternating between trying to make sense of all she’d learned and trying not to think about any of it.
Toots lifted his head. “Well…. that part was a bit strange. One minute we were standing on the street and the next we were in a big meadow with the horses.”
He turned round green eyes toward Tiki. The freckles splattered across his nose stood out brightly against his pale skin. “I
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