Becoming Calder(42)

I could have given this letter to Xander along with the candy for you and Maya, but I kind of wanted to leave it for you myself—sort of for old time's sake, I guess.

The spring has been quiet without you there, although the days haven't been without a small measure of excitement. Yesterday, it came to my attention that the small snake I threw off our rock months ago is actually the offspring of a twenty-foot, (two hundred, forty inches when converted—I pay sharp attention to my math tutor) two-headed serpent that has been stewing in a venomous rage (quite literally) since the mistreatment of her beloved son or daughter. (How do you tell one from another? I guess that's a lesson for another day.) When confronted, I was forced to wrangle the slippery beast. As it turns out, the reptile (cold-blooded vertebrate) is rendered weak by verbal algebraic word problems. Despite the shouted math (me) and subsequent weakening (snake), there was still much physical thrashing and hissing (on both parts), but in the end, I was victorious. The rock remains our domain (or is it domaine?). All in a day's work.

And you were right about knowledge. You never know when a little bit of it will come in handy at just the right time, and save your life (and your rock domain(e?) as the case may be).

I miss you. Maybe I shouldn't say that, but it's true. In truth, my days have dragged by and at least a thousand times an hour I think of something I want to tell you, or ask you. I've written them down because I don't want to forget, and because it makes me feel closer to you.

Today, Hector has a meeting with the council at noon. I can meet you at our spring if you're able? From now on it's going to be harder for me to meet you and so I hope you can come. I don't want to think our time there is ending, but at the very least, it won't be regular anymore. That thought brings me such immense sadness, I can't even tell you. I'll always consider it to be the place where my life began.

I'll be waiting.

Yours, Eden



Yours. Mine. I wished I could go to her, hold her, tell her I loved our times together, too, and I missed her as well. But what would be the point? Yours. Mine. I moved those thoughts aside. But I still stood there grinning at the note like a damn idiot for longer than I had time to. I had business to attend to today and I needed my focus to be there.

You're in love, killer. Deep.

I folded her note up and put it under my pillow so I could read it again later.

An hour after that, I was walking up to the main lodge, clean-shaven and bathed more thoroughly. I felt energy surging through my veins. This had to work.

When I stepped up on the large porch, I heard piano music playing and hesitated in knocking. Could that be Eden? She'd talked about her music often, but was she that good? The music floating out the open window next to the door made my heart clench in my chest at its beauty and mastery. I walked farther down the porch and turned to an open set of French doors. There she was, sitting at a large, black piano, eyes closed as her fingers flew over the keys. My breath hitched. She was mesmerizing. Gracefully beautiful. Ethereal. Mine. That's the girl I choose. Mine, my mind insisted. And this time, I didn't correct myself. I leaned my hip and shoulder against the doorway and put my hands loosely in my pockets as I watched her. I was lost to everything except my beautiful Eden and the melody floating out from her fingers. Nothing else existed. In my chest, I felt . . . pride. I was so damned proud of her. I watched until the last note was played and she opened her eyes. They met mine. Her mouth opened as if to say something, but we both knew our station. I felt the electricity singing in the air between us. A small smile played on Eden's lips, and her eyes filled with a beautiful expression of warmth. For me.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and a strange coldness moved down my spine. I pivoted, as if someone had struck me from behind, and Hector was standing there watching the silent exchange between Eden and me. I closed my eyes very briefly and took a deep breath.

"Father," I said, attempting to sound much more confident than I felt inside. "Your . . . Eden is a beautiful piano player. I didn't realize she was so gifted."

Hector's eyes, which were narrowed on me, seemed to clear just a little. He shook himself slightly as if shaking off an idea he found distasteful. "Water Bearer."

I have a name. My name is Calder.

He walked toward me and clapped me lightly on my back. "Yes, Eden is very gifted. The gods have blessed her with many gifts. To be the man who has been chosen to . . . bask in those gifts is humbling indeed." He glanced at me sideways, but I pushed my own thoughts on that statement aside. Focus.

"You had a purpose to scheduling an appointment with me, I presume," Hector said as I fell in step beside him.