Forging Day (Crucible of Change Book 1) Read online

  Officer Curtis’ gimlet eyes turned to him.

  “What do you care?” he said, and then noticed Officer Curtis standing there. “I don’t have any parking tickets, Officer. She’s a lying little bitch.”

  “I’m pretty sure you bragged about never paying that one ticket,” I insisted.

  He took a step toward me, hands clenched, and Officer Curtis stepped between us. “Stop right there! Sir, I need you to hand me your license.”

  “His name is Colby Green,” I offered, and reeled off his license plate number.

  Colby’s face was burning red, and a vein was throbbing in his forehead, but he made his wisdom check and handed over his license. He stood there, glaring daggers at me, while Sharon called in his information.

  “My, but you’ve been a busy man, Mr. Green. You have seven unpaid parking tickets and a bench warrant out for your arrest. It looks like you’ll be coming down to the station.”

  Colby looked positively homicidal.

  Sharon talked quietly into her radio for a minute, and it wasn’t long before another police car pulled up. I watched, wanting to feel some sense of justice while the officer cuffed him, but all I wanted to do was cry.

  Colby yelled, “I’ll get you for this, bitch!” as they led him out. I’m not sure if he was talking to Officer Curtis or me. I suppose he might have meant both.

  As the officer hustled him out the door, I snarled at him, “Colby, fuck you and the horse you rode in on! Maybe your girlfriend will post bail for you.” Then I fled for the restroom.

  I was using the bathroom mirror to try and repair myself when the door swung open and Officer Curtis walked in. “You’d better stay away from that young man, Olivia. I promised your dad I’d keep an eye out for you kids, and that boy is trouble.” She gestured at my torn blouse. “If there’s anything you need to report, I’m ready to listen.”

  “I’m sorry Sharon...I mean Officer Curtis. There’s nothing I want to report. I’m just an idiot.”

  “If he forced you to do anything you didn’t want to do, you need to tell me. Whether or not you think you made a bad decision, no means no.”

  “I went with him willingly enough. I was the one that drank too much and acted like a slut. Is it illegal if he wouldn’t use a condom?”

  She sighed. “Come here.” She held me in a tight hug. “Olivia, I hate to see you do this to yourself. Please be careful, or you’re going to end up getting hurt. And if he refused to use protection, you should get yourself checked.” She reluctantly let me go. “Don’t make me break my word to your dad. Do you need a ride, or can I call someone to come get you?”

  “I’ll be okay, Sharon. I want to walk. I think I need some air, and I promise I’ll think about what you said.” I also needed to get out of here before I started crying and embarrassed myself even more.

  Chapter Two

  Somebody Needs an Intervention

  I tried to get some perspective on the short walk home, but my mind just ran in circles. I didn’t want to face my roommates after all of this, but there was nowhere else for me to go but home.

  I was nearly there when one of the neighbors came out to put his trash at the curb. Behind me, he called out, “Miss! Miss!”

  Oh god, he meant me. I reluctantly stopped and turned around.

  “Miss, sorry, I don’t know your name. I’ve seen you around, and I know you live in the big purple house on the corner. Do you need help?” He looked vaguely familiar, tall and skinny with a shock of dark hair, but I would swear I’d never seen him before.

  “Miss, please. I’m sorry. I’m doing this all wrong. I’m not trying to be creepy. This is going to sound crazy, but I’m a priest of Crom and I’m kind of new at it, and I’m supposed to offer aid to those in need. No offense, but you look like someone in need.”

  Now I knew where I’d seen him before. It was at one of the Pagan open full moon gatherings.

  “I’m not trying to be rude. Bob, wasn’t it?”

  He nodded. “Well, sort of. My given name is Bob, but my priest name is Ingve.”

  “Okay, Ingve. I’m Olivia. Here’s the thing. I’ve had a bad night and a worse morning. Unless your Crom can fix stupid and bad judgment, I don’t think you can help.”

  “Not exactly... Crom teaches us about strength and honor, but He knows everyone doesn’t start that way. He calls the trials we go through in life the Forging of our Souls. Shit happens, and you survive and get stronger. You’ve heard, ‘what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger’? It’s like that.”

  In spite of myself, I gave a bitter laugh. “Ingve, if what Crom says is true, I’m going to be one badass motherfucker at this rate. Or dead.” I headed off down the sidewalk, and then turned to look at him one more time. “Bob. Ingve. Thanks for caring. It means a lot today.”

  I still felt like crap when the ivy-draped stone walls around Mikah and Berto’s Victorian came into view, but a lot of new things to think about were chasing around in my head. My remote to the gate was in my car, and my hands were shaking so much that it took me three tries to punch in the code and open it.

  My little red hatchback and Mikah’s electric-purple van with the fancy custom flame job were both in the driveway, being loaded with camping gear. The matching trailer was hitched to the van, and it looked like the tents were already packed.

  Mikah, as always, had his clipboard and checklist at hand. Berto teased him about being a Luddite, but Mikah insisted newer doesn’t always mean better. A breeze ruffled his hair, and he wrote a note in Grammy’s impeccable script. When he finished, he read it, commenting to thin air, “Thanks, Grammy. You’re right. I’ll remind Ted to water the plants in your room.”

  “I’m home. Colby, the bastard, won’t be joining us.” I ignored the sudden quiet and trudged on upstairs to my room to get on with my own neglected packing.

  From her adjoining room, I heard Kat say, “This is the year, isn’t it, my lovely? I’ll find a woman who’s funny and sexy and makes love like a goddess.”

  I was pretty sure she was talking to Sappho—the Siamese—since Doctor Evil was glaring at me balefully from the top of my dresser. Only Persians manage that look of pure evil, and he was a master. I would never understand why Kat thought he would answer to “Fluffy”. Peeka, our little Jack Russell mix, was getting her beauty sleep in the middle of my queen-size bed. All my discarded outfits from last night had been put away. It had to have been Kat.

  I couldn’t believe I put off my packing for that rat-bastard. I’d been such an idiot. My head was pounding, and feeling rushed and stupid wasn’t helping. I gave the closet door a good kick, at which point Kat appeared in the doorway.

  “Wow…you look like hell. And what happened to your new blouse?”

  “I feel like hell, and Colby happened to my new blouse.”

  “Where is Colby? I thought he was going with us?” Her voice was calm but her eyes flashed fire.

  “Colby can go fuck himself and the horse he rode in on. Right now, he’s on his way to jail.”

  “Are you okay?” She came in the rest of the way and plopped down on my bed. “Do we need to kill him for you?”

  “No, no killing. I don’t want to visit you in jail. I got drunk and he wouldn’t use a rubber but he didn’t really hurt me—not really. He got arrested because I told Officer Curtis about his parking ticket. Turns out he had quite a few. And a bench warrant. And a girlfriend!”

  “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” She pulled me into a hug, stroking my hair. “Are you sure I can’t kill him?” I wish I could tell if she was serious. “He didn’t deserve you,” she murmured into my ear, and then kissed me softly on the lips.

  I froze, and she pulled back. “I don’t know why I did that. Bygones?”

  She’s my best friend. What else could I say? “Bygones.” But my head was spinning.

  “Tell me what happened next,” she said, as she looked down and busied herself with petting the dog.

  The tears I’d been holding back were r
olling down my cheeks. Stupid tears. “I think he probably wants to kill me about now. The feeling is mutual. He said something rude about the Sylvan Faire, and ‘no piece of ass is worth this much trouble’, and he didn’t want to explain a camping trip to his girlfriend. That’s when I mentioned his ticket to Officer Curtis and gave her his name and license plate number. I didn’t know there was a warrant out for him. Another cop arrested him and I had to convince Sharon I wasn’t hurt before she’d let me come home. He threatened me. And then I told him to go fuck himself.”

  “…and the horse he rode in on,” Kat finished for me.

  “Yeah.”

  She still looked pretty upset. “Why don’t we call your doctor? I bet they’d fit you in. I know the guys wouldn’t mind waiting.”

  “No. I hate going to the doctor. I just want to get out of here. You know what’s funny, except it’s not? He has a girlfriend, so he probably gets himself checked. How else would he explain if he gave her something? No wonder he asked whether I was on the pill, and the last time I was with anyone—and told me he didn’t like to share.”

  She hugged me again and tried to paste a smile on her face—but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “In that case, the weekend is looking up. I don’t have to pretend to like Colby, and I can work on hooking you up with someone worth your time. Win-win.”

  “If I don’t finish packing, I won’t be going anywhere—and I don’t want to hook up with anyone. With my luck, I’d fall for a nice serial killer or someone equally wholesome.”

  “He wasn’t a serial killer, Olivia. As far as we know, anyway. He was just an asshole with a big dick.” She gave me a penetrating look. “You look like you need a minute, sweetie. Why don’t you take a quick shower? It might make you feel better.”

  I was doing my best not to cry in front of her. “You’re right. A shower is exactly what I need.” I ran into the bathroom and closed the door. The shower at Colby’s house had been disgusting, and thinking about him made me feel dirty all over. I scrubbed and scrubbed, wanting every trace of him off of my body, and still couldn’t stop tasting him, no matter how many times I scrubbed at my mouth. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to be with me. He was right. I was a slut, and I drank too much. What was wrong with me?

  And then Kat’s kiss popped back into my mind. We’ve been friends for so long. Sure, she’d flirted with me from time to time, but she flirted with everyone. I’d never thought about her that way, except that now I was. The only time I’d ever willingly kissed a girl was one drunken night in college with my roommate’s cousin…but from what hazy memories I had, we’d done a lot more than kiss.

  I loved Kat. She was my best friend. I was not going to do anything to screw up my friendship with Kat over this. I couldn’t bear it. As the water ran over me, I thought, at least when you cry in the shower, no one can see your tears. I blinked the water out of my eyes, and determinedly thought about the weekend ahead. Maybe I should cut out the drinking—and the sex when I’m drinking—and just focus on archery while I figured out how to stop ruining my life.

  * * * *

  Kat was gone when I got back to my room, but my faire garb was laid out neatly on my bed. My travel bag sat open and ready on the desk. My sparkly makeup, pointy ear-tips, and long white wig were already packed. My favorite jeans and a T-shirt would do for the drive. We drew fewer strange looks when we stuck with street clothes until we arrived.

  I finished packing as quickly as I could—doing my best to not think about last night, or this morning, or, for that matter, the last month. This weekend I would be an Elven archer, and we elves don’t let idiots ruin our weekend. Kat had picked out a few barely-there tunics, my most cleavage-inducing steampunk bodice, one long skirt, my matching tights—fuck you, Colby—and some breeches that would work better for archery. Nobody wants to tromp through the underbrush retrieving errant arrows wearing slippers and tights. She’d even set out my favorite blue silk teddy.

  I hesitated a long time over packing that teddy, but my heart was hurt, and my body along with it. Maybe Kat was right and I’d meet someone special, but I wasn’t ready for that. I thought about the ugly bruises on my body, and the twinges I felt when I moved wrong, and put the teddy back in the drawer. I didn’t want anyone to see me this way. I did pack my fuzzy red robe, though.

  As predicted, it was pretty close to lunchtime by the time the vehicles were loaded and everyone was ready. My personal things were safely stowed in my car, next to my stash of cowbells.

  Kat made sandwiches for everyone for the road so we could finally get moving. Happily, no one begrudged me my shower time. Mikah and Berto had damp hair themselves, and Berto had a Cheshire cat grin that abruptly turned grim when he looked over at me. I had no doubt Kat had given him and Mikah both an earful about Colby.

  Everyone else was already outside, talking to Ted—our best bud from across the street—when I finally joined them. He gave me a lazy wave and beamed that perfect California surfer boy smile, and then actually looked serious for a minute. “Sorry about introducing you to Colby. John brought him to poker night a couple of times and he seemed like an okay dude. I would have warned you off if I’d known he was such an ass.”

  “Not your fault, Ted, but thanks.”

  The sunny smile returned full force. Too bad he only dated men with well-defined six-packs and tight little butts. “No worries. Have fun. I promise to water the animals and feed the garden, or something to that effect. And I’ll keep an eye out for unwelcome ogre invaders.”

  “Thanks, Ted. I think the ogre is in jail for the time being. And if we meet any hot elves, we’ll get you their numbers.”

  “You’re the best,” he said with a smile. “You kids have fun.”

  A breeze ruffled Mikah’s hair just then and he added, “One more thing, Ted. Please water the plants in Grammy’s room, too.”

  Ted’s smile faded a little around the edges, but he kept his easy tone. “Sure thing.” He has always insisted the house isn’t really haunted, but he can’t explain why he’s always so reluctant to go into Grammy’s rooms. Methinks he doth protest too much.

  It was my car, but Kat insisted on driving. “You look a little groggy, Olivia. You can nap on the way if you want.”

  “Sure. You drive. A nap sounds like a good idea. Thanks for loading the car. I haven’t been much help today. I owe you a big one.”

  She pulled out of the driveway, with the guys following. Mikah was driving for them. Ted swung the gate closed behind us, and waved again before heading across the street to his condo.

  Kat gave me a quick smile. “You don’t owe me anything. That’s what friends are for. I know you’d do the same for me. And besides, you’ll owe me enough for all that great cooking you’re going to get this weekend. No need to add to your tab.”

  Kat was an awesome cook. She happened to work at the Bakery Erotica, but she was in no way limited to the production of delectable baked goods. Ever since we discovered her cooking talents, the guys and I had paid her to do all our cooking at these events. It was worth it. She fed us. We cleaned up. Everyone was happy.

  * * * *

  Thanks to our midafternoon-on-a-Thursday departure, we managed to miss rush hour traffic. Once we got out of downtown Denver, we made pretty good time. Northward ho!

  I loved that there were so many nearby places to camp in Colorado. We were headed to a sweet little campground, about twenty miles north of Estes Park. The campsites were close enough to socialize for the Faire, but far enough apart if you need to get away and chill for a bit.

  We drove for a ways, just listening to the radio, while we ate our sandwiches. I tried to sleep after I finished eating, but it wasn’t going to happen.

  “Do you want to talk about Colby, or anything else?” Kat finally asked.

  “Not yet. I’m tired of crying today. How did you know he had a big dick?”

  “I saw him coming out of the shower one morning. He forgot to lock the bathroom door on my side. Not that
he minded me looking. He hit on me and suggested a threesome. He said he’d always wanted a blonde and a brunette at the same time.”

  I couldn’t catch my breath for a minute while her words sank in. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I laughed it off, so he acted like it was a joke. You seemed to be happy. I didn’t want to mess things up for you.” She was quiet for a long minute. “If it’d been anyone but Colby, I would have said yes.”

  That’s it. I’d work on my yet-to-be-accomplished sobriety next week. I was so going to drink tonight. “Kat?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “If we’re ever together, I don’t want it to be part of some threesome for a pervy boyfriend to get off. And please don’t say anything about Colby to Leo. I don’t want him to do something stupid and get into trouble.”

  She sighed. “Okay. I won’t tell your brother, but I think you should.”

  I queued up our driving playlist and closed my eyes to lose myself in the music. I guess I drifted off at some point, because when I woke up we were at our regular rest stop in Estes Park. We always pulled in here to top off the gas tanks and visit the local facilities. You learn to enjoy a nice flush toilet when you get the chance. With cold beverages and driving munchies in hand, we were back on the road in no time at all.

  Chapter Three

  Arrival at the Sylvan Faire

  We arrived at the campsite with plenty of daylight to spare. The sign at the entrance informed the world this was a private party. SYLVAN FAIRE ATTENDEES ONLY! I smiled. Finally it was time to leave the mundane world behind and escape for the next few days.

  It was at camping events kind of like this where the four of us became such good friends. We’d all gone to these historical recreation events. They were fun, but something was missing. It turned out that we were all in agreement—we liked the camping and socializing and costuming, but were less enamored of the rules and overabundance of historical correctness. Berto heard about the Sylvan Faire from a friend. It sounded different, so we decided to give it a try and it was so much fun. Everyone came as whoever or whatever they wanted, and as long as no one got hurt, no one judged.