A Matter of Fate by Heather Lyons Read Free Book Online

kneading his hands back and forth across the counter top. My mother sets her knitting needles down and answers for him. “Yes.”
    My mind sort of flatlines.
    “You must be vigilant,” my father urges. I’ve never seen him so concerned about me before. If it wasn’t in such a scary context, I might actually cry. “As of right now, you are no longer allowed to go anywhere without another Magical present.”
    And . . . there go my fuzzy feelings. “Are you serious?”
    “You are a Creator. Your price to the Council is incalculable. It has been decided that you must be guarded at all costs.”
    “My price?”
    “We have no idea who is doing this. It could be a Magical, taking out the competition. It could be one of the species after discovering the presence of Magicals. We just don’t know anything, despite our best efforts. Whoever it is, they are strong enough to take out powerful Magicals who normally would have nothing to fear from the nons of their plane.” He stands up, sighing. “The Council must always have a Creator. Kleeshawnall Rushfire is old and is nearing the end of his life span. You are the only other Creator in existence. Whether you like it or not, you will be guarded. And you’ll follow the Council’s orders to the letter. My daughter will not embarrass our family or risk her life because she’s seventeen and unhappy with a lack of freedom. It’s a small price to pay to ensure our kind keeps evolving.”
    “There’s another Creator?” I whisper. They’ve never told me this before.
    My father has the audacity to look bewildered by my bewilderment. “Of course there is.”
    “Do not focus on Rushfire,” my mother snaps. “Are you listening to your father? You will do as you’re told, Chloe.” She then escorts me up to my bedroom. This is not a good sign. “Someone will be here soon to watch over you,” she says as I sit down on my bed. “I wanted him here tonight, but he’s currently out on a mission.” The windows are then checked to make sure they’re latched. She’s never checked them before, not even when I was little. This drives home the severity of the situation.
    My hands are shaking. “Who is this guy? Are the others getting babysitters?”
    “No. There is no need. You’re the only one Council bound.” She pulls the curtains shut. “You’ll be watched over by Karl Graystone. He is young, only twenty . . . but your father assures me that the Council insisted on Karl and Karl alone.”
    Only twenty . . . “What is he?”
    She knows what I mean. “A Quake.”
    An earth mover, another rarity in the Magical world. “Why would the Council send someone so valuable to look after me?”
    “As I explained, he is the best. He does not fail at his missions. But, I need to stress something to you. If . . . gods forbid, someone actually ever does manage to get through Karl, you must protect yourself at all costs. I do not care if it happens in front of two thousand nons, you do whatever is necessary to protect yourself. The Council cannot lose you.”
    The sad thing is that my parents’ concern seems only to be what is best for the Council, not for their daughter. How I wish my mom was hugging me right now, telling me it was going to be okay. That she was going to make sure that nobody hurt her little girl. But no—I get a lecture on how I can’t embarrass the family by getting myself killed. Gods.
    “When does this Karl arrive?”
    “Soon.” She pins me with a long look. “You should know that Karl is recently married and his wife is pregnant. So, no hanky panky.”
    I gape in outrage. “Are you serious? I mean, Mother, if there are things out to kill me, do you really think my first thought would be how to sex this guy up?”
    She ignores this. “Caleb should be here any minute. We’ve asked him to come and stay until Karl arrives.”
    “Caleb? He’s a Faerie. And small. What can he do if we’re attacked?”
    “Hey,” says an indignant voice. “I’m a