Siblings Bele and Hale, Black Lake Novel 7

Chapter Thirty-six

~

This far inside the Range, Uncle wasn’t worried about our safety, what with the hoedown over, but I’m still surprised Cordiz didn’t ride back with us, or at least fly home. Another option came up—Naid invited her to tag along as he checked on the family empire, and she took him up on the offer—weird.

Her company would have saved me from listenin’ to a soprano voice all stinkin’ day. Not that Beky has an irritatin’ voice. But change is nice. Cordiz’ deep-tenor would have provided a pleasant variety of pace. If I ever hear anyone complain about ogre hens bein’ talkative, I’ll know they’ve never driven eight hours with an orc hen.

Beky didn’t seem concerned that I stopped answerin’ her questions to Hale after about the tenth turnpike exit. If he didn’t give her a couple words after a five-beat pause, she’d just go on to another topic.

The hen has a bottomless pit of interests. How can she fall asleep at night, the way her brain-bucket spins? Considerin’ Hale is the worst conversationalist in the world, her non-stop stream of consciousness would make up for his absence of feedback, tenfold.

The last fill up, with an hour to go, Beky seemed to offer Hale a break, and joined me in the front seat. I at first feared for my mental faculties, but she toned her chatter, way, way back. Had she—revved up her engines intentionally, before, to drown Hale with her interest? And now felt he needed a break? He did. But was her recognition of the situation a good sign, or a bad sign?

Because of Naid’s preoccupation, fear of his orc youngling endin’ up with or at least showin’ an unusual interest in an ogre-troll, I had also become a bit obsessed with the contradiction of suitability of the two. Could Beky not even be thinkin’ that way? She was hard to read—prolly the way her mind sprinted from one thought to another.

“Bully, my ears are poppin’ every second,” she said softly.

We drove parallel to the highest, Lakeside slope. “Between the peaks, ya should be able to catch glimpses of Black Lake now.”

“I’ve had reason to fly into the Hamlet a few times—”

“Really? Why?” I asked.

“Negotiating prices for our restaurants and grocery chain,” she said.

“Oh yeah. That economics degree.”

She giggled. “Flying in is awesome. But I wouldn’t have missed this gorgeous drive in for nothing.” She paused. I sensed a little leak of emotion comin’. “I want to tell you thank you.”

“For what?” I asked.

She tossed a meanin’ful glance my way. “Putting up with me. I know my very presence is freaking you out.”

My jaw dropped. Hm. Am I freaked out? If so, maybe she has a little witch blood too, because I thought I was playin’ this whole Beky-Hale thin’ pretty smooth.

“Took your words right out of your mouth, huh?” She smiled tightly.

I sensed a bit of worry from Hale. I would not embarrass him. Maybe this tiny little hen is a bit deeper than I assumed.

“If ya don’t know,” I began slowly, a bit unsure. “Ya pull more emotion out of Hale than anyone he’s ever met. For makin’ him happy, I’ll love ya for eternity.”

“Aw. That’s so sweet,” she said.

“Ya hens know I’m sittin’ right back here, huh?” Hale mumbled.

“We wouldn’t forget your sweet self for a split second, sweetie,” she said.

“Bele’s worried,” Hale continued, “ya’re gonna kill me when ya go back home and forget all about me. But if ya disappear, I’m not a fragile little youngling.”

“What makes you think I could ever leave and forget about you?” Beky said.

I didn’t like the emotion I picked up from Hale. A flood of it, splatterin’ in every direction. He expected her to tire of him soon. Knew he should get prepared for it. But the fantasy of it all—excited him. Certainly, he’s deeply enamored with her.

“Can we touch on the elephant, a little?” I asked slowly, tightly focusin’ on Hale in the backseat. If an elk darted in front of Mama’s car, I’d never know it until the stars cleared. And I dug out from under the twenty airbags.

“Bele,” Hale said softly, a powerful warnin’ for him.

“What I wanted to ask about,” I hurried. “Yar mama and Naid. They surely had a lot to overcome, to, ya know, make a go of a longer term, uh, relationship.”

Hale bristled, but he was curious too, though he would never have gone there in a zillion years on his own.

After a good pause, Beky simply nodded. Hale and I waited, patiently. After a good mile down the road I considered pushin’ her a bit more.

“From the early years,” she finally said. “Can’t say I ever thought about it. I mean, I just always remembered him being my main provider. Then, we both settled in accepting Mama was rarely home.” Her voice doubled in volume for a second— “Don’t get me wrong. I know she loves us both.” She took a deep breath. “But the business came first. He raised me. Mama spoiled me on weekends.”

The sentiment floatin’ up from Hale doubled up. Papa had always been everpresent, but Mama was always the overpowerin’ influence in our lives. Mama hovered. Papa, glared from around the corner. Of course, then we traipsed off to university, and both of ’em were callin’ us all hour of the day and night— Papa didn’t ask us much. He mostly, kinda, talked—hm. He probably became more impactful in subtle, uh, dribs and drabs. Wow. He was a very subtle builder of our character. Ha. While Mama was wantin’ to know every little thin’ goin’ on every hour of our lives.

“You’re of course,” Beky continued after that long pause, “wanting to know how the whole goblin-orc thing worked out—relationship, culture.” She chuckled. “I doubt it was much different than your whole ogre-troll thing.”

“Oh,” Hale mulled from the backseat. “An autistic papa was a lot more a part of our lives, overwhelmin’ everythin’ else.”

I laughed. He was completely right. An image of the healer-witch, Tie, suddenly flashed through my mind—her story about carin’ for an autistic ogre two decades ago. So bizarre. I worked to get that off my mind. “Of course, goblins and orcs have a more compatible diet.” Why was it so hard for me to bring up the enormous physical differences between us, out loud?

Beky broke into a raucous hilarity of laughter.

“Imagine our meals with our troll relations,” Hale offered.

Orc. Ogre-troll. That’s a huge consideration, though I knew Beky and Hale didn’t want to go there. Orcs are a smaller goblin cousin, even smaller than dwarves. Matin’ with a member of one of the three giant races?

Friends.

Maybe they’re satisfied to be friends.

But I sensed a lot more than that from Hale. Beky too.

~

Hale

~

“No one expected Mama would be able to conceive, with Papa.”

Bele started to choke. Bad. And continued chokin’. She managed the hazard lights as she pulled off on the shoulder. I asked her if she wanted me to drive, and between chokes, nodded.

“That was some tough spit you inhaled,” Beky said.

Five seconds later I was turnin’ the driver’s seat back a few inches, and adjustin’ the mirrors, though I could see our exit about a quarter mile ahead. Which I reached with Bele still honkin’ out an occasional gurgle.

Time for a change of topic. “So ya’re gonna be tourin’ yar friend Alder around?” I immediately sensed a bit of hostility from my sweet sibling.

“Alder?” Beky echoed. “The grad student up North?”

I realized we hadn’t talked about it today. How’d I even know he was comin’? Geez. I’m a witch too.

Bele cleared her throat hard. “His name’s Alex. Surprised you told Beky about him?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked.

“Duh. Ya’re not the world’s best communicator,” I said.

“He communicates fine,” Beky said.

I caught Bele roll her eyes in the rearview. She’d seemed to recover from near death. While I’d successfully changed subjects, the other edged back into a brain-lobe. Should I bring up my curiosity, whether an ogre-troll and an orc—

“No,” Bele said. “Let’s not go there.”

“Go where?” Beky asked.

“If ya and me could conceive,” I said.

“Didn’t know you could conceive,” Beky said.

Bele started laughin’ her ogre-white butt off. Hoped she choked again. Beky sat there, pretty calm, considerin’ the bomb I thought I’d dropped. She wasn’t all in my face for bein’ an idjit. Or talkin’ me out of stupidness.

Not that I’m hot to trot to get into Beky’s itty bitty little shorts she prefers. I’m a virgin. Got a long life ahead of me. Procreation just isn’t somethin’ that’s important right now. Geez. I’m seventeen. Papa was in his forties when he got together with Mama. But bein’ around Beky, with the physical intimacy—familiarity—she’s often free to show—how could it not linger in my mind now and then?

An enormous amount of conflictin’ emotions bellowed from the backseat. Didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Bele’s always felt responsible for me. Took pains to protect me.

“Hey.” Beky pointed at the highway sign directin’ right, for the Hamlet.

“A lot of twenty mile-an-hour traffic thataway,” I said. “A bit farther, circlin’ east of the Hamlet, but twenty times quicker.”

“Assuming I didn’t want to do some sightseeing,” she grumbled.

“Be plenty of time for that,” I said. “Ya and Alder have any interest in visitin’ the Ike and Taiz’lin homestead?” I studied Bele in my mirror, sensed her irritation. Why would that tick her off?

“Beky will freeze up there,” she snapped.

“I’ve done a lot of winter camping,” she argued. “I’m no shrinking violet.”

“I’d be more worried about yar dainty human boyfriend,” I said.

“Not my boyfriend,” she shrieked. “And his name’s Alex.”

“I texted Papa.”

“About what?” Bele hissed. I don’t know why now-and-then I enjoy tickin’ my sweet sibling off.

“To lock in the cabin for a few days for Alder.”

“What!”

Oh, she was ticked. Served her right for stickin’ her nose in Beky’s mama’s business. “Did ya want him stayin’ with us at home? Sorry. Assumed ya’d stay with him in the Hamlet. Ya know, for privacy.”

“Why are ya bein’ a butthead?” Bele hissed. I didn’t have to try to absorb her emotion. It was seethin’. Maybe I have an evil streak. Along with a tinge of witch blood.

“Should I step out?” Beky teased.

“Did ya really?” Bele asked. “Papa knows?”

“Ya’d have to be out by mid-day Saturday. Papa’s got some Plain employees penciled in for a long weekend, startin’ Saturday.”

Why was she irritated about Papa knowin’ about Alder? While she fumed, I decided to drop another family thin’. “Papa was a little ticked I asked Uncle to schedule a trip up to the North Ridge. A little insulted he’s only good for schedulin’ a cabin.”

Bele laughed. Good. Couldn’t leave her angry with me. She’s my interpreter.

Funny, she didn’t ask how Papa knew about my thin’ with Uncle. Maybe Ike and Papa are so close, they share a brain like Bele and me.

~