Source Of The River Read Free Page A

catch your death out there!” Kassie cried,
leaning her head out of the doorway. She promptly slammed the door shut to keep
out the rain.
    “Coming, Mum,” Kaiya replied quietly. Slowly, she
stood and made her way back to the farmhouse. Only once did she pause, gazing
one last time at the sky. Taking a deep breath, she filled her lungs with the
fresh scent of rain that precedes a storm. With a sigh, she continued inside
her home.
    “There you are,” her mother remarked.
    Kaiya removed her damp cloak and carefully placed
it on a hook near the door. “It’s not a bad storm,” she said. “There’s no need
for a fuss.”
    Kassie giggled with joy as she looked upon her
daughter. “You’re all frizzy from the rain, my dear.” Licking her hand, she
attempted to smooth Kaiya’s short violet locks.
    “Stop, Mum,” Kaiya said, backing away. “It’s
fine.”
    “Of course it is,” Darvil broke in. “It’s not as
if she’s after a husband.”
    “Not tonight, anyway,” her mother replied with a
smirk.
    “If you’re going to remain an old maid, at least
help your mother with dinner,” he grumbled, scratching the thick red beard on
his chin. “It’s not right to still be living with your parents at your age.
It’s high time—”
    “I found a husband and got on with my life—yadda,
yadda, yadda,” Kaiya finished.
    “It’s that smart mouth of yours that keeps you
from finding a man,” her father declared.
    Sighing, Kaiya joined her mother in the kitchen.
    “Don’t listen to him,” Kassie said. “He’s glad to
have you here to help out, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. The boys have
gone, and my sweet girl can stay as long as she likes.” She smiled warmly at Kaiya.
    “I still wish he wouldn’t say things like that,”
she replied. “It’s already hard enough being different.”
    “You’re special, that’s all,” her mother said.
“Someday you’ll find someone who’s right for you, and then you’ll be off to
have children of your own.”
    Kaiya did not reply. Having children was not on
her list of things she wanted to do. All her life she had been treated as an
outcast, thanks to her magical abilities. Dwarves were not known to possess
such skill, and none of her peers could relate to her situation. She was
different, and that was all the reason they needed to be cruel. Her father’s
constant reminders of her lack of a husband did not help matters. At nearly
thirty years of age, she was already older than most brides. Marriage did not matter
to Kaiya. She had dedicated every free moment to the study of magic, and she
did not intend to suppress her talents in order to fit in.
    Outside, the wind started to howl. Kaiya dashed to
the window to look upon the storm. The trees danced and swayed, urged on by the
powerful gusts. Lightning reflected in her gray eyes, and she felt a sudden
surge of power rush through her body.
    “Come away from the window, Kaiya,” her mother
said softly.
    Kaiya did not reply. Instead, she remained silent,
entranced as she looked upon the storm.
    “Kaiya,” her mother said again. “Please.”
    Dropping her gaze to the floor, Kaiya moved away
from the window and took a seat at her mother’s side. “I sense a presence in
the storm,” she said quietly.
    “You’re scaring me, Kaiya,” Kassie replied
nervously. “Let’s just have dinner, all right?”
    Still troubled by the feeling, Kaiya nodded and
rose from her seat. Retrieving dishes from the cabinet, she suddenly felt sick to
her stomach. An intense headache overcame her, and she dropped her head into
her hands.
    “Kaiya, what is it?” her mother asked, concerned.
Rushing to her daughter’s side, she helped her back to her seat. “Tell me,” she
said.
    “I don’t know,” Kaiya replied. “I feel sick all of
a sudden. There’s something out there, Mum. I don’t think it’s something nice.”
    Darvil made his way into the kitchen hoping to eat
but saw that his daughter was ailing. “What