The Rider's Fate

Oh Mother Dearest

Ch. 3: Oh Mother Dearest

Miranda O'Toole had only let Jenna have her second name. I had been born first, but I had been the evidence of my mother's affair. So I was just Lynch. A headache for the school and a constant confusion when I used to declare that Jenna was my sister. Especially when she grew old enough to soak in my mother's embarrassment about my problems.

I straightened in the seat, my body pulling tense like a bowstring. I listened to the car engine shut out and the door pop open. There was only silence from the driveway then. The two Riders had grown silent, but Gabriel danced his fingers along the leather belt on his waist where a set of knives hung.

Mam's shoes crunched on the drive. Then, on the wood and glass in the front hall. My fingers were trembling as I brushed down the counter in front of me, and inside my chest, my heart was pounding. Mo Dhia, I wanted to vanish into nothing. Just go poof and hide in a darkened corner for the storm to pass.

Mam appeared in the kitchen doorway and stared at us all. Her dark hair was twisted into an elegant knot, her lips painted in a soft shade of nude. Not a thread of hair was out of place. She took her time examining us all, her lips pressed into that thin, stern line.

Dem cleared his throat, stepping forward with a warm smile, "I gather that you are..."

Mam swung a condemning glare in my direction. Her eyes were so dark, so angry as she bit out, "What did you do?"

"Mam..." The words lumped in my throat. Weak. I had tried to fight some supernatural creature hell-bent on killing me, but my mother knocked any courage from me with a look.

Swiftly, Mam strode across the kitchen and gripped Jenna's chin tight. She turned her face to the light, her fingers digging into Jenna's skin. Her gaze cut towards me again. "Answer me!"

"We were attacked." Pain throbbed in my throat. I wondered if the creature's fingerprints would be painted across my neck for days. Maybe weeks. I didn't really know. No one had strangled me before. "It broke down the door, and we would have been killed if it weren't for Dem and Gabriel here."

Mam finally acknowledged them. "Neely referred to Jenna's attacker as it. Did he strike her so hard that she is addled, or is my daughter simply that stupid?"

My cheeks burned red, but I knew better than to argue. Dem glanced at me with a frown, but I gave him a placating smile. It was best not to argue. My mother disarmed most people; she was well-put together, well-respected in the community, and always friendly to those who could get her ahead. Only a few unlucky people knew how sharp her tongue was.

Dem's frown did not abate as he returned his attention to Mam. That warm tone faded, and he spoke in clipped words. "Your daughters are lucky to be alive. They fought bravely, as ignorant of our world as they are. Neither of them is addled or stupid."

Mam hitched her chin higher. "They stayed and fought. Smarter girls would have run."

"Mam," Jenna said meekly. "Neely attacked it to save me."

"Your face is bruised. Clearly, her attempts were unsuccessful. Still..." Mam gazed at me, eyes dark and intrusive. "It's about time you showed some actual courage in your life."

I stared at the counter, marking every crumb. Every stain. I couldn't look at the two Riders, knowing that any good impression that I might have made was now obliterated.

"Neely is a Dragon Rider." Gabriel rose, poised and confident. He stared at my mother with a matched level of haughtiness, a sneer curling his lip. "Which means her soul is bound for something far bigger than you can understand. Fate has pulled its strings, and it is her time now to become who she is meant to be."