Vagabonds Read online

  “How long of a drive is it to your house?”

  “Not too far. Half an hour or so, though if there was a storm it could take an hour or two.”

  “The blizzards around here that bad?” Sophia asked, wide-eyed.

  “Mmm. We don’t get all that much snow, truthfully, but the roads are narrow and wind about,” he said, jerking his chin towards the dark horizon. She could just make out a rise in the road far beyond the glare of the headlights.

  “I live in the mountains.”

  A young woman heading out into the mountains with a strange old man. The circumstances weren’t lost on her.

  “Seems like a good place to avoid people.”

  “That it is. I even have my groceries delivered! To think, only ten, fifteen years ago I had to go into town and get them myself. How did we live?” He chuckled.

  Sophia ran a finger across the soft leather of the seats. Of course he’d be wealthy, why wouldn’t he be? “So, what do you do, anyways?”

  “Nothing!” He laughed, then sighed, “I’ve been retired for many years now. Though, I used to be a soldier.”

  “Really? You don’t look that old to me.”

  “Trying to butter me up?” Tarkit flashed a mischievous look, “I’ve heard young ladies were into men of my sorts these days. Must be the beard, no?”

  “I’m not into old guys,” Sophia said, a little too defensively.

  He hung his head a little, “Not even a hint of a blush?”

  “I got used to far worse hanging around Tess. Seen far worse,” Sophia said, clenching her eyes tight against the flashbacks.

  Tarkit nodded in sympathy. He’d heard that distant, faraway tone all too often from the men under his command—he’d uttered that same tone some years ago. “She can be an interesting woman.”

  “That’s one way of putting it. And then there’s all the gore from Sejit… I’m pretty sure any shot I had of being normal is long gone.”

  “Hah! Why wish to be commonplace when you can be extraordinary?”

  “Hey now, what do you know of commonplace? Sejit is your mother. That must be, I mean, what was that even like?”

  He beamed. “An adventure.”

  “I’ll bet…”

  The rest of the drive fell into silence. It wasn’t for lack of questions; her mind was drowning in them. More like, it was an ordering problem. She had to ask them in the right way, in the right sequence, otherwise she’d just get the runaround. No doubt remained that he was her son.

  For a while, she imagined what it’d be like to have a goddess for a mother.

  Then her cats started to fuss, meowing and chittering.

  “Aw, poor guys,” Sophia cooed, reaching back to stick her fingers through the cage door. They sniffed at her fingers and proceeded to carry on making noise. “Been couped up for hours, I bet you have to use the bathroom, huh? Or you’re just really hungry…”

  “We’re almost home,” said Tarkit as they pulled off the main highway, even if it could only be called as such because the new road was even worse—mostly gravel and wide enough for one vehicle, two if they were cautious and slow.

  As they drove on, the cats got louder, more excited. Their faces were pressed up against the carrier door, eyes focused straight ahead out the window. “I know, I know… Sorry about the noise.”

  “It’s nothing, I’m used to worse,” he said, taking another turn off.

  A large house came into view, lights from the windows and road-side lamps along the driveway shining like a beacon along with the crunch of gravel under the tires.

  “And we’re here. Home sweet home!”

  Home was a nice place, almost more a mansion than a mere sweet home, though for all the finery adorning the outside, such as the steep gables and their intricate Suultovi workmanship, it still had a nice cozy feel to it on account of the rich wood paneling. Tarkit pulled into the three-car garage alongside another luxurious SUV, the kind that looked like it was worth more than the house Sophia grew up in.

  By now the cats were in a frenzy, carrying on like the most amazing thing in the world lay just beyond the reach of their paws, which were sticking out through the cage door to swipe at nothing and everything. “What’s gotten into you guys? Normally they’re pretty chill,” Sophia said, voicing her thoughts as she hopped out of the SUV.

  Once again the cold pierced through her, but soon as the garage door closed to shut out the elements, warmth returned.

  Tarkit gathered up her backpack and travel bag and led her inside. “You can let them out wherever… Oh! Do you have a litterbox?”

  “Yeah,” Sophia said, setting the carrier down just inside the foyer. Just like the place to have a foyer for the garage entrance. She began to undo a series of latches. “The floor slides out and it’s a litterbox underneath.”

  “Very convenient,” Tarkit nodded.

  No sooner had Sophia lifted the top of the carrier than did the cats shoot off down the hallway, tails high and quivering.

  “Hey, come back! Those little…”

  Tarkit chuckled, “Don’t fret. Let me show you to your room. There’s the kitchen,” he said as they went, “Living room. The study, through that door is the basement—fully furnished! The gym and theater room are down there.”

  “…Theater room?”

  “Indeed! Why settle for a television? A theater is so much better! Stadium seating for ten, projector, sound system. All well put-together if I do say so myself,” Tarkit said, positively glowing, “Perhaps tomorrow I can show it to you. Anyways, your room is up here.”

  They ascended one staircase, then another to a tiny third floor possessing two rooms opposite each other at the top of the stairs. Tarkit opened the door to one, revealing a plain—by the standards of the rest of the house—guest bedroom. Still had a king-sized bed and a television that would have been the centerpiece of most homes, along with a dresser that could fit her entire wardrobe twice over.

  “This room is nicer than my whole apartment,” Sophia said, praise and lament tinting her words in equal measure, “I suppose I need to find my cats now. I’m sure you don’t want them running around your house.”

  “They’ll be fine. You should get some sleep, you must be tired. Besides,” he said, “You’ll need your energy for tomorrow.”

  “Huh? Why?”

  “Because you’ll be helping with a few of my chores, of course!” He flashed her a toothy grin.

  Sophia wilted like a snowman melting under a spring sun. “Of course.”

  Tarkit belted out his raucous laughter and gave her such a slap on the back it sent her sprawling face-first onto the bed. “Don’t you worry. We’ll build you up while you’re here, get some meat on those bones. You must weigh all of a hundred pounds! Oh! The bathroom is across the hall. It’s not much, but we don’t get many guests so it’s not often used.”

  “Thanks,” she said, wincing as she hauled herself up and rubbed at her back. She could just imagine a red outline of a handprint forming. “I’m sure it’s better than you’re making it out to be.”

  “Perhaps! Well, if you need anything, I’m on the second floor, second door on the right. Sleep well, Sophia.”

  “Ah, sure. And you too,” she said, watching as he walked out. When she was alone, she took a few moments to place what clothes she had in the dresser, then plopped down on the soft, yet supportive, bed.

  She felt odd. Not in a bad or good way, but just odd. Whenever she’d gone to a new country or met new people, there was always a feeling of excitement tinged with anxiety. It was one of the reasons why she elected to travel with her parents around the world and take up their profession, even if it did mean skipping university and most of highschool. Yet, here she was, and everything felt so… Same. The most unnerving part was she couldn’t figure out why. Nothing about the room was familiar, and Tarkit wasn’t like his mother in the least. Wasn’t like Tess, either—his friendliness wasn’t some trap to lure in hapless victims. Sophia fell for that onc
e, and while it wasn’t entirely unpleasant, she made sure to remain on guard around the jackal from then on.

  Fatigue was beginning to take hold now that the busyness had gone.

  “Sleep sounds good,” she mumbled to herself as she stripped her clothes off, sending them into a crumpled heap next to the dresser.

  “Mew.”

  She looked up, just as she was getting her socks off. An unfamiliar and large cat peered at her from the doorway. Sophia’s hazel eyes met a blue pair shining from the doorway just as she flicked a sock across the room. A large, lithe, white furred cat flicked its head just inside her room, blue eyes following the sock’s arc. The two stared at one another as the cat stepped back from her room and drew itself up to its full height, looking regal. Sophia kept staring, trying to place it, trying to name the breed, the only result her brain could process was: “Domesticated cats do not grow that big.”

  The white cat’s tail flicked side to side and it… leered.

  She could’ve sworn the cat’s eyes trailed up and down her body, filling her with an urge to cover up. No, no, she was just tired. Cats couldn’t leer, especially not at a person.

  “Who are you, little guy?”

  The cat’s eyes half-closed and its tail scythed about.

  “…Little girl?”

  The scything returned to a gentle swish. “Mew.”

  It continued to watch her from the doorway, at least until two familiar faces showed up alongside. Samsa and Gregor crowded around the white cat, chattering and rubbing and carrying on. The white cat swat at them and darted inside the room. It hadn’t quite managed a straight line, veering in an odd, swervy kind of way, and leapt onto the bed, whereupon it fumbled the landing and crashed headlong into the heap of pillows along the headboard. It scrambled out and rose on unsteady feet, just in time for her two cats to jump alongside.

  “Hey, you two little traitors,” Sophia grumbled, “What’re you chasing her for? You’re fixed!”

  For a moment they paid some regard to Sophia, but it wasn’t meant to be and they clumped around the white cat once more. The white cat sagged and looked to bolt again, but apparently decided it’d grown tired of trying to ditch her new best friends and flopped down. Samsa and Gregor did the same, nestling beside her in a fluffy pile and purred.

  “At least I know where you guys are, I guess… How am I going to sleep with you three in the middle of the bed? Up, up!” She clapped her hands to no avail. Her two cats merely gave her a sleepy look for all of a few seconds before she fell off their mental radar.

  “Okay, that’s it!” Sophia picked up a cat in each hand and placed them on the floor. They tried to get back up on the bed, but Sophia chased them out and shut the door to prevent their re-entry. They were not to be defeated so easily, however, and stuck their paws under the door in an attempt to get back inside.

  While her back was turned to the bed, she heard a familiar noise, one of rustling fabric and fur, a stretching noise of sinew and growth. With her back still turned, she massaged her temples. “Of course,” she said, turning around, “Why wouldn’t you be?”

  Where there was once a cat, there was now a young woman lying on her stomach, kicking her legs idly. Pale skin, back-length white hair, or maybe a light silver, and the same sparkling blue eyes.

  “Wow, most… most people would be surprised,” The woman said, her voice soft like the rolling waves of an ocean heard within a seashell—along with the lilting undercurrent of someone who was drunk. Not smashed, but at least half a bottle deep. That explained the less-than-graceful run and leap onto the bed.

  “Yeah and you probably know I’m not most people,” Sophia said as she remembered her state of clothing, or lack thereof. She slid her shirt and underwear back on, then collapsed onto the end of the bed.

  “Ya got me there, Sophia,” the woman giggled, shifting to a seated position while holding a pillow against her lap. She wavered about, her lithe form a sapling in a stiff breeze. If Sophia could be thankful for one thing, it was that this cat goddess wasn’t a giant like all the others. By her estimate, they were about equal in many regards, although she sort of wished her face could as youthful as the cat-woman’s again.

  “So, who’re you?”

  “That’s a good, good question,” said the woman, her face clouding over, “Who are any of us?”

  “Fantastic. I don’t care anymore. I just want to sleep, so leave,” Sophia said, then remembered that while the cat-woman didn’t appear to be anyone of note, there was a good chance she was still a goddess. “Please,” she added.

  The woman leaned forward, squinting her eyes, and drew attention to her fuzzy eyebrows at the same time. White, just like her hair. Sophia shifted, half meeting the squinty gaze and half looking away.

  “You think you know who you are, but you don’t! The secret is buried deep within you!”

  “Why are you doing this? Did Sejit or Tess ask you to fuck with me or something?”

  “Nope!” The bubbly woman said, “For one of you to know you’ve met one of us is rare! But how many do you know now? Don’t, don’t you think that’s amazing?”

  Sophia began to say something, but paused for a think. The unknown goddess did have a point. There was a good chance that of the billions of people on the planet, Sophia was the only one who personally knew three, or four, now, gods and knew of another half-dozen. “I guess it is,” she admitted.

  “See, sometimes ya, you just gotta stop and think about it.”

  “Okay so let me ask again, who are you?” Sophia braced herself for another vaguely philosophical answer.

  “Yf,” the woman said, all smiles.

  Somehow, Sophia felt let down. The name Yf wasn’t some obscure god she had to dredge up from memory or research. Quite the opposite: Everyone knew Yf. His name and image were plastered on everything that had to do with romance and love, from sappy greeting card holidays to— especially—porn and sex toys.

  “Look, I don’t mean to call you a liar, but…”

  The Yf-candidate rolled her eyes so hard the pupils vanished halfway through their arc. “Go on then, let’s hear it.”

  “You are a girl.”

  “So? You’re a girl!”

  “…Yes? You’re not denying it.”

  Self-proclaimed Yf let out such a groaning, deep sigh it ruffled the drapes on the window.

  “That’s a thing and I am too, too…” She struggled for the word, face all scrunched up.

  “Drunk?”

  She teetered one way, tottered the other, and finally fell backwards onto the bed, still clutching the pillow against herself and shook her head no a few times, each time changing angle until she was nodding yes. “I was going to say… something else, but let’s go with that.”

  “Uh-huh. Can you go now?”

  “Can you make sure your furry little friends don’t follow me? I am so not in the mood…”

  On cue, the cats outside the door chattered and renewed their attempt to get in by burrowing through the carpet.

  “You know what? Whatever. You want to sleep in my bed? Fine. Goodnight,” Sophia said, defeated. She could handle another woman in the same bed, provided there was some clothing between them.

  “Thaaanks,” said Yf, her eyes already fluttering closed.

  Of course, she would be in the center of the bed. Sophia shoved her over, flicked off the light, and crawled under the blankets. The cats continued their noise making for a short while but eventually gave up once the sounds from inside died away.

  For all her fatigue and weariness, sleep didn’t come as readily as she’d have hoped. The hardest part about sleeping at a new place was the smell. She inhaled deep with her nose buried in the pillow. It wasn’t that it was a bad smell. Actually, the particular fragrance was rather soothing. Lots of mild floral tones. It was just that it was different. She knew it was silly, but nothing could dispel the slight unease that made drifting off to sleep take a while longer than it ought to.

  H
er thoughts mulled over the day’s doings like molasses, trapping sleep and preventing it from claiming her.

  Just as she was about to throw off the blankets and go to her phone in frustration, an arm threw itself round her shoulder and a certain someone snuggled up from behind. She was about to snarl at the woman for disturbing her, getting too close, but there was something strange: the lack of strangeness that should’ve accompanied someone she didn’t know acting so familiar with her.

  If anything, it was warm and pleasant. Comforting, even.

  Whatever, no point in overthinking it…

  For some reason, the molasses had been dispersed and sleep readily took her within its cozy grasp. Within minutes she was coaxed off into the land of dreams, deep in a restful slumber.

  Morning came and went. By the time Sophia managed to drag herself from bed, it was already well into the afternoon. The door was still closed, but the woman had gone and two familiar cats replaced her for the coveted snuggle spot at her back. She cleaned up for the day, finding the shower stocked with everything she could need—including a shampoo of the same scent on the pillow.

  Downstairs she found Tarkit reading in a recliner. Spotting her, he slid a bookmark between the pages and smiled.

  “Hello! Good afternoon,” he said with his usual flair, “Sleep well?”

  Had that remark come from anyone else, she’d have taken it for sarcasm, but from him, it seemed genuine. This left Sophia at a loss for how to respond, so she settled for a mumbled “Yeah” before launching into the question at the tip of her tongue.

  “Who’s the white cat?” She asked, glancing around to check if they were around somewhere.

  “Ah, Yf? Apologies for not mentioning her, I didn’t think she’d bother you so soon.”

  “Yeah, Yf. But I thought… Ugh, I just don’t care right now.”

  “I imagine,” Tarkit laughed, “But I suspect you do care about breakfast? Or lunch, given the time.”

  “I could eat,” Sophia responded without a shred of hesitation.

  “Very well! I haven’t had lunch yet either. The kitchen is this way…”