Page 3 of A Light in the Dark
She shook her head.
“I’ll make you something warm to drink and eat. If you can’t stand reliably, sit in the shower. I’ll come back to warm it up at the right intervals,” I promised before shuffling off to start the washing machine so she’d have something clean to wear. I checked my living room to find the luna moth had moved to the dish and was hard at work eating the offered fruit. Satisfied the shapeshifter would be fine for a while, I hauled the laundry to my washing machine, checked the labels, and breathed a relieved sigh that I could toss in some detergent and let the machine work its magic. Once I had the load started, I went into the kitchen to start the kettle. While that warmed up, I dug out several cans of soup. Fast and hot beat a long wait to get something warm into her.
Once I retrieved my pot, I checked my phone to make certain I wasn’t about to do something lethal to my unexpected guest. Before I had a chance to search the internet, the device rang. The display informed me someone from the police station up the way wanted to speak with me.
“Hello?” I answered, pinning the cell between my shoulder and ear to free up my hands to set up a pot of tea.
“Miss Chester, this is Officer Nathen Williard. We’ve received notice that you have pulled someone out of the flood waters?”
Damn, news spread fast. I supposed one of the neighbors down the way had notified authorities. “Yes, sir. I’ve got her getting warm in the shower, and I’m making her some tea and soup. When I went to get her a drink and start the soup,she was coherent, although I suggested she not say anything until her teeth stopped chattering.”
“Did you start the water cold?”
“I started it at her skin temperature, sir.”
“Good. Do you require any assistance?”
How was I supposed to know? Rather than curse over my ignorance over the situation, I said, “Her teeth were chattering when I started the shower, but she was mobile and able to get out of her clothes without help, and she didn’t seem hurt when she scrambled into my house with some help. But it’s possible she’s got internal injuries. Those waters aren’t kind to anybody.”
“No, they aren’t. We can send a paramedic who is a shapeshifter over to your place if you can open the door for us.”
“I’ve got a moth shapeshifter in here,” I warned, not sure how I’d keep a bird shapeshifter from enjoying a snack of fresh insect.
“I’ll make sure she knows that the moth is not mundane. I would tell the moth to stay away from the entry until the paramedic has a chance to shift just to prevent any unfortunate accidents.”
I could handle that. “Thank you, sir. I’ll go open the door in a moment and lash it so she can fly on in, and I’ll leave the light on. The steps are broken, so I’d rather she land on the floor and damage it than go for a swim.”
“I’ll make sure she knows your steps are out. Were you injured during the rescue?”
I eyed my right arm, which showed some redness from the rope. “Minor rope burn at worst.”
“I’ll have her check you over just in case. Thank you foryour work, ma’am. Give us a call on the emergency line if the situation changes.”
I thanked him, hung up, and abandoned my internet search as the paramedic would know her business. After making sure nothing would burn in the short time it took me to get my door open, I returned to the living room. “There’s a bird coming to tend to the woman, so if you could follow me, I’ll take you into a different room in the house.” I strolled over and picked up the dish with the pear. Rather than fly as I expected, the moth went along for the ride.
That would work. As I didn’t want the shapeshifter to feel like a prisoner, I took him to the kitchen and set his dish on the table, which would give plenty of space for everyone to move around without stepping on each other. The moth went back to eating, which wouldn’t last long at its current rate of consumption. Rather than have a hungry moth getting in the way, I retrieved more fruit and set up a buffet before returning to my work.
Within five minutes, an owl hooted and winged into my hallway, landing in the entry to my kitchen.
To my relief, the moth ignored the other shapeshifter.
The snowy owl transformed into a paramedic with a first aid kit. While I questioned the nature of magic and how a bird could become a person, the older woman straightened and asked, “Where is she?”
I pointed in the direction of the hallway leading to my bathroom. “First door on the right, ma’am. Thank you for coming.”
The paramedic hurried off to do her work while I kept the moth company. Aware the floods weren’t over yet, I returned to my post at my bay window, keeping an eye onthe churning waters. I should have closed the door, but the reality of the situation made me hesitate.
If I closed the door and someone else needed help, would I make it in time? As I doubted I could get lucky twice, I opted to leave it open, waiting for when exhaustion settled in and someone else would take watch for someone unlucky or ignorant about the lethal waters of Stonecreek.
TWO
If you want to know the secret to eternal youth, it’s to become a moth shifter.
The paramedic stayedfor several hours, keeping an eye on both of us for any signs of internal injuries. At first glance, I never would have believed Amanda could possibly have over thirty years of experience pulling people out of Stonecreek’s flood waters. When I’d blurted a request for her secret, she’d chuckled and informed me it was one of the perks of being an avian shapeshifter.
With a rather wicked grin, she added, “The moths have it even better than we do. If you want to know the secret to eternal youth, it’s to become a moth shifter.”
My unexpected guest, Gabriella, who had escaped from Earth during the evacuation, giggled at the paramedic’s comment. “During our orientation, we were warned to be wary of the shapeshifters. They can be determined. Nobody explained what that meant, though. The administrators in Moonriver suggested I come here, as I’d lived in the mountains back on Earth. I’d gotten lucky. I’d been on holidaywhen the volcanoes blew. A Hunter helped me get through the portals.”
