Page 69 of Shadowing Bright
A few more pleasantries and awards for members were offered, and then Keel murmured, “You can go now.”
“No.I don’t think I will.I need to see how things are done.That means all things.”
Normic looked at her, frowned, and said, “And now it has come to our attention that one of our own is poaching work from the Northern Star Catering Company.Krys-Alis?What do you have to say about that?”
Krys’s family tried to stop her from standing, but Krys walked clear of the back seats and said, “I would like clarification, clan leader?”
“Derek has indicated that there is a very large wedding that you are catering this weekend, and normally, the larger events are given to them.”
“I was requested by the mayor’s assistant and the mayor himself.The extranaturals having their vow renewal are not members of the northern groupings.Our agreement stipulated that if I was requested, I could service any event that wasn’t for one of our own people.A dragonborn and a half shadow are hardly those with a link to anyone in this room.”
Normic said, “You will surrender the contract.”
“No.”Krys smiled, and it wasn’t a nice smile.
Normic blinked.
Amy could feel the room getting several degrees colder, and for a change, it wasn’t her.
Keel leaned and asked, “Is that you?”
She shook her head slowly and looked with focus at Krys.Keel’s eyes went wide, and he shot to his feet, but Normic was already committed to it.“You will surrender the contract, or you and your entire family will be kicked out of the clan!”
Krys raised her hand, and the doors froze shut.
Normic looked at her.“What?”
Keel cleared his throat.“I was trying to tell you.She’s an extranatural with temperature skills.”
“When did you figure that out?”his husband whispered hoarsely.
“When my feet froze to the floor.”
Krys called out, “Clan leader, retract that last statement, and you can keep your very pricey shoes.Also, Uncle, do remember that you are a member of my family, and your statement would banish your own ass.”
Normic blinked.“I...uh.Reverse my previous decision and declaration.It was said in the heat of the moment.”
“Yeah, because I am a pain in the ass, Uncle.Now, I want the clan to just treat me like an outside vendor, with the exception of my family’s shop.I am not servicing the northerners; I am working with anyone else.Even my cousin couldn’t call on me for help with her wedding.She had to deal with Nessa, and she fucked the big day up seven ways from Sunday.No bride deserves that.”
The woman with a baby, who must have been the cousin, said, “Krys is right.She ran around behind the scenes, fixing everything that she could, helping the caterers who hadn’t been able to get into the venue early because Nessa forgot to schedule it.Sure, Nessa looks great in a designer suit, but she has the organizational skills of a glacier.Krys is on the ball and looking for issues before they happen.I have been to a wedding that she organized, and everyone was so happy and relaxed.It was fun for everyone and a truly joyous day.”The cousin sat back down.
Normic cleared his throat.“Krys, can you please stop freezing the floor?”
Krys sighed.“Fine, but ask Amy to thaw it.I can’t remove my ice.Well, not indoors.”
Amy chuckled and melted the floor and doors.“So, big reveal?”
Krys laughed.“Not hardly.I just didn’t want to be pulled up to a higher social level and leave the rest of my family behind.I like sitting with them at meetings.”
Normic looked past her, and Amy saw what was obviously his brother, shrugging.“So, niece, what are your manifestations?”
“Oh, nothing much.The ones you are concerned with are just a weather witch, I think, and a frost fairy.”
A woman in the crowd said, “There is no such thing.”
Krys transformed into a woman with ice-blue hair, blue lips, a lot of sparkles around her eyes, and two huge butterfly wings made of snowflakes and frost.“Oh, no.I don’t exist.Woe is me!”She flicked her fingers, and a frost imprint smacked the woman in the face.
Amy snorted with laughter.
