Snippet!
I wish I could draw this scene.
The person standing on the porch was bundled up so much that Jessica couldn't tell if it were male or female, at least at first, except for the fact that she wore a heavy skirt the color of the pine trees outside. Her boots--and the bottom of the skirt--were coated with snow, but she didn't seem to notice, or mind. She wore a leather cape, fur side in, which was intricately embroidered with swirls and leaves and wards. The hood, and a brilliantly scarlet scarf, completely covered her narrow face, save for her eyes, which were green, from what Jessica remembered.
Her gloves matched her cape and her boots and dwarfed her hand when she pulled one off to hold it out. "I come in peace," she said, and traced a ward in the air between them. "You called my name?"
Timothy stepped away from the door and motioned her inside. She stared at him for a moment, a piercing stare, and he said, "Edward has my son."
"That is not a good thing," Iris said, and stepped into the house. Timothy closed the door behind her, and she followed him, slowly turning, until he stood next to Jessica. "It is not a normal occurrence that I would agree to help a vampire. Even you."
"Would you be willing to help my son?" Timothy asked softly. "Josh doesn't deserve to be in the middle of this."
"That may be true, but he is," Iris said. "Because of who you are and who he is. Because of your family." It took her some time to unwrap everything; the gloves and cape she carefully folded and draped over the back of a chair. The scarf was almost a living thing in its own right; it was either made of silk or something like that, because it almost puddled on the table when she unwrapped it.
Underneath, she wore a tunic of sorts, also of silk, Jessica suspected. It had a cowl-like neck and was the color of a stormy sky. She'd braided her hair and wrapped the braid around the crown of her head at least three times.
Despite the fact that she only came up to Jessica's shoulders, she held herself like a tiny Queen, larger than life and no less powerful--or dangerous--because of her size.
The person standing on the porch was bundled up so much that Jessica couldn't tell if it were male or female, at least at first, except for the fact that she wore a heavy skirt the color of the pine trees outside. Her boots--and the bottom of the skirt--were coated with snow, but she didn't seem to notice, or mind. She wore a leather cape, fur side in, which was intricately embroidered with swirls and leaves and wards. The hood, and a brilliantly scarlet scarf, completely covered her narrow face, save for her eyes, which were green, from what Jessica remembered.
Her gloves matched her cape and her boots and dwarfed her hand when she pulled one off to hold it out. "I come in peace," she said, and traced a ward in the air between them. "You called my name?"
Timothy stepped away from the door and motioned her inside. She stared at him for a moment, a piercing stare, and he said, "Edward has my son."
"That is not a good thing," Iris said, and stepped into the house. Timothy closed the door behind her, and she followed him, slowly turning, until he stood next to Jessica. "It is not a normal occurrence that I would agree to help a vampire. Even you."
"Would you be willing to help my son?" Timothy asked softly. "Josh doesn't deserve to be in the middle of this."
"That may be true, but he is," Iris said. "Because of who you are and who he is. Because of your family." It took her some time to unwrap everything; the gloves and cape she carefully folded and draped over the back of a chair. The scarf was almost a living thing in its own right; it was either made of silk or something like that, because it almost puddled on the table when she unwrapped it.
Underneath, she wore a tunic of sorts, also of silk, Jessica suspected. It had a cowl-like neck and was the color of a stormy sky. She'd braided her hair and wrapped the braid around the crown of her head at least three times.
Despite the fact that she only came up to Jessica's shoulders, she held herself like a tiny Queen, larger than life and no less powerful--or dangerous--because of her size.