Shattered Illusions (Terra Chronicles Book 2) Page 11

  I did not remember why I knew the song or why I sang it in the common dialect my sister and I spoke. I also spoke Elven at the time and understood normal common, even if it sounded funny to me. The details escaped me or perhaps I never knew the reason for it.

  Don smiled at me from his rocking chair on the porch. “You sing it even better than before.” He made a noise of effort as he stood. “I believe we have a guest.”

  My eyes went wide as I looked toward the gate. I saw no one there and wondered if he just wanted to tease me from when Mother hunted me down all those years ago.

  Don walked to the gate, smiling at someone around the bushes. I followed him, the broom clutched tightly in my hands. Perhaps it was Mother again, sneaking up on me. It would be annoying, but something I could deal with.

  The person who came out from behind the tall, thick bushes, I did not expect. I took a couple of steps back, dropped the broom and ran, instinctively using my magic to cloak myself. I stopped just inside the front door, breathing hard and in a panic.

  What on Terra was Silver doing here? Had he heard me? I tried to pull myself together as I listened to their conversation. I had forgotten he might show up. How had he managed to track me down all the way out here? I never told him about this place.

  “You scared her off,” I could almost hear the pout in Don’s voice.

  With my cloak in place, I twisted so I could watch them. I was suddenly grateful I spent the time figuring out how to get the energy consumption of this spell to a minimum allowing me to maintain it longer with little effort.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” Silver said. “I was told this was where I could find Ketayl. I did not expect her to run.” Who told him?

  Don smiled, allowing him in the gate. “She is very shy, you know. And you are?”

  “Silver Blaise. Our Director’s second asked me to come and help keep an eye on her and make sure she wasn’t working.” He bowed and then bent down to pick up the broom.

  Don held out his hand in greeting once Silver stood up again, “Donald Blair. Once doctor and teacher, now just a retired old man. So you know at least one of my Elven girls.”

  Silver raised an eyebrow, probably at how Don referred to myself and Kitteren. “Yes, sir. Ketayl is my partner. I fear I haven’t been much help to her recently though,” he said sadly as he took Don’s hand. I almost dropped my spell by accident.

  I held my breath as they got closer, moving further into the house - trying to stay ahead of them. I knew I was being foolish and my taking off must only have confused Silver given the amount of time we spent talking over video calls. This had just been far too personal.

  “Please come in and have some tea while you wait, though I don’t think she took off as far as she did the last time someone spooked her, but it would be best to wait until she’s ready,” Don said, leading them to the kitchen.

  I backed up the stairs leading to the bedrooms to get well out of the hallway. Silver turned toward me as if he sensed something, but continued a moment later.

  Silver wore a dark blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up over his elbows and tucked into khaki-colored pants and black boots. His hair in its traditional braid, hanging over his right shoulder.

  Stepping lightly down the stairs, I watched Silver settle at the table while Don busied himself in the kitchen. Don placed his violin on the counter separating the rooms.

  “Did you teach her to play?” Silver asked. My mind screamed at him not to pry.

  “Hm?” Don turned around, following Silver’s gaze. “Oh, no, she learned long after Lindale took them in. Ketayl has always been attracted to the sound of my fiddle. It was lovely to hear her sing again. Her voice may have changed from when I last heard her 50 years ago, but it’s still just as beautiful - at least to my ears.”

  Please stop.

  “I didn’t know she could sing,” Silver said. He had a soft smile on his face. Something startled him and he hid his surprise behind stroking the small patch of hair on his chin.

  I closed my eyes as I smelled the lavender Don prepared. Even from here the effect calmed my nerves. I dropped my cloak, realizing I would not be able to hide forever and stepped softly into the kitchen, startling Silver once again.

  “Ketayl, I didn’t mean to scare you earlier,” Silver said. He stood and took my hand, kissing the back of it.

  Rolling my eyes, I took my hand back and moved to help Don make the tea. I needed distance from him to figure out how to deal with this situation. Perhaps I should have remained hidden longer.

  Don shooed me away. “I’m still able to make tea.” He patted my cheek as I frowned. “Go sit. Let an old man have this.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said softly, having little hope of not being overheard by Silver in the small room. My movements felt stiff to me as I waited for my partner to voice his judgment.

  I sat quietly across from Silver, unsure why he was here in the Northern Isles when he should have been back at the main office getting settled in. Why would Lockonis want to send him here without it being an assignment? Or would it be an assignment for him only? I started to confuse myself despite the fact I had read the paperwork. I did not need to be babysat. Why did he have to accept the request?

  Silver fiddled with his phone and then handed it to me. “This should answer most of your questions.”

  I read the orders, directing Silver here. They were less orders and more of a personal request from Lockonis to make sure I was not working. Exactly what Savanas told me.

  Had it become so big of an issue they felt the need to send him?

  “Savanas thinks it’s just to give us a chance to get reacquainted since I’ve been away training for months. I guess it has happened before - having partners take time-off together to get to know each other. It’s like how she has dinners regularly to stay connected with her agents,” Silver offered as explanation. Again, similar to what Savanas told me.

  I supposed I could understand the logic, but the whole situation still felt horribly wrong. There must to be something else. “Why didn’t you tell me when you were coming? I could have met you at the airport,” I managed to say evenly. I handed him back his phone and adjusted the black sleeveless wrap shirt.

  Maybe I should have gone shopping by myself today to replace some clothes. Then I could have taken in some of the festivities as well. I would have felt less isolated.

  On the same thought, I had needed the alone time with Don despite how short it was. I think we both needed to remember something good from the past.

  A cup of steaming lavender tea with honey appeared in front of me and I took it immediately, drawing in a deep breath of the aroma, letting it calm and help bring balance.

  “I was told someone was notified,” Silver said, confused. “And with the time difference, I didn’t want to chance disturbing you.”

  I thought about it for a moment and remembered the angry phone conversation Kitteren had the other evening. “Kitteren. I’ve barely seen her since dinner the other night.” Her dislike of Silver went too far. I clenched the cup in my hands tightly.

  Don smiled, “Perhaps she just wanted it to be a surprise.” He always put a positive spin on things. Unfortunately, there were too many things not adding up.

  Father entered in through the back door. “It looks like I’m going to need… Oh, hello there. I didn’t know you had a guest, Don.”

  “This one is my brownie’s,” Don said.

  Silver raised an eyebrow at me for the nickname.

  I put my cup down and buried my face in my hands - I was not going to enjoy trying to deflect his curiosity after this. My hair fell around me and I wished I could hide completely.

  “Dayko Eurlastiel,” my adopted father said. His voice firm and I mentally tripped over the sound - I never heard him take such a tone. This was the second or I guess third time he surprised me. Father always seemed gentle and patient. “What business do you have with my daughter?”

  The scraping of the chair on th
e floor told me the paladin across from me stood up. “Silver Blaise. I have been assigned as her partner and the Director’s second thought I should come and help ensure she isn’t working.”

  “I’m going to go back to work to take a vacation,” I grumbled and Don patted my shoulder. This trip was turning into chaos. The pile of backlogged work started to sound much more fun than this. I would need to lock myself in the lab for a week just to let the dust settle.

  “How good are you with repairing buildings?” Father asked, completely changing the topic and tone. I looked up at the Elven men standing over me, now confused. Father stood a few inches shorter than Silver, both of their postures relaxed. Though Father’s eyes kept drifting down to the metal bracers and leather fingerless gloves Silver wore.

  Silver seemed to also be confused be the sudden change in topic. He thought about it for a moment. “I would help maintain the buildings on the church’s grounds, but there was never anything severe.”

  Father smiled down at me and asked, “Mind if I steal him for a bit? I could use a second set of eyes on a particular problem.”

  I waved them out the door. Please, allow me peace.

  As soon as they were gone, Don sat down with his own cup of tea. “I take it you’ve told your partner little to nothing about your past.”

  I hesitated for a moment, unsure what his thoughts were and then nodded. “Silver doesn’t need to know. He shouldn’t be here.”

  “Maybe he does. Ketayl, you’ve always kept yourself closed off. You’ve put so much effort into making sure others are alive and happy. It’s past time you let someone do the same for you,” Don spoke softly.

  What type of relationship did Don think I had with Silver? Talking about one’s personal life seemed unnecessary for a working team. I thought over his words and figured he must know more about me than I assumed.

  Taking a deep breath, I looked up at Don. The memories of six months ago were still a strong reminder. “I can’t. With what I am - I’m too dangerous to let people close. Silver and the others nearly got hurt the last time.”

  “Tell me about it.” I could not refuse Don’s gentle voice, but I turned my eyes away in shame - preferring to stare into my cup. Soon enough I recounted what happened in Ocean’s Edge. My emotions were close to the surface and all it did was prod me further into my story. My power pushed at me like a gentle tide, but did not fight to be free. Not yet anyway. I continued to fear it eventually would, but perhaps Mother was right and I could find another way.

  ~*~

  I drained my cup at least three times and felt exhausted. Don rubbed my back and said nothing. I had not planned on telling him anything. Now I felt broken. All the pieces I put back together came apart. I did not want to be seen like this, but damned if I could find the energy to move.

  This reminded me of a time half a century ago when I came back from town beaten and barely having found enough food for Kitteren. I curled up on his couch, exhausted and hurting, and he offered me what he could for food and rubbed my back. It was shortly after he lost the other children he housed. The children were supposed to go to the orphanage before being sent to their respective territories, but were actually sold to slave traders by the people who rounded them up.

  “Have you told Kitteren?” Don asked gently after a while. I laid my head down on the table and he stroked my hair.

  I sat back and shook my head. “Kitteren doesn’t want to talk about what happened and I’ve barely seen her the last couple of days.”

  “Odd for a family vacation,” Don noted, only making my suspicions more pronounced. “Your sister isn’t shy about telling people what’s bothering her. While I know you don’t want to talk about 50 years ago, perhaps sitting her down and telling her this much will help? She worries about you, my little brownie.”

  Father and Silver returned before I could decide. Father announced, “Don, I’m going to head into town to pick up some supplies to finish that project off. Silver can take my spot for dinner.” He then thanked my partner for his help before leaving. I barely got a farewell. The exchange set me on edge again.

  Something in Silver’s face told me there had likely been more to their conversation than discussing repairs. I did not want to bring it up here. And especially not now where I still felt raw from telling Don my story.

  Don and Silver began chatting lightly, trying to get to know each other, so I excused myself. I returned to the front room and picked up where I left off dusting. I needed to redouble my efforts. Why did Lockonis have to send him? Why did she and Vince have to agree to time off for me?

  I had barely begun my mental questions when my phone dinged. Pulling it out of my pocket, I saw a message from Personnel about my vacation time. It was a standardized form, saying what paid out on this cycle, the dates used, days remaining, and what it was coded as.

  I reread the message. The days remaining were not going down and I never saw the code “Vacation 00” before, but I never used my vacation time previously either. I did not remember it from the handbook I quizzed Silver off of during his training.

  Before I noticed what I was doing, I dialed Lockonis. I had not even contemplated the time difference.

  “Heya, Ket. This better not be about work,” Lockonis answered cheerfully.

  I cringed and admitted, “It is, but I just wondered if you could answer a question about a message I got from Personnel.”

  She paused as if not expecting it, but I rarely asked anything about other departments. I tried not to pry despite my curiosity. It was easier to keep to myself. “Oh, okay, I’ll answer that.”

  “My days remaining aren’t going down and it’s coded as ‘Vacation 00’ - I don’t remember it in the handbook.” Granted, I did not know if she knew I found a copy just so I could help Silver.

  Lockonis paused and I did not hear any typing in the background as if she needed to look something up. She never stopped working any other time I called unless it was serious. “Um…”

  I walked outside while I waited, not wanting to be interrupted.

  “Oh, now I remember,” Lockonis said quickly. “It’s a rarely used code. Kind of a we need to compensate you for time worked, which was why we also allowed Kitteren to book the flight out to Mystic Port for you. Didn’t mean to under pay you for a bit there, Ket. When Kitteren came to us with the request and I looked into your actual time worked, we decided to do this rather than fight with Personnel to get an extra paycheck out. Hope you don’t mind. At least you get to keep your vacation days, right?”

  It felt like she covered something, but I let it slide just like I had been with a lot of people so far. I tried to justify it as she probably had something else important she needed to focus on. “Okay, sorry I bothered you.”

  “No problem. Enjoy your time off, Ket,” Lockonis said cheerfully and hung up.

  I looked at my phone to confirm the call ended. I had been certain she would be curious and bugging me about how things were going even if she was working on something. Lockonis always wanted to get me to talk. I told myself to just let it go and not to jump to conclusions. Everything had a reason, right?

  “Something wrong?” Silver asked and I jumped, clutching my phone to my chest.

  I put a smile on my face before I turned around. He leaned against a post on the porch with his shoulder. “Nothing. I was just confused about a message I got from Personnel. Lockonis cleared it up.”

  Alice pulled into the dirt driveway and I excused myself to go help her. Something told me I needed to break out my skills as a thief again to get more information. I only hoped I was wrong and making something out of nothing.

  Chapter 9

  Dinner had been a relatively quiet affair compared to the last family gathering. Alice was quite charmed by Silver. He insisted on cleaning up afterward, shooing myself and Don off. Though Alice refused to leave him alone in the kitchen.

  When Father had not returned, I declined Alice’s offer for a ride back to the hotel and decid
ed to walk. I briefly entertained the thought it would help me clear my head except Silver walked beside me.

  The breeze picked up and I shivered - my outfit not providing enough warmth. My hair moved around me and I mentally cursed once more at Kitteren having taken my hair pins.

  Silver gently grabbed my shoulders, making me pause for a minute. “Here, it’s the least I can do after showing up unannounced and ruining your family time.”

  Warmth flowed over me before I could respond. “You didn’t ruin anything. I just…”

  “Didn’t want me to see this? I don’t know why not. It’s a part of you, no matter how much time has passed. And it’s nice to get to know my partner a little better,” Silver said, his hands still on my shoulders.

  I stepped away, uncomfortable. He seemed to like that word: partner. I guess I had not seen the previous arrangement as real until now. Before he was at a distance and busy with his own work and even now I did not think I understood the implications fully.

  As he stood next to me I found I did not know what to make of this situation. How does one work with a partner? I had worked alone for so long. I only hoped his training better prepared him. But this was not work either. The situation had me confused.

  “I didn’t know you could sing,” Silver said.

  “I won’t,” I said flatly. Not again, not after this. I knew there were questions I wanted to ask, but embarrassment held my tongue. I felt my face getting warm thinking about it. I set back off at a quick pace.

  Silver stayed quiet for a moment. “Ketayl, stop.” He grabbed my shoulder and my momentum forced me to turn around and face him. “Why are you running from me? I’m your friend and I just want to be here for you. I want you to be able to trust me and if you’re embarrassed, don’t be. It was nice to see you outside of working for once and I didn’t want to spoil the moment.”

  I glared at Silver for a few seconds before lowering my head and rubbing the bridge of my nose. “I’m sorry. This is just a bad time. I shouldn’t even be here. And you would probably rather be getting settled in at the main office.”