The Gentleman

by H. P. Mallory

  “And?” Varick asked.

  I nodded before I decided to continue. “And I want to know everything you can tell me about a boy named Arrow.”

  “Arrow?” Trent repeated dubiously.

  “He should be traveling with Luce and the army,” I informed them.

  “Who is he and why should we care about him?” Varick asked.

  “He is Luce’s newest weapon,” I replied. “Luce has been very busy in his efforts to create hybrids from Elementals and Daywalkers. This particular one happens to possess immense power.”

  “So finding the boy is our main mission?” Klaasje asked.

  “Not just the boy, but, yes, I am ultimately most interested in him. I want you to learn everything you can about him. All the skills he possesses, and how he is being trained. I want you to discover his weaknesses too.” I watched Klaasje power through her thoughts before she nodded. “And I want you to find out if there are others like him; and if so, how many?”

  “Daywalker and Elemental hybrids,” Trent repeated as he shook his head.

  I turned to face him, disregarding his statement. “Currently, we know nothing about them really. We have a vague vision of a future event occurring, but that is woefully inadequate.”

  Varick crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Bryn with a strange expression on his face. It made me bristle with annoyance as I detected a certain … hunger in it. I cleared my throat, and he turned back to me. “As long as the werewolf stays out of my way, I will be happy to comply.”

  “As long as I stay out of your way?” Trent railed back at him. “You better stay out of my way!”

  “You both shall say out of one another’s ways,” I corrected them with a sigh. They both were little better than children.

  “Is there anything we should know about the camp?” Klaasje asked, bringing the conversation back on point.

  Of course, a laundry list of information pertaining to the camp in Montana existed, but I only bothered to mention the most important items. “Be mindful of the wards that surround the camp, as well as each individual building. I expect all of you to figure out how best to combat them. Feel free to discuss the camp with Rachel or Betta, which was what I did to prepare for my visit there. Guards patrol the fences as well as the perimeters. Luce has gone to great measures to ensure that his security is good and tight, but”—I hesitated as I recalled some of the particulars—“not impenetrable, by any means.”

  “And why do you believe that I should take this trip rather than assigning others who are beneath me?” Varick asked. “As a rule, I prefer not to bother with ordinary reconnaissance missions.”

  “This isn’t just an ordinary reconnaissance mission, Mr. High and Mighty!” Trent responded with an audible huff.

  “The were is correct,” I replied. “This is a vital and critical mission. It is my duty and responsibility to staunchly protect the queen and her sister, so unfortunately, I must remain behind. Otherwise, I would eagerly embark upon this mission henceforth.”

  “Very well,” Varick grumbled, and he did not look pleased. Of course, that was nothing unusual. I fail to recall a single, fleeting moment when I could honestly say that Varick actually smiled. “You crushed Luce’s arm, perhaps this time, I will smash his head in.”

  I threw my head back and laughed at his audacity. He had the nerve to imagine he would succeed where I had failed! Yes, he was much older than I, and perhaps, some would argue, he was also stronger, but I would test my skills against his in a heartbeat, and happily.

  “All three of you! Please keep in mind that the true purpose of this mission is merely to collect enemy intelligence,” I reiterated before spearing each of them with a pointed look. “The goal is not to destroy Luce; although I doubt very much that any of you would be able to. Furthermore, any failure on your part would certainly suggest we are snooping around for information. The idea is to be invisibly stealthy. You must get in and out, totally unseen,” I finished.

  “Understood,” Klaasje answered immediately. At the lack of any response from Varick and Trent, I faced each of them in turn.

  “Please allow me to repeat myself: I prefer that the three of you return alive. This is no suicide mission. You three are the best-trained warriors we have, and I have no intention of losing any of you.”

  Varick gave me a curt nod and moved toward the door before turning to say, “We will depart in an hour, and return as soon as we can obtain the necessary information the kingdom seeks.” He started to leave but seemed to change his mind. “I must inform you that I am doing this entirely for the queen, and not for you, Sinjin.”

  “Fair enough,” I answered, undeterred by his constant need to have the last word. “Good luck.”

  As they left the room, I closed the door behind them. I immediately pulled the damp cloth off Bryn’s forehead to soak it yet again in the herbal formula that Mercedes prescribed. I glanced down at the sleeping angel and noticed nothing different in her countenance. She still appeared dead to the world. Leaning over her, I ran my fingers along her jawline and listened to her unremitting heartbeat.

  At the sound of another knock upon the door, I reluctantly left her side to answer it. Half expecting to find Varick, Trent, and Klaasje standing on the other side, I was surprised to see my newest visitors were Rachel and Betta.

  “Ladies,” I said in greeting as I held the door wider and gestured for them to come in.

  They stepped past me and into the room, both of their gazes firmly fastened on Bryn. Their odd expressions reflected both concern and fear. But within those poignant expressions, there was so much more. Betta faced me first, but as soon as she did, Rachel did also. They both just stood there dumbly for a moment or two.

  “Shall I suppose you came here to challenge me to a game of staring down one’s opponent?” I asked facetiously.

  Betta laughed slightly while Rachel dropped her attention to the floor. When she glanced up at me again, I noticed her appearance. Rather strangely, she was wearing a trench coat which she held loosely around her body. Then I also noticed how wild and unkempt her hair appeared. Her swollen eyes were red with tears. Betta looped her arm through Rachel’s and began to bounce from one foot to the other as if she needed to tell me something very urgently. Or perhaps she merely had to relieve herself. Glancing at them both, I managed to ask, “What is wrong?”

  Betta’s eyes moved from mine to Rachel and landed on me again before she glanced back at Bryn. “What’s wrong with her?” she asked.

  “We do not know exactly,” I sighed. “Perhaps one of Mercedes’s spells went awry. Now we must wait patiently for the Lady Bryn to awaken from it.”

  “She looks like she’s in a coma,” Betta said, her undisguised concern clouding her face.

  “She is attempting to find her way back to us,” I explained as I glanced at the sleeping woman. “I am afraid that is all I can tell you.”

  “Back to us?” Betta asked.

  “I do not suppose the Lady Bryn was the reason you both came here?” I interrupted; I was not in the mood to recount the particulars regarding what happened. On that subject, I must admit I was exhausted.

  Betta bit her lip, stealing a glance or two at Bryn before she remembered why they were looking for me. And managed to find me. Then, her attention remained fastened on me as her thoughts returned to the matter at hand. “Well, uh …”

  “Yes,” I encouraged her to continue, giving her my undivided attention.

  “We intended to go to the queen, but instead, we decided to come to you first. That is, we, um, hoped to get your advice.”

  “Yes, of course, little mouse.” I paused to allow one of them to start speaking, but neither did. “Please—may I ask what subject you require my advice upon?”

  “Well, uh …”

  “You are wasting my time with your audible hesitation.”

  Betta glanced at Rachel, who gave her a single nod. With trembling hands, Rachel slowly opened her brown trench coat and r
evealed a large, unnatural lump beneath her shirt. The swollen lump started under her breasts and extended outward, comprising the entirety of her stomach, which was in a word … enormous! As I gaped at her, her stomach shifted when the damn thing inside of her belly moved.

  “What in hell’s name?” I stepped back. “What the bloody hell is wrong with you?” Of course, I assumed the fetus in her womb was the source of her distended belly, but logically, it made no sense.

  “Sinjin, it’s my baby.” Rachel ran her hand from the top to the bottom of her stomach, following each and every curve.

  Even though I suspected such was the case, I could not help but refute the impossibility of the conception. “How can that be?” I asked, sounding more than shocked. “We have only been back in Kinloch Kirk a short time. There is no feasible way your baby could have … grown so swiftly?” I used my hands to outline an invisible stomach on top of my own.

  “I know it sounds crazy,” Rachel began as she shook her head, “but that’s exactly what’s happening. The baby’s growth seems to be stuck on fast forward.”

  “How is that even possible?” I asked as I continued to shake my head. “How did you manage to expedite the child’s growth so astronomically?”

  Having seen countless pregnant women during my six hundred years of existence, I had never observed a fetus growing at such an alarming rate. It caused a sea of concern to rise up inside me.

  “Do you remember when I told you about Arrow?” Rachel asked. “The boy Luce trained as a weapon?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you recall when I mentioned how fast he was growing?” She glanced from her stomach back to me. “This is the same thing, Sinjin,” she told me as soon as I nodded. “Only, I believe my baby is growing even faster than he did.” She took a deep breath and let it out with another long sigh. “And that’s why I’m here. I’m not sure what I should do about it.” She worried her lower lip before her eyes found mine. “I’m scared.”

  The concern in her voice was disquieting. I carefully considered her quandary, but unfortunately, had little to offer by way of a solution. That was a realm in which I had no expertise or experience. But, luckily, I knew people who did. “We must have you assessed by either Mercedes or Mathilda.”

  “I thought the same thing,” Betta agreed with a quick nod.

  And then a thought hit me … hard. “If Luce has breeders that are following your lead, their pregnancies will last merely weeks, which means in no time at all, he will have an army of hybrid Elemental and Daywalkers!”

  “In theory, perhaps,” Betta responded as Rachel frowned.

  “That’s the problem though! The breeders aren’t getting pregnant,” Rachel announced as she shook her head. “But if they were, then yes, it stands to reason that your prediction would be accurate.”

  I thought for a long moment, although I could not resist staring at the unnatural bulge, which continued to shift up and down as it rotated in Rachel’s womb. I must confess that I found the whole thing quite unsatisfying. “Yes, Mercedes or Mathilda,” I muttered, mostly to myself. Then I faced them both with a querying glance. “What the bloody hell possessed you to come to me for consultation?” I was baffled. In all of my extended years, I never imagined that I might have exhibited any sort of knowledge in the realm of women’s bodies during childbirth.

  Rachel dropped her gaze to the floor as Betta smiled broadly. “We like you, Sinjin, and we … we trust your judgment.”

  “Well, in that case, then you are both daft as far as I am concerned,” I could only shake my head as I eyed them both narrowly. “I have no training or interest regarding such personal matters.”

  “Maybe it’s time you learned?” Betta suggested hopefully.

  “Time I learned?” I repeated as I shook my head with visible distaste.

  “Time you learned … what?” the queen’s voice sounded from behind me. I immediately whirled around to find her crossing the threshold of the open door and stepping into the room. “What could Sinjin Sinclair possibly lack experience or knowledge in now?”

  “Ha ha,” I grumbled as I shook my head at her. My interest in pursuing this conversation had long ago evaporated.

  Rachel immediately closed her trench coat and moved toward the bed before looking down at the Lady Bryn. Her movement was so swift, I very much doubt the queen even noticed the enormous protrusion in her belly.

  “She’s so quiet. It’s hard to see her this way,” Rachel said with a sigh as the queen joined her.

  Jolie reached forward and took her sister’s hand as she faced me. “Is there any change?”

  Sadly, I shook my head. “I am afraid not, my queen.”

  “She’s just sleeping?” Betta asked as she strolled up behind the queen and Rachel.

  “We don’t know,” Jolie answered sounding helpless in her defeated tone. She was quiet for a few more seconds before she glanced at Rachel and Betta with a perplexed expression. Finally, she faced me and asked, “What’s going on, Sinjin?”

  FIFTEEN

  Sinjin

  “My queen,” I said as I slightly bowed before her. In my peripheral vision, I saw Betta and Rachel doing the same. “You are here earlier than I anticipated, but you look well rested.”

  “I hardly feel rested, Sinjin. With my sister in the current state of vegetation that she’s in and the vision that I witnessed, how could I close my eyes and expect to sleep at all?”

  The queen’s eyes left mine and landed on her sister, who was still lying atop the bed. As she moved toward Bryn, Rachel and Betta stepped aside. Without looking their way, Jolie said, “Ladies, please stay. I’d like to talk to you both after I tend to my sister.”

  Jolie wore a pale blue wraparound dress adorned with shimmering crystals of which most adhered to the midriff area. The color accentuated her vivid, cornflower blue eyes and plump, pink lips. Tendrils of blonde hair framed her face, but the rest was pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck.

  There was a time when I had been incredibly attracted to this woman, but now the only feelings I felt towards her were those of intense friendship and protection.

  The expression on the queen’s face penetrated my thoughts. Fear. Concern. Sadness. Perhaps all three wrapped into one. As her protector, I wanted to assure her that her sister would eventually wake up and return to us, as healthy and as sharp as she was before she became trapped inside her own mind. But I could make no such promises.

  “My queen,” I stepped toward her. “Lady Bryn—”

  “She shouldn’t still be in this state, Sinjin.” The queen’s eyes moved from Bryn to me and I glimpsed a sheen of tears glistening in them. She shook her head and sighed. “We left her there! We just left her to fend for herself! We should have fought Luce together and brought her back with us.”

  “My queen, you were trapped for far too long as it was,” I argued. “Your safety became our top priority.”

  “But should it have been?” she asked as she glanced up at me. “What authority determines that my life is more important than my sister’s?”

  “You are the queen,” I reminded her, although I could not fully endorse my own words. I certainly was in the midst of being consumed by my own guilt and regret regarding the whole ordeal.

  Jolie reached down and picked up Bryn’s hand, bringing it to her lips and giving her sister a kiss. With Bryn’s hand resting in hers, Jolie used her other hand to remove the cloth from her sister’s forehead, which she handed to Betta.

  “Do not blame yourself,” I continued. “Your sister did exactly as any true warrior would have done. Her only mission was to protect the queen, first and foremost.”

  “She’s not just a warrior, Sinjin. To me, she’s so much more than that.” I resisted the urge to agree and said nothing. I could not stop watching Jolie as she lifted a piece of Bryn’s hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear. “And I can’t help blaming myself. I think it’s my fault that she’s in this … this coma.”
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  “You must not consider yourself the guilty party.”

  She took a deep breath. “If I hadn’t insisted on seeing what she saw, then maybe she’d still be here with us right now.” She ran her fingertips down her sister’s arm. “She’d still be fine,” she muttered as she released an audible sigh.

  “No, my queen,” I argued, although I secretly wondered the same thing—if I had forbidden Jolie from traveling with her sister into the depths of Bryn’s mind, perhaps this never would have transpired.

  “I just wish there was something more we could do,” she continued.

  “Perhaps Mercedes could send me back,” I began, but the queen shook her head.

  “I shouldn’t have said anything, Sinjin,” she replied as she glanced up at me with unshed tears in her large blue eyes. “I’m not willing to risk anyone else’s life. We’ve already lost too many as it is.” She sighed. “If anyone is going back in there to get her, it has to be me.”

  “No,” I protested immediately.

  “Right,” Jolie answered with a sad nod. “And no one will allow me to do that.”

  “Your sister is strong,” I reassured her, but I wondered if I could convince or threaten Mercedes into sending me back inside Bryn’s head. “She is a committed warrior and a fighter and she will prevail, despite all of this.”

  “I still believe this is all my fault,” the queen continued, as if she had not even heard me.

  But guilt was a paralyzing emotion that could not do either of us any good. It certainly could not bring Bryn back from wherever she was currently stuck. For that reason, I tried to change the subject. “My queen, we have an impending and urgent issue that requires your immediate attention.”

  Jolie stood up, blinking back her hot tears. Facing me, she let her gaze drift from my face to Rachel’s, her eyes open wide, curious and questioning. She did not know either of them very well. Betta had only arrived recently with Bryn, and Rachel was an even newer transplant. But the queen, in her kindness and generosity, graciously welcomed them both to Kinloch Kirk with open arms.