I signaled for him to lead the way. I followed Silver through the market and put up with letting him buy dinner again. Sitting on the outside patio of one of the restaurants, I considered a new option. I knew the city a lot better than he did, despite the time away. It would not take much to lose him in the open market at this time of day with the festival crowd milling about.
“What are you thinking?” Silver asked, eying me cautiously.
I started to worry I said something - no way in the short amount of time we were together could he have gotten to know me well enough.
I decided to try something neutral, “Just frustrated.”
“You seemed pretty interested in that one warehouse. I thought you were going to fall off of the crates at one point,” Silver said.
“The windows were covered, but I thought I heard something inside.”
“Probably just a cat or something. It didn’t look like it was in use.” Silver seemed nervous. “Likely abandoned. It looked like it had seen better days.”
I took a moment to watch him toy with the end of his braid. The table blocked much of the movement, but after many video conversations, I knew he had different ways he expressed how he felt. Nervous without a doubt - the tension on the rest of his braid as he tugged on it being the tell-tale sign.
Then I realized if I knew this much about him from just the fairly frequent video conversations then he also learned my habits. I needed to be more careful to conceal my thoughts.
But I also wondered what made him nervous so I dropped some information as bait, “It was the warehouse the children were kept in the last time.”
My statement caught Silver off-guard and it gave him something to think about. “You really don’t think they would return there, do you?”
“Familiar ground.” Or it would be if they still owned the property, though it had likely been seized.
Silver stroked the patch of hair on his chin. “True, but if the TIO caught wind of this happening again, wouldn’t they go there first and check it out?”
“The TIO wasn’t involved the last time. Plus, it burned down. The layout is different than what I remember. Before they didn’t have a dock inside of the building.” I might have tried to swim inside if Silver had not been with me. Though I did not know what kind of security they had in place to keep people from doing just that.
He eyed me again. “You know far more than even I figured. How do you know it burned down?”
“Public record,” I said quickly to hide the fact I dropped more information than I intended.
Most of the warehouses also bore some kind of sign designating what company it belonged to, but the one in question did not. Though it did have a skywalk to another warehouse behind it.
Silence fell between us and I finished my meal quickly, not wanting to miss my window of opportunity. Silver decided to voice his thoughts, “It wasn’t far from where they took off in their boat. Do you really think they would have basically doubled-back to the warehouse? Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to stay out in the harbor?”
I pointed in the direction of the closest tower down by the water. “They would have to deal with the Harbor Master watching.”
Silver followed where I pointed and considered it before saying, “If the Harbor Master saw everything, wouldn’t they have caught them as they escaped?”
I had to give Silver credit there. With a harbor this large, no way the Harbor Master would be able to see everything. Especially smaller boats. Or they could be bribed to turn a blind eye to something.
I stopped myself there. I did not want to consider conspiracy at the moment - I needed to focus on finding the girl.
I sat silently while he finished. Silver tried to change the topic of conversation, but I retreated too far inside my head trying to piece together what I did know.
As we left, Silver walked ahead of me as we would not have been able to walk side-by-side. He started talking about where we should head next and while it had him distracted, I slipped into the opposite traffic, turning at the first available stall to break line-of-sight. I reached into my pouch and turned off my phone as I moved. I did not think he could track me through the phone’s GPS, but I did not want to be heard if he called or messaged me.
I quickly left the open market and maneuvered myself into the alleyways. I paused every so often in the shadows to make sure I had not been followed.
It must have been a good half an hour before I wove my way down to the warehouses. I stayed away from the ones I wanted a better look at. Silver would likely start there once he noticed my absence.
It did not stop me from feeling guilty about losing him, but at the same time, I also lost what felt like a tail again somewhere about the time I entered the alleys.
I used a quick flight spell to get myself up to the roof of a warehouse, trying to get a better vantage point to look out over the harbor. It would not be noticed here unless someone nearby could see the small arcane remnant I left behind.
Business hours were over and most of the cargo had already been loaded or would be loaded early in the morning. But they took the girl by boat.
Quietly laying down on my stomach, I watched the boats in the harbor. Fishing trolleys headed in and out, typical for them to be moving at all hours. Could they be using one of them?
I considered the idea for a minute. Not likely - a decent cargo hold, but one which could easily be seen into. One quick view from the Harbor Master’s Tower and they would be shut down immediately.
There were of course the larger cargo vessels containing grains and other food stuffs. Lots of rooms - plenty of places to hide children. But they would have to submit to inspections.
A smaller boat caught my attention. It was still a decent sized vessel, but it was a harbor cruise boat. There were no lights on in the enclosed area and it moved around the harbor slowly. Candlelit dinner? I would not be able to see that much detail from here.
This train of thought was getting me nowhere. For every reason to use a particular ship, there were equal reasons not to.
Activity below caught my attention. Silver ran down the docks in a panic - his braid trailing behind him. He paused every so often to stop and look around.
I felt bad about disappearing on him, but I had no other option. I could not have him mixed up in this.
I used my power to get myself back down to the ground quietly. Then I noticed he spoke on the phone with someone while he ran and searched.
I pulled back into the shadows, casting an invisibility spell before he could spot me and followed him. I had a feeling even Silver held back and following him might just give me some answers.
Chapter 15
Silver continued for another couple of piers before joining a group using crates to hide in front of the warehouse I planned on investigating again later. I was not overly surprised this group included Kitteren, Mother, and Father. I had not expected to see Rathal, Brad, and Darius. I also recognized the two who interviewed me from the Highlands office and there were a couple more who I did not know, but who looked vaguely like people Mother and Kitteren had spoken to while we were out.
Mother looked up in my direction and I ducked back around the side of the building. I almost forgot she could sense my presence. Peeking back around, I must be at the edge of her perception because she went back to talking quietly with Father. She had a worried expression plain on her face.
I used the noise Kitteren made to cover my approach while trying to maintain my distance from Mother. It was stupid to move in closer, but I needed to know what was going on. I could not make out what upset her as she took to cursing in multiple languages - all of it directed at Silver who took the onslaught stoically. Nothing useful of what I could understand.
Mother stopped her and said calmly, “We both knew it was a long shot to get her to talk. Bringing Ketayl here was not going to change her mind very easily. Now she’s taken off and has managed to slip even the added security. I should have known
better.”
I bit my lower lip to keep from making any noise. There was another reason they brought me here? Why could no one have just said something? What did they want from me?
“Does she know about this assignment?” Silver asked, folding his arms. His face was hard and he briefly turned to look in my direction as I inched closer. I paused and he returned to the conversation.
“No, and Ket can’t know. She’s been working herself into the ground and I’m not about to put her in harm’s way more than I already have,” Kitteren quickly answered. “It’s my turn this time. I just wish she would talk to me about what happened back then.”
Mother made a face and said, “I hope you know what you’re getting into. Let’s get everyone inside and talk specifics since our window of opportunity is limited. We need a plan to make sure Ketayl is safe and then we can move.”
As they filed into the warehouse, Kitteren grabbed Silver and pulled him aside. She demanded, “What in the Hells are you really doing here?”
“As Ketayl’s partner, Lockonis thought it best I come. What is your problem with me?” I had not seen Silver take this kind of tone with anyone. “I know you wouldn’t have told me, but why couldn’t you have told your own sister about this?!”
I felt my heart racing and my power begin to push against my control as I started to piece together the truth. I held my breath and tried to force my control back into place. I needed more information.
“My problem?! You nearly got my sister killed! For all your vaunted talk about being a protector, you sure couldn’t keep her from doing something so stupid,” Kitteren yelled at him.
“I could not have stopped her!” Silver matched Kitteren for level.
Kitteren’s voice dropped, “Yeah, that’s what Ket says too. I don’t know why she defends you.” She brushed past him and I did not pay attention to the fact she headed in my direction until she ran into me. “What the…?”
The bump made me take a few steps back to regain my balance and I accidentally dropped my spell, having lost concentration.
“Ketayl…” Silver said, surprised.
“Ket, what are you doing here?” Kitteren reached out for me and I batted her hand away, getting out of her reach.
I backed up slowly, shaking my head, not able to believe the evidence in front of me. No one trusted me enough to tell me they were here on assignment. All the lies I had been told. Turning, I ran.
I heard hurried footsteps behind me along with shouts of my name. Using my arcane abilities, I put forth all the speed I could manage. I could not afford to lose control at this stage. I quickly cast a thick fog around me so I could disappear. I did not want to be found right now.
~*~
Eventually I made my way back to the hotel after I wandered for a while - long enough to recharge my arcane energy levels. My mind finally stopped running itself in circles and I was worn out. My family could easily find me here, but I felt like I could deal with them. I trusted them, how could they…
I did not trust them enough to tell them the whole story. Too afraid they would see only the monster and to them I was as fragile as glass. In trying to reconcile what I heard, I completely forgot my self-proclaimed mission.
Mother stood out front waiting. “Ketayl, thank the Gods you’re safe. Where have you been? Why is your phone off?” She moved to pull me into a hug, but I backed away. The thought of having been lied to this whole time still stung.
Even Mother had not trusted me enough to tell me about this. I answered sharply, “Down by the warehouses.”
“Down by…” Mother looked at me and realized how much I knew. “I thought I sensed another presence. My ever inquisitive little girl,” she reached out to touch my face and I stepped out of her reach.
Rubbing my arms, I turned away, not sure if I had enough physical energy for another run.
“We decided to leave you out so you could enjoy your time here. It wasn’t for a lack of trust,” Mother said softly. “Dad wanted you on the team, but both your sister and I knew how much you went through before. I know my words are hard to believe.” She paused for a moment. “I’ll admit I’m impressed with how you slipped the entire security detail on you.”
I turned, not understanding what Mother referred to. I opened my mouth to ask, but my voice left me.
“I take it you didn’t hear everything. Will you come with me so I can show you? I fear we may need your help,” Mother asked, putting her hand on my shoulder.
I nodded. I needed to know the truth.
~*~
When we arrived back at the warehouse, there were far more people than I saw previously. A boat sat in the water inside and the place looked like a command center.
“What are you doing?” Father said as he approached, “I thought you didn’t want Ketayl involved. No offense, sweetie.” He gently put his hand on my head and I moved away. I hated being short.
My curiosity overrode much else at the moment and I folded my arms while I waited for more information. Though Mother’s earlier comment about Father wanting me involved came to mind. Could that have been the reason for his previous harsh words to Kitteren and other cryptic statements?
Was this what even Savanas had been trying to warn me about?
Mother looked at me a moment before responding, “I didn’t, but circumstances have changed. I forgot how good Ketayl was at finding out things she shouldn’t.”
Father sighed. “We’ve got a situation - I can’t reach Kitteren or Silver.”
I knew my eyes went wide, which caught their attention. Fidgeting a moment, I said, “Kitteren bumped into me outside. I… I ran. They chased after me.”
Others milled about us, curious, but kept their distance. My braid fell over my shoulder and I started toying with it. I pushed it back, not wanting to think Silver managed to rub off on me already.
I heard someone comment about how they should have called it in.
Mother put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me away from the others.
Father followed and assured, “It’s okay. They’re probably busy having a shouting match with each other. Those two are like fire and ice. I don’t envy the headache you’re going to have back home.”
“We can’t afford to delay at this juncture,” Mother said, biting the tip of her thumb. “We’ll lose our target and the children.”
“Children?” I asked, lost. Was all of this the same mission I deemed for myself?
Mother took a deep breath. “Your sister took over what you and I started 50 years ago. What happened back then severely crippled them - halted their operations for a few decades. Much of this team has been working on hunting these slave traders for years, but it’s been slow as they rebuilt under an organized crime group - it took us a long time to dismantle them this far.”
I thought back - a chunk of the waterfront businesses burned that night. I rubbed my arms, remembering what actually caused the fire. That was when I learned just how dangerous I was.
“Ketayl, there was a reason Kitteren kept pestering you to tell her about the fairie. She just couldn’t tell you why because this is classified as a Dark Op,” Mother said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “She wanted to take your place - to be bait for them. The captain has wanted revenge on you specifically. We hoped it would be enough to draw him out. We’ve managed to get most of his buyers, but not him or his crew.”
All thoughts of keeping my control were gone and I panicked. “No! She can’t! She’s not an Arcanist!” I quieted as I gained the attention of all present. “She’s not me,” I said softly.
“Do you think you can help us?” Father asked.
I searched my thoughts. I could say no and walk away feeling burned by the betrayal or finish what I started and keep the people I cared about safe. I glanced around at all of the people here and the whole operation going on. Kitteren was missing at this important juncture because of me. Silver had been sent here because of me. Unintentionally I had caused them these proble
ms.
I stood up straight and looked Father in the eye and asked, “What do you need?”
Father signaled for me to follow him. We went over to where a bank of screens sat. Rathal leaned against a stack of boxes, watching us. He winked at me as we passed.
“We need someone to get in and do a quick reconnaissance on the boat where we think the children are being held,” Mother said, pulling up a satellite image of the harbor. “This boat here.” She pointed at the gray image.
I remembered the harbor cruise boat. It struck me as odd, but there were too many possibilities.
I managed to lock my emotions in place. Crossing my arms over my chest, I listened patiently.
“Their operation is small. Whoever they sell the children to has to come to them. This boat moves around the harbor as if taking a cruise, but there is no record of the boat as part of a business. If you inquire, they’ll tell you it’s privately owned and under renovation.”
Father stepped in, “We’ve done what we could for long range surveillance, but we don’t know what the layout on the lower decks is like. Whatever is going on is primarily down there and because they aren’t a business and don’t leave the harbor, they don’t have to submit to regular inspections. There’s also an armed guard patrolling at night. The part of the harbor they anchor in is dark and well out of the sight of the Harbor Master’s Towers. We’ve previously tried to get someone in undercover within their operation, but it didn’t end well. The most intelligence we received pointed toward this boat.”
Mother finished, “Kitteren was supposed to go tonight and do this - both of us had been hoping you held some crucial piece of information we needed, but at this stage it’s irrelevant. All I need is for someone to move around, give us a rough layout, and locate the children. We’ll have boats positioned waiting to move in and handle the rest.”
A hand fell on my shoulder. Father spoke to me softly, “You don’t have to do this, Ketayl. We can figure out…”
“I’m going,” I said firmly.
Rathal approached, a soft, black bundle in his hands. “Time to suit up then.” He grinned broadly. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
Shattered Illusions (Terra Chronicles Book 2) Page 17