“But that love wasn’t enough to leave that sick bastard. She has always had an unhealthy obsession with him, Izzy. This is not something new. This is not something that just developed after his death. She’s the one who orchestrated most of the Seers being brought in. I can’t begin to tell you how many times she threatened to disown me when I would balk against the Corporation. So don’t worry about me. I’m disappointed, the same as I have been my whole life, but I’m not heartbroken. I have no problems with you putting an end to this.” Molly gave me a hard steady look before getting up and leaving.
I looked up to find Kennan and Ian staring at me with gaping mouths. I looked hard at Ian and he darted from the room to find Molly. Regardless of how strong she’d been, I knew this wasn’t easy for her. I also knew that she was right. Her mom had made a choice. She had chosen to stand behind a man who would never love her the way she loved him. She had tossed the love of her daughter aside in search of something that would never exist. It was sick, it was twisted, and it had to end.
“I need you to gather some Guardians. Men that you trust, Kennan. I know where they are and we need to move quickly. I want this to end now.” I got up and moved to my suitcase. I pulled out a pair of leggings and a long shirt and my green sweater. I didn’t have a ninja suit like Ian, but I did have comfort clothes.
“You aren’t coming with us, Izzy.” Kennan rubbed his hand down his face.
“Like hell, I am not coming with you. There are things I can do now, things that may help. I have to be there. You can’t lock me up in a protective bubble anymore, Kennan. If I’m going to be the head of this Council it means I may be in danger from time to time. It means I will have to put myself at risk for the sake of everyone else. I accept that responsibility and I need you to do the same.” I wrapped my arms around his torso. I needed the comfort of his warmth and I knew that he felt the same.
“I just want to keep you safe, Izzy. You are all that matters to me. Not the Council, not these sacrifices, not anyone else. Just you. If something were to ever happen to you…..” He swallowed and pulled me closer to his body. He bent his head down and breathed in my hair before kissing the top of my head. “I must move if I’m to find the Guardians I need. But I am taking you to Conall and Eleanor before I go. You are not to leave his side while I am away do you understand?”
“How long will you be gone?” I hadn’t anticipated having to wait. I thought that he would have several Guardians here that he trusted. I was wrong, it would seem.
“Answer the question, Izzy.”
“Fine, I promise not to leave his side while you are away. Now you answer mine, buster,” I said, poking him in the side.
“It may take a few days. The men I need are rather scattered these days. In that time, you and Eleanor will be able to form a plan on how to break the connection that has been put into place during the sacrifices.” He pulled me against his body tightly and pulled away to kiss me fiercely. His kiss was a promise of what would follow his return. I threw myself into that moment. I took it all in. I needed this man the way I needed the air I breathed.
“Hurry,” I said, pulling away. I knew that the sooner we acted, the better. I wasn’t sure if we would make it in time as it was.
“You have my word. Now, let’s move you down to the library. Don’t trust anyone here but Conall and Ian while I am gone.”
“I got it. I don’t trust people so easily after the debacle last year. So you have nothing to worry about. I’ll be careful. Plus, I have this handy tattoo marking my back to keep me safe.” I smiled up at him. I knew that he saw straight through my bravado but neither of us acknowledged it. He pulled me under his arm and we made our way down to the library.
We arrived to find Eleanor frantically flipping through books as Conall struggled to take notes quickly enough. She had papers strewn about her body. She worked with a ferocity I envied.
“Conall, I need you to watch Izzy while I am away. I must gather the Division.” Kennan moved to shake Conall’s hand. He grabbed Conall’s elbow and Conall did the same. Their arms came into alignment and I wondered what the motion meant. Everything these men did, they did with a purpose. Nothing was incidental.
“So, it is time once more,” Conall said, looking in my direction.
“I fear it may be the start of something, yes. Besides, I want men we can trust here. Someone at the Council betrayed Isadora and your father. Only they knew who it was. I will not leave Izzy’s fate to anyone I do not trust.” He leveled Conall with his gaze. I could read in his eyes the promise he was asking Conall to make.
“With my life, Brother. I will protect her with my life. You need not ask. I already swore the oath to my mother. Now go, find the men, and return so that we may put an end to this madness.” Conall nodded at Kennan as he moved back toward the table to take notes for Eleanor once more. She hadn’t paused once in her furious search.
“I must go. I love you with all that I am, Izzy. Please don’t run off into the fray without me this time. Don’t act until I’m back. Swear it to me.” His eyes pleaded. I knew that after my actions last year it was hard for him to leave.
“I swear it. I do learn from my mistakes, you know?” I smiled up at him. I needed to lighten his mood. I didn’t want him to leave with such a heavy heart. “I love you, big guy. Now, go get us an army to save the day.” I kissed him quickly before turning away. I moved toward the table. I needed to separate myself from him or I would never be able to let him go. This would be the first time since the lab incident that we had been apart.
“I will return as quickly as I can.” Kennan left and with him went a huge chunk of my heart. I’d been so wrapped up in everything going on since we’d come here that I hadn’t taken the time to think about us. Aberto was right, I loved that man more than I even knew. He was my world.
“So, what have you found so far, Eleanor?” I had to clear my throat a few times to get it out. Tears threatened to break the dam in my eyes. Conall stood up and wrapped his arms around me. I needed to be strong but sometimes it was harder than others.
“He will return, Izzy. There is no danger out there for him right now. No one is seeking him. Have faith,” Conall said, pulling away to hold me at arms-length. He stood staring down at me with his one good eye.
“I do. I just miss him. I know it’s lame. He left five seconds ago.” I shook my head. “I’m alright; I just need something to do to take my mind off of everything. Give me a project.”
“Not a day has gone by that I have not missed Cait, so believe me I understand. If you would like the distraction, perhaps you could take notes for Eleanor. I fear my hand might break from the use,” Conall said, flexing his hand.
“That sounds perfect. What do you need me to do, Eleanor?” I asked, sliding into the chair.
“What…hmmm…oh, yes.” She was befuzzled. I wondered how long she’d been going on like this. “If you could jot down the information on this page, that would be wonderful. Oh, and this chart.” She started piling stuff in front of me. I looked up at Conall with widened eyes to which he laughed.
“I told you. Broken hand.” He flexed his hand in my direction. I stared down at my own and began writing. We stayed that way for some time when Molly came into the room.
“Can I help?” She was staring at the floor.
“Are you sure you want to?” I did not want her to be put in the middle of this any more than she already was.
“Yes, if you will have me. I need to do something to stop what she is doing. She chose him over me, Izzy. Xavier, a man that has never given her a second thought.” Molly’s eyes glistened with the tears she refused to shed.
“Can I ask you something? I don’t want to offend you with it, so you can say no.”
“Why do you always do that, Izzy? Just spit the question out already.” She moved toward the table and took the seat across from me.
“Is Xavier your dad?”
What? Stranger things have happened.
&nbs
p; “Thank God, no. My dad died when I was young. He was a normal human so he did not have the same lifespan as us Seers. But mom loved him. I think when he died, something in her cracked. She was never the same. Then Xavier came along, promising her a grand future, and she latched on with all her might. I’m kind of an anomaly. Everyone thought I would be born normal but I ended a Seer like my mom.” She looked down at her hands as if she wished she could take back the last statement.
“You don’t have to do this. We can do it without you, Molly.” I reached across the table and grabbed her hand in mine. I wished for the thousandth time that it wasn’t her mom behind this madness.
“I have to do something, Izzy. I am going crazy cooped up in that room. So please, just let me help.”
“Alright, if you’re sure? Eleanor needs this chart copied.” I handed her one of the papers from my pile. I wondered why we needed to copy it down when we had the information right in front of us.
“Because, my dear, sometimes writing it down can bring new things to light.”
Egad! I hated when old Seers did that whole reading-your-mind thing. It was unnerving.
“Sorry, I forget to block when I am distracted.” She continued frenetically searching the pages of the book she had in her lap hardly sparing me another glance.
“Where did you get those?” Molly asked, nodding toward my arms.
“Aberto came and did them. Speaking of Aberto, do you know what an Old One is?” Maybe I could get some answers while I worked.
“It is not her place to say,” Conall piped in.
“Sheesh, what’s with all of the secrecy?” I wondered if I was the only Seer on the planet that did not know what he was.
“Honestly, Izzy, I don’t know what an Old One is anyway. Only Guardians are given that information. It is one of those need-to-know type things they think we don’t need to know.” Molly rolled her eyes and went back to transcribing the paper in front of her.
“Will I ever find out what he is?” I mumbled to myself.
“Unless he tells you himself, you will not.” Conall lowered himself into the seat next to me, taking up writing once more.
“You people and your secrets are infuriating,” I growled.
“They serve their purpose,” he said with a raised brow.
Stupid Guardian.
I huffed at him and went back to writing. If I wasn’t going to get any answers about mister man-of-mystery then I would just go back to solving our current issue.
**********
We stayed in the library until none of us could keep our heads up. My hand felt as though it would fall off at any moment. I couldn’t remember the last time I had written so much in one sitting. I stretched, cracking my back as I did. Molly winced and yawned simultaneously.
“I think it’s time to call it a night,” Ian said from the shadows. I wondered how long he’d been there. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater. The most subdued I had ever seen him.
“I think you might be right,” Molly said as she moved towards him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the top of her head. I had to swallow back my tears. I knew Kennan would be back soon but the familiar gesture was just a blatant reminder of his absence.
“Well, goodnight then,” I muttered before getting up to leave. I was intercepted by an eye patch wearing mountain.
“I shall accompany you,” he bowed.
“When will you stop with the freaking bowing?” I griped as we made our way up the stairs.
“You are the head of the Council now and as such you deserve the respect assigned the office. So, I shall not stop bowing. I know that I promised to do so before my mother left, but the situation is now altered. If we who are closest to you do not show you the respect assigned the office, then others will take that as a sign of your incompetence. You don’t want people to find you incompetent, do you?” In the short time he had known me, he had found my buttons. He knew how to push me.
“Fine, but please don’t call me ‘Milady’ in private. When it is just us, call me Izzy. I feel like enough of an imposter as it is.” We came to a stop in front of my room. “Well, goodnight Conall.”
“Um, Izzy?”
“Yeah, what is it?” I paused.
“Kennan made me swear not to let you out of my sight. I was instructed to stay in the room with you. I will, of course, slumber on the floor.” Conall looked as uncomfortable as I felt.
“Slumber, who even says stuff like that? Well, you better come in. If Kennan finds out you balked at your duty we will never hear the end of it. But don’t get all chatty. This isn’t a slumber party. I won’t be painting your nails.” I moved into the room.
“I would appreciate it if you did not paint my nails,” he said with a smirk. Oh, the temptation was so strong. I could just imagine mister prim and proper with bright pink nails.
I snickered as I made my way into the bathroom with my pajamas. Luckily I’d been the one to pack my bag this time so I had sweats and t-shirts to sleep in, much to Kennan’s chagrin. I came out finishing the braid in my hair to find a shirtless Conall settling into a bed he’d made on the floor. His back was to me and there were scars crisscrossing the entire expanse. I sucked in a breath.
“It happened when Cait was lost. The day I lost everything,” Conall said never turning to face me.
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. It seemed entirely inadequate, but at the same time, I meant every bit of it. I was sorry for the pain he’d had to endure. I knew if I could take it away I would.
“It was a long time ago. Let us sleep.” He lay down and removed his eye patch. Underneath was a mess of scar tissue left from the carnage of long ago. I turned away and headed toward my bed. I had seen enough for one day.
As my head hit the pillow I heard Conall mumble a good night. I turned the lamp off next to my bed and let the dreaming take me in.
**********
“Where have you been? You tell me not to pull you here but then you just quit showing up. What is on your arms now? What in the hell are you doing to yourself? You are glowing blue all over your arms and back. Haven’t you figured out how to get that rune off of your arm yet?” Ren spoke so quickly, I hardly had a moment to adjust to my surroundings.
“I’ve been trying to find a way to get you out of here. We know where they are now and we will be moving in soon,” I said, sitting on the ground. I was exhausted. Dreaming or awake, I was worn to the bone.
“Moving in. What are you some sort of commando?” She sat beside me looking on with her eyeless face.
“Don’t be snarky tonight. I don’t have the mental fortitude to deal with you.” I rubbed my hand down my face and immediately thought of Kennan. This was the first night in months I’d slept alone. I didn’t like it one bit. “The glowing blue marks I am assuming are the ones that Aberto put on me so that I could lift the veil on the smoky woman.”
“Wait, that was Aberto? The man who gave you the one on your back was the same guy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Holy crap. You had the oldest Symbol-smith in existence give you your marks. That is insane. You know he is an Old One, don’t you?” She was positively giddy.
“What is an Old One?” I asked, knowing full well I probably would not get an answer. Just like that, Aberto appeared in the fog. Neat trick.
“I am an Old One,” he said lowering himself beside me. “Hello, Ren. How are you this evening?” He was far nicer to her than I was.
“Still stuck.”
“I am working on it. Sheesh, I am not a freaking genie you know. I can’t just wish you free,” I lowered my head between my legs. “What are you doing here?” I asked Aberto.
“I came to see if the marks worked the way you had hoped and I heard you have been asking about the Old Ones.” He was always so formal. It kind of unnerved me. Even as old as Kennan and Ian were, they’d adjusted to modern times and language. This man seemed endlessly trapped in the past.
“Well, yeah. You just poof in and out and are all man of mystery and vague. I don’t know anything about this world that I am a part of. Not to mention that nagging feeling that I somehow know you. Color me curious. Oh, and yes, the marks worked famously. Thank you,” I looked up to find him staring at me intently. “Well this is fun and all, but I think I may need actual sleep so if you don’t have any information to give me I will be on my way,” I stood up and started to leave.
“Get me unstuck woman. I’m bored,” Ren said before moving away in the fog. I wondered if she had been this unpleasant in real life.
“I swear to you there will be a day when all that you seek shall be found. Today is not that day.” Aberto rose and placed his hand on my cheek once more. I stared up into his cerulean eyes and wondered at the sadness there. What did he know?
“Okay, then. I think I need to sleep. I am going to go and wake Conall up to put the whammy on me now. I’m sure I will see you around.” I started to pull myself from the dreaming only to have Aberto grab my arm and hold me there.
“Where is your Guardian? Why is Conall there?” The command in his voice was unsettling.
“Kennan went to gather the Division. We need all the help we can get and he doesn’t trust anyone else,” I said, trying to pull away from his strong grasp. Something about Aberto unnerved me. It wasn’t just the fact that I had no idea what he was. It was the way he looked at me. There was a sense of expectation in his looks.
“So it begins.” Way to go. Eight cryptic points to Aberto. “I shall block the dreaming for you,” he said, placing his hands on either side of my head before I could get away. “Sleep well Izzy, dream of your home.”
With that I was thrown into a fitful sleep filled with dreams of Kennan. My home.
**********
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I was stirred from my restless sleep by Conall moving around the room. I wanted to throw a pillow at him. I was exhausted. I felt as though I hadn’t slept at all. My night had been and endless cycling through my entire history with Kennan. It was wonderful and exhausting simultaneously. I awoke missing him fiercely.
See How She Fights Page 14