“Please, be at ease.” The Chief Elder shifted in her chair, sitting forward just the slightest, and Levi looked up at her.
She’d changed in the months he’d been gone, or he was seeing her differently after his time away. Her hair was still so pale a white it nearly glowed, but the tone had edged into cooler shades. Pulled away from her face and twisted into braids that fell over her shoulder, it contrasted sharply against the crimson of her robes, official robes that she wore for the show that would commence shortly. She would cover her hair for this, as no elder would expose themselves in such a way before the Formangi.
She looked… frail, nearly swallowed by the folds of cloth. She was near the end of her span.
He swallowed. The elders were his mothers and fathers, his family. It was never easy to lose family.
Her head tilted, and a hint of warmth entered her expression, softening her features. “You did well, Guard Levi.”
His stomach tightened. “No, I did not.” He didn’t want to explain, but no he had not done well. If he had done well, he would have found the crystals long before the Zeynar Family used them and Phillip would have never become…whatever he now was. He was nothing Levi had seen or even heard tales of, a plinar—a crystal being—caught on the cusp of being born.
And I would never have met Blue or Mo’ata or the others. Or been shown a life beyond that of being a guard. Another kind of family...
“You did well, Guard Levi, to bring to heel a boy on the verge of becoming a monster.”
He held his silence. He would allow them to think what they would, but he knew he could have done better, could have been quicker or more clever or taken more risks in tracking Etu and the stolen Crystals of Shardon.
“How is the boy?” There was a well-warranted caution in her tone, though her expression didn’t change.
How to answer? “He is as well as can be expected. The turramin seems to have halted the progression of the crystal. For now. The bond is still there, but muffled, and barring one near incident at the inn, he is even…docile. When handled correctly.” That was true. As long as Blue was with him and the others stayed out of physical contact with her, he was fairly easy to manage. She seemed able to talk him down from his cravings and bring him back to reality when he wandered in his mind. He was like a capricious toddler, almost. Except when this one threw a tantrum, people died.
The game had become avoiding that tantrum.
“This is very good. We may be able to bring this under control. Of course the young man will never be the same, but we can hope to avoid another Shardon.”
She did not continue, and the silence stretched between them.
“May I… ask a question of you?” Levi finally said.
“You may.”
“Why this farce? This reception with the Alliance and Padilrian representatives? Phillip is a criminal. Allowing him this opportunity—”
“I thought you said he was stable?” She raised a brow, and her shoulders tensed.
“As stable as he could be. But he is being treated like—”
“Like an honored guest. The situation is delicate, Guard Levi. As a guard, I would not expect you to comprehend all the subtleties. There is, or course, a factor of perception. We had to push for his presence, hard. Too many wanted to acquire him for themselves. Oh, many said it was to punish, but we cannot trust the Formangi. As you are aware, they would have taken advantage of the situation, twisted the boy more, until he really could not have been stopped. Or they would have allowed him to continue unchecked, as they did before you were able to apprehend him. By casting him as a guest rather than a criminal, we can also divert attention from the plinar crystals.”
He held his protests, for he could not change anything with them. The arrangements with the Alliance were done and set in motion. And he would not change the elders’ view of the Formangi. Though he had once thought similarly, the peoples of the worlds of the Alliance were much more than the Chief Elder and all of the Prizzoli thought them to be. There were good men out there, good women, in addition to the corrupt.
It could not be denied, though, that the best course of action at this point was to ensure Phillip and his crystal, his plinar, were cleansed. Brika’s Sacrifice was a remarkable artifact; even he had been able to sense the comfort and peace that radiated from the crystal. But the reality was they were pinning everything on a legend. And until Phillip was cleansed…
“The situation with the girl is even more nuanced,” the Chief Elder continued after a moment. Her sharp gaze never left Levi’s face, studying him, he knew, and looking for any indication that he may have been corrupted by his time among the Formangi. “She is not a criminal in any way. Some were hailing her a hero for her part in the boy’s capture. Yet she will be treated in the same manner. You understand why?”
He swallowed. The elders held her as insurance against Phillip. If the cleansing did not work, she was their method to check the monster. The idea made him sick.
“Do you understand why, Guard Levi?” she asked again when he didn’t reply.
His stomach tightened, but he was careful to keep his face blank. “I understand.” But I do not have to agree.
“Will she be a problem?”
“She is here.”
Her lips thinned. “That is not what I meant, Guard Levi, as you know.” She sat back into her chair. “Will she be a problem?”
“No.” Duty compelled him to continue. “No, she will not cause any problems. Others might.”
She inclined her head. “The barbarian and the mercenary and the criminal.” Her lip curled into a slight sneer.
Levi couldn’t hold back his sigh. He’d known this was coming. He had promised to protect Blue, but it was not so simple as that. He still had a loyalty to his people. And he had a loyalty to his family.
“They are good people,” he finally said. “Well, most of them are. They simply seek a resolution that ends well for all of us.”
She said nothing, but a heaviness entered the air.
“They are not the enemy,” he said.
She raised a brow. “Any who would pursue our secrets, or ally themselves with those same people, is, by definition, an enemy.” His hands curled into fists, and her gaze dropped, following the movement. “You disagree?”
“The situation is not as it was. There can no longer be ‘us’ and ‘them.’ It is too late for that, do you not see? It. Is. Too. Late.” He took a breath and calmed himself. “The time for isolation is past us. It worked when there was nowhere for the criminals and dissidents to run but to the Formangi. Now, with the Alliance, there is a whole universe—”
“Enough.” She stiffened in her chair. “Since when has a guard argued with an elder?”
Levi looked down, shamed. No, a guard did not argue with an elder. They might disagree and formally petition an edict to be changed, but they did not argue.
“Guard Levi,” she said, her voice softened once more. She waited until he looked back up and met her eyes. “You did well. It is never easy to deal with the Unclean. However, it is time to set these other worlds aside. When we reach Lianka, you will spend a full eight-day in meditation to cleanse your mind.” She rose from her seat and crossed to where he still knelt on the cushion. Laying a hand on his shoulder she continued, “We all need to be strong of mind for what is to come. In truth, the fight has only just begun.”
She pulled up her hood and wound the wrap portion around her neck, ensuring none of the snowy white of her hair was visible. Once that was done, she swept past him and to the door, but paused with her hand on the lever. “We have granted the request of her companions to accompany her and the boy to Lianka. They will all be given quarters in the guest district. It is the best I can do.” She exited, no doubt to seek out the elders who had accompanied her to the Padilrian Embassy and finish preparing for the reception.
Levi stayed in place, her words echoing in his mind. She was correct, the fight had only just begun.
; For though he could no longer sense Phillip or his crystal, there was something in the air, something he could not pinpoint. Something holding shades of evil.
JASON
Jason couldn’t rest. After the councilor had directed him to this room, Jason had quickly changed into his uniform for the reception—black and armored to match the mercenaries. All those accompanying Blue had decided beforehand to present a united front; well, the men had coordinated. Blue was still out of the loop and would have to remain that way until they figured out a way she could communicate with them without rousing Phillip’s suspicions. If she were further along in her Common, knew the written portion of the language, it would have been easier to manage. Trevon had hinted he was working on something but it wasn’t quite ready yet.
He had taken a leave of absence from his post as an agent until everything was sorted out with Blue. His argument had been sound. He was too close to the situation and couldn’t act in the best interests of the Ministry in this. His handler had agreed. So Jason was here on his own. His official title was liaison and bodyguard for Blue Faust, a newly discovered citizen of Karran and potential portal user. The Ministry hadn’t been able to ignore these facts, despite the desire to maintain advantageous trade relations with Padilra. The Faust name had too much influence.
Sinking down into the chair next to a side table, he slumped back, mind racing then drifting back to that call he needed to make, the one he’d avoided until this morning. The benefit to Blue would be minimal. But there could be some, and putting it off because he himself didn’t want to face the person on the other end wasn’t fair.
He didn’t want to make the call, to speak to Rachel’s parents. He didn’t want to listen to the congratulations on solving the kidnapping mystery or questions on what the Alliance and Ministry were doing to bring the killers to justice. He didn’t want to hear about how much they still missed their daughter and how they were grateful to him for checking in.
The original kidnappings had been solved a couple months ago. All the culprits were dead or had been apprehended, barring Trevon. The new Family head had played a small part in those deaths, true, but an even larger part in stopping the whole operation.
And Phillip... well, he hadn’t been the one to kill Rachel; that had probably been Etu. Phillip had always had the potential to become this monster. There was something inherently weak in the boy’s mind. His impulse control was nonexistent, and he saw no issues with bending the truth to gain what he wanted.
Jason had known that, had seen it in him even before the incident in the locker room. And he had tried to stay out of it as much as possible, but he’d liked Kevin and hadn’t wanted his new friend tainted by his association with Phillip.
Just as Jason had liked Blue, still liked Blue. He couldn’t see her brought down by a whining child who had managed to gain unimaginable power and was as stable as a car teetering on a cliff’s edge. He picked up his comm. No more time to delay.
“Jason.” Mariah’s warm tones filtered into his ear.
“How are you?” He swallowed, loosening the tightness in his throat.
“I’m as well as can be expected, considering everything that has happened.” A pause. “Have they decided what is to become of that poor girl?”
The “poor girl” was, of course, Blue. “That is part of why I am calling. The Alliance has given in to the demands of the Padilra, and she is to be housed with them indefinitely.”
Her sigh roared in his ear. “A shame. From what you’ve told me, she had such a bright future ahead of her. Just like my Rachel.”
“Yes. She has a lot in common with her. Had.” His eyes slid closed, and he felt about three inches tall. Mariah didn’t need to hear that.
Silence from her end, and then a soft chuckle. “I am all right, Jason. It has been hard, but knowing that you were working to unravel the mystery helped me get through it. I knew you wouldn’t let my girl down, even if you had grown apart for a bit, what with the stresses of training and your assignments.”
And there it was. “No, I would never let Rachel down.”
“You know I’d always hoped...”
The corner of his mouth tipped up in a half smile, devoid of real humor. Oh, both he and Rachel had known. They’d even talked about it when they first started at the Academy. But the something extra, the spark of physical attraction, just hadn’t been there for them, and they’d allowed themselves to grow apart. “It would never have happened, Mariah.” The words were blunt, and it was a struggle to keep his voice even.
“A mother could always hope.” Even over the comm her voice was a well of suppressed emotions.
Time to get this done. “Can I ask a favor of you?”
“Of course.”
“Could you see what you can do? For the girl, for Blue? She helped bring this all to an end as well, and—”
“And for her efforts she has been shunted off to a people that think the word ‘party’ means hiding behind their robes and mysteries. Yes, I will talk to Richard, if you like. I’m not sure what he can do—it is a bit beyond his influence—but maybe we can ease her plight in some way. It is the least we can do for you.”
“Thank you, Mariah. I appreciate this, I really do.”
“You are very welcome. Now, when are you coming to visit? I know Sarah misses you nearly as much as I do.”
His stomach twisted. “I have to finish things up here.”
“But you took a leave, did you not? Surely you can squeeze in a trip to see us before you are scheduled to report back?” Her voice took on coaxing tones.
Why was it so much easier to deal with strangers than people you’d known your entire life? “I will see what I can do,” he said.
“I look forward to hearing from you. And I won’t forget to talk to Richard. Oh, and say hello to your mother for me, will you dear? She is nearly as bad as you when it comes to staying in touch.”
He held back his sigh. “I will.”
Silence, but neither of them hung up. Then a slight gasp on the other end, muffled, but Jason knew it for what it was. He could clearly envision the tears on Mariah’s cheeks as she wiped them away.
“Say you will at least be there next month,” she said, only a slight hitch to her words at the end.
“I won’t miss it.”
“Good, that is good.”
Then the line disconnected. He sat in a room, waiting—again—until he could be useful once more. Jason stared out the window, not seeing the flat plains of grass or the purple tinge to the sky. Next month was Rachel’s birthday.
How can you miss someone you haven’t actually seen in years?
His resolve hardened. He hadn’t been able to be there for Rachel. He would for Blue. He didn’t have many strings to pull or people to bribe or influence, but he would do what he could as a mid-level Ministry Agent.
FELIX
Felix propped himself against the wall. Phillip stood stiffly beside him. The boy had grown unsettled, and the simplest solution was to get him to Blue. Except she still needed to change clothes for the reception. A screen had been brought in for her to get dressed behind, and an attendant hovered in the middle of the room. The girl was torn between helping the cussing Blue into her dress and keeping her limbs. Garfield and Vivi were in the room as well and were not happy with the collars they’d been fitted with.
“Damn it.” Blue’s cursing rose in volume, and Felix’s lips twitched.
There was a rustle of fabric, and then the screen rocked, almost toppling over. Felix’s breath caught. Part of him hoped it would go all the way over just so he could see her reaction—and whatever of her may be showing—but a larger part needed that screen to stay in place. Phillip did not need to be seeing any more of Felix’s girl than he already had.
Not your girl.
The screen settled back into place, and Phillip let out a sigh.
Felix shot him a look. The boy wore an expression that was part longing and part relief.
Just how I feel.
Felix’s eyes narrowed. He was not going to allow Phillip, whatever he was, to lull him into thinking of the murderer as only a boy. He was a monster, and that was something that could not be set aside. He was the danger to Blue. His need, his obsession, was what had her in this position.
“Do you want help?” The attendant’s quiet words pulled Felix’s attention to the more immediate problem.
They had a reception to attend, and Blue couldn’t get into her dress.
“Yes,” Blue sighed out.
Felix didn’t like the tone. It was weary and a little sad and called to him to pet her head and pull her close just to see her smile. To see a real smile. Culan’s Bones, he wanted to grab her hand and run—away from Phillip, from the Prizzoli and the Alliance’s demands.
But the monster was there, watching, and any contact with Blue that went beyond the necessary minimum set him off.
So Felix did what he had done for the last couple of weeks. He tucked the urge away into the same place he hid everything and plastered a grin on his face. Because he also couldn’t show anyone that this situation bothered him. If the Padilrian government—hell, the Order—even thought he might contemplate violating orders, they would have him out of there quicker than a new recruit got himself knifed. His continued ability to be here for Blue, to watch over her, depended on him walking a very narrow line of restraint and compliance. The first had been trained into him since birth. The last… not so much. Not that his father hadn’t tried.
It was a small miracle that the Padilrian Council had allowed him and the others to accompany Blue in the first place. He suspected it had been Zeynar’s doing. Felix still didn’t like the man sniffing after Blue—he didn’t like the man in general—but for this he would be grateful. The bastard knew which strings to pull.
The attendant slowly backed out from behind the screen and tripped over Vivi, who had crept behind her. The cub, not as little now, let out a growl and swiped a paw, but didn’t connect.
For a Pixie in Blue (The Adventures of Blue Faust Book 4) Page 2