“Man, I’d become a Guardian if I wasn’t already rich,” Hallie said.
Caleb chuckled. Hallie was the only one who had been able to make him laugh over the last week.
“This way,” he said.
They grabbed their bags from the boot and made their way over to a lift which said it was for the east wing.
“How many wings are there?” Kiara asked.
“Three; east, north and south. The west side of the building collapsed a couple of hundred years ago, no one ever tried to rebuild it.”
Kiara began to wonder why but didn’t get much time to think as the doors pinged open to reveal the building’s lobby. It was so shiny that she had to blink a couple of times for her eyes to adjust to the amount of light streaming in through the glass ceiling. They were in one of the castle’s towers, from what she could tell, as there was only one floor. The others had been removed so you could look straight up at the sky. The walls were the original brick, but they had been fortified with metal beams that ran up and around the inside of the tower.
“I’ll go find out which rooms you’re in. Wait here,” he told them.
Kiara wasn’t really listening, she was too busy taking in her surroundings.
“This is so cool,” Hallie said.
“Yeah, imagine the sound in here when it rains,” Kiara agreed.
“God, I hope it rains while we’re here, that’d be amazing.”
“What about snow? That’d be so weird, looking up and seeing a layer of white powder snow on the ceiling.”
Hallie snorted, the sound echoing throughout the room.
“Whoops!”
This only made them laugh harder. For a moment, the forgot why they were here.
“Enjoying the acoustics?” Caleb asked when he returned.
“Something like that,” Hallie replied.
“Okay, they had enough common sense to put you in rooms next to each other, up on the third floor. Do you want me to show you or are you okay finding them yourselves?”
Kiara and Hallie looked at each other. Under different circumstances, Caleb would have shown them regardless, but he probably wanted to go catch Master Mahmid before things got too hectic.
“Yeah, of course. We’ll go find Lily and meet up with you later,” Kiara said.
“Great, thanks,” Caleb squeezed the piece of paper with the rooms on into Kiara’s hand as he left.
“I think Master Mahmid might be about to get an earful,” Hallie said.
“I was thinking exactly the same thing,” Kiara nodded. “All right, rooms or find Lily in the infirmary?”
“Let’s ditch our bags and head straight back out. Lily can give us the grand tour.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
~
Caleb wasn’t sure exactly where he would find Master Mahmid. He had been thinking a lot about this and what he was going to say to him on the flight over, while Kiara and Hallie had both been gawping at the view out of the window. It wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, that was for sure.
After checking the training room and the main communal areas, Caleb made his way across to the north wing to the Elder’s offices and came across Master Mahmid walking the other way. Both men stopped in their tracks and locked eyes with each other.
“Can I have a word?” Caleb asked.
“Yes, of course.”
Master Mahmid had to know that this was coming. Caleb had refrained from talking to him about it over the phone because he had wanted to do this face-to-face. Their relationship, however far it truly stretched back, deserved that much.
Once they were both shut away inside the privacy of Master Mahmid’s office, his mentor turned to him and said, “Before you say anything, I want to apologise unequivocally for the lies that I have told.”
His words were so sincere. The fear of losing Caleb must have been palpable.
“It probably means very little to you now, but they were all designed to protect you,” Master Mahmid continued.
“I know a little about lying to protect people,” Caleb said. “I see now why you were so angry at me for not telling you about Kiara. It must have hit close to home.”
Caleb didn’t see the need to blow up at Master Mahmid. He had already done enough of that with his Mom.
“Too close,” Master Mahmid agreed.
“Can you explain everything to me?” Caleb asked, settling himself into one of the arm chairs in front of Master Mahmid’s desk.
“All of it?”
“From the beginning,” Caleb nodded.
Master Mahmid took the armchair next to Caleb, rather than sit on the other side of his desk. It would have put extra distance between them had he done it, which wouldn’t have helped things.
“I was one of the first people to meet your mother when she arrived here. Master Talbot thought that I could be a good influence, show her the ropes, so to speak. We became fast friends, then we became something else.”
“You two were…?”
“Together? Yes, for almost a year. We never told anyone, except your father and my wife when they each came into our lives. It’s strange to think now that we all managed to be friends, despite our past. Particularly considering what made everything fall apart.”
“The accident,” Caleb deduced.
“I’m not sure whether Diana and John were fighting before it happened, I’ve come to think that might have been the case. It would better explain your father’s blinding anger following the crash. You came within an inch of death. It shook us all to our very cores. John sided with the Elders when they passed their judgment and decided you would be safer away from Diana. It was agreed that you were never to know anything about this world as we didn’t want you getting hurt again. Your mother was furious that I didn’t do anything to stop them, but I was more afraid of you being put in danger again than her fury. She never forgave me.”
“So, the plane crash?”
“A fluke accident which never should have happened. The Elders decided that it would be easier to tell Diana that you had both died so that she didn’t go looking for you. I think that was probably the most terrible lie of them all.”
Caleb hadn’t been able to piece together all the lies yet, but he would be inclined to agree if they hadn’t also lied to him.
“Was I always supposed to end up with my aunt?”
“No. When you were born, your parents asked me to take care of you if anything ever happened to them. But, following the crash and the fallout from your accident, I couldn’t fulfill that wish.”
Wow.
Caleb wondered what his life would have been like if Master Mahmid had been his guardian instead. Probably not terribly different from how it was now, just… more informal.
“You mentioned a wife?”
“Anya. She was seven months pregnant when the accident happened. Shortly after, the Elders forbade anyone from having families and I had a choice to make. I chose duty over love, something I have been doing ever since.”
“Why?” Caleb asked, unable to see what sort of motivations would have kept him here over being with his wife and child.
“You know how important it is, the work that we do here. I didn’t want to give it up, not after making the decision to go against Diana. It would have made losing her seem pointless. That was my reasoning at the time, anyway. After a while, I couldn’t change my mind. Too much time had passed. Anya wouldn’t have let me back into her life or our child’s.”
Caleb had to admit, this was already a lot to wrap his head around. But hearing it all from Master Mahmid was making it easier to understand.
“So, when I turned up here after college, why did you lie to me then?”
“When I realised that you didn’t recognise me, I didn’t see what good it would do to dredge up the past after everything your aunt had done to hide it from you. The chances of you ever meeting your mother were virtually non-existent. It also would have affected who you became as a Guardian if you h
ad that hanging over your head. I wanted you to have your best chance at being exceptional, like I always have done.”
“I always thought you were cold and distant because of the rules,” Caleb said.
“I didn’t want to give anything away,” Master Mahmid admitted.
Sinking further into his chair, Caleb rubbed his eyes and took a moment to sift through his thoughts.
“I thought I would be angrier, but I’m more sad than anything else.”
“Why?” Master Mahmid asked.
“Well, for one, I’m upset that one stupid decision screwed up my entire family and put my Mom on a path to revenge. I’m not sure how to deal with that crap,” he said honestly. It was going to take time, time that wasn’t available to him.
“But the other thing I’m sad about is that I had another family member out there all this time, someone who could have completely changed my life, and he chose duty over family.”
There was a deep well of sadness and regret in Master Mahmid’s eyes which he had never let Caleb see before. The truth had shifted their relationship entirely. No longer were they mentor and student; they were equals, and they were both hurting.
“If I’m expected to be honest with you, then you now have to be honest with me. We can’t go forward lying to each other, none of us can. Not with this threat looming over us,” Caleb said.
“Agreed. I’m sorry it’s come to this,” Ezra said.
“Yeah, me too. But so long as she’s threatening to hurt the people here, to hurt you, I have to stand against her.”
Ezra answered with a somber nod.
“I should go unpack and check on Kiara and Hallie,” Caleb said, deciding that they had talked enough for now.
Ezra didn’t argue with him, he had a lot to think about as well.
As Caleb made his way over to the door, he heard the other man take a breath and briefly glanced back.
“Caleb?”
“Yeah?”
“If I had to do it over again, I would have chosen family.”
“I know.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“How is your room so much nicer than both of ours?” Hallie asked Lily as she sprawled herself across the double bed.
“Just lucky, I guess.”
The three ladies had just had dinner together in the main hall for the first time with Caleb, who had gone out to get them pizza. Boy, did that make everyone else jealous. It smelled so much more delicious than whatever pasta they were eating, and the pizzas had the best base that Hallie had ever tasted! Which was crazy coming from someone who lived a stone’s throw from New York most of her life.
As they didn’t want to go to sleep yet, they all retreated to Lily’s room to hang out for a while. Caleb seemed a little lighter after his talk with Master Mahmid, which had gone well considering all the secrets the man had kept and the lies he had told. Hallie understood why it might be easier to forgive him rather than his Mom. Master Mahmid had been a constant, strong figure in his life these last ten years, he had apologised straight off the bat, and he wasn’t threatening to hurt everyone and everything Caleb held dear.
Hallie probably would have forgiven him too.
“Eh, I don’t know about luck,” Kiara said, looking at Caleb and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“Nope, nothing to do with me. Someone else here must like you,” Caleb said.
“The guy on the front desk was being a little flirty,” Lily remembered.
Hallie could see Caleb trying not to have a visual reaction, but Lily must have heard whatever went through his head because she hooted with laughter.
“Don’t worry, he was terrible at it. A fish could have done a better job.”
“Ooooooooh,” Hallie declared. “Snarky Lily has made a comeback. I love it.”
“Snarky Lily?” Caleb questioned.
“Well, back at school, she--”
Caleb suddenly started buzzing and held up a finger.
“Hold that thought,” he said as he pulled his cell from his back pocket and checked the text. “Master-- uh, Ezra wants us all to come to the lobby.”
“Master uh Ezra?” Hallie teased.
“Just shush and follow me,” he said.
On the elevator ride down, Hallie leaned against the mirror at the back, pondering what could be so important that they all had to come. It quickly became clear why the moment they entered the room.
“Will?!”
Hallie had hoped so hard that he would be able to make it. Although, knowing how difficult it would be for him to leave Diana, she had started to believe he wasn’t coming.
Sprinting the length of the lobby, she pushed past the guards who were standing just in front of him and threw her arms around his neck.
“You made it.”
Will’s hands were bound, otherwise he would have hugged her back. Instead he had to make do with leaning his head against her shoulder.
“I did.”
“They found him skulking around the lower grounds, trying to find away in,” Ezra said. “He said he knew you, I wanted to be sure.”
Ezra motioned for the guards to uncuff Will so her brother could give her a proper squeeze.
“How did you get away?” Caleb asked, the rest of them all crowding around Hallie and Will.
“Your Mum let me go,” he replied, which caused a ripple of shock. “I know, I wasn’t expecting it either.”
“How did she take the fact that you were leaving?” Hallie asked.
“Not very well. I tried to explain that there was no way that I was risking you for her agenda, I think that was hard for her because of…” he trailed off, looking at Caleb.
“Because she wouldn’t do it for me?”
“Yeah, that. I’m sorry, mate. I wish I could have convinced her.”
“It’s not your fault, I’m not sure anyone can at this point,” Caleb said.
Hallie glanced at Ezra, who was looking thoughtful, but she didn’t say anything.
“We’re glad you’re here though,” Kiara said.
“Yes, it was very brave of you to stand up to her,” Lily chimed in.
“I’d do anything for Hallie.”
Hallie smiled at him, so happy that he had pulled through.
“Can we find Will a room and get him settled in?” she asked Ezra.
“I have some questions for him first,” Ezra said. “You have a lot of information that will be useful to us, like numbers and who is fighting on Diana’s side.”
Will looked a little hesitant.
“I know it’s hard to break her trust, but whatever you can tell us could help us end this fight quicker, with less casualties on both sides,” Caleb said.
Hallie wasn’t sure how Caleb was remaining so calm and reasonable considering who was involved and how this affected him. She admired his ability to do it. And him.
“Okay,” Will said. “I’ll see you soon and we can finally catch up,” he told Hallie.
“Of course, we’ll be waiting right here.”
As Ezra and Caleb escorted Will away, Kiara wrapped her arms around Hallie.
“I’m so happy for you,” she said.
Hallie kissed her on the head. Despite how it looked, Ezra and Caleb taking Will away, they all knew that this was a good thing. He was proof that there was a chance they could win this thing. It gave her hope for what things could be like after the battle was done. One thing she knew for certain, now that he was back in her life, she was never letting him go anywhere ever again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ezra knew that if anyone found out what he was doing, they would try stop him. This was the reason he chose to wait until nightfall. Everyone else was sound asleep back at the Citadel after a long day of preparations, they wouldn’t notice that he was gone. If they did, it was doubtful they would have any clue as to his whereabouts. He had almost talked himself out it, but he needed to do this. For Caleb, if no one else.
Will had told Ezra the location of Dian
a’s camp under strict confidence. He had no plans to mount a counter strike. If they all ended up coming to blows, it was better that they do so in the Citadel which they knew well rather than in unknown territory. However, he was hoping that he might be able to stop all of this in its tracks. It was better for everyone if there was no fighting at all.
Diana’s camp was much larger than he expected. He had to use a car to get close, then left it on the outskirts so his approach wouldn’t be heard by any of the residents. Keeping to the shadows, he navigated his way around the edge of camp, searching for any sign of Diana. Will said that she didn’t usually sleep well, which would probably be compounded by the argument that the two of them had earlier. It must have hurt her for the person closest to her to choose to leave her. She had a fair amount of experience in betrayal and heartbreak, which evidently hadn’t eased over time.
Ezra was considering entering the camp itself, which could prove to be dangerous, when he finally spotted her. She was outside the camp, through the tree line, throwing knives at a battered old tree trunk. This was not an ideal situation, but he hadn’t come this far to be scared off by the threat of being stabbed.
“Diana,” he said quietly, but clearly, appearing from between the trees.
Diana froze.
“You,” she growled as she turned, throwing a knife directly at his chest.
Ezra only just managed to dive out of the way, the knife bouncing off a nearby rock. If Diana hadn’t used all the knives already, he probably would have had to move again pretty sharpish.
“How dare you come here!” she said, unleashing her words instead. “How dare you ever show your face around me after what you did!”
“Diana,” he said, dusting himself off. “Please, just let me speak.”
“No! You already took everything from me, you’re not getting anything else.”
“No, I… Diana--” he tried, flustered.
He hadn’t been expecting a warm welcome, but the knife had thrown him off.
“Get out of here now, before I wake everyone else up. I know some other people here who wouldn’t mind a piece of you.”
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