“Just going on one in the morning now,” Ian informed him.
“Guess I lost track of the time,” said Arnon.
“Oh, poor Ian,” said Juliska. “Do you ever get any sleep? Really, I think we’re both fine here.”
“Are you sure, Ma’am? You should have called me,” he said with a hint of guilt. “I’d have been happy to give you a ride, no matter the time. Especially with all going on at the moment. It might not be safe for our leader to walk around the streets at night alone.”
Good one… Arnon sighed to himself. Ian was playing it right, even if it did catch him off guard for a second.
“That is very considerate of you, Ian,” Juliska returned softly. “But the walk actually helped me clear my head a little and I needed that. And I think the Balaton,” she aimed at Arnon, “have security handled at the moment. I’m not overly worried.”
“All right then. But anytime, day or night… you just holler.”
She nodded gratefully.
“Oh and Arnon, since you’re still here, I’ve called another meeting for eight in the morning. I’ve made some decisions regarding Amelia and I’d like to inform everyone.”
“I see. Very well.” Arnon noted it was decided. No more debate. He wondered what she was up to but did not question. “I’ll be there and have the Balaton ready for whatever you need.”
“Thank you. Hopefully it will not come to that.”
“I do very much hope you’re right.”
“Me too. Excuse me,” she nodded to both of them and disappeared into her office. She closed the door but then gently opened it up just a crack. She saw Arnon pat Ian on the shoulder and they parted ways, silently.
“It’s nothing,” she told herself. “Not everyone can be out to get you.” She closed the door and paced her office. This wasn’t any better than pacing at home.
She had Amelia to deal with, she didn’t need to be worried that someone else had figured out her secret. And she had no reason to believe Ian or Arnon had.
“Just let it go. Just let it go.” She exhaled in a long controlled breath.
She’d be so much less tense once Colin was back in her arms.
Juliska hated this. She thought once her son was born and she’d dealt with Amelia, things would be safe. Would it ever be that way again? Would she always be looking over her shoulder, wondering who was going to find out next? How would they live like this?
Anger circled around her heart. Eddy wasn’t here to help her. He’d given her a precious gift but didn’t stick around to help protect it.
“It will all be okay,” she assured herself. “I’ll get Colin home. Everything will go back to normal.” She said this a few times, but did not believe it once.
#
Arnon sat down behind Cornell’s desk, leaning back in the chair.
He’d been right. Juliska killed her mentor. She’d probably injured Cornell, and possibly even poisoned the Banon. The real question… why? And was this of her own volition?
Had Fazendiin put her up to it? Had she knowingly betrayed the Svoda?
There were still so many unanswered questions he needed answers to, and some kind of hard proof before he could claim or charge her with anything.
Juliska was more cunning than he believed. How perfect, to kill PanSofia and then call an emergency meeting claiming to have had a vision showing Amelia did it. The woman was guilty of many things, but murder, was not one of them. But she was an easy and believable scapegoat.
Arnon owed it to the seer, and his friend, and the deceased Banon… to all Svoda including Amelia… to find out and prove the truth.
He heard a strange sound, like beeping, coming from somewhere in the office.
“What is that?” He rifled through Cornell’s things until he’d found the source of it. A magic tracker. He strode over to a wall at the back of the office and pulled down a map of the world. It was a magically modified map though. Magical traces picked up on Cornell’s tracker, would show up on the map in a red glow. Oddly, it was not picking up a local trace, but rather just on the mainland. In the non-magical world.
“How strange. I wonder what it can be.” He also wondered if he should investigate the cause. With everything going on, it might not be a good idea to leave the island.
But on the other hand, what if by some off chance this had something to do with Amelia? Or even Juliska. He could not see a clear path to either of those being possible but he didn’t want to regret not looking into it. He stared at the map, unsure.
#
Juliska could not get the paranoia out of her head.
Ian knew. He’d seen more than she realized… he knew she’d killed her mentor.
And now he’d told Arnon. Head of the Balaton.
“And your friend…” she reminded herself. “What are you going to do? Kill everyone you think might know? But they can’t live if they do,” she argued with herself. Her son’s life would be in jeopardy.
She needed to find out the truth.
It might all just be in her head. Coincidence.
The pit expanding in her belly didn’t hold the same hope.
Ian knew. And he’d told Arnon…
She could find out, if she was careful.
Catch Arnon in a lie, or an attempt to lie. She’d be able to tell…
Juliska raced out of her office and over to Arnon’s door. She didn’t knock just barged in, hoping to catch him in the act of something that might prove whether he was privy to her secret.
The office was empty.
She stepped in, calling out his name.
No answer. There was no one here. He’d left.
“Don’t panic,” she whispered. “There’s still Ian. I can find out if he…” she let out a frustrated cry. She couldn’t do this anymore. Ian was a kind man, a father with a young son who’d already lost a mother! There had to be a way out of this.
Ian wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize his son’s life, any more than she would.
She could handle this situation. Smooth it over. Somehow.
But not until after she’d dealt with Amelia and gotten Colin home.
He was still safer here with her, than alone in that orphanage.
#
With everyone else busy, Arnon decided it was his duty to check out the magical blip. He would not be doing his job if he did not. Being head officer of the Balaton he was permitted to pop off the island if necessary. It wasn’t something he’d done before, but it was no more different than popping anywhere else.
When he arrived on the mainland, he checked the tracker. The magic was not far away. So he walked. Keeping to the shadows to remain unseen. But it was the middle of the night and the streets deserted.
He stepped onto a sidewalk and followed the signal on the tracker. He stopped half way down the block and turned to look across the street. An orphanage.
Arnon sucked in and held his breath, slowly stepping back into the shadow of the building behind him.
Someone in a cloak was approaching the building. He’d been told this was not common in the human world. Which meant this figure must be from the world of magic. The figure was tall and walked with an authoritative gait.
A hand reached out toward the door. Arnon looked closely. It was a man’s hand, he thought. He watched him use magic to unlock the door and go inside, only to come out just a few minutes later. After peeking from side to side, he took off down the sidewalk.
Arnon watched. And followed cautiously from a distance on the opposite side of the street. He kept to the shadows against the buildings.
Up ahead, the figure strode purposely, grinning to himself.
Jurekai Fazendiin sensed someone following. Just as he’d hoped. He had laid out the breadcrumbs, now he would let them do the rest.
Arnon gasped, almost giving himself away when the cloaked man hit the edge of the woods and dematerialized like smoke.
“Grosvenor…” he muttered under his breath. He hurriedly made his
way back to the orphanage.
Dare ho go inside?
He felt he must. He needed to see just what the Grosvenor was tracking.
Just what or who was powerful enough to set off the tracker.
He used magic to unlock the door and stepped inside. He turned off the volume to the magic tracker and moved quietly so as not to rouse anyone from slumber. The magic tracker took him to a cradle with two infants sleeping inside.
“This can’t be right,” he mumbled. “Infants…”
Infants didn’t have enough magical power to cause this kind of magical blip. Even an older toddler would be extremely rare. A child much more likely.
Maybe the tracker was not working properly. Arnon wished Cornell was here. He’d be able to sense the magic on his own, double check the tracker’s results.
He turned and turned, each time landing on the cradle with the sleeping infants.
It made no sense and yet as he thought about it, it made perfect sense.
Frighteningly perfect sense.
Offspring of the Grosvenor would be this powerful.
What a terrifying thought… but it fit. Why else would one of them have come here?
But why not just take them? Why leave them in an orphanage in the human world?
He needed to consult with someone on this before taking action.
This was a potentially dangerous situation and needed to be dealt with cautiously.
He needed someone neutral. Someone he could trust.
Someone not Juliska Blackwell…
Kanda… the Tunkapog… he left the orphanage at once, in a great hurry. They might not have much time to act. If he did this right, he could deal with this and get back to the island before morning. Before Juliska met with Amelia. He needed to be there to make sure everything went smoothly.
Arnon grabbed a leaf and recorded a message sending it off right away. It flew up into the air and vanished. Five minutes later, Kanda, her brother Nashua, and a few others he did not know, appeared in front of him. After a quick greeting, he hastily explained what was going on. They were gravely concerned as well and understood his need for a second opinion.
“Why didn’t you seek out your own council’s assistance?” asked Nashua.
Arnon sighed. “I have reason to believe that our new Banon, Juliska Blackwell, may have been corrupted by Jurekai Fazendiin during her captivity.”
“You found your proof then?” lamented Kanda. She’d hoped for a much different outcome.
“Yes. And no. I’ll explain later. The point is, it’s not safe.”
“Kanda told me you were having such fears,” said Nashua. “I am sorry. It’s a shame, if it’s true.”
“It is. My evidence is not concrete, but it all points back to Juliska I’m afraid.”
Kanda reached out and gently touched his arm in comfort.
“Regardless of whether I am right or wrong, we must deal with these infants right away. They could be a danger to others, or themselves. They could accidentally out our world. Of course, if Amelia has her way, she will do that anyway.”
“Another grave concern,” agreed Nashua. He got quiet for a moment and then turned to the three that had accompanied him. “Retrieve these children. Quietly. Bring them back here at once.”
They left without hesitation.
“What’s your plan?” asked Arnon. “I’m leaving this up to you. I know you’ll be fair.”
“I do not have a plan yet, other than protect magic. Magic cannot be revealed, at least not by two helpless infants. And if they are indeed children of an immortal…” Nashua shook his head. “We will take them to our home, and protect them for now. We will all have to decide a course of action. It cannot be our decision alone.”
Arnon agreed.
“I need to return home. I must be there for tomorrow’s events. So far, Amelia has been cooperating. And I can tell you both that she is not responsible for PanSofia’s death, or the poisoning of Banon Havelock. Not that she hasn’t caused a lot of trouble.” He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
“Are you okay?” Kanda asked him.
“Yeah. Just a little tired I guess.”
“It’s a relief to know Amelia is not guilty of these terrible acts,” said Nashua. “Am I correct to assume you believe it is Juliska that is truly responsible?”
Arnon nodded.
Kanda put her hand to her stomach as if the very thought was making her sick.
“Unfortunately. I’m also thinking she might not be working alone. But that’s something I’m not even close to…” he cleared his throat. Then shook his head, stretching his eyes as everything suddenly went blurry.
“Arnon?” called out Kanda. He could not answer. There was a sudden pain in his chest and he clutched at his heart. Nashua and Kanda caught him as he staggered and started to fall. She looked up at her brother with a fearful gaze.
“This looks just like when the Banon was poisoned.”
Nashua did not wait for his companions to return with the infants. He took Arnon back to his people immediately, and they set in to saving his life. Kanda arrived not too long after with the infants. A healer took them, to look them over and care for them while they worked on saving Arnon.
Kanda went into his room and grabbed his hand. His eyes were still open but he could not speak. They knew what poison had killed the Banon, she hoped this was enough to find a cure before it was too late.
At the least, and unfortunately, this confirmed their suspicions.
Someone realized Arnon was getting too close to the truth. They were trying to take him out before he could reveal all he’d discovered.
Nashua strode in after checking in with the nurse and the infants.
“Kanda…” he called out softly. She looked up but did not let go as their healers worked to save him.
“Brother…” she returned softly.
They both felt it. A shift. A changing tide. A new power rising…
Kanda and Nashua glanced toward the door, both thinking of the infants… and a prophecy made long ago…
#
Juliska Blackwell stood before Amelia and her followers.
As well as those loyal to her.
“I thought you had agreed to meet with me, in private,” stated Amelia.
“I changed my mind.”
Amelia glared unhappily over this development.
“Have you changed your mind?” Juliska asked her. “Are your goals the same as they were a week ago?”
“They are the same,” Amelia spoke firmly.
“That’s all I needed to hear. Conversation is over.”
Juliska stepped back and addressed Amelia’s followers.
“You have been given ample time to make your choice. This is your final opportunity to change your mind.”
Her eyes crossed Milo Jendaya and his wife Kay, who was holding her young son, Sebastien. She pleaded with Milo, silently. He shook his head, truly looking sorry. But he wanted off the island.
No one deserted Amelia. They stood strong and determined at her side.
“I understand your desires to live amongst the outside world. However, have we not had a good life here? Have we not been safe here? To go out into the world and think that people who do not know, or understand magic, will accept you, is wrong. Magic had to go into hiding for a reason. Need I remind you of our past torments? The very reason our ancestors came to live on this island? Hiding is our only option!”
Her supporters roared their support.
Still, no one left Amelia’s side.
Juliska caught the eye of her brother, Alex and her younger siblings. He supported her, but what she did next would affect them greatly. She sighed, her heart heavy in the fact that she was glad just then, that her mother had died before this day came.
She looked at Amelia and her group.
“You want a life of your own? You may have it at your own peril. I send you off with no animosity, but with a severe warning… should your actions prov
e dangerous to any of my people, you will force my hand. If you endanger the world of magic by revealing it to all the world, you will not only suffer my wrath, but that of everyone in the magical world.”
All were silent. Listening intently.
“You are henceforth banished from this island. From your families and friends. All ties to this world, where you were once safe, are severed. From this day forward.”
There were gasps and cries from both groups.
What else did they expect? This was their peaceful solution.
“It is too late to change your minds,” Juliska stated. “Balaton, escort Amelia and her followers off this island to a location of their choosing. Now. And make it so they can never return.”
Her gaze swept through the Balaton, wondering why Arnon was not here. As head officer he should be here. He had missed the meeting this morning as well.
She’d cornered Ian and asked him if he’d seen Arnon since the night before and in the process, got the answer she needed. He knew. And he’d told Arnon.
He never came out and said it, but she could see it in every move he made. Every nervous blink of his eyes. The ways his hands fidgeted needing something to keep them busy. A whiff of fear she’d never smelled on him before.
A gift from her vampyre side? She wasn’t sure, but it came in handy.
Ian claimed he had not seen Arnon. That actually was not a lie. He’d hurriedly scurried off claiming he’d look for him… it was so obvious he was afraid of her. But she hoped he was a solvable problem. She didn’t want to hurt anyone else.
But Arnon missing was not a good sign.
Juliska refused eye contact with anyone, least of all her siblings, and disappeared into her office. She asked to be alone for a few minutes and everyone obliged.
Banishing Amelia was the right choice.
She knew it was.
It was the only way to bring peace back to the island.
But the pain she’d just caused so many people would only now become real. In time, they’d all come to understand it was best this way.
And now, she could focus on bringing Colin home.
Forsaken (The Seer's Apprentice, The Pearl Dragon, and The Devoted Ghost) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 8) Page 31