I looked up at her through my lashes. “Then I guess you won’t need to break them up before he changes his mind.”
“What?”
“If he starts looking at her the way he looks at you, it’s over, Mom. It’s a shame…”
She gave me the sternest look I’d seen in a long time. It wasn’t the response I’d been hoping for, but I wasn’t finished yet. “It’s just—all those years you spent protecting me and using your position with the TSTA to try to track down where my father was.” I shrugged. “Wasted.”
Mom’s lower lip twitched.
“You two belong together,” I said, more softly now that her guard was down. “I see it in his eyes. You can’t deny him now, not after all we’ve been through.”
She sucked in a breath and downed the rest of her drink. Then she turned from me and walked away.
Fortunately, she was headed toward the dance floor.
With that settled, I gulped down the rest of my fizzy drink and looked around for Valcas. He and I had catching up to do, and plans of our own. I had no doubt Ray and Lily had paid close attention to President Bree’s speech. I just hoped they knew what and where to begin their research.
I found Valcas speaking with an older couple seated at the table nearest the podium. He caught my eye and motioned for me to join them. The man and woman smiled at me as I approached. I didn’t feel like chatting, but I didn’t want to be rude either. Inwardly, I sighed.
“Calidora Winston,” Valcas said, introducing me.
“A pleasure,” said the man. He wore a sash with a medal over his tuxedo. His gray hair was long and curly like my father’s. Laugh lines edged his eyes.
I smiled and nodded politely. “Most people just call me Calla.” Before I could say anything else, his female companion stood from her chair and wrapped her arms around me. “It’s an honor to meet another of our lineage here at the TSTA.”
My shoulders stiffened at first, but then they relaxed as something about the woman gave off a familiar, comforting feeling. When she let go of me I soaked in everything about her—her loose dress, belted at the waist; dark hair, sprinkled with gray; olive complexion; and sharp cheekbones, all seemingly Mediterranean features. Did I know her from somewhere? She certainly was friendly.
“My wife, Andriana,” the man said, chuckling. “And I am Spyros Tagma.”
I blinked.
“The reigning leader of Chascadia,” Valcas filled in, grinning.
“Oh.” I blushed as it sunk in that the wife of the ruler of Chascadia had just hugged me.
Most people just call me Calla, I’d said. What an idiot. Valcas was in so much trouble for setting me up like this. I wanted to smack that grin right off his face. But Mr. and Mrs. Tagma were looking right at me with pride and admiration that I wasn’t sure I deserved. If Spyros was a Chascadian with gray hair, I imagined he was ancient. My father’s hair was still dark and he was free of wrinkles.
I lifted my chin. “I’m honored to meet you. My father’s the only other Chascadian I’ve ever met.”
“Plaka is well known as a great Healer. We are touched that you found him and that you and he were able to provide such a great service to the worlds.”
“I was happy to—there was so much suffering,” I said, my voice breaking. “It had to stop.” I blinked back memories of Susana.
Valcas stood and placed a hand on my arm. “If you’ll excuse us, sir, madam. I’d like to get some dancing in before Calla tires for the evening.”
Andriana’s eyes sparkled. “Of course. Have fun, young ones.”
“Before I tire?” I grumbled as Valcas dragged me to the dance floor. “You’re the one who’s covered in burn scars.”
“Do you have any idea how uncomfortable you looked back there?”
“Yeah, well, how was I supposed to know you were going to introduce me to royalty?”
“This is a high-profile party. There are many important people here.”
He put his arms around my waist and drew me closer. “I guess you’ll have to get used to more parties, Miss Guest of Honor.”
Okay, so he had a point. But this wasn’t my life. I wasn’t like Valcas. I hadn’t spent my time seeking out kingdoms to take over. I didn’t grow up at the White Tower, which as far as I was concerned, was also a fairy-tale palace.
I sulked, defeated.
“Calla, what’s wrong?” He jiggled me a little bit, as if that were supposed to revive me.
“We—our lives, they’re too different.” If I had any doubts, I only needed to think back on my time spent searching Valcas’ past. “Trust me, I’ve met more versions of you than I’d ever thought possible.”
He exhaled through his teeth. “My parents’ lives were also at odds, but that didn’t stop them from allowing their timelines to overlap just long enough to be happy.”
“But now your mother is alone. That means that someday I’d be leaving you—”
“Alone. I know.” He bent toward me. “At least we had a model before us; we know what to expect. The question is how we will spend the time we have left, together.”
And then, someday, Valcas’ life would also end. He was mortal, even though from my perspective it didn’t seem that way. I wrinkled my nose. “Promise me something.”
“Hmm?”
“If we—and I’m not saying we are—but if we were to get together, promise me that you won’t search for past versions of me.”
“Not even if Plaka prescribes that as part of my treatment?” He grinned. “It’s not good to ignore a doctor’s orders.”
I groaned. I hadn’t thought much about my father also outliving me. This was turning into a depressing evening. “No.” I gritted my teeth. “Not even if my father orders you. You can ask him to find some other silhouettes to soothe you. Or, you could ask some other Healer for a second opinion.”
Valcas chuckled. Our conversation had taken a dark turn. Humor was the only way I knew how to deal with it in that moment. But it seemed to work.
He spun me around the dance floor until I caught a glimpse of Ray and Lily. They danced together, but both were focused on opposite sides of the room. Despite their eerie ability to concentrate without blinking, they looked adorable circling the dance floor like porcelain figurines—the expensive kind purchased as gifts for special occasions, and then locked up behind glass-encased cabinets so they don’t collect dust.
Ray must have felt me staring. I was doing so purposefully, hoping he’d get that weird feeling of being watched and break his focus long enough to look at me. It worked. He turned and smiled.
I nudged Valcas, who turned to Ray and gave a slight nod.
Smoothly, and almost imperceptibly, Ray spun Lily toward the other end of the ballroom. I did my best to stop looking their way. I didn’t want to draw any attention to them as they glided toward an exit. They planned to conduct their research after the guests had plenty to drink and the party was in full swing. Now was the time. If they could return before the auctions and donation pledges began, no one—I hoped—would notice they’d ever left.
I let out a slow breath.
“Not to worry, dearest,” Valcas said. “Every moment brings us closer to the truth. In the meantime, enjoy the party.”
But he wasn’t all ease and relaxation either. I could feel the tension in his arms. His breathing was more labored than it had been when we first started dancing.
I rubbed my palms against his shoulders. “Are you in pain?”
“A little.”
I shook my head. “You’re supposed to tell me when you’re in pain. We are allowed to sit, you know.” I let go and placed my hand in the one that wasn’t bandaged. He looked sad.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was enjoying the dance.”
“Let’s go,” I said, dragging him to a table. Pain caused weakness, and the last thing I wanted was for him to suffer even more than he already had.
I tapped my fingers along the top of the table as we sat tog
ether, quietly watching the other guests. It wasn’t long before I couldn’t help gawking at one pair of guests in particular. I tried to look elsewhere, to find something that might help with our mini mission—something that could help us in case we needed a quick escape.
But it was impossible.
I’d never seen anything like it in my life. Mom and my father were talking. They smiled, like they enjoyed each other’s company. My skin tingled. I wondered whether Mom was acting her part out of loyalty to the TSTA, to help convince my father to go along with whatever their plans for him might be. Maybe she and President Bree were closer than I’d thought.
But then I caught a glimpse of Mom lowering her eyes and turning away before looking back up at my father. Her eyes blazed, but not with anger.
My mouth dropped open. She wasn’t humoring me. If I didn’t distrust the TSTA so much, I would have thought she was flirting.
Whatever reaction I had from that prompted Valcas to grip my hand. My mind raced as I wondered what it would have been like to grow up seeing my parents together like that. What life would have been like if we had been a family—if Mom had never joined the TSTA, and my father had taught me about time travel and healing as if it were the most normal life in the worlds.
I tilted my head, lightly resting my cheek on Valcas’ shoulder, and sniffed. The past was behind us, and there was no point in trying to change it.
But, at least for now, they were still dancing.
MY FAMILY dream didn’t last long.
Mom suddenly broke off the dance, leaving my father there open-armed. Her heels clacked against the floor as she stomped out of the ballroom. I couldn’t tell whether the huffing sounds she made meant she was angry or crying.
My father stood there, stupefied. A cloud of confusion just barely masked his outrage.
I tugged at my face. Part of me wanted to ask what prompted Mom’s erratic behavior. Please tell me he hasn’t broken her heart all over again, accidentally and without even knowing it.
But her departure also gave me an idea. I shifted in my seat. “Valcas, could you go see what that was all about? I—I’ll be right back.”
Before he could answer, I leaped from the table and ran out into the hallway, after Mom.
I slowed my pace once I left the room, hopeful that anyone who saw me leave assumed I was worried about Mom. Which was true. But I wasn’t looking for her.
After a couple breaths, I no longer heard the pounding of her footsteps. If I had to bet, I’d guess she was on her way back to her room, her permanent suite within TSTA Headquarters. The thought crossed my mind that she’d never invited me there. I hoped that meant she was going in the opposite direction.
I glanced down both sides of the hallway.
The walls were sterile and brightly lit. I wished the floor had been carpeted to help absorb the sound of my footsteps. Formal footwear was the worst for being stealthy. I stepped lightly, locating the direction of my guest room. Ray’s office was in a separate section of TSTA Headquarters. Valcas and I had planned to go there together, to catch up with Ray and Lily once they had some time to snoop. But Valcas was too weak; I didn’t want to sabotage his recovery any more than I already had.
I turned down a corridor I recognized from when I’d stayed at TSTA Headquarters for my hearing. If I remembered correctly, Ray’s office was close to Commissioner Reece’s Hearing Chamber. It seemed the TSTA liked to keep its employees who worked in intelligence close to those who dealt with all the evidence. I understood now why it was only a matter of time before reports crossed the commissioner’s desk.
Before making the next turn, I heard voices—a man and a woman, both talking about the Gala. Holding my breath, I paused. It wouldn’t surprise me if everyone who worked for the TSTA knew about the Gala and was invited. Everyone except for the recently sacked Aborealians.
I held my breath, letting the couple pass before turning. Several more doors stood in my way between the hall and Ray’s office. A sign, bolted to the wall, next to his door had Benjamin Raymond etched into the metal.
Since he and Lily had expected Valcas and me to meet up with them later in the evening, Ray told me he’d leave the door unlocked. I let out a slow breath. Even if they weren’t there, and I had to wait around for an hour or so, it would be okay. Unless Mom recovered and blew my cover by returning to the party without me.
I turned the doorknob and exhaled, relieved, when it turned. Anxious to get out of the hallway, I swung open the door and stepped into the room.
“Calla,” someone said.
My stomach dropped as I found myself standing right in front of President Bree.
The pounding of my heartbeat hammered so loudly that I didn’t catch her next few words.
“It’s okay,” said a softer female voice. Lily.
I blinked away the shock of what I’d just seen. As the room came back into focus, I noticed that, even though she was in front of me, President Bree was sitting in the chair behind Ray’s desk, flanked by Lily and Ray.
Ropes covered her wrists, binding them to Ray’s desk chair.
“You guys tied her up?”
“No,” said Ray, regarding President Bree with worried eyes. “She was like this when Lily and I got here. Her feet are bound too.”
“And someone tied the chair to the desk.” Lily covered her grin with one hand. After regaining her composure, she said, “We promised to follow her orders to untie her, but not until she told you what she told us—what she found in Ray’s computer, with her special access code.”
President Bree shot me a smile that dripped of saccharine. “Calla, please convince your friends to untie me. I may even reconsider terminating Ray from his position with the TSTA.”
A sour taste puckered my lips. “You threatened to fire him after breaking into his office? How about the person who did this to you? Who was it?”
President Bree opened her mouth and closed it again. “I can’t say because I don’t know, but I’m certain he was an Aborealian—with white hair and purple eyes. He showed up out of nowhere. I don’t know how he got past security.” Her eyes darkened with hate as she struggled against the ropes, which prevented her from gesturing as she spoke. “He did this, and then he ran out of the office and left me here. He will pay.”
Nick. It had to be. His portal to the TSTA from the Clock Tower led right here, to Ray’s office. But why would he tie her up? Where was he now? Had Ivory come with him? I couldn’t imagine she’d let him out of her sight while he was still covered in burn wounds.
“But the computer—” Lily made a noise that was halfway between a sigh and a giggle, which was creepy under the already disturbing circumstances. “We returned just as her passcode expired.”
“And I repeated it for you.” snapped President Bree. “Now, untie me, you selfish child.”
Ray winced at the insult directed toward his sister. “With the passcode, we were able to conduct further research, right here in my office.”
“The best part,” said Lily, “is that President Bree was here to confirm everything.”
“Not in words, exactly, but in groans.” Ray searched the president’s face. “Please, tell Calla what you told us. We’ll untie you immediately. I don’t like seeing you like this.”
President Bree sucked in a sharp breath as she considered her situation.
I crossed my arms and pretended to be interested in my fingernails. I was dying to know what was going on, but I didn’t want President Bree to know just how much.
Ray shook his head. His blue eyes scanned mine. He looked torn. “I’ll start by telling you what I know, and what I found out, I guess.”
“Please, Ray.” Lily patted his back. The gesture seemed to calm him. “Calla needs to know.”
He leaned back against a shelf, seemingly careful not to stray too far from President Bree. “At the Gala, I was struck by the president’s first name.”
I nodded. “Susana.”
“Yes, the same name t
hat we’ve been calling the Place of the Lost. With President Bree logged into my computer, I was able to find that the TSTA has a project named after her.”
A series of lumps formed in my throat. “The project’s named Susana? And what you found ties it to the Lost?”
“Not just to the Lost, but to me—my tattoo.”
Chills rippled across my shoulders and down my spine. “You found the origin of your tattoo?”
“I think so.” Ray glared at President Bree. I marveled at how he was able to do so and still look respectful.
She, however, kept her lips tightly pressed shut. I wondered whether she’d accessed Ray’s computer with the intent to erase the files. But, couldn’t she have done that from any computer? Or had she anticipated Ray would leave the Gala and sneak off to his office—just in time to catch him?
Ray continued, “I thought it might be possible that the TSTA tattooed me at some point while I was being tested, during training. Maybe right before testing?” He absently rubbed the space below his left rib. “I’ve never been sure of the exact moment—of when I first noticed the tattoo. I knew I didn’t always have it; but, somehow I felt as if it had always been a part of me.”
Suddenly, I wondered whether I’d been too hard on Mom for having accused her of refusing me a TSTA education. After hearing this, I wanted no part of the TSTA’s training. The agency manipulated and abused. It imposed unreasonable sanctions on travelers, and it had an entire project dedicated to the Lost. Yet no one there had made any effort to help the Lost; they’d left them there to suffer. I wondered how long the Lost would have remained there if my father and I hadn’t set them free.
But why would they do such a thing to Ray? I bit my lip. Was it possible that the TSTA had known his twin sister had become Lost too?
President Bree hissed out a breath. “Testing is essential to the TSTA. It’s how we determine who is worthy and who is not. We’re looking for a group of talented travelers to assist us—to help fortify our war against Aboreal.” She smiled. “Congratulations, Ray. You passed the final test.”
He looked at her, doubtful.
Time for the Lost Page 14