He laid the papers on his desk that he had been working on when he heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside his office. He then heard a quiet knock on the door. He was sure that it was Olívia and Nóra.
“Come in,” he called out.
He waited patiently as the door opened and both girls he was expecting entered the room, closing the door quietly behind them.
“Please have a seat,” he said to them with a smile.
Both girls took a seat in the chairs that he had in front of his desk. They were quiet but he knew they were curious about many things, especially Ilysia.
“I do hope you both realize that you have nothing to fear from myself or my family,” he stated warmly.
“Thank you, James,” Olívia responded with a smile of her own. “I’ve been trying to reassure my sister of this for the past few days.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I want you girls to know that you will be treated like family here.”
“And what about those I left behind in Moserovo?” Nóra questioned curiously.
“They will not be able to harm you, Nóra. You are safe with us from any retribution they make try to seek. I promise you that.”
“You and Katie not only reunited me with my sister but you saved me from them. I’m in your debt.”
“We may also be in yours, Nóra.”
“Why do you say that, James?” Olívia inquired.
James let out a heavy sigh. He did not want to ask Nóra too much this soon but if they were going to have any hope of this ending well for all of them he did not have a choice.
“Because, Olívia, the information your sister can give us about those in Moserovo is invaluable,” He pointed out to them.
“I will tell you everything that I can,” Nóra agreed. “You are offering me a new and better life along with protection. On top of that, I don’t have to be separated from my sister anymore. I want to help you.”
He gave them a smile as he watched Olívia warmly take Nóra’s hand. It was obvious that she was nervous. She had been very shy when she first arrived, and he knew that it had to be for good reason. He could not imagine what she had been through growing up where she did, much less what the Empress’s band of soldiers did to her. Olívia was the more stable out of the two, having been able to get out of Rutania on her talents as an artist. Nóra had been trapped until Katie rescued her. As he looked at the sisters, as different in appearance as they seemed to be in personality, he could see the strong bond between them starting to ease Nóra’s nerves. He was trying to give her a moment before he began to ask her questions. The last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm her.
“I don’t want to ask too much, Nóra. Please let me know if you need to stop for now,” he spoke kindly, causing her to give him a little smile.
“Thank you, James. I will answer anything I can,” Nóra stated nervously.
“How long were you with them?”
“A little over a year. I had been pretty much living with them.”
“You moved in with them?” Olívia asked.
“Lívi, can we discuss that part later and anything else that you don’t understand or might upset you?”
“Of course, Nóri. I need to just let you speak and not say a word.”
“For you not to speak would be a miracle.”
Olívia rolled her eyes at her sister’s comment which caused James to chuckle. For these sisters, time apart did not seem to do anything to damage their bond. He attributed this to the fact that they were indeed twins. He would have hated to have known them during the time where they did not get to see each other. As close as they seemed to be right in front of him, he could only imagine just how difficult the last three years were on them both.
“Can you give me names of all that you know are associated with them?” James inquired.
“I only know the ones that lived in the home, the Empress’s nephew, and the three Vampires that came to visit,” Nóra admitted.
“Yes, Katie mentioned that Sóríya Coménícío had been there with some others.”
“And they were terrifying.”
“What about the Empress’s nephew?”
“I believe his name is Eídéard. He’s their main contact in Ilysia.”
“Will you write all of their names down for me later?”
“I’d be happy to.”
“Good and I’ll reach out to my contacts about this Eídéard.”
“You have contacts?” Olívia questioned.
“Quite a lot of them. I would not have been able to build the Resistance forces I have without them, much less know what really is going on in Ilysia. One of them was here not long after Katie brought you, Olívia, and he’s likely the one you’ll see the most.”
“I have a lot to learn.”
James gave the girls a warm smile. They both did have a great deal to learn but he was a patient leader. He had learned that it was one of the most important traits of being able to guide others. If he was not patient, then he could easily lose their respect. He wanted both of them to understand that they would not be rushed or pushed beyond their limits, that this was a safe place.
“James, I think there’s something more important I should tell you,” Nóra declared.
“If you feel that it is, then I will listen,” James spoke in an assuring manner.
“The group of us were introduced to a boy around our age from Berdenheim a few weeks ago.”
He could feel his heartbeat rise into his throat. This could be the very news he feared to hear and did not want to hear. Nóra could very well be about to confirm who betrayed them and likely murdered his son.
“Was his name Shane?” James asked, trying not to let his emotions show outwardly.
“Yes,” Nóra confirmed quietly.
He closed his eyes for a moment to try to not lose control of his emotions. Nóra and Olívia had only been in their lives for a few days. He could not do anything that might cause them to distrust him or anyone else there, and he was certain they would if he let what he was feeling show. Anger that he was fighting to control was rising within him. He did not want to scare these girls. He did not want to frighten anyone. It seemed that some confirmation about his suspicions after the news Robert had given him did nothing but spark a fury inside him that he was determined to control until no one but Katie could see him. His wife could handle him releasing his anger, but he would not burden these girls with it.
“There was talk he was going to be involved in some kind of special mission for the Empress, a mission that involved killing someone,” Nóra continued.
“I had my suspicions. Robert, whom you met yesterday, brought me information that Shane and his parents had moved to Moserovo,” James disclosed.
“You still seem very upset,” Olívia observed.
“It is nothing that I wish to trouble you girls with.”
“Did he kill someone?” Nóra asked with concern filling her voice.
“As you know, my son was killed days before your sister met my wife. With what you just told me, I believe that Shane is the one who murdered him.”
They both let out a collective gasp. It was evident that Nóra had no idea what had happened. He could see in her eyes that she felt some type of responsibility.
“You did nothing wrong, Nóra,” he consoled. “You had nothing to do with my son’s death.”
He watched as tears started to fall down her face and Olívia instinctively got out of her chair to wrap her arms around her sister. Nóra did not need to feel guilt or be upset. She was not at fault. Nóra was a girl who had been caught up with the wrong people and completely innocent in recent events.
“Your son is still gone,” Nóra sobbed.
“But here you and your sister are, alive and safe from anything that could harm you,” James remarked.
“I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“You just lost your son and you saved us.”
&nbs
p; “Nóri, I’m not sure if there are people any better than James and Katie in both worlds,” Olívia professed as she continued to try to soothe her sister.
“We just always try to do what is right,” James concurred. “And with that being said, I will ask no more of either of you today.”
“I want you to know that I want to fight with you and your people in this war for Ilysia. It is our true homeland, and from what little I know, it offers us a much better life than either of us have had.”
“So do I. I want to fight for it to have peace and do the right thing after being caught up with the wrong side,” Nóra added.
“We are more than happy to have you and train you. Now go enjoy the rest of this day. My wife says it’s quite beautiful outside,” James imparted. “And, Nóra, thank you. I know what you have shared so far has not been easy.”
“I will always do what I can to help because you fight for what is good in the world.”
He gave them both a smile as Olívia lightly tugged at her sister to stand up. He watched as they quietly left his office together arm in arm. The sight was even more confirmation that Katie had done the right thing by bringing both of them into their home.
Once the door closed behind them, he buried his face into his hands. His fears turned out to be the truth. Someone they had trusted betrayed them and murdered his son. As if his heart did not feel broken enough, it had gotten crushed all over again. Now he was not only going to have to share this with Robert but tell Katie. He did not want to do anything to destroy his wife. She did not deserve to feel the pain she hid so well nor did their eldest daughter. It seemed as if his world may never be right again because Zak was gone forever and he was lost as to how to help them all move forward. James was not a man to feel defeated but right now it was all he felt.
Katie had known that something was going on when she saw the tears on Nóra’s face when she and Olívia emerged from the basement. She did not hesitate to go to her husband’s office to ask him what was going on. James looked overwhelmed when he looked up to meet her eyes. It made her even more curious as to what had happened but he would not tell her. He only insisted she call Robert and Adelaide over as he needed to tell them all together. It was important and she knew that. Her instincts were telling her that James was carrying a burden he did not need to on his own. She just wished he would tell her instead of making her wait. This was one of those times she did not have the patience of her father but her mother.
She did not hesitate to call Adelaide once she had gotten back upstairs. The urgency she expressed to her closest friend was evident in her voice. It was rare that she was impatient in any capacity and everyone knew that. With Addí still barely leaving her room on top of seeing Nóra’s tears, all of what composure she had left had been stolen. Katie could not have James hold onto whatever he would not tell her without Robert and Adelaide’s presence for long. She had the urge to pace the floor until they could get there but knew that would be a waste of her time. The only good thing she could do to keep her mind occupied until their friends arrived would be to spend time with her two youngest daughters. Anní and Camí were not old enough to completely understand the sadness in their home. They needed her right now as much as she desired answers from her husband.
Katie found the girls in the room that they shared playing quietly. It made her all the more grateful that they got along as well as they did. Fighting and arguing were the last things she felt able to deal with right now. They both looked up at her and smiled when she entered. Quietly, she joined them on the floor and picked up a doll. Their laughter would be some of the much needed therapy she urgently needed.
She had been playing with her daughters for nearly two hours when Adelaide came in the room with her two youngest daughters, Morgaíne and Zoé. They were both only a few years older than her little ones, who adored them. Her friend was quick to excuse them from the room. Once they were out in the hall, Adelaide lead her towards the stairs.
“Robert is already in James’s office with him,” her friend said quietly. “I’ve never heard your voice sound so serious as it did when you called.”
“It’s because between the look on my husband’s face and the fact that Nóra was crying when she came back upstairs from meeting with him in his office, I have had little patience for finding out what is going on,” she quickly responded as they began to descend the stairs to the main floor of the house.
“That is the girl you just brought here from Moserovo, right?”
“Yes it is.”
“I was already curious but this only makes me more that way.”
“You have no idea. I’ve lost my son, my oldest daughter barely speaks to anyone, and things feel like they are falling apart completely.”
“Katie, you can be too much heart for your own good. The world isn’t ending and things can get better.”
“I wish I had your optimism.”
“You normally do.”
“I feel like half the sun left my world when I saw my son dead on that table.”
Katie could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She could see it all again in her mind and felt as if her heart was breaking. Zak was her son even if he never came from her body. She loved him no differently than she loved her biological children. She felt the same about Addí. She was a mother, their mother and this was killing her inside more than she liked to admit.
She and Adelaide walked the rest of the way to the basement and James’s office in silence. She needed a few moments to get her head together before her husband shared the information that was obviously starting to burden him. When they finally entered his office, Robert was sitting in a chair beside the desk almost beside her husband. She and Adelaide quietly took a seat on the sofa across from the desk but it made her wonder what Robert knew that she did not.
“I’m not normally impatient,” she stated. “But, I get the impression that Robert knows things that Adelaide and I do not.”
“Katie, it’s not as if we have not been meaning to tell you…” James began.
“But you didn’t!” she exclaimed, interrupting him.
“This is not going to be easy to explain.”
“Please start with what you and Robert both know.”
“Yes, as I’m interested to learn this myself,” Adelaide added.
She and Adelaide were both giving their husbands stern looks. They were both wanting to make it obvious that they did not appreciate being left in the dark about anything, especially if it concerned their children or the coming war.
“I found out just days after Zak was killed that Galen Richards moved to Moserovo with Vera and Shane around Addí’s birthday,” Robert disclosed. “I told James that night. We had been figuring out how to tell the two of you.”
Katie was floored. She knew it had been odd that she had heard from no one in that family in nearly two months. It had worried her but this was the last thing she expected. Could this mean they are the ones that betrayed them?
“Did they betray us?” she asked aloud, knowing it was the one thing she nor Adelaide wanted to do.
“We only had suspicions until I spoke with Nóra this morning,” James answered. “They more than betrayed us. I believe Shane is the one who killed our son.”
She could feel herself starting to cry. Her heart felt as if it was breaking all over again. Now she understood why Nóra had tears in her eyes. She’s the reason they know the truth and it made her even more thankful that her instincts told her to bring the girl back to her home. The gods willed for her to meet Olívia and save her sister. Now she was starting to understand exactly why she was lead to them.
“Why in the name of all the gods would they do this?” Adelaide questioned.
“If only we had the answer to that,” Robert replied.
“James, Katie, you have no idea how sorry I am that you are going through this. I can’t imagine how it feels.”
“We would not wish this pain on anyone, Adelaide, but thank you,�
�� James lamented. “I’m more worried about Addí than Katie and myself.”
She was listening to every word they were saying and silently agreeing with her husband’s words. She nodded to both of their friends in kind as she started to wipe the tears from her face. It was only a moment later that she heard the sound of the portal from Ilysia louder than normal.
“Do you hear that?” she inquired to the others.
“We don’t have your Elven hearing,” Adelaide remarked.
“It’s the portal and it’s louder than usual.”
Without hesitation she ran from the office into the main basement room that was normally used for training. The other three were behind her, coming out almost as quickly as she did. They all watched intently as Rínae stepped through with three other Fae following. The last to come through was beautiful with long blonde hair and deep sapphire eyes, wearing jewels that matched. There was a circlet nestled into her hair, making it obvious that she was a member of the royal family.
“Rínae, this is unexpected,” Katie declared before any of the others had the chance to speak.
“I am here as an envoy, Katie,” the Fae announced. “May I present Princess Janélyn, the Queen’s younger daughter. She has been sent here as an ambassador to your forces by the Queen herself.”
Her initial observations about the beautiful blonde were proven correct when she stepped forward. She was dressed in a mixture of black leather and deep blue tulle with designs of silver embroidered all over. It was an exquisite garb in the traditional Fae style. The allure of the Princess’s Fae blood became more obvious the closer she stepped to them. There was always an exotic appeal to a full-blooded Fae that someone with only small amounts of it could not compare to.
“My mother, Queen Résalyn, sent me here along with two of my cousins and one of our Oracles as envoys. I have a letter for you all from her that tells you how we are here to help this Resistance prepare for the coming war. She wishes for you to know that we are not only friends but allies. The White Fae Court stands with you against the Empress,” the Fae Princess formally proclaimed.
A Darkness Awakens Page 25