Everyone in the room nodded.
“Then she is all yours … for the time being. I’ll expect you to pass on my warning to anyone who isn’t here for this little chat.”
With his thumb, he rubbed the inside of my elbow that he was still holding before he turned to me. “Be safe. I’ll see you soon.”
I did my best not to roll my eyes again.
Be safe? Ha! What a joke. He was dangling me as bait without any sort of plan if I got into trouble.
I watched as he whistled his way out of the room and down the hall. Then I turned to face the room. Amaria gave me a timid smile as she came over to me and put her arm through mine. I noticed that the others in the room seemed either hesitant in welcoming me into the fold, disgusted, or angry, like Lionel, who was currently chewing on the end of his pipe. The look in his eyes said he was upset that I was here and that the Puppeteer had forced him to bow to him.
When I could no longer hear the merry tune that the Puppeteer whistled, I wondered, as all eyes were on me, if it would truly be two months before I saw the Puppeteer again, or if he would grace me with his overpowering presence far sooner than that.
After Amaria whisked me away, in a jumble of nerves, she began to ramble as she explained a few facts about the House of Deception. I was almost certain she was trying to steer me away from Lionel and the rest of the group as fast as she could. It was almost comical how she practically pulled me through the house. I had a feeling that the random facts that she was spewing were less for my benefit and more for the listening ears nearby.
“There are only thirty-one members that belong to this house. Lionel and his family are the only ones who actually live in the house. There is a community room, game room, and a library that we are welcome to use, but as far as living quarters, the rest of us live in smaller houses behind this house.”
She slowed just a little as soon as we exited the front door. The guards were no longer under the Puppeteer’s control, but they still looked terrified as they sat on the steps. I was going to offer up an apology, but when one of the guards caught my eye, he almost shrank in on himself.
Amaria steered me down a paved walkway that led through thin trees. The woods here were different than at the House of Hybrids. The trees were a lot skinner, and the grass wasn’t as green. Of course, now the grass at the House of Hybrids was coated with beautiful snow, and I seriously doubted that it ever snowed here. It was too warm.
We came to houses that were in a half-circle formation. Each were spaced out from one another, but they all looked extremely similar, like miniatures of the House of Deception.
I couldn’t help but notice the way that Amaria casually peeked over her shoulder to see if we were being followed. She continued to chatter in an easygoing way, but I could hear her frayed nerves coming through her words.
“This is Cal’s parents’ house. They are extremely nice and great neighbors.” As she started to ramble on and on about who lived in the other houses, I noticed one constant—most of the people she called out had no spouses.
“Amaria,” I said, “why is the majority single?”
“Because the Puppeteer was right. The House of Deception is dying, along with our powers. The leader of this house might not seem like a ferocious beast to someone who oozes power like the Puppeteer, but I can assure you that Lionel is more powerful than the rest of us. He uses that terror to keep us in line. For whatever reason, our children seem to lose their ability to stay in this house. We are the only house, other than the House of Spirits, that has this problem. When they go to get tested, their blood shows they belong to other houses. Usually, the other houses will not claim them unless their gifts can benefit the house. We are truly a dying breed. We are lucky that Cal made the cut. He has sixty-three percent illusion blood running through him.”
“What happens if a child from the House of Deception has major blood in them?”
She scoffed. “Well, that has never happened, but if it ever does, Lionel would kill the child.”
When I cringed, she patted my hand. “I know, dear. The whole thing is disgusting.”
We walked in silence for a few moments. The air was thick with emotions and things that she seemed to be too afraid to say.
With a wavering smile, she pointed to the last house. “And this is where you and your friend will stay while you’re here.”
“Thank you,” I said.
She waved away my gratitude as she ushered me into her home. “You don’t have to thank me.”
As soon as we were inside, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not sure what the Puppeteer told you, but I’m certain that he knew I was lying.”
I nodded. “He might have mentioned that.”
“I don’t know why he wouldn’t alert Lionel, but whatever the reasons, I’m appreciative. I have something to tell you.” She paused before saying, “I believe that you are my niece.”
My eyes widened. “Why do you believe that?”
“My sister—God rest her soul—was pregnant before she died. I believe that she had that baby then hid it before she passed away. I think that you are that baby.” Her eyes misted up. “I know you have lots of questions, but I need a few seconds to wrap my brain around what just happened. Let me make you some food while you take a look around.” She hurried off through the open floorplan, while I took a stroll around her pretty white stucco house.
Everything in her home was white. I passed by shelves filled with small trinkets and knickknacks, to come stumbling to a stop when I saw a picture of two pretty girls holding each other. One had golden blonde hair, the other had white-blonde hair that was the same color as mine, and both had golden eyes. They stood about the same height, and they both wore smiles.
“Whenever I am home, I use my magic to create photos of my memories,” Amaria’s voice carried to me from the kitchen as she pointed to the picture. “After the war between humans and the unrivaled, things like cameras and electronics disappeared, but my grandmother used to create photos just like this. I guess I’ve kept up the tradition.”
“You think this was my mother?” I asked.
She nodded. “My sister and my best friend. The only thing I don’t understand is Calista was powerful. If you are her daughter, you would have golden eyes. Unless you are part human or took after your father. I guess that would explain your green eyes.”
I whipped my head around. “What are you talking about? I do have golden eyes. That’s the whole reason the Puppeteer thought I belonged to this house.”
Amaria stopped making the sandwiches and scuttled over to me. She grabbed my chin and tilted my head every which way before she laughed. “Someone has cast an illusion on your eyes. I wouldn’t have caught it if you hadn’t said anything.”
I thought back to Lana. Why would she have cast an illusion on my eye color? The Puppeteer wanted to use me as bait, yet I bet he knew about it and also didn’t rat Amaria out. Which meant he wasn’t trying to bait the small fish like Lionel, or he was worried about my safety. Not because he had a conscience, but because he wouldn’t want his bait to die.
As if reading my mind, Amaria said, “So, what is the Puppeteer’s end game?”
I didn’t want to tell her about the serum. At least, not yet. So, I said the only truthful thing I could. “Who really knows the mind of the Puppeteer?”
“Hmph.” She dropped my chin then went back into the kitchen to finish the sandwiches.
“Can you tell me what happened to her?”
“Have a seat at the table, and we will talk.”
I pulled out a chair and sat impatiently as she brought over a sandwich made of some sort of meat stuck in a biscuit and handed me a glass filled with juice. I had never had juice before.
I took a timid sip. The pulp and liquid swirled around in my mouth and made me moan.
She laughed. “It’s good, isn’t it?”
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever had.”
After I took a few
bites of my sandwich, she said, “Most houses, major and minor, are extremely large. Unlike our pitiful numbers, their populations continue to grow in outstanding amounts. Well, minus the House of Spirits. Their numbers are quite pitiful, too. The houses have no issue finding matches within their own houses. The leaders strongly, and sometimes by force, encourage their people to match with the most compatible. If an unrivaled finds a more preferable match in another house, the leader of their house has the right to kill them.”
I swallowed my bite of food. “Did my mother find an unacceptable match?”
She bit her lip. “I just don’t know. She was always so secretive, especially those last few months.” She patted my hand. “Let me start at the beginning. Every year, there are many functions that the different houses are invited to, but the one that all the young look forward to is the Minor’s Ball. It’s like a coming out party for the unrivaled. Thankfully, our blood is tested in neutral territory, thanks to the law that the Puppeteer’s father instilled twenty years ago.”
I frowned. “I was under the impression that the Puppeteer’s father wasn’t a great man.”
“Oh, he’s not. He passed the law because the head of houses were killing off potential hybrids for his army. Anyway, your mother went to the ball when she turned eighteen, but of course there was no one that had over fifty percent illusion blood for her to match with. The next year, I got to go with her. Lionel was convinced that we would find potential matches, someone who carried enough illusion blood, but of course, he was wrong.” Her eyes grew distant as she looked away, lost in memories. “He never expected us to step out of line. Your mother was more stubborn than Lionel ever counted on. My sister fell in love. Madly.”
“With someone she met at the ball?”
She shook her head. “Maybe. I don’t know. She wouldn’t give me a name, but I think it was someone who had been visiting the Minor’s Ball. I met everyone who was in attendance, and she was utterly bored with the whole lot. That year, the Puppeteer’s father was there briefly with a group of men. That was the only time she showed interest.”
“Then what happened?”
“We came home empty-handed. Lionel was so mad that he had both of us whipped to an inch of our lives. He acted like it was our fault that our house was dying. When, in reality, our illusion genes are just not dominant. We both promised to go back the next year, even though we knew it was all but a lost cause.”
“But she didn’t go the next year, did she?” My sandwich was all but forgotten.
“No, she died before the end of summer.” She dashed away a lone tear. “After the ball was over, I noticed that, on the weekends, she would go missing for long bouts. I would always cover for her. I believe that whoever she met would meet her in the woods. There are no other houses in Old Georgia, and she wouldn’t be gone long enough to go visit another old state. I can’t imagine someone just camping out in the woods, waiting for nightfall, just so he could court your mother, but who knows? The only other feasible scenario is if he was a flinter.”
I took another sip before asking, “What’s a flinter?”
“It is someone who can jump ahead in time and space. So, say if he was in a state over, maybe he could flint here in five or six jumps, taking him a few minutes. Flinters are rare. In fact, they are so rare that I’ve only heard stories about them, so that probability is not huge.”
“How did she die?”
She drew in an unsteady breath. “I don’t know. The day will forever be a mystery. I’m hoping that you’ll be able to shed a little light on what happened that night.”
“How?” I asked, incredulous.
“When I unbind your powers, you will get your first memories before and after the binding. You may be the last person to have seen my sister alive. One thing I know for certain is that, whatever happened in those last weeks of your mother’s life, she wanted to give you a fighting chance. She hid your powers because she thought you would have a better life as a human than as a hybrid. She also knew that, if she told me and someone came into the house, like the Puppeteer did today, I wouldn’t be able to keep the secret.” She looked over at the portrait on the wall, and as she studied the memory of her and her sister, tears pooled in her eyes. “Now look what has happened. Almost twenty years later, and your secrets will continue to unravel.”
“What do you mean by continue?”
“When I unbind your powers, we will know what your other half is. I will tell you that if Lionel finds out you are a hybrid with illusion blood in you, he will kill you, or at least try, regardless of what the Puppeteer said.”
Again, I didn’t say anything about the mark that the Puppeteer had given me or the serum that he was searching for. I should tell her, but I wanted to keep that a secret for as long as I could. I guessed me and my mother weren’t too different.
“I think the Puppeteer looks at me as a potential asset, and he will keep his word and bring this house down if I’m harmed.”
“His interest in you is just as worrisome as the uncertainty that surrounds you, but acting after you’re harmed will be a little too late.” Her golden eyes took on a fierce look. “We will just have to deal with one problem at a time. I’d appreciate it if you and your friend try to stay out of the main house. There’s nothing you really need there, anyway.” She stood up and grabbed my empty plate. “Now that you’re finished eating, let’s unbind your powers.”
“What? I thought it would take you at least two months to do that?”
She gave me a mischievous smile. “I just want everyone to think that. The more time you and I have to practice and hone whatever talents you have, the better.” She gave me a smile. “There might be a way to save you from Lionel and the Puppeteer.” She hustled off toward the kitchen, and after she had put the plate and glass in the sink, she waved me over to the couch.
I sat next to her. “Okay, I guess I’m ready.”
She placed a pillow in her lap. “Lay your head down. This won’t cause you pain, but it will be uncomfortable. Then, as the binding loosens, you will receive images on how it was put on you in the first place. Which, by the way, I want a full replay on that memory. I have a lot of questions about my sister’s death, and I need closure. Then you will lose consciousness. I’ll stay right by your side the entire time.”
I lay down with butterflies in my stomach then kicked off my shoes so I wouldn’t get her couch dirty and curled up into a little ball. She started playing with my hair in such a loving, tender way that it immediately made me stiffen.
“Shh … love. Relax.”
Closing my eyes, I waited for whatever was about to happen.
All of a sudden, my brain felt like someone was poking at it from different angles. It wasn’t painful, but it took everything I had not to squirm or jump up from the couch. This continued for what felt like hours, like a gentle tug never ceasing as it aired the fog from my mind. Then I felt like I was falling backward through a dark tunnel. I jerked as energy poured into me. Warm hands never left my scalp.
Then I was staring at the face of a beautiful woman. The lady from the picture—my mother—cradled me in her arms. She was sweaty and tired, but there was a look of pure love on her face as she cradled me against her. There was blood all over the blanket that she held me in.
“You came early, my little dove.” She smelled the peach fuzz on top of my head before she placed a row of kisses around my face.
I let out a cry, and she soothed me against her bosom.
A woman came in, and I immediately recognized her, even though she was nineteen years younger.
Lana closed the bedroom door then ran toward my mother, gasping when she saw me. “Oh, Calista, she is beautiful.”
My mom wiped a tear away. “I know.” She kissed me one more time before handing me over.
Lana rocked me as she studied my mother. “What do you want me to do, my friend?”
Clearly exhausted, my mother laid her head back on a stack of pillows. “She ha
s to go. Thank the heavens you’re not under this roof anymore. Your escape will lead to hers.”
Lana’s eyes grew misty. “Are you sure?”
“Her father …” She began to cry softly. “As a child, she’ll never be able to hide her powers, and Lionel will kill her. And if she did somehow survive him, she’ll be tested at the ball, and then I have a feeling she will be one of the hunted—the ones they administer the serum to. She will never be safe. If my sister sees her, she’ll be on the run with you, and she won’t be able to fit in with the humans, so she’ll be found. Therefore, my baby will be found.”
Lana shook her head. “I won’t let that happen.”
“I know, my friend. Thankfully, you escaped this house before you were ever tested at the ball. If the world knew of your hidden talent, they would want to test you, too. You need to hurry. I’m already endangering you and my little dove.”
Lana tightened her arms around me. “He knows where to meet me?”
Calista nodded. “He will be waiting. I’ve lost a lot of blood. Once I can get to my feet and am strong enough to protect myself and Amaria, I’ll tell her of my plan. Little dove’s father thinks he can find a way for his house to give us sanctuary. I fear that isn’t an option. The best course for our child is for her to pretend she is a human. We will work out the details later. Until then, you protect her.”
Lana circled her hand over me. An illusion was cast to make it look like she was now carrying laundry sheets. Then she backed toward the door. “I need to go while she is quiet. Rest easy, my friend.”
I watched as my mother closed her eyes.
Lana kept her head down as she passed someone in the hall. From my viewpoint, all I could see were black shoes, black pants, and a flash of color that was a ruby ring worn on a pinky finger. When the footsteps stopped right in front of Calista’s bedroom door, Lana picked up the speed. She knew her magic was nothing more than a neat trick. So, if she stayed to help her friend with whoever may or may not be entering her bedroom, then she would be sacrificing me. Somehow, I sensed that, if this whole place burned down with everyone in it, she would make sure that I somehow made it out.
House of Deception: The Unrivaled Series Page 11