“Right now, in fact.” Then she reconsidered. “That is, if you’re okay with that?”
Light, chiming laughter pealed from Satinka. “I am. Shall I land so you can alight?”
“Well, I prefer aerial connections—how about you?”
“That would be my preference too,” Satinka smiled.
In seconds, Iri and Atu were gone, and Kayla hadn’t stopped them. Dazed, she stared at the empty sky. Well, for better or worse, the decision was out of her hands now. Kayla trudged back downstairs. Jaden was still on the couch where she had left him. He hadn’t even said goodbye. Irrationally, Kayla was irritated. “You know, you can’t sit there and mope forever.”
Jaden’s eyes blazed. “And I suppose if the situation were reversed, you would be all A-Okay and ready to go?
The anguish in his voice made Kayla back down. It was still all too raw. He wasn’t in a place yet where she could goad him into action. Kneeling on the floor in front of the couch, Kayla reached to take his hands into her own. When he pulled back, she gently but firmly extended her reach until she grasped his hands. Gazing into his dark blue eyes, stormy now with emotions he couldn’t or wouldn’t express, she said, “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
The dam burst. The self-control he had been holding onto so tightly evaporated, and tears streamed down Jaden’s face. Wordlessly, Kayla climbed onto the couch next to him and pulled him into her arms. She held him there as he gave in to his sorrow, wishing there was more she could do but thankful he was finally expressing some emotion. The cold, automaton that had been Jaden for the last few hours had been alien to her, and she hadn’t known how to deal with him. This Jaden, full of emotion, was the one she understood, the one she could help.
When the storm passed, Jaden leaned out of Kayla’s arms to take her in his own. He pulled her toward him in a fierce embrace. His voice was husky. “Thanks, I needed that.”
Kayla nodded slightly, not wanting to move. She was at home here, tucked against his chest where she could hear his heart beating. Here, she felt alive. And she could feel the life in him too.
The door to the landing pad banged open, and Kayla shot upright. “Someone’s here.”
Jaden crossed to the stairs ahead of her, peeking up the hallway. It was a shock when Kayla’s parents appeared.
Kayla streaked past Jaden and up the stairs, pulling her stunned parents into hugs. “You’re back.”
Worried, Sadie studied Kayla. “We didn’t go anywhere. It was only a few moments ago that we said goodbye. Did you not go?”
It fell into place for Kayla then. Of course! They must’ve been on the roof all this time, except the voyagers couldn’t see them with the time freeze in effect. The gliders must’ve finally moved out of range. She took a moment to consider her reply. “We did. Remember, I told you that it would seem like time hadn’t passed for you at all.”
Sadie’s eyes widened. “You’re done then? You’ve finished whatever it was you were trying to do?” Then, a split second later, “How long were you gone?”
Kayla realized they were all still standing on the stairs. “Let’s go down to the living room, and I’ll answer your questions there.”
When her mother fixed Kayla with a penetrating stare, Kayla understood something in her tone had sent alarm bells ringing in her mother’s head. She jumped when she saw Jaden at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh, hello!”
“Hello, Mrs. Melmique,” Jaden replied, giving her a hug and then greeting and shaking Mr. Melmique’s hand. Kayla herded her parents into the living room.
Sadie glanced around. “Where’s Atu?” Her face paled. “Is he alright? Please, tell me something didn’t happen to him!”
Kayla took her mother’s hands in her own and led her to the couch. “He’s fine, Mom. Don’t panic. I’ll tell you everything just as soon as I get you and Dad some tea.”
“Kayla, I don’t want tea. I want you to tell me what happened. Now.”
Sighing, Kayla took a seat opposite them. She was immensely grateful when Jaden came and stood behind her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath. He was with her. She could do this. As succinctly as possible, Kayla updated her parents on all that had transpired since their departure, ending with Iri and Atu leaving for Sven’s and omitting anything about Jaden’s parents.
Vicken broke the sudden silence that filled the room when Kayla finished. “You found the last seeker then?”
“We did.”
Her father had chosen to act in character and would ask his questions later. Her eyes went to her mother. And when Sadie frowned, Kayla knew her mother had also ferreted out the issue. “I don’t understand. Why did you come back home then? You have the last seeker, and you know where you’re supposed to go. Why the detour?”
It was the question Kayla had dreaded. She knew how close her mother and Mrs. Jameson had become. In a way, their friendship reminded her of what she had shared with Grailynn. Something so special was rarely found: that deep connection, knowing and understanding what the other person thought or felt before they even said it. And now Kayla would have to tell her mother that her best friend was missing.
Jaden watched as Kayla explained what had happened to his parents. He could see her distress at having to share the awful news. What would he have said if her parents were taken instead? He was thankful that wasn’t the case. All the same, he wished he never found the medallion. Then his parents would still be here.
If only he knew how to find them. Would Markov have any ideas? He had always been good at strategizing, maybe because of all those years playing on the gridpost team. Whatever the reason, Jaden could rely on him to work out a plan. A chilling thought occurred to him. Markov knew the truth. Was Jaden also putting him in danger because of it?
No, he couldn’t spiral into blaming himself. Markov had asked; Markov had wanted to know. And Markov was quite capable of looking after himself. What of Jaden’s other friends? Would they also become targets whether they knew the truth or not? What if they were taken? Would Jaden save them too?
No, saving the world was more important. Only that wasn’t true. If any of his friends were taken, Jaden would try and save them as well.
He circled back to his original question: would Markov have any ideas? Then Jaden almost laughed out loud. Of course Markov couldn’t help. He couldn’t even see the Gaptors or gliders!
How will all this play out? He couldn’t keep chasing his tail to try and keep people safe. If he allowed himself to travel down that road he would become paralyzed by fear, unable to do what was required. And that in itself would be failure. The only solution was to complete this mission.
“Jaden?” Kayla asked.
Jaden started. “Pardon? I’m sorry I didn’t catch that.”
“My parents wanted to know if you’d like to stay for dinner.”
“Thanks, I appreciate the offer, but I have to get home and see if I can find any clues there.” Catching Kayla’s worried frown, Jaden shrugged. “I know it’s unlikely that I’ll find anything, but I have to look.”
Jaden wondered about the glance that passed between Kayla’s parents. Maybe he was imagining things, but it seemed like Mr. Melmique wanted to say something. Jaden gave it a moment, but Kayla spoke first. “May I fly you home then?”
“Please—unless the gliders are waiting when we get to the roof.” Jaden turned to the Melmiques. “Thanks again for the offer of dinner. I’m sorry I can’t accept. Stay safe.”
They only nodded, still too staggered by the news of his parents’ capture to say more. Jaden and Kayla made their way to the roof. When they found the gliders absent, Kayla fired up the ‘pod and had Jaden home in minutes. Although he would’ve relished more time with Kayla, he didn’t linger on his goodbyes, settling for a fierce hug and a short kiss before ordering her back home. “Ping me when you get there.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to come inside with you?”
; “No, thanks. I’d like to do this alone. Get home to your parents. They need you. And let me know when you get home.”
“I’ll do that.” Kayla settled back into the ‘pod and took off.
Jaden stared after her, wondering whether he should’ve spent more time with her. Then he shook his head. What was wrong with him? Why was he being so indecisive? Maybe because there was nothing he could do. Why had he told the other voyagers he needed to stay? What could he possibly find? A piece of his parents? Heaven forbid! Or a clue to where they were taken? Yeah, that’s likely. A clue why they were taken? No, Jaden knew why they had been taken.
Jaden most likely wouldn’t find any clues, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to look.
Marshaling his thoughts, Jaden took his time getting downstairs. He searched the rooftop landing site first. Nothing was out of place. Had his parents still been up here when they were taken? Or had the time freeze effect been broken, and were they already back inside the house? How could the Gaptors have reached them there? Jaden would need to interview Pallaton.
Then Jaden remembered something else. The day Markov came to ask his questions, Markov “lost” them when they ran upstairs and the time freeze went into effect. But when the gliders passed from range, Markov had not been waiting in the kitchen where they left him. Instead, he joined them on the roof. Jaden allowed that to sink in for a moment. Did this corroborate his earlier observation that there were “windows” within a time freeze allowing for a pause between leaving and arriving?
Jaden opened the maintenance room door and went downstairs. No sign of windows or doors scratched up by talons. No sign of any disturbance in the house. No sign of his parents. Slumping onto the couch, Jaden realized he wouldn’t learn how or when his parents had been taken and that he would drive himself crazy if he kept trying to figure it out. Dropping his head back, he closed his eyes. Then he lurched back up. The book might have a clue. Jaden dashed to his backpack and retrieved Awena’s precious book, trying to control his impatience as he inspected each page thoroughly before turning to the next one. But there were no clues there either.
Why had he stayed? There were no clues, no indicators of where his parents had been taken. Or even that they had been taken. Could the Usurper have planned it so Jaden would think nothing was wrong? But no, there were all those dead Gaptors. Something had happened. Then again, did the Usurper know that his parents’ capture hadn’t been flawless? In fact, did the Usurper know Jaden knew that his parents had been taken and by whom?
Another thought struck Jaden. He leaped to his feet. Dashing from room to room, he searched for it. He looked on the kitchen table. He read the comm unit on the refrigerator. He checked his bedside table. And his PAL. He looked anywhere someone might have left it, where it would be in plain sight, where it would be clearly visible. But he found no ransom note.
How would the Usurper contact him? Would he contact Jaden, or did he have some other devious plan to draw Jaden to him so that Jaden wouldn’t suspect he was being lured into a trap? Either way, what was Jaden going to do when Slurpy did? There was only one thing for it. They had to get back to the mission and complete it before the Usurper could message him.
But to complete the mission, he would need the team. What had he done? How had he permitted Atu and Iri to leave? Or was that another of the Usurper’s ploys? To get Jaden so upset that he allowed the team to split up? Suddenly, Jaden had a very bad feeling. Iri and Atu might be in real danger. Jaden had to get Kayla. They had to leave.
Chapter Sixteen
Covertly, Iri watched Atu as they flew. The colors and hues floating around him rarely changed, and his scent remained odorless. She had seldom met someone with such an even temperament. Was he deliberately keeping it that way? Or maybe it was just who he was. Satinka veered right, and Iri grabbed at her neck fur. She had to pay more attention to her flying and less to the strange boy flying alongside her.
They flew in silence. It was strange to not have Taz barking orders. Aren and Satinka seemed content to just get where they were going without practicing any of the endless routines Taz always insisted on.
But that didn’t sit well with Iri. Sure, flying was fun with the breeze whipping in your face, but it was dull. “Shouldn’t we be practicing our routines?”
Atu looked at her as though she had lost her marbles. “Now why would you want to do that?”
“Aren’t you bored just sitting here?”
“No, there’s plenty to see if you just watch what’s happening underneath you. And it’s peaceful. It allows me time to think.”
Iri wasn’t getting anywhere with Atu. He was in his zone and quite happy to stay there. Appealing to Satinka, she said, “Don’t you think training is important?”
“Of course. We trained with Pallaton every day.”
“So, shouldn’t we be doing that now?” Iri was irritated that Satinka wasn’t picking up on the hint. When she sent Iri a curious glance, Iri realized Satinka had no clue what she was talking about. Satinka hadn’t been around when Taz had made them practice all those routines. “Taz made us learn and practice routines each day when we flew. I think it would be worthwhile to keep those up. Besides, you need to learn what I have so that if we meet a Gaptor, you’ll know the plays.”
“Tazanna ordered us to get you to the Armorer without delay.” Aren’s explanation was unexpected. Atu’s glider had appeared to be in the zone just like his voyager.
“Oh.” Iri was momentarily speechless. “Taz said to not even practice on the way?”
“Practicing takes time. Flying in a straight line is faster than doing rolls and loops. And for some of us who repeatedly fall off,” Aren intimated, “that would delay us even more. So no, we don’t practice. We get you to the Armorer with no delays.”
Iri slumped. How was she going to survive the tedium? “Atu, tell me about this Armorer.”
Atu blinked, as though annoyed his meditations had been disrupted. But Iri didn’t notice any of the colors she would’ve associated with the emotion. How was he doing that? She had never met anyone who could mask their emotions. “He’s been a friend of my family’s for a long time.”
His placid tone made Iri reconsider. Maybe he wasn’t annoyed. That would explain the lack of a color change. Satisfied, Iri listened as Atu elaborated.
When evening came, Iri groaned as she slid off Satinka. Incredibly, she was more exhausted than when Taz made them do all those strenuous exercises. Must be the boredom factor. Dinner was quickly dispensed with, and Iri slipped into her shell, grateful for sleep.
The air was noticeably cooler the next day. When Iri began shivering, Atu surprised her by calling for the break. Once on the ground, he pulled a jar from his ever-present pouch. Handing it to her, he said, “It will ward off the cold. Use it like a lotion on any exposed skin.”
Dubiously, Iri took the jar but the fragrant lavender that escaped when she popped the lid set her at ease. Although she wasn’t so sure about the goo a minute later when her skin began tingling and then burning.
“The effect will wear off,” Atu said when she squirmed. His calm tone was unnerving, just like the colors around him that still hadn’t changed.
The sameness was beginning to bother Iri. She would have to press him into some strong emotion to see if anything changed. If it didn’t . . . well, at least she could confirm he had some way of tricking her senses.
Realizing that the unwelcome effect of the lotion had worn off, and she wasn’t feeling the cold anymore, she relaxed. At least Atu didn’t seem bent on harming her. Passing the jar back, Iri said, “Thanks.”
Atu merely nodded, put the jar away, and then pulled out his lunch. Iri didn’t know what to make of him. He had seemed so affable when they had first met. But his feelings towards her seemed to have cooled—or was that just her imagination? She couldn’t think of a reason for the abrupt change in his behavior. With her senses potentially blind when it came to him, she would have to feel her way through t
hings like a normal person.
The silence they had shared for most of the trip continued through to early the next afternoon when they arrived at the pass to Sven’s home. By then, Iri wasn’t feeling particularly benevolent toward Atu.
“We need to land and walk from here,” Atu said.
“Why? There’s nothing around for miles,” Iri snapped.
“That’s what we thought last time, and we were wrong.” Atu’s answer was calm as always.
As they landed, all Iri could think was that she wanted to wring Atu’s neck. Couldn’t he show a little emotion? About to prod him so see if she could rile him up, she paused when a shout echoed down the pass.
“Friends, you have returned!” Rushing towards them was a bear of a man, a grin plastered on his broad face.
The pink hues flaring around Atu were a balm to Iri’s frayed nerves. At last! Some emotion! Atu rushed into the man’s arms, embracing him. “Armorer! It is wonderful to see you again.”
“And you.” The man’s Gotskienian accent was unmistakable. His eyes went to Iri and their gliders. “And who do you have with you this time?”
Atu was quick to make the introductions.
“Two new gliders and a new seeker. You’ve been busy while you were away,” Sven said. “But come, let us return to my home so we may catch up where it’s warm and comfortable, no?”
They weren’t kidding about all Sven’s traps, Iri thought some time later as she settled in his home with a cup of tea.
“Now, you will tell me more?” Sven asked, sitting down with his own drink.
Atu smiled and obliged. Iri watched Atu as he talked, disappointed that the colors around him had resumed their usual hues. But there had been that spike. Her senses weren’t totally blind. She would just have to adjust to this level of emotion.
When Atu finished, Sven leaned back in his chair, smiling. “So, you are triumphant then!”
“Partly. We only have one of the three artifacts,” Atu replied.
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