by JJ Green
She tried to signal the boy with her eyes and lifted a finger to her lips. To her great relief, he seemed to understand the need for secrecy. He nodded solemnly and moved his chair until it was right next to her bed. He watched her face.
“We should have you back with your family soon,” Carina said.
The doctor heard this. “Carina, you’re awake? How are you feeling?” he asked, parting the curtains. He bent over her leg to look at it closely through the transparent gel. “Should have you back to normal in ten hours or so, and no scarring. This latest gel we picked up is very good. Stimulates your own stem cells to replace the damaged tissue. Your new skin will be as soft as a baby’s bottom.”
“And your little friend is still here,” he went on. “I thought I told you to stay in bed,” he said to the boy. “Plenty of vidgames on the system to keep you occupied.”
The child lifted his hand and placed it gently atop Carina’s. The hand was encased in a glove of healing gel.
“I want to stay here,” he said.
The doctor grimaced as Carina lifted her gaze from the kid’s torture wounds toward him. He looked as though he wanted to say more but was refraining due to the child’s presence.
“I don’t suppose it will hurt for you to remain with your rescuer for a little while. But if you feel odd or dizzy, it’s straight back to bed with you, and you must let me know. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
The doctor smiled. “You can call me Harvey, son.” He addressed Carina. “Keep an eye on him for me, will you? I need to report to Tarsalan on how you’re all doing.”
“Is she up and around now?” Carina asked. “Has she recovered?”
“She hasn’t fully recovered, no, but that didn’t stop her from getting up and telling the Sherrerrs of your success the moment she heard about it. We’re on our way to one of the planets they control right now.”
“What’s happening with the Black Dogs?” Carina asked. “Did she say anything about that?”
“You’ve been through a lot, Lin. Just take it easy for now, okay? I’ll be back in an hour or so.” He left, pulling her bed curtains closed.
“What’s your name, kid?” Carina asked, realizing that he’d only ever been referred to as the victim, the target, or the Sherrerr child.
“Darius,” the boy replied. He leaned forward. “I saw what you did,” he repeated.
The familiar, horrible clenching in Carina’s chest returned. The boy’s words also reminded her of something else she needed to be concerned about. She craned her neck to scan around for her belongings. Her clothes had been folded in a pile on the shelf next to her bed, and the metal elixir canister was on the top of the pile. A little relieved, she sunk back into her pillows.
She had to divert the child’s mind to another subject. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m okay now.” Darius’ gaze shifted to his injured hands, and the shadow of a painful memory crossed his features. “Thank you for rescuing me.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I was only doing my job. Your family paid us to bring you back.”
The boy’s expression turned sad, and Carina realized her words sounded harsher than she’d intended, as if she didn’t care whether they’d succeeded in their mission. “But I’m glad we found you and got you out of there.”
Darius’ expression brightened. “When we were stuck in the tunnel, I was scared. I didn’t know how we were going to get out. I thought we would die in there. But I didn’t mind too much, just so long as I was away from the people who were hurting me.”
“But we did get out, right?” said Carina. “And now you’re safe. So don’t think about that anymore.”
There was no stopping the child, however. “You took out your bottle, and you had a drink, and I wanted some because I was so thirsty, but I was too shy to ask.”
He seemed hell-bent on going over how they’d ended up at the shuttle. Carina resigned herself to the fact and was grateful that nobody else was around to hear him.
“Then you told me to hold your hand, and you closed your eyes,” Darius continued, “and the next thing I knew, we were on the roof next to the starship, and I didn’t remember how we got there.”
“It doesn’t matter how we got there, does it?” Carina asked. “We got where we needed to go. All that matters is that you’re safe now.”
“I guess so.” The boy looked doubtful.
“So let’s not talk about it anymore,” Carina suggested. “It’s only going to confuse people. You probably fell asleep while I carried you up to the roof, only you don’t remember.”
Darius’ brow furrowed. “No, I didn’t fall asleep. I know how we got there. You cast.”
Chapter Fourteen
Carina almost—but not quite—swallowed the gasp that rose from her throat. The shrewd look on the little boy’s face as he watched her reaction told her that she had severely underestimated him.
Though she felt guilty at lying to someone so young, she made another effort to maintain her subterfuge. “What do you mean? We went up to the roof together. Don’t you remember going through the vent tunnels?”
The boy giggled. “It’s okay. You don’t have to pretend with me. I know it’s a secret. I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”
Carina was so deeply conflicted that, for a moment, she was lost for words. Her grandmother’s warnings sounded in her mind as strong as ever. She felt an almost physical revulsion at the idea that the boy knew her secret, not least because the only person she’d ever revealed herself to was now dead.
Yet the temptation to speak freely again to another human being about her mage ability was strong. Telling Speidel had been a sweet release after her years of isolation and loneliness.
Adding to her emotional turmoil was a burning curiosity. How did this kid know about casting? Nai Nai had told her that her family were scattered across the galaxy. Could it be possible that this child knew one of her long-lost kin?
She was reclining on pillows, but now she pulled herself upright. “Would you please open the curtains?” she asked the child.
He dutifully hopped down from his seat but then realized he couldn’t do as she directed. He held up his thick-gloved hands to her.
“I’m sorry,” Carina said. “You sit down. I’ll do it.”
She got out of bed and, hopping on one leg, she pulled back her bed curtains to the wall, checking that the room was entirely empty and the door was closed.
She returned to her bed, settled herself once more, and looked into the child’s eyes.
“Darius, please tell me what you meant by what you said. How do you think we got to the roof?”
The little boy rolled his eyes. “I already told you. You cast. You drank some elixir, and you closed your eyes, and I guess you thought of the right picture, because after you told me to hold your hand, we went to the roof together. I know that’s what happened because I’ve done it before. I wished so many times I could do that when the bad people were hurting me. Only I didn’t have any elixir.”
The boy’s chin trembled and his eyes swam with tears. Carina reached out and laid her hand on his shoulder.
“You can cast too?” she asked.
Darius nodded, teardrops running down his cheeks. Then suddenly he stopped crying and turned pale. “You aren’t going to hurt me, are you? Mother told me I mustn’t ever tell anyone what we can do. But you rescued me, and you seem so nice. I thought it would be okay to tell you because you’re a mage too, so you know the secret already. You are going to take me back to Mother, right? You aren’t going to keep me and do bad things to me like the other people did, are you?”
“No one’s going to hurt you, Darius,” Carina said, “and yes, we are going to take you home. But you and I have to keep this secret between us. Do you understand? You can’t tell anyone else what we can do or say anything about casting except when we’re alone. Nothing at all. You were very strong and brave to not give any secrets away to
the people who hurt you. Can you keep quiet for a little longer? It’s very important.”
“Sure I can.” Darius smiled. “I get it. No one else here knows you’re a mage. I can keep your secret as well as mine.”
Smart kid. “Thank you.” Carina squeezed the boy’s shoulder.
Her head was swimming with the implications of what the child had said. She had many questions for him but she didn’t know where to start.
“Darius, is everyone in your family a mage?”
“Mother can cast, and Parthenia, Oriana, and Ferne. Castiel and Nahla can’t, though, and they hate it,” he added, somewhat gleefully.
“Are these people your brothers and sisters?”
“Yep.”
“You have five? That’s quite a lot. And are you the youngest?”
Darius nodded. He didn’t look too happy about his position in the family hierarchy.
“How about your father?” Carina asked. “Can he cast too?”
At the mention of his father, the little boy’s face clouded over. “No, he can’t.” His lips thinned to a line and he looked angry. Since his father was clearly a sore subject, Carina decided not to continue on that line of questioning. Something else was puzzling her anyway.
“Do you remember how you were kidnapped?” She was wondering how it was that, if Darius had mages in his family, the Dirksens had succeeded in capturing him.
The little boy’s face clouded further and his cheeks flushed. His eyes filled with tears again. “It was my fault. I was naughty. Mother told me I must never leave the garden.” His voice became singsong as he mimicked his mother and wagged a finger at an imaginary Darius. Carina bit back a smile at the adorable imitation.
“She told me that bad people would take me, and she wouldn’t be able to get me back because she couldn’t give away our secret. But I so wanted to know what was outside. I wanted to see the city and all the different people, and no one would let me go with them. I made a hole in the garden wall and I went out. I was stupid. Outside, everything was boring. There was hardly anyone around, and no trees or flowers or anything like that. I walked away from the house. I was trying to find the city. Not long after, bad people found me. They took me away just like Mother said they would.” His head hung low.
“Darius, it’s okay,” said Carina. “It isn’t your fault. Everyone does stupid things every once in a while. You’re very little. What happened is the fault of the people who kidnapped you. Besides, we’re taking you home now, and you’ll see your mother and all your brothers and sisters again. Aren’t you glad?”
The child’s easy smile quickly returned. “I’m very glad! I can’t wait to see them! Except Castiel. I’m not happy that I’ll see him. He always teases me. Or...maybe I’m a little bit happy that I’ll see him.” He finished in a rush, his eyes shining.
Carina was deeply interested in finding out more about the mage members of the Sherrerr family. It sounded like the boy’s mother had married a non-mage and had passed on her ability to only some of her children. She wanted to know if there were any more mages among the Sherrerrs, and if they were part of the ancient family or newcomers, but she also wanted to distract Darius from the whole subject.
Now that he knew he was safe, the boy’s resolve to keep the family secret had obviously weakened. He’d already brought it up with her, only afterward thinking of the possible consequences. She needed to divert his young mind to other things.
Carina asked Darius to tell her about his home, and a wellspring of information gushed forth from the child’s lips. He told her about his bedroom—he had his own and so did all his brothers and sisters—from which he could see the city. He said he hadn’t realized how far it was. He also told her about the garden that surrounded the house, which was full of trees as tall as the roof, and lawns where he and his siblings played, and fountains and pools where they cooled down when they were too hot.
The children all had pets they could ride and that would fetch things for them. He described the animals, but Carina didn’t recognize any. The pets would climb trees to bring the children fruit when it was ripe. Each child also had his or her own private tutor, who would teach them mathematics, reading, family history, leadership, charm, oration, deportment, and other subjects they would need to run Sherrerr businesses when they grew up. Only Mother taught them to cast, the boy said.
Carina steered him away from the subject of mages again with more questions about his lessons, though the boy clearly thought that was the least interesting aspect of his home life. She noted the comment about casting tuition being left to his mother, however, and filed it away for later reflection.
Darius was in the middle of a delightful impression of his tutor lecturing him about dignity when the doctor returned. “You two aren’t still talking? And why are your bed curtains open, Lin? Back to bed with you, young man. That’s plenty of chatting for today. The more rest you get, the quicker that gel will work. Come on, off you go.” He shooed the little boy back to his own bed.
The child went happily, and Carina also felt better for their conversation. It had lightened the dark shadow that Speidel’s death had thrown over her heart.
Whether or not Tarsalan had changed her mind about disbanding the Black Dogs now that they’d fulfilled the assignment, Carina’s time with them was over. She knew she wouldn’t be able to remain where her memories of the older man were so strong.
Before, she’d had no idea what she could do or where she would go, but Darius’ revelation had opened possibilities that Carina could never have imagined.
Chapter Fifteen
Carina’s heart beat fast as, holding Darius’ hand, she walked with him from the city toward the Sherrerr estate. Behind them, Tarsalan waited and watched in the shade of a tree at the city outskirts. The Sherrerrs had insisted on a simple handover, much to Tarsalan’s apparent chagrin, judging from the bitter tone she used when she informed Carina. Perhaps she’d hoped for a chance to meet members of the powerful clan—an ‘in’ to the exclusive Sherrerr world.
If an introduction wasn’t on the cards, the Black Dogs’ owner wasn’t going to put herself in any danger by performing the handover. She’d noted the boy’s attachment to Carina, however, and had ordered her to accompany him.
Despite the risk that the Dirksens might launch another attempt to capture the child, Carina wouldn’t have had it any other way. This was her chance of a glimpse of Darius’ mother, who might be able to tell her much about their mage clan. Carina also clung to a sliver of hope that the woman would be interested in meeting her too, once she heard what Darius had to say.
The Sherrerrs had told Tarsalan they would be watching while Carina brought the boy to them. Did they fear a trick? Carina didn’t know. She was only uncomfortably aware of distant eyes on them as they went along. She also felt vulnerable out of her armor and with her face uncovered, as the Sherrerrs had requested. But it couldn’t be helped.
They were nearly halfway down the dusty, empty road that led to the vast Sherrerr mansion, having walked around eight hundred meters, when Carina glanced down at Darius and remembered that the child’s feet were bare. His toes had healed up, though his toenails hadn’t yet regrown, but Duchess carried no child-sized shoes and Tarsalan had clearly been so eager to return the child she’d been in too much of a rush to do anything about it.
“Don’t your feet hurt?” she asked him.
“Only a little.”
“Let me see.”
Carina squatted down to look at the soles of Darius’ feet. Sure enough, as she’d suspected they were red and blistering. He wasn’t a child accustomed to going barefoot.
“Darius,” she said, “why didn’t you say you were in pain?”
“It doesn’t hurt much, and we only have a little way to go now.”
Carina tutted. “Hop onto my back.” She turned away from the boy and as he climbed onto her, she tucked his legs under her arms. The strange, misshapen shadow of the two of them stretched out long
. It was nearing sunset, and the insect life that proliferated in that region had started up its twilight song. Razor-backed beetles the size of small cats crawled out of holes and rubbed their legs along their serrated backs. Carina watched them with interest. She’d always had a thing for bugs.
Feeling the boy’s body tense at the sight of one of the beetles flying across their path, Carina reassured him. “Don’t worry. They won’t hurt you.” At least, she was pretty sure they wouldn’t. A local had told her they were harmless.
The tall, wide, metallic gates of the Sherrerr estate drew nearer. Carina adjusted the child’s weight on her back. She felt no strain carrying him but the movement eased her nerves a little. She scanned the high, blank wall, which glowed yellow in the rays of the setting sun. It was smooth and solid, unmarked by windows or patrolling guards along the top.
Darius wriggled. “Can you go faster, Carina? We’re nearly there. I bet Mother is waiting for me at the gatehouse.”
“I’m sorry. They told us I had to walk slowly. But it won’t be long now.”
They had only another couple hundred meters or so to go. Carina turned and looked back to where Tarsalan waited under the tree. The woman was barely visible in its shadow, but she hadn’t left. She would wait until she saw the handover take place, she’d said, before returning to the ship. She wouldn’t hang around for Carina, who had left Duchess for the last time, having said all her goodbyes.
Parting from Stevenson had been particularly hard, and she had the impression that he felt the same, but it couldn’t be helped. Her life lay in another direction now, no matter what happened when she returned the Sherrerrs’ child.
A clanking sound came from the gate, piercing the insect drone that surrounded them. They were less than a hundred meters from their destination. A small door at the base of the gate opened, and an armed guard came out.
“Stop,” he called. “Wait there.”