Andrew scowled, stomach churning. ‘So? What is it to me?’
Marus crossed his strong arms across his chest. ‘Because even though everyone else is starting to think you’re some sort of dark wizard, he’s shown a particular interest in meeting the Traveller. I don’t know how he knows my little brother, but he’ll know the second he talks you that you’re not who he thinks.’
‘I’d say it’s about time they invited him!’ Victoria huffed. ‘If he’s important he belongs here!’
Andrew started to pace, doing his best to not be bothered by Victoria’s defence. Marus’s words sparked in him a delightful, if terrifying, thrill. ‘Why does he want to see me?’ He’d only been constantly asking himself that for the past few days.
Marus shook his head. ‘Don’t know.’
Andrew glanced to Victoria. ‘Victoria, will you please…leave us for a moment?’
She turned briefly offended, pressing her lips into a thin line. ‘Of course.’ With a sharp spin of her heel she marched off in the general direction of her room.
‘Now look here,’ Andrew stepped closer to Marus. ‘I understand you two know one another. I overheard your little conversation the night he arrived.’ He set his words at a low growl.
Marus stiffened, a bit like a cat. ‘You sneaking bastard. What are you implying?’
Andrew looked him in the eyes. ‘I simply want answers. You tell me what you know.’
Marus licked his lips. ‘We knew each other during Campaign.’
‘No,’ Andrew snarled. ‘That’s not it. You mentioned you didn’t want him to hurt any of “these people”. You made it sound as if he doesn’t belong here. Neither of you. Noel seems to be gaining powerful influence over everyone here and I want to know why.’
Marus glanced away. ‘If you’re just jealous because—’
Andrew grabbed Marus by the front of his tunic and slammed him against the wall. ‘Tell me, now!’
‘Blast! You really are attractive.’ Marus let out a little groan. ‘Wouldn’t mind kissing those lips, mate.’
Andrew stared. ‘Give me answers.’ He raised his eyebrows in as teasing a fashion as he was capable of. ‘Perhaps then I’ll warm up to you.’ Disdainfully, he let go.
Marus cleared his throat. ‘You certainly have a way with people. Yeah, you’re right, we’re not…from here.’
‘Where are you from?’
Marus shrugged. ‘What the hell does it matter? A different Realm! I’m…alien, all right?’
Andrew processed that. Decided it was plausible. ‘Fine. And Noel?’
The gladiator nodded. ‘Same.’
‘Your superior.’
Marus swore. ‘He’d damn well like to think so.’
Andrew went back to pacing. ‘Are you planning an invasion?’
Marus shook his head. ‘I’m not! I’m just here for the scenery! I was helping, you know—’
‘Shut up. I don’t need to hear your excuses.’ He thought for a moment. ‘But Noel is planning something.’
Marus sighed heavily. ‘He’s not the most decent of souls, no matter how sweet of an act he puts up. He can be bloody charming when he wants to be, but he’s got a heart as black as they come. At least from what I’ve heard of him. No-one has seen him in…well…centuries. All the rumours were he’d snuffed it.’
Andrew let all of that run through his head. ‘Apparently not. He’s managed to convince not only the queen but also Victoria that he’s harmless. I don’t see how you or I will change their opinions…’ He turned back to Marus and spread his hands wide. ‘So, there’s only one option open to us.’
Marus narrowed his eyes. ‘Which would be…?’
‘Oh, come now, you know as well as I. Kill him.’
Marus laughed bleakly. ‘You’re certainly not Tollin, that’s for sure. Good luck trying to. He’s in this palace because he wants to be.’
Andrew thought over that. ‘Yes…He wants something in the palace. What?’
Marus crossed one ankle over the other as he leant against the wall. ‘I have no idea. I know what you’re thinking but the crown is too small for him. He doesn’t want to rule this crummy little planet. He’s got a bigger goal in mind.’
‘A bigger goal than ruling a planet?’ Andrew barked with hollow laughter. ‘Just what could that be?’
Marus fiddled with his knife. ‘Don’t know. He’s not exactly going to let me in on his plans, is he?’
Andrew debated; his mind went whirling through the different possibilities. Trouble was, he didn’t understand the situation well enough to come up with anything. ‘If he wants to see me…perhaps he thinks I know of what he is searching for. Or how to use it.’
Marus nodded. ‘Noel and Tollin wouldn’t get on, I can tell you that much, but Noel will probably try and play friendship at first. Tollin may not be that well-known on this Realm, but he’s rather famous among other circles. He’s used to people wanting to impress him. Just didn’t know Noel knew of him. Tollin wasn’t born till after Noel vanished. But like I said, Tollin’s well-known.’
Andrew cast Marus a sideways glance. ‘So, if you’re the same, why bother telling me any of this?’
Marus rubbed the back of his head. ‘I don’t know, really. I guess because I’m alone on this. And I thought you might be able to help. You’re smart, smarter than everyone here. And…well, I guess I was hoping I’d impress you.’
Andrew smiled to himself. ‘Noel has behaved so far to ensure he’ll be set free, I think we can both agree on that?’
‘Yes.’
‘So, we’ll let him go free. But we’ll keep an eye on him. A very close eye. You will do.’
Marus spluttered. ‘I can’t!’
Andrew fought back his impatience. ‘Of course you can. You’re going to be his best mate. You’re going to do what he asks.’
‘But—’
‘And then once you’ve discovered what he’s after, we’ll talk.’
Marus nodded his head once, reluctantly. ‘Fine. I’ll…I’ll try.’
Andrew turned from him, satisfied—at least for the time being—that Marus would do as he was told.
‘Andrew,’ Marus called after him; a glint, neither malicious nor really caring, shone from his eyes. ‘Keep anyone you care about close. Noel has a way of seducing away those he thinks he can use for his own gain.’
Andrew nodded. ‘I’ll keep an eye on Victoria.’
Marus smirked. ‘The viper has escaped its pit. Now we all have to watch where we step.’ He slunk off.
When Andrew found Victoria, she was doing up her hair, glancing now and then at the notebook opened before her. He made a quick look over her cleaned up appearance and uneasily stepped into the room. He thought she looked charming, like some exotic flower, the way she was seated with her skirts all about her, but didn’t dare say something as ridiculous as that.
‘What are you getting ready for?’ he asked, taking the notebook from her and sitting down on a chaise to study it.
‘Mother has invited me to dinner tonight. Along with Noel.’
Andrew struggled as a foul taste filled his mouth. It was a distasteful mixture of dread and—what, jealousy? ‘Just the three of you?’ His gut churned. ‘Your hair, Victoria,’ his eyes darted over it, ‘might want to put a few more pins up top. Looks like a frightened chicken.’
Victoria gave him a withering look. ‘Shut up, you.’ She applied some colour to her cheeks, which he thought unnecessary. ‘Oh, I doubt I’ll be the only one. Mother always has plenty of people dining with her.’
Andrew scowled. Marus’s words twisted freshly in his mind. Leaving Victoria alone with Noel—or at least out of his sight—was exactly against all he’d planned. He debated insisting he went with her, yet any outcome from that didn’t look too promising.
Surely one evening wouldn’t be enough for Noel to sway Victoria, or corrupt her thinking. He stole a quick glance over to her. She was staring into space.
‘I don’t want to go,�
� she sighed bitterly after a moment.
Andrew hid his relieved smile. At least she wasn’t looking forward to it. ‘Why simply not go?’ He tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible. He turned a page in his book.
She spun round and gazed at him. ‘I’d much rather sit here with you and work out decoding that notebook. Sitting for hours with a group of stuffy, thoughtless courtiers is enough to make me want to turn running. ’
‘Glad I wasn’t invited.’
She put her brush down. ‘Don’t rub it in. No doubt you’ll be having all the fun whilst I have to pretend to be all proper.’
He swept up a stylus and tapped it against the paper. ‘Oh, surely you haven’t forgotten. One year on Scottorr couldn’t have turned you that wild.’
Victoria stuck her leg out to nudge him with her foot. ‘Perhaps not Scottorr…’
He glanced down at the contact; her smooth, dark skin, and then up to her face. He offered her a wry smile. ‘Are you saying that I’ve corrupted you?’
Victoria leant in closer. ‘Right from the start.’
Her eyes shone as the space between them closed. Andrew dipped his head away from her lips as he sensed her intentions. He wasn’t in the mood. Kissing was something he was coming to find rather tiresome and altogether pointless. Whatever stimulation he was supposed to feel from the action wasn’t there. Frustrating, yes. But he didn’t know what he’d been expecting. The only thing he’d every truly found that excited him were problems. Like the one before him now.
Victoria sat back with a resigned sigh. He did his best to ignore her stare. As much as he hated to admit it, it made him feel uncomfortable. Inadequate. Whilst he wasn’t often burdened by the feelings of others, disappointing Victoria bothered him. Not that he’d ever admit it. Admitting he wasn’t good at something was nearly a physical pain, and something so…simple as that…it made his insides recoil. He shouldn’t be ashamed of himself. It was simply the way he was.
He swallowed bitterly. ‘Well now, you have a few minutes before you leave me. Come here and tell me what you think of this.’
Fortunately, Victoria brightened at the idea of being included. He could only hope her displeasure towards his actions would be forgotten with the new distraction. She stood and walked to his side, standing closer than he allowed anyone else to stand.
Andrew narrowed his eyes at the writing. It was familiar…perhaps not an exact match, but he could have sworn seen it before. He slid his fingers along it and sent his brain flicking through the different languages he knew.
‘That girl, she was pretty, wasn’t she?’ Victoria said quietly, letting her fingers fall to his hair. It was so off-topic he had to send his mind shooting about in confusion to find what point she’d settled on.
Ah. She must mean Samantha.
Andrew raised his eyes to her. ‘I suppose so.’ He studied her expression, trying to get a gauge for her mood. She wasn’t jealous or suspicious, not as far as he could tell. ‘She was clever. I could appreciate that,’ he said, deciding to be conversational. He dropped his eyes back to the page. ‘Not often I meet someone like that.’
Victoria nodded. ‘Guess that’s why she’s with Tollin.’
He huffed his breath. Why did everyone always want to talk about Tollin?
‘For all the good it did him,’ he said at last. ‘He still managed to get himself trapped in some other Realm.’
The idea almost made him grin. He stopped himself just in time. Victoria, for some reason he couldn’t fathom, liked Tollin.
She took a deep breath. ‘Which is why we’ve got to help him.’ She leant over the writing, narrowing her eyes with some internal thought. ‘Do you think this looks a bit familiar?’
Andrew nodded, surprised she’d caught on. ‘Yes. I was thinking the same.’
Suddenly, Victoria gasped excitedly. ‘Oh, I know what it is!’
Before Andrew could question her, she whirled round and went to sorting through her things.
‘What are you doing?’
Victoria returned with a familiar notebook. She held it up. ‘This! Remember when you took those spores and hear the voices in your head? And Tollin wrote them down?’
Andrew rolled his eyes. ‘Oh, Victoria that was all nonsense!’
She spoke over him. She was good at that. ‘I know you don’t believe any of it but I do!’
Andrew waved it away. ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
‘I’m not! Just look!’
Andrew reluctantly obeyed, if only to appease her. Victoria slid the book over, laying them side by side. He sent his eyes darting back and forth between the two rapidly. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, yes, they were undeniably similar. Sam’s text was different. It was more structured. Tollin’s writing was more primitive, ugly, jarring to look at.
However, no doubt they were clearly related. But, which came first? Did it even matter?
He felt his muscles relax slightly as he scrawled the matching Scottorrian character beneath Sam’s writing.
‘Well,’ Victoria said, ‘that’s a start.’
He nodded his head slowly, hardly hearing her. ‘Yes…I believe I can work this out. Or at least some of it. Samantha has more material than what Tollin provided, but we shall see.’
Victoria leant over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. ‘I’ve got to go. Good luck, all right?’
Andrew smiled at her as warmly as he could muster. He couldn’t ignore the wary tug in his gut at this separation. Having a private dinner with the likes of Noel? His lips almost pulled back in a defiant snarl.
His emotions surprised him. Was he really so protective of Victoria? So…jealous? It rankled him. He shouldn’t care what Victoria did. Who she spent her time with. If she spent her time with him, well then, fine, but if she wanted to go elsewhere, why should he care? She was her own person and wasn’t required to be with him. He could convince himself of that. Just not…that man.
Before he really realised what had taken hold of him, he reached out and caught her wrist, standing fluidly. The look of surprise on Victoria’s face mirrored his internal one. ‘Keep your wits about you.’
Victoria laughed, but it was a shaky, unsure thing. ‘It’s just dinner, Andrew.’
Andrew nodded. ‘I know.’ He dipped his head and presses his lips to hers softly. He let them linger there for a moment after the sigh it evoked from her. He wasn’t sure if it did much good and pulled away as he felt her stir. ‘Just…be prudent in your choices.’
The confused look she was giving him almost made him embarrassed, but he found that he didn’t really give a damn. It was as close a warning to her as he could give without ordering her to ‘Stay away from Noel!’, and he wasn’t about to do that.
‘I’ll…do my best.’ She narrowed her eyes at him.
He released her wrist hurriedly. He’d forgotten he was still holding it. ‘Now get going,’ he growled, avoiding her gaze, ‘I’ve got hours of work ahead and I need some silence.’
She mumbled some sort of goodbye which he didn’t quite catch and then Andrew was alone.
He sat back irritably. Decoding the cypher before him should have been a challenge to relish, but at the moment his concentration was shot. It set his teeth on frustrated edge.
The sudden silence twisted in on him. He liked silence; however this wasn’t relaxing. Why did every inch of this damnable planet make him feel like he was being watched? Why couldn’t he purge that unnerved feeling that there was something nasty lurking in every shadow? There was nothing there. Nothing he could see, and yet, he still couldn’t rid himself of that unsettling sense he wasn’t alone.
His eyes roved the room slowly, taking in every inch of it. Nothing. But his mind still screamed there was something there. Something in the corner of his vision. A trick of the eye.
To be honest, he didn’t feel safe.
Andrew stood quickly, hating himself. He was behaving illogically. Just what was wrong with him? He wasn’t a paranoid person—neve
r had been—so what had him so ruffled now?
He closed both notebooks and stowed them in one of Victoria’s chests, then left the confining walls of the room. He needed to think; breathe.
The halls of the palace were, as usual, dark and deserted. Normally he preferred the setting, for it did not strain his senses; if not for that creeping, watching feeling he couldn’t shake. It wasn’t leaving him. If anything, it was growing worse.
He didn’t bother paying attention to where his feet led him. His brain was too busy rocketing off on all the madness he’d been thrown into.
There was the girl from another Realm and another time; a language, similar to the one he’d supposedly channelled when he’d taken the spores, which Tollin had called Daemonica; a mysterious, handsome man who was not from this world, whom Victoria was now dining with. A man Marus had warned him of. And now he was sensing things, experiencing effects that certainly weren’t natural.
The Myrmidons had, in his few visits with them, pushed him to increasingly greater lengths. What had started as scientific discussions had devolved all too rapidly into what he could only call a Spiritualist cult, and he’d been forced to play along—perhaps he’d forced himself, for he did have to admit, he did sense things.
He’d channelled a spirit on their first encounter, and since then, he had managed more. His hand had, by will of its own—it seemed—written out answers. He had used a board, and had had similar success. What would happen if he continued on? He was almost afraid to know.
Yet he was almost desperate to find out.
Peevishly, he found that he’d led himself to the Myrmidon meeting room. Morosely he stared at the curtained door; he wasn’t sure if this was better than crashing Victoria’s dinner party. Of course, lately he had been avoiding them. Those few meetings he’d been to, though fascinating, had not been enjoyable. He ended up feeling like one of his own experiments: poked and prodded. Prodded by those friends, constantly attempting to devise other means to produce new supernatural results in him, never asking for his opinion. All the while they behaved so politely, so respectfully, whilst looking at him as nothing but an interesting, inhuman phenomenon.
Welcome Home (Alternate Worlds Book 3) Page 15