I held Nadia while she cried.
When her tears were spent, she lifted her head and set wounded eyes on me.
“So, this is what it feels like to have others fight for you. Will you fight for her as I cannot?”
“You know I will,” I promised. “But you ain’t helpless. You can fight for her a fair amount when you wake up. Did my advice help?”
“Your wisdom is ever timely and thorough.”
“Is that a ‘yes’?”
“Of course, and I am even aware enough to know that you are in need of your own advice.” The speed of Nadia’s answer wasn’t quite up to her usual, but it was close. “I would still recommend avoiding sedatives altogether, but your method of detoxifying a body is effective, if somewhat slow.”
“Welcome back, Nadia. When we sort ourselves, Dr. Lanier won’t know what hit him.” Noticing how loosely Nadia’s shirt hung on her thin body, I added, “And when ya wake up, go eat something. Maisha would yell if she knew you planned on working without a good meal.”
“Your advice is sound once again. Thank you for coming. Good luck and get free soon. I want to see you before I go home. Would you help me work on the invitation for Father?”
We talked through a dozen different plans for approaching Dr. Devya with the news of Nadia’s rescue.
As we settled on one we both sort of liked, Nadia’s tone turned urgent.
“Jillian, please get Malia. The danger facing Dr. Carnasis has turned graver.”
Chapter 28:
Fading Mask, Rising Fury
ITEM 212: Danielle’s sixty-first letter
Item Source: Danielle Matheson
Dear Dr. S.,
I’m pretty sure I almost witnessed a double murder. Lanier’s issued some wacky orders, but he’s never lost his cool like that before. I think his fit even unnerved Tyra, the wonder goons, and the stranger.
I missed the beginning because I’d fallen asleep holding Jillian and needed a minute to crawl between the seats and peek out the open van door. Every door was open as I was definitely the latecomer. Their attention was held so thoroughly by the scene unfolding before us I probably could have flagged down a marching band without them noticing. If I could stomach walking away from Jillian, that was my opportunity to escape.
We’d pulled up behind a huge, white tractor trailer that had both doors flung wide open. Judging by the rampant weeds, this parking lot had been abandoned long ago. The van’s left door faced the proper direction, but I climbed out for a better look anyway. Mr. Clark’s back partially blocked the view from the van.
A gurney holding a sleeping woman occupied the space to Lanier’s left. He didn’t have to create any drama. He was the drama. I couldn’t see his whole face, but the profile I glimpsed said enough. Angry red patches alternated with pale streaks from the tips of his ears down to his shirt collar. His glasses were skewed. His eyes bulged and his neck muscles contorted. He had a stranger pinned against the truck’s right door.
“You said the woman had escaped and the child remained,” Lanier accused in a soft voice that vibrated with anger. He paused a beat then roared a question. “Where is she?” If it had been a cartoon, the other guy’s face would have caved in from the concussive force.
“I don’t know,” whined the stranger. “She was right there, man. Right there.” The defensiveness leaked out of the guy and each statement got softer and more haunted. “I’m telling the truth. It’s not my fault. She was there.”
A flicker of movement pulled my eyes toward the gurney. I blinked. A blonde child—Nadia—lay on the white sheets. I blinked again and the woman I’d initially seen once again occupied the space. Her red-brown hair contrasted starkly with the sheets. Forcing myself not to blink, I watched as the figure morphed from Dr. Carnasis to Nadia and back like somebody turning a hologram card.
Lanier ripped a gun from the guy’s shoulder holster and poked him hard in the chest with it.
“Where is she?” he repeated with the same fraying-sanity tone.
“Safe,” answered a weary voice from the gurney.
Clobbering the poor stranger’s head with the gun, Lanier whipped around and stalked to the gurney.
I rushed forward until Mr. Clark stopped me.
“You don’t want to interfere,” he murmured.
I waited for Lanier to raise the gun and shoot Dr. Carnasis, but he just stood there breathing hard. The next few seconds were like waiting for a pressure cooker to blow its lid. When it did, Lanier bellowed, whipped around again and slaughtered the defenseless right rear tires. The stranger cried out and dove left, scrambling on his hands and knees to escape the carnage. He only stopped when Mr. Jones waved another gun and gestured for him to be still.
Dr. Carnasis propped herself up on elbows and watched Lanier carefully. When three heartbeats had passed and Lanier had yet to turn around, Dr. Carnasis slowly rose to a sitting position. Her tired eyes found mine and brightened with a spark of grim amusement.
“Hello, Danielle. I’ll keep your advice in mind.”
I sucked down a huge breath and stopped speaking, just realizing I’d spent the last half-minute muttering, “Please don’t die!” about fifty times.
“Your presence must mean Jillian is close. Is she well?”
“Who are you?” Lanier’s voice was back to a cold simmer. He had pivoted yet again to face her, but he now leaned against the open truck door with his arms crossed. When she didn’t answer instantly, Lanier snapped his fingers and pointed to the stranger. “Let’s not play games. I can have my men kill this worthless piece of—”
“You do realize he brought me here, right?” Dr. Carnasis inquired. “He’s not my favorite person.”
“What about the girl?”
I actually rolled my eyes.
“Leave me out of this.” There are only so many times one can tolerate death threats before they pick up their own brand of ridiculousness.
“Do you care about her fate?”
“For one not liking games, you ask many questions, Dr. Lanier.”
“Have we met? You look familiar.” He gestured. “When your face remains your own that is.”
Dr. Carnasis’s features had flickered briefly over to Nadia’s several times in the last minute. The shifts were becoming less frequent, but it was still amazing to witness.
“You would know my name if I told you I was once one of two people, besides Dr. Devya, to review your application. We had to explain why we needed to pursue other applicants.”
Tossing the empty gun to Tyra, Lanier extended a hand toward Dr. Carnasis.
“Are you Evelyn or Cora?”
“Let me kill her, Father,” Tyra hissed.
I gave my college neighbor a bug-eyed stare. I really need to have a word with the admissions council of that place. They should look into psych evaluations for prospective students.
“Evelyn,” answered Dr. Carnasis, accepting Lanier’s help in dismounting the gurney. “And who is this pleasant creature?”
“Tyra,” answered Lanier.
Dr. Carnasis regarded Tyra closely. The girl’s silky gold hair hung past her shoulders. Dark eyes stared stonily back at Dr. Carnasis.
“How old are you, Tyra?”
“Eight.” Tyra’s chin lifted defiantly. My eyes swept her up and down. She was the oldest looking eight-year-old I’d ever seen. Her looks and figure easily placed her at late teens or early twenties.
“And how long have you wanted to hurt things?” Dr. Carnasis’s voice had softened with genuine compassion.
“This interview’s over,” Lanier announced. “Tyra, get in the van. Mr. Jones, throw this man in a shaded spot along the main road. Mr. Clark, close the van doors.”
We watched Tyra and Mr. Jones move with reluctant obedience. Mr. Clark rushed to do the master’s bidding then returned to my side like a faithful dog.
“You gave her growth hormones.” Dr. Carnasis’s statement came out with the more familiar snap of accusation.
“She’ll be dead if you don’t reverse the process soon. Not to mention those impulses of hers.”
“She’s not your concern,” Lanier noted.
“Is she your concern?” Dr. Carnasis demanded. “Because if you honestly care for her, you’ll stop those treatments immediately.”
Turning to his men, Lanier nodded toward Dr. Carnasis.
“Gentlemen, see that our new guest gets settled in the back with our dear Dreamer. Miss Matheson, please return to the van.”
I heard the order. It just didn’t register immediately. My feet remained rooted to the cracked pavement as I watched Mr. Jones and Mr. Clark apply the customary zip tie. A small part of me screamed for Dr. Carnasis to fight them, but she acted like they weren’t even there. She stared through the driver’s window, looking sadly at Tyra.
Suddenly, the parking lot belonged to me and the crazy guy. If we had western hats and low-slung gun belts, we could have had a shootout. Lanier looked like a man whose life had imploded.
“What will you do now?” I asked, chiding the small, stupid part of me that actually pitied Lanier.
He didn’t answer, but eventually, Mr. Clark returned to lead me back to the minivan. I climbed in wearily and checked on Jillian. Dr. Carnasis had taken my seat, but I couldn’t muster the energy to care. I simply lifted Jillian’s legs enough to slip into the only available seat. The goons had left Dr. Carnasis’s hands bound, but she didn’t let that stop her from brushing fingers delicately across Jillian’s right cheek.
We’re off again, and I almost don’t care where we’re headed. The confrontation drained the fight from everybody.
The Disheartened One,
Danielle Matheson.
Chapter 29:
The Invitation
ITEM 213: Jillian’s 105th post-kidnapping journal entry
Item Source: Jillian Blairington
When the danger to my Second Momma finally passed, I returned to Nadia so we could continue planning how to tell Dr. Devya about her escape. She suggested that we invite him to a beach house he owns in Rodanthe, North Carolina. Others take care of the property and rent it out for the summers, but the place should be clear of people this time of year.
Nadia found the right memory crystal and let me explore the scene so I could build the dream. We agreed to extend the invitation to Dr. Devya within a dream of the place where we wanted him to meet Nadia. I didn’t think the location of our dream meeting much mattered, but Nadia insisted on holding the meeting next to the big beach house. When I asked her why, she explained that he had spent many summers there throughout his childhood and teens. The notion struck me weird ’cause I had a tough time picturing Dr. Devya as a boy or young man.
To help me on that score, Nadia provided a different memory crystal. This one showed many images of Dr. Devya from a suited, serious-looking tyke with messy hair to a solemn teen dressed in jeans and a dark jacket. Not every picture showed a frown, but the first one stood out in my mind.
“Why is he so serious as a kid?” I demanded when the images cycled back to the suit-wearing version of a very young Dr. Devya.
Queen Elena appeared next to me and the frozen image.
“Things are rarely simple, Jillian.” She wore an elegant, sleeveless dress that looked like liquid silver poured on top of ice crystals and snow. Her jeweled crown sat primly in the ordered folds of her braided hair.
Even though I didn’t wanna, I waited her out ’cause I knew she had much more to say. I spent the time studying the sad-eyed boy. He wore a crisp white shirt and a black suit jacket with a red rose tucked into the breast pocket. He didn’t cry but his cheeks were flushed, and he was struggling mightily to be brave.
“Father once had a younger sister named Faith. She was born with a rare genetic disorder called metachromatic leukodystrophy which manifested days before her second birthday and killed her a month shy of her fourth birthday.” Queen Elena spoke slowly like she knew it would take extra time to sink in. “The memory comes from pictures taken at Faith’s funeral. I think that was the first day Father dreamed of us.”
“What do you mean?” I could guess where she was going with her explanation, but I was still working through the sad story.
Waving toward the boy, Queen Elena said, “On that day, this wounded child vowed to fight the fate that had robbed him of his sister. He knew nothing of genes or science, but the seeds that would one day create you and me and our Gifts were firmly planted and well-watered.”
I let the many images of young Dr. Devya fade and focused on the beach house. The gray house rose up out of the sand like a miniature mountain somebody had plunked down along the water’s edge. Somehow it seemed darker, sadder, and more worn out given the news I’d just heard. The many wooden staircases running up the side looked steeper, and dying waves threw themselves against the sturdy poles propping up the house.
“This place was a refuge for Father, not a prison,” Queen Elena claimed. She sped up the coming dawn, brightening the place. “Here, over many summers, the pain changed forms, being shaped by the rhythmic waves into a desire to defeat disease.”
“Did he succeed?” I shoulda been clearer, but Nadia followed. In my defense, I was still struggling with meshing the image of the sad-eyed little boy and the Dr. Devya who had caused my family all sorts of grief.
“I do not believe he ever attempted a cure,” Queen Elena admitted. “Over time, his vision changed, and he forgot why he entered the fight. That is part of why we wish to bring him here.”
I studied the looming gray house.
“Do you think returning to this place is gonna change him?” My tone shouted doubts.
A self-conscious smile came to Queen Elena.
“Naidine shares your reservations, but I hope the memories hold some sway over his heart. It is also an ideal place for Nadia to convalesce. She will need a quiet place with much fresh air to recover her strength.”
“You just wanna visit the beach,” I teased, remembering one of our first real conversations. Nadia had once asked me to imagine a beach when she was trying to comfort me during my stay with Dr. Devya.
Queen Elena’s smile widened.
“That is an added bonus.” At her gesture, the first real sunrays peeked over the horizon. “It certainly is beautiful here.”
We watched the rest of the sunrise in silence ’cause there are some sights worth pausing to enjoy. At one point when the sun had almost cleared the horizon, a steady reflection made it look like one strong beam flowed from the sun to our feet. Picking up Queen Elena’s left hand, I imagined what the sun’s warm rays would feel like.
Soon after the dream sunrise, I sensed Dr. Devya naturally shifting levels of sleep. Since he guards his mind well, these shifts are my only easy opportunity to enter his dreams. Packing up the beach memory, I bid Queen Elena a quick farewell and hurried to do my part.
As soon as I entered Dr. Devya’s dreams, I remembered why I’m usually fine with avoiding ’em. Once again, an eerie place full of blue-gray fog surrounded me, showing me many memories. Before a picture of Malia’s training could distract me, I opened the scene Nadia and I had prepared.
It showed the solemn teenaged version of Dr. Devya staring across the water as tiny waves lapped at his bare feet. He leaned against one of the wooden beams supporting the house.
Forming an avatar, I approached the boy slowly.
“Excuse me. May I speak with Dr. Devya, please?”
The boy whipped toward me and stared. Many emotions crossed his face, but he nodded once and disappeared. A moment later, a more familiar suited version of Dr. Devya stood in the boy’s place. He frowned down at his feet as a tiny wave pounced on his expensive shoes, soaking ’em clear through.
Banishing the troublesome wave, I imagined Dr. Devya in dry shoes and moved us farther up the sand, well out of wave range. Dr. Devya turned in a slow circle, taking in the entire scene. The scripted lines fled
my mind as I compared the features of the Dr. Devya I knew to the images of him growing up.
“Well done, Ashlynn,” Dr. Devya murmured, still taking in the scene. Even though he spoke to me, he faced the gray house. “Have you been talking to Nadia?”
“She wants to speak with ya. Will you let me bring her in?”
“Could I stop you if I wanted to?”
That wasn’t the answer Nadia and I had expected, so it took me an extra beat to reply.
“Nadia don’t wanna force you to do anything. She’s got an invitation for ya, but—”
“Let her in.”
Before Dr. Devya could change his mind, I created an avatar for Nadia based on Dr. Carnasis’s memory of her. I put her in normal clothes instead of ugly gray scrubs, but I let her keep the weariness and worn look captivity had given her. We had considered letting Dr. Devya meet Queen Elena or Naidine, but we thought they might distract him from the message.
“Hello, Father,” Nadia greeted.
“How long have you been free?” asked Dr. Devya, nodding acknowledgement of her greeting. “I assume you’re with Varick. Do you intend to honor our deal?”
“I do,” Nadia confirmed, “but I would like you to meet me here tomorrow and stay with me as I recover.” She gestured to the beach house rising behind Dr. Devya. “You could use the rest as well.”
Dr. Devya shook his head.
“There’s too much to do. A fool claiming to have Evelyn and Ashlynn as well as Cora and Dustin is making absurd demands. Come home. You’re too exposed out there.”
“His claims are valid, Father,” Nadia whispered. “Come get me. Let us face this man together. Surely, we can find a satisfactory solution.”
Dr. Devya’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
“What can we do?”
“We must draw him to us,” said Nadia.
“I won’t risk our lives,” declared Dr. Devya.
“I am not suggesting we surrender. I am saying we should fight.”
A spark of interest flared in Dr. Devya’s eyes.
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