“What are you doing?” he asked Nathaniel, as the younger witch ripped open the package. He held it out to Sienna, who reached out a tentative hand.
“Look,” Nathaniel said. “No magic leaps from her fingers. Nothing like the fruit.”
“That's not food,” Desmond protested.
“I think that's the point,” Nathaniel answered. “Her body attacks natural things; her magic swirls around it. No wonder natural food was getting to her, her magic was rising up. But this still provides the nourishment without the other issues. They are meant to provide soldiers with nutrition in two bites.”
“If she throws this up, you're on duty,” Desmond said, but he watched as Sienna took a bite.
Her face crinkled, and it was obviously a different taste. But at Nathaniel's insistent gaze, she finished it.
Within half an hour, the normal time that she would be sick from something, her cheeks had color in them, and her eyes were brighter.
“Huh,” Desmond said as she got up, going to the window. She looked stronger than when they had met her. “Perhaps you are right.”
“As soon as Mariah gets here,” Nathaniel said, “we go out. And we don't come back until find Eliza. I will pack enough rations for three months, if necessary.”
“That's one approach,” Desmond said, and they both fell into silence for a long moment. “It's nice to see you acting like a Maestro, Nathaniel. I know it's not easy, but you are learning.”
“It's not that I can't figure it out.” Nathaniel kept his voice low, watching Sienna across the room at the window. “It's just hard to take it in. This is not something I wanted, Desmond. Please remember that. I'm trying, though.”
“I know you are,” Desmond answered, his voice equally low. “I didn't want my first Tiro either. I didn't feel like I was ready to join the rank of Maestro. I felt like I was still figuring my life out.”
“You, Maestro?” Nathaniel said, in surprise “That doesn't sound like you.”
Desmond gave him a weak smile, but said nothing.
“Any word about Sybil?” Nathaniel asked, and Desmond shook his head.
“No. Don't be too concerned. Sybil is one of the best fighters out there. I'm sure she's fine and just out of signal range.”
“Where was she last?” Nathaniel asked, and Desmond shook his head.
“It was a highly-classified quest, handed out by Thomas personally. Only they knew. Mariah had a general idea, but nothing specific.”
“Classified?” Nathaniel smiled. “Good for Sybil. She always wanted those types of quests, where she was so important she had to have a fake name.”
“You and Sybil used to make up fake names, do you remember?” Desmond asked, his memory jumping back. “On every report, you'd pretend you were getting top-level quests. I remember your professors had to tell you to write about some regular quests just to be diverse.”
“And now I realize how complicated they are and would rather do the ones with one page of paperwork,” Nathaniel managed a smile. “Quest went well. No one died. Nathaniel out.”
Desmond laughed at that. “When is that ever an acceptable quest report?”
“When I'm in charge of the Jurors, it will be,” Nathaniel decided, and Desmond shook his head.
“You have always been different, Nathaniel,” he said, and Nathaniel shrugged.
“It's worked out for me so far.”
“That it has,” Desmond said. “That it has.”
Chapter 12
“Mariah.” Desmond took her in his arms as soon as she got off the ship. He didn't pull her close, but it was enough of an embrace to draw raised eyebrows. She twisted immediately to just take his arm, moving slowly to get a bearing on her surroundings. “Thank you for coming.”
“It's better than sitting around waiting for news on Sybil.” Mariah chewed at her lip.
“Nothing yet?” Desmond asked.
“Have you tried to reach out to her?” Nathaniel asked, keeping stride with them.
“No,” Mariah said. “You know how it is, Nathaniel. If she is somewhere in hiding, one com-link call could throw everything off.”
“I know,” Nathaniel replied. “I just wish there was something we could do. I feel helpless with Sybil, I feel helpless with Eliza, I…” He reached out quickly as Sienna tripped over a wire. It was a fast save, and she righted herself, continuing to walk. “Just feel helpless.”
“There's a moment where you are not,” Desmond pointed out to him, and Sienna smiled up at him. She was trying to be friendly, but Nathaniel was rigid. “Mariah, I will show you the throne room and introduce you to those you should know. After that, we need to go.”
“You have a plan?” she asked, and Desmond sighed.
“We have an idea. But as you said, it's better than sitting around, doing nothing.”
“I'm going to check with the communication room,” Nathaniel said as they made it into the palace. “Make sure they haven't heard anything. Sienna, stay here.”
Desmond sighed as he watched Nathaniel go, but drew Sienna close to keep her out of the hustle and bustle.
“I'm sorry to leave you like this,” he said to Mariah.
“No, this is our job,” Mariah replied, and then lowered her voice. It was so soft that Desmond could barely hear her. “Besides, I am glad I get to see you.”
He smiled at her choice of words as they turned into the throne room.
H expected more resistance with the fact that witches were being left in charge. But everyone seemed to accept that it was the way things were. No one said anything as they parted ways to let them through. It seemed half the country was in the throne room. There were advisors, politicians, military personnel, and the unimpressed rebels who still wanted negotiations. It was not going to be an easy few days for Mariah. But Desmond knew that she could handle it, and all without even blinking an eye. This was a shadow of what the two of them used to do at their best.
“You will call me if you need anything,” he said to her. “Please.”
“I will, but I will be fine,” she assured him. “You just be careful.”
“I will,” he replied. “We will be back before you know it.”
Her arm was in his, and her hand brushed his. He wished he could hold her close here and now, but there were hundreds of eyes on them. Everyone knew witches weren't supposed to fall in love.
‘Who knows what they think of Nathaniel and Eliza?’ Desmond thought. It took all his strength to eventually pull away from Mariah and head back down the platform steps, Sienna at his side.
He noted that she stayed close out of physical need, but not necessarily out of emotional need. She used his body to dodge the people around her, but she didn't look around for his comfort.
She was already so different from Nathaniel, and he wondered whether he would get the chance to learn more about her. He prayed to the magic that he would get a few more years, if nothing else.
Nathaniel met them in the hallway, practically bouncing on his heels.
“No messages,” he said, their rucksacks at his feet. “Let's go.”
“You need to hold on a moment,” Desmond said as he picked up his rucksack and gave Sienna hers. Witches needed to pack minimally; they were taught to live off the land. However, her circumstances were obviously different. “We will gain nothing with all of our energy wasted at the beginning.”
“I've got a smaller ship on standby for us,” he said. “It’s an open top, but there's enough room for the three of us. Four, if we find her. It's faster than walking.”
“Open top does not give us coverage if we are fired upon,” Desmond pointed out.
“Well, it's what we have,” Nathaniel replied. “So, we will have to be the coverage.”
Desmond sighed, glancing down at Sienna. He thought about transferring all the information to her, but there wasn't time. Nathaniel was right. They had already been delayed twelve hours too long. No one had slept much preparing for this, none of them being particu
larly good at naps. Now, they didn't know when they would see sleep again.
“All right,” Desmond replied. “Let's go.”
Nathaniel practically sprinted off down the hallway. Desmond could feel his thoughts and his distractions. This was exactly why they weren't supposed to form attachments; it could lead to distraction, and distraction could lead to death. However, Desmond knew he would be doing the exact same thing if it was Mariah.
“That one,” Nathaniel said, when they came to a long, brown ship, open on top. There was a small trunk and four seats. Sienna went for the back, but Desmond redirected her.
“No,” he said, pointing to the front. “You watch Nathaniel and learn.”
She paused and then shrugged, clambering into the front seat. Nathaniel took the steering wheel, and Desmond got into the back, leaning against the seat.
“It's nice to be chauffeured around,” Desmond said, and Nathaniel rolled his eyes.
“And you tell me not to make jokes, Maestro,” he said.
“It wasn't a joke,” Desmond said as Nathaniel started the engine. “I was telling the truth.”
“Wonderful,” Nathaniel replied as he made sure all the systems were online. The hangar was open, and security was clear of the door. With their queen missing in action, security had of course been upped. However, no one knew exactly what to do. They were exhausted after searching for sixteen hours straight, and no one had a new plan. Waiting was the worst part of any search.
“Do you know where you are going?” Desmond asked as they began to navigate through the busy air. Outside, things were normal. The news of Eliza's disappearance had not managed to reach the civilians. However, Desmond knew it wouldn't be long before it did. Eliza appeared to her people every day or two. If this went on much longer, they would notice her absence.
“I already keyed the coordinates in,” Nathaniel said as he focused ahead.
“Show Sienna how to do that,” Desmond said.
“We don't have time, Desmond,” Nathaniel replied. In response, Desmond leaned forward and touched the navigation system. The directions came up, and he promptly deleted them.
“What are you doing?” Nathaniel howled him. “After I get off the main highway, I have no idea what to do!”
“What's the name of the farm?” Desmond asked.
“Richmond Farms,” Nathaniel was seething at him.
“Sienna,” Desmond placed a hand on her bony shoulder. “Richmond Farms. Can you do it?”
She turned to look at him, and then silently turned to the navigation screen. The language set was Basic, but she saw the Jeffro button and changed it.
“We don't have time for this,” Nathaniel repeated. “If I miss this turn off–”
“There is always time for lessons,” Desmond replied, cutting him off. “Stay calm and focus on teaching her how to do it, or she will never learn.”
“Desmond, this is life or death,” Nathaniel snapped.
“And this is when you learned the most, if you recall,” Desmond responded.
Nathaniel said nothing to that, setting his jaw. But eventually, he turned to glance at the screen where Sienna was keying in the name of the farm. Her hands paused, and he indicated the green button.
“Here,” he said, trying not to scream at her. He resented this moment, but Desmond was right. However, his calmness only lasted a moment when the system told him to make a U-turn. “Argh, I told you. This traffic is ridiculous. Now I have to find a place to turn around in this line.”
“Which will take a moment,” Desmond said as Nathaniel made a breakneck turn that made Sienna scream. He kept his hand on her shoulder. “But it was worth the lesson, I think.”
Nathaniel stayed quiet, focusing on the path ahead. He was afraid of saying anything else for fear that he would snap.
They got off the highway and turned onto quieter airways. Soon, they were out of the city and cruising past the open farms. The air was cleaner right away, and the atmosphere was less noisy. Nathaniel shifted into autopilot, letting the system take over now that he didn't have to dodge a ship every few moments. He took his hands away from the steering wheel and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he reached out to nature, looking for any sign of Eliza, any memory of her that he could glean.
But there was nothing. Any magic pings he put out weren't answered.
“We'll find her,” Desmond said after a moment. “We've never failed at search and rescues.”
“Not all of them were alive,” Nathaniel pointed out, and Desmond couldn't argue with that fact. Half the time with quests like this, their subjects were dead and cold.
Sienna broke the mood with the rustle of a ration from her pack. Nathaniel reached over, opening the packet and handing it back to her without another word.
“Whoever kidnapped her will be tried at the Intergalactic Court,” Nathaniel said after a few moments. “This is a case we will be on for a while.”
“We've testified at the Intergalactic Court before,” Desmond said. “If that's what we have to do, then we will do it, even if it takes months.”
“I should have been there,” Nathaniel said, shaking his head. “I should have sensed it, I should have felt it.”
“We can't blame ourselves for the past,” Desmond answered. “You know that. We can only affect the future.”
“Still, if I hadn't been distracted–”
“Nathaniel!” Desmond snapped, knowing what was coming. Sienna's head shot up. “You will not say another word.”
Nathaniel took the warning, and tried not to glare at Sienna. He knew he was being a child, but he didn't care. If he had been with Eliza, he could have protected her. She would still be with him; he was sure of it.
The farm eventually came into view, and he took the ship off autopilot, bringing them down. He always had trouble with landings. Take off and cruising was easy, but landing, he felt, was like playing chess with his eyes closed. Even with all the advanced technology, he still felt like he had to guess about the ground under him.
Of course, there was technology that did everything automatically; but he didn't trust it. Desmond and Sienna's lives were in his hands, and he'd rather it be a bumpy landing that a computer error that ended in disaster.
“Here we are,” he said as the systems shut down. “Leave your rucksack here, Sienna.”
Nathaniel twisted his wrist, which Desmond knew was his way of storing up magic. He didn't approve of it, the equivalent of a knight drawing his sword. But every witch had their own way of preparing for negotiations. Nathaniel's, it seemed, just involved being a warrior to the core. He was his own person now, Desmond tried to remember as he helped Sienna out. His choices were his own, and it was time to let him sink or swim.
Chapter 13
The farm was startlingly quiet. All around them, the birds chirped, and the bugs buzzed. It was so different from the city noise that they used. It was as if they had stepped into another time.
There was no sign of life anywhere outside of the animals. Nathaniel spun around then moved toward a path on the left.
“I think there's a farm house this way,” he said. “I saw it on the map.”
“What's your strategy?” Desmond asked him. “Your magic stores are enough to blow that house to the ground.”
“If that's what I have to do,” Nathaniel answered, stalking down the path. Sienna kept pace with him, looking around constantly.
Suddenly, there was a voice to the left.
“Ahoy!”
They all spun around to see a purple alien crawling down the tree. He was dressed in blue overalls and had a piece of his fruit in his hand.
He spoke rapidly to them in Jeffroian, and Sienna stepped forward. She looked back to her Maestros, and Desmond put his hand on her shoulder again.
‘Ask him if he's in charge,’ he thought, and Sienna turned back to the alien.
‘No,’ she said, after a moment. ‘He just works here. His boss is up at the farm house.’
�
��Ask him about Eliza,” Nathaniel snapped, and Sienna understood enough to speak.
‘He hasn't seen the queen here,’ she thought. Nathaniel reached out to the alien's mind, but he didn't sense any lies from him. Normally, when someone was lying, their heart rate rose and their pupils dilated. This alien just looked confused.
“Let's head toward the farm house then,” Nathaniel said at last. They nodded their thanks to the alien and started toward the farmhouse, constantly aware of their surroundings. Now that they were closer to the main path, they could see more fruit pickers hanging off the trees and throwing fruit into the baskets. Some of them smiled, and one of them juggled a few apples, making Sienna smile. He threw one at her, clearly meaning for her to eat it. She pulled back in time, and Nathaniel caught it.
‘I can?’ she thought and he shook his head.
‘Not nice to refuse,’ he thought briefly, as they came to the door of the farm house. It was red, with a blue door, and the paint looked as if it was as old as Nathaniel. Taking a deep breath, Nathaniel reached up and knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
Nathaniel pounded harder on the door, opening his fist and banging on it.
“Hello! HELLO!” he cried through the door. There was still no answer.
Just as Nathaniel was about to break it down, someone opened the door. It looked like an older version of the fruit picking aliens, with his antennas going grey and his mouth tired. He raised an eyebrow.
‘Ask him if anyone else is here,’ Nathaniel thought rapidly at Sienna. ‘Tell him we have been commissioned by the queen to search all farms.’
It frightened her how angry he was, and she tried to put a nice spin on things. The alien raised an eyebrow and then stepped back, his arms open.
“Yes,” Sienna said, stepping forward. Nathaniel was surprised because he had expected more of a fight. The farmer seemed completely open to them searching.
The farm house was three levels, and Desmond and Nathaniel split them up. Sienna stuck to Desmond's side as they inspected every nook and cranny. Desmond sent out magical pings for Eliza's signature, but there was nothing.
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