The Waif's Tale

by C. L. Stegall

  "This ain't the first," Cairo interjected.

  "That's correct," Dusk said, taking back the reins of the conversation. "There have been a rash of sudden disappearances of the local Valensi in the Charlotte area; hence, Elijah's presence there. Now, he's gone and coerced Brianna's assistance in tracking down Ross, who disappeared after posting bail."

  "So, is this Brianna capable of helping or is this just some game Elijah's playing while he works?" I thought it was a legitimate question but I got stares in return. "What?" I asked, uncertain of my misstep.

  "Brianna is well over a thousand years old," Cairo noted.

  "Closer to twelve hundred," Dusk added, then, "And, she is immune to sunlight."

  There was a silence in the room. Everyone thought about that last sentence for a few long moments. I had heard of some Valensi who had been able to build up immunity to the sun so that they could withstand direct sunlight for a short period of time. Still, I had never heard of anyone who was fully immune.

  "Wait," I said, wanting to clarify my thoughts. "Are you saying that she is completely immune? So, she lives her life like a human?" I noted nods all around. "So much so that she has a human job in a legal fucking arena?"

  "Yes."

  I stared at Dusk. "That's—"

  "Insane," Dawn said.

  "Incredible," Vi said.

  "Dangerous." This was from Dusk, who stared at each of us in turn. "Why Elijah would bring this woman, of all people, into his assignment is beyond me."

  "Is the Hierarchy aware?" I asked.

  "Yes," he replied. “But, from what I've gathered, they are not too happy about. Still, they have the utmost faith in Elijah. After all, the man hasn't failed on an assignment in almost two thousand years."

  Everyone nodded and Cairo hummed acknowledgement.

  "Yep," he said. "If Elijah is on the scene... There. Will. Be. Blood."

  "Okay, not to slip off on a tangent but, out of natural curiosity," I said, "How the hell did she become immune to the fucking sun? That just sounds so ridiculous."

  "Dawn?" Dusk addressed his sister. She turned to me with an unusual expression clouding her features. If I were to guess, I'd have thought it was admiration.

  "Through pain."

  "Uh, what?" I asked her.

  "Brianna was born in the twelfth century. Her husband was a Valensi who brought her into the fold by birthing her outside of the Hierarchy's knowledge. I don't know the whole story but, at some point, he died and she disappeared from our radar for centuries. Turns out that she would expose herself to the sun regularly, destroying herself, breaking down her body's reactions to the ultraviolet light. Apparently, she did this for hundreds of years. Eventually, like a human builds a tan, she built up her immunity to the sunlight. These days, she has no issues spending a day on the beach."

  "Holy shit," I said. "She subjected herself to centuries of what I can only presume to be horrific pain on a daily basis in order to be able to live like a human, in the daytime?" Dawn and Dusk nodded with solemn expressions.

  "That woman is either completely insane," Vi noted, "Or, she is the most determined individual on the planet."

  "So, what is Elijah's connection to her?" I asked.

  "No one is quite certain," Dusk replied.

  "I once heard something about him meeting her in the 1800s sometime. In London. Not sure if it's true or not, though," Vi said. I noted a strange quiver in her tone and, for whatever reason, I thought that she might be speaking from first-hand knowledge. I had never seen Vi with any man or woman but that didn't mean much here in the Citadel. Everyone maintained their own secrets with the expertise of the most highly trained spies. It was in our nature, what can I say?

  "Well," I said, after taking a long slug of my vodka, "I have to say this might be quite interesting."

  Vi huffed. "And with no long list of assignments we have nothing to distract us from Elijah's antics. Oh," she continued, turning to me, "where's Garrett, by the way?"

  "He left last night. So, I'm left twiddling my fingers, too." My smile, shared with Vi, quickly faded when the magistrate strolled into the Abode with evident purpose.

  He had only been in this room a handful of times and never of his own volition. He was usually escorting someone, showing them around or following one of us as he gave details about this or that assignment. We all turned at his entrance but I did catch a bit of surprise on both Dusk's and Dawn's faces.

  "I have a very specific task for Dawn and Paris." His words were spoken through barely concealed anger and I reacted by shutting my mind down and listening with every fiber of my being. His hands were clenched and he must have followed my eyes, because he slyly moved them together behind his back, away from view. I had never seen the man on edge like this, trying as hard as he was to hide it.

  "Yes, sir," Dawn replied, standing from her spot on the far end of the sofa. "What can we do?"

  "You can pack your gear and go find London."

  Everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting for a reason why the magistrate would send us after one of our own. I had just assumed London was off on assignment. The implications forced my mouth closed and my thoughts clamped down like a steel trap. My best friend was missing? Dawn managed to ask the question.

  "Sir, is there something wrong?" Even as she asked, the magistrate took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose as if he were fighting off a nasty headache. Finally, he looked up, squared his shoulders and spoke in his most authoritative tone.

  "London has just been charged with treason."

  CHAPTER 68

  Six Days Ago, The Citadel

  T he entire Guard stood dumbfounded. The magistrate's eyes bounced from Dawn to me.

  "Please meet me in my chambers in a half hour. You will receive the details then." He swept out of the room without another word.

  "What the fuck?" Cairo managed to break the silence in his usual manner. Dawn hissed at him in response. "Like you all weren't just thinking the same thing!" he responded.

  "Did we just hear correctly?" Vi said, scanning the rest of us to make sure she wasn't imagining things. "Treason? London?"

  "This is bad," Cairo stated.

  "No shit," Dusk said, his expression a mirror of his thoughts. Dark.

  "Seriously," Vi continued. "Maybe I'm being overly paranoid here but, as one of the members of the High Guard, London has a shitload of dangerous knowledge at her disposal. This can't be happening. Right?"

  "This just seems so... wrong, doesn't it?" Cairo asked, to no one in particular.

  I was very careful to keep my mind and mouth shut. If I was not mistaken, I was about to be asked to hunt down my best friend. I made sure my wall was up around my emotions. That sting I felt earlier, the memory of Thorne, was wending its way through me once again.

  This time, though, it wasn't a dull ache. This time it was razor sharp and jagged to the core. I fought against the feeling that this couldn't be. Having been betrayed so terribly once before, I began preparing myself for the possibility that things were about to get a million times worse. I pushed everything, every emotion, every assumption, to the back of my mind. I would have to hear the details, the evidence, first. This almost seemed like another test to see if my loyalty to the Valensi remained untarnished, even if it meant bringing in a friend to face the death penalty.

  "Do what you need to," Dusk said to Dawn. I glanced up at them in time to catch the quick look that they shared before Dawn walked toward me.

  "Basic retrieval gear, I should think," she instructed, her brilliant blue eyes boring into me, watching every nuance and tic in my expression. I knew she was concerned about the magistrate choosing me for this assignment. It was such an obvious conflict of interest. "Meet me at his quarters in twenty-five." She stalked out to prepare her own gear.

  Dawn and I had gone on a few retrieval missions together and, even though we were two very different people, we did tend to work well together. Basic retrieval gear consisted of a small
backpack filled with items like wire handcuffs (for Valensi targets), police-style handcuffs, zip ties, duct tape, a few weapons specific to the carrier and a small metal box that held medical supplies. Included in the medical supplies were two syringes filled with ridiculous amounts of tranquilizers. With our metabolism, Valensi could shake off a typical sedative within seconds.

  I left without a second glance at any of the other members. The last thing I wanted was distractions at this point. I did not want to deal with any questions about the friendship between my new target and me. I hastened to my quarters, with my mind locked down tighter than a titanium drum, thoughts racing around inside it at the speed of light.

  * * * * *

  Dawn and I stood before the magistrate as he handed us each a small GPS system. I'd seen them before but had never had any use for them. I wondered at their presence when he addressed me directly.

  "Paris, before I say anything further I must ask you something." I held my breath at his words but nodded. He stole a quick glance at Dawn, then, "Have you ever read London's mind?"

  I remained silent. I was shocked that he would mention my abilities in front of Dawn like this. He was now sharing my secret without my permission and I wasn't certain how to respond. Finally, I decided to drive forward.

  "No, sir." I turned to Dawn, who stared at me with a blank expression and those bright blue eyes. "I've never intruded on any of my friends' thoughts."

  "You couldn't if you wanted to," Dawn replied with a slight smirk. The magistrate reprimanded her with a slight clearing of his throat, drawing her attention to him, away from me. He then turned to look into my eyes.

  "Dawn is the one person you overcame in your learning curve for protecting your thoughts against me."

  My mind did crazy loops around the info I had just received. So, Dawn was a talent like me. I couldn't stop myself from asking. "You can read minds, too?"

  "No," the magistrate answered for her. "However, she is second only to you in how well she can protect herself, mentally. She was my first star pupil." He smiled at Dawn and then turned back to me. "So, you never got anything from London?" I could tell he was trying very hard to keep his own emotions in check. If London were a traitor, this would be a huge betrayal for him, as well. Not to mention the tarnishing of the reputation of his High Guard. And his own for that matter.

  "No, sir. Not even a clue that there could have been any ulterior motives for any of her actions." I stopped short of saying what I thought.

  "Go on," he prodded.

  "I have to admit, sir, that this is extremely shocking to me. London and I, as you know, have been friends since we first came to the Citadel."

  "Paris, there would have been no way to prevent this without delving into her thoughts." He adjusted his robe, which he wore for matters of the state, but then he simply removed it and laid it upon the back of his chair. I rarely saw him in only his pants and shirt, since he managed formality the majority of time.

  Now, looking at him, he seemed to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. His six foot six inch frame, strong as it was, appeared weary. He sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose once again. With a wave of his hand, he indicated that Dawn and I sit on the opposing sofa. We did so.

  "Here is what we know for certain. London had been working with Cassandra Dreys against the Valensi for some time." At this, both Dawn and I shut down any questions. To have London turn against us was inconceivable but now to learn that the magistrate's own lover had been involved...

  No wonder he seemed so wiped out. As the director of vendor relations, Cassandra had access to multiple avenues of human civil services. If anyone was in a position to use such external influence, it was Cassandra. I was just having a hard time believing it.

  "From the little we have gathered, Cassie… Cassandra, recruited London to her purposes some time back. London discovered, just as we did, that their secret was going to come out. It seems that for decades, Cassandra had been working against us, derailing efforts we were putting in place, through her human connections. We aren't certain for how long she had involved London in her activities." Something about how he was referring to Cassandra niggled at the back of my mind.

  "You don't think she could turn traitor, do you?" the magistrate asked me, referring to Cassandra. I knew he had not read my mind, as I continued to keep it locked down, but it didn't take a mind reader to read my face.

  "I do find it difficult to believe, sir. Cassie just doesn't seem the type. Not to mention London, who has been a valued member of the Guard for as long as I have."

  "It doesn't matter," Dawn stated, turning a cautioning eye to me. "We do as we're told. We will track them both down." Her words came as out as a command and the magistrate cleared his throat again and caught Dawn's eye. She sat back and waited, becoming silent.

  "Cassandra is dead," he said. "The two of them attempted to escape the Citadel a few hours ago. I had Foster after them and he was able to get to Cassandra. In the ensuing struggle, she was killed. London managed to escape."

  I sat there in shock. Where had all of this come from? How had I not know that my best friend was a traitor? Although my experience with London begged me to disbelieve this whole thing, I would not allow my emotions to get in the way of dealing with another betrayal in the manner required. My hands clenched and I let out a long-held breath. The magistrate peered at me and placed a large hand on my knee, drawing my eyes to his.

  "Paris, I have absolute faith in you. You have proven yourself unwaveringly loyal on far too many occasions to mention. However, knowing your relationship with London, I have to ask. Are you capable of putting aside your own personal emotions and beliefs in order to apprehend this fugitive?"

  I understood why he phrased the request in the manner that he did. It was to separate his own personal beliefs and emotions, which must have been so much deeper and more confused than my own. I sympathized with him, remembering my own experience with Thorne. I nodded.

  "Yes, sir. We'll bring her back. Absolutely." I could not contain all of the hurt in my voice and both he and Dawn easily picked up on it.

  "I'm sorry it has come to this. I chose you for this mission due to your intimate knowledge and friendship with London," he said. "You and Dawn have proven to be quite an effective team. I expect nothing but the best from the both of you, especially in this instance." He had been so intent on the conversation that he had been sitting on the very edge. He sat back and crossed his long arms over his chest. His steel gray eyes looked us over. "Just before she managed to slip out, I had someone watching her. They were smart enough to slip a tracker on her person. I don't know if she has changed her appearance or clothes, so the GPS may only get you so far. Regardless, it will be a start if nothing else. Now, go. You have your orders."

  CHAPTER 69

  Five Days Ago

  C an I trust you?" Dawn asked as we headed for the south exit, our backpacks on our shoulders.

  "What?" I replied. "Of course."

  "You said you don't believe she would go rogue."

  "No, I said I had difficulty believing it. Not the same thing."

  "I can't believe you said that to him," she said, putting strong emphasis on the last word, as if I had blasphemed.

  "Well, I wasn't going to lie to the man."

  "Fine, but I don't approve of you being on this mission. You are emotionally involved, regardless of what you say."

  "London has been my best friend for over a hundred years, yes," I said. I stopped and waited for her to turn and face me. “But, that does not mean that I would shirk my duties nor shy away from the capture of a traitor."

  "Your words say one thing but your body language says another."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "That whole time, in the magistrate's quarters, you kept your hands together, so tight at times that the skin turned whiter than normal. That level of stress denotes conflict. I see it now, in your face. You still think she might be innocent."
<
br />   "And, you do not know that she is guilty. It is not our jobs to condemn someone. That is left to the Hierarchy and the magistrate. Our job is to bring her back, alive, to stand trial accordingly."

  "And, you have no issues with that?" she asked, disbelieving.

  "None."

  Dawn stared at me for several long moments before turning to make for the exit. "Fine. but, I'll be keeping a close eye on you, Paris."

  "Whatever," I replied, feeling my face flush with indignation. It never failed. Dawn had always had a way of always making me feel inferior. I hated it. Still, I understood her concern. My mind was clouded with confusion. How the hell could London, of all people, be a traitor? It just didn't make sense to me.

  My thoughts were still racing to find an unknown answer as we headed south, following the GPS signal. London was apparently on the move, as the signal continued to gain ground, lengthening the distance between us rapidly.

  "She's either in a fast car or a damned plane," Dawn surmised. "We need to catch up."

  The two of us made our way to the next available airstrip, renting an airplane and pilot for the night. Dawn was extremely convincing in her discussions with the pilot that we were just a couple of rich-girl thrill seekers looking for some fun. The pilot was not immune to Dawn's beauty or charms, as she flipped her long blonde hair and teased him with false promises. Once in the air, however, her demeanor shifted back to its bitchy self and she threatened the pilot with a painful death if he did not get us where we needed to go before dawn.

  After three hours in the air, Dawn verified her readings on the GPS and turned to me with a bitter smile on her face.

  "How ironic," she said. "Looks like we're going to Paris."

  I held my tongue, wanting desperately to lash into her smarmy attitude. The idea of Paris twisted my emotions around even more. Why would London go there? I kept trying to figure out what the hell that girl was up to but I was severely lacking in information. We could not outthink her. If we could get close enough, perhaps I could slip into her thoughts but I didn't know over what distance my talents might work. I tried, nonetheless. I got nothing.