by C. M. Kane
CHAPTER 10
After a virtually sleepless night, Tae got up a little before 6 a.m. She was tired, scared, and impatient to find out what happened, but knew she couldn’t see Brohan until later. She dressed as slowly as she could in her oldest fawn slacks and a loose dark brown shirt, then she shoved her feet into some old socks and the lace-up combat boots she would wear to the Island. Once she was in the kitchen she forced herself to drink coffee instead of her usual cocoa in an effort to get some energy back into her tired brain and body. She was just finishing a second cup of the strong black liquid when her father entered.
He walked over poured a drink for himself, then slipped some bread into the cooker and set it to toast. As she went to rinse her cup he coughed and said, ‘the Gathering’s today.’
She wasn’t sure if it were a statement or a question so she shrugged and waited for him to continue.
‘Don’t expect me to be there.’ He then turned and walked into the lounge room with his breakfast leaving her standing at the sink in shock.
She continued rinsing her cup automatically, as she held back the sting of tears. She hadn’t wanted him there for obvious reasons. She’d even thought up some excuses to stop him from coming, but she had never expected this. The Gathering was their town’s most important day, when children of age would commit their entire futures to a caste of their choice. It was also a coming of age celebration that most of the town attended, even if it was to just catch up with friends and have a few drinks. Didn’t her future or her dreams rate with him at all? For all of the gods’ sakes, why does he hate me so much? What in Hades’ name have I ever done to him?
Screw him she raged silently as her un-spilled tears dried. Just when she had thought there was nothing left inside her for this man to hurt, he’d find another way to twist the knife one more time. She drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. No more. As far as she was concerned he was dead to her. She would find and rescue her mother and Jason, and when she did they would find a place for the three of them to live together, just like she’d been working toward for so long. And she would make sure the bastard knew exactly who it was that had found them, and that he wasn’t invited back into their life. She put down her cup and headed for the door. It was time to see if Brohan had been successful and if her plans had any hope of success.
Brohan sat in his customary spot on the verandah, his large frame ensconced in the comfortable wicker chair he kept there. A large cup of coffee and a plate, empty bar a few crumbs, lay on the matching table that stood beside the chair. He had been up earlier than usual and he looked tired, as evidenced by the shadows under his eyes. He smiled as she approached.
‘You got it?’ She was panting heavily as she stopped before him, hope radiating from her. She hadn’t bothered about jogging this morning, once she left home she’d run flat out to reach him, the urge to know what had happened the night before suddenly irresistible.
Brohan nodded. ‘Of course we did. I have it tucked away in a safe spot. All you have to do is bring me your hair beads and I’ll fill them.’
Tae sagged against one of the verandah’s wooden support posts in relief and started fishing around in her pocket. ‘I’m already ahead of you.’ She grinned and pulled out a thick black stretchy band with two long brown beads attached to each end. ‘I figure the one with the ocean carvings for the sea salt. That’s a given. And the one with the tree’s for the Beastie.’
Brohan nodded taking the proffered beads, he then started inspecting their intricate carvings closely. He pulled at one firmly, around four-fifths of the way up its side, it separated to reveal a hollowed out interior. The second bead was the same. ‘Where did you get these? I thought when you mentioned them you meant something that you’d done yourself, but these are professionally made. You’d never even know they opened unless you specifically looked. The opening seams are expertly hidden in the carvings.’
Tae smiled sadly. ‘My mother gave them to me for my fourteenth birthday, when she still had hopes of me joining the House of Aphrodite in Thortown. She said they were given to her by a beautiful warrior so she could smuggle things from the centre when they met outside of business hours. Like extra stimulus drugs and such.’ Tae still remembered the look on her mother’s face as she had told the story behind the beautifully carved beads. She’d had an air of wonder, her lovely face softening as she spoke of the man who had been her lover.
‘These will do perfectly,’ Brohan said. ‘But I will use an extra layer of lacquer once I fill the containers. It will make them a little harder to open but it will also ensure any tiny gaps or holes that aren’t visible to the eye are completely filled. It will also block any aroma from them so the Wolven won’t pick up on them. I’ll do it tonight and have them ready for you tomorrow morning.’
‘That’s fine, will they pass a scan?’ she asked.
Brohan nodded. ‘It should just show up as natural filling hopefully. I doubt whether they will bother with something so small, especially as it’s not weapon sized.’
Tae was finally allowing herself to dream. Perhaps this crazy scheme of hers might actually have a slightly better hope of succeeding than she had originally thought. The idea of the added lacquer was a good one. She hadn’t thought about what would happen if any of the two opposing substances should leak onto her without her knowing. She shuddered at the mere thought of it. ‘So how did it go anyway?’ she asked curiously. ‘Did everything go according to plan?’ Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she noted a light flush creep slowly up Brohans neck.
‘It was easier than expected. The fool followed Valaria over to the darter like she was a cat in heat. He actually insisted on her biting his neck while he got undressed, then he passed out before anything else could happen,’ he said with a hint of satisfaction.
‘But won’t he know that they didn’t … you know?’
‘That dimwit!’ he said roughly. ‘By the time Valaria was through telling him how magnificent he was, the tosser was making another date with her for a couple of weeks’ time. He’d convinced himself he’d had a grand old time.’
Interesting, methinks Valaria has herself a new admirer Tae thought as she listened to Brohan explain what had happened the night before. She could never have thought a daring heist would bring two such disparate people together? Valaria was all laughter and light, while Brohan was serious and brooding. Dark and light, just like me and Jase, but wouldn’t it be lovely if someone found a little happiness because of this horrible mess? She thought with a sudden pang.
‘That’s good’ she said, before changing the subject to a more personal one. ‘Brohan, may I ask you for something? I mean, could I ask you for a favour?’
Brohan looked up at her, smiling. ‘Got some other place you want broken into?’ He laughed.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I ahh … I would … Well, actually. I’d like you to come to the Gathering.’ she stammered. ‘My father’s not going to be there. ‘At Brohan’s outraged look she quickly added, ‘I really didn’t want him there anyway, but I’d like a friend there apart from Soola and Margarete, and I just thought if you weren’t doing anything … I mean, I know you don’t usually go, so if you don’t want to that’s fine. I just thought it might be nice to see some friendly faces.’ Tae blushed and looked down at her hands, suddenly very interested in the cleanliness of her nails.
Brohan watched her silently for a moment before standing up and putting both his hands on her shoulders. ‘I’d be honoured Tae.’ He smiled gently, ‘Now, you have the morning off, go pretty yourself up.’ He paused. ‘Actually that’s an excellent idea,’ he said. ‘If they send anyone to keep an eye on things then the more feminine and vulnerable you appear, the less likely they are to see you as a threat. Especially if they question you and you can convince them of a different reason for why you chose the Island … which gives me another idea. Now off you go, before I change my mind and have you running laps of the oval.’
Tae surprised herself by gi
ving him a quick hug. She let him go and grinned. ‘Pretty myself up hey? Now I really am going into uncharted waters.’ She laughed and took off for home. Brohan watched her go, then lifted his new com-watch and called up a number.
Tae arrived home to find a small two-seat darter with darkened windows parked out the front. Her heart immediately started to pound as she searched around with barely concealed panic for its owner. Had the kidnappers come for her too? She looked toward the house and nearly sank to her knees in relief. Valaria was standing in the shadows of the verandah waving enthusiastically at her.
‘Hey sweetie,’ she called.
Tae started to breathe normally again as she walked up to her. She hadn’t even realised she’d stopped until she’d seen who it was.
‘Now don’t be angry. I’ll go if you don’t want me here, but Brohan called me. He thought you might feel lonely without your mum to help you get ready. He asked me if I could pop over and see if you’d like a hand.’ She smiled and lifted a small black case. ‘I’ve even brought supplies with me.’
Tae was surprised at how touched she felt. Her own father had no interest in her, but Brohan and Valaria were going out of their way to be kind to her. It felt good knowing that someone other than Margarete and Soola cared about her. She gave Valaria a wide smile. ‘I’d love some,’ she said gratefully. ‘Mum bought me a dress for my birthday but I have no idea about what to do with my hair.’
‘And make-up,’ Valaria said.
Tae looked ready to argue that particular point, her own attempts at make-up had been an unmitigated disaster. On her first attempt she’d looked as though someone had slugged her in the nose and blackened both of her eyes. The second time was even worse. Jason had taken enormous delight in telling her she looked like a deranged black eyed gibbon. She’d never been game enough to try again.
Valaria held up her slim palm to silence any protest. ‘First off, let’s go inside shall we? Then I’ll make you even more gorgeous than you already are, perhaps even approaching my own fabulousness. ‘She winked. ‘And if you still feel that looking so utterly ravishing will impede the others chances with their choice of castes because all eyes will be upon you. Well then, you can simply jump in the chem shower.’
Tae burst out laughing. ‘Alright,’ she said, feeling herself relax. ‘But you know I’ll never come close to you, especially in one certain warrior’s eyes.’
Valaria followed her into the cool corridor of her home. ‘Oh, you just know I’ll be picking your brains about that little statement all morning now don’t you? Now, where’s your room and what are you wearing?’
Tae led her into her small bedroom and took out her dress. ‘I’m wearing this, Brohan wants me to look girly and vulnerable, in case someone is there watching me. Besides.’ She hesitated frowning to herself before blurting out the rest in a rush. ‘Mum bought it for me for my birthday and just this once I want to make her proud of the way I look. I want to be pretty for her!’An embarrassed flush spread over her cheeks at her heartfelt statement.
Valaria patted her hand gently and picked up the dress to examine it closely. ‘It’s beautiful. ‘she murmured.
‘What do we do first?’ Tae asked.
‘Well, first off we are going to have a coffee, and then you’re going to jump in the shower while I get a few essentials out.’ For the next half hour they chatted about Brohan while they relaxed. Valaria asked Tae for every detail of Brohan’s reaction to her innocent questions. When she finished her coffee she stood abruptly. ‘That man is a menace!’ She smiled, and then looked directly at Tae. ‘Okay! Pop in the shower and then come back in a towel. Where’s your underwear?’
Tae stood up. ‘It’s in the top drawer of the dresser in my room.’
When she returned from the shower she found Valaria had unerringly picked out her new bra and the matching minuscule panties. She didn’t question her choice, she just decided to go with it. After all, what could it hurt? She put them on quickly and sat as Valaria combed her hair.
‘We’ll keep it simple I think.’ Valaria went to her case, picked up a metal can and sprayed an odourless substance on Tae’s hair. She gave it another quick comb, then deftly pinned the sides of it up and back, leaving her long fringe framing her face, she stood back and eyed her critically. ‘Yes,’ she said, nodding to herself. ‘Innocent, yet sexy.’ Tae blushed at the assessment but remained silent. Valaria then went to work on her face. After another thirty minutes of fussing she stood back. ‘Oh my,’ she said suddenly teary. ‘You’re gorgeous.’
Tae wasn’t sure what to say to that. ‘Up to your standard you think?’ she quipped.
Valaria grinned. ‘I said gorgeous sweetie. Not the womanly embodiment of perfection’ that is I. Now quick, go get your dress on. It’s ten past eleven, we’ve got thirty minutes.’
Tae hurriedly put on her dress and the strappy heels she’d finally learnt to walk in. The she looked into the long mirror on her wardrobe door. Staring back at her was a stranger, a pretty young woman with smouldering green eyes and shining ebony hair.
Valaria walked up behind her, looking at Tae from over her shoulder. ‘Do you know the secret to true beauty Tae?’
Tae shook her head, meeting Valaria’s eyes in the mirror.
‘It has never been about how physically beautiful a woman is, and trust me when I say you’re beautiful. It’s in her confidence, the way she carries herself, her own sense of pride and self-worth. Today you own this look. Today you’re going to walk onto that podium in front of those odious little caste representatives and you’re going to show them just how far beneath you they are. You’re Tae Rames. You’re the daughter of Kresley Rames, the sister of Jason, and it’s a name those fools are going to be hearing a lot more of whether they know it or not. Today is your watershed day, the old Tae is gone, they’re about to meet the real Tae Rames. Today you start their lesson.’
Tae frowned and stared back at Valaria. ‘Yes,’ she said. Then again in a loud firm voice, ‘Yes, I’m ready … but, how am I going to walk there in these damned shoes?’ She looked down at her feet in disgust.
Valaria laughed. ‘Didn’t I tell you? I’m coming along too! Oh Tae, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Besides, it’ll give me time to ‘talk’ to Brohan for a while, see how he’s faring and all. Now come, time to go.’ She grabbed her case and threw on a long cloak that covered her from head to foot. She then swung around and headed up the passage and out the front door to her darter with Tae following close behind.
They arrived at the school a few minutes later; Tae looked at the people heading indoors and swallowed noisily. Closing her eyes she took a deep calming breath before she got out of the darter. Despite quaking with nerves she walked confidently up the path to the door of the school, where the Gathering was to be held in a small multipurpose auditorium. She realised they must look like the ultimate odd couple. Valaria was swathed from head to foot in her cloak, a large umbrella covering the entire ensemble, while Tae wore what felt like, next to nothing. She could feel people staring at them as Valaria dashed ahead to the shade. She swallowed hard then threw her shoulders back, trying her best to walk in the confident hip-swaying way her mother had tried so desperately to teach her. Those lessons now seemed a lifetime ago. She thought she must have done a pretty good job judging by the open-mouthed gaping of Asianna.
Tae lifted an eyebrow enquiringly at her and smiled. ‘Good morning Asianna. You look lovely.’ Asianna was dressed in a bright blue skin-tight synsilk top with a deep vee that hit her navel, and a barely-there black mini-skirt. Her long golden hair hung down her back in loose curls. She was the epitome of what The House of Aphrodite looked for, beautiful, sexy and smart. At Tae’s words she closed her mouth with a snap.
‘Tae? Wow, you look amazing. I love that dress!’ She looked over to see Valaria who was now uncovering herself beneath the verandah. ‘You’re with her?’ she mouthed, pointing to Valaria behind her hand, Asianna’s face screwed into a look of distaste.
Tae straightened to her full height before looking down her nose at the girl, as if she was some kind of newly discovered and particularly vile malignancy that she had just seen on a dog’s anus. How dare she judge anyone, Tae thought, instantly outraged. Especially not when she’s about to join the House of Aphrodite herself, the obnoxious little twit!
‘Why yes,’ she said sweetly. ‘Just everyone who visits Jaxburgs House of Aphrodite regularly knows that, I would have thought your father would have told you.’ She smiled amiably and walked off to join Valaria before Asianna realised what she’d just implied.
‘Well let’s get in and get a seat,’ Valaria said as a squeal of outrage followed them indoors. A wide main aisle slightly to the right divided the seating from a long bench against the wall, which was filled to capacity with fresh sandwiches, pastries, cakes and drinks. Chairs filled the left hand side of the auditorium. The caste representatives sat at the very front, behind three separate tables. Tae didn’t look at them, focusing on finding her friends instead. Asianna hissed at her as she walked past, making Tae smile with satisfaction.
Valaria spotted Brohan straight away. He was dressed all in black, from his shirt to his trousers. He must have been a very handsome man in his youth, because even at his age he still cut a striking figure.
‘Mmmmm,’ Valaria said, sidling up to him. ‘Nice. What do you think of our girl then?’
Brohan stared at Tae with the same open-mouthed amazement everyone else in the room seemed to be doing. ‘Apparently,’ said Brohan, ‘our little tomboy isn’t so much the boy anymore.’
Soola stepped forward. ‘By the gods, Tae, you look amazing.’
‘Wow! So do you’ Tae smiled back at her, and she wasn’t lying. Margarete had put Soola’s hair up in a sophisticated roll that stopped half-way down her head. She wore a short slim fitted dress of dark gold and light browns. Soola had used a gold eye shadow, which seemed to bring out the golden flecks in her brown eyes. It set off her shining light brown hair and gently tanned skin beautifully. She also seemed to be standing a little taller than normal.