by Amy DuBoff
“I dunno—02:00? I couldn’t sleep so I took a walk. Look at this.” He showed her the image of the map on his handheld.
She rubbed her eyes. “Is that Tararia?”
“Yes, look.” Ryan zoomed in on Sieten. “You see the serpent?”
“Yeah, that looks like my family crest.”
He smiled. “Exactly. So look at this.” Scrolling the image to the side, he centered the coastline containing the red flower icon.
Raena stared at it blankly. “What am I supposed to see here?”
“The flower, that—” Ryan took a calming breath. “I think that flower is the Dainetris crest.”
Her eyes met his. “Why do you say that?”
“My mother’s holopainting—it’s this same species. It can’t be a coincidence.”
She caught on, shaking off the grogginess of sleep. “This may mark the location of the former Dainetris estate.”
“Yes, and maybe will give us a lead about how and why the Dynasty fell.”
Raena shook her head. “That explains what I saw.”
“Hmm?”
“When I was with the Aesir. I saw the pathways leading to Tararia, and a red flower at the top of a cliff. Maybe this is what I was meant to find.”
Ryan examined her. “Did you see anything else in that vision?”
Her brow wrinkled. “No, it was just the flower motif.”
So no easy answer. He turned off the handheld’s screen. “You don’t think anything survived the Priesthood’s purge, do you?”
“I don’t think I can take anything I saw in the vision at face value,” Raena replied.
“Well, regardless, we need to go to that city.”
“Absolutely.” Raena laid back down and reached one arm around Ryan’s back to draw him to her. “But that can wait until morning.”
CHAPTER 9
Raena burst into the dining room with Ryan to find Cris and Kate seated at the table midway through breakfast. “We figured it out!” she announced.
Cris raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Pardon?”
“My vision,” Raena clarified.
Ryan nodded. “The red flowers—I think they’re the Dainetris Dynasty crest,” he explained telepathically, glancing at a servant in the corridor leading to the kitchen.
Kate and Cris exchanged glances. “What makes you say that?” she asked.
“I found this map.” Ryan showed them the picture he’d shared with Raena the night before.
“That’s the same flower I saw,” Raena insisted. “I think we should go to that city and check it out.”
Cris took a slow breath, then gestured for the servant down the hall to give them some privacy. “If this is true, our friends may be watching.”
We can’t ignore a lead just because the Priesthood is after us. Raena sat down across from Cris and folded her hands on the tabletop. “We’re going.”
Her grandfather eyed her. “I’d think you were an only child, if I didn’t know better. You seem used to getting your way.”
“Yes.” Raena grinned. “We’ll leave in an hour.” She rose from the table.
“Maybe we should think this through…” Kate suggested.
“Agreed. I appreciate your enthusiasm, Raena, but it’s unlikely we’ll find anything worthwhile there at this point. If there was anything incriminating, I’d think our friends would have taken care of it by now.”
“Unless they didn’t know where to look,” Ryan offered.
“And you do?” Kate asked.
“I don’t know for sure,” Raena interjected, “but I do know my vision is pointing me there. I don’t think it would unless we’d know what to find when we got there.”
A hum of energy passed between Cris and Kate while they conducted a telepathic exchange.
“All right,” Cris said after ten seconds. “I still don’t fully understand where these visions come from or what they mean, but I always trusted what Wil saw, and I should pay you the same respect.”
Raena nodded. “Thanks.”
“I’m concerned, though,” he continued. “I don’t like the idea of you being out in the open.”
“If our ultimate goal is to send a message of strength, we can’t always hide behind these walls,” Raena stated.
“I agree. And that’s why I’m coming with you,” Cris said.
Raena frowned. “Our chances of being recognized go way up with you as an escort.”
“And the likelihood of anyone trying to mess with you also goes way down,” her grandfather countered. “I may not be an official TSS Agent anymore, but I can certainly put up a compelling telekinetic fight if it’s needed, legal or not.”
“And that’d be a great way to undermine all our plans—dragging the legality of ability use into things,” Kate stated.
“True,” Cris conceded. “Then no telekinesis. Even without that, it still makes sense for me to go. I haven’t conducted a proper tour of the Third Region since becoming Head, and a visit to the east coast is fitting.”
Kate gave a slight shake of her head. “It’s still risky.”
“Like almost everything else we do,” Cris replied. “I think Raena’s right, though—we need to take a chance and see if we can get some answers.”
“I’d really like to understand where I’m from,” Ryan added.
Cris smiled. “And I hope we can give you that.”
“Then it’s settled,” Raena said. She grabbed a pastry from a basket on the table. “See you back here soon.”
Before her grandparents could change their minds, she withdrew from the dining room with Ryan and headed back toward their quarters.
“That was strange seeing someone talk to the Head of a High Dynasty like that,” Ryan commented when they were halfway down the hall.
Raena laugh. “Oh yeah. Whoops.”
“I guess you don’t really see him that way, though.”
She shrugged and took a bite of the pasty she’d snagged from the breakfast spread. “Yeah, they’re my grandparents. But, I should probably ‘respect my elders’, or something.”
“Like he said, you’re just used to getting your way.”
She grinned. “That I am. Sorry.”
“I’m doomed, aren’t I?”
“I’ll be a benevolent dictator.”
Ryan chuckled. “I should have figured I’d just be along for the ride.”
“But it’ll be a good ride,” Raena replied. “I can’t help it if I’m always right.”
“One of these days… One of these days I‘ll be right, and you’ll never hear the end of it,” Ryan joked back.
“Good luck with that.”
“Oh, just you wait…” His eyes glinted with faux challenge.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
They ducked into the respective doors to their adjoined suites to get ready for the day. After showering, Raena selected a plain street clothes outfit consisting of black pants and a form-fitting red top with a cowl neck. She checked the weather in their destination city and saw that its climate was kept somewhat cooler than Sieten due to some sensitive crops in nearby agricultural lands, so she also grabbed a black jacket.
Ryan was ready around the same time, and the two of them returned to the dining room. When they arrived, Kate was absent, but Cris was waiting for them with Marina.
“The three of you are incredibly reckless,” Marina stated as soon as Raena and Ryan entered the room.
Raena froze. “Does she know?” she asked her grandfather, including Ryan in the exchange.
“Yes,” Cris replied aloud. He gestured for Raena to close the door behind them.
She complied. “So Ryan…”
Marina nodded. “Cris had to tell me three times before I believed him.” She looked to Ryan. “It’s an honor.”
Ryan flushed. “I’m…” he faded out and shrugged.
“Everything made a lot more sense after Cris told me,” Marina continued. “I always found it odd that they took you in so quickly during Raena
and Jason’s first visit here. I never could have guessed the real reason.”
“I knew you were one of the only people who’d understand,” Cris said to her. “You were also manipulated by the Priesthood.”
A grimace flitted across Marina’s otherwise serene face. “Your poor mother,” she said to Ryan, shaking her head. “I had the same thing done to me with Saera.”
He looked down. “Yeah.”
“Anyway,” Cris continued, “given the maneuvering to come, it seemed prudent to bring Marina into the fold.”
Raena nodded. “That’ll definitely come in handy.”
Marina gathered herself. “Yes, and of course now that I know, I realize just how delicate and dangerous this situation is, and how the last thing you should be doing is gallivanting around. However, I also know better than to fight your hard-headedness.”
Cris smirked. “See? Progress.”
His advisor rolled her eyes and sighed. “I took the liberty to investigate that map you found. I believe I have a lead for you.”
Raena perked up. “Oh?”
“According to the imprint on the back, it was made by a sculptor in the city of Dain approximately eight hundred years ago,” Marina explained.
Cris’ brow wrinkled in thought. “I won’t profess to know every town in the Third Region, but that doesn’t sound familiar—aside from the obvious name similarity to the High Dynasty.”
“That’s where things get interesting: there is no city of Dain,” Marina replied.
“Name change after the Dynasty’s fall?” Cris asked.
She nodded. “That’s my best guess. I did some digging, and the best candidate is Shorlaen. The city’s records are… incomplete in a suspect way. Certain documentation points to a well-established metropolis going back thousands of years, but other records suggest new development only two or three generations old.”
“Sounds like a data purge to me,” Cris said.
“Indeed,” Marina agreed. “It’s nothing that would jump out unless you were searching specifically for evidence of such an occurrence.”
“How is it even possible to change the name and history of a city without anyone knowing?” Ryan asked.
“It can’t be done overnight,” Marina replied, “but give it a generation or two, once no one living can offer a firsthand account, and official records become the most reliable source of information—supposedly.” She sighed. “It’s a monumental undertaking, but the Priesthood’s reach is sufficient to pull it off.”
We already know the Priesthood is all-powerful. Finding some artwork hardly seems like a solid lead. “All right, so what about the sculptor?” Raena prompted.
“Right.” Marina pulled her handheld from a pocket in her gown and set it on the dining table. She used its holographic projector to display a series of relief murals similar to the one Ryan had found in the hallway. “Looks familiar, right?”
Everyone nodded.
She smiled. “Well, these were produced within the last thirty years by a craftsman in Shorlaen.”
“Descendent of the original?” Cris speculated.
“Or at least connected to an apprentice in some fashion,” Marina said. “While I don’t expect this individual to know anything, they may have information regarding the original craftsman’s studio. It seems that the Priesthood overlooked this craftsman during the purge, otherwise they would have had complete records regarding the artwork and where it was distributed. We wouldn’t have the map here in the Sietinen estate if they knew to come looking for it.”
Why didn’t I think of that? Raena lit up. “So there might be untarnished records with concrete information regarding Dainetris.”
“Maybe,” Marina said. “However, the original workshop may have been demolished and paved over years ago. Or it might be intact and have nothing of interest.”
Ryan shrugged. “It’s a place to start.”
Cris nodded. “All right, let’s go.”
“Be careful,” Marina told them as she picked up her handheld from the table. “If I’m right, the Priesthood made a mistake—and they’ll correct their oversights at any cost.”
“We’ll try to keep a low profile,” Cris assured her.
She scoffed. “You? Right.”
Cris gave her a sheepish look. “Okay, maybe we won’t exactly blend in, but I do like being alive and intend to stay that way.”
Marina shook her head with exasperation. “Very well.”
“Thank you for finding this,” Raena told her grandmother. “I’m glad we’ll be able to talk about things with you now.”
“Me too.”
Raena flashed Marina a parting smile and then followed Cris and Ryan out of the manor toward the main surface port containing transport ships. Her stomach fluttered with anxious anticipation. I wonder what we’re going to find?
* * *
Ryan gazed out the shuttle window at the former home of his ancestors. The coastline jutted more than one hundred meters above the sea at the foothills of a coastal mountain range. Though the mountains were mere hills compared to the impressive Bethral Mountains to the east of Sieten, the topography made for an impressive approach to the city from the air.
Unlike the western coastline Ryan had known for his whole life—which sloped gently toward the water and had wide, sandy beaches—this land simply ended where it met with the water. It made for a dramatic sight, but he couldn’t help wondering about what it would have been like to grow up here instead, without being able to swim in the water or bury his toes in the sand.
The metropolis of Shorlaen rolled across the hills, eventually turning into a terraced wall facing the expansive sea. The city mostly consisted of lower structures finished in shades of brown and gray, which was a harsh contrast to the white stone, glass, and gleaming metal featured in Sieten’s towering skyline. Only three buildings in Shorlaen rose above ten stories, and their bland design features looked more suited to an emerging colony world than any place worthy of a High Dynasty seat.
My family may have been from here, but this isn’t my home. Sieten is everything I know. Ryan tore his gaze away and returned his attention to Raena and Cris inside the shuttle. “How much do you think the city has changed in the last one hundred fifty years?”
Cris glanced back at him from the pilot’s chair. “Tough to say. This really doesn’t have the look of a capital city, does it?”
“Yeah, it’s weird,” Raena agreed from her seat across the narrow aisle from Ryan. “I’d have expected the city to either be in ruins or more like Sieten.”
“Maybe showy architecture just wasn’t important to them,” Ryan speculated. But where’s any evidence of an estate? With a flower for the family crest, I’d at least expect a garden somewhere.
“We’ll see what we can find out,” Cris said as he directed the shuttle toward a port on the northern outskirts of the town.
The craft touched down lightly next to a row of similar vessels and they exited through the side door.
“One sec,” Cris told them and jogged over to speak with the port attendant.
“If anyone recognizes him, everyone is going to be so confused about why the Head of Sietinen is playing tourist in some nothing town,” Ryan muttered, crossing his arms to block out the cool, salt-laden breeze blowing across the hilltop. “I wish we could have come alone—I don’t think you’re well-known enough yet to stand out too much.”
“I know,” Raena agreed as she buried her hands in her jacket’s pockets. “But he’s right—if we do run into trouble, I’d rather have him with us than not.”
“True.”
The port attendant nodded understanding and gave Cris a slight bow.
Cris returned to where Ryan and Raena were waiting. “We’re all set. I told him who I am but asked him to keep it quiet.”
Raena looked skeptical. “Think he will?”
“Oh, stars no!” Cris laughed. “But, if everyone in the town thinks they’re supposed to be keeping it a secret
, they may be more inclined to speak with us if they believe we’re on a special mission and only those in the know on the inner circle can help.”
“Tricky tricky,” Raena said with a mischievous smile.
“Let me tell you, dealing with teenagers for as many years as I did as Lead Agent gave me all sorts of insight into group behavior. Except for you rational, mature types,” he said with a grin to Raena and Ryan. “You defy all expectations by actually doing what’s reasonable.”
Raena laughed. “You got me—rationality is my weakness.”
“Thank the stars! You can balance out my impulsiveness.” Cris led them toward a paved path leading in the direction of the city. “Just don’t forget, the sense of what’s rational is influenced by perspective.”
“And that’s why we’re here,” Raena replied. “I want as close to the truth as we can find.”
The path led to a parking lot with an assortment of sleek ground transportation vehicles for rent. Cris selected a white, four-passenger car with a domed roof and palmed open the side entry. The doors parted and they climbed in, with Raena and Ryan on the front bench seat facing back toward Cris.
Cris tapped on a console between the seats and brought up a map of the city. “All right, I believe the sculptor is in this block here.” He pointed to an intersection within the central district of the city. “I say we start out by paying him a visit.”
“Works for me,” Ryan agreed.
Raena nodded.
Cris entered in the command to the automated nav console, and the doors closed. Within moments, the car was speeding down the roadway.
Single-family homes became more densely packed closer to the city, eventually transitioning into low, multi-unit buildings mixed with commercial space. Up close, the city had the same bizarre combination of new and old Ryan had noticed from the air. It was almost as though the buildings had been transported and repurposed.
Except that’s completely impractical. It’s probably just what building materials mined from this region look like, Ryan decided.
The car slowed as it entered the city core, merging with other ground traffic on the automated transit grid. Eventually, it parked in a slot parallel to the street one block from the location Cris had identified.