I rubbed the bridge of my nose to ease the start of another headache. I tried to say flatly, “You make it sound like I was a prisoner.”
Lockonis shot back at me, “Well, am I wrong? They may have paid you for your services, but how much of that did they demand back for a closet-sized room and barely enough food to live on?”
Nearly all of it was the answer. I scraped together as much as I could each month to send to my sister. It usually meant skipping a few meals and making do with fewer supplies and thread-bare clothes.
She continued, “You came to us severely underweight. Why they didn’t treat you better, I don’t know, but they were adamant about wanting to keep you. Since your sister worked for us, I knew you would have someone you could turn to.” Lockonis’ voice softened, “All of us care about you, Ket. You’ve worked hard - harder than everyone else to overcome that label. Savanas and her team have had nothing but glowing things to say about you. Though you did shock them when you pulled out the old copy of the library,” she laughed, “I wish I had been there to see their faces. Why did you do it, exactly?”
I got up and left my desk before they came out of the conference room. Standing next to the window, I watched the snow falling again. “You were updating the digital library and I wanted to access the information.”
“Oh, right,” Lockonis said and was back to typing like a madwoman on the other end. “In any case, now that I’ve broken you and probably your trust…”
“No, thank you,” I responded quickly before she went off on a tangent again. And, I was actually grateful she had told me, but I was still unsure how I felt about what was revealed.
Lockonis said, “You deserved to know, Vince and I, well, we wanted to watch and see what you would do. It was about time we told you.”
Come to think of it, Vince’s talk with me before Retanei joined us in his office seemed like a prelude to this.
“I’ll give you a call when I have more information,” she said and then hung up after a long pause. I did not know what to say.
I put my phone away, and leaned my head against the cold window. After this was all over, I wanted to sit down with her and talk. And I hated sitting down and talking, but I was going to need it this time.
“Ketayl, what’s wrong?” Silver asked from behind me.
Standing up straight, I could not bring myself to turn around. I steadied my voice and said, “It’s nothing. We should get back to work.”
I kept my head down as I walked past, but a hand caught my shoulder, and I looked up.
Savanas took a moment to study my face before she concluded, “Lockonis told you, didn’t she?” It was not accusatory or even demanding of an answer.
That meant Savanas knew also.
She admitted, “It has been eating at her for a while. The only reason I knew was, well, she had been my partner for a long time and I could tell when something was bothering her. It wasn’t my place to say anything. You were going to find out sooner or later. Especially when the Admiral told us about the Arcane College’s demands. I’m just glad it came from her.” She left it at that and went back to her desk.
Strong hands gripped my shoulders gently and I looked up at Silver. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
The information about his order’s past came back to the forefront in my mind. It did not even process in my mind that he was touching me.
“Silver, drop it,” Savanas barked at him. “We have work to do. I want Brown’s head on a pike outside of this building.”
I quickly rushed over to my desk to get Silver’s information off of the screen. Last thing I needed was for him to start questioning us.
I could feel Darius’ eyes on me, but he said nothing. I wonder how many others knew.
The more I thought about it and about my time with the TIO, the more I realized that while these secrets were being kept from me, it was not out of malicious intent. How blind I had been my whole life thus far.
But what do I do with this information? Who do I trust? How did this all fit in together?
Chapter 14
“Ketayl, Silver, wrap it up and call it a night.” Savanas said as she got off the phone.
Looking at the time, it was really late. Silver and I had been going over Brown’s documents. With each of us only able to read half, it looked like creating a translator was going to be necessary sooner rather than later. It was slow going to try and correlate the useful information. Admittedly, I was at wits end at this point and with the day’s revelations, I felt exhausted.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said. Getting what I had been working on into some semblance of order, I left Silver to organize his work. He kept scribbling down information on the notepad he was using. “Silver?”
“I will, just a minute,” he replied without looking up. Maybe he had something.
For me, I was too tired and I was starting to get a headache again so I left him to whatever train of thought he had, I got my coat on and my bag ready to head out the door. I was really starting to worry that there was something more to these headaches.
They had started at roughly the same time I felt the strain on my control. It could just be a side-effect of trying to keep myself reigned in. I might ask for a day off when this was over. Curling up with a good book in my quarters sounded like just the thing.
“Ket, can you bring this down to Melody for me while you’re waiting?” Savanas asked and held up a large manila envelope. “Tell her there’s no rush.”
I took the packet and headed for the elevator, barely acknowledging Savanas’ thanks.
I mentally went back over what I had been reading. Most of the pertinent information so far had been in Silver’s set of documents - information about these ‘Ancient Gods’ and notes about the group in general, but nothing specific to this one.
My pile seemed to be all arcane theory so far. There was still more for each of us to sift through, but I was losing hope. There must be something to point me in the direction of the Archmage. A clue to his ultimate goal. Some reason why the Arcane College backed him.
After hitting the button for the main floor, I leaned back against the wall. I wish I knew how the others continuously worked. I knew Savanas had some of the local law enforcement officers helping out, but I had not seen them. I really had no clue about the rest of the investigation. Secrets were being kept and I wondered if it was going to become a problem.
Once the elevator let me off on the main floor, I dragged myself to the lobby. Melody seemed to always be here also. Then again, Fletch was known to pull some lengthy hours. Neither one ever seemed to mind and I started to think maybe it was a special type of person that could fill the role.
“Artemis?” I was not expecting Retanei’s wolf companion to be curled up in the lobby.
“Oh, hi, Ket. You have something for me?” Melody asked, holding out her hand.
I handed the packet over to her, but never took my eyes off of Artemis, whose attention was firmly on me. I was not sure why it felt like she was staring directly into my soul, but I figured I was overtired and had spent way too much time going over a necromancer’s notes.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and the sensation was gone. It was just Artemis again.
Melody continued, “Retanei dropped her off a few hours ago. Said something about having you take her. I guess whatever she has planned for tonight, Artemis isn’t ready for.”
Artemis was still fairly new to working in the field with Retanei, but something still did not seem right about it. Kneeling down next to my unexpected four-legged companion, I pet Artemis. She always seemed to have a calming presence. I remember Retanei telling me once it was because she was an Omega, but I did not understand what that meant.
Artemis nuzzled my face and all I wanted to do was curl up around the warm wolf and go to sleep.
“You look like you’ve seen better days,” Melody commented, typing away at the computer hidden below the counter level of her desk.
Sighing, I sa
t back on my feet and told her, “I feel like I’m getting nowhere in a hurry. Or looking in the wrong place. I’m not even sure anymore.”
Melody smiled and said, “It happens. That’s probably why Savanas is making you go get some rest. She’s pretty intuitive like that. She also knows how to schedule us so we have the most coverage during a difficult investigation without burning out team members. Trust me, when this is all done, she’s going to have a big dinner at her house. Savanas cooks to unwind.”
They were like a family and I commented, “It’s a small office here. You must all be close.”
“We are, and we all have our quirks. Darius and Rathal like to play video games and harass each other until they’re exhausted. Brad cleans and reads. Doc tells stories. Sasha tinkers. And we all somehow end up at Savanas’ house about once a week regardless. What is it like at the main office?” Melody did not stop whatever she was working on.
Artemis decided I was not petting her enough and tried to nuzzle me, only succeeding in knocking me on my butt. It did not matter so I stayed where I landed. My butt would have to deal with the hard tiled floor.
“I guess with so many people it’s harder to connect like that. I keep to myself mostly. I see others interacting, but it’s enough for me to watch,” I admitted. People found it odd, but it worked for me.
Melody raised an eyebrow at me and commented, “That’s so lonely. Do you do anything for fun? Hobbies? You can’t possibly work all the time.”
I never considered it lonely. I clarified, “I don’t keep completely to myself. I have people like my sister and Retanei. I also play the violin. Not well, but I like to practice in my quarters.”
“Hm, never pegged you for a musician. Interesting. I try different crafts. Still haven’t found one to can keep my interest for very long. With my kids grown and out on their own, what’s a mother to do? Outside of wait for grandchildren that is,” Melody said with a wink. She seemed like a nurturing person. The elevator dinged and she smiled. “It sounds like your knight in shining armor is here.”
The way Melody said it made me blush.
“It’s not like that,” I whispered quickly before he could get close enough to hear.
“Right… Just don’t forget about the other one.” Melody never skipped a beat with what she was working on.
Other one? What was she talking about?
“Ketayl, why are you sitting on the floor?” Silver asked as he stood over me, concern obvious on his face.
Shifting Artemis off of me, I started to move, only to have a hand waiting to help me up. Not wanting to be rude, I took it and said, “I fell over. Well, good night, Melody.”
“Good night,” Melody said winked. I tried to fight down the heat that quickly wanted to return to my face. Perhaps I should blame Lockonis for putting the concept in my head.
I did not understand why people made things out like that. Silver was just acting as he was taught to. Perhaps it was just their way of poking fun of his being somewhat out of touch with the current world.
I just wish they left me out of it.
~*~
Once we got back to the hotel, Silver and I went straight up to the room to avoid the “media vultures” as Retanei liked to call them. I mostly wanted to avoid the Admiral.
I was also a bit hungry and kicked myself for not stopping en route to pick something up. I vaguely remembered seeing some menus in the suite and I wondered if I could get away without having to go downstairs.
Opening the door, I noticed a note on the floor.
Carefully stepping around the folded piece of paper, I wanted to get my coat off first before dealing with it. I hoped dealing with one thing at a time would help not aggravate the dull pounding in my head. I only got as far as unzipping it.
Silver decided it was more important and picked it up. “It could be from Retanei,” he reasoned.
Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I tried to alleviate the headache building and said, “No, she would have left a note on the counter. Or with Artemis.” I was not sure, but I knew the floor near the door was not a place she would leave a note.
“It’s from the Admiral. He wants us to meet him in a conference room on the second floor,” Silver said and looked over the note trying to find more information.
I figured it would not be hard for him to find out what room we were in to slip a note under the door.
“Now?” It came out a bit whiny, but I really did not want to deal with the Admiral.
Silver said, “There’s no time on it. We should go down and see if he’s still there.”
“You mean I should.” Taking the note from Silver, I confirmed it was only addressed to me. It was an easy assumption as he singled me out previously.
“No, we. Savanas asked me to keep an eye on you. And also to make sure you got enough rest.” Oh, is that why she sent me down as a messenger to Melody? Who knew, and more importantly, did it even matter?
But what about the information about his order? Obviously Savanas trusted him enough and Lockonis said that she told the others, right? What did she tell them? Suddenly I was not sure anymore.
Silver suddenly appeared in front of me and tilted my face to look at him. It was a far more intimate motion than I was prepared for. He said, “And even if she hadn’t asked, I would.”
I backed away from him quickly as a flash of a face from the past overlaid itself on reality. Then it was back to Silver. He was too close. He could be…
He could be what? The information about his order was decades old. Silver had been but a small child, not yet grown.
He was just as deeply buried as I was trying to find out who did this and why. He had been horrified at the crime scene when he first saw what I could not.
Putting my hand to my temple, I tried to stop the sudden sharp pain that previously only been a dull throbbing. I shut my eyes tight for a brief moment, but it did not help. Where were these headaches coming from? I started to panic that something was very wrong with me.
There he was again, very close, saying something, but I could not hear him over the pounding.
I was losing control fast. I warned him, “Get back!” I stumbled and tripped on my long coat, landing hard on the floor. Now I added a sharp pain in my left hip to everything else. “Stay back - I don’t want to hurt you,” it came out as a soft plea, but that was the most I could manage.
I felt it before I saw the arcane energy manifesting along my arms, wrapping itself around me and fought as hard as I could to pull it back under control.
Artemis scampered for cover.
Again he was close. Stupid paladin.
Silver pulled me against his chest and rubbed my back. “Find peace.”
I’m not even sure how I heard him. Or that I heard him with my ears. The pain in my head was subsiding and I stopped trying to fight him, having no energy to spare. I put everything into regaining control.
“That’s it, Ketayl, breathe.” That, I knew I heard with my ears. He continued softly, “Just relax and breathe. Focus on my voice.”
We sat there awkwardly on the floor for I do not know how long with him gently repeating those words. But I knew there was still work to be done before I could truly relax. There was little I could do to force him away - I simply felt too exhausted to fight.
Finally I interrupted him, “It’s hard to focus on much else. You’re kind of squishing my face.”
Silver laughed and moved back, apologizing. “Sorry, but you scared me there. We have many mage parishioners at the church. Even in their most distraught, I’ve never seen that happen before.”
Rubbing my face, I realized Silver was never told. It was not exactly something I advertised, but he deserved to know. Especially after putting himself in danger, which I still thought was stupid.
I said, “I’m an Arcanist. I have to keep my emotions in check or it makes for embarrassing moments like that when they are too strong.”
I could not look at him. Any previous time it had h
appened… it was never this bad before. Not even my most recent episode that Savanas and Doc witnessed.
Silver seemed to leave it as he got up and offered me a hand. “Why don’t I go see if the Admiral is down there and you get some rest?”
I shook my head and shed my coat, tossing it over the back of the nearest chair. It was time to work and I said, “No, he’s looking for me. It probably has something to do with the Arcane College. I wouldn’t mind the company though.” I was not sure if I actually wanted someone with me or not. Normally I was alone, but with everything going on, it was probably safer for someone to have my back. For whatever reason, I decided to trust Silver.
Chapter 15
The second floor was empty. I glanced at the name on the note and followed the signs. Artemis chose to remain in the room on the couch, satisfied the two of us were capable of fending for ourselves. Or at least that was my interpretation.
I was still mentally kicking myself for what happened. Why was I struggling so hard with my control lately? Even with an impatient Archmage breathing down my neck for his requested information, I had never faltered.
I wanted to focus on something else, but this floor was empty. It was late and this floor held conference rooms. Surely meetings would be done by now. It was the best logic I could come up with to keep myself calm.
I was relieved that Silver strode next to me. Though I had to nearly jog to keep up with his long stride.
Tugging at the already loose collar of my sweater, I felt like I had been walking for hours. The room was all the way at the end of a hall that branched off of the far end of the main hall. The long walk only made me more nervous.
Twisted Magics (Terra Chronicles Book 1) Page 15