Looking at the note in my hand again and then the name on the door, I reluctantly knocked, barely making any sound. Being this nervous was not good given what happened.
The door opened and a female Halfling glared up at me. She wore a Navy uniform, but I could not remember what the bands on her sleeves meant for rank. Opening the door further, she allowed us to enter.
“Good of you to come, though I expected you to be alone.” The Admiral stood at a table off to the side of the room. His collar was loose and his tie was undone. Pouring himself a drink, he said, “Doesn’t really matter at this stage I suppose. Oh, and don’t mind those two - I can’t seem to take a piss without an escort. I’m surprised they didn’t follow me upstairs at your office. Come, have a seat. Drink?”
Entering into the room, I looked around - it was empty except for the hotel’s furniture. A male dwarf sat stood on the other side of the door at attention. This room looked as if to be more for relaxing and entertaining a small party than for a meeting.
Doing as requested, I sat down on the couch closest to the door, feeling all eyes in the room on me. I said, “No, thank you, sir.”
“A polite Arcane College mage. You must be the exception,” the Admiral mused. Swirling the amber liquid around in his glass, he looked briefly to Silver before turning his attention back to me. “Captain Greaves has told me how forthcoming you were aboard the Traverse with previously unknown information about the Arcane College.”
Forcing myself not to retreat from the imposing man in front of me, I fidgeted with my hands.
Silver’s hand gently slid into mine and squeezed. Why did he have to touch me so often? The sensation was uncomfortable, but it helped ground me while I waited for the Admiral to continue. I would have to later speak with Silver about personal space.
The Admiral said flatly, “I need you to explain the Arcane College’s behavior. I need you to tell me why they changed their tune, claiming he was a rogue mage they demoted and were trying to recall him. They shut up pretty damn quick when I told them you had solid evidence he was responsible.”
“Demoted?” I caught onto that first. I retreated into my own thoughts for a moment.
They let mages at lower ranks go if they did not improve their rank within a certain period of time and while there was the rare case of a Human Researcher gaining an actual rank, it never went backwards.
Realizing the Admiral was waiting for me to continue, I tried to explain my confusion. “Rank is tied to ability. There’s never been a demotion. They’ve let a liaison be arrested without stepping in before, but never an Archmage.”
“Sounds like we have more questions than answers still,” the Admiral grumbled. Tossing back the last of his drink, he grimaced. “It’s odd - I genuinely believe you are telling me the truth. Think I need to blame Ed for that. It’s hard to impress that cranky old bastard. Not to mention what your Director says.”
“Thank you, sir.” What else should I say? I assumed for the moment Ed and Captain Greaves were the same person. As for what Vince was saying about me, I still wondered, but I had something of an idea given my conversation with him before I departed.
The Admiral waved his hand at us, saying, “Alright, get out of here. You two probably need rest. I’m certainly calling it a night.”
I stood up quickly, I might have fallen back down if I was not so short because Silver had not released my hand. Reclaiming it, I quickly bowed to the Admiral and exited the door being held open for us. Should I report this to Savanas?
Standing in the hallway, I realized I was lost on what to do next. Do I report this conversation? I know I needed to report my latest incident still, but surely she must have gone home to get some rest by now. I did not want to chance disturbing her with either issue and resolved to mention both when I saw her in the morning.
“Come on, let’s go eat.” Silver tugged my arm, leading me away from the conference room door.
~*~
The trek down to the main floor was quiet. My mind was still on the Arcane College’s behavior. It simply made no sense. Why hide that he was an Archmage? Brown claimed to be a Magister before the case even existed. How long had he been hiding under the Magister’s rank outside of the Arcane College? And why? Most flaunted their rank.
The Admiral was right in there were now more questions than answers. I just did not know where to start.
Silver stopped and I bumped into his back, not paying attention to my surroundings. I quickly said, “I’m sorry…”
A female Human reporter before us was the actual reason for the pause. She started asking before we could continue, “Are you two members of the TIO? Can I ask you some questions?”
Looking around, I noticed a few other heads turned in our direction, curious. I shrank back at the attention - this could be bad.
Silver said calmly, “I am a Paladin of the Holy Church of the Sun, ma’am.”
“Oh?” She seemed confused, and said, “I’m sorry. I must have heard the rumors wrong.”
Silver gave her a disarming smile, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, and replied, “Not a problem, but if you would excuse my lady friend and I, we have had a very long day and just want a quiet meal.”
I was too confused by what was going on to squirm out of his loose hold. His wording got stuck in my head and I kept trying to make sense of it. Among other questions forming I wanted to ask.
It was not until we were seated in a corner of the restaurant that I spoke. “Did you just lie to that reporter?”
Silver picked up his menu, not fazed by my question. “No, I said what I was. Just because I’m a consultant doesn’t make me a part of the TIO. I didn’t say anything about you.”
It was a fine line he walked with that. Apparently the idea of a paladin I had was incorrect. Or perhaps Silver was unique. Though, I suppose I could use the same logic as I was technically just a liaison.
I chided, “Could you not make it sound like we’re a couple next time?”
“Did I?” Silver asked, a broad grin on his face. I was going to blame Lockonis and Melody for sticking the idea in my head. Otherwise I probably would not have taken notice of his wording.
Eying him carefully for a moment, I had a feeling his grin meant he was up to no good.
I picked up the menu in front of me. I was actually quite hungry, which might partially explain the headache.
Then Silver slid along the semi-circular bench seat. Once he was next to me, he put his arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear. “We’re supposed to be a couple, right? Seems like a good cover. I always wanted to try that from the books I’ve read.”
I stiffened at his touch and said, “That’s a bit much, don’t you think? Look, let’s just eat and then get some rest. It’s been a long day and I really don’t want a repeat of earlier.”
After quickly squeezing my shoulder, his arm disappeared and he grinned apologetically. He said, “You have a point. Does that happen regularly?”
“I’ve never had that strong of a reaction before. Usually it’s small enough that no one notices and even those are rare. I try to keep my emotions in check.” I had been going over the menu and did not realize until I said it. I hoped he let it drop. I was just glad I did not mentioned the reaction Savanas and Doc witnessed.
Silver’s blue eyes were on the menu in front of him and said nothing. Following his example, I went back to finding something to order. There were too many options that sounded good.
The waiter was back a couple of minutes later.
Silver looked at me as soon as the waiter was gone. Picking up my hand, he first kissed the back of it before holding it to his cheek. I opened my mouth to tell him to knock it off, but something in his face made me hold my tongue.
It took a moment, but I realized Silver was using the motion to hide from the rest of the room as he used the menu before.
“I think it may in part have something to do with your exposure to the strong emotions coming from the so
uls. You had a lot more exposure and to a much stronger version than Rathal, and he’s still struggling with the after effects,” Silver said.
“But I can see and understand what is going on. All it did was give me a headache. What about you? If it had divine components, shouldn’t it also affect you?” I shot back, keeping my voice down. And why did I not think about that until now? It also meant Retanei was affected.
Silver locked his blue eyes with mine and explained, “No, it wasn’t just giving you a headache. I saw what it was doing to you. Retanei saw it. Everyone else has been worried since your last exposure. You try to keep control of your emotions, which is why you’ve been able to hold on for so long. However, you were tired and in pain and I inadvertently triggered a reaction, which I am truly sorry about.”
I did not know how to react to Silver’s attitude. I was also trying to figure out what I was missing. I looked down at the patch of silver hair on his chin. It was easier to focus on.
Silver backed off and admitted, “As for me, yes, but not as much as those of you who are arcane sensitive. I fear mine is a little harder to explain, but I usually have enough discipline to handle it.”
What he said made a lot of sense. Which was absolutely frightening. If I lost control, I could not imagine the damage I could cause. Looking Silver in the eye again, I asked, “Why didn’t you stay away when I told you to?” Why throw yourself on a grenade? I tried to push back the memories of other times I panicked and lost control - it would only make matters worse.
Blue eyes were searching for something. Silver said, “I couldn’t leave you like that. And, I don’t think you would actually hurt me - even if it was unintentional. I tend to pick up on little things, which works well when dealing with people at the church. However, from the moment I saw you… well, my protective side can be obnoxious.”
Silver’s thumb was rubbing the back of my hand and it bothered me incessantly, but I dared not move and draw attention to our table. I simply was the type that did not like to be touched.
At least he understood his actions it seemed. Though, it reminded me of something I wanted to ask him. “You said something before, when we were at the crime scene…” I paused to recall the statement. “Not wanting to see the pain about me worsen.”
Silver’s face changed to surprise and he looked away for a moment, taking a sip of water. “I’m still not sure I understand it. After witnessing what you were previously exposed to, it made a little more sense. There’s something around you, dark. Rathal has something similar, but not nearly as strong. When I first saw you, I saw it too. It was such a contrast to how you were treating Artemis that I knew it couldn’t be normal - who you were. Once I looked past that, I could see the pain it was causing you.”
And that likely was what got his protective side going. I asked, “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Silver still would not look at me. “I didn’t know what to say at first. When I finally had some kind of grasp of what was happening, well, we were too involved in investigation. When Savanas requested a meeting in the conference room, I brought it up. That was when she told me to add watching you to my duties. Though I had already taken that upon myself.”
It might explain why I was struggling with my control. Then I realized Silver still held my hand. Looking at our joined hands, I knew pulling away at this point would only draw attention to our table. My hand seemed so small and fragile in comparison. I was much shorter than him, but…
It continued to bother me that I was being treated as if I were glass. Why had Savanas not told me?
I thought about calling her and asking, but Silver’s attention turned back to me. His thumb continued to rub the back of my hand and I pulled away. I did not care what attention it might draw.
~*~
By the time we returned upstairs, I still had not figured out a way to politely tell Silver to not touch me. Perhaps because I could not deny that his presence earlier helped me regain control. Maybe it was an ability of his? Savanas said something early on about trying to keep the two of us close together.
Then I briefly wondered if she had the power to see the future.
Cleaning up, my mind went over why being touched bothered me so much. By the time I was done, I still had not come up with a logical reason for it now. Not where I knew people would not hurt me.
Silver was not in the common area and I figured he needed to perform evening prayers or something. I had capitalized on his time without much thought to the rituals he was used to performing.
As I rounded the doorway into my bedroom, I saw Artemis sprawled out on the foot of the bed. She perked her head up for a moment, but went back to her resting position.
Walking further into the room, Silver sat in a chair by the desk - he was cleaning out my brush. His own hair down and out of its customary braid - it created a silver waterfall. “Don’t worry, I didn’t use your brush.”
I pulled the towel holding the length of my hair tighter around my neck, backing away. Silver did not belong in here. I told him, “You should go.”
Silver raised his hands to indicate being harmless, he strode toward me. He said, “Relax, Ketayl. I’m experienced in a few different healing arts. Some are not magic-based.”
My back hit the wall, and my fear was only waylaid by my curiosity. I blurted out, “I don’t like being touched.”
Artemis sat up and looked at me. She cocked her head to the side, but I did not understand the unspoken question. Would she help me get out of this?
Silver paused and took a step back. He commented, “That explains a lot. You could have told me sooner.”
I looked away from him and said, “You should go get some rest. I’ll be fine.”
Artemis jumped off the bed and nosed her way behind my legs, pushing me away from the wall. What was the wolf trying to do?
Silver took over and nudged me toward the chair at the desk. He explained, “I know you have been having headaches and you need to be able to get a good rest. I used to do this for Maria. It helped her to get some sleep even on the nights of her worst migraines. I’m sure you can tolerate me for a bit if it means a better chance of not having a reaction.”
Once I was seated, Artemis sat at my feet with her head on my lap. Absently I started to pet her with one hand, but kept a firm grasp on my towel with the other.
Eventually Silver pried the towel out of my hand. Maybe he would give up once he realized the work ahead - I had not even dried it yet. The back of my mind reminded me of how long his own hair was and quickly gave up the notion.
Silver used his fingers to gently pull the biggest tangles apart. “You have such long, beautiful hair. A shame you always keep it up.”
I worked in a lab most of the time - up was a necessary thing. Even before that, it was more prudent to keep it up as it gave people less to grab hold of. Some of the mages I dealt with were violent and escape was easier without a tail.
I tried to change the subject, “What happened to Maria?”
“Brain tumor. By the time she got leave from the Elders to go see a doctor, it was too late. She suffered for many years, but she was such a strong person and tried to fight her way through it. There are unfortunately some things that our magic cannot heal,” Silver stated so matter-of-fact it threw me off.
I asked, “They won’t let you see regular doctors?”
Granted, the Arcane College was the same way. They had alchemists, but unless it was life threatening, we were to deal with it on our own.
“No. I’m afraid most of the Elders still adhere to the old ways. I may be the same age as many of them, but I do not see the purpose in holding onto ideals so outdated they endanger people’s lives. Perhaps the next generation will not be so blind.”
Silver started brushing my hair from the bottom, trying to pull as little as possible. I was not so gentle when I did it myself.
“I can dry it. It would only take a moment,” I offered.
Silver never paused i
n his work and said, “No, you need to reserve your strength.”
I crossed my arms under my chest and sat still. My eyes glued to a point on the wall. Fine, Silver could brush my hair. At least then it was one less thing I needed to take care of.
It had been a while since someone else brushed my hair. Normally I would not let anyone else near me, though Mother insisted on trimming my hair about once a year.
Why was I even letting him? Because we had similar pasts? Because I felt that some give on my part to help ease the transition to working within the TIO would help him? Because so far he had been open and honest with me? Because I felt I owed him after the danger he put himself in?
But Silver was not a member of the TIO. After this, he would return to his church and normal way of life.
I fidgeted, pulling the strap of my tank top up that slid down my shoulder. The mint green pajama set was a gift from Mother. I found I missed her right now. Her wisdom was something I came to rely on. I made a mental note to call her as soon as I got back to the main office.
Needing to break the silence, I asked, “Are you considered an Elder?” Age often defined status, but an Elf among Humans who had not even reached the age of true adulthood…
“No. The Elders at the Central Seat did not wish me to walk the path of a paladin, but my mentor’s father fought their initial decision saying the paladin order would die out if we did not accept those who showed genuine interest, even if they were not Human. I would certainly never be allowed to sit as an Elder,” Silver said, his voice even.
I wished for a mirror so I could watch Silver. At least it would beat staring at the wall. Considering it, I reached for my tablet, needing something to do.
Silver moved it out of my reach and chided, “No more work right now. Savanas’ orders if you will.”
Crossing my arms again, I stared back at the wall. Being ganged up on like this was unfair and to have even Artemis work against me…
“You certainly are a stubborn one,” he laughed. “Too bad you don’t live in the area. It would be nice to get to know you when you aren’t trying to work yourself into the ground.”
Twisted Magics (Terra Chronicles Book 1) Page 16