Much to my amusement, Keenan had reinforced to his people there would be no 'bending of the truth', as Goren had attempted with me – consequently, the Fae were being truthful to the Nth Degree. This absolute truth rule had caused a couple of issues amongst the other groups. As time passed however, the supernatural groups were learning to both live and mix with the Fae and mutual respect appeared to be blossoming.
Today had been another lengthy day of training and I could feel the pounding of another headache behind my temples, a regular occurrence. For the past fortnight since the Fae's arrival, I'd been training every day and Epi was concentrating on my psychic abilities rather than physical battle. Epi was determined that this was where my strengths lay and he wanted me to practice as much as possible with the spirits, bringing more and more of them back and having them work with me. For the past week, we'd been practicing my ability to bring them back solidly, which was the cause of the headaches. I could bring them into being quite swiftly now, within a matter of seconds in most cases, but more than two proved problematical. Both Epi and Keenan seemed positive I could bring more, many more, into solid form, but I had a lot of doubts about my ability in that regard.
My pregnancy seemed to have settled into a normal pattern again, and after three days of measurements Jerome had given me a clean bill of health. We'd reverted to normal checkups, much to my relief. Unfortunately, none of the Fae who'd joined us in Zaen could give Jerome any more advice. I secretly suspected the orb Archangelo had hit me with had caused the sudden boost. Regardless of the reason, the baby was fine and I was incredibly grateful. Jerome was guessing that my due date was likely to be early May, based on scans, but as he grumpily admitted, it was all guess work.
Lucas and I had conducted a private discussion about finding out the sex of the baby and agreed we didn't want to know. I was surprised Lucas didn't already know, but he assured me he had no idea. It seemed kind of fun not knowing and expectation was building amongst the people of Zaen as to whether Conal and I were right in saying it was a boy, or if it would be a girl.
In the meantime, concerns were continuing to mount with regard to Aethelwine joining with the Drâghici. Information provided by the spirits was sketchy and with my fear of sleeping for long, my nightmares were few and far between. Terrified of another confrontation with Archangelo, I slept in short bursts of an hour or so at a time, my body waking me of its own accord on a regular basis. Jerome was certain the anxiety was causing the disrupted sleep pattern, but I was loathe to take anything to make me sleep. I wouldn't take anything which might affect the baby, and I was too frightened of the consequences if I should fall into a deep sleep. There'd only been two occasions in the past fortnight where I'd been subjected to a nightmare, in both instances I'd woken quickly with little chance of gleaning information from what I was seeing.
It was this subject I was mulling over as I walked towards the meeting hall. We'd been training for nearly eight hours and when I'd expressed a wish to go and rest, Epi had been extraordinarily understanding, insisting I stop for the day.
Conal and Nick had remained behind with Arasinya, they not only spent hours each day training in wolf form, but followed up with hours working with Arasinya and Goren in human form, learning to use the weapons. Conal insisted he wanted to be able to defend me in whatever way was necessary to keep me safe.
Keenan and Phelan walked beside me silently, one on either side as we strolled along the street. I was growing used to their constant presence and welcomed the sense of security they gave me. Lucas had been right, and I found it easy to keep them corporeal continually, barely having to think about it. Much to my pleasure, Kazuki hadn't noticed his bodyguards – I'd worried he would be able to see them and would comment about their presence to other people in the city. Matt and Misaki knew he was being protected, but his marking as Nememiah's Child was a closely guarded secret amongst our community. Matt and Misaki, Rowena and Ben, Conal, Epi and I were the only ones who knew the truth. I didn't want to take any chances on someone being captured by the Drâghici, and then being tortured into revealing the information that a second, untainted angel existed. Whether because of his young age, or whether Earl and Lady Wadsworth were remarkably adept at hiding themselves, I didn't know, but Kazuki had shown no awareness of their constant presence.
Climbing the stairs to the meeting hall, I was relishing the thought of putting on some music and trying to sleep for an hour or two. Stopping at the top of the stairs, I turned to Phelan and Keenan. “Listen guys, I'm perfectly safe here. Why don't you take a break and go watch training or something?” As much as I liked their protectiveness, I was sure they were bored out of their minds watching me constantly.
“We must stay with you, Charlotte,” Keenan responded immediately.
I shook my head. “Seriously, Keenan. I've had no warning from the spirits, I'm smack bang in the middle of Zaen. All I'm going to do is try and get some sleep and that must bore you to death.”
Still looking doubtful, Keenan turned to Phelan. “What do you think?”
Phelan shrugged. “You'll call us if you move from here, right?”
I nodded determinedly. “Besides, Conal will probably only be another hour or so and we'll be kicking you out anyway.” It had become a habit for Conal and I to spend an hour or two in my sanctuary each night, a time during which Keenan and Phelan received their marching orders. There was no way I was having them hanging around when I was spending private time with Conal. There was no need for them to be there, Conal would protect me fiercely on his own.
“All right. If Conal does not come back within the hour, you call us back straight away,” Keenan ordered.
“I will,” I promised. Waving goodbye, I pushed open the door to the empty meeting hall and stomped tiredly up the stairs.
Selecting some music, I put a CD into the player. I was exhausted, every muscle aching with fatigue. Perhaps that explained why Epi had been agreeable to me stopping – my efforts with the spirits had been particularly unsuccessful for the past hour or so.
Slumping onto the couch, I pushed a cushion under my head and drew a blanket over my legs, closing my eyes with a grateful sigh.
Only minutes passed when I heard footsteps and I sat up, wondering if it was Conal. The footsteps didn't sound familiar though, they were lighter and I saw Blane coming up the stairwell.
“Hello, Charlotte.” He was tall like his brother, his hair dark pulled back in the familiar Fae ponytail.
“Hi Blane, come on in.” It wasn't uncommon for Blane to come visit with me. I knew he was lonely with his wife and child stuck in the Fae Realm and we'd struck up a fledgling friendship. He was softly spoken, his face thin and finely featured. “What's up?”
Blane cocked his head to one side. “Nothing is 'up' as you put it.” He dropped onto the couch beside me, his hands clasped in his lap. “You humans have funny terms for things. Why would something be up in the air?”
I chuckled. “It's just an expression.” Since meeting Blane, I'd discovered he was exceedingly literal, even for a Fae, and he found it difficult to comprehend everyday human phraseology. “Did you want to speak to me?”
He shrugged a little, his violet eyes filled with a sadness which never really left. “I was looking for… company. I thought I would come and visit you and your spirit friends.”
“Then you're out of luck, I'm afraid. It's only me tonight, at least until Conal finishes training.”
Blane looked around the room curiously. “Keenan and Phelan are not here?” He was glancing around as if he expected to see them, though I knew perfectly well he couldn't.
“I think they get bored with me. I sent them off for an hour while I tried to have a sleep.”
Some emotion flared in Blane's eyes as he looked at me and I struggled to identify it. Regret? Sorrow?
Before I'd had a chance to further analyze the thought, Blane shook his head sadly, reaching into the front of his leather tunic. “I can't tell you how much I r
egret you telling me that, Charlotte.”
I had no chance to question his comment, before Blane withdrew a syringe from his tunic and jabbed it firmly into my arm.
“What are you doing?” I shrieked. I knew the answer almost instantly, when a numbing effect pumped through my veins and I stared at him groggily. “Blane…” I swiftly lost the ability to articulate words and slumped back against the couch.
Blane leaned over, his expression filled with remorse. “I apologize, Charlotte. If there was any other way… I would have taken it. But they have my wife and child and will kill them if I don't deliver you. I had no choices left to me.”
My eyes were heavy and I blinked with difficulty, trying to think with an increasingly sluggish mind. I should try and escape, try to protect myself and the baby, but I was so tired, so very tired and I couldn't seem to get my limbs to move.
I watched Blane long enough to see him creating a portal before I closed my eyes and lost consciousness.
About the Author
Wife and mother to four demanding young adults, D.S. Williams started writing at the age of five, when life was simpler and her stories really didn't need to make sense. When you're five, 'happily ever after' always ends the story and how you got there? Well, that didn't matter so much.
An extreme introvert, D.S. Williams has created her own worlds to exist in, found friends among her characters and traveled the Earth from the safety of her laptop keyboard.
D.S. Williams enjoys writing (obviously), reading (voraciously) and making lists (obsessively). She's enjoyed a lifelong addiction to foods starting with 'ch' - cheesecake, chocolate and chips - and when it comes to books, she loves a multitude of genres and authors.
She shares her life with her beloved husband of twenty-nine years, the Gang of Four and the current furry residents, Tuppence the Groodle and Angus the Bull Mastiff.
Dear reader,
Thank you for taking time to read The Knowledge of Love. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
The Knowledge of Love Page 39