Web of Truth (Cadicle #4): An Epic Space Opera Series

by DuBoff, Amy

  Footsteps sounded behind the door and a deadbolt unlocked. The door cracked open.

  “Oh shi—” The occupant tried to slam the door shut.

  Wil quickly extended his hand and foot, augmented by telekinesis, to keep the door from closing. “Jonah Andres?”

  The person inside pushed back against the door telekinetically, keeping it in the same cracked position. “What do you want?”

  “I’m Saera Alexander,” she stated. That’ll either help or make this more difficult.

  After a moment, the door swung open the rest of the way. Jonah Andres shared his son’s pale blue eyes and medium brown hair, though his features were more rugged. He evaluated them, surrounded by a hum of electromagnetic energy. “So you made it to the TSS,” he stated, focusing on Saera.

  “Yes, and now I have some questions.”

  Jonah shifted his attention to Wil. “Why the Agent escort?”

  “Not an escort, exactly,” Wil replied. “May we come in?”

  “I suspect I don’t have a choice.” Jonah stepped back into the entryway to allow them through the door, scrutinizing Wil. “You’re young for an Agent. Did you just graduate?”

  Wil examined the interior of the house, his gaze resting on some childhood photos of Michael hanging on the wall. “No, it’s been almost five years. I was sixteen.”

  Jonah chuckled. “Right.”

  “How long has it been since you left the TSS?” Wil continued.

  “About twenty-five years,” Jonah replied. He headed for the adjacent living room.

  Saera crossed her arms. Just a few years before I was born. How did he end up here with me?

  Wil followed him. “Do you recall a trainee named Cris Sights?”

  Jonah smiled. “Of course! Anyone who shot straight to Junior Agent is hard to forget.”

  “Well, I’m his son. Wil.”

  Jonah sunk into the beige microfiber couch facing a set of dark brown plush chairs. “Oh.” He thought for a moment. “You really did graduate at sixteen, didn’t you?”

  Wil nodded and sat down across from him in one of the chairs. “But that’s not why we’re here. It seems our lives have intersected.”

  Probably more than the Priesthood ever intended. Saera took a deep breath, still lingering in the entryway. “Wil is Michael’s trainer at the TSS.”

  Jonah perked up. “Really? I’m surprised someone on such an accelerated path would be assigned as an instructor.”

  “There’s more to it than that,” Wil countered. “What do you know of the Jotun division?”

  From across the room, Saera sensed Jonah’s mental assessment of Wil before it passed to her. She kept her mind guarded. If he was sent here to spy on me, there’s no knowing where his allegiance lays.

  Jonah’s brow furrowed with frustration, having been unable to glean any insight to the deeper meaning of Wil’s question. “I know it exists.”

  “And what about the rift?” Wil pressed.

  “I never told anyone, okay?” Jonah’s face flushed.

  That’s an interesting reaction. Saera rushed over to the living room and sat down in the chair next to Wil. “We’re not accusing you of anything. We’re just trying to figure out how an Agent ended up on Earth with an assignment to watch over a little girl.”

  Jonah’s eyes widened.

  Saera stared him down. “I know about my mother.”

  “What about her?” Jonah asked, on edge.

  “That she was sent here to have a daughter with a specific man—my father. And having a former Agent living one block away is too big of a coincidence in any matter regarding the Priesthood.”

  Jonah gazed down at his hands folded in his lap. He swallowed. “You’ve had contact with your mother?”

  Saera nodded. “Yes, we have something resembling a relationship now.”

  “And you’re a Junior Agent, it looks like, so you’ve been through disclosure,” Jonah continued.

  He’s trying to gauge how freely we can talk. “I know about the real war with the Bakzen in the rift,” Saera cut in.

  “It’s common knowledge within the TSS now,” Wil explained. “The secret was doing more harm than good.”

  Jonah scoffed. “At least they finally listened to reason.”

  “I took the disclosure upon myself,” Wil clarified. “I wouldn’t say TSS Command or the Priesthood were happy about it.”

  “And you’re still alive?” Jonah breathed, incredulous.

  “I get more leeway than most. We’re not here about me, though,” Wil said. “Why are you here on Earth, and what do you know about Saera and her mother?”

  Jonah sighed. “That requires some context. I was in Primus Command, as you probably saw in my file. My role was a liaison between TSS Command and the different divisions. It was my responsibility to facilitate resource allocations.”

  “There isn’t a position like that anymore, as far as I know,” Wil stated. “Your file didn’t list an assignment.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Jonah said. “It was sort of an experimental role. One that didn’t go well. I had spent two years in the Jotun Division, so I understood the toll of the war. Supplies were tight, morale was terrible, and we were on a clear path to defeat. In my vantage as liaison, I identified that the morale problem, at least, would be mitigated by full disclosure of the war within the TSS. The biggest issues stemmed from new Jotun recruits trying to wrap their heads around the war. It made them unpredictable and ineffective.”

  “That was my reasoning, as well,” Wil said.

  Jonah shook his head. “Well, when I brought up the idea of disclosure twenty-some years ago, Command shot it down. I pressed the issue, wanting to know why maintaining secrecy was so important. Essentially, the response was ‘because the Priesthood said so.’”

  “Naturally,” Wil muttered. “There’s something deeper than the war that I’ve been trying to uncover for years.”

  “Command may know, but I don’t expect to ever get a straight answer,” Jonah replied.

  Wil scoffed. “It never ends.”

  And I’m part of that master plan. Saera leaned forward. “The Priesthood is creepy and manipulative—we know that already. Now how did you go from a TSS liaison to being retired here on Earth?”

  “‘Marooned’ is more like it,” Jonah groaned.

  “They just dropped you here, or what?” prompted Wil.

  “Well,” Jonah continued, “after several conversations related to disclosing the war, I was told my services as liaison would no longer be required.”

  Wil raised an eyebrow. “By Banks?”

  “It was a joint conversation with him and Taelis, though it was pretty clear the order came down from their superiors at the Priesthood,” Jonah explained. “They said they had another assignment for me. I was to establish myself here on Earth, and in a few years I would need to help a woman start a life here.”

  “Mary Alexander?” Saera asked.

  Jonah nodded. “So, the TSS dropped me off here with only a subspace radio for communications and enough money to buy a condo and start to blend in. I didn’t understand why they sent me here—if they wanted me out of the way, throwing me out an airlock would have been much easier. Left with no other choice, I found a place to live and waited. Sure enough, three years later a woman showed up at my door. I knew right away that she had abilities, and she had the look of someone noble-born. She never talked much about her former life, but I got the impression she’d been forced into her assignment as much as I had.”

  Years of preparation, all to make sure Wil had his perfect partner. “Her orders were to locate my father and have a daughter with him.”

  “I figured as much,” Jonah acknowledged. “My contact with her was limited once I helped her get her bearings. I was already living with Michael’s mother by the time Mary arrived. We said she was an old college friend, or something. Then you were born, Saera, and I thought that would be the end of it. But when your mother disappeared and
left you with your father, an acolyte from the Priesthood contacted me and said I was to watch over you—make sure you didn’t hurt yourself if your abilities emerged at a young age. We moved here to be close to you, and it was easy to befriend your family since Michael was about the same age as you.”

  Saera crossed her arms. “That seems like a waste of an Agent.”

  “It does,” Wil concurred. “Given how the Priesthood seems to handle those matters, I’d have expected you to get assigned a suicide run in the rift.”

  “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it,” Jonah said. “The only reasoning that makes sense is efficiency of resources. They wanted me out of the way, but Agents are in too short of supply to completely discard. Since it would take an Agent to recognize the emergence of abilities, assigning me here was an opportunity to maintain oversight of you, Saera, while getting some use out of an Agent who was otherwise a problem. And of course, there was the added bonus of potentially getting another child with abilities out of the deal.”

  “And let me guess,” Wil speculated, “for motivation—aside from the chance to live—there was a threat to your family if you didn’t cooperate?”

  Jonah nodded. “I’m an only child, but I had my parents and aunt’s family back home on Corela to think about. Then I met my wife here on Earth… I’d never intended to have a child, but she wanted a family. As soon as Michael born, I was reminded of my commitment to the TSS and Priesthood. As long as I kept quiet, Michael would be admitted to the TSS when he came of age and would have the chance to explore his abilities. If I talked, we’d all be killed—or so they told me. It was an easy decision.”

  Saera’s brow furrowed. “That couldn’t have come from the TSS! Banks would never threaten an Agent like that.” Would he?

  “No, that was straight from the Priesthood. Most of the communications were an email or radio call, but sometimes I’d see one of the acolytes watching me from a distance.” Jonah shrank inward. “They’re probably listening to this conversation right now.”

  “You haven’t said anything that violates the terms of your arrangement,” Wil assured him. “The Priesthood will have to answer to me if any harm comes to you as a result.”

  Jonah studied him, struck by such a brazen statement. “Who are you?”

  “I’m the person this was all about,” Wil stated with a level of objective calmness only achievable after years of coming to terms. “The Cadicle—the Priesthood’s tool to end their secret war. And Saera was created as my ideal partner.”

  Jonah sat in stunned silence for a minute, his blue eyes shifting between Wil and Saera. “I’d tried to think of an explanation, but I could never make all of the pieces fit. That…”

  “It’s crazy enough to be true,” Wil said and took Saera’s hand across the gap between the chairs.

  The facts of our lives that change our perception but could never undermine what we feel for each other. “The more we look around, the more we realize how many people have been manipulated along with us,” Saera said.

  Jonah hung his head. “At least it was all for a purpose. I had started to think maybe it was just a bizarre punishment.”

  “I wouldn’t count out that option. It feels that way to me sometimes, too,” Wil admitted. “Still, I have no choice but to keep moving forward.”

  “Where does the group you’re training come in?” Jonah asked.

  “My officers,” Wil replied. “To help me win the war.”

  “Michael… He’s well?” Jonah asked.

  Wil nodded. “He is. I’m fortunate to have him as my second-in-command.”

  Jonah smiled. “I was worried when he joined the TSS—knowing how it ended for me. But, I could never train him here. It’s what he needed. I’m glad he’s in good hands.”

  Saera squeezed Wil’s hand. “He is. The group is the talk of the TSS.”

  Fatherly pride filled Jonah’s eyes. “I hope I can see him again soon.”

  Wil paused. “You know, with the war common knowledge within the TSS now, I can likely reverse your assignment to Earth, if you want to go elsewhere.”

  “I don’t feel like I’d belong anywhere else at this point,” Jonah said with a shrug.

  “Well, we can always use more instructors, if you’d like to return to Headquarters,” Wil offered.

  “I’ll think about it,” Jonah replied. “Maybe after it’s no longer just about training soldiers for war.”

  “Okay.” Wil rose. “Thank you for speaking with us.”

  Saera stood alongside Wil as Jonah got to his feet. All those years he was just as trapped as me. He had no idea what was going on in my life, but because of him and Michael at least I wasn’t completely alone. “Thank you for trying to look out for me.”

  Jonah frowned. “I wish I could have done more after your mom left. Told you what was going on…”

  “You did what you could, under the circumstances,” Saera said, taking Wil’s hand. At least I’ll never have to feel alone again.

  CHAPTER 18

  Saera pulled off to the side of the street in front of her light blue, two-story house. The yard was still barren in the late-winter weather, but the hedge was trimmed and the porch looked freshly painted. Home sweet home. Haven’t we been over enough history for one day?

  She turned off the car. “We can still turn back.”

  “Nonsense. We’re going in,” Wil declared, unbuckling his seatbelt.

  “Okay,” conceded Saera. She dragged herself out of the car.

  The mid-March air was still blustery, though the snow had melted from the ground. Saera shoved her hands in her pockets as she took in the home from her childhood. She eyed her old bedroom in the upper left with a shudder.

  “Come on,” Wil urged.

  Saera swallowed and led the way up the concrete path to the broad front porch. It was just as she remembered, with the same empty planter boxes and faded welcome mat. She took a deep breath and knocked on the front door.

  After a minute, she heard the click of a latch and the door swung open.

  “Hi, dad.”

  Her father stared at her, his hazel eyes wide and his lips parted. The flecks of gray in his dark brown hair were gone, which certainly meant he’d started dyeing it. “Saera… I didn’t believe you’d actually come.” It was the same deep voice Saera remembered from her youth, always touched with an air of authority from his time in the military.

  Saera forced down the lump in her throat. “It was time to come back for a visit.” She reached for Wil’s hand next to her. “This is my fiancé, Wil. And Wil, this is my dad, Steven.”

  “Hello,” Wil greeted and extended his hand.

  Her father shook Wil’s hand, tense with discomfort. “How long have you been engaged?”

  “A couple years,” Saera replied. “It’s a long story.”

  “I suspect there are several of those.” Steven stepped back inside and opened the door wider. “Come in, we’re letting all the heat out.”

  Saera followed him inside with Wil close behind. So many memories… I’ve changed, but will it still be the same here?

  The entry was just like she’d last seen it, down to the red shoe bench at the foot of the stairs and freestanding coat rack topped with a hat her father never wore.

  “Everyone’s out at the moment,” Steven explained. “We weren’t sure what time you would be by, so mom and Ashley went grocery shopping for dinner. Daniel should be here later, along with Brianna and the baby.”

  “Wait, Bri had a baby?” That was terrifying news. From Saera’s vantage, her older sister was one of the least nurturing people imaginable.

  Her father nodded. “Eight months ago. A boy, Brandon.”

  Definitely not the same. “And Daniel?”

  “He’s been in and out of jobs since he dropped out of college.” Steven shook his head with exasperation. “I wish he’d just enlist… he needs some structure.”

  Saera nodded. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

&nbs
p; “Ashley is still here with us, of course. She’s a freshman this year.”

  That was almost a crazier notion than Bri being a mother. Last time Saera had seen her younger sister she was in elementary school. She shook free of the disorientation and noticed that her father was observing Wil with reserved guard.

  “Where have you been, Saera?” Steven asked, not taking his eyes off Wil.

  “A military academy,” Saera replied. It was as close to the truth as she could come. Discussing the TSS with the uninitiated human population—even family—would only complicate matters.

  Steven scoffed. “So you said before. What branch?”

  “That’s classified,” Wil answered.

  “Of course. A secret branch of the military that recruits young teenagers,” Steven stated, the skepticism thick in his tone.

  There’s no way to explain. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Actually, I think it’s pretty important,” countered Steven. “You all but disappeared for six years.”

  Saera’s eyes narrowed behind her tinted glasses. “You sent me away.”

  “To boarding school! That’s hardly whatever cult you got wrapped up in.”

  “You think I’m in a cult?”

  Her father crossed his arms. “You’re wearing sunglasses indoors on a cloudy day. It’s either a cult or drugs—or both.”

  “Well, it’s neither.” Saera held back a groan. “I should have taken you up on that offer to get contacts,” Saera telepathically said to Wil. Lenses to mute the glow to their eyes would have helped dodge some of the questions, at least.

  “Just part of the uniform for your secret military program?” Steven continued.

  Saera sighed loudly.

  Her father shook his head. “Right.” He glanced toward the living room. “Let’s sit down. Do you want anything to drink?”

  Very badly, but not the sort he’s asking about. “Tea?”

  “And for you, Wil?” Steven asked.

  “Sure, same. Thank you,” he replied.

  Steven nodded. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be right in.”

  Saera trudged into the living room adjacent to the entry. The dark wood floor was covered in an ornate oriental rug positioned between two gray microfiber sofas. Saera selected the couch with the best vantage of the front door and patted the seat for Wil to sit next to her.