“Great!” He turned to Valentina and helped her down the ramp as she was still unsettled by the trip between. “We should probably be getting you home, Val.”
“Yes, you’re right. I hadn’t expected to be gone so long. Thank you, Mrs. Stel, for the use of your telepod today and in advance for tomorrow. Do you think you’ll be accompanying us tomorrow, as well?”
“Oh, I doubt it.” She smiled to take away any insult from her quick answer. “Shall we go inside?”
“Sure! I can’t wait to tell you about my adventures at work today.”
“Ugh, not more about the engineering of another telepod!” Amanda half-heartedly teased her husband. He knew she had almost no interest in the workings of the aircraft, even if she did enjoy his innovations to her telepod.
“It’s too bad Juila isn’t here to enjoy it and ask intelligent questions,” Riccan joked back.
“I wouldn’t mind hearing about what’s new in the telepod industry,” Willian chimed in from behind them.
“Maybe some other time when you’re not pressed for time,” Riccan agreed. He opened the garage door leading into the kitchen and paused in alarm when he heard voices inside the house. Nobody should be home. “Wait here!” he whispered back to the others standing still behind him.
Riccan cautiously and silently entered the house. He paused just out of view of anyone in the kitchen and realized it was his daughter’s voice he had heard. With a joyous shout, he called out, “Jena! When did you get home?” He trotted forward and spotted Behn and Juila also sitting at the island with Jena. “Hey, the whole gang is here! What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
Hearing Riccan’s statements, the others in the garage knew it was safe to go inside. The three entered the kitchen just as Jena began to reply.
She shut her mouth as soon as she spotted Willian and Valentina walking into the room. Expecting to find unease within herself, she was pleasantly surprised to realize she really was okay with Willian and Valentina being a couple. They looked good together: happy. “You guys were gone a long time. Is everything okay in Manzanit?”
“How did you know where we were?” Amanda asked curiously.
“Behn told us about Willian and Valentina’s trip, and we put two and two together,” she answered with an offhanded shrug.
“Too smart for your own good!” Riccan stated as he tugged Jena’s hair playfully.
“Don’t blame me! I got it from you!”
“Ouch! I think I’ve been offended!” Amanda teased.
“Come on, Val, we should get out before there’s bloodshed!” Willian grabbed Valentina’s hand to hurry her along.
“I’m going to head home, too,” Behn announced as he hopped off of the barstool between the twins.
“I’ll walk you out,” Juila offered, slipping off her own stool.
The two couples left while the rest remained in the kitchen.
Jena pointed to the answering machine and said, “Someone named Jasmine left you an urgent message. Something about a Dr. Gascon. I wrote it all down, but the message is still on the machine if you want to hear it.”
Amanda was instantly on alert. This could not be good news, so she hurried over to the piece of paper and read the transcript of the call. She thrust the paper at her husband and declared, “Oh, Riccan, this is bad. What are we going to do?”
He scanned the note and pursed his lips in concentration. “We should call her back and get more details. Do you have her cell phone number?”
“Yes, it’s on my speed dial.” She dug in her purse and pulled out the phone. She held it out to Riccan and said, “Here. Press the three button. I’m too upset to do it myself.”
“What is it, Mom? Who’s Jasmine?”
“She was the doctor who treated me while I was in my coma. Now she’s treating Neal to help him through his ordeal concerning Tuala. She’s read my journal of my time there, and she believes us. Neal was being treated by Dr. Gascon before we broke him out of Creedmoor and brought him home.”
“I already knew about your involvement,” Jena said impatiently. “Jasmine said something about a bug. What’s wrong with bugs?”
Amanda had to chuckle at Jena’s confusion, even though it was not even remotely funny. “It’s a term we use for a listening device. He left an electronic device in her office to hear her conversations with Neal, myself, or anyone else who comes into her office.” Her explanation suddenly made her nervous, thinking if he were going to such an extreme, then it was possible he had done the same thing inside their house. After all, they did have staff coming and going intermittently.
Turning to Riccan to discuss her fear, she swallowed her remark when Riccan began talking on the phone.
“Hey, Jasmine. This is Riccan Stel. Is this a good time to talk?”
Amanda could hear a faint voice as the phone was being held to Riccan’s ear. She motioned rapidly and was pleased when Riccan understood her sign language. Once Riccan hit the speakerphone button, they were all able to listen to both sides of the conversation.
“…now. I just got home, but I’m still in my car. Do you think it’s s…” Jasmine stopped talking.
“Jasmine? Are you afraid your car might be bugged as well as your home?”
“Yes. I just thought of it as I was talking. What should I do?”
“I’m coming over. I should be able to help,” Riccan offered. “What’s your address?”
She gave him the address which Riccan hurriedly wrote down. After hanging up the phone, Riccan grabbed his car keys and began walking toward the other garage where the cars were parked.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Amanda demanded as she grabbed his arm and stopped him.
“You heard me; I’m going to see Jasmine.”
Amanda leaned close and whispered in his ear, “What if Dr. Gascon has done the same thing here in our house? I don’t feel safe here anymore!”
Thinking back on the break-in they had had recently where nothing of real value was taken, Riccan thought Amanda might be onto something. He motioned for Jena to come over to where they stood. When she got close, he pulled her into a huddle and whispered, “Let’s get the samaras and scan the house from top to bottom for any electronic signals which don’t belong here. Get your sister back in here. Use your mind link to tell her what we’re doing.”
The two raced into the library to get into the secret room. Amanda stood transfixed to where she stood in the living room, feeling helpless to assist in the search. She watched Juila run through the open front door, through the foyer, past herself, and then down the hallway. It felt as if a whirlwind of activity had begun around her. She sank wearily onto the couch and waited for her family to discover if their sanctuary had been infiltrated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wilken exhaled as he finished the last few pressing files on his desk. There never seemed to be enough time to get everything done. He heaved another sigh of relief as he shut off his patil, preparing to retire early after the exertions of the day.
He rang the bell next to his desk and was pleased with the speedy response of the maid. “I’d like to take dinner in my room tonight.”
“At the usual time, Elder Wilken?” she asked.
“No, you’d better bring it up in the next twenty minutes or so. I’m going to retire early tonight.”
“As you wish.” She curtsied expertly and backed out of the room.
Wilken smiled as he imagined the commotion he had just set into motion with his change in plans. After turning off his patil, he pushed away from his desk and turned out the light as he left his office. Most of the newer Residences had automatic lighting, but Wilken had resisted the change, preferring to do it himself.
Thinking of all of the changes happening in the world made Wilken shake his head in wonder. It was a good thing the younger generation was getting ready to take over the responsibilities of governing their world; it was getting more complicated by the minute. He was just getting ready to turn down t
he hallway to his own wing when he spotted Rasa sitting outside of the conference room where they had met earlier. She still had the wooden box resting on her lap. He turned and went to her.
“Rasa, are you okay?”
“What?” she asked in a daze. Her thoughts were far away from her body, and she had not seen Elder Wilken approach. She jumped to her feet and stammered, “Elder Wilken, I’m sorry. Yes, I’m okay, just slightly overwhelmed I guess.”
Wilken smiled down on her as if she were his favorite child, even though there was no blood relation between them. “It’s been an eventful day, hasn’t it? I just told my maid I’m heading off to bed. What are you going to do with that?” He pointed to the box held reverently between her hands.
“Amanda suggested I store it in a safe place until I can claim it.”
“That sounds like sound advice. Do you have someplace in mind?”
“The Ascension Gate room.”
Wilken nodded agreement, “I think it’s a good spot as well. Would you mind if I walked with you?”
“I’d appreciate it,” Rasa said with a sigh of pleasure. She always liked these quiet, intimate moments with her mentor. It was comforting to have his presence, even if they only spoke of ordinary things in life. Right now, she felt dazed by the day’s events and did not trust her own judgment.
They entered the guarded room together. Wilken pointed to a likely location, and Rasa put the box in the small niche which seemed made for the container. She stood back, pleased with the locations. “Will you put a ward of protection around it? I don’t trust myself enough to do it just now,” Rasa asked.
“Certainly. Pay attention, so you know how it’s woven,” he instructed his student as he pulled elemy from its source and wove it expertly around the opening until the box became invisible to any observer. “That should do it. Did you understand what I just did?”
“Yes, it was very elegantly done. I’m going to use the same technique in healing; I think it will be very beneficial. Why have I never seen it used in such a way before?”
“Oh, it’s a little technique I’ve been working on for the past few declans,” Wilken shrugged offhandedly, enjoying the praise from his successor. “I like your idea of using it for healing. I agree it could possibly speed up the healing process. I don’t know why I never thought of it myself.”
Rasa bit her lower lip in embarrassment of his praise. “Thank you, Elder Wilken. I’m so glad I’m able to learn so much from you.”
“You’ve been a wonder for me, as well. Now, I’m off to bed. We have a lot of petitioners coming in tomorrow morning. I suggest you get plenty of sleep yourself.” He gave her a side hug and kissed her temple. “Blessings to you, my child.”
“Blessings to you, Elder Wilken.” She took his fragile hand in her own, and they silently walked back to his bedroom. The maids were just setting up his meal, so she excused herself hastily.
He stood in his doorway, watching her departure. “Thank you, Jehoban, for sending her to me.”
The maids curtsied as they passed by where he stood, quietly leaving so he could eat.
His room was luxurious and well-appointed. The aroma of the food briefly invigorated him. He sat at his small table in front of the fire, said his prayer of thanks over the food, and began sampling the various dishes.
The heat from the fire was making him drowsy. His eyes kept closing even as he was bringing his fork up to his mouth. It seemed pointless to keep trying to fight the fatigue. He set his fork down. Lacing his fingers across his belly, he leaned back in his chair, sighed deeply when he closed his eyes, and fell peacefully asleep, feeling content even as he drew his last breath.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephen was rather pleased with his progress in bugging Jasmine’s office, car, and home. He felt certain he would gather some rather damaging information in at least one of the locations. When he put it together with the device he had planted in the office of the Stel house, he felt certain he would be able to catch one of them in their illegal activities.
His paranoia about Riccan Stel being involved in some sort of drug ring still had no evidence based on the strange conversations he had previously recorded. Thinking Riccan’s home office would be the most likely place for any such transactions had seemed to be a mistake since the room was hardly ever used. He made a mental note to send in another person to plant a few more listening devices in the other rooms.
When his voice-activated recorder switched on, he turned his full attention to Jasmine talking. It appeared she had received a phone call. Unfortunately, he was unable to determine who was on the other end. Another mental note was made to put a tracker on her cell phone.
All he had to do was wait for Jasmine’s unknown visitor to come to her house for him to find out who she had been talking with. He was a patient man; he would eventually discover all of her insidious secrets. Then he would be able to repay her for launching the investigation against his medical practices.
Chapter Thirty
A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION revealed only one bug planted in the office of the Stel house. Riccan had been the one to discover it, and he had wondered whether or not he should say anything to his family about its discovery. He did not want them to feel unsafe in their own home. However, it was important to find out what types of discussions were had in the room.
Instead of removing the device, Riccan wove a silencing ward around it, making it soundproof but still operative. He left the room and met up with the rest of his family in the living room. “Well? Did anyone discover anything?”
“No,” the twins said in unison, looking relieved.
“I did,” he admitted reluctantly.
“What? Where?” Amanda demanded.
With a sigh of resignation, Riccan replied, “In the office. I neutralized the threat, but I’ve left it in place. We need to think about what things we’ve talked about in the room since the house was broken into. I agree with you, Amanda, it must have been the purpose of the intrusion.”
“We’ve only used the room for talking on the patil,” Jena admitted and then groaned at what was probably said. “What do you think will be done with the information? Do you think he recorded it?”
“Probably. You know…” Riccan said with an excited look on his face, “…those devices only have a short range of transmission. There must be another device somewhere nearby recording our conversations. We should check the perimeter of the property where someone could go unnoticed to collect the tapes. While you guys work on that, I’m going to go over to Dr. Medin’s house to investigate.”
“I want to come with you,” Juila announced.
“Sure,” Riccan replied. As he turned to leave, another thought struck him, and he looked over to where Jena stood next to her mother. “Jena, weave a protection around yourself and your mother before you go outside. We don’t know if we are also being watched.”
“I could do one better,” Jena perked up at the challenge. “I could make us invisible.”
“Perfect! Good job. Okay, Juila, let’s get going.”
The two of them hurried down the hallway to the garage. When the door slammed, Jena looked at her mother and could tell she was scared. “It’s okay, Mom. We can do this. Do you want to link with me so you can see how this is done?”
“Yes, I should probably learn how to protect myself, even if it’s only becoming invisible. I didn’t even know it was something you could do.” She continued to be amazed at the abilities of her husband and children. It really was true that whatever the imagination could think of, they could make happen with the elemy.
The energy around them began to shift and rise at Jena’s command. Amanda felt herself being pulled into the maelstrom of elemy and watched in fascination as it wove itself around their bodies, shifting and re-shifting in a constant random pattern. If she focused too long on any one spot, it made her feel slightly ill.
“Did you understand what I did?” Jena asked.
“I think so. I
t makes me feel sick to look at it too long.”
“Good, that’s the idea. People tend not to look at something if it makes them not feel okay. Let’s get going. The sooner we check the perimeter, the quicker I’ll feel better about this whole mess. Who is this Dr. Gascon anyway? Why does he want to hear our conversations?”
Amanda tried to think of a simple explanation, but she only shook her head and said, “Can you read my thoughts on it? It might be faster than any explanation.”
“Really? You want me to do that? This must be bad.”
“Not only bad but complicated as well. Yes, go ahead.”
Jena did as her mother requested. She had never attempted to read her thoughts before, and it felt strange to do so even at her mother’s behest. At first, she tried to only look at the surface thoughts, but she soon became engrossed in the tangles of the story. Several minutes passed before she unwillingly pulled herself away from the ongoing saga within her mother’s brain. “Wow! Wow! Mom, you have so much of this which you’ve been keeping from us. I wish you would have said something before!”
“I’m sorry; I just didn’t want you girls to be concerned. I thought Dr. Gascon was eccentric but essentially harmless. I guess I was wrong. We’ll be more diligent since we now know he’s taking this to illegal levels to prove his theory.”
Jena nodded. Her mind had already wandered in another direction entirely. Juila, did you get all of this, too?
Yes!
This situation is worse than we thought.
We’ll add wards around the property just to be certain we can be safe.
I agree; I’ll start right now when Mom and I go around the property. You can check my work later when you get home. Why don’t you do a little scan on Jasmine while you are there? She might know something which hasn’t meant anything to her on its own but will be clear to us.
Good thinking. We just turned down Main Street in town. Be safe.
You, too.
“Were you just talking with your sister?”
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 78