“How long will you be then?”
“About an hour or so.”
“Okay, I’ll stay in our old stomping ground then. My usual coffee calls to me in my worried state.” Her overly dramatic voice made me sigh.
“I’ll call again if I can’t find you.”
“Oh, you’ll find me.” She laughed. “I’ll keep getting coffee until you track me down.”
“Don’t get too much…” before I could finish, I heard her place an order in the background. “You’ve already started haven’t you…”
“Yep, so you’d better hurry before I’m too fast to catch.”
I laughed, picturing a buzzed Juliet running around. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll find you as fast as I can.”
“Okay dear, just be careful. I’ve been worried about you.”
“I know. Talk to you later, Juli.”
“See you soon, Rayne.”
With that, we hung up. Loic leaned on the rail beside me.
“So, she’s waiting for you?”
“Yeah it’ll be good to see her again. To get some normality back.”
“She might be your only bit of normality at this point.” He admitted. “You are definitely not safe alone anymore.”
“I was afraid you’d say that after everything that happened, I’d be delusional if I thought I could forget this and go back to how things were,”
“There isn’t much we can do to change that. The most I can do is make it so normal people can’t see me, but that doesn’t help your situation.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You can hide yourself?”
“I can put a shield around myself to hide from those who can’t see magic. I can even make it stronger to hide it from them and Formless.”
“There isn’t much point. Juliet already saw you.”
“Yeah the mask is hard to maintain when what your covering is changing. You were bleeding really bad, so I couldn’t make it stable.”
“So how did you get me to the museum anyway. I wouldn’t have been in good shape for a long boat ride like this.”
Loic shrugged. “I brought you through a mirror. You were out cold, and it was the fastest way.”
I shuddered. “Well, at least you made it.”
“Yeah, it was touch and go for a bit…both times.”
“Thank you again,” I muttered.
“No need, Princess. We face forward and watch for what could happen.” He smiled.
I returned it, feeling a little lighter. “You’re right. So, do you know where we’re going?”
“Yeah, when Chase read your mind, he got the address of your place and knew the surrounding area, so he relayed that to me.”
I forgot about that possibility. Chase’s creepy mind reading. At least I had less to explain.
“Well might as well relax. we’ll be on this boat for a while.” He shifted grasping the railing behind him and crossing his legs taking on a more relaxed stance.
I smiled and relaxed a bit myself, following his lead except I sat down on a small ledge by the railing instead of standing. I looked over to him seeing him still scanning the area around us.
“So, you said to remind you to show me something?”
“Ah right! Chase did tell Isha what the Light Weavers said to us. I was there but rather than tell you how she reacted, I could show you.”
“How?”
He already had blue magic that looked almost like mist, surrounding his hand. “If I may?”
I nodded. He placed his hands over my eyes. At first, I saw a flash of blue magic. Then, darkness.
I blinked. I was in Ishas home behind Chase. They were all in the small kitchen at the side of Ishas home. She seemed to be calm, but her eyes kept shifting between the two anxiously as they settled in behind her. Chase moving a wooden stool and Loic seemingly against the wall behind chase.
Chase gestured to Isha and sat her down, not making eye contact with her at first as he made her tea. She sat at the stool Chase had set for her. Her hand rested on the pillow of the bed where Luna’s body slept.
“Chase.” Isha sighed, breaking the silence.
“Yes, milady?” Chase answered immediately.
“You came here to tell me what the Light Weavers said. Stop beating around the bush.” Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Chase, looking serious.
Chase put his cup down and sat across from her.
“Isha they said…” he paused. His back was turned but he did look away from her for a few seconds, as if he didn’t want her to see his expression.
“She’s gone, isn’t she?” Isha’s hands trembled on the cup. Her eyes pinched and her jaw clenched. Her cheeks turned red and it wasn’t long until the corners of her eyes were wet and heavy with tears. “My daughter was indeed killed that day.” She choked on her words and chase reached out to her as she did.
“I’m afraid so my Queen…Isha…”
Isha started to cry fully. Chase held one of her hands in his own.
“Apparently, Luna was aware of the danger but kept silent. They did say she had a reason for her silence.”
“Why?”
“To protect Rayne”.
“From what? Isha’s voice was still thick with sobs.
“From us, the mirror world and Rakesh. Apparently, Luna’s Original has something he wants, something that Luna deemed worthy enough to risk her life to hide it.”
Isha looked at him in silence, her tears increasing. She then looked to her side to where Lunas’ body slept silently.
This must have been right after we left the weavers.
Isha brushed her hand against Luna’s cheek and combed her hair through her fingers.
Her tears started again. “Ata girl.” She whispered through her tears. “You would have made a great queen.” She leaned over and kissed Luna’s forehead and cried into her hair, holding her in her arms. Luna’s body fell limp against her.
“I’m so proud of you.” Isha cried. I felt myself crying as well.
The vision ended. I blinked in the sunlight that came back as Loic withdrew his hand. Loic looked at me wiping tears from my eyes. His palms were completely soaked.
“Sorry,” He said. He swiped at his own tears.
“How did you do that?”
“I can share my memories with people as long as my aura has contact with them. The ability has other uses as well, but those can be left for another day.” He forced a smile onto his face.
We stared at each other in silence for a bit before breaking eye contact. I wanted to change the subject from all of this but how? We’d just watched a mother cry over her dead daughter. Would it be disrespectful to change subjects at all, especially so suddenly?
I took a deep breath and looked back at Loic. He now looked out across the water. He seemed so sad. Determined? Reflective? I couldn’t quite place what his face was telling me. I almost didn’t want to disturb him.
The silence and my held breath were beginning to get painful, so I exhaled. He turned my way.
“So…” I swallowed. “What about I ask those questions I had then?”
He looked rueful. “I did promise, didn’t I? Okay shoot, Princess.”
I thought some more about it. What did I want to ask? Chase and Loic had explained most of the magic stuff already. The Night Mirror conversation would have to wait until I could speak to Chase again, or if I went to the in-between again.
What else did I want to know?
“What about you and Chase?”
“What about us?”
“Are you family? You two seem close.”
He shook his head and smiled at me. “Of all the questions to ask.”
“You promised.”
“All right. Well, we’re not related by blood but we’re basically family. Back in Mirror Image, Chase was the leader of the royal guard. I joined them when I was about…twelve, first as his squire then I eventually joined his squad. We worked together. He taught me alm
ost everything I know.” Loic’s head lowered a bit, and his lips quivered a bit before he bit down on them. “After Rakesh attacked, I was displaced, I couldn’t get back home, so I wandered for a few years. I stowed away on a cargo ship to Italy and found myself on the island. I was at my weakest, hungry, tired, lost…and that of all times was when I got cornered by Formless.”
He inhaled, then kept going. “Chase came from the museum to save me. After recognizing me, he took me in, and we’ve helped each other since then. When we got in contact with Isha we started helping the other Reflections again.” His face lightened a little. A small smile sneaking its way through his somber expression.
“So yeah, Chase is as close to a father as I’ve had. I hate to admit it, but I half wouldn’t mind becoming like him with time.”
“I can see that. You two look like a family, at least to me anyway.”
He smiled and turned to look out to the water again. I joined his gaze and the wind blew around us, carrying the smell of salt and fish.
The silence was nice. My attention was only broken by the feeling of water on my face. The wind had thrown some of Loic’s tears on my cheek. Turning to face him I brushed the tears off; he was still crying. My heart sank. The truth would still be fresh for him. I wasn’t sure I should say anything to him. How could I possibly make him feel any better? My own heart hurt knowing the truth. It had been my fault, I indirectly took a daughter, a friend and a princess away from them. How could I ever fix that? Was it even possible?
Loic shifted and slid a bit closer to me, resting his hand on the top of my head. I froze, my muscles jolted unsure on whether to relax or contract. He glanced my way for just a second before turning back to the water. Maybe he was telling me to relax. I decided to try that and once I did, he rubbed my head and sighed. I leaned over the railing just enough to see a small smile appear on his face. It was a sweet smile, almost like he was saying ‘thanks for trying.’ The moment didn’t feel long enough. It didn’t feel like time was passing and it ended as the ferry stopped at a dock in the city.
“Alright, time to go Princess.” Loic spat and headed to the dock. I followed, staying close behind him as the captain waved us off.
~
We headed right to the café near the alley where I first confronted Loic. Juliet was just inside getting her cup from the barista. She saw us as she turned. Her chocolate eyes widened, then she ran over to us. She swung her head keeping her long brown hair from ending up in the cream on her coffee, this time she had it pulled back and her braids were undone, tied back with a pink ribbon that matched the pink top she was wearing, paired with black jeans. The pink looked good against her olive toned skin and with the amount of make-up I saw on her it looked like she had just fussed over her look recently. She placed her cup on top of a wall near the café and we approached. She ran up and Suddenly, she grabbed me in a big bear hug.
"Oh my god, Rayne! You're here! I've been so worried. You scared me half to death."
My shoulder and stomach hurt from her touch, and I flinched. It had been a while since the pain was this strong. There were only the sewn-up scars from the damage I had taken so it really only hurt with touch, something I didn’t consider when knowing I was going to see Juliet again. She noticed and backed away seeing my bandages.
"Rayne, what happened to you?"
"I sort of got shot," I said bluntly. Then regretted it instantly. Juliet gave a little yelp and checked me over.
“Rayne! Shot?” She glared at me. “Why are you up and about? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m okay, Juliet.” I pulled back, raising my hands up between us. “It’s just a little painful, but they took good care of me.”
“Well, you do look well enough.” She didn’t seem completely convinced. I didn’t blame her. If I could tell her about the whole magic thing, maybe she would understand. On the other hand, maybe she would think I’d lost my mind, and spend the rest of my life examining my head for her thesis.
After a bit more checking, her eyes visibly shifting in many directions and coming back to my eyes before continuing the cycle. After checking on me, Juliet looked up at Loic. Her eyes narrowed.
"So, Rayne. Who's your friend?"
"Um, well he's..."
Loic laughed and shook Juliet's hand. Their eyes met and Juliet’s face pinched.
"Wait a minute, you're that boy!” Juliet almost growled at him. “You tried to take my little Rayne away. Did you hurt her?"
"No, I didn’t. The name’s Loic-rae Vallen and..." He paused for a moment, then he pulled me closer to him. I was surprised but not in any pain. He knew where my wounds were and carefully placed his hand in a spot that wasn’t hurt. My heart jumped since that ended up being almost near my hip. I shivered as the movement was out of nowhere. I wasn’t sure how to react. I looked up at Loic as he kept his gaze on Juliet. “I am Miss Rayne’s date for the evening."
A slight smile started to show on Juliet’s face. Something about this smile made me feel uneasy. “Rayne, is this true?"
I froze and looked around for an answer, as if it were in the architecture. I turned back to Juliet and her eyes lit up and she hugged me, not waiting for an answer.
"Oh, I'm so proud of you, sweetie! You finally snagged yourself a man!” Juliet looked over Loic again. “And a handsome one at that. Nice muscles and mussed hair."
I sighed, my face warming. Loic laughed. "I like this friend of yours, Rayne. She's a real keeper."
"I can also dive into your mind. I'm a psychology major." She gestured, making movements with her hands fidgeting them in front of her in a triangle, like a spy movie villain, tapping her fingers together over and over to try and make herself look scary.
"Oh, really now?" Loic remarked. His snark melted away, like she was actually making him nervous. Did he think Juliet was actually a mind reader, like Chase?
And why Juliet didn’t question why I would pick Loic was beyond me. Did she assume that I hit my head before and forgot all about how her last attempt at ‘snagging me a man’ went…? True, Loic probably wouldn’t be a bad date to have, but I was definitely not his type. Probably. He was athletic, sarcastic and brave. He was from another world and had abilities others could only dream of. And those eyes, I kept getting trapped by them. It felt safe having him around and when you peeled back the snark, he actually seemed like he could be sweet. The small smiles I’ve seen so far told me he had the potential. But why would he actually want to be with me. I wasn’t strong, I was a coward until recently and now I was a burden to him, someone to be protected. Why would he think that was date worthy? I didn’t see myself that way.
"Yeah. So, you better watch out, Loic-rae Vallen” She put her hands on her hips. “I see one hint of trouble in that head of yours and I'll order you a nice sized...” she paused looking at his frame, “...straight jacket."
I could have sworn that there was a moment I saw the corners of his lips flinch. Did he not expect her to be like this? Perhaps I should have warned him. He bowed slightly, like a knight would and held his hand out to Juliet, who took it briefly. That’s when I knew he flinched for sure. His fingers jolted as he took her hand and his eyes got wide for a quick, almost unnoticeable moment. After pulling his hand away and completing his bow I saw him shift back to how I was used to seeing him. The look on Loic’s face grew more confident. I’m sure he was thinking of challenging Juliet. After all, her claims of mind-reading were nothing compared to what he lived with around Chase. How could she compare to an actual telepath?
Juliet was still studying his reactions. Watching any twitch. Loic smirked, possibly catching her glances. It made sense that a soldier would pick up on things like that. He kept glancing back at her and maintained his confident pose. I could see him shifting slightly, was he having trouble being around her? Maybe he wasn’t used to being profiled. It was one of Juliet’s favorite hobbies.
Despite seeing Juliet’s inner suspicions, at least I
knew Loic was a good guy. I didn’t blame her for the reaction. On one hand, Juliet did want to see me with someone. On the other hand, Loic did take me from the danger zone and disappear with me for days. And he’d stolen her compact mirror.
“Can I get you a coffee?” Loic asked.
"No, I’ve had my dose for the day.” Her gaze turned speculative. “So, what are you two doing tonight?"
Loic thought a bit and shrugged. “Whatever.”
She turned to me. “Hmmm, Rayne?”
I turned red at Juliet’s insinuation. “Just going to relax really. Maybe…. dinner…”
She smiled and patted my head. “Aw your so cute, Rayne.” She turned to Loic and smiled. “Take this one on a proper date. She likes the native Italian food, although she’s a sucker for her own American comfort foods as well. No drinking, smoking and no frisky business. Our little bunny here is new to romance, I’m sure you’re familiar with the etiquette.”
My face was a furnace. “Juli….”
“No worries, sweetie. I know you well enough. Oh, and have her back by ten. She’s got schoolwork to catch up on after all.”
Juliet shot me a pointed look. It was official. She was worse than my own mom. And Loic seemed to be playing along.
“No worries milady,” He bowed with a flourish. “The princess shall be back before the sun rests.”
“Oh, even earlier?” She nodded approvingly. “Such a thoughtful gentleman.”
“Juliet!” I grumbled.
This had to end. Then a thought crossed my mind. How could I make this just as embarrassing for Loic? I knew I shouldn't, but he had it coming. Even if he thought playing along was nice, he shouldn’t have fallen into her trap.
"But Lo-k,i you said we could go to that movie I wanted to see..." I whined trying to channel my inner Jersey girl. I had lived next to the same neighbors for far too long to not be able to mimic them.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. I was nowhere near the over actor that Loic or Juliet was. I hated the fake voice, but I was desperate to make this conversation stop.
"What? When did I say that? And since when am I Loki?" He stopped and looked at Juliet.
Glass Souls (Reflection Book 1) Page 18
