Evading The Tempest (Tempest tales Book 1)

by Sandra Elsa

  "I don't know...I came out of the bathroom and you were talking about getting married. I just couldn't believe Harrison could possibly be in love. He's had talented women throw themselves at him, but all he ever did was bury himself in work if they tried to get serious. It threw me off stride that he was talking marriage at all...with anyone."

  "So you attack me? That doesn't begin to make sense."

  "My world is upside down. Nothing makes sense."

  "Yeah? Well join the fucking crowd. And of the three of us, I'm the only one who didn't have a choice in it."

  “If it’s real, I’m happy for both of you. I was wrong. I’ve been wrong a lot lately. Please, give me another chance.”

  “You’ll ride in the back seat with your mouth shut. You’ll do what you’re told, when you’re told. And I so completely distrust you right now the point of coming to this district is moot. I won’t introduce you to my friends.”

  Harrison covered my hand with his. “I love you.”

  “So I’ve been told.” I relaxed into my seat. “If he’s not sitting with the seat belt on in fifteen seconds, leave him.”

  Jerry jumped for the back door and slid in behind me. I wasn’t comfortable with him there, but it was the only space my belongings left for him.

  I directed Harrison toward a restaurant I’d eaten at before and after breakfast we went to the district courthouse where Harrison hunted down a Justice of the Peace. Quicker than I thought possible I found myself Mrs. Harrison Kendrel. The moment the paperwork was filed we headed for the gate, noting happily, there were no blue Tauruses to be seen. Back in District Fifty-five I had Harrison drop me off at the hospital.

  I wheeled myself through the sliding doors of the emergency room and searched for a familiar face. The nurse at the desk asked if she could help me and I told her I was looking for Doctor Francis.

  "He's not on duty until noon," she said. "Is there somebody else who could help you?"

  "I'm not even sure he can," I told her. "But I have a problem with something I'd like his opinion on. It has more to do with what I am, than my injury."

  The nurse consulted her records and after reading, she looked up and smiled. "Of course, you're her! Everybody in the hospital knows about you. We're a small community. Word travels fast, but don't worry we do know how to keep secrets from the rest of the world."

  I took a moment to digest this news, then realized it might work for my benefit. "Well if everybody knows, then I can speak to the appropriate specialist." I told her who I wanted to see and explained I'd just gotten married and an opening appeared on Doctor Geckara's schedule. An hour later I left the hospital having suffered through the awkwardness of a full gynecological exam and having been reassured that magical birth-control in the form of a charm, inserted into the womb was effective even on a null. They assured me there was precedence. The only problem being the spell broke down faster than normal and I'd have to return once a year rather than every five years.

  I contemplated messaging Harrison for a ride, but decided that after the embarrassment of what I'd just gone through, I could use some time alone. I wheeled myself along the route toward our home. Halfway there I stopped moving and contemplated what I'd just done. Self-loathing rose up as I realized I'd just used my status as a non-registered mage to get an expedited appointment. Was I any better than those who registered? I'd been spending too much time in their company.

  I turned away from the house and headed in the direction I remembered driving through shopping areas. I needed some time away. It'd been a long time since I traveled so far in a wheelchair under my own power. By the time I arrived at the business quarter I grew tired. My appearance from a side street caused heads to turn. The wheelchair was noticeable and I was a stranger in their midst. They closed ranks to ignore me. I knew what it was like to live with secrets so I didn't let it bother me.

  I still found it incredible that their secret hadn't leaked out in the hundreds of years since the faked crack. Then again. I'd guess a goodly number of the residents were mages and the rules weren't really much different from one domeful of mages to the next. With enough talent gathered together they were strong enough to keep their secrets. Somebody with the ability to alter memories. Somebody with the ability to bind the tongue from spilling secrets. I wondered if somebody would be coming around with parchment, a brass bowl, and herbs to enforce secrecy like Herm had when he’d sold Harrison his ident kit.

  The crowds thickened around me until I dodged in the next open door I came to. Four people trailed me in off the street. I glanced around the shop I’d entered and realized I’d ended up in a natural food store. The pungent aroma of fresh herbs rose from the shelves and mixed in the atmosphere.

  I wheeled myself to the nearest shelf and read the labels of the hand-bound packets of herbs. Having been reading about the medicinal uses of such things, I was surprised to find the shelves labeled with each herb's medical, magical, and culinary function. I ignored the people who had followed me in the store and taken up places around me while I perused the shelves. The proprietor might be a good person to get to know.

  Chapter 32

  A man strolled up behind me and placed his hands on the handles of the wheelchair and leaned over to growl in my ear. "Is there something we can help you with?" If that was an attempt to be threatening, it failed. The man did have the telltale canines; slightly more pointed than the average humans. His nose worked overtime.

  Since he was holding the chair, I set the brake and stood, turning to face him, stretching to show the weapons I carried. "No, thank you. I came in here to get out of the crowd but since it seems to have followed me in, allow me to introduce myself. Francesca Leone, Private Investigator, sorry Kendrel, Francesca Kendrel--that's going to take some getting used to, just got married. Temporary resident of District Fifty-five. This particular gun is not loaded with silver, however almost every blade I own is bonded with dust. I don't pose a threat to you unless you wish to attack me." Magic built behind me. Didn't know what the spell would do, but I flipped it off before the person casting it prepared to let it go. I sent it back with a snap that brought a yelp of pain. The woman cursed under her breath and shook her hands to dispel the burn. "Should you choose to attack me, I think you will find yourselves overmatched."

  "We don't plan to attack you, but we don't like strangers."

  "If you aren't attacking me why is a werewolf growling in my ear and an unregistered mage casting magic at me?"

  "Call us the welcoming committee."

  "Try again. This is a group of amateurs trying to frighten off anybody they deem doesn't belong in their community. My husband and I were invited to stay and I don't owe anybody explanations. You have my name. Feel free to research me, but back the hell away from me before I make you regret your actions."

  "It's four to one, lady," the werewolf growled. "You'll answer our questions or we'll escort you out of our district."

  "You're welcome to try. The leg will slow me down but I've come out of worse odds smelling like a rose. I'm a private person and I don't owe you any answers."

  A woman walked through the door. Her eyes fastened on me. Sweat beaded her brow. She ignored the other four and came over to stand across from me, the closer she got, the greater the tension in her body. She used a great deal of magic, none of it directed at anything I could discern. She stopped five feet away and said, "Forgive me for keeping my distance, but I don't believe I can get any closer to you, Miss Leone. Doctor Francis told me he invited you to stay, and informed me you'd moved to the east side of the dome. I can't prevent you from shopping, wouldn't presume to, but would it be possible to keep your talent damped down while you're over here?"

  I stared at her and she started to tremble. "You're the illusionist?"

  She nodded her head. "Stacy."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you'd feel it if I just wandered through. I don't really control it. I glanced around me at the four who followed me in. "It does expand if I'm t
hreatened, so this might not be my fault."

  She glared at the werewolf and the unregistered mages standing around me. "Will you idiots leave her alone! She's more than welcome here. Where's your fiancé, Miss Leone?"

  "It's husband now, and his cousin is visiting. I needed some breathing room."

  "Short honeymoon." She didn't quite laugh.

  "You have no idea how complicated my life is right now. I'm sorry for causing you any trouble, it wasn't intentional."

  "Get out of here and let the woman shop." Stacy directed her comments to the peanut gallery and they obeyed her. The moment the door closed behind them Stacy's tension eased. She still sweated but the shaking ceased. "It was them," she said. "But it's still enough I need to go too. It's been a pleasure meeting you Miss Le…Mrs?"

  "Kendrel, call me Frankie." I sat back down in the chair.

  "Well Frankie, when I come off shift this afternoon, it'd be my pleasure if you'd dine with me."

  "I'll have to check with Harrison, he's much more social than I am, so he probably won’t have a problem with it."

  She walked around me and dropped a business card on the counter. "Call me after four." Then she hurried out the door.

  The proprietor of the store, a gray haired, sharp faced woman, finding herself alone with a potential customer came out from behind her counter. "Anything particular you're looking for, Miss?"

  "As I'm sure you just heard, I dodged in here to get out of the crowds, so no, nothing specific in mind. However I have just begun studying the medicinal properties of herbs and I'd love to look around."

  "You're more than welcome. Let me know if I can help you with anything."

  I got lost browsing the shelves. My handheld chirped and I looked at it. Harrison.

  **Where are you?

  **Shopping.

  **You don't let anybody know?

  **You don't own me.

  **I worry about you. Can I join you?

  **Do you plan to bring Jerry?

  **No.

  #

  I glanced up at the proprietor. "What's the name of your shop?"

  "The Golden Seal."

  I told Harrison where I was, then wheeled myself over to the register and placed several bags on the counter. One was ground hot peppers, I figured I’d have time to experiment in the kitchen. The others all had medicinal properties I thought could be helpful while we were away from the domes. Each packet was done up neatly and labeled with the properties of the herb. I had barely finished paying when Harrison opened the door. I thanked the woman and asked her, "Do you grow the herbs yourself?"

  She seemed happy to have an interested customer. "On the roof. I'll be glad to show you around when you can walk."

  "Would you teach me how to prepare them? Sell me some plants. I don't plan to be competition for you. I've never seen a shop like yours before." Harrison came over and stood beside me.

  She gave him a look of appreciation. Apparently he appealed to women of all ages. "I'll be happy to sell you some plants. And I offer classes on the preparation of herbs every Thursday night at seven o'clock."

  "Perfect. We'll be here."

  After placing my purchases in a bag along with Stacy's card, she handed them to Harrison. "Have a good day."

  "You too," I said as he wheeled me out the door, pausing before we exited to bend over and kiss me.

  "Did you at least accomplish what you set out to do before you decided to run away?"

  "I wasn't running away. I needed some me time. You may be used to having people around you all the time. I'm not. I don't even guarantee I can stop myself from hurting Jerry. Does he try to be an idiot or does it come natural for him?"

  "Jerry's pretty much a natural. But you avoided my question."

  I grinned at him. "I'd have to be a fool not to have fulfilled my mission. God, that wasn't embarrassing or anything. They assure me it will work as designed in spite of my nature, but I’ll have to replace it once a year instead of every five years."

  The crowds in the street had thinned considerably. We still drew attention when we emerged from the store. But whether Stacy had passed the word to leave me alone, or if Harrison's aura kept them at bay, nobody bothered us as we made our way down the street. I made him wheel me into a clothing shop where I actually found a pair of pants that laced down the outside of the legs. I appreciated them for the fact I wouldn't have to slice them up to shove my cast into them. Harrison just appreciated them for the effect they had on my body. I bought two pair, wearing the one I tried on out of the shop. I noticed it was getting late and told Harrison to find me a phone booth.

  He pulled a phone out of his pocket. "Thought we might want this. Passed the store while I was searching for you. Who are we calling?"

  I dug out Stacy's card and handed it to him, explaining who she was. I asked if he was up for company for dinner and he punched in the number as he said, "Sure, as long as I get you to myself sometime tonight."

  I took the phone from him, pausing to kiss the back of his hand. "Count on it."

  Stacy picked up the phone. After a brief conversation we agreed to meet at El Tostada, which as its name implied, specialized in food with a Spanish flavor. She asked if it was all right to bring friends and I agreed, realizing belatedly that we'd probably have to drag Jerry along as well. After we hung up, we went to find out where the restaurant was, then Harrison pushed me to where he'd parked the car and drove us home to get cleaned up.

  Jerry was lounging in front of the vid-screen when we returned. He sat up as Harrison carried me through the door. "Found her then?"

  "No thanks to you."

  "I can't believe we're staying in this District."

  "In case you didn't notice, the air outside the domes is breathable so you've nothing to fear." Harrison impressed the hell out of me. At least he hadn't felt the need to pass on District Fifty-Five's secrets. Maybe Jerry's actions this morning really had raised a red flag for him.

  He lowered me to my feet and I wrapped myself around him and kissed him. He returned it enthusiastically. When he came up for air he said, "Much more of that, Mrs. Kendrel, and we won't make our dinner engagement."

  "Dinner?" Jerry perked up.

  "We're eating with one of the District's finest. What kind of clothes did you bring?" Harrison asked.

  Jerry frowned. "Nothing real fancy. Thought I was leaving that behind and Nan would only let me pack one bag."

  "El Tostada didn't look like a real fancy place to me," I said. "Probably be fine in what he's wearing right now."

  "Oh! Hey, you guys have got to see this." Jerry laughed and picked up his handheld. He spent a couple minutes scrolling through recorded programs and then synched it up with the vid-screen.

  The image that appeared was Jordan Drover, walking onstage to stand behind a podium, looking distracted. He stared down and the angle of the shot changed to show him staring at a handheld. After several moments of silence he started his speech only to break into silence again as he returned his attention to the handheld. His cheeks flushed and he looked up at his audience. His left eye twitched, teeth clenched. Another ten seconds of silence passed during which he turned his back to his audience. When he spun back around he said, "Forgive me, I have just received disturbing information of a personal nature. But you have not gathered to hear my problems. I'll return shortly. In the meantime, I give you Gerald Shoremann of the Department of Housing."

  Shoremann looked flustered, but dutifully mounted the stage as the president strode away. The cameras stayed with Drover long enough to hear him say, "I want Jallahan on the phone, now! No, I want him here, in person, he has half an hour. And Nan. Bring me that fool's mother." Men in expensive suits surrounded him. Two of them jumped to do his bidding.

  "Damn he's hot and bothered!" Jerry's bray of laughter filled the room. "I have never seen that man lose control of himself in any situation."

  "That wasn't exactly losing control," Harrison said. "But you're right, the only thing stoppi
ng a full-fledged fly-off-the-handle were the cameras on him."

  "That's why you did it, isn't it?" Jerry asked.

  "That was my excuse when I asked her to marry me. But I figured once we were bound by law, I could talk her around to actually being my wife. Things have changed for us so much, I forgot all about the conference. Can't believe we hit the timing right anyway."

  "We didn't," I said. "I did. You may have forgotten why I agreed to this in the first place, but I didn't. That news hit his handheld just as his schedule had him listed to begin his speech."

  "How could you be sure he'd get it?" Harrison asked. "He normally turns his handheld off during events like that."

  "Gambled and won. Figured he was invested enough in the search he wouldn't want to be out of the loop if we were found."

  "I didn't even notice you do that. I was so happy, I didn't even think of him."

  "Good thing one of us has our mind on business."

  He wrapped his arms around my hips, a hand on each buttock, and pulled me tight against himself. "I have my mind on business, just not the same business."

  "What possible good could come of that?" Jerry asked. "Don't get me wrong, it was fun to watch, but what did you hope to accomplish?"

  "We hope he'll decide this was nothing more than a mid-life attack of hormones and leave us alone," I answered.

  "And planning for him to receive it when he's supposed to give a speech?"

  "Icing on the wedding cake,” I said. “Maybe the world needs to see Jordan Drover isn't what he presents to them.”

  “And you’re happy with being married by a Justice of the Peace? No church wedding to remember. No dress. No reception. No gathering of your friends to wish you well. For the original plans that would have been fine, but it sounds like your reasons have changed.”

  “I can’t fathom why anybody would want any of that crap. I don’t believe in the church, so why would I want to be married in one. I’d probably trip over a wedding dress. I’m a mean drunk so a reception means food and cake, both of which would be expensive and not worth the amount paid, and my friends always wish me well."