Mid-transition of emotions, however, Callie stopped short. It was not Alex who stood now in the living room, but Shay.
“Shay?” Callie asked. “What are you doing here? Where is Alex?”
The tiny woman, looking flustered and annoyed, turned to Callie, her hands on her hips. “Apparently, I am here to tell you to stop worrying,” she said, her kitten-like irritation almost comical. Shay threw up her hands and walked further into the living room. “Alex came to my cottage and insisted that I come speak with you, check to make sure that you are alright. I kept telling him that I was on the verge of connecting the genetic component of obesity with the heredity of—“
“Shay,” Callie said, cutting her off when she saw that the woman was about to explain centuries of medical research to her. “What did Alex say?”
Shay breathed a suffering sigh and sank onto the couch. “He told me that I was needed here, that you would be worrying about him, and that I should tell you to relax.”
“Why, where is he? Why didn’t he come tell me himself?” Callie asked, panic welling once more within her. Something was wrong.
Shay shrugged. “He returned to Emeric’s house without another word. Is my duty fulfilled?” she asked, obviously eager to resume her research.
Callie’s mind was racing. So he was planning something. He had gone to Emeric’s house without a word to her, without alerting her to the path of his thoughts. Was he conjuring up a plan that had to do with her, then?
“Not quite,” Callie said, walking over to the tiny woman and hauling her off of the couch by grasping her wrists. “You have to take me to Emeric’s.”
Shay let out a squawk of indignation. “That was never part of the instructions. And must I remind everyone—I am not a protector! I am a Healer. I do not run around on missions upon command.”
“Shay, please?” Callie asked, letting some of her fear slip into the words. “I don’t know what he’s doing, but Alex is up to something.”
“So?” Shay asked. “He is always up to something. It’s part of his job. Unlike me. None of this is part of my—“
“Yeah, Shay, I know. But please; you’re my friend. Just do me this favor?” Callie asked.
Shay pursed her lips. She didn’t look happy about it, but she finally rolled her eyes in relent. “It will take less of my time to transport you than to argue with you,” she said, and lifted Callie into her arms.
Callie felt sick as Shay flew through the canopy; she didn’t know why, but she was certain that whatever Alex was doing, it wouldn’t end well. She couldn’t explain the odd connection between them which alerted her to the fact that he was nervous about whatever he was planning, but she knew that he was already regretting what he was about to do. And she had to get to Emeric’s cottage and stop him.
When Shay and she arrived, Callie found Zeke, Alex, and Emeric gathered around the flaming hearth, their voices lowered as they spoke in somber tones. They didn’t hear Callie and Shay walk in, and for a moment, Callie listened to their conversation.
“…restructuring after the battle; there may not be room for her,” Emeric murmured.
“We will make room, then,” Alex said. “Her absence will only be temporary.”
“How do you even know she will want to come back?” Zeke asked.
“Know who will want to come back?” Callie asked, her stomach sinking even as she realized whom they were talking about.
The three men turned at the newcomer. Shay walked into the kitchen and poured herself a large drink; Callie stood in the doorway, stunned at what she was hearing.
“Alex?” she asked, taking a few steps into the room, positioning herself just outside of the circle they made. “What are you talking about?”
Alex’s face was stony. Zeke shuffled uncomfortably. Only Emeric would reply.
“Callista, Alexander has brought an interesting development to my attention,” Emeric said, clearing his throat in the way he did, Callie was coming to know, whenever he spoke in an official manner.
“Which is what?” Callie asked, glancing again at Alex. But he would not meet her eyes. He continued to stare at the fire, his face burning with the reflected light of the flames.
“Cal, we know how good a fighter you are,” Zeke cut in. “This isn’t about what happened today, it’s about—“
“No, actually it is,” Emeric said. “Today, when he observed your training, Alexander realized that your skill as a Perceiver would be your downfall in the coming war. He had the foresight to conclude that no matter how skilled at combat you may be, the fact that the Sirens know of your particular talent means that you will be the primary target when they infiltrate the forest.”
“Meaning what?” Callie asked. “So they come at me. Isn’t that what we want? I’ll distract them, you guys…fight,” she said, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of death. “I don’t see a problem.”
“The problem is that you’re Michael and they’re double teaming you,” Zeke said. “Only instead of two guys, you’ve got a couple hundred coming at you, and all they want is your head on a platter.”
Alex’s face twitched. Emeric said, “No need for the dramatics, Zeke.”
“Alex?” Callie asked again. He may as well have been deaf to her.
“Alexander understood that your ability to be useful in this battle will be as limited as your ability to survive it. Therefore, if you are killed early on, you will be of no use to us. He believes that it would be more humane to spare you, as your ability to help us would be limited,” Emeric continued clinically.
“Translation: we might as well send you packing while you still have a pulse,” Zeke finished.
“But….” Callie said, unable to find the words to voice her shock and sense of betrayal.
“Look at it as paid leave,” Zeke said. “You can get out of this thing safe, knowing that you would have helped if you could have.”
His words didn’t condemn her for a coward; rather, she sensed that he was comforted she was getting out of the canopy, trying to give her a reason to go. They had only known each other for a few days, but they had come to understand each other. In time, they would have been friends.
“I—no,” Callie said. “No, I can’t leave. If I leave now, then what the hell have I been sticking around for? I’m here to help. I’m going to help. That’s the end of it.”
“Callista, I’m afraid that your vote is valueless in this circumstance,” Emeric said. She looked at him again. His face was cool and reasonable; he was giving her the politician’s spiel. But there was also an element of relief to his features that she couldn’t understand.
She didn’t know how to convince them, what to say to change their minds. The fact was, when she had first come to the canopy, this was exactly what she had wanted. But now that she had been here, had made friends, had fallen in love…it felt like they were banishing her. Her whole life had changed while she was here. She hadn’t been a hermit. She had become brave. And now they were taking that life away from her.
“Alex,” she said a third time, though now her voice was pleading. “Please. Don’t do this.”
When he heard the ache in her words, his head slowly turned to her. For the briefest second, she could see her own pain reflected on his face, she could see the same hopelessness and frustration. He hated himself in that moment.
But then the expression disappeared behind the emotionless mask once again, and he returned his attention to the fire. And that was when she knew that there was nothing she could say to change their minds. She had to go back.
As she closed her eyes, she drew a shaky breath, and bit down on the inside of her cheek. When she opened her eyes again, Zeke and Emeric were watching her warily. But all she could do was nod.
“Okay,” she said, admitting defeat. “I’ll go.”
Zeke raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Just like that?” he asked.
“If I’m not needed here, then I’ll go,” she said. “After all, that’s all I w
as here for, right?” Her gaze drifted towards Alex as she continued, “It was all just a job, after all.”
“I am glad that this will not be difficult,” Emeric said. “I suppose that Alexander will want to fly you home?”
Alex turned to Emeric, taking a breath to speak, but Callie cut in. “No. I don’t want Alex to take me. Shay?” she asked, turning to the Healer.
Shay shook her head slightly, her irritation having faded in the face of such tension. She saw the unsteady look on Callie’s face, and hurried to explain. “I would, Callie, but I’m right on the brink of a significant breakthrough, and—“
Callie didn’t make her finish, saying, “Right, of course.” She turned to Zeke, silently asking that he do it.
Zeke nodded at Emeric. “I can take her,” he said softly.
Emeric glanced at Alex. “Well?” he asked.
Alex was watching Callie, though, his full attention trained on her. She felt it, felt him imploring her to look at him, but she kept her eyes on Zeke. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alex finally nod.
“Then it is settled. You two will leave tomorrow morning,” Emeric said. “Zeke, when you are through with this mission, return immediately. I trust that word will quickly spread of the girl’s departure. An attack may be nearer than we presently believe.”
Zeke hesitated, glancing at Alex, and Callie knew that he was afraid of upsetting his friend. But Alex didn’t make any motion to protest, and so Zeke said quietly, “Alright.”
“Callista, tonight you will sleep at the Healer’s home. Shay, I understand that your cottage is a bit unwelcoming at the present; go and make a space for our guest. Alex, Zeke, you two may leave as well. I will bring the girl to Shay’s cottage in a short time, once a place has been cleared for her,” Emeric said, taking matters into his hands.
“Wait.”
All eyes turned to Alex, who had finally spoken. Even Callie looked at him, though she felt her pulse kick at the sight of such sadness. Alex’s eyes were no longer empty. They were desperate, and as he strode quickly towards them, she saw that he was shaking.
“Callie, you know why I have to do this,” he said, his words flowing low and fast. “I’m not doing this because of anything you did. I know you’re not helpless. But I couldn’t live with myself if I brought you into the battle which would kill you.”
She looked away, uninterested in his apology. She knew that later, when she thought about his reasons, she would understand and forgive him. But she didn’t want to forgive him yet; she was still too angry.
“I have seen greater men die, Callie, in much more forgiving situations. You don’t know just how breakable you are to these women. Killing you would be their first priority, do you understand? They don’t see you as a person, they see you as a threat.”
His words were logical and reasonable, but she didn’t want to hear war strategy. And he knew it.
“You were never just a job,” he whispered. “Not to me.”
And then, knowing that his time was up, Alex leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead, lingering there for a long while. The others in the room looked away out of respect; Callie looked away out of fury and heartache. She really wasn’t any different from Adeline. He was throwing her out just the same.
They left then, both men, and then Shay. Callie shook her head, warding off the sting of rejection that she knew was irrational, and walked over to Emeric’s sofa. She sat down and ran a shaky hand across her eyes, hoping that tomorrow she could wake up and find that today was just a dream.
Emeric quietly perched on the chair across from hers, and offered her a small smile. In a light tone, meant to make her laugh, he said, “Well, look at the situation this way: You are getting what you’ve wanted since you first came to this forest. You should be happy.”
Callie laughed in a humorless bark. “Ecstatic,” she agreed.
“Maybe this is for the best,” Emeric said. “This battle will be very dangerous.”
“That’s why I wanted to stay,” Callie admitted, looking into the fire. The flames danced and leapt and yearned to be free from that burning pit; at that moment, she understood exactly what it felt like to burn. Hopeless.
“You seek the glory of war so much?” Emeric asked, surprised.
“No,” she said softly. “Aside from my personal reasons for wanting to stay, I want to help you. You have all become…well, if not family, then certainly my friends. People here matter too much to me now. You wouldn’t turn your back on your friends, would you?”
He grinned, but the expression was harsh. “Brothers have fought against each other in wars for millennia. Nothing is sacred in this world.”
She was taken aback for a moment at the cruel words. “You don’t really believe that, though,” she realized.
“Don’t I?” he asked.
She shook her head, and tried to explain. “You know, you had me fooled the first time I saw you. I really took you at your word when you played the villain. But you screwed up. You made sure that I stayed with a woman who has become my friend, weird as she may be, and that I was comfortable. When I was hurt that day, after I’d been on the island, you stayed with me all night. And now, you sit here talking to me when you can see I’m upset. Villains don’t do that, Emeric.”
His expression was icy and polite as he sat back in his chair. “Perhaps I have just been protecting a valuable weapon,” he suggested.
“No,” Callie said, ignoring his attempt to dehumanize her in order to prove himself the bad guy. “Because I’m not a weapon anymore. But you’re still here. You care about people. And regardless of the façade, I know that you wouldn’t turn your back on your friends. I don’t understand why you’re forcing me to do just that.”
Emeric frowned, the chilly civility draining from his face. “You will be safer this way,” he said seriously.
“Maybe,” she agreed. “But I’ll be worried and angry and upset. Is that any better?”
He hesitated, and then suddenly sat forward, propping his elbows onto his knees. “You need not be sad,” he said, his voice gentle, pleading, as though the thought of such emotion worried him. “Just forget about what you have seen here. The sooner you do that, the happier you will be.”
“Emeric,” she said, tipping her head to the side in disagreement and leaning forward to match his stance. “You aren’t listening. People here have come to matter to me. You have begun to matter to me. A person can’t just…forget that, especially when they know the people they care for are going into a warzone.”
But Callie didn’t think Emeric had even heard the last half of that, because somewhere in the middle of what she’d been saying, his eyes had snapped shut. He seemed to be struggling for control, and for a moment his face was contorted, his posture frozen.
“Emeric?” she asked.
His eyes flew open, icy grey and bloodless, though they were heated now by an unnamed passion. He seemed almost furious in that second, and Callie felt trapped by the fiery gaze. “What kind of woman are you,” he hissed, “that you are such an expert at manipulation?”
She blinked. “Does…does that mean you’ll let me stay?” she asked finally, stuttering on her words.
He laughed angrily, the sound severe and hard. “No,” he spat. “I won’t let you stay. Alexander is right, you’ll be killed in the first five minutes. I’ve always known that. What I don’t understand is how it has come to matter. You’re a human. You shouldn’t matter!”
Callie felt the blood drain from her face. “You’ve always known I was going to die?” she asked, swallowing.
“Well, not always,” he said. He spoke not with cold graciousness now, but with smooth fury. “But for the past weeks, ever since I learned what happened on that island…yes. I’ve known.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked, aghast.
He shrugged and sat back again. “I had been debating letting you die, actually,” he said evenly, his eyes glinting and harsh. “You could hav
e been useful in what little time you served for. You see, Callista, I truly am the villain of this story.”
She took a moment to catch her breath, trying to make sense of his words. Finally, she shook her head.
“No,” she said. Meeting his gaze evenly, she said, “You aren’t willing to let me die now. Even knowing that I could help, you’re making me leave. Even though I want to stay, you’re siding with Alex. I’m not manipulative, Emeric; if I were, I would be staying tomorrow. You’re not the villain. You care about people.”
His face turned sour, his eyes narrowed into grey slits. For a moment, he looked ferocious in his irritation. “You know nothing about me,” he said, so gently that the words were terrifying.
“Maybe not,” Callie said. “Because what if I did? It would mean you actually had a heart.”
The fire popped in the background as the two settled into a stony silence. Emeric regarded Callie with a cool glare that was usually reserved for strangers and enemies. Callie returned his scowl with a calm face, not really caring if he was angry with her. She knew that she was right. Furthermore, she wanted him to be angry. She wanted people to start showing emotions, performing actions, that actually made sense. She didn’t mind spreading her misery.
But something made her pause in her petty thoughts. Something there, behind the silver glimmer and the frustration, there was something more concerning in Emeric’s eyes. Something she hadn’t seen there before. It was…longing. Callie felt her heart sink a little. He was wishing, she realized, that it were true. He wanted to believe her.
She stood, not wanting to feel sorry for him, and sighed. “Maybe you should take me to Shay’s,” she said.
She walked to the door, only looking back once she was standing in the frame. Emeric was watching her with pensive calculation. He stood slowly, and walked towards her. When he was right next to her, he reached out the fraction of an inch which separated them. He lightly took hold of her arm, his palm softly sliding down her skin, until he reached her wrist. She shivered beneath the soft, cool touch.
The Guardian (Callista Ryan Series) Page 27
