Shattered Illusions (Terra Chronicles Book 2)

by J. C. Jackson

  Looking up at him, I realized this had to be the worst way to start this partnership. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think to message you. I only found out I was going yesterday. Kitteren managed to force the time-off and she planned the trip.”

  Silver looked at me in surprise. “You’re taking a vacation?”

  “Unfortunately,” I admitted.

  “No, you need it. You looked really worn out yesterday during the call.” Silver took the paperwork back. “What’s in Mystic Port?”

  “Nothing,” I said quickly as I spotted Holly walking over. “Um, if you’ll excuse me I need to get something to drink.”

  I made my way over to the bar where Trevyn stood happily. “What can I get you? I can recommend a particular sample brew based on yer tastes. See if you like it first.”

  “Thank you, but I can’t drink. Can I get a glass of water?” My already weakened control and alcohol sounded like a bad combination.

  Trevyn grinned and went to fill my request. I took a moment to breathe and realized I forgot to ask him how much it was.

  “You win,” a female voice came from behind and startled me.

  Turning around, I saw Holly standing there, her face hard to read. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

  “Well, I probably should have started with I’m sorry about my behavior earlier and you win.”

  I looked at her confused. “It’s okay, but win what?”

  “Hm, well, that explains it,” Holly smiled and then offered her hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

  I took it, still lost as to what just happened. She left after, returning to her new team. I really needed to talk to Savanas. She had to know why Silver received those orders.

  A glass of water appeared on the bar. I pulled my wallet out and Trevyn waved me off. “I told you it was on me. Not that I would charge for water anyway. Go get yerself somethin’ to eat. Bloody scrawny Elves.”

  I gave him a quick bow of thanks. Turning around, I did not know what to do. Savanas spoke with a mousy-looking Human woman who appeared to be getting more angry by the second. I refused to step into the middle of that.

  I should talk to Sparky more I guess. At least let him know what he would encounter, but I did not know what would be left.

  Where had he gone?

  “That was impressive,” Sparky said. I had not seen him approach. He had a sample glass in his hand. “Do you mind if I ask about what you’re working on now?”

  I took a sip of water, thinking about my answer. “I’m not sure what I’ll be going back to. Lockonis said she’s dealing with the backlog. I know I’ll still have the Brown case.”

  “Brown. Brown. Can’t say I’m familiar with that one, but obviously it must still be open,” Sparky said, tapping the side of his glass with his fingernail.

  “It is. Most of what is left is arcane and divine specific.”

  Sparky pouted. “No fair. I’m not familiar with either of those areas.”

  I shrugged. “That’s where me and Silver come in I’m afraid.”

  “Okay,” Sparky said sounding dejected, “Anything I should know about the main office?”

  I pursed my lips while I thought. “I’m not sure what would be useful. Lockonis will probably do an orientation with you when you get there. I’m unfortunately going to be away.”

  Silver wandered back over to us, also carrying one of the sample glasses and raised an eyebrow at my water. He should understand by now my personal restriction on alcohol and I leveled a look at him.

  “Wait, do you two already know each other?” Sparky asked.

  “Yes,” Silver said before I could open my mouth. “I’ll tell you later, but she was the one I was calling to help me study.”

  Silver stood rather close and I hated the fact I only came up to his shoulder.

  “Ma’am, if you will ignore what I’m about to say…” Sparky said to me, pausing for a moment before directing his attention to Silver. “You freakishly tall ass - that’s not fair having an agent tutor you.”

  Should I mention I needed to learn a lot of what they had been training for to help him? It cut into some of the time I tried to allocate to helping the cyber team. I wondered what they turned up. Lockonis would always tell me they did not have anything of note. The main group could have decided to go into hiding after what happened with Brown and his group.

  My mind quickly circled back to the pins. The text, the hair - why? And I did not know for certain that the strand was hair. There had not been enough time to run tests. Did the Circle of Magi know about it? Could someone else be attempting to influence the school? But then why the shortening list of ranks for a higher level mage? The Circle of Magi must know or maybe the Magus of the Arcane College? Trying to recall a face or a name for the Magus, I found I could not.

  “Are you okay, ma’am?” Sparky asked.

  Blinking, I returned to what was currently going on. “Yes, sorry, I guess I’m a little distracted by something I was working on in the lab.”

  “The pins?” Silver asked.

  I nodded. “But it can wait. You two should go enjoy the party - I fear I’m not good with social events.”

  “Neither am I,” Sparky admitted. Then he took a sip of his drink and winced. “You guys should try this stuff. It packs a punch.”

  I held up my hand to signal I would pass on the idea.

  “When was the last time you ate?” Silver asked. Mentally I groaned and outwardly I sighed in resignation. Was he going to always be like this?

  “Yeah, you definitely owe me a story metal-boy,” Sparky mused over his drink.

  Silver rolled his eyes. “You’re never going to give up calling me random names, are you?”

  “Nope and now you’re stuck with me at the main office.”

  I hid my amusement at their antics behind my hand. I could live with this.

  “What you need to know about Ketayl is she will work herself to exhaustion and skip meals if no one reminds her to take them.” Silver said, looking at me expectantly.

  I sighed and said, “I had lunch a little while ago. Rathal and Kitteren are my witnesses.”

  “Kitteren is here?” Silver asked, looking around nervously.

  I shook my head, knowing his concern. During the short time Silver stayed at the main office earlier in the year, my sister would always pull me away from talking with him. “She elected to spend the time with Rathal.” And now I had a reason to be more grateful I waved her off to go enjoy herself.

  Sparky raised an eyebrow and remained silent.

  As the conversation continued between Silver and Sparky, I found myself now debating Silver’s orders. His schedule was off by an unknown number of days, but his orders were to go to Mystic Port with me. Bad enough Kitteren and our parents wanted to dredge up the past, but I did not need Silver finding out. I wanted to keep up this illusion of normality. I liked feeling I belonged somewhere even though I kept everyone at arm’s length for their own safety.

  How could I maintain the illusion if they were determined to dig up the monster?

  ~*~

  Dinner at Savanas’ house was a quiet affair. Lou sent his apology about not being able to be away from the bakery this evening. I sat quietly outside - decorative lights lined the backyard giving it a gentle, comforting air. My adopted parents decorated their outdoor space in a similar fashion and I always found it calming, but not tonight. Not with what lay just beyond the horizon.

  I rode with Silver, who seemed all too happy to be free of the group. When he handed me his packet to hold while he drove I asked if I could read it again. It kept me distracted from him driving.

  Everything else in the packet I expected, but I was uneasy about the fact I ended up listed as the team lead. It was a team of two after all.

  Before this, it felt like nothing would change and I just talked to him from a distance. Now I had this Elven man in my life. A partner - something I had not dealt with previously. For some reason it still did not feel
real.

  Nothing more had been included regarding his orders to go with me - it just said further details pending. This included his flight information.

  I watched as Silver spoke with Brad and Darius on the other side of the yard. He was the only one of the recruits invited to Savanas’ house. Well, I guess they were all agents now. Kitteren and Rathal had not yet arrived, but we followed Savanas and gotten here much earlier than she suggested this morning at the office.

  Standing up, I decided I needed to find Savanas. Roh saw me move and came over to bounce around my feet for a moment before returning to play with Melody. His ears flopped around in the most comical fashion as if they were too big for his body.

  Through the sliding glass door, I saw Savanas still in the same outfit she wore to the ceremony minus the jacket, but with a simple black apron over it. She took something out of the oven and looked at me curiously.

  I let myself in quietly. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to bother you, I…” I trailed off, uncertain how to broach the subject.

  “Ket, relax, I’m not going to bite. Just say what’s on your mind,” Savanas said gently.

  I fidgeted for a moment and blurted out, “Why is Silver being sent with me to Mystic Port?” I paused and then added, “Sorry, I don’t know if you know and…” I trailed off again because I started to ramble.

  Savanas stood up straighter, looking at me confused and then it seemed something clicked for her. “Ket, what I say stays between us and even then I can’t give you an exact reason.” Something on the stove caught her attention and she turned to deal with it.

  I walked further into the kitchen, trying to stay out of her way. Her words set me on edge.

  Savanas gave me a sidelong glance, “Look, we just want you to be safe and it’ll give you and Silver a chance to get reacquainted.”

  “Is something going on?” Could Mystic Port possibly be more dangerous now than back then?

  “I can’t say,” Savanas said and I could not tell if she actually knew or not. It was a vague enough statement to go either way and her face betrayed nothing.

  I folded my arms and looked out to her backyard where Silver told a story to Brad and Darius. He made grand gestures with his arms and the men laughed. While I enjoyed the same antics during our video calls, this trip to Mystic Port was too personal and my concerns overrode any amusement I might find from it at the moment.

  Savanas sighed loudly, which drew my attention back to her. “Lockonis advised me about how much you’ve been working lately. You’ve taken a lot on in a short period of time. I’m not sure you’ve even had time to truly process what happened six months ago let alone be prepared for what is ahead. Just take this time and enjoy it. Silver will watch your back so you can relax. Provided you let him that is,” Savanas said and smirked at me. “The orders came from Lockonis and she’ll follow up with him shortly. He’ll still have the right to refuse as it’s really more of a request, but she needed to do it this way to be able to get Personnel to play nice if he agrees.”

  I frowned and looked back out the window at my partner. Why did she not say anything to me before I left? It was useless to wonder about it now - Lockonis likely had much on her mind and Kitteren could distract anyone.

  How was I going to explain this to my family? Should I convince Silver to turn down the request? It seemed the most logical idea.

  “Go outside, enjoy the evening. Food will be ready soon enough,” Savanas advised. “Talk to Silver, but don’t try to change his mind - you’ll only make him decide to go. He has to be one of the most contrary people I know and I deal with Rathal on a daily basis.” She made a shooing motion at me with her hand.

  I started to think she could read my mind somehow, but shook off the idea. As I let myself back out and returned to my previous spot, I could not shake the feeling Savanas tried to tell me more. Either that or I spent far too much time digging for more through each case I processed.

  Stretching in my chair, I then needed to adjust my shirt again. Maybe I should have spent some time this afternoon picking up a couple of outfits instead of going to lunch. But I hated spending money on myself if I did not need to. I could make do with what my sister packed.

  “You seem uncomfortable,” Silver said as he came over and sat down next to me. At some point he shed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. The lights played off of the metal bracers he wore. I briefly wondered if he would be changing the style of those eventually as well.

  Now I remembered Silver previously told me he reforged his circlet into ear cuffs because Rathal would knock it off before he could draw his weapons when they sparred together.

  “It’s not what I usually wear. Kitteren repacked my bag,” I said, wrapping my arms around my waist.

  Silver leaned forward, toying with the end of his braid, smirking. “I think it looks good on you, but I’d rather see you comfortable.”

  I fidgeted with my hands, letting silence fall between us before finding another topic. “Sorry I haven’t been able to get more done and now I’m going to fall further behind.”

  Silver put his hand over mine to get me to stop. “Ketayl, you’ve been taking it all on your own. I’m sorry I haven’t been around to help more.”

  I moved my hands away and sighed, pulling my knees to my chest. I caught Silver look up out of the corner of my eye. Patting my shoulder, he stood and said, “I’m going to go see if Savanas needs help. It looks like your sister wants to talk to you.”

  Not exactly the person I wanted to deal with at this moment. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I kicked myself for even thinking it. Kitteren was simply being Kitteren.

  A few moments later, my sister plopped into the seat Silver vacated. “Ugh, who invited him?” I had grown tired of her attitude toward him, but I could not change her mind and arguing made it worse. She patted my bun and asked, “What’s wrong, Ket?”

  “Just tired I guess. It’s been a long day. Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked, unfolding.

  “Mmm…” Kitteren smirked, her eyes finding Rathal. “He’s quite good. I almost feel bad stealing him from you.”

  “Kitteren…” I warned.

  My sister rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. You really should consider taking a lover. Just not that paladin partner of yours, okay?”

  Where did her statement come from? I did not even remotely have a relationship like that with Silver. Sighing, I looked around to see where everyone else sat, but erred on the side of caution and changed to the dialect of common my sister and I used since most people could not understand it, “I’ve told you before I can’t.”

  Kitteren raised an eyebrow at me. “Why not? You’ve never actually explained it.”

  “Because I’m dangerous. I can’t afford to get too close to someone. You know I have to control my emotions because my arcane abilities are tied to it.” I already walked the line caring about those I did. I did not know what would happen if I lost any one of them. I could not process what Kitteren said about Don and I had not seen him for half a century.

  I pushed the thought back as it tried to come forward again. Tomorrow, I could deal with it tomorrow.

  Kitteren sighed. “You won’t know your true limits until you try.”

  “I can’t take the risk,” I snapped at her.

  Savanas and Silver came out with dishes and started placing them at the large table on the patio. “Hope everyone is hungry,” Savanas chimed happily.

  Kitteren moved first and I hung back, watching where everyone sat around the large table on the patio. I caught the attention of a few people who turned to look at me. Especially Kitteren and Silver. I was going to end up being the buffer between them. It was not where I wanted to be.

  I reminded myself that after this, I would head back to the hotel to rest for an hour or so and then off to the airport. But then I would start worrying about returning to Mystic Port.

  Chapter 4

  Thick fog covered the city and the harbor. I felt like as s
oon as it lifted, the truth would be revealed and the magic gone. Likely how this place came to be named Mystic Port.

  The sun had not quite made its appearance yet to burn off the fog, though the sky continued to lighten announcing the oncoming dawn.

  I remembered these type of mornings - I used them to my advantage in getting an early start to scrounge up food. It rained often and I never quite knew which way it would go when the day started like this.

  Rubbing my arms in the cool early morning air, I let my feet take me where they willed. The bag on my hip bounced lightly - I only brought the essentials with me and a small snack. I had not been here for half a century and so much had changed. By the look of the buildings, I seemed to have wandered into the historic district as they started becoming more familiar with what I remembered from 50 years ago. I kept seeing what I remembered overlay what was before me. The fog must be playing tricks with my mind.

  The few other people out and about at this hour paid me no heed. Perhaps Kitteren told the truth and no one remembered. Unfortunately, I still did.

  I left my younger sister at the hotel - she pestered me again during the flight here to talk about the past. She also made my hair pins and elastics disappear during the short time I took to clean up before we left Ocean’s Edge.

  More and more I began to see the places I once traveled. Where I knew I could score easy food and who to avoid. If I cut through the alley there and jumped onto the trash cans, I could get up onto the short roof to hide while whoever chased me thought I jumped the fence.

  I had been able to avoid this visit for a couple of years when the idea had first been brought up soon after I transferred to the TIO. My words to Kitteren and Mother for my remaining away was because I wanted to keep from bringing further trouble to Don’s doorstep. Reality quickly revealed it to be a fear of facing my past.

  I struggled again with the concept of Don dying - my mind continuing to reject it. I never truly felt I had been able to repay him for his kindness during a time when we were getting turned away by everyone else because of our race.