by Sophie Davis
Was it bad that I was a little impressed by the ingenuity?
“Our Cryptos are busy trying to decipher the code on the invitation itself. Agent Crane, if you would also take a look, that would be appreciated. Otherwise, we will have to rely on those of you with viewing capabilities. Agent Kelley….” Victoria paused to smile affectionately at me before continuing. “You are acquainted with Ms. Baker, correct?”
Returning her smile, I nodded.
“And you believe that you will be able to locate her?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” I said without hesitation.
My insides squirmed with the half-truth. There was no guarantee that I’d be able to find her. But one look at Willa—who’d given her lip a rest in favor of maniacally twirling a lock of hair around her index finger, tugging on it every so often—renewed my resolve to give it my most determined effort. For Willa’s sake, I would find Kenly. Hopefully once I made a physical connection with Kenly’s mind, Willa would be able to relinquish her emotional one. Her sanity might just depend on my success.
Yeah, no pressure.
“Excellent. Your false identities and documents will be ready late tonight, and will arrive by the morning at the latest. I shall be in touch as necessitated until then, and throughout your preparations tomorrow. Until then, I advise you all to rest. You have an exceedingly long day ahead of you.”
Without any further sendoff, the picture disappeared and the council was gone.
“I will show you all to the guest wing now,” Chaz’s rigid voice spoke from behind us.
“Those two are so creepy,” Janelle muttered under her breath, as she stood.
I shot her an amused grin. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
The guest wing was not nearly as modern as the rest of the house, it had more of the castle-like atmosphere I’d been expecting from the stone exterior. Oil paintings of old dudes in ceremonial clothing hung on the walls and antique knickknacks littered the hallways. There was even a suit of armor, which made Penny and Talia giggle. And yes, the swords I was hoping for were there, too.
Even though there were more than enough rooms for all of us to have our own, I followed Talia into hers without a second thought. She told Riley and the two girls to rest, promising that someone would come find them as soon as we knew more. Talia wanted to question Willa, I felt her desire as if it were my own. But we both could tell the girl was distraught, and now was not the time. Besides, if I was able to View Kenly, Honora’s input would be unnecessary.
To my utter dismay, Frederick and Henri followed Talia and me into our bedroom.
“We’ve been wanting to get you two alone,” Henri said, closing the door behind him.
“Sorry, man, I’ve told you before. I might be into the whole orgy thing, but Tals is a little shy.”
My joke fell flat, and I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth without thought. Humor was my coping mechanism, and I was as close to the edge as Willa. Ever since I’d connected to her mind, I was having trouble detangling myself from it. Kenly’s emotions were still bleeding from Willa’s thoughts into my head. Because Kenly was so upset, the pull was that much stronger.
“And I’ve told you, you’re not my type,” Frederick deadpanned, playing along. “Regardless, if you can get me a picture of Kenly, I’ll try to View her. I know your abilities are…not quite steady yet, Erik.”
Frederick sat down on the end of a chaise lounge, next to a trifold screen with koi fish painted across it. He was trying not to offend me by stating what we all knew to be true: my new abilities were spotty. Though I appreciated his efforts, I wasn’t offended, and wouldn’t have been if he just said it outright. Unfortunately, the fact that I was actually acquainted with Kenly—you can’t get much closer to a person than almost strangling them—I was the better candidate.
“It’s okay,” I told Frederick. “I’m going to try. If I can’t, then you should definitely have a go. But I do know her. And I’ve, um, had physical contact with her. So, in this one case, I might actually have better luck with it.”
Neither Henri nor Frederick knew how close I’d come to killing Kenly in the Hamilton. Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure Talia knew. I hoped she didn’t, I didn’t want her to. Those images from the fleeting minutes in front of the door to McDonough’s suite at the Hamilton, that feeling that had overcome me…those were things I’d buried so deep in the subterranean reaches of my mind that Talia would need to destroy my psyche to find them.
“Okay….” Frederick drew out the syllables. “We’ll leave you to it then. Just let me know if you need me.”
“I will,” I promised.
Frederick stood to leave. Henri already had one hand on the doorknob when he paused and turned to Talia.
“We’ll get her back,” he told my girlfriend, with a kind smile.
“I know,” Talia said. To my surprise, she didn’t leave it at that. Mounting irritation streaked her words as she continued on. “I just hate how the council is treating all of this, you know? I mean, I get it. They want the Created in containment. Okay. Fine. They don’t want to piss off a bunch of important people before the Treaty vote. Okay. Fine. But they’re missing the bigger picture. The Poachers. It’s not about what else is happening in the world right now. It’s about them. And they need to be stopped. Not in a week, not in a month, not at some indeterminate point in the future. Now.”
Arms crossed over her chest, defiance etched in every inch of her face, Talia looked every bit the warrior that she was. Impossibly, I loved her more in that moment.
Frederick wrapped an arm around Talia’s shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.
“I know, Tal. I agree. But if the Treaty doesn’t pass, none of it matters. All of us, UNITED, everyone—we’ll all be forced to live on the island or go into hiding. There will not be anywhere safe for us. No one will treat us as if we deserve the same fundamental human rights as everyone else. In the eyes of the law, we won’t be equals. Poaching won’t just be something that’s done quietly underground if that happens. It will, essentially, be legal. The only prayer we have of stopping the Poachers is to make sure that Treaty passes. Then we can shut them down. If it doesn’t pass, we won’t have any authority, no resources, no UNITED. If it doesn’t pass…we won’t have anything, just a tenuous hope for survival ahead of us.”
That was a sobering thought. From Victoria’s pep talk earlier—had it really only been that morning?—I understood how important the Treaty vote was. Until Frederick spelled it out in such plain terms, though, I didn’t truly appreciate the ramifications of it failing. If I was being honest, I hadn’t considered that as a real possibility.
But he was right. The council was right. Diplomacy, at this precarious juncture, was key. The vote had to go in our favor. There was no other option. If it didn’t, the Poachers would be the least of our concerns.
Frederick bent down and placed a soft kiss on Talia’s forehead before crossing the room to where Henri was holding the door open for him.
“We’ll see you guys in a little bit,” Henri called over his shoulder.
He pulled the door closed behind them, leaving Talia and me alone. Finally.
There was a giant four-post bed in the center of the room, with curtains tied to each wooden beam. Talia walked over and flopped down on the mattress, causing a thin layer of dust to form a cloud around her small body. She wrinkled her nose and sneezed.
“I guess Victoria doesn’t have a lot of houseguests,” she said, waving at the air with her hands to ward off the particles flying up her nose.
“Probably not,” I agreed, crossing the room to sit beside her. I eased myself gingerly onto the bed, attempting to avoid another eruption from Mt. Dustmore. Then I lay down next to her, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close.
Talia rolled onto her side, burying her face in my shirt. Having her in my arms was like a balm to my frayed nerves and raw emotions. The ever-present storm within me quieted. I stroked her hair, pl
aying with the curls. We lay there in silence for several long minutes, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I was half in my own head and half in Willa’s, gauging Kenly’s emotional state. With Talia’s mind wide open, I felt the struggle going on inside of her. She was worried. She was scared. She was pissed. She felt useless. And, after Frederick’s words about the Treaty, she was starting to lose hope.
“Let’s focus on the one thing we can do something about,” I told her. “Let’s get Kenly back. Get the other Created. Once that’s done, we’ll worry about the Treaty. Okay?”
“What about the other Talents at the auction?” she asked, her voice muffled since she was essentially talking into my shirt. Ignoring the heat her breath sent through the material, warming the skin and causing my mind to wander, I focused instead on her words. “Are we just going to leave them behind? That’s not right.”
A small wave of darkness crashed within me and I gritted my teeth. Somehow, I hadn’t considered that point. All anyone had discussed, seemingly all they cared about, was getting the Created out. There hadn’t been any talk of the Talented. But Talia was right, we couldn’t just leave them.
“We’ll do what we can, Tals,” I said, knowing the vague promise wouldn’t appease my girlfriend. Needing to do something useful, I added, “I’m going try to View Kenly.”
Talia sat up and scooted towards the ornate headboard. She wiggled into the pillows, adjusting positions until she found one she liked. When she was settled, she beckoned for me to join her. Crawling up the length of the mattress until I was at the top, I lay down beside her. I wanted to put my head in her lap, have her run her fingers through my hair to relax me. But that would have only proved a greater distraction than a help.
“You’re supposed to be clearing your dirty mind,” Talia scolded mockingly.
“Then you probably shouldn’t touch me,” I volleyed.
“Seriously?” she asked, fingers already massaging my neck.
Giving in to temptation, I rolled over and placed my cheek on her stomach.
“No,” I answered, relaxing into her touch. “I mean, yes, you are distracting, in the best way possible. But no, keep rubbing my neck. It’s helping me settle down.”
Closing my eyes, I took a brief moment to breathe in Talia’s scent, and then focused. Even with her so close, with her hands on me, concentrating was surprisingly easy.
Instantly, I was drawn to Willa’s mind. The girl was in agony, feeling Kenly’s emotions as if they were her own. I was almost scared to View Kenly, scared to step into her reality. For maybe the first time ever, I actually wished Talia was not there. Knowing the pain that Kenly’s current situation would cause my girlfriend—she would surely experience it to some degree, from me—I tried to block Talia while still keeping my mind open and receptive to Willa’s.
“Erik, don’t worry about me right now,” Talia murmured, gently running her fingers through my hair. “I can handle it, whatever ‘it’ is. This isn’t about me. It’s about Kenly. Forget I’m even here.”
Right. Because that’s ever going to happen, I thought.
Talia rewarded me with a soft laugh.
Sparing her a small smile, I obeyed the command in her whispered words. She’d only used a hint of manipulation, and I easily could have fought it, if I’d been so inclined. Instead, I let her orders wash over me and ease my mind. At first there was nothing but a soft blackness that enveloped me for what felt like several long minutes. Then, gradually, like slowly dissipating fog, the images in my head came into focus. I no longer felt Kenly as Willa did. Instead, I saw the younger girl.
Kenly was in a study or library of some sort, the kind that belonged in a castle much like Walburton Manor. She was sitting on a couch, and there were several other people in the room with her. Seven, to be exact. Three of them—a boy and girl roughly my age, and an older man—were off to one side. The man sat in an armchair, with the other two on either side of him. His imposing nature and confident demeanor clearly stated that he was in charge. The pair flanking the leader were most likely his children, judging by their similar bone structure and golden coloring.
Once I’d taken them in, my gaze landed next on the small—no, tiny—girl seated in an armchair on Kenly’s left side. The scowl adorning her pursed lips caused faint lines around her mouth, ones she was much too young to have. They suggested that the dour expression on her face was ever-present.
Back in my world, Talia gasped and her pulse spiked. She was witnessing the same scene I was, using my mind as the conduit. My eyes darted around the study for the source of her alarm. In front of the fireplace, I found it. A guy, maybe nineteen or twenty, stood between two guards, who were playing a game of who-can-hit-the-hardest.
James. His name popped into my head at the same time Talia muttered it aloud. Any lingering doubts over whether he’d been involved in Kenly’s abduction vanished. Understanding dawned. The emotions that Willa was getting from Kenly, the panic and hopelessness, weren’t really about Kenly at all. She was scared for James. Scared for what might happen to him if she did or did not do…something. Since my Viewing abilities worked differently than Willa’s, I didn’t know what that “something” was.
So far, my vision was all video and no audio. Concentrating harder, I fully immersed myself in the scene in my head. It worked. The older man was speaking to Kenly.
“That will do now, let us all calm down. Please aid Mr. Wellington to his feet,” the man said, lazily waving a hand at the guard before turning back to Kenly. “The Isle is owned by, and therefore under the control of, UNITED. Being that you are Created, Miss Baker, I believe it is safe to say that you will be placed in containment the moment you step off the hoverplane. One assumes that this is not the fate you wish for yourself, now is it? As for natural born Chromes, the space is limited. To my knowledge, it will be a first come, first served situation. As I understand it, the Isle, inclusive of all of its islands, has a capacity equal to one-third of the world’s Chrome population. It seems this will leave an overwhelming majority of your lot to fend for themselves.”
The brief history lesson about the islands seemed to stun Kenly. It wasn’t surprising since, until recently, I’d known very little about UNITED’s Isle of Exile. I tried reaching her mind, to read her thoughts and get inside her head. But my powers either weren’t strong enough, or I wasn’t well enough acquainted with Kenly to use telepathy from such a great distance.
There in the study, several moments of tense silence passed while Kenly debated her next words carefully. After a minute or two, an odd-yet-familiar look crossed Kenly’s features. Her brown eyes became slightly unfocused and the anxiety drained from her expression like water through a sieve. There was a Mind Manipulator in the room. I’d seen Talia use her powers countless times, and I knew the signs well.
But Kenly was clearly a decent blocker, and the Manipulation wasn’t taking hold the way the wielder had hoped. When Kenly finally spoke, her voice was hesitant, as if half of her wanted to comply with the orders in her head and half of her remained unconvinced.
The guy, James, was begging Kenly to ignore the voices in her head. But her attention never wavered from the golden-haired girl sitting beside the older man, as if fascinated by what the girl had to say.
“All you have to do is answer a few questions with the absolute truth, and your boyfriend may remain here, as well,” the golden-haired girl said, her tone warm and friendly. “It’s that simple, Kenly. Just answer a few questions. Back in America, you were mates with a girl called Natalia Lyons, is that correct?”
Now I, too, was captivated by what the girl had to say. The mention of Talia’s name, her full name, was disconcerting. They shouldn’t know her name. I didn’t want them knowing her name, having her on their radar. Talia was mine and no one was going to take her from me.
As engrossed as I was in Kenly’s reality, I still felt Talia squirm beneath me. The fingers in my hair stilled and my girlfriend’s heart began to pound harder. Gui
lt bombarded me through my connection to Talia. She blamed herself for Kenly’s capture, believing that the younger girl had been targeted simply because of her friendship with Talia.
Eyes still closed, I reached blindly for Talia’s hand. Instead, my fingers closed around a more interesting part of her anatomy. When I squeezed lightly, Talia swatted my hand away.
“Focus,” she admonished.
Honestly, the boob-grab had been a total mistake. I mean, touching Talia was never a mistake, but I’d only been trying to reassure her. Not provide myself with a cheap thrill. Regardless, the effect was the same. Talia relaxed and her guilt abated slightly.
Unfortunately, those moments of levity cost me. I missed part of the conversation between Kenly and the blonde, who, judging by the melodic tone of her voice, was the Mind Manipulator.
The attention of those in the study had momentarily shifted to James, once again on the receiving end of several well-placed punches. Instantly, I admired the guy. He took hit after hit with barely a grimace. All the while, he kept pleading with Kenly not to give in to them.
“Wrong answer, Kenly,” the Manipulator bellowed. “Let’s try again, shall we? Where is Natalia Lyons?”
Kenly doubled-over in pain, clutching her head like she’d been the one taking the punches. As much as I hated Kenly Baker for the attempt on Talia’s life, a part of me ached for her. She was being asked to choose between Talia and the guy, James. It was clear from the scene that James’s punishment would purportedly end if Kenly divulged Talia’s whereabouts.
Anticipating another infusion of guilt from Talia, I reached for her hand again, this time finding my mark. Talia threaded her fingers through mine, but she seemed distracted. At first I thought she’d gone numb, that the burden being placed on Kenly was causing Talia so much anguish that she was shutting down.
