Charles. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled longer than she'd inhaled. This was one assignment she was secretly worried about. She crossed her ankles and her arms. Anjoleah put her head down on her desk momentarily. When she looked up, she knew what to do.
She’d made a secret appointment earlier that wasn't posted on her work calendar. Anjoleah unlocked her desk and took out her official stationary. She began writing letters; by the time she finished, five letters were on her desk (one was a sealed letter within a letter). She sealed them with her waxed stamp. At the end of the day, her seal would be destroyed according to protocol. She stared at the seal then stuck it in her pocket.
Anjoleah looked at the clock. She had just enough time to straighten her office before the meeting was to take place. She looked in her monogramed compact mirror and thought: All the angles have been covered. Time to find my inner combatant. Her face turned stone cold in an instant. She closed the compact and threw it in the trash. It took her just a second to gather her things. She left the double letter on her desk with Alexander's name on it. Anjoleah left the office. No one looked up as she walked by, for fear of being her next fatality. She didn't look at the other agents. She stayed focused on finding the exit. She was supposed to come back to the office to check out later with Dimitrios but she wouldn't return. That was all there was to it.
Once Anjoleah reached the Hub, she found it easier to breathe. She turned to her assistant who had joined her on the way out and snapped at him. “Well, don't you have a list of things I left you to do? Why are you standing here?” She mockingly shook her head.
He looked down and said, “Yes, I just wanted...”
She cut him off, afraid for once she might show weakness. “No, you just thought you wanted to say something. You don't." She turned and left him standing, watching her.
Anjoleah kept saying to herself as she walked away: “What have I done? What have I done?” Tears started to form in the corner of her eye as she finished the thought: You’re a minx Anjoleah. Why did you have to be so cold?
She picked up the pace until she heard a familiar voice calling her name as she almost reached the corner. Anjoleah paused and looked over her shoulder at him. It was Alexander calling her name. He was begging her to stop. She turned the corner and picked up the pace. She knew he would follow her and if he caught her, she'd be done. Anjoleah ducked in a novelty shop and pulled a disguise from her purse. The owner came around the corner and upon seeing her change into the disguise quickly moved behind the gondola shelving, secretly watching. Once Anjoleah completed the change, she quickly left.
A few seconds later, the owner saw Alexander on his flying disk outside the shop looking for the woman. Alexander turned and went a different way.
Anjoleah's heart was pounding. She knew how this was going to go down and she was determined to see it through. After a couple of evasive tactics to make sure no one was following, Anjoleah continued to her destination. At this point she was certain no one had shadowed her. She entered the café and looked around for her contact. It took a couple of minutes before she spotted her at a well-lit table with the decorative candle extinguished. Anjoleah looked the individual over from head to toe. The lady had followed her instructions; she was also in disguise. Anjoleah recognized her immediately and smiled to herself. She made her contact wait for several minutes then walked by once to see if the lady noticed. The woman didn't, so Anjoleah knew her disguise was good.
On the second pass, Anjoleah asked her, "Is this seat taken?"
The lady looked up. Not recognizing Anjoleah, she said, "Yes dear, I am waiting for someone." Anjoleah sat down anyway. The lady stared at her and said, "Oh." She gave a nervous quiet laugh.
Anjoleah looked at her seriously. The lady fidgeted with a bag setting on the table then placed it on her lap. Anjoleah slid an envelope across the table.
The lady set the bag under her chair. She took the envelope and stood to leave. As the contact turned to depart, she looked Anjoleah in the eyes and said, "Ma'am, I told you this seat was taken. Now good day." She strode out of the shop.
The waitress hurried over to Anjoleah and asked if she would like to order something. Anjoleah agreed and placed a request. Anjoleah slid the contact’s tall water glass in front of her. The waitress reached to take it but Anjoleah put her spoon in the glass and poured colored chemical crystals in the liquid. The waitress looked confused and asked if she would like another glass of water.
Anjoleah looked at her puzzled. "Why on earth would I want another glass of water? This one will do." The waitress gave her a confused look before she walked away.
When the waitress turned her back, Anjoleah reached over and slid the bag from under the vacated seat to beside her purse. Later the waitress came back with a cup of hot tea and finger cookies. Anjoleah picked up the Hub newspaper left on the corner of the table and began to read. A pattern of words had been lightly underlined for Anjoleah to read. Once she finished reading, she took out a small bottle of perfume and spritzed it. The perfume landed on the paper causing the marks to disappear. Anjoleah returned the bottle to her purse, folded the paper and set it back on the table’s corner. A man passed by, picked the newspaper up and carried it to his table. Anjoleah stared at the ice in the glass and as she stirred the water. The crystals stuck to one of the ice cubes. She reached in with her spoon to retrieve the fake cube. Anjoleah dropped it in her purse. When Anjoleah finished her tea and cookies, she settled the ticket, leaving a generous tip. She stood and walked out the café door with her purse and bag in hand, leaving for her next destination.
As she walked, Anjoleah reached into her purse and pulled out the fake ice cube. She cracked it open by dropping it on the ground and crushing it with her heel. She picked up one of the larger pieces. A small gold coin was suspended in the half cube. Anjoleah held it close in order to examine it. She looked for a date on the coin then put it back in her purse.
Anjoleah headed for the next destination. Just as she turned the corner she bumped right into Alexander. She didn't think he recognized her. She hopped back and pivoted with her head down.
He mumbled, "Excuse me." Anjoleah kept walking. He was distracted but then something caught his attention. Alexander watched her walk away and recognized something about the lady. He followed from a distance.
Anjoleah realized someone was watching her. She ducked into a doorway and waited. She waited and watched. Finally when Anjoleah thought it was safe, she stepped out the door right into Alexander's arms. He kissed her lips.
She kissed back and then came to her senses. With a French accent she said, “Hey! What do you think you are doing?” She feigned being angry.
He looked her up then down, and teasingly with a half-smile he said, “I beg your pardon, Miss.”
She scowled, not at all amused. “Step aside.” Xander stepped aside and motioned for her to walk by. When she did, he patted the back of her slacks and looked around. She stopped and repeated in her best accent, “Sir, that is inappropriate. I will call the authorities.”
They looked into each other’s eyes. He shrugged and said, "I am sorry Ma'am. You remind me of the love of my life. I've been searching for her and I mistook you for her."
Anjoleah straightened up and asked, “Well Sir, do I look like her?” She held his stare with her nostrils flared.
Xander grinned. “In some distinct ways you do...” He looked her up, then down and winked at her.
She put her nose up in the air and walked on. He whistled. She kept going.
He caught up with her. “Awww, you’re just mad I recognized you. You taught me. That's how I knew. Stop and talk to me. I've been sick with worry about you. Come on! What's wrong with you anyway?”
Anjoleah paused then kept walking. “Go away. Leave me alone.”
He frowned. "What?"
She stopped this time and looked him in the eyes. “Go away.”
Xander slowly shook his head no. "I read your letter addressed to me. Th
at's not what you said two nights ago."
She acted as if she had to think about something, then she sarcastically said, "Well things changed." She kept walking.
Xander let her go but he didn't believe her. He felt it a second ago in the kiss. He stood silently until he couldn't see her anymore. She disappeared into a sea of people.
Anjoleah thought: What am I doing? I just walked away from the only man I ever loved and trusted. I have never been so in love before... What if he never forgives me? What if he finds someone else? Can I tell him the truth? Would his life be in danger if I did? Would he try to stop me? She knew the answers. No, it was risky to continue their love affair now. She had made a commitment and thrown away the old Anjoleah. This was the new woman that took her place. She wouldn't let him interfere with her life again, ever. Thoughts of Xander kept coming to her mind. She pushed them away. She forced herself to stay focused. She exited at the correct time in the Hub and silently prayed that he'd wait for her. She had work to do. Anjoleah was more determined and driven to succeed, now more than ever before.
Chapter 122
Anthony strode into his home office and sat at his desk. He was weary from appearing at the many social events scheduled for him lately. They weren't the usual functions that he attended with regularity. Apart from the standard meetings he was required to attend, the prime minister always carefully scrutinized the invitations he chose to accept. At a Sojourners’ Council meeting several months prior, it was discussed that he should consider branching out by making himself more accessible. Members believed Anthony should begin accepting requests from other venues. He wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea, considering the fact there were so many charity functions and special events where his presence was requested. His predecessors faced the same dilemma during their terms in office. It was an ongoing struggle.
Anthony took his cuff links off and set them on his desk. The paperwork he had started this morning, didn't appeal to him now. He thought about the last meeting he had with Anjoleah. How was he supposed to fill her shoes? He looked over the inventory list that she had sent to his residence. It was incomplete. He filed it away in his desk drawer. He was certain she would not be back to meet with Dimitrios.
There was a buzz from the gate keypad. Impeccable timing. He stood and stretched before he went to answer the person standing at the gate. He looked at the monitor. He recognized the lady and pressed the button to open the gate. She came to the front door and knocked. He opened the door and stood aside as the dignified lady entered his house and headed straight to his office. Anthony closed the door and followed. Once inside the office she crossed the room and set an envelope on his desk.
The lady turned and leaned up against the desk. She looked at him, folded her arms and rolled her eyes before saying, "Let's get to it. You and I both know we have reached a point that it would be considered exponentially devastating to miscalculate our circumstances. We should proceed only if we have clarity, and with reason."
Anthony's response was a deep gravelly, "Too late."
After hearing his words she walked out of the office leaving Anthony gazing after her. The lady opened the front door and exited through the gate.
Chapter 123
Virgil was sitting at his table looking over some drawings. He stood and used an old iron rod to stir the burning logs in the fireplace. The teakettle whistled, beckoning for his attention. He took the kettle off the hook and made his way back to the kitchen to prepare a cup of the concoction he had invented. Virgil pulled his favorite silver spoon from the drawer then poured hot water and dry ingredients in a mug. He stirred the different colors into the water. After he mixed the ingredients, he took a sip. Perfect. He felt satisfied he had the brew down to a science. He smelled the vapors. It was unusually gratifying if he did say so himself. The colors never completely mixed together, so he considered it a simple pleasure with each sip to see the colorful art his drink created. Virgil had invented another similar beverage with colored bubbles that would float from a mug for the children, who now came to visit him. That was just one of the reasons his drink was a favorite. Virgil knew everyone had an inner child inside.
Virgil took the drink with him to the living room. He took another sip, as he sat and thought about moments in his life. He tried to avoid thinking about the past very often, but when certain natural occurrences happened, he couldn't stop the memories. The last time it came to mind was during a period the sun and the moons played their games. This always had significance for him. Virgil clinked the side of his mug again as he stirred with his spoon. His thoughts were intertwined with the flames in the fireplace. He set the mug down on a table when he finished the drink. Virgil turned his attention back to the flames. Usually when he thought back on his life, it was as if the memories belonged to someone else. Tonight they were painfully all his. A tear glazed the corner of his eye but refused to fall. That was just fine with him.
Virgil didn't want to grieve over his past but instead wanted something to live for, new celebrations to come that would be far better than anything he could have dreamed possible years ago. This time he dared to live. He thought about the knights who had returned with their families. They were hard workers. From early morning until late at night they worked, and their hard work paid off. The community was now far beyond the expectations he had when they first began. What they were building was, in most respects, far better than the original. Virgil thought about each member of his new “family”. He actually even enjoyed having their company. Everyone knew each individual as if they were living in a small village. Everyone pitched in to help those who needed extra help. It didn't surprise him that the knights and their families, who came to help rebuild, fell in love with the kingdom and wanted to stay. Many of the descendants of the original villagers had requested that they too be allowed to return and work. The kingdom was slowly returning to its former splendor.
Virgil looked around the room for the game pieces he had made out of wood and stones. He was puzzled that they weren't in their usual place. He stood and began to search. Once he saw the leather pouch, he walked over to retrieve it. Virgil had created this game a long time ago to preoccupy his mind when he had something that was troubling him. Since there was no one else around to discuss these matters of importance with, the game took the place of a friend. He had developed his own Saisnavoniya using a very similar concept from an old sorcerer's game that had belonged to his father. It was thought that the pieces would tell the person asking the question things that would either help him make a decision, or tell him something about the future.
Now seemed to be one of those times he was needy for answers. Since Virgil had created the Saisnavoniya, his questions had always been answered correctly by the pieces of his game. However he was never quite sure if it was just luck or if there was really something to the powers of the game.
Virgil picked up the leather pouch and went to sit on his couch. An antique silver tray was setting on the coffee table in front of him. He jostled around the contents of the pouch and took out the wooden dice. Each die was multi-sided with meaningful symbols or numbers etched on each side. Virgil flicked his wrist while tossing them onto the tray. He stared at the dice he had just tossed. Next he reached back into the pouch and pulled out smaller painted stones that had carefully painted magic pictograms on them. He withdrew each stone one at a time. Virgil put them in order under the dice. Then he sat staring at the items in front of him, pondering their answer. Finally Virgil closed his eyes, reached back into the pouch and pulled out one of the three larger painted stones. The role of the three larger stones was a little more complicated. If he pulled out the orange stone that had a yellow on white symbol, it would reveal an image on the stone that was a representation of an event or person. If he pulled one of the other two stones out from the pouch then one stone would lend strength to the dice message, the other stone would take energy from the message.
His final conclusion: the answer he was
staring at was all pure speculation at this point. Nothing was final yet. A strong wind blew outside and drew his attention. He gathered the pieces of wood and the stones and quickly put them away.
**********
Wayland gave a nervous laugh when everyone stared at him. He raised and lowered his right shoulder. "It was just an idea, I didn't say I was going to try it." Natalie rolled her eyes then turned back to Caroline and the lesson they were discussing.
Dimitrios leaned over to Charles and said, "Keep an eye on that one." He nodded in the direction of Wayland. "When he gets something in his head..."
Charles said, "I'm not even crazy enough to try that one."
Dimitrios said, "All right, I guess we are done here. I have a date to keep, and I intend to be on time."
Natalie chimed in, "Better get going." She went over and gave her father a hug.
Dimitrios turned to Charles and told him to keep up the good work. After patting Charles on the shoulder, Dimitrios left.
Caroline closed the book she had been reading then put all the books away in her backpack. She looked at Charles and asked what he needed to do before they left. Charles thought briefly about her question and decided he was ready to go.
Carson and Bev had been setting up the Marble Track. It was now ready.
"Caroline, do you want to do the honor of dropping the marble?"
She skipped over. "Sure do." She picked up the castle marble and placed it in the angel’s pitcher.
Once she let it drop, the marble rolled from the angel’s pitcher and the Passageway shimmered. They stepped over into a beautiful flowering field. The breeze was whispering through the trees’ branches. It was as if the trees were whispering about Caroline's return. The group made their way to the path leading to Virgil's cottage. The forest was vibrant with life. Wayland and Natalie pointed out the native flora to each other as they walked. They came to the clearing with Virgil’s cottage.
Return of the Clonsayee Page 57
