The Rainmaker

by Petra Landon

  What?

  Tasia gaped at him, her embarrassment momentarily forgotten. Why would he ask such a question, she wondered numbly.

  As the silence stretched on between them, he glanced up from the memory-stick to study her. The gold eyes met her shocked gaze, a question in them that jolted Tasia.

  “Did I?” There was a hoarse note to his voice.

  Pinned in place by his eyes, Tasia said nothing, speechless with astonishment. He waited, his eyes holding hers, with an absolute stillness that characterized how seriously he awaited her answer. As the first shock wore away, Tasia searched his face carefully, looking for clues.

  His expression was inscrutable as usual, but Tasia sensed that he was uncertain. And suddenly, everything fell in place for her.

  He’s not sure. Perhaps, he cannot remember.

  The more she studied him, the more she sensed the vulnerability in him, despite the impassive demeanor. This is what he’d meant when he talked about the gaps in his memory, she realized suddenly.

  “No.” She shook her head, her eyes holding his even as she felt a surge of red suffuse her. “You did not.”

  As the echoes of her words died away, they faced each other across the room. A light leapt into the heavy-lidded gold eyes, a mix of relief, satisfaction and something else, far more intangible. A layer of the mask that usually hid his emotions seemed to peel away before her eyes. Yet, it was Tasia who felt exposed before the stark expression in his eyes. Her heart quickened in response to an unknown signal, suddenly doubling its beat. For the second time in their short association, the air between them throbbed of an awareness. But this time, the two pairs of enmeshed eyes reflected the blossoming of a different kind of awareness — the hint of something fragile, delicate and nameless binding them together. Finding herself drawn to the Alpha by the thread of this intangible awareness unnerved Tasia.

  Tearing her gaze away from the intense bright gold eyes, Tasia turned to grasp the solid handle, using both hands to tug at the heavy steel door. A voice in her head insidiously reminded her how eerily similar this was to the other momentous encounter between them in this room. She had run, like the devil himself was hot on her heels, after he’d scared the wits off her. Then too, she had fled from him like this.

  No, no, this is different. I’m just walking away from an awkward scene, nothing more.

  Yet the idea, once planted, persisted in her that history was repeating itself while Tasia pulled at the handle frantically, the door resisting her efforts. Then abruptly, the link to the past was severed. That day, the Alpha had stared at her efforts to flee with a blind look on his face, his own shock and stupor rendering him oblivious to her struggles. But today, he came forward to gently peel her hands away from their deathly grip on the handle.

  “Allow me.” There was a husky undertone to the usual deep tones.

  Tasia stood rigid, her eyes on the handle as a long-fingered hand reached for the door to pull it open easily. She could sense his eyes on her but Tasia did not look at him.

  “Good night” he said softly as she slipped through the door.

  Tasia fled from him, barely registering the salutations from the Shifters in the Pack Room, not stopping till she was back in the relative safety of her room.

  Duncan, witness to Tasia’s precipitous departure, turned to scrutinize his protégé. Something in the Alpha’s expression must have satisfied Duncan for he turned his attention back to his companions. All was well, Duncan mused with relief. He’d been afraid that the repercussions from the night in the cage would haunt Raoul for a long time. But what he’d glimpsed on his face calmed Duncan’s fears. Whatever had happened between Tasia and Raoul in the cage was on its way to being resolved between them.

  Chapter 14

  A Guardian is hunted

  Jason LaRue strode in, his eyes searching the Pack Room. At the sight of a familiar tall figure in conversation with Duncan, his rather serious expression lightened. The Alpha turned to greet him as the Guardian strode up to them.

  The easy-going Wizard wore an unusually sober expression. The chocolate brown eyes searched Raoul’s face before a smile broke through, one that held both pleasure and relief. “It’s good to see you, Merceau.”

  Raoul contemplated the Wizard before him. He could still remember the first time he’d met Jason and Sienna. Jason had been deputed by the First Wizard to liaise with the Pack on the Lady Bethesda investigation. Raoul had kept Jason at arm’s length, not trusting the Guardian an inch. Now, as he studied the unaffected pleasure on Jason’s face, Raoul realized how much he’d come to like him, despite the odds.

  “Likewise, LaRue.” The quiet words were heartfelt.

  Jason’s eyes flickered to Duncan, before returning to the Alpha. “I have some information you should hear.”

  “My room” Raoul said laconically.

  Once in the Alpha’s Room, Jason declared precipitously “It was Anderson.”

  “We know” the Alpha acknowledged quietly.

  “His men had help from a local Wizard” Duncan explained. “The local Wizard confessed to David Hamilton. He was told that they were here on GCW orders to gather evidence against Raoul.”

  “What!” The exclamation escaped Jason before he could stop it.

  “Anderson had this local Wizard convinced that the Pack had framed him for the San Francisco muggings. The Wizard believed he was helping the GCW right an injustice against a Guardian.”

  Jason stared at the two Shifters, stunned by the news. The San Diego investigation, independent from the Shifters’ efforts, had not uncovered this detail, though both investigations seemed to have independently reached the same conclusion: Guardian Ted Anderson.

  “Anderson spun a complicated web, tangling others to do his dirty work, Duncan” Jason murmured incredulously. “He seems to have wrung every ounce of his position, power and influence for his own ends.”

  Jason shook his head, a renewed sense of despair assailing him at what had become of the august organization he’d once joined with such pride. “This will shake the GCW — I don’t know how the Guardians live this down!”

  “The Wizard gave David the name of Anderson’s aide he dealt with” Raoul said. “David can’t get to the aide, but perhaps you can.”

  Jason nodded his head vigorously. “You bet I can.”

  “Will you, LaRue?” Raoul asked. “We must build a strong case against Anderson, before I go after him.”

  “Of course, I will” Jason said grimly. “The First Wizard has a good team on this, Merceau. Give me the name and I’ll have them look at him. Once the aide ties Anderson to this, we’ll have a solid case against him.”

  The two Shifters said nothing, their faces blank.

  “The First Wizard has assembled a very competent team” Jason assured them.

  Duncan glanced at the Alpha.

  “You trust them, Jason?” the Alpha asked.

  “Yes.”

  “The aide’s name is Willard Trent.”

  Jason pulled out his cell to send a short message. “The First Wizard is taking this very seriously. She’s put her trusted Guardians on it. There are a few, very few now, who still follow her. They uncovered something else you might find very interesting.”

  The Alpha looked inquiring.

  “Ted Anderson entertained a visitor at his home last week. One who raised my eyebrows immediately — Rafaelo Bianchi.”

  Duncan’s expression’s hardened. “So, Bianchi is involved in this too.”

  “Sure looks like it. When we have Anderson in custody, let’s ask him. He’ll give up Bianchi without a second thought.”

  “We?” Raoul arched an eyebrow.

  “I’m with you, Merceau. Did you doubt it?” Jason was blunt.

  Raoul contemplated the Guardian. “No.” He shook his head. He hadn’t. “Have you told the First Wizard?” he asked.

  “She knows” Jason said shortly. “Truth to tell, I feel more at home here than the shambles and dysfunctio
n that is San Diego. I’m beginning to fear that a Wizard civil war is now imminent. It’s a matter of when, not if anymore.”

  “Perhaps, wiser heads will prevail before that happens, Jason.” Duncan was not surprised by Jason’s pessimism. Everything coming out of San Diego indicated chaos and in-fighting. David Hamilton had admitted bluntly to them that his Wizards were on their own. The GCW was too distracted to look after the welfare of any Wizards.

  “Perhaps, Duncan” Jason sighed. “But I hold out little hope.”

  “Is Sienna still in San Diego?” the Alpha inquired.

  “No, she insisted we head to San Francisco when I told her about the attack. She’s in Tasia’s room.”

  “How’s Tasia?” he asked Duncan.

  Just as Hawk’s penchant for Tasia was clear to anyone who frequented the Lair, Duncan’s shepherding of the young Wizard had also not gone unnoticed. The English Were-Alpha kept a very close eye on Tasia, treating her much like he treated his Shifters.

  To Jason’s surprise, Duncan glanced at the Alpha.

  “She’s recovering.” Raoul paused. “It’ll take time to get over this.”

  Jason nodded gravely. Sienna and he were still in the grip of shock. As for the First Wizard, Jason had never seen her like this, despite her tumultuous tenure in San Diego. “And, you?” he asked soberly.

  “Recovering.” Raoul’s lips quirked as he repeated his answer, only to be met with a slow to come but answering smile from the Guardian.

  “When Duncan told me, I couldn’t believe it” Jason said somberly. “I wondered how a Chosen could do this — exploit a Wyr’s weakness in this manner. Then, the evidence pointed to Anderson. Not just any Chosen but a Wizard, a fellow Guardian.” He sighed heavily. “The GCW must take some of the blame for this, Merceau. Anderson should have been punished for what he did in San Francisco. Instead, they took the easy way out. It was easier to believe his lies and manipulations, despite the evidence against him.”

  “Why do you think the GCW let Anderson go, Jason?” Duncan was curious. This was more than Guardians closing ranks, he suspected. Anderson had targeted Wizards, the very same Chosen the GCW was sworn to defend.

  “A segment of the GCW is resentful of the Pack’s co-operation with Lady Esmeralda. They let the resentment sway their better judgement. Most Guardians know there’s some kernel of truth to what Anderson was accused of. Plus, from what I hear, the local Wizards provided strong evidence to back up the accusations against him. But by then, rumors were rife that Raoul Merceau’s Pack, at the request of Faoladh, had done some work for the First Wizard.”

  “The Vault” Raoul prompted.

  “Yes. So, when Anderson threw wild accusations against you and your Shifters, the GCW’s resentment of the First Wizard and you, for co-operating with her, got the better of them.

  “The First Wizard too feels a measure of guilt for not pushing harder for Anderson to be punished” Jason admitted to the two Shifters. Lady Esmeralda had been candid about her regret with him.

  Raoul studied the Guardian’s candid expression. “I hope that’s true, LaRue, because this time I won’t leave Anderson’s punishment up to the Guardians or the First Wizard.”

  Jason didn’t look surprised by the Alpha’s words. He had been expecting this.

  “If Anderson is to pay, and I strongly believe he should, then it is up to the Pack.” Jason was blunt. “Much as the First Wizard desires to bring him to book, as it stands now, she can’t even castigate him. The GCW will close ranks around him if the First Wizard goes after him. And once they realize who accuses him, they’ll draw a line in the sand, Merceau.”

  “What about the witchling, LaRue?” Raoul asked grimly. “I can take care of myself; I don’t need the GCW to play judge. But what about the horrible fate he condemned her to?”

  Jason closed his eyes at the look on the Shifter’s face. Sometimes, he wondered how he could face Tasia after what a fellow Guardian had done to her.

  “Tasia …” Jason stopped, grappling for words. “I know what he did, Merceau.”

  “Doesn’t she deserve justice from her people?” Raoul asked softly.

  “She does, Merceau, she does. It makes me both furious and sad that we cannot give it to her. Sadly, the GCW is incapable of it. It’s tearing itself apart — there’s no will or appetite to punish one of their own.”

  “The First Wizard’s team will build a case against Anderson” Jason said heavily. “And once that is done, she will not stand in your way, but her authority and influence over the Guardians is limited. I’ll stand by your side, Merceau. And so will Sienna. She’s hell-bent on sending a message to the Guardians.”

  Raoul, who had not expected the GCW to give a Guardian up easily, was nevertheless taken aback by Jason’s determination to publicly stand with him. Duncan, equally astonished, looked at the Alpha. They’d been confident of Jason’s assistance in building a case against Anderson, but had never expected him to take a stand against the GCW. He was a Guardian, after all.

  “You’ve done enough, LaRue” Raoul said gently. “I don’t expect you to go against the GCW so publicly.”

  Sienna was different, Raoul knew. She wasn’t part of Wizard officialdom, and her relationship with the First Wizard would ensure that no eyebrows were raised by her decision. It would also ensure no recriminations.

  “Be that as it may, Merceau” Jason countered firmly. “I will be standing with you when you go for Anderson.”

  There was silence as the two men faced each other.

  “This will jeopardize your career, Jason.” Raoul used the Guardian’s name for the first time.

  “It might” Jason admitted. He’d had plenty of time to reflect on this. “It’s not as much of a sacrifice as you believe, though.” He tried to make light of it. “When I’m done with my work on the investigation, there might not be a GCW to return to. Or at least, not one I recognize.”

  Duncan’s eyes widened. The GCW as an institution had survived for centuries, through wars, internal squabbles, massive corruption, and even the advent of the First Wizard.

  “That bad, LaRue?” Raoul inquired.

  “It’s bad.”

  “David, DiZeyla, Atsá and even Duncan think I should go public with this” the Alpha remarked.

  It was Jason’s turn to be surprised. Shifters had always been secretive, paranoid about keeping their business away from other Chosen. And what he knew of Raoul Merceau made it more likely for this particular Alpha to clamp down even harder on his Pack, than to open up for public review and comments.

  “David is adamant that history will repeat itself unless we go public with what Anderson attempted” Duncan explained.

  “He’s right” Jason agreed after a pause. “If Chosen are told the truth, they’ll line up with the Pack to demand justice. The GCW will find it harder to defend Anderson.”

  He turned to Raoul. “They’ll still resist giving up Anderson to you, Merceau. But they won’t be able to paint themselves as the good guys victimized by a big bad Alpha and his Pack.”

  The Alpha remained silent, and eventually Jason inquired “Are you going public, Merceau?”

  “I’m thinking about it. So is the witchling. She was as much the intended victim as me, probably more so.”

  This seemed to have one silver lining, Jason mused. Their ordeal together might finally put to rest the rampant rumors of discord between the Alpha and Tasia. When Sienna’s alarm at Pack gossip had given him the first hint of trouble, Jason had guessed immediately that it was a question of inexperience — Tasia’s with Shifters and Merceau’s with someone like her. Sienna would be glad to know that the distance between the Wizard and the Alpha who’d brought her into his Pack seemed to be lessening.

  “I do have one piece of good news for you, Merceau.” With what had happened, it had slipped Jason’s mind.

  The Alpha arched his brow.

  “I can confirm that the official record of The Prophecy does include the seer’s inter
pretation.”

  As both the Alpha and Duncan’s eyes flashed to him, he continued. “It’s about a page, so my guess is the Oracle was short on time. But it’s in there. He took the time to put it on record, so he must’ve deemed it important.”

  “As we suspected, it was not a coincidence that he foretold it when he did” Duncan remarked. Anticipation stirred in him. They were one step closer to unravelling the past.

  “What does it say?” Raoul asked.

  Jason looked apologetic. “Sorry, dude. This is all I could confirm. Had to call in a bunch of favors to get it.”

  Raoul cursed.

  “Now that we know it’s there, I’ll keep at it” Jason said. “But going after Anderson will further complicate any chance of access.”

  “Let’s get Anderson, Raoul. Then, we work on getting access” Duncan said into the silence, laying out the priorities in his prosaic way.

  When the Alpha emerged into the Pack Room, Tasia was huddled with Sienna and Hawk. This morning, Tasia had been warmed by a heartfelt hug from Sienna. She had entered like a whirlwind, her anxious eyes searching Tasia’s face. Unable to ask any of the questions troubling her without the privacy of the Pack Room, Sienna had hugged the other Wizard with silent relief.

  As the Alpha emerged from his private room, Sienna’s eyes flashed to him. He looked his usual reserved and inscrutable self, as if the ordeal had taken no toll on him. Sienna stood up, walking over to him. To the astonishment of the Shifters in the Pack Room, she threw her arms around the Alpha to give him a hug. Raoul, surprised as hell, stood rigid in her embrace at first. Then, he relaxed, to pat her shoulder before gently freeing himself.

  “It’s good to see you too, Sienna.”

  “You are well?” she asked, her face troubled.

  “I am, Sienna. I hope your aunt is well, too?”

  “She’s fine, but alarmed by what happened to Tasia and you.”

  The gold eyes hardened into chips, the first sign that the assault had changed things. “She’s right to be alarmed.”

  “Jason says it’s a Guardian who did this.” Sienna was uncaring that the door to the Pack Room stood open. This was Raoul Merceau’s Pack. Loose lips would not be tolerated.