Dixon

by Sarah J. Stone

  “Nathaniel is king?” Sienna whispered to Desmond,

  Desmond choked. “No,” he said, in no uncertain terms.

  “Oh,” she replied, and he sighed. How exactly was he supposed to explain what was proper behavior, when neither of them followed the rules.

  For a change, Sienna could actually follow the conversation and negotiations that were happening. In Jeffrorian, with a translator for those who spoke Basic, Sienna watched as they went back and forth. Her eyes darted between the two parties, and she stood stock still. Desmond knew that the best way for her to learn was to watch and to see things first hand. Classes could never quite teach the same things as a hands-on quest.

  “Enough!” After an hour of intense negotiations, Eliza stood up. “We will consider your offers in private.”

  “My lady,” one of the rebels said, bowing. He had a smirk on his face that Desmond didn't like, and he locked eyes with Nathaniel, who returned them from the throne's platform. Eliza glanced to Nathaniel, who nodded, indicating that she was probably safe to go. Neither of them took their eyes off the rebels' movements for a moment.

  “Well, that was tense,” Nathaniel said when he got within speaking range.

  “Unfair,” Sienna spoke up, and both of them turned to her.

  “How so?” Desmond asked, and she fought for the Basic words.

  “They…” She indicated where the rebels had been. Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, and she closed her eyes.

  ‘Nothing benefits Eliza.’

  Nathaniel glanced to Desmond to see if he got that bit. Desmond nodded, and Nathaniel felt relieved. This was certainly going to be easier going forward. However, she really did need to learn Basic, as most negotiations were conducted in it.

  “That is true,” Nathaniel replied. “They aren't leaving her in an easy situation. Eliza will do her best, though.”

  “We should attend to her,” Desmond said. “She feels uneasy to me, like she is worried they will go behind her back.”

  “It wouldn't be the first time Jeffrorian rebels said one thing and did another,” Nathaniel mused, as they exited the throne room. Desmond's com-link buzzed just then, and he pulled it out to see Mariah's ID on the screen.

  “Take it,” Nathaniel escorted Sienna a little farther down the hallway. “You can meet us later.”

  “Nathaniel,” Sienna said, catching his wrist. “Homework?”

  “Homework?” Nathaniel asked, and then realized what she was asking. When the Tiros were this young and away from the school, it was recommended they keep up with their classes. Most of the homework was about fake quests anyway, so they simply geared them toward the quest they were on if needed. “Yes, they should be loaded onto your profile if you check.”

  “But war?” she asked, and he shook his head.

  “No, no war,” he replied. “At least, I hope not.”

  Desmond rejoined them, looking troubled, and Nathaniel tensed.

  “What is it?”

  “It's nothing,” he said. “We should focus on the quest at hand.”

  “Desmond,” Nathaniel replied. “You're clearly distracted.”

  Desmond sighed. “Mariah is just worried. Sybil hasn't reported in since yesterday.”

  Nathaniel stopped cold. “What?” he asked. “Where is she? Can't Mariah feel her?”

  “Their bond is no longer as active,” Desmond assured him. “I'm sure it will be all right. How many times have you or I gone days without reporting in for various circumstances?”

  “This is different,” Nathaniel replied. “Sybil is always on top of reporting and of making sure everything is done by the book.”

  “I'm sure she's all right,” Desmond tried to assure him. Both of them were distracted by yelling voices down the hallway. He looked past Nathaniel to see guards rushing into the royal chambers.

  Neither of them needed to even glance at each other. They ran down the hall at breakneck speed, Sienna hot on their heels.

  Nearly every guard in the palace seemed to be in Eliza's room, frantically moving around. It only took Nathaniel a moment to realize that they were all there because she was not.

  “How could she just vanish?” Nathaniel demanded of the captain. “She doesn't just vanish.”

  The captain blinked. His face was frantic, but it was clear that he didn't understand. Nathaniel realized with horror that the man spoke no Basic.

  “Eliza?” Sienna spoke up, her Jeffro accent coming through. The captain turned to her, and spoke rapidly. Nathaniel only caught one word out of three, but Sienna reached out, strengthening their bond.

  ‘She went in, but is nowhere to be found.’

  “This is ridiculous,” Nathaniel said, storming toward the bookshelf. The guards looked only mildly concerned that he knew all the hiding places and secret passages within the room. “Desmond?”

  “Did anyone come into the chambers with her?” Desmond demanded. “Sienna, help.”

  Their bond was still shaky, but between the bits and pieces of conversation that everyone could make out, the details came out. Eliza said she was going into her room for a private moment. No one else had been with her. It had only been moments ago, and the guards stood at the door to the outer chambers. One of them had heard a crash, and then they burst in.

  “Someone was waiting for her,” Desmond surmised. “Someone knew she would come back here.”

  “No,” Nathaniel growled in frustration as he cleared the passageway. It simply went into the other room, and it was empty. “NO!”

  “Nathaniel,” Desmond snapped at him. “You will control your emotions.”

  “And if this was Mariah?” Nathaniel snapped right back. “How would you react?”

  “I would look for her,” Desmond said calmly. “And I would find her. Just as we will find Eliza.”

  Sienna looked between the two of them, the tension thick in the air. She had thought this was going to be a boring quest, but it was turning out to be anything but that. It was as she was having that thought that a wave of dizziness hit her. Her knees buckled, and she fell against Desmond as the darkness overtook her.

  Chapter 11

  When Sienna awoke, they were still in Eliza's bedroom. The guards had left; it was quieter, and she was on Eliza's massive bed. She was lying on her side, and she was awoken by a terrible cough that shook her entire body.

  Desmond's large, comforting hand clapped her shoulder. He was sitting in a chair by the bed, a stack of paperwork in his hands.

  “It's all right, little one,” he said. “You're all right.”

  She sat up, brushing the hair out of her eyes. Her lips felt chapped, and her mouth felt dry. She was grateful for the water glass that he handed her, and she sucked it down.

  Nathaniel burst into the room then, his eyes frantic. His gaze lay on Sienna for one moment, and then he turned to Desmond.

  “We have to go,” he said.

  “Nathaniel,” Desmond replied patiently. “I have explained this to you already. We are not simply charging off when we have absolutely no idea where she is. Her guards are already searching the city, and they know it better than you do. In addition, Sienna is not ready to go anywhere just yet.”

  “Eliza could be dying, and I have to wait?” he snapped in disbelief. “This is ridiculous. If she can't keep pace with us, she stays here.”

  Any warmth that the two of them had shared was clearly dissolved. He was once again angry at being saddled with a Tiro who was not as strong as he liked. He was practically bouncing on his legs, ready to bolt.

  Desmond was right, of course. He didn't have a plan or any clue what to do. They had scoured the room but had not found as much as a thread out of place. The rebels were being interrogated, but not one of them seemed to have any clue. Nathaniel had searched their minds, but they seemed to be completely confused as to what was happening. They may have had unequal intentions, but capturing the queen was not one of them.

  “That is not how training goes,” Desmond replied. “
And I won't hear another word against it. Please finish that glass of water.”

  Sienna sank against the pillows, feeling small and sheepish. She closed her eyes to drown out Nathaniel's anger, which hung in the room like a thunder cloud. She felt guilty for not being able to keep up with them, but she was used to this. Maybe this was why no one was supposed to train her.

  “I want to take the search to the border planets,” Nathaniel said, trying to control his anger. “That is where they would have taken her.”

  “Which border planet? And once we get there, where are we going to look?” Desmond prompted him. “You need a better plan than that.”

  “Why is it me that has to come up with the plan?” Nathaniel asked. “What's your plan?”

  “Here,” Desmond said as he showed Nathaniel the stack of papers he had been looking at. It turned out to be maps of the cities on the planet. There weren't many; outside of the main city, Jeffro was not well populated. “I don't think they have taken her to the border planets. I think they would have stayed here because we wouldn't start looking here. There are a few farms that have bomb shelters built into them from when Jeffro was at constant war. I think that's where she is.”

  “Huh,” Nathaniel replied, his anger defused as he considered the options. “That's actually not a bad idea.”

  “Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Desmond rolled his eyes. There was a knock on the door then, and the captain of the guards came in. To everyone's surprised, he bowed low. Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. This was not how he normally greeted them.

  He turned to Sienna, and he spoke a long string of words. Sienna raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and it was in her native tongue.

  She turned to Desmond, unsure how to translate what she heard. Desmond reached out his hand, and she closed her eyes.

  ‘In the absence of the queen, witches are in charge until a suitable heir is found.’

  “What?” Desmond said, looking at her in disbelief.

  “Oh, my creator,” Nathaniel ran a hand through his hair. “That is true.”

  “What?” Desmond replied. “You knew about this?”

  “She mentioned it once or twice,” Nathaniel answered. “This isn't about me. More than one planet does this. If they don't have a proper heir, we are in charge of protecting the throne in the interim as a neutral force.”

  “We aren't exactly all a neutral force, are we?” Desmond raised an eyebrow at his former Tiro. “Sienna, accept.”

  She looked frightened and wide eyed, but she turned to the man, translating. He nodded and said a few parting words before leaving.

  “We can't guard the throne and look for Eliza,” Nathaniel said, his jaw set.

  “We could,” Desmond said. “There are three of us.”

  Nathaniel put out his hand in disbelief. “You just said not to split up,” he cried in annoyance. Desmond sighed.

  “What do you propose we do, then?”

  “Why am I the one coming up with all these things?” Nathaniel asked.

  “You will watch your tone,” he answered calmly. “And because you must learn to make the choices that benefit both the universe and your team. What is your choice?”

  Nathaniel chewed on his lip. He was trying to think with a clear head, but he felt like he was about to explode.

  Sienna was unwell. She might put them in danger if they went.

  If they stayed, he might never see Eliza again. But she would have wanted him to protect her throne.

  He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and trying to let the magic guide him. He couldn't be everywhere at once, even though he wanted to.

  Suddenly, the solution came to him.

  “Can you call Mariah?” he asked Desmond. “No doubt, she'll want to get away from sitting at the school, waiting for news. She can govern here, we've worked with her before. The Jurors won't say no. It's an easy quest, with no physical demands. And then we can go out into the field.”

  “I could…” Desmond answered. “If that is what you want.”

  “That is what we need to do,” Nathaniel said. “Sienna, I need you to be strong, do you understand me? Eliza needs us to be strong.”

  “I don't think that she has a choice,” Desmond replied. “You can't just will health into her.”

  “No, but I could…” He paused as he thought for a moment. “The rations.”

  “What are you talking about?” Desmond asked in confusion. “Are you hungry?”

  “No,” Nathaniel said, turning to go. “I'll be right back.”

  And with that, he stalked out of the room, leaving a confused Desmond and Sienna sitting there.

  The older witch shook his head, turning back to her.

  “Don't be concerned,” he said. “He has always been like that. Even when he was a boy, his thought process wasn't linear.”

  She cocked her head, and Desmond pushed the thoughts through to her. She smiled, taking another sip from the water glass. At the very least, Nathaniel's energy was fascinating.

  He came in so quickly he nearly slipped on the rug. In his hands were two packages of rations from the Jeffroian Army’s supply. They were freeze dried, and barely food, Desmond thought. As Witches, their diets were usually full of healthy, natural food that respected nature. If the items in these packages had anything natural in them, they had become so unrecognizable that it wasn't worth labelling the ingredients.

  “What are you doing?” he asked Nathaniel, as the younger witch ripped open the package. He held it out to Sienna, who reached out a tentative hand.

  “Look,” Nathaniel said. “No magic leaps from her fingers. Nothing like the fruit.”

  “That's not food,” Desmond protested.

  “I think that's the point,” Nathaniel answered. “Her body attacks natural things; her magic swirls around it. No wonder natural food was getting to her, her magic was rising up. But this still provides the nourishment without the other issues. They are meant to provide soldiers with nutrition in two bites.”

  “If she throws this up, you're on duty,” Desmond said, but he watched as Sienna took a bite.

  Her face crinkled, and it was obviously a different taste. But at Nathaniel's insistent gaze, she finished it.

  Within half an hour, the normal time that she would be sick from something, her cheeks had color in them, and her eyes were brighter.

  “Huh,” Desmond said as she got up, going to the window. She looked stronger than when they had met her. “Perhaps you are right.”

  “As soon as Mariah gets here,” Nathaniel said, “we go out. And we don't come back until find Eliza. I will pack enough rations for three months, if necessary.”

  “That's one approach,” Desmond said, and they both fell into silence for a long moment. “It's nice to see you acting like a Maestro, Nathaniel. I know it's not easy, but you are learning.”

  “It's not that I can't figure it out.” Nathaniel kept his voice low, watching Sienna across the room at the window. “It's just hard to take it in. This is not something I wanted, Desmond. Please remember that. I'm trying, though.”

  “I know you are,” Desmond answered, his voice equally low. “I didn't want my first Tiro either. I didn't feel like I was ready to join the rank of Maestro. I felt like I was still figuring my life out.”

  “You, Maestro?” Nathaniel said, in surprise “That doesn't sound like you.”

  Desmond gave him a weak smile, but said nothing.

  “Any word about Sybil?” Nathaniel asked, and Desmond shook his head.

  “No. Don't be too concerned. Sybil is one of the best fighters out there. I'm sure she's fine and just out of signal range.”

  “Where was she last?” Nathaniel asked, and Desmond shook his head.

  “It was a highly-classified quest, handed out by Thomas personally. Only they knew. Mariah had a general idea, but nothing specific.”

  “Classified?” Nathaniel smiled. “Good for Sybil. She always wanted those ty
pes of quests, where she was so important she had to have a fake name.”

  “You and Sybil used to make up fake names, do you remember?” Desmond asked, his memory jumping back. “On every report, you'd pretend you were getting top-level quests. I remember your professors had to tell you to write about some regular quests just to be diverse.”

  “And now I realize how complicated they are and would rather do the ones with one page of paperwork,” Nathaniel managed a smile. “Quest went well. No one died. Nathaniel out.”

  Desmond laughed at that. “When is that ever an acceptable quest report?”

  “When I'm in charge of the Jurors, it will be,” Nathaniel decided, and Desmond shook his head.

  “You have always been different, Nathaniel,” he said, and Nathaniel shrugged.

  “It's worked out for me so far.”

  “That it has,” Desmond said. “That it has.”

  Chapter 12

  “Mariah.” Desmond took her in his arms as soon as she got off the ship. He didn't pull her close, but it was enough of an embrace to draw raised eyebrows. She twisted immediately to just take his arm, moving slowly to get a bearing on her surroundings. “Thank you for coming.”

  “It's better than sitting around waiting for news on Sybil.” Mariah chewed at her lip.

  “Nothing yet?” Desmond asked.

  “Have you tried to reach out to her?” Nathaniel asked, keeping stride with them.

  “No,” Mariah said. “You know how it is, Nathaniel. If she is somewhere in hiding, one com-link call could throw everything off.”

  “I know,” Nathaniel replied. “I just wish there was something we could do. I feel helpless with Sybil, I feel helpless with Eliza, I…” He reached out quickly as Sienna tripped over a wire. It was a fast save, and she righted herself, continuing to walk. “Just feel helpless.”

  “There's a moment where you are not,” Desmond pointed out to him, and Sienna smiled up at him. She was trying to be friendly, but Nathaniel was rigid. “Mariah, I will show you the throne room and introduce you to those you should know. After that, we need to go.”

  “You have a plan?” she asked, and Desmond sighed.