by Tina Hunter
He looked up from his dish of expensive-looking mush when the doorman approached the table. Hushed whispers between the two followed before her uncle waved her over to him.
“Take a seat,” he said, pointing at the spot next to him on the bench rather than a chair across from him. She hesitated, unsure if sitting across from him would be an insult, but really not wanting to be that close to him. “I insist,” he said with his command voice, still pointing beside him. Lynn slid into the space on the bench and tried to keep her hands from sweating. She was Edward Baker, a suave con man with a knack for getting out of trouble. She put on an easy smile and studied her uncle... no, just another man needing to be conned.
“So, you wanted to see me. How can I be of help?” she said while he finished the mush on his plate. The little garnish sprinkles and a slice of lemon on the side looked so out of place on a plate of grey lumps. He ate in silence and it wasn’t until he finished eating and dabbed his face clean with the corner of a napkin that he turned to her. He tried to smile at her, or at least his mouth did. His eyes stayed hard and cold.
“I was merely hoping to chat with you some more about that contract,” he said, pointing at her wrist. She had thought of a cover story this morning and launched into it quickly.
“Oh, it’s not a big deal. You see, I’m a thief by trade and sometimes I’m contracted to steal a few things. You know, so the client is guaranteed to get what they pay me for. I hate it, but if they pay me well enough in advance, I’m willing to put up with it.” She leaned in like she was telling him some big secret. “Truth is, I’ve already stolen what I was contracted for, so I’ve got some free time on my hands.” She leaned back, looking pleased with herself, just like Edward would. Her uncle had a very different pleased look on his face.
“How wonderful,” he said, his voice not sounding pleased at all, “With someone of your skills around we’re sure to succeed.” It was his turn to lean towards her. “You see our plan is to attack the fort and destroy all the crystals kept there. Really deliver a blow to the magic lovers of Iridan.”
Lynn managed to keep the dismay off her face. “That’s quite the plan. How can I help?” she said with a weak smile. How could she not help them, is what she wanted to say. She needed those crystals intact if she was going to steal them.
“You can help us by telling me who you came here with and why they are alerting the fort to our presence.” His voice was cold and steady. The opposite of what his words were invoking in her.
“I’m sorry, sir. But I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, flashing a demons-can’t-touch me smile. “I’m here with my little brother, but other than that, no one. And I haven’t told anyone of the meeting or anything.” Lynn winked at the end channeling Edward hard, praying his suave would help her out of this. The only problem was that her uncle was not smiling anymore. Instead, he was looking cross. Angry, even.
“I’d be happy to help you find out though” she offered, trying to stay in character and not freak out. Uncle Benjamin shook his head and glanced around the room. Lynn did too. There was a low wall between them and the rest of the dining area. In fact, no one could see much of them except the tops of their heads. And there were no servers coming by to collect his finished plate. Something felt off.
Without warning, her uncle reached out and grabbed her wrist, the one with the bracelet, and locked it between his elbow and ribs.
“Hey...” she was about to yell at him, fighting her way out of his grip, but she paused momentarily when she saw what was in his other hand. A scrying crystal, the sigil of truth marked on it plainly. Now she really needed to get away from him. She pulled her legs up and tried to get leverage on his chest to pull her arm away, but he was strong and already had a good grip on her arm.
“No need to fight,” he said, jabbing the scrying crystal into her wrist. Pain coursed through her arm and into her chest. She couldn’t avoid questioning once the crystal was in use. Not without passing out from the pain. She took a deep breath and put her legs back under the table. She’d have to be clever in her answers. No direct lies but she couldn’t let him know what her full plan was. Simon had told her this morning that the Princesses’ guards had learned that he was here to steal something and that it didn’t affect the princess at all. He said that was why they only put him in the stocks, but it didn’t explain why they didn’t alert the fort to the upcoming theft. She knew he was hiding something, but at the moment she was more concerned with keeping her own secrets.
“Now let’s get some real answers out of you.” His eyes finally appeared happy but matched with his evil grin it only made her spine shiver with dread. “Let’s get right to the heart of the matter. Are you here to spy on me? Or spy on my group?”
Lynn shook her head, thankful for the lack of pain since she was cooperating. Uncle Ben looked disappointed.
“Are you here to hinder our work?”
She shook her head no. Technically, she wasn’t here for that. She was here for a completely separate reason, even if they had similar goals. Still, her wrist itched at the technicality.
Uncle Ben looked angrier with her responses.
“Then why were you just trying to fight me?” he demanded.
“Because I don’t like being forced to do anything,” she said with a frown. Uncle Ben growled, like an actual animal. Then he took a few deep breaths trying to calm himself, no doubt.
“Are you really here to steal something?” he asked once he’d regained his composure.
“Yes,” she said quietly, hoping he would not continue on this line of questioning.
“From me?” he asked, glaring at her. She smiled inside. Yes, keep things centered on you and you’ll find out nothing.
“No, sir,” she said politely.
Ben grumbled under his breath. “I know there is something off about you. I knew it the moment I saw you. I know you, I just don’t know how.” Ben said it almost to himself, but it made Lynn worry. If he thought he knew her from somewhere he would keep thinking about it until he came up with something. Whether or not that something was the truth remained to be seen.
Uncle Ben looked her dead in the eye, a questioning, almost curious look on his face. “Is Edward Baker your name?”
Technically no, but it was a name she went by. “It is my name sir,” she said, trying to keep the stinging itch on her arm from overwhelming her. It wasn’t a lie per se, but she was skirting a very dangerous line. He had been watching her face so close that she wasn’t sure what he was looking for. A twitch, a tell of some kind. He couldn’t have figured her out so soon. Or was he perhaps waiting for the image of her real face to appear from underneath her makeup so he could finally know who she was?
He saw whatever it was he wanted and smiled that evil grin again. “Thought you could outsmart me? Let’s try that one again. What is the name you used to seal the contract on your wrist?”
Lynn could feel the sweat break out on her forehead as her body prepared for pain. It was there, waiting. The bracelet knew she wanted to lie about this and it was almost as if it was alive and waiting to see if she would. He was hijacking the magic of the bracelet to ensure he got a straight answer. She tried to mouth the word Edward but a sharp pain in her chest took her breath away. Not enough to really hurt, but enough of a warning that she wouldn’t make the mistake again. She really didn’t want to know what it felt like to be burned alive or stabbed a million times. She’d have to tell him her real name and deal with the consequences. Maybe she could use it to her advantage...
“I’m waiting,” he said with a grin. A pulsing heat came from the bracelet. It was now or suffer the pain.
“Evelynn Verta,” she said, looking him in the eye. She needed to see his reaction.
Benjamin’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened with shock and surprise. He searched her face. Was he looking for her ten-year-old visage? Was he trying to sort the image of her as a child with her pretending to be a man?
“You’re a woman?”
Lynn stared at him blankly for a moment before she realized that he had no idea who she was. He didn’t remember her?
“Yes, and?” she said, challenging him. He pulled the scrying crystal away from her wrist and she rubbed her arm where it had been pinned. There were so many things running through her mind but two main thoughts dominated her attention. One was to run away as fast as she could from this madman. But the second desperately wanted to know why he didn’t even recognize her name?
“Well... guess that explains a few things,” he said, not looking at her. She wasn’t sure what she should do at this point. Her Edward character was gone, and all she was left with was herself. And herself wasn’t who she wanted to be around her uncle right now. She quickly went through her characters. She had one, a version of herself that she played sometimes. She’d have to change a few facts - she wouldn’t pass as a Duke’s illegitimate daughter with him, but it would work. Emelia washed over her as she became more confident. She just had to stay inside her character, inside the motivations of who she was pretending to be, and she would be fine.
“Well,” she said straightening her back, “Now that you know my big secret I guess we have nothing else to discuss. I don’t suppose you have any interest in having a woman on your team, so I’ll bid you farewell, sir.” Emelia’s haughty demeanor permeated every word and Benjamin looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.
“You are fascinating,” he replied, “However, I wonder why you came to me like this instead of as yourself?” He was probing again. Looking for information from her, even without the scrying crystal. There were many things she would like to say to him, but she stuck to what Emelia would say, and what she herself had said to the select few who had discovered her secret.
“It’s safer to be a man when traveling. Or doing any line of work, really, that men typically do.”
“Then I don’t suppose you follow the Donassi doctrine very much?” he said with a wry grin.
“If they had their way, women would do nothing but sit at home raising babies. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have great respect for women who do that, my own mother for example, but I prefer to do other things with my life.” It was close enough to the truth that she could feel herself blending with her Emelia persona.
“Then I wonder,” he said, leaning forward, “why you would want to help me and my cohorts in our endeavors?”
“I like a little adventure now and then,” she replied, brushing some invisible dust off her pants. She had to seem uncaring, nonchalant. It was hard to do when so much of her own plans now rode on finding out what his plans were.
Benjamin leaned back in his seat, looking at the ceiling in thought. His fingers were even steepled as he rested his pointer fingers on his lips, the way many men of power she had met liked to sit and think. She wondered if there was a school somewhere that taught them all to do it.
“I can respect that,” he said before he looked at her again with a curious expression on his face. “But that’s not the real reason you came to me is it, Evelynn Verta?” He said her name like he was tasting it. He searched her face, and before she could respond, he reached out to touch her face. “My little Lynn?”
So now he figured it out. Perhaps she should have run when the opportunity first presented itself. She wasn’t sure how to play it. The lost and now grateful niece? The happy coincidence? The fated reunion? She went with cautious optimism, a safe bet he would do the same.
“Surprise,” she said with a shy grin. Emelia was gone and so was her confidence and haughtier. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted. She let his fingers brush her cheek lightly, and she tried not to flinch but let her wariness show. Benjamin surprised her by grabbing her into a strong hug, pressing her head into his chest.
“Oh Lynn,” he cried, “I thought I never see you again.” He seemed genuinely happy to see her, and that surprised her to no end, given his mood earlier. He pushed her away just as suddenly to look her in the face. “What are you doing here? Really? And stealing, young lady? I don’t think your mother would approve.”
“I don’t think she would approve of your plans to attack a fort and destroy all the crystals inside it either, and yet here we are,” she said with a smirk.
Benjamin gave a rueful smile in return. “There are a great many things your mother would not approve of it seems,” he said sadly. The statement brought back a sadness she thought she’d long since buried away. She stuffed it down again. It was not the place or time for tears.
“So, what are you doing here? Really? And don’t give me that Anti-Magic line, since I know the truth about you,” she said playfully, with just a dash of concern. Uncle Ben studied her for a moment, then shook his head.
“You first, child.”
She crossed her arms, “Not if you continue to call me a child,” she said with a playful huff. She got him to smile again. She must keep him happy and calm, no more of that scary man.
“Please,” he said with sincerity and none of the evil look. She sighed heavily and told him an almost truthful story. How she had been working for a man in Iridan who had stolen something from her and in order to get it back she had to steal something for him.
“It’s inside the fort which is why the need for the bracelet and why I became interested in your group. Imagine my surprise when you show up in the middle of all this.” She said it with a sad smile. He reached out and took her hand.
“I’m forever grateful to the Oracles of Aacahin that brought you to me,” he said with a smile. “Now that I know the truth, we can help each other, my dear. One Inborn to another,”
“Wait, what?” she shouted, then realizing she was drawing attention she continued in a smaller voice, “I’m not an Inborn, Uncle. You were the only one in the family...”
His soft chuckle cut her off. “Oh, my dear sweet niece. Didn’t your mother leave you her locket when she died?” His eyes search her neck for any sign of a chain but there was nothing there for him to find. What on earth was he talking about?
“What does that have to do with me being an Inborn?”
“Everything, child!” She glared at him, and he held up his hand, “Lynn. Sorry.” He moved his head closer to her and spoke in hurried whispers. “My mother, your grandmother, was very good friends with members of a local Morendi tribe. They taught her a secret to trap an Inborn's ability in a special kind of stone crystal mixture. Your mother had one made for you as a locket. The one she wore all the time. As soon as you touched it, your abilities would have returned.”
Lynn couldn’t keep the look of shock and surprise off her face.
“Haven’t you ever touched it?” he asked gently.
Lynn shook her head, “No. It was stolen before I could...”
“What!” he shouted, drawing more attention to them. He realized what he’d done and grabbed her arm to drag her off the bench seat. “We need to discuss this somewhere else,” he said quickly, leading—no, dragging—her out the back door of the restaurant and down the back alley. He didn’t even pay for his mush.
His long legs ate up the distance quickly, and she was lucky to have legs just as long. She did her best to keep their fast walk from looking suspicious. Uncle Ben seemed to have forgotten everything other than getting her to where he was going. They passed the Burnt Scroll and showed no signs of slowing down. They received a few looks here and there, but as long as she looked apologetic most eyes turned away after a moment. Still, they would remember seeing a man of military bearing holding onto the arm of a poor man and leading him through the streets of town. Not what you wanted to have happen when you were undercover. Still, it gave her some time to think over everything he had said.
The first impossible statement was that the Morendi knew of, and had the abilities to, remove Inborn magic. If they knew that, the King of Aguara or even the Empire would have learned of it ages ago. How could her grandmother be the first outsider to learn of it? The second was t
hat Inborn ability was normally passed down from one generation to the next. Her mother wasn’t an Inborn so there was no way... well, sometimes it skipped a generation, or manifested randomly, or... ok so it was possible but why wouldn’t her mother have told her? And surely her Aunt and Pater who she went to live with after her mother’s death would have known. Wouldn’t they? Was she really an Inborn... or perhaps, she thought cynically, this was a ploy by her uncle? She didn’t know what the endgame was, but it was a possibility. And until she knew for sure there was a good chance she was being played.
They arrived at a small farmhouse on the outskirts of the town of Eldridge and her uncle brought her right up to the front door, banging on it loudly. Glasses, from yesterday, opened the door and with a raised eyebrow at her, let them in.
“I think you can let go of my arm now,” she said as soon as they were inside.
“Sorry, Lynn. I just couldn’t risk you running off without knowing everything.”
“Why would I run off?” she said, rubbing her arm where he had grabbed her. Now she had two sore wrists, both from her uncle. Perhaps that was a sign.
“Because I could see it in your eyes,” he said flatly. Lynn had wanted to run, but it surprised her that it had come across in her eyes. She must be losing her touch. That or this whole situation was causing her more stress than she gave it credit for. Uncle Ben walked into a small kitchen at the back of the house and Lynn slowly followed, taking in as much of the house as she could during the short walk. It was newly built, judging by the windows and the carpets, but it still had an air of disuse to it. There were no pictures on the walls or on the mantles, and the decor was lacking any design. A transient home if she’d ever seen one. She wondered how long he’d been staying here.
“Welcome to my home,” he said with a wave of his hand to encompass the kitchen they were standing in and the rest of the home.
“It’s nice,” she said, not really meaning it. Apparently, he caught on, because he laughed at her statement.
