A contractor had finally been called for the dining room window, now that the garage needed repairing as well. Rainart seemed to know the crew, and the twins supposed their uncle had a collection of trusted contacts, the kind of people who didn’t ask too many questions. Afterward, Rainart announced that a group dinner would be a nightly expectation. The twins would be expected to sit with Echo and their uncle each evening, much to the dismay of Zigmund. He hadn’t said two words to the man since Rainart’s unburdening of his secret. The boy had a lot of feelings to sort through, a lot of frustration he wasn’t sure where to direct, and a lot of questions he wasn’t sure whom he should ask. While Zerah was internalizing everything that had happened, Zigmund was trying to figure out how everything had changed so suddenly. He wanted to interrogate everyone in the house, but he knew it wasn’t that easy, and he was also afraid of what the answers to his questions might reveal.
On the third day after the boating trip, Zigmund was walking toward the large common room on the fourth floor, intent on watching the video screen, and overheard Echo and Rainart talking inside the room. He came close to the door and stopped just short. He wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation. Slowly pressing his back to the wall just beside the door, he remained very still and listened.
“Kadira wants movement on this soon,” Echo said. “She’s already upset with me that it has taken this long. Pair that with her suspicion about what’s going on here, and you know something has to give.”
“What exactly do you expect me to do?” Rainart asked. “Besides, why is Kadira so concerned with my life? What does any of it have to do with her?”
“You know her, Rainart,” Echo reasoned. “She needs to know everything about everyone. It’s what she does. She’s never been comfortable with your secrecy.”
“It’s not secrecy,” Rainart protested. “It’s privacy. I’ve been doing this long enough that I don’t need her micromanagement bullshit. As far as my personal life…she has no right to access.”
“You know your personal feelings don’t matter to her,” Echo argued. “Nobody’s do. She’ll get what she wants, and the more you defy her, the more she’ll want to keep you under her thumb.”
“Then I’ll quit,” Rainart said.
“You know you don’t want that,” Echo replied, “and even if that was your decision, I’m not sure it would be that easy.”
“So what then?” Rainart was frustrated. Zigmund could hear from his voice that this wasn’t this first time Echo had pressed him on the issue.
“Come with me on the Arcadia mission,” Echo said. “It will give Kadira what she wants, which is you under her control, and it will give you some work to concentrate on.”
“What about the kids?” Rainart asked.
“Kadira has eyes and ears everywhere,” Echo reasoned. “If she doesn’t know about Zerah already, it’s only a matter of time.”
“I know; I know,” Rainart groaned. “You try making a fourteen-year-old understand this situation. I’ve been trying to convince her—”
“Convince her?” Echo interrupted. “Of what? Your insanity?”
“I know I’m not the most subtle man,” he admitted.
“Subtle?” Echo laughed, and Zigmund imagined the scowl on his uncle’s face at being laughed at. Something inside of him loved that his uncle was being lectured. “Rainart, you shot the boy and then scared his sister into healing him or suffer watching him die. Then you topped it all off by almost getting everyone killed because you chose to conduct your little sales pitch out at sea instead of in the garage. Jesus, Rainart.”
“Well,” Rainart said. “Maybe we should just tell her what life will be like for her if IONH finds out she can use zulis.”
“That’s not subtle either,” Echo griped. “Fear isn’t the only way to sway people.”
“I don’t have a lot of options here, Echo.” Zigmund could hear his uncle’s voice move and figured Rainart had begun to pace the room. “You know Kadira hates that I use zulis from time to time. I’m sure she’d prefer to treat me just like the others, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where I ended up. If I can’t convince Zerah to go to Ferren, I’ll have to stop her from using zulis forever, and that won’t be easy. You try showing someone she can perform what is equivalent to a miracle, and then tell her she can never do it again. It wouldn’t go over well. She would obsess over it for the rest of her life, and that doesn’t even begin to deal with the issue of the boy.”
“What about him?” Echo asked.
“You haven’t noticed?” Rainart asked rhetorically. “He wants me dead.”
“Well, you shot him,” Echo said.
There was silence, and Zigmund silently celebrated Echo putting Rainart in his place.
“What am I supposed to do with him?” Rainart asked. “Even if we can convince Zerah, how am I supposed to go on another mission and leave Zigmund alone? Maybe I do need to quit.”
“I’m sorry,” Echo said. “I know this isn’t the easiest situation, but we’ll think of something.”
“We?” Rainart asked.
“You were the one who helped me acclimate to living in this new world,” Echo said. “You’ve been a good friend to me. I owe you.”
“I think the other day squared us,” Rainart said and chuckled. “Hell, we’ve probably been even for longer than you think.”
“Let me talk to Zerah at dinner,” Echo said. “Maybe I can help.”
Their voices seemed to be closer to the door now, and Zigmund sensed the conversation coming to an end. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, he quickly found the stairs and climbed up and out of sight.
Zigmund thought Zerah might be reading in her room, so that was where he headed. She had been quieter than usual since the boating trip, but he needed to talk to her about the conversation he had just overheard. He moved up the stairs quickly and quietly, and soon he was at her door. He knocked softly.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
There was silence, long enough that he wondered whether he hadn’t been wrong about where his sister was, but then she answered and told him he could come in. Zigmund opened the door, and just as he thought, Zerah was on the bed with a book. He closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed.
“I just overheard a conversation between Echo and Rainart,” he said, and Zerah perked with curiosity.
“Well?” she said, sitting up and putting her book to the side as if expecting a great new revelation.
Zigmund proceeded to fill her in on all he had heard, and when he finished, he sat silently, watching to see his sister’s reaction. The girl was pensive, staring down at the floor. Silence was filling the space where Zigmund had been sure Zerah’s questions would be. Something had changed in her, and he didn’t like it.
“So many things are bunched up in my brain right now,” Zigmund volunteered. “I mean, why would Rainart need to help Echo acclimate to this world? What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure,” Zerah said slowly. Either she was thinking hard on exactly that point, or she was struggling to prevent that issue from drawing her attention away from something more important.
“It might mean she’s from that Ferren place Rainart was talking about.” Zigmund laughed. “I can’t believe I’m beginning to believe that story.”
At the mention of Ferren, Zerah became a little more present. “What do you think IONH does to people who use zulis?”
Zigmund looked at his sister with surprise that quickly melted into pity. Of course that would be the part of the conversation that would weigh on her the most. He’d been stupid to see it as one of the least important points. “Don’t worry about that, Zip. You’re not going to use zulis again. It’s too dangerous. There’s just no reason to do it.”
Zerah looked stung by Zigmund’s proclamation, and when the boy noticed the hurt in her eyes, his stomach twisted in knots.
“But,” Zerah said in the way someone says something no one wants to hear, “what
if I want to?”
Zigmund blanched. “Zerah? You’re serious?”
The girl became self-conscious, not wanting to upset her brother. “It’s just…I’ve been thinking a lot about Mom and Dad. What if I could have helped them?”
Zerah looked up at her brother with eyes revealing such deep sadness that Zigmund was left hurt and angry with himself. Rainart’s words during and after the boating trip were weighing on Zerah in ways he hadn’t accounted for. He had dismissed his uncle’s strange philosophical foray into responsibility, and even though Rainart’s confession in the garage had softened Zigmund some, the teen hadn’t considered how either thing would play with Zerah. Looking at his sister now, he could see it had all left an impression on her that wasn’t going to go away easily.
“Uncle Rainart said he tried for months to figure out how he could have saved Mom,” Zigmund said, “and look at him. He’s haunted by it. Dad basically did the same thing, and it killed him. I don’t want that for you, Zerah. You can’t spend your life trying to save someone that’s already gone. There’s no win in that. If you fail, you’ll just end up like Rainart, or worse, you’ll end up hurting yourself like Dad.”
“But what if I can succeed?” Zerah asked.
“Then they are still gone, Zip.”
Zerah was nodding her head but only slightly. Zigmund wasn’t delusional enough to imagine his sister was just going to stop thinking about zulis altogether, but he hoped what he said at least made sense to her. He hoped this conversation was a step toward her understanding that zulis was not the answer. Her silence was still hurting him, so he kept talking.
“As I was coming to see you, I was actually thinking this might be a good opportunity for us. I think we should encourage Rainart to go on this mission with Echo and leave us behind.”
“He won’t do that,” Zerah said. “And how would we take care of ourselves?”
“We can do it,” Zigmund said resolutely. “As long as Rainart is willing to leave us access to money. I know we can’t drive, but we can be taxied to the places we need to go.”
“He’s not going to go for that, Ziggy.” Zerah was convinced.
“I’ll try to talk to him about it at dinner,” Zigmund said with a smile, beginning to believe his plan could work. “Echo will go along with it. After hearing their conversation, I can practically guarantee that.”
Zerah smiled at her brother, but she was filled with doubt. She looked down at her hands and knew how this night was going to end. The memory of saving two lives was fresh, and Rainart’s words played over in her mind like the recitation of a soldier’s creed. My responsibility is defined by my capability. My responsibility is defined by my capability. My responsibility is defined…
• • •
Evening was washing over the Pacific Northwest, and the twins sat at the dining room table, waiting for Rainart and Echo to arrive. As the sun set outside the window behind Zerah, she wiped her clammy hands on her pants. The silence between the twins was becoming increasingly awkward. Neither of them liked it. Things had never been awkward between them. Zigmund blamed Rainart.
After waiting for what seemed like far too long, Rainart walked into the room with a glass and a bottle of wine. He sat down, opened the bottle, poured himself a glass, took a sip, and pursed his lips.
“Is Echo bringing dinner in?” Zigmund asked, after realizing Rainart wasn’t going to volunteer the information.
“No,” Rainart said, setting his glass down. “Echo won’t be joining us tonight. I thought we might have a quick conversation before we went into the kitchen to fix ourselves dinner.”
“Why?” Zigmund asked, the pressure of imminent doom gathering like clouds in his mind.
“It is time for Echo to begin a new mission for IONH,” Rainart said. “She’s stayed here procrastinating far too long. In fact, the only reason she stayed here so long was to convince me to join the mission. Earlier today I accepted, and I’ll be joining her across country the day after tomorrow.”
Suddenly, the clouds of doom began to part in Zigmund’s mind, and rays of hope shined their way through. “You’re leaving us?” the boy asked, trying to mask his excitement.
“Yes, I am,” Rainart said simply. “I need to continue to work, and I need to fulfill my debt to your mother. I agreed to provide for the two of you, but you don’t need me present for that. You’re both old enough to take care of yourselves, as long as someone is giving you the resources you need. I will take care of that. You don’t have to worry. I will give you access to a bank account that is more than sufficient in funds.” Rainart arched an eyebrow and looked back and forth between the teens. “I’ll monitor it. Don’t abuse it.” He took another swig of wine and continued. “I’ll spend tomorrow before I leave setting you up with a new school and apprising the dean of your situation so there won’t be any issues. I will leave you my direct contact information, and you’ll be able to get in touch with me whenever you need. Well, within reason. There may be a few hours each day I’m unavailable, but nothing long term. I think both of you will do just fine.”
Zigmund couldn’t conceal his happiness, and though he didn’t realize it, his smile was bigger than it had been in months. He couldn’t believe his luck. He would be free of his maniac uncle, and he and his sister would be able to continue living somewhat-normal lives. He hadn’t even had to debate it with the man. In this moment Zigmund was developing a sizable crush on Echo. Zigmund just knew she was responsible for this amazing change. He thought of her, and she seemed to float like an angel in his mind.
Zerah, however, looked as if she was on the verge of tears.
“You’re just leaving?” she asked incredulously. “After everything that has happened?”
Rainart remained nonchalant. “That was a mistake, Zerah, one that I’m terribly sorry for. As soon as I realized you had used zulis during your first night here, I should have removed all traces of it from this house. It’s just too dangerous. I’m sorry, but you can never use zulis again. Never.”
“But it saved Zigmund’s life, and it saved your life.” Zerah’s voice was beginning to tremble.
“Well, yes,” Rainart conceded, “but you had to do that only because of my foolish actions. I’ve had Echo take my remaining supply of zulis from the house. You’ll never see it here again.”
Zigmund looked at his sister, and his happiness faded. He could see Zerah was either angry or mortified, but he couldn’t tell which. However, neither was a happy reaction to news he thought was the best they had received in a long time. So he spoke up to ease his sister’s worry.
“Zerah, we’ll be fine. We can—”
“No!” Zerah cut her brother off. “I need to use zulis. I can help people.”
“It’s simply out of the question, Zerah.” Rainart was maintaining a very cool demeanor. His voice was even but stern. “Zulis cannot continue to be used on Earth. First, there’s the red specters, which we know very little of and which are obviously very dangerous. Not to mention, use of zulis on Earth is not sanctioned by IONH. They would eventually put a stop to your practice.”
“Then I want to go to Ferren,” Zerah said definitively. All color drained from Zigmund’s face. “I want to learn from a zul master.”
“I don’t think you could handle it,” Rainart said and downed his wine.
“I want to go,” Zerah repeated. “I have to. You have to let me.”
Zigmund was shaking his head slowly. He couldn’t believe his sister wanted to leave. “Zerah…” he said limply.
“I’m sorry, Ziggy.” Zerah looked at her brother with tears in her eyes. She knew how much she was hurting him, but a door had been opened, and she had seen a new world through its crack. She couldn’t turn back now. She would never be able to let it go. “I have to know,” she said solemnly. “I have to.”
Rainart nodded and played with his wine glass. “You realize you’re talking about going to another planet.”
“I thought you wanted me
to,” Zerah said defiantly.
Rainart didn’t recognize the comment. “You might not see your brother for a very long time. You’re okay with that?”
Zerah grimaced but said nothing. She looked at Zigmund silently with a gaze that said she was sorry but she had to go. Against every emotion he was feeling, against every thread of logic, Zigmund nodded at his sister. He looked into her eyes, into the eyes of his best friend, his only real family, and without words he gave her his permission. He felt as if the blood had been drained from his body, but he nodded at her so she would at least think he would be okay.
Rainart watched the exchange and then pulled his phone from his pocket. Again, he dialed a number without looking, and when a voice answered on the other end, he said, “It’ll be the Solar Road,” and ended the call. Then the man looked at Zerah. “Echo will be taking you to Ferren, but she needs to leave with you soon. If you’re serious about this, you need to go into the kitchen and eat something. Don’t worry about packing. Echo will take care of that.”
Zerah stood up from the table, gave Zigmund one more look of apology, and exited the dining room. Rainart stood up and brought the bottle of wine to his lips, taking a long and satisfying pull. He walked over to Zigmund and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder as he sat.
Zigmund looked up at the man with derision. “You knew that would happen, didn’t you?”
“I knew your sister wouldn’t allow me to take zulis away from her forever,” Rainart answered.
“I hate you,” Zigmund said to his uncle.
“You haven’t even heard the best of it,” Rainart said, smiling down at the boy. “You and I are heading out tomorrow. You’re coming with me on my next mission. Congratulations, Zig. You’re the youngest recruit in the history of IONH.”
The Hands of Ruin: Book One Page 17
