Riddle of Fate

by Tania Johansson

  “For questioning.”

  At least this would give her a chance to defend herself. She would make them understand there was no way she could have been involved in a murder.

  A door creaked open. “My lord, I’ve brought Khaya Pherela as you’ve requested.”

  There was no audible answer, but the guard pushed her forward. “Sit,” he commanded while pushing down on her shoulders.

  The guard walked away and a moment later, the door clicked closed behind him. “Hello, Khaya,” a familiar voice said.

  Where did she know his voice from? Her stomach twisted as she realised who it was. “Phalio?” She wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad sign, but it explained perhaps why they were blindfolding her.

  “You have been a naughty girl. Why did you try to run away from us?”

  “I didn’t. Not from you. I heard I was being implicated in a murder and I panicked.”

  “But you've come to your senses now?”

  “Yes. You have to help me. Tell them that I am innocent. Please, can you take this blindfold off?”

  He was quiet for a while before speaking again. “Tell me, who told you that you were implicated in the murder?”

  It was her turn to hesitate. “A friend.”

  “A friend. I see. And what did this ‘friend’ tell you? Did he say that they had some sort of evidence against you?”

  “Yes.”

  “What sort of evidence?” An eerie patience filled his voice.

  “He said that my ability had left a mark there. Where Merrit was found.”

  “Oh, so this ‘friend’ is someone from the Company?”

  “No,” Khaya wasn’t sure where this was heading, but she was getting the feeling that it wouldn’t lead to her freedom.

  “So, how would he have known about this mark that was left behind?”

  “I don’t know how he knew.”

  “But you trusted him?”

  “Yes.” She wasn’t sure if that was the truth. “He called it an imprint. That’s right, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but you already knew it was called that.”

  “No, I didn’t. I’d only learnt about these marks when my second ability manifested. Why am I still blindfolded?”

  “You are blindfolded for my protection.”

  She laughed. “You must be joking. What do you think I will do: Kill you with a glare?”

  “Not quite. But you could kill me with your ability. We aren’t sure, but we think you have to be able to look at something to manipulate it. And with Merrit dead, I am taking all possible precautions.”

  “This is ridiculous. I didn't kill him.”

  “Think about it, Khaya. How did you know about the imprint at the scene of the murder?”

  “I told you,” she huffed. “My friend told me.”

  “Yes. A friend no one has seen, who knows about imprints and yet does not work for the Company.”

  “Of course people have seen him. Just ask at the Orange Tree Inn. We stayed there a night.”

  “We already have. They told us that you came there alone. The innkeeper specifically remembered you, because he thought that it seemed odd that a woman like you would stay there alone.”

  “He’s lying!”

  “I don’t think so,” Phalio said. “We spoke to another man who saw you enter. Alone.”

  Khaya made no reply. “Do you want to know what I think? There was never a ‘friend’,” he continued without waiting for an answer. “You murdered Merrit and then holed up in the Orange Tree Inn, thinking that you could hide from us. Then you got scared and ran to Mister Aem. He, at least, was able to talk some sense into you. You would never have been able to run from us.”

  “Brier believes me. He knows that I’m innocent.”

  “On the contrary, Khaya, Mister Aem was concerned for your mental state. He feared that you had done something so terrible that you had blocked it from memory.”

  “No,” Khaya shook her head, tears wetting the blindfold.

  “Yes. And I’m afraid I agree with him. It seems that your inevitable mental breakdown has happened. Sooner than we thought it would, but not unexpected. You are a danger to society. You cannot control yourself. You don’t even seem to know what you’ve done.”

  “I didn’t do it. I couldn’t kill anyone. And Merrit was a friend. He offered to help me run away from the Company.”

  “That too, is not true. I think if you thought about it, you would realise that. You divulged your plans to him. Your plans of running away, and he threatened to reveal your plans to us. That is why you killed him.”

  “No! You are lying!” It couldn’t be true. She hadn’t imagined Derrin. He was real. He’d helped her. He’d even brought that mouse to her. She didn’t do all that by herself. Did she? No. It was impossible. She had to cling to the belief of her sanity or risk truly losing her mind.

  “I don’t blame you,” Phalio continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “Not really. There is nothing that anyone could have done to stop this. I do think we will need to change the Company’s policy on how to deal with cases like you. I will be recommending immediate termination in future to the board.”

  “And what is going to happen to me?”

  “I am sorry to say that there is nothing we can do to help you. You will have to be terminated. You will be transferred to Company property tonight and your execution is scheduled for midnight.”

  Her breath caught, her throat closed up and she struggled against her bonds.

  “Calm down,” Phalio said. “You will only hurt yourself.”

  She felt dizzy. The door opened and he spoke from behind her. “I really did want to help you. There was nothing anyone could do.”

  The door closed again and she was left alone in the room. She surrendered to despair. Sobs racked her body.

  Chapter Twelve

  Complications

  Once Brier and the Collectors left the lawmen’s offices, Derrin risked going inside. As always it was easy to find Khaya – he was drawn to her, like gravity calling an apple to the ground.

  She was in a small room speaking with Phalio, the man from the Company. Derrin stepped towards the room, but decided against going inside. If she reacted to seeing him and Phalio couldn’t, they would take it as proof of madness.

  Derrin listened to Phalio calmly telling Khaya she is to be killed. His hands balled into fists. He had to fight the urge to grab her and run there and then. He forced himself to relax his hands and took several deep breaths. Of course, he had no real need of breathing, but old habits died hard.

  He watched Phalio walk from the room, not a trace of empathy on his face. That, more than anything else, made Derrin’s blood boil again. Phalio paused outside the door, a small smile curling his lips. Derrin was starting to suspect that there might be more to Phalio than he first thought. Some ulterior motive driving him.

  A guard marched past and entered the room. Derrin stepped aside so that Khaya wouldn’t see him as she was led away to her cell. Her head was bent and her shoulders slumped, a blindfold over her eyes.

  Derrin waited until he was sure she would be back in her cell before Leaping to her. She gasped. “Who’s there?”

  “It’s Derrin. Keep quiet.” He pulled her blindfold off.

  “How did you get in here?” she asked, looking from him to the closed door.

  “That is the least of our worries at the moment. We have to get you out of here.”

  She shook her hands to make her restraints clank. “I can hardly walk. How would I be able to escape?” She paused, looking down at her feet. “Besides, there is no time. They’ll be taking me off to be executed soon.”

  Derrin pursed his lips. She sounded resigned. He would have to change that if there was any hope of getting her through this. “I won’t let them do that to you.”

  “What do you care? You don’t even know me. And what are you anyway? I saw you disappear into thin air outside our inn.”

  “Oh,” Derrin s
aid, comprehension dawning, “that’s why you left the inn. That’s why you went to Brier.”

  “You are obviously hiding something. Who are you? And why do I sometimes think you look familiar?”

  “I might not have told you everything, but I would never do anything to harm you or put you in danger. Unlike Brier,” he added bitterly.

  “Why should I trust you when you don’t answer any of my questions?” she asked, her almond-shaped eyes suspicious.

  He wanted to reassure her, to make her believe that he wanted to protect her. He resisted the urge to tuck a strand of black hair behind her ear and turned away from her. If he didn’t tell her anything, she wouldn't trust him, but if he told her everything, surely she wouldn’t believe him. “I am an angel. Of sorts.”

  “What? Like my guardian angel?”

  He burst out laughing. “One of those pompous creatures? No. Thank the fairies I’m not one of them.”

  She kept silent, waiting for him to elaborate. “I don’t think this is the time or place to discuss this,” Derrin said after an awkward pause.

  “Fine. So, just how do you plan to get me out of here?”

  “I have my ways,” he said with a wink.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Determined

  Brier walked away from the lawmen’s offices. He wasn’t sure what he was meant to feel. That was becoming a familiar notion recently. What he did feel, was relief. She was off his hands. He’d done what he was meant to. He was one step closer to claiming his reward.

  He didn’t start when Heran appeared next to him. He was used to these unannounced entrances. “When will it happen?” Brier asked.

  “Not so hasty,” Heran answered drily. He always seemed to be dry. “Khaya lives still. Once order has been restored, you will receive your Elevation.”

  “Will it hurt?” Brier asked. He’d tried not to ask this question. Ever since Heran had first offered him the deal, he’d wondered how it would happen.

  “Death always does. But, it will be worth it.” Heran paused, his hazel eyes studying Brier. “I must admit, I had wondered if you’d become too involved. I thought perhaps you’d gone soft.”

  Brier’s gaze snapped to the Collector. “Never. I know what she is. I never for one moment forgot. Her entire life is an abomination. I am correcting your mistake.”

  “Careful now,” Heran said, the warning echoed by his dark scowl. “It was Derrin’s mistake. He acted alone.”

  “You’ve never explained why she wasn’t taken care of before now. Surely when she was a child the whole process would have been simpler.”

  “Nothing about this is simple. No one had ever dared interfere with an order before. By the time the Council had reached an agreement, the child had vanished. We didn’t – don’t – know how, but we lost track of her. It was as though she lived somewhere in between the worlds of the living and the dead. Somewhere not even we were able to go.

  “It was complete chance that we found her at all.”

  “How did you find her then?” Brier asked.

  “It was a Collection at the Company. The Collector recognised her.”

  “How’s that possible if the last time a Collector saw her, was when she was a child?”

  Heran gave a bark of laughter. “You don’t think we find our assignments based on physical appearance, do you?” He chortled again when he realised that was exactly what Brier thought. “Every human has an aura. Each aura is a unique identifier.”

  “And you know what each person’s aura looks like? Of all people alive today?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. We record each one at birth and when it is time, we refer back to our records.”

  “So, how did this Collector recognise Khaya?” Brier asked, kicking at a stone on the dirt path. “He’d not been assigned to her that day.”

  “She.”

  “What?”

  “It was a female Collector. And you are asking too many questions.” He harrumphed. “I don’t know exactly what, but she realised that there was something wrong with Khaya’s aura. She’d never seen anything like it, so reported it.”

  The story Brier had heard didn’t make it sound like Khaya had at any point been close to death, so what could have changed the appearance of her aura?

  “I will find you once everything is in place,” Heran said before disappearing.

  Brier sighed. He still had questions, but he supposed that once he died, he would have a lot of time to find all his answers. He was so close to success now. He allowed himself a small smile. No more pretending. He was glad to be rid of Khaya. She’d become too dependant on him. He never did like anyone too close to him. They tended to want things from him that he either couldn’t give or didn’t want to.

  When Brier arrived home, he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. What do you do while you wait to die? He’d heard that it was customary to give prisoners facing imminent execution a good meal. He supposed he could do that.

  The hours seemed to drag on. Midnight. He just had to wait until midnight. The clicking of the pendulum clock seemed to slow the longer he listened to it. Looking at it only made it worse.

  When Heran finally appeared, Brier leapt to his feet, his stomach fluttering in anticipation.

  Heran’s mouth was set in a grim line, his eyes hard.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Risk It All. Or Lose It All

  Derrin hadn’t said what his plan was, only that he would be back soon. Khaya didn’t know what to think of him. An angel. Truly? And what did he mean by ‘of sorts’? Or was she being taken for a fool? Perhaps if she knew why he was helping her, she would know if she could trust him. In her experience, no one did something for someone else unless there was something in it for them. The only person who didn't fit the pattern had been her mother.

  She chewed on her lip while trying to puzzle out where she’d seen him before. She wondered if he could have been an employee at the Company. That might explain why he could make himself appear and disappear at will.

  She jumped when he appeared before her. He held up a key ring with several keys hanging from it. Jangling them, he said, “Sorry it took a bit longer. Had to wait for the guard to get distracted.” He set about unlocking her restraints while speaking.

  She rubbed her wrists when he took the chains off but before she could say anything, he disappeared again. He returned a moment later without the keys, but took a single large key from his pocket.

  “Why can’t you just make both of us vanish from here?” Khaya asked.

  “Doesn’t work like that.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke, but unlocked the door, taking care to turn the key slowly. It barely made a sound. “When we go, you follow close behind me. Do exactly as I say without question.” He waited for her nod.

  Khaya walked closer, expecting him to open the door. “What are you waiting for?” she asked when he didn’t.

  “Shhh.” He closed his eyes and cocked his head. “Now.” He pulled the door open and grabbed her hand, pulling her along behind him.

  The moment he touched her, a vision flashed before her eyes. She was a little girl, and playing outside. It was a beautiful sunny day. She’d climbed to the top of her favourite tree and sat looking out over the fields.

  She was wrenched back to the present when Derrin suddenly halted in front of her. She nearly crashed into him. He turned and pushed her against the wall, his finger across his lips. She stared up at him. Who was he?

  Footsteps approached from down the corridor to their left and her heart started thundering. To her relief, the pair of guards turned left down another hallway, walking away from them. Derrin waited a few moments longer before pulling her along again. They turned left down the corridor the guards had come from. He led her down countless corridors and hallways. They seemed to climb three stairways – she hadn’t even realised they were that far below ground level.

  They ran through a sitting room, lavish settees and divans dotted around the room. The door at
the far end opened and Khaya barely stopped herself from gasping. Derrin plucked her to one side. The next moment, he'd flung open a large cupboard and was stuffing her into it. There was just enough space for her to sit with her legs pulled close up to her chest. He closed the door behind her. She was about to ask him why he wasn’t getting in as well when she remembered that no one else could see him.

  She leaned forward and peered through the keyhole. Two men walked in. She recognised one of them. “Sir,” Phalio said, “what can be so urgent? We are about to transfer Miss Pherela.”

  She was surprised that he was there in person. She would have thought that as high up as he was in the Company, he would be able to opt out of the more distasteful parts of what they did. Khaya hardly dared breathe. Her heart pounded and she wondered how they failed to hear it.

  A man with bushy grey hair ran a hand through his unkempt beard. “I have been informed by one of my officers that you plan to, um, execute this girl,” he said.

  “Yes,” Phalio said.

  “She hasn’t stood trial yet,” the grey-haired man said.

  “She is guilty,” Phalio said. “You know what organisation sent me. Why are you questioning this?”

  “I feel she should at least face a fair trial. If she is guilty as you say, she will be sentenced appropriately, but this doesn’t sit well with me. Your… organisation has never before requested a prisoner before sentencing.”

  “This isn’t a normal situation. Don’t let her youth or beauty blind you. She murdered a man. Her mind is unravelling. You read my report. She sees people who aren’t there. We have witness statements –”

  “Even so –” the man interrupted, but Phalio’s eyes narrowed, a barely concealed fire burning behind them.

  “This is not a discussion. I did you a courtesy by explaining. You should know better than to interrupt an Official.” Phalio thundered. He cleared his throat and straightened his jacket. “Now,” he continued, voice low, “prepare Miss Pherela for transport. I will expect her to be in the carriage in ten minutes.”