Thump, thump, thump. The knock on the door grew louder. “Ms. James?” came a voice through the door. “Councilman Orion Bennett is here to speak to you.”
“Just a minute,” I called back. I scurried to the bathroom to throw on my clothes from the day before, only to find that they were missing. There was a long silky robe hanging from the back of the door. I slipped it on quickly, cinched the tie around my waist, and hurried back to the entryway.
“Sorry,” I said as I pulled open the knob. “I must have fallen asleep.”
Councilman Bennett smiled patiently. “Not a problem, Ms. James. Would it be all right if I came in?” I glanced behind him in the hall, noticing Agent Duke and his partner, back in their dark suits, the official court guards from earlier no longer in sight.
I nodded, my arms fidgeting with the folds in my robe, fighting off the feelings of being vulnerable and exposed.
The councilman sat at the table and motioned to the chair next to him. “Please, sit,” he said. “I’m afraid we have a lot to discuss.”
A new lump formed in my throat as I took my seat, but in a way, I was glad to see him. Maybe there would be some answers. And it seemed a much easier thing to bear a single, possibly friendly face, rather than a towering room full of overwhelming, unreadable ones. Still, the fearful anticipation moved through me.
“Is Rayne going to be okay?” I asked. “Did I help his case, at all?”
Councilman Bennett gazed unflinchingly into my eyes. “Sadie, your testimony has made an invaluable contribution to Rayne’s defense. I would not have advised you to do anything differently.”
My eyes closed with a pause of hope. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” he smiled. “Now, I don’t want to fill your heart with false optimism. The Council has not come to a decision regarding Rayne as of yet. But before you came to the stand his future looked grim, and now there is undeniably hope. The Council has decided to take more time to consider all the evidence in Rayne’s favor.”
“So, what happens now?” I asked.
“Well,” he said, shifting in his chair, “now you have a decision to make.”
I listened intently.
“Sadie, it should come as no surprise that the Council is somewhat concerned about the validity of your story. I’ve lived for over a century now, and I have never come across anyone with a situation quite like yours. And, I must say, you certainly tried to hide it well, but it did not escape my notice that you seem to have an emotional attachment to Mr. Stevens. I would be lying if I said the Council wasn’t equally aware. There’s some concern that this factor could be influencing you to embellish or even overlook essential details regarding Rayne’s motives.”
I looked down at my lap and shook my head. “But he saved my life. Of course I feel—” I looked up suddenly when the councilman’s palm touched my hand.
“You don’t need to explain anything to me,” he said warmly. “I believe I understand.”
I stared up at him wordlessly. What exactly did he think he understood?
Councilman Bennett slid back his hand and continued. “However, despite my own personal feelings on the subject, the Council as a whole functions through a majority vote, and as such has determined that further investigation into the matter is necessary.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means you are now officially under investigation.”
My hands began to quiver in my lap. I tried to remind myself that I always knew this was a possibility, the moment I walked into that courtroom.
“As Head of Security over all Ambrosia,” he said, “I have successfully petitioned the Council to appoint me as the director of this investigation.”
I looked up. “So, you’re going to…investigate me?”
Councilman Bennett opened a folder sitting in front of him on the table and slid a stapled set of papers toward me. “A full scan of your identity has already been run through our channels in the United States, verifying the existence of someone with your name and family relations located within the vicinity of your claimed city of residence.”
I skimmed over the report, a little unnerved to see the details of my life neatly printed off in black and white like a checklist for them to cross off a list.
“That’s a good thing, right?” I said. “This is proof that I’ve been telling the truth.”
He reached over the table to retrieve the report. “It’s certainly a good start,” he said. “Of course, documents and records of this sort can be falsified quite easily if you have the right connections or training, as someone like one of our top agents would, like Mr. Stevens for example.”
I scoffed. “They think Rayne made up a fake identity for me? Why would he need to do something like that?”
The councilman held up his hand in explanation. “It’s not that the Council thinks he has in fact done this; they just need to consider it as a possibility.”
I shook my head. “So, what else do they want you to do then? Is there some way to prove that the documents are real?”
“In a case like this, the Council feels the best way to get to the heart of the matter is to go directly to the source; observe and assess the situation with our own two eyes, so to speak.”
“I don’t know if I quite understand.”
Councilman Bennett leaned forward in his seat. “I’m going to travel to California to verify your story, and I have swayed their support in favor of allowing you to come with me.”
I suddenly forgot to breathe. “Wait, you mean…they’re letting me go home?”
“Unfortunately,” he said, squinting his eyes, “it’s a little more complicated than that. There would need to be several extra security measures put in place in order for them to allow you back through the Threshold border.”
“What kind of security measures?” I asked.
“Well, I would be your primary escort, but there would be a team of…guardians, assigned to follow you at all times.”
I had guards following me around for the last twenty-four hours, so I figured I could endure the inconvenience a little longer if it meant helping clear Rayne’s name.
“Okay,” I said. “I can handle that.”
The councilman nodded. “They would also require you to either surrender all sources of communication, or allow them to monitor your electronic activities.”
“Wow,” I muttered, “they really like to be thorough.”
“The Council isn’t willing to take any chances when it comes to matters of maintaining Ambrosia’s anonymity. In fact, there is one more stipulation the Council has mandated in order to allow you to cross the border. You will be required to submit to the implantation of a voice tracker.”
My eyes shifted to the side then back again. “What’s a voice tracker?”
The councilman folded his hands and placed them forward on the table. “A voice tracker is a tiny listening device that is injected beneath the skin at the base of the neck in order to monitor for any suspicious activity, as well as track the bearer’s physical location.”
I cringed instantly. Thanks to Rayne’s old friend Ash, I had become all too acquainted with this type of device.
“Technically,” he went on, “they will not do this without your consent, but you should understand that they will not otherwise grant approval for you to pass through the Threshold border. And truthfully, without it, I doubt they will let you leave this building.”
Councilman Bennett began this conversation with saying I had a choice to make, but it was clear that there was only one option.
“Fine,” I answered, without hesitation. “When do we leave?”
His mouth turned up slightly as he acknowledged my response. “I’ll just need you to sign some paperwork, then we can move forward with making the arrangements.”
I signed each document as quickly as the councilman slid them across the fancy table.
He took the final paper slowly from my grasp and paused to look at me. “S
adie,” he said, “I want you to know that I’m on your side in all this, and Rayne’s. I have a lot of sway with the Council and I will do everything in my power to make sure they take all the needed evidence into consideration.”
“Thank you,” I said. “But, to be honest, I don’t fully understand why you care about helping me, or Rayne.”
Councilman Bennett looked at me thoughtfully. “You could say that Ambassador Fairbanks and I are close. In fact, we’ve been lifelong friends. He’s a good man and I respect him deeply. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that…I’m helping you both because something tells me that if the Ambassador were here, this is what he would want.”
I accepted his answer with a quiet nod. “Okay. Thank you for your help.”
He stood from the table, walked two steps away, and then turned around. “Actually,” he said, moving back toward me, “there’s one last thing I think you need to hear. I haven’t exactly been given clearance to tell you this, but I think it’s in your best interest to start thinking about it now.”
The councilman sat back in his chair, this time pulling it closer to mine. “If the Council determines that your claim to being born outside the Threshold is true, and that you do not appear to pose a threat to Ambrosia in any way…they have discussed the idea of allowing you to choose to return to your current life on Earth, permanently.”
My eyes widened. “They would do that?”
“The Council members aren’t tyrants, Sadie. If they felt it was justified, they would seek every worthy possibility. There would be a few stipulations of course,” he added. “Meaning, if you chose this option, the Council has ways of making you forget you ever stepped foot in this city, forget everyone you’ve ever met with a Watermark before.”
I swallowed. “Everyone?”
“Everyone,” he said carefully.
I knew he was talking about Rayne. My gaze fell. “What about my Watermark? It was dormant before, but it’s not anymore. I need Healing Water to survive now, right? Wouldn’t I need to remember that? If they made me forget everything, and something went wrong, I wouldn’t know how to save myself.”
“They would most likely appoint a team of rotating agents to monitor your needs, but you would not be aware of them. I suppose that’s the risk you would have to take if you wanted to return to your old life again.”
My elbow moved to the table, my forehead dropping to my hand for support.
“There is another option,” Councilman Bennett said. “And from what I’ve gathered, it’s the one preferred by most members of the Council. Sending you back permanently would require a large expenditure of resources on our part, for the entirety of your lifespan. At this point, they have discussed more readily the desire to invite you to stay here with us as a welcomed citizen when you return, with your memory intact, and with only one major stipulation.”
“What is it?” I said.
He glanced down. “You would never be allowed to return to Earth again. This visit would most likely be your last.”
My face wrinkled in pain. “Isn’t there any other way?”
“No,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.”
I could hardly move. I had to remind myself one more time…it was worth it for Rayne.
After a solemn pause, Councilman Bennett stood and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Tessa will drop by later to return your clothes from the cleaner’s. Be ready to leave first thing in the morning.”
14. RAYNE HEARS SOME NEWS
A muffle of sound moved outside in the hallway. Rayne stood from the bed with anticipation.
“Why so excited?” Ash mocked from behind. “You just can’t wait to get in that courtroom and take your punishment?”
A set of keys jangled outside the door, followed by an official Court guard in formal uniform entering the room. Rayne’s shoulders slumped back again. It wasn’t the face he was hoping to see.
“Oh wait, that’s not it…” Ash mocked again. “You thought it would be Hamlin walking through that door, didn’t you. He was supposed to show up and save the day, just in the nick of time.”
Rayne ignored Ash’s comments and moved toward the door of his cell, expecting the guard to open it and usher him out to the courtroom. But the Court guard stopped at the edge of the bars.
“Stevens,” the guard said, “there’s been a change of plans. Your hearing has been delayed. You will not be testifying before the court today.” The guard immediately turned to leave.
“Wait,” Rayne called after him. “When will the hearing resume?”
The guard turned. “A new time has not yet been scheduled.” And then he continued on his way.
Rayne stood in place, thinking this could be a good sign. If his hearing had been delayed, that could mean Hamlin was working to intervene. Maybe Sadie had found her father, and they were both working together to get him released.
Ash’s snide voice cut in. “You really still believe he’s going to make all this go away? Seriously, Rayne, sometimes it amazes me how you can put all your faith so blindly in someone who has been using you to cover up his muddy tracks since the day you met. And yet you’re still loyal.”
Rayne didn’t respond, kept his back turned.
“What, no come back this time?” Ash pushed. “No choice words to share with the best friend that you stabbed in the back?”
Rayne clenched his teeth, “Why should I bother to waste my breath?”
“Oh, that’s right. I’m just a worthless sack of cow dung. How stupid of me to forget. But, thank you, Rayne, for always being there to remind me.”
“You lost the privilege to speak to me the moment you pulled that trigger, sending a bullet through Sadie’s chest.”
“First of all, it was her shoulder, not her chest. And second of all, I already told you the bullet was meant to go over her mother’s shoulder and miss everyone completely. It’s not my fault Sadie decided to jump in the way. If you really think about it, I probably did the girl a favor… I mean, at least now she doesn’t have to sit here and listen to your whining all day long. Exile to Cayno is starting to sound like a picnic compared to this torture.”
Rayne turned. “Well, I guess you would know, since your father built a summer home there.”
Ash narrowed his eyes. “You just love to shove that in my face, don’t you. You’re just so very proud of yourself for coming so close to ending my father for good.”
“Ash, seriously, I can’t take this anymore. Do you even hear yourself? I should be the one mad at you, not the other way around. And believe me, I am mad at you. But I just don’t get it. How can you possibly still blame me for what happened with your father? I mean, for one, he’s not even dead. I didn’t kill him.”
“He would have been dead if I hadn’t found him and stolen every ounce of Healing Water I could find to bring him back.”
Rayne shook his head. “But you’re defending a man who treats you like dirt. Why do you even care what he thinks? He’s the reason you’re in here. I wasn’t even there to see what happened in the end, but I bet I could tell you exactly what happened after I left.”
Ash rolled his eyes. “Please…enlighten me…”
“Okay,” Rayne began, “let’s see… You tried to do everything you could to beg your father to take you under his wing and tell you how proud he is of all you’ve accomplished, and he shoved you to the ground and made you feel worthless. Then, he abandoned you, just like he always does. Sound about right?”
“Shut up, Rayne. Just… Shut. Up.”
“No, I think you need to hear this, Ash. Someone needs to help you realize that you need to let your father go. He might not be gone like your mother, but he’s not with you. He’s not good for you. There are people here who care about you, people who want to give you the love you deserve, people who deserve to feel love from you in return. But your father has convinced you that you’re not even capable of being loved, that you’re not worthy, but I’m telling you, it’s not true. Somehow you need to fin
d a way to believe that.”
“No, that’s where you’re wrong, Rayne. Nobody cares about me anymore. Not even you.”
Rayne laughed without humor. “Actually, that’s the most ironic part of all. Because I do care. You just won’t let me.”
15. PASSAGE
At precisely nine o’clock the next morning, I was escorted out through a secure, underground back door area of the Court of Ambassadors to a car with windows so dark even x-ray vision probably couldn’t see through them. Apparently, the Council didn’t want anyone or anything getting the slightest glimpse of me—or having any chance at wondering who I was or why I was riding in a car to the Threshold border with Councilman Orion Bennett by my side.
I watched out the dark window as we pulled away from the building, thinking of Rayne somewhere locked inside those walls, wishing I could have just one more glance of him before I had to leave. The pulses of my heart lingered behind me like invisible tendrils, reaching back to find him, not wanting to let go. I was told I would eventually have to choose…go back to my old life and leave my knowledge of this world behind, leave my love for Rayne behind, or return for Rayne and lose my mother, my friends, and my home forever. Neither option felt right, or fair. How could I possibly choose? I decided right then that no matter what happened or what I had to choose in the end, this would not be goodbye. I would find a way to be with Rayne again.
We rode the first part of the drive in relative silence, passing quaint city shops surrounded by gorgeous trees and flowers, interesting tall buildings with beautiful carvings or unique architecture. I had been indoors for so long that I’d almost forgotten the way every surface here seemed to flicker and reflect the sunlight with a strange natural glow from the Healing Water living inside. I wondered how I could ever choose to let myself forget all this, forget my feelings at the Sacred Pool, the white fields covered in blossoms at Lizzy Grove, Rayne’s kisses in the moonlight, holding each other close amid the waves of the purple sea…
Ambrosia Shore (The Water Keepers, Book 3) Page 12
