The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “I was once in a similar situation,” he said to Nathaniel, who jumped.

  “I'm sorry?” Nathaniel asked.

  “As you are in now. It wasn't with a foreign queen,” Dorian took a deep breath, “but it was one I cared deeply about: my brother.”

  “Your brother?” Nathaniel said in shock. “Was he also a witch?”

  “He was trained early on,” Dorian said. “But this life was not for him. He left the Academy at eighteen with another witch. It wasn't a dishonorable discharge, for you know that choosing to leave if one's heart isn't in it is acceptable. The space station he was on was attacked by rebel pilots.”

  “I never knew that,” Desmond said, watching his former Maestro. “Was he all right?”

  “He was,” Dorian answered, giving Nathaniel hope. “He returned a month later, having had to hitchhike his way across the galaxy. That month was the hardest month I had ever lived, but I had hope. Hope for the future, and it was what got me through.”

  “He left with another witch?” Sienna perked up beside Nathaniel. “He was in love?”

  “He was,” Dorian said. “Last I heard, he had three children and was very happy. It's hard to imagine another life outside the Academy, but I'm glad that he had one at all.”

  “I didn't know it was an…outlook?” Sienna's language failed her, but both her Maestros understood that she meant possibility.

  “It's not,” they both replied, and Sienna jumped at their unison.

  “I wasn't thinking of it,” she said, looking down at her plate. She knew that she shouldn't even speak of such things. But given their examples, it was hard not to at least dream. The memory of Devon's kiss was all too real for her.

  Chapter 12

  “How are you enjoying school?”

  Sienna looked up in joy as they finished the meal. Although Dorian's voice was strongly accented, it appeared he had some grip on the Jeffroian language.

  “Challenging,” she answered. “But I enjoy it.”

  “Sienna,” Desmond said, as he took the dishes to the sink. “You can answer in Basic, please.” He turned to Dorian. “My apologies, Maestro. It's a struggle already.”

  “Of course,” Dorian replied, the smile of an indulgent grandparent recognizing the rules that his adult children set out for their own protégés. “Your Basic is quite good, though I heard you didn't speak it at all when you came.”

  “I learned.” Sienna traced the pattern on the table cloth. “But I still prefer…otherwise.”

  “Do you know I didn't speak any Basic when I came here?” Christa gave her a smile. “My Maestro raised me multilingual, so it took me a lot longer to have a solid grip on anything. As a pilot, it's worked out well, for I never seem to be in the same language belt twice.”

  “Your Maestro…” Sienna's eyes darted to Desmond, and then she remembered. She reached out to Christa – who was surprised by her force – in order to see her former Maestro.

  She saw a smiling woman who was middle aged, with long, brown hair and a kind smile. Graceful and tall, the woman looked over her shoulder, as if seeing something pleasant.

  “That's Diana,” Christa said softly as she felt Sienna's mind touch her.

  “Sienna, that's not nice,” Nathaniel gave her a little smack on the arm. “You ask before you invade people's thoughts.”

  “It's okay,” Christa replied. “We're all connected.”

  “How?” Sienna asked, unable to imagine the sadness of losing a Maestro. She purposely blocked Christa's emotions from reaching her, not wanting to feel such a thing.

  “They were on a quest,” Desmond spoke quietly, and Sienna turned toward him. “It should have been Christa who died. She was the one in the path of the spear. But Diana chose to move forward instead.”

  Sienna squeaked, the sadness of it overtaking her. She lay her head on Nathaniel's shoulder, who put a distracted arm around her.

  “It's okay,” Christa tried to reassure her. “Really. I am living in the way that she wanted, and she would have been happy to know that Desmond helped me accomplish that.”

  “Well,” Desmond made a face, “not happy exactly. Diana and I never saw eye to eye.”

  “Which is why she may have been all the prouder that I actually made it to the tests at all,” Christa teased him, and Desmond laughed.

  “That may be true,” he said.

  Sienna's head suddenly came up, her magic dancing on her fingers. Nathaniel reacted immediately, concerned that she was reacting to something. But the faraway look in her eyes told him she was sensing that something was happening as she listened far beyond their room.

  “Eliza,” she said suddenly.

  “What?”

  “Eliza is here,” she said, and he slid his chair back, bolting to his feet.

  “Where? How?”

  “I…” She was using magic that she shouldn't be, pushing further than she normally did. Desmond tensed, watching them both. From the look on their faces, he wasn't sure which one would fall. “Hangar.”

  Nathaniel said nothing. Everyone standing around the room knew what was happening with Eliza. The fact that Sienna could sense it from that far away was astonishing to everyone but her Maestros. They knew her power was unprecedented, and they also knew when she was using power that she shouldn't be.

  “Go,” Desmond said as they all stood up. Nathaniel bolted, and Desmond turned to her.

  “Is she alive?” Desmond asked her.

  Sienna nodded in surprise. “Of course,” she said. “Is it possible to feel a dead being?”

  “For most it is not, little one. For you, though, who knows?”

  “I want…” Sienna stood up. “I want to go with him. I want to know.”

  Desmond paused for a moment, but then decided there was no harm. The others in tow, they headed down to the hangar, not knowing what to expect. Desmond half wondered whether they would find a Jeffroian ship full of corpses. He had seen the details of the explosion, and he had seen the aftermath of such attacks. Even if someone did manage to get out, it wouldn't be pretty.

  To his surprise, the ship that was in the hangar was in perfect condition. He recognized it as the royal transport ship which was kept running at all times in order to evacuate the queen if there was ever a threat. After hundreds of years of implementing this policy, it appeared that it was finally in use.

  The doors were closed as Nathaniel skidded into the hangar. His heart was thudding in his chest as he moved forward, sending out a ping.

  Sure enough, Eliza's life force beat from inside. But the doors remained closed and sealed, and he feared something was very wrong.

  “Desmond,” Nathaniel reverted to his teenage years, fearful and unsure as Desmond came up behind him, “be prepared. “

  “You think there's a threat inside?” Desmond summoned his magic. The others around them did the same, ready to attack anything that came out of the doors. It was a strange sense of Deja vu, for they had just done it with Dorian's ship.

  “I don't know,” Nathaniel admitted. “I don't know. I just want–”

  Suddenly, the doors began to open. They creaked, and Nathaniel sensed that the ship had been damaged. He noticed a dent on one side and that one of the tires was blown. It must have been a rough landing, which wouldn't be uncommon if they had just escaped a threat.

  He held his breath, praying to the Creator. Please, he begged to a god he didn't usually believe in. Please, let her be all right.

  His prayer was timed with the first of the Jeffroian guards coming down the platform. Because this was a royal ship, the witches bowed to their knees. Nathaniel's eyes remained fixed on the platform, praying.

  And there, in all her majestic glory, was Eliza. She was dressed as if she was greeting the people, with jewels and a crown on her head. She stood, her outfit of pure white blowing slightly in the breeze from the open door.

  Nathaniel let out such a breath of relief that he almost fell to the ground. She looked around, and he could
see she was trying to stay calm.

  He rose, trying not to rush into her arms and sweep her up, as much as he wanted to. “Your highness,” he called out. Her eyes locked onto his, and she felt a strong sense of relief. “We thought you were dead.”

  “We very nearly were,” she answered, regal as ever. “But it appears we escaped just in time. We seek sanctuary.”

  “Of course,” Nathaniel said, approaching. His hands were trembling, and he fought to keep his face neutral. As soon as he was close to her, he lowered his voice. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” Eliza answered. “But many of my people are dead. Nathaniel…”

  “I know,” he said softly. “I know. It's okay. You're safe now, and we'll figure it out. We will retaliate.”

  “And we will rebuild,” she replied. “Retaliation does not sound very witchlike, but we'll take it if you are offering.”

  “For you, my queen,” he said, “anything.”

  He turned then, because he knew that he would kiss her if he stared at her one moment longer. Everyone was staring at them, and it was getting obvious.

  Sienna couldn't contain herself and ran forward, throwing her arms around Eliza.

  “You're not dead!” she cried.

  “No,” Eliza managed to chuckle. “Look at you! You've grown nearly a foot. How are you, Sienna?”

  “I am well,” Sienna answered, and Nathaniel cleared his throat. “I am mostly well.”

  “That is good to hear,” Eliza smiled. “Perhaps you can tell me how you have been. Nathaniel, some room?”

  “Your grace,” he answered as he led her toward Desmond. “I'm going to get the queen settled, and then I can sort through this. Perhaps you could teach my class?”

  Desmond raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked, but Nathaniel's eyes were pleading. “Yes. What am I teaching?”

  “Strategy, textbook,” Nathaniel answered, not even bothering to give Desmond the full information before he swept Eliza out of the room. “Thank you.”

  “You're welcome.” Desmond rolled his eyes, glancing at Dorian. “My Tiros,” he said sarcastically.

  “I see that,” Dorian smiled. “I shall leave you to it, then. The Jurors have summoned me, and I imagine there is much to talk about.”

  “I'll catch up with you after,” Desmond called after him as he turned to Christa. He was about to say something smart when his former Tiro interrupted him.

  “When did the attack on the Jeffroian palace happen?”

  “Um, sometime in the night,” Desmond replied. “Why?”

  “It's barely morning,” Christa answered. “I've flown that route to Jeffro a thousand times. Unless our information is wrong, there is no way they made it here that fast.”

  Desmond paused. “What are you saying? Do you think they left before the attack?”

  “That is possible,” Christa answered. “We do sometimes receive news long after such attacks, or have the time stamp wrong. But if we haven't received bad news?”

  “What are you suggesting, Christa?”

  “Two things,” she said. “Either they left before the attack occurred, which is unlikely, given that there is blast damage to the ship. Or–”

  He picked up her train of thought right away. “Or they are dead and returned.”

  “We haven't figured out what's happened with the Ronan,” she answered, “but it seems similar.”

  Desmond took a deep breath. “Sienna would have sensed if her life force was different. She's so strong, Christa; there's not a thing that gets by her.”

  “I know,” Christa answered. “But we don't fully understand what's happening. So what if that is the case?”

  Desmond looked in the direction that Nathaniel and Eliza had gone off to, thinking. “Don't breathe a word of this to either of them,” he said. “Especially Nathaniel. Not until we have a better idea of what is happening and why.”

  “You don't think he has a right to know?” Christa answered.

  “What good would that do?” Desmond replied. “If this return is temporary, and their time is limited, it would only taint it. I don't want that for him. I know that what they are doing is wrong, Christa, and that I have been the catalyst for that. But we can't suggest that to him, not yet.”

  “Have you considered that it's the same possibility for Dorian then?” she answered, and he sighed.

  “I have. I don't know what magic is at play here, but it is a gift, and it may not last forever.”

  Christa was silent a long moment. “I'll teach the class,” she said, and Desmond turned to her.

  “What? No, I–”

  “Desmond, if Diana walked through those doors right now,” she bit her lip, trying not to show her emotions, “I would not be scheduling anything else in my day. To have a Maestro back after losing them…I can't even imagine. I can't let myself imagine. Please don't take it for granted. ”

  He gently put a hand on her back. Diana's death rocked her so hard he wasn't sure that he would ever see her smile. It was only Reynolds' choice to leave their order that had created a sense of shared grief between them, and over that they bonded.

  “Thank you,” he said to her.

  “Anytime,” Christa replied. “I hope, for both of your sakes, it's all the time. “

  Chapter 13

  “I'm all right,” Devon assured Sienna when she had broken away from Nathaniel and Eliza to visit with him. He looked much better than he had the night before, sitting cross-legged on his bed. She settled onto his couch, considering whether she should magically ping him to find out if he was telling the truth. But Nathaniel had said that wasn't polite, and so she decided against it. “How are you?”

  “Good,” she said. “The Queen of Jeffro is safe.”

  “Yeah, I heard about that,” Devon answered. “Have you been to Jeffro?”

  “Oh, yes,” Sienna said. “My first mission. And many times since. I am from there.”

  “Is that where your adorable accent is from?” he asked, and she blushed. “That's cool. I don't know where I'm from. It's sort of rare, isn't it?”

  “I was…” She searched for the right word. “Late.”

  “Identified late?” he asked, and she nodded. “That makes sense. It's just the way it is with some. Laura thinks she knows where she is from, but she's always said that it doesn't really matter. This is home.”

  “Yes, home,” Sienna brushed the hair out of her eyes as she watched Devon. “Your Maestro is not with you?”

  “No,” he answered, confused. “Why would she be?”

  “When I am ill, I'm not alone,” she replied, and he shrugged.

  “Ah, well, your Maestros are a bit overprotective,” he replied. “Understandably so.”

  “Overprotective?” she furrowed her brow. “Is it not all like that?”

  “No.” He shook his head with a smile. “But of course, most of the time, there's just one Maestro, so they can't be awake and on duty 24/7. You are lucky.”

  “Lucky,” she replied. “Mostly.”

  He changed the subject, seeing that it confused her, and held up his tablet instead.

  “Are you doing this in class yet?”

  The Tiros weren't segregated by age so much as ability in their classes. As they got older, their Maestros sometimes pulled them from classes entirely, choosing to educate them on continuous quests. Sienna knew she would be in school until she was eighteen, aging out and hopefully taking the tests. Devon was a level ahead of her in some classes, and the piloting diaphragm he held up didn't look familiar.

  “No,” she shook her head. “Are you stuck?”

  “Very,” he answered with a grin. “And if I fail a class, my Maestro will reign terror on me.”

  “I know a pilot,” Sienna offered. “She can help.”

  “Can she?” Devon asked. “Who do you know?”

  “Christa,” she answered. “Desmond's old Tiro. A good pilot.”

  “Christa's an amazing pilot,” Devon answered. “I kno
w her by reputation. She could fly through a meteor shower with her eyes closed. Mmm,” he put a hand to his stomach and Sienna tensed. “No, no pain. Hunger. Do you want to get some food?”

  “Yes,” she replied. She wasn't really hungry, but she'd go just about anywhere with Devon. “Where?”

  “There's a place in town if you want,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “If you're allowed.”

  “Of course, I'm allowed,” she cried, even though she knew she should probably ask permission, especially after last time. But Nathaniel was occupied with Eliza, and Desmond with Dorian. They would be back before she was missed. “Quickly?”

  “Yes, it's not far,” Devon said, shutting down his tablet and getting up. She saw his shirt shift as he did, and was reminded that he understood her pain and her trials. The pump attached to him was keeping him alive. “Maybe we won't come back.”

  “Ha!” she said, knowing he was joking. But there was something in Devon's eyes that made her pause. “Are you…?”

  He shook his head. “Mostly joking, yes. But have you ever wondered, what if it doesn't work?”

  “What if what doesn't work?” Sienna asked, puzzled. Sometimes, the Basic words were too quick for her.

  “This,” he said. “Taking the tests, becoming a full blown witch because our health is a bad luck card.”

  “Oh,” she paused. “Once, I thought I would never be trained. But my Maestros have taken me on, and they have promised to never leave.”

  “Never?” Devon asked. “Even if you can't take the tests?”

  “I will,” she said, with less certainty. “Will you?”

  “I don't know,” he answered truthfully. “I am very happy being with Laura, of course. We have a pact to go until we can't go anymore. But I've often thought whether this is how I want to spend the rest of my days.”

  “You won't die, Devon.” It was the only thing she could think about saying. Looking right into his eyes, she felt like his very soul was connected to his. She felt like their hearts were one. Their hands pulled together, and she stood up on her tip-toes to kiss him.

  How was it possible that she wasn't supposed to love; that she was too young to know what love was? Devon was her mirror image.