Clara and Ezra

by Lindsey Richardson

  I walked past a door, but I quickly stopped at the realization it was cracked open by the slightest. I heard a man’s laughter and thought it might possibly be Keanu. I inched closer to the door, but I leaned in too close and the door swung open.

  Keanu appeared in the room with a naked brunette on the sofa. I quickly averted my eyes, blushing as I listened to the two curse. Ezra and I had seen Keanu moments ago, but he had been alone. It seemed he had someone waiting for his company yet again. Another mysterious woman.

  “Get of the damn room, Daphne! Go, go!” Keanu hissed.

  The brunette ran past me, holding more but a blanket around her bare body. I could not help but notice as she passed that her hair color matched mine. I was not imagining things. Keanu had a “type” of woman he lusted after. Fortunately for me my mother might be to his liking.

  “Please tell me you’re dressed,” I said, still shielding my eyes.

  “Yes, yes. Let’s get on with it. This better be important,” he replied.

  I lowered my hand and faced him. His tunic still remained on the floor, along with the dress and his lover’s other garments. He had called her Daphne, but the name was of no significance to me. I wondered if Lukas had warned him about these girls he kept company with.

  Now that I finally had a moment to catch my breath I examined the room. It appeared to be a lounging room, filled with a sofa and several chairs, along with a large round table in the middle. The room was further down the hall, so thankfully no one in the map room had heard what Keanu did behind somewhat-closed doors.

  Keanu wiped the sweat from his brows.

  “Come on, spit it out,” Keanu said.

  I cleared my throat.

  “I’m… I’m sorry for the intrusion. You ought to warn someone when you have company,” I said. In truth I wanted to tell him he’d be wiser to keep his guests in his bedroom with the door shut. Or better yet, why not take them to his own house when he was not attending to business at the palace?

  “You ought to warn a man before you bust down his door. Now what’s the hurry?”

  “I need your help with something…”

  “Oh, do go on,” he said, advancing toward me.

  I sighed. Perhaps I had this all wrong. Was I really about to ask a man I barely knew to seduce my mother? What if Keanu was insulted by my plan? I dreaded the idea of explaining myself to Claire and Lukas if this went terribly wrong.

  “I was hoping… you could help lure Nina out of hiding with… Well, er, your charm,” I said carefully.

  He circled me, seemingly observing me in this moment. His hands traced the ends of my hair. Goosebumps rose on my arms, but I held my breath. He could not have me, even if his own selfish hungers led him to think otherwise. I was not his, I would never be his.

  He stopped to stand directly in front of me.

  “Who do you think I am, Clara?” he asked.

  I gulped.

  “Do you think… I chose to be this kind of man?”

  He raised his hand, and I stumbled away. How could he ask me these questions when he knew we were nothing more than strangers. I found myself speechless and wishing I had brought Ezra with me.

  He lowered his hand and sighed.

  In a softer voice he asked, “Do you think your mother is capable of murder?”

  Without hesitation I nodded, and my own reaction shook my entire body. I felt nauseous, and I quickly faced the sofa. I sat down, knowing full well this sofa was not as clean as it had once been, but I no longer cared. I held my hand over my lips in fear of what might come out of my mouth.

  Ezra and I had talked about the possibilities. I had even confided in Lukas, but I had been wrong to think my worst fears would stay amongst the three of us. Claire had been after Nina for this attack since the day it happened, and now the possibility entered Keanu’s mind as well.

  By now I was certain everyone in the palace believed my mother to be responsible for this. But I, her own daughter, would ignite this belief? I passed judgment on her without solid evidence. I had done it once with Vanessa, and now despite my best attempts, I did it to my own mother.

  “I vowed to your sister that I would catch the killer. If you think this is the way we corner her, I’ll do it. Consider it done,” he said.

  “Thank you. Have no fear, we only need to find her. She’ll be arrested before it goes any further.”

  Keanu chuckled. “These women I see… Like Daphne, for instance, will never be heard from or seen again. They come and they go, dear Clara. I learned that lesson the hard way.”

  “Meet me tonight in the garden,” I said, not knowing what else to say to this fact he shared with me.

  With that I left the room and took in a fresh breath of air out in the hallway. I saw no sign of Ezra, but there was no telling how much he and Claire had to discuss. I chose to set up a meeting with Keanu regardless of Claire’s approval. She had no reason to object to my plan, and if she did, I would see to it myself that she reconsidered. Keanu wanted to prove his loyalty, and this would be his test.

  They come and they go… I thought, repeating Keanu’s words in my head. Though he seemed convinced the meetings he had with these women were meaningless, I did not share that same belief. A killer remained on the loose. Meanwhile Keanu brought unidentified women into the palace as if they could do no harm. What if he slept with the killer?

  15

  Torment

  In the dining hall Ezra informed us Claire had agreed to the plan. Lukas would join Keanu and I, being as he was more familiar with the taverns on the island. Ninomay was a large island, and I imagine their taverns were not like what we had seen in Rajoor. We would need Lukas’s help to find discrete taverns where someone like my other could hide her identity.

  Everyone from the Council joined us in the hall. We sat together like one big family. Large plates of meat, bread, and fruits filled the table.

  I found my eyes wandering from face to face as I ate. I remembered the time I had spent with Father in the dining hall. How could it be that we would never see him again?

  After our meal Claire directed everyone to their tasks. Gemma and Alec were to spread posters around the island. Dorian and Ezra would check in with the Watchers and see what progress they made. And despite my newly hatched plan, Claire still insisted on planning her wedding.

  “And lastly, Declan will stay with me, as we have much to do in terms of preparation for the wedding. Good luck to each of you,” Claire said, though she looked directly at me.

  Everyone parted ways, and Keanu and Lukas quickly joined me at my side. I gestured for Lukas to lead the way, as I was none the wiser to where we would be headed today.

  We entered the foyer.

  “Keanu?” a woman’s voice called out.

  Keanu and I turned around to see none other than the woman he had kept company with hours before. I held my hand over my mouth to hide my shock.

  Daphne… I thought, remembering Keanu’s anger with her last time they had been together.

  “Dammit…” Keanu whispered, and he quickly ran to her, ensuring that she did not come any closer to Lukas or I.

  Finally seeing the woman in full light, I noticed her dark hair, which stood out against her blue gown. Her eyes wandered to me as she spoke to Keanu, and I quickly averted her gaze.

  Lukas chuckled.

  “You know the difference between him and I, sweetheart?” he asked, pausing momentarily as if expecting me to answer.

  At my silence, he whispered, “My affairs are never public, and I know how to control my women.”

  I frowned at his comparison, thinking how before Elias’s death Lukas hadn’t minded in the least who knew about his personal affairs. Only recently had he kept a low profile enough so that I wondered if he even enjoyed the company of a woman at night.

  I redirected my attention to Keanu, who had seemingly gained control over the situation. Daphne left through the front doors. She glanced back at me momentarily. I blushed, wishin
g both of us could forget how we had met. Keanu claimed to sleep with woman who never returned. This time it seemed he had picked the wrong girl for his desires.

  Lukas leaned in closer to me, whispering, “Seems he still blames himself for his wife’s death, poor soul.”

  I took a step back. I had noticed the ring on Keanu’s necklace, but I had not known he was previously married. He acted young and reckless, and whatever love he once carried for his deceased wife had now transformed into lust or self-pity.

  Keanu returned to us with a scowl.

  “Sorry about that. Shall we?” he asked, gesturing we leave.

  Lukas agreed, and I allowed the men to take the lead. I did not dare ask more about Keanu’s wife, but it formed a knot in my stomach. Was what Lukas said true? I had never known Lukas to lie to me before, but if he was right I wondered what kind of liability the Council had taken on by hiring Keanu.

  Keanu’s reputation had already been ruined with Elias’s downfall. And despite Lukas having secrets of his own, I was determined to figure out why he had told me this new information. A fact that perhaps not even Claire knew the details of. Keanu had been brought in by Lukas, and because of the circumstances, he had skipped over the traditional tests for becoming a councilor. I could only hope despite his wife’s death still plaguing his thoughts, he would still be a viable ally for us.

  ***

  We arrived in a tavern called the Undertake. Lukas tied the horses outside while Keanu and I entered. This wasn’t the first tavern we had searched, and I doubted it would be the last.

  This is hopeless… I thought, wondering if I had been entirely wrong to suggest taverns as a viable place for Mother to hide.

  The inside of the tavern glowed purple, seemingly from the candles and fireplace. It was darker than the one we had visited in Rajoor, and it was quieter. People whispered to one another, drank casually, and women lingered around the men.

  The glow from the fireplace engulfed the room in shadows, making people’s faces harder to distinguish.

  I took in the sights around me. On a wall closest to me I noticed a piece of paper, hanging amongst numerous other signs. I instantly felt nauseous reading it.

  WANTED:

  NINA NASSO FOR THE MURDER OF JHASE KANELOS.

  ANY KNOWLEDGE OF HER WHEREABOUTS ARE TO BE PROVIDED TO AUTHORITIES.

  A REWARD IS AVAILABLE.

  Lukas had claimed this was a lesser known tavern, but it seemed Gemma and Alec had already been here before us. If Mother was here she would be going by a different name. Her companion, on the other hand, Stefan, was as good as gone by now. We had nothing to track him down with.

  “For the murder of Jhase Kanelos.” I read in my head again. The sentence raised the hairs on the back of my neck. We had never confirmed Mother killed Jhase. It was only an assumption, a guess, a desperate call for attention to the importance of her whereabouts. It seemed at least Claire had decided Mother was guilty without having evidence or a trial to support her belief.

  “Wish me luck,” Keanu whispered.

  His voice drew me away from the poster.

  “Stay in our sight,” I replied.

  Keanu left me, and Lukas entered the tavern to stand beside me. I accepted for the time being I could do nothing about the poster. By now it might be all throughout Ninomay. People would remember Mother’s name, and now they would suspect her as a criminal.

  I watched as Keanu joined a large group of women who stood by the bar. Their laughter filled the otherwise quiet tavern. Meanwhile Lukas remained with me. We had done this in countless taverns before. We had to blend in while Keanu investigated the scene.

  We sat by the fireplace, and I stared at the purple flames. This was surely an illusion of sorts, but I did not know who in the tavern had cast the spell. The thought of being in the same room as another illusionist left me wishing we had brought Ezra with us.

  The bartender brought us glasses of water, and Lukas declined the offer of alcohol.

  I kept my eye on the people around us while aware in the background Keanu entertained the ladies. I doubted my mother was amongst them, and though I had given him a description, I wondered if Keanu might be distracted by his own desires. He had done this with countless other women in several other taverns before this. He had probably lost his hope as had I.

  “Who is Keanu? Besides a Watcher and your cousin… who is he?” I asked.

  Lukas tapped his fingers against the wooden table. A piano played an upbeat song in the background.

  “I only know Keanu as a Watcher. My father, as you know, wasn’t much of a family man. Keanu’s a good man, I know his loyalty and the passion he puts into his work. But as for his personal life… I only know what I’ve heard. Only he could tell you what happened with his life,” Lukas said.

  I nodded, and my eyes wandered to Keanu again. He raised a glass, cheering along with the ladies. Though we remained at a distance, none of the women looked like my mother. What was he doing?

  Come on, Keanu…

  I looked away again. Perhaps it was time to try elsewhere. My eyes scanned the room once more, and I stopped at the sight of a man sitting in the corner by himself. I had not noticed him before, but this time he caught my attention. He glanced up, and for a moment our eyes locked.

  I grabbed Lukas’s hand, but I remained speechless. It was him. It was the man with the scar, the one who got away.

  16

  Flames and Ashes

  My hand squeezed Lukas’s arm, but the man stood and held up his hands. A fire erupted from his palms. People screamed and jumped out of their seats. Glasses shattered, the laughter stopped, and people rushed for the exit.

  I leaped out of my own seat without thinking twice. Sparks caught a table nearby, and several mages set out to stop a potential fire.

  I kept my focus on the man, who ran toward the back of the tavern. I could not let him escape this time.

  “Stop that man!” I called out, pushing past the locals.

  The man glanced back, sending more sparks in my direction. I dodged the first one, though the second caught the side of my arm. I winced, slowing down for a moment, and then I shook it off and ran again. I ran as fast as my legs would take me. I ran like my life depended on it.

  We reached the end of the hallway. There were no doors or windows the man could escape from. It was him and me, and this time he would not flee the scene.

  I could hear distance voices in the background. It seemed the locals and perhaps even Lukas and Keanu were preoccupied with the safety of the building.

  The man held out both hands, aiming to either side of me, and a large fire erupted behind me.

  “Clara!”

  I could hear Lukas’s voice nearby.

  The man advanced. I held out my hand, watching as water blasted out of my palms and soaked my enemy. He held up his arm, blocking the water, and stepped closer to me.

  I could feel the smoke from the fire entering my lungs. Voices continued on in the background. By now the locals might be working on extinguishing the fire, but would they be too late?

  “I am with the Council. I command you to stop!” I yelled.

  He chuckled and reached back, withdrawing a dagger. It glowed red like the flames behind me. He jumped forward, tearing the front of my dress.

  I fell against the wall, and everything went black.

  I opened my eyes again. I thought I had lost consciousness, but I regained my balance. The hallway seemed darker than before. The only firm reminder of the man’s position was the light illuminating his dagger.

  “Clara! Clara!”

  I could hear Lukas, but the fire separated us. I had lost track of time and perhaps lost consciousness. Perhaps my attacker had caused more damage to the tavern while I was down. Perhaps he wanted my friends to be on the other end, being helpless to my own demise.

  The man swung at me again, and I dodged to the right and extended my hand to face him.

  Images of Father’s body clou
ded my mind. Was this man my father’s killer? Had we been wrong all along? Would he now attempt to finish what he started, killing off another Kanelos?

  A force vibrated through the hallway. I ignored it and focused on the man, thinking about where he could have been that night, who he could have killed.

  And he thought he’d get away with it…

  Another vibration shook the floor, knocking me onto the ground. I felt my head hit the wooden boards. My eyes locked with the wall across from me, and without waring everything was black. The darkness returned.

  ***

  I opened my eyes. I stared at the wall, realizing I must still be on the ground. The hallway had since brightened, and everything from where I laid appeared to be normal. A pair of strong arms lifted me up.

  “Are you okay? Clara, can you hear me?

  I looked up at Lukas’s face, a welcome sight after the horrors I had endured. Sweat covered his face and even seemed to have drenched his hair. His eyes were wide and watery, and I wondered how long I had been knocked unconscious.

  I looked to the left of me, where the fire had once been. It had been extinguished, and mages still remained, dealing with the aftermath of the attack.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  Without waiting for his response I scanned the hallway for my attacker. He laid across the hall, motionless. A memory of Jasper flashed through my mind. I shook my head as if the force would shake the possibilities away.

  I thought about when the hallway had darkened just moments before I fell unconscious. Something had gone terribly wrong.

  Lukas winced, and I felt my throat tighten at the thought I had killed a man. I glanced past him, wondering where Keanu was. Why wasn’t he here to explain this? Nearly everyone had gone except for a few customers who had remained to clean up from the attack. Of the few people remaining Keanu was nowhere in sight.

  “Please… tell me,” I whispered.

  “Not here,” Lukas replied firmly. He kept a firm hold on my arm and dragged me away from the body.