Clara and Ezra

by Lindsey Richardson

  Since when had I become a prisoner to this palace again? Claire could not hold me here against my own will while a killer remained at large.

  So far I was the only one being attacked, which led me to believe I could lure Mother out from hiding. The wedding, the tavern, Keanu… none of it mattered. I was the one Mother would want. I was the only one who could gain her attention, though I was not certain what she desired from me.

  Had my mother done this to isolate me in Ninomay? To force my hand into return to Rajoor with her?

  Not this time, Mother…

  18

  Hunt You Down

  I stomped into Claire’s room where I found her and Declan. Claire dropped the paper in her hand as if she knew my reasoning for being here.

  Declan quickly left us alone, closing the door on his way out.

  I stood in silence, waiting for her to admit it. Wanting to her from her lips why she had done it. Instead she said nothing, and I had not the time to wait for her.

  “Lukas needs me. How can you trap me here while he’s out there, searching for clues?” I asked.

  “Father is dead, Nina is nowhere to be found, and you are the last of my blood. I will not risk your life for this. If you wish to join Lukas someone must accompany you. It’s too dangerous out there for us, Clara,” she replied calmly.

  I formed my hands into fists.

  “Dangerous? I killed a man. I’ve been attacked twice now. I think I’ve proven myself capable of survival,” I replied.

  Claire sighed and walked over to the window, turning to face it.

  “Do you think this is easy? I am trying my best to do as Father would have wished. And were he alive, this would have been his request as well,” she said.

  “Mother wants me. I’m the one who can lure her out. You cannot have a bodyguard with me at all times. I have to be alone. I have to find her alone,” I replied.

  Claire faced me again, grimacing.

  “She’s always wanted you, hasn’t she? To you, she is a mother. But to me, she is a killer. You were finally reunited with your family, and who had motive to end that reunion. Her. I won’t let her lay a single hand on you.”

  I lowered my head. It was not Claire’s fault Mother had abandoned her and never returned. She only our mother for what she was: a runner. I knew her to be good at disappearing for long periods of time. Somehow, someway she had always returned to me. She might not have been the mother I’d choose, but in some way she had made a connection with me that she did not share with Claire.

  I paced around the room. There had to way I could appear in public alone while staying safe. If someone came along with me they would have to keep their distance. It would put us at greater risk, but it was the only viable option.

  “I need to appear I am alone. Wherever Mother is, she is amongst allies. We need to separate her from her friends. Someone could follow me at a distance, but they must never interact with me or this plan will fail,” I said.

  “We’ll address this with the Council. Make no mistake, my terms remain. Someone will be with you. Perhaps several people… I need to ensure that if anything happens someone can be at your side in an instant.”

  “Call for an emergency meeting. The sooner this is over with, the better. I want to do this tonight before she runs again,” I replied.

  Claire nodded firmly, folding her hands together.

  I left Claire’s room with the slightest ounce of hope. While Ezra researched my magic, Claire would set up a meeting. Perhaps everything would fall into place. Once we found Mother she could explain how things had gone so terribly wrong.

  If she’s willing to tell you… I thought, wondering how far Mother was willing to go to bury the truth.

  ***

  Everyone sat in the meeting room. I sat at the back of the room by myself, and I had yet to see any sign of Lukas.

  Of all the faces in the room, Bellona’s had not changed since the last time I saw her. Her eyes still burned with fury. Her mouth twisted and her nostrils flared as if tonight we had calling this meeting to sentence her to a terrible fate.

  She caught my stare, and our eyes connected. Perhaps my only hope of regaining her trust was to capture the person behind the madness, the one who had gotten away. My own mother.

  Claire cleared her throat, and I turned my attention to her. She stood at the front of the table again, and a map laid out in front of the councilors.

  “Since Clara was attacked here,” she said, pointing to what I presumed to be the Undertake, “I believe this will be the best area to station everyone for starters.

  “Lukas and Keanu will run the operation. Watchers will be posted in the area —some in uniform, performing their usual duties, and others dressed as locals. No one is to allow Clara out of their sight,” Claire explained.

  “Might my magic be useful for this plan to work?” Ezra asked.

  Claire shook her head. “Sorry, Ezra, but no. No one else within the Council can help. We are placing some of our best Watchers at risk for this. I can’t afford to have any more councilors, other than Keanu, to be involved. Trust me, Clara will be in safe hands.”

  Keanu and I exchanged glances. Once again my safety fell into his hands. This time I had to hop if anything went wrong he would not disappear. Though Claire suggested Keanu was allowed on this mission because of his past as a Watcher, I wondered if it was actually to test his strengths. He had a lot to prove, considering the others he shared the table with, and his partnership with Lukas in tonight’s task made sense on paper.

  Even so, I wished someone like Ezra or Gemma would be accompanying me.

  “Clara will leave at nightfall. We believe Nina is most likely to strike when the streets are empty. She will want Clara to be alone. If anyone sees Clara disappear, that is your moment to act. Lukas is briefing the Watchers on these orders as we speak,” Claire said.

  Gemma raised her hand. “So far all the attacks on Clara have been life threatening. How do we know Nina doesn’t want her dead as well?”

  I gulped.

  “It’s a risk Clara is willing to make…” Claire responded slowly, sounding less confident.

  The meeting adjourned, and I tried to clear Gemma’s words from my mind. Why would my own mother want me dead? What purpose would that serve? She had twenty years she could have easily done it.

  I watched as everyone exited the room, each of them glancing at me with frowns. I imagined Ezra was not the only one who wanted to be a part of the mission. Unfortunately Claire was right, and no more councilors could be spared. My life depended on the Watchers doing their jobs.

  All but Keanu left the room.

  “Shall we?” he asked.

  I nodded, though I did not know what he was referring to. Instead I followed his lead, realizing after several steps we were headed in the direction of my room.

  He entered my bedroom without hesitation, rushing to the closest, searching through countless dresses. I thought of Gemma. This was usually her job, and it seemed odd for her to not be here, aiding me for tonight’s events. I also wondered what outfit Keanu was possibly searching for.

  “Try this,” he said at last, pulling out a white gown. It was patterned with golden embroideries and a single blue gem in the center of the neckline.

  I stared down at my black dress and then glanced back at the one he suggested. It seemed too soon to change into any other color than black, and I failed to see why it mattered how I dressed.

  Keanu sighed. “Nina will never see you if you wear all black in the middle of the night. We want you to stand out.”

  At my silence he added, “Besides… a bright color would suit you.”

  He gave a half-smile, and I took the gown from his hands. It occurred to me since Keanu had joined the Council he had seen me in nothing but black.

  I stared at the gown. It was elegant, perhaps even too fancy for a night where my sole purpose was to be caught by my own mother. It was something I doubted she would even recognize me
in, but she and I had both changed since my departure from Rajoor. Perhaps she too hid with a different physical appearance.

  “Remember no weapons and no magic. If you’re in trouble we’ll intervene. The only thing you’re allowed to carry are cuffs. Unlikely you will make the arrest, but if you have the opportunity you should take it,” Keanu explained.

  “This might be our only chance to catch Nina before she moves again. After the fire incident I doubt she’ll be in town much longer,” I said.

  Keanu approached me, resting his hands on my shoulders and staring into my eyes.

  “Prepare yourself, dear Clara. Tonight you might see something you’re not prepared for,” he said firmly, squeezing my shoulders.

  With that he led the room, stating he had preparations of his own to handle. He closed the door, and I stared at it, half wishing he had never left me at all.

  His words haunted me. Despite all the planning that had gone into this I hadn’t prepared myself for Mother’s arrest. It seemed surreal. I remembered Vanessa’s arrest and Lukas’s anger, and I wondered what reaction I would have. I still remembered Isaak’s, as well, but it was he who had the final words before meeting his face.

  “You’ll regret this, Clara! You’ll regret this!” he had screamed as the Watchers dragged him out of our home.

  I shuddered. Vanessa, Isaak, Ren… All of these people had been arrested in front of my very eyes, but I had never expected my mother’s name to make its way on that list.

  Who would I become when they locked my mother away? Who had Mother become to be locked away like an animal?

  An animal like Isaak…

  19

  Sister and Daughter

  I stood at the front door with Keanu and Lukas on either side of me. Lukas wore his Watcher uniform while Keanu was dressed like a local.

  I took a deep breath.

  The councilors gathered around us. During our absence they would prepare for the events to conspire after Nina’s hopeful arrest. They would also prepare Watchers inside the palace to be ready in case Nina tried anything once inside the walls. Claire assured us they would take every safety measure possible, that nothing would make us over prepared for this moment.

  “Good luck, sister,” Claire said, embracing me quickly and then letting me go.

  I glanced at Ezra who mouthed the words “be careful,” and I nodded.

  “I expect the three of you to return unharmed,” Claire added.

  With that I took one last glance at the councilors, these people who had become my friends and family. Alec, who had stayed on despite his own personal struggles. Bellona, who finally seemed at peace now that she knew I sought a different woman as the murderer. Dorian, who had remained by Gemma’s side through everything. Declan and Ezra, who I trusted with my life.

  And finally Claire, my sister, my blood, my other half. She was the closest thing I knew to a real family.

  Staring at the familiar faces, seeing the hope in their eyes, tonight I was determined to succeed whereas times past I had failed. Tonight I refused to return home empty handed.

  ***

  The lamppost lit the otherwise dark street. Watchers in uniform made their usual rounds, never looking at me, never suggesting they knew I existed. The locals, or whom I assumed to be locals, were also oblivious to me. They paid no mind to me, and those who did glance my way I assumed were not part of our operation.

  Lukas and Keanu spread far apart from me and each other. One second I caught a glimpse of them, and then the next they were gone, blended in somewhere amongst the locals.

  Though I was surrounded by allies, I was in a sense completely alone. Everything from this step forward I did alone. Everyone and everything depended on me tonight, and not even I knew if this plan would work.

  I walked slowly, glancing down alleyways between shops and houses. The night air was cool, and the wind blew my dress against my skin. I saw no sign of suspicious activity in the street.

  I glanced at the Undertake. It still stood, despite the fire, and the candlelights shone from within. It appeared to be in business again, or at the very least men were hard at work repairing it.

  I kept an eye on the people who passed me. People who entered and left various buildings. None of these people were my mother.

  I passerby another house, glancing down the alleyway between it and its neighboring house.

  “Clara…” a whisper called out.

  I stepped forward, deeper into the shadows. Something grabbed me and tugged me forward. I could not see anything. The moonlight barely shone through the alleyway.

  A figure slightly taller than me placed its hands on my face.

  “Clara. Oh, my dear Clara…” a woman’s voice said.

  I recognized the voice.

  Mother…

  Without hesitation I pulled out the cuffs and placed them on her hands. With Mother handcuffed, I kept one hand on her arm while using the other one to send a red spark into the air. I watched as it shot up into the night’s sky.

  Voices and footsteps approached us. In a matter of seconds Watchers surrounded us.

  “Betrayer! You evil girl! How dare you do this to me!” Nina screamed, shaking violently.

  “I’ve got this, Clara. Good work,” Lukas yelled over top of Nina’s wailing, stepping forward while the other Watchers gathered behind him.

  I let Nina go and watched as Lukas took hold of my mother’s arm. He led her out of the alleyway, and the Watchers fell in line behind them.

  I stood in the dark, stunned, undecided on whether to move or not. It had finally happened. We had found her. I found her, and now they would lock her away just like they had with Ren. She would face judgement from the highest authority.

  Her words sunk in. Had I betrayed her? I had arrested my own mother, something I had never dreamed over, but somehow I knew it was for her own good. Her reaction alone confirmed it. Why would she be so spiteful toward me if she was innocent?

  There was nothing I or anyone else could do to save Mother from what awaited her next. Her trial would determine whether she was my father’s killer or not. The people I cared about the most, the ones I had stayed on this island for, would uncover my family’s darkest secrets.

  “Clara?” Keanu asked, wrapping his arm around me.

  I pushed him away.

  I stared at the group of Watchers marching away with my mother. Lukas had been furious when Ezra and Alec had arrested his sister. He and I had fought together for her, pleading her innocence.

  Now I watched my own mother dragged through the town as a criminal, and I felt numbness. There was no anger or sadness as I had expected. There was no part of me fighting for her defense in all of this.

  As soon as I had heard Mother’s voice I sealed her fate. And somehow none of it hurt as badly as Father’s death. Had I already decided she was a killer?

  Vanessa… I bit down on my lip at the memory of her. For a woman behind bars, she still haunted my mind. I had been wrong about her, and I could be wrong about my mother as well.

  Please let me be wrong.

  Keanu’s arm extended out to me again, and this time he nudged me gently.

  With a sigh I stepped forward, and each step after that slowly became more manageable. I could not see Mother from this distance. She was surrounded by uniforms, and they had continued ahead without us.

  “We need to stay close and move quickly. This could get ugly,” Keanu whispered.

  He grabbed my arm and tugged me forward until we caught up to the Watchers. With his mentioning of it, I glanced back to see if anyone would challenge us.

  A small group of locals in the street stared at us. The women gasped and held their hands over their mouths while the men lowered their hats. None of them came forward to defend my mother. If she had allies here they were wise enough to remain hidden. Nonetheless, we moved quickly. The longer we stayed out in the public’s eye the more dangerous this became.

  ***

  We reached the p
alace, a welcome sight after a weary night. The Watchers in the yard raised their staffs as we passed them. They had not always carried staffs out in public before, but now it seemed Claire had issued an order for them to do so as an added security measure.

  I stared ahead at the front doors. At moments I held my breath, barely believing we had made it this far. Though I could not see my mother from the back of the group, I knew Lukas still held her firmly in his grasp.

  I thought about Claire, who I imagined waited for us in the meeting room. I thought of the dungeon where Lukas and I had found Ren’s body. The same dungeon where my mother would be forced to await her own trial. What if her allies did what someone had done to Ren? How far would they go to keep us in the dark?

  We entered through the front doors, and at last we had some confirmation of safety.

  Without hesitation Lukas and two other Watchers separated from the group and led Mother to the dungeon. Keanu and I remained back with the others.

  Claire stood at the top of the staircase, watching as our mother disappeared out of sight. I assumed because of the late hour the trial would be postponed until the morning. No one else had died since Father’s murder. I hoped if Mother was responsible no one else she had aligned herself with would seek to do harm.

  The other councilors approached where Claire stood. It seemed everyone had stayed awake and present to ensure we returned safely.

  I stood in the area where Elias had died. I took several steps to the left, grimacing at the memory. Keanu was lucky he had not witnessed his uncle’s death.

  Our search was over. We had found the one woman I thought was impossible to find. A woman I had never sought out on my own as a child when she left me for days unattended.

  Without Keanu’s charm or Claire’s wedding, we had done it. It was finally over.

  It is over, isn’t it? I thought, staring at the dungeon door.

  I blinked and finally ascended the staircase. I did not have the words for what had happened tonight. I knew Lukas had survived his sister’s arrest, and I was determined to survive my mother’s. Bellona had argued our family’s actions did not reflect who we were as a person. For both our sakes, I hoped she was right.