As Bryon watched Petre be hauled into the waiting cell, he was still disappointed with the outcome. Before turning him in, he should have spent a little more time alone with Petre to vent his anger. The two blows he had delivered had not gone very far in alleviating the frustration which had built up over the past two anons. Bryon was also seething with rage when he thought about Petre calling sweet Jena a brat. The man had no limits to his imbecility.
With nothing further to be done that night, Bryon returned to the room he and his wife had rented. He walked into the room and surprised Alena.
“You’re back early. I expected you to be gone most of the night.”
“Yeah, well I found Petre.” He turned and shut the door.
Alena gasped and said, “Bryon, you’re bleeding. Tell me what happened.”
Bryon looked over his shoulder to see what Alena was talking about. He forgot all about Petre’s blood drying on the back of his shirt from carrying him. He realized immediately what she must be seeing and replied, “It’s not my blood, it’s Petre’s. His nose was bleeding after I kicked him in his lying face. I carried him to the station and had him booked.”
Alena stared at her husband’s simple explanation. She could hardly believe it had been so easy and then she asked, “Where’s Jena?”
“Alena, you won’t believe it.”
“What won’t I believe?”
“Petre sold her to Elder Debbon.”
Alena sat down abruptly as everything came together. “Obviously it had to be an Elder. Why didn’t I talk to them as well? We could have had this resolved a long time ago if I’d just followed up on all the leads and not just the most likely ones. I’m so stupid!”
Bryon came to console his wife but stopped as she raised her hands.
“Take that shirt off and go take a shower; even the idea of Petre’s blood in here makes me ill. On second thought, take a shower with your shirt on so the blood will come out, I don’t want to have to scrub it clean.”
Bryon smiled to hear his wife being so practical. His initial idea of her taking it so personally was soon alleviated when she started thinking rationally again. With a lighter step, he went into the bathroom to get himself cleaned up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amanda was alarmed and afraid when she heard someone knocking on her front door so early in the morning. She could only imagine Petre had found out where she lived and had come to take her back. Even before she moved to answer the door, Riccan stood up from the couch. In her fearful state of mind, she had forgotten Riccan had spent the night and was more grateful than ever he had offered to stay.
“I’ll get the door. You stay there,” Riccan ordered as he took the few steps to open the door.
Bryon and Alena stood outside, staring in disbelief because a man was answering Amanda’s door. Almost instantly, disbelief turned to recognition as Bryon realized this was Riccan from the telepod races. “Riccan? Is that you? What are you doing here? Is Amanda okay?”
Riccan’s expression changed to one of curiosity. “Yes. And you might be?”
“Oh sorry, I’m Bryon, and this is my wife, Alena. We came to see Amanda. Is she here?”
Amanda heard her friend’s voice and came rushing forward to greet them. She pulled them both inside and gave them hugs before asking, “What are you both doing in Durseni?”
“Let’s sit down,” Bryon said as he led his wife to the couch.
Amanda and Riccan sat down on the coffee table facing the new guests and wondered what was going on to bring these two to the house so early.
“We wanted to get here before you left for work because we thought you’d want to know Petre was taken into custody last night. I know it’s true because I took him there myself. You won’t have to worry about running into him on the streets.”
“Oh, Bryon, thank you!” Amanda flung herself forward and hugged her friend fiercely. She had always admired Bryon, but she could kiss him now with her appreciation of him taking the matter into his own hands so swiftly. She pulled herself away and continued, “I was so worried about it all night. I asked Riccan to spend the night to make sure we were safe.”
Bryon looked at Riccan meaningfully, wondering how much of Amanda’s history he knew about.
Amanda saw the look and told Bryon, “It’s okay, Bryon. I told Riccan everything. He’s going to help us get Jena home.”
“What do you mean by ‘everything,’ Amanda?”
“I told him the whole story last night. He’s fine with me being from Earth. It’s going to be okay, don’t worry.”
Bryon could not keep the skepticism from his expression; however, he had to trust Amanda would know what was right with her own secret. His dark thoughts were interrupted by a squeal erupting from behind him. A moment later, Juila was hurling herself onto his lap and hugging him tightly. He smiled at Juila’s exuberance, lifting her up to say hello and give her a proper hug.
Amanda realized with Petre in custody there must be some news about Jena. She asked, “Did you find out what Petre did with Jena?”
“Yeah, the scum said he sold her to Elder Debbon.”
Amanda gasped as she began to put all of the clues together. Elder Debbon was teaching the wise-women’s class on Durseni right now. The Elder had access to an Ascension Gate. Rasa believed Jena was now on Earth. Elder Debbon had sent her to Earth. It all made sense.
“What are you thinking, Amanda?” Alena leaned forward with concern as she touched Amanda’s knee to divert her attention.
Amanda went over the details of Rasa’s message from the night before and about her belief of Jena being on Earth. She needed to talk to Elder Debbon to discover the whole truth; however, she was unsure of how to make an interview happen.
Alena leaned forward and said, “Elder Debbon was the teacher for my training as well, you know. If you want I can go today to ask him to speak with you.”
“Oh, Alena, that would be perfect. Thank you so much.” Amanda could feel tears pooling on her eyelashes and tried to brush them away before they could fall down her cheeks. This day was turning out so perfectly. She looked at her timepiece and said, “I’ve got to get ready for work. Excuse me, please.” Amanda left the room with a feeling of anticipation that she would soon have her daughter back in her arms. All of her dreams were coming true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bryon looked at Riccan and wondered where he should start. The most obvious question came to mind, and he asked, “How do you know Amanda?”
“She’s my employee at the Telepod Engineering Company.”
Bryon seemed baffled by the explanation before he remembered Riccan was more than just a famous racer, he was also a well-known engineer. It made perfect sense he would work for the best company. With the first question answered he asked the second most pressing question. “How do we know you can be trusted with Amanda’s secret?”
Riccan wanted to tell Bryon the real reason; however, it was not something he went around telling everyone, so he merely replied, “Because I’m a sympathizer like yourself. The people from Earth are no different than we are. They deserve to have the same consideration as Tualans.”
Bryon could not dispute his answer, so he had to be content with Amanda’s assessment. Besides she could not have picked a better ally than someone as well connected as Riccan. He wondered where Riccan had slept until he looked beside himself and saw the pillow.
He turned to his wife and said, “We should probably get going now so you can make arrangements with Elder Debbon. Amanda has to go to work anyway.” He looked down fondly at Juila and said, “Have you been good for your mommy?”
Juila instantly nodded her head.
“That’s my good girl. I’ve missed you, Juila. We’ll see you again soon, maybe even tonight, okay?” Bryon began to set her on the floor when he was interrupted by Riccan.
“I’ll take her.” He lifted her out of Bryon’s arms and took her into the kitchen to get her breakfast.
“This seems li
ke a cozy situation, doesn’t it, Bryon?” Alena whispered to Bryon as they stood up to leave.
Bryon smiled at his wife’s assessment of the situation. He hoped the potential relationship might change Amanda’s mind about leaving Tuala. With a grin still on his face, he yelled over toward the bedroom, “Amanda, we’re going to leave now.”
Not wanting to miss the opportunity to thank her dear friends again, Amanda rushed back to the living room and gave them both a hug. She had changed her outfit and was in the process of brushing her hair.
“I’ll leave you a message when I get the meeting with Elder Debbon arranged. Okay?”
“Perfect! Thank you again, Alena. And you, too, Bryon.”
They left the house with lighter hearts knowing Amanda would no longer have to live in a constant state of fear. They also knew she had a good friend and protector in Riccan. Her life was changing in a good way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Rasa returned to her dorm room, she turned on her patil and was surprised to see she had a message from Amanda. She thought it was out of the ordinary since she typically left the messages for Amanda, not the other way around. She touched the play button and sat in stunned silence as Amanda talked:
“Hi, Rasa. I have amazing news! Petre was arrested last night here on Durseni. He even admitted to selling Jena to Elder Debbon! Alena and Bryon were here this morning to tell me the news. Alena is going to make arrangements for me to meet with Elder Debbon today. I might have Jena back soon! Wish me luck! Bye!”
Rasa began to review what she knew of Elder Debbon. He was not one of the Elders who was of the opinion the people from Earth should be questioned or detained permanently. He and his wife had two children, their son Willian and their first-daughter…Jena! It was true; Elder Debbon had Amanda’s daughter. However, since both Elder Debbon and Chelesa were in the wise-woman training sessions, then where were their children? Had Elder Debbon actually used his Gate to send them both to Earth? It did not make sense, but then again it made perfect sense considering how weak Jena’s link felt. Maybe that was why Chelesa had looked so sad when she first started the class. Realization struck as Rasa recalled Chelesa’s first day of class coincided with the day following Juila’s nightmare of losing Jena’s link. It had to be true!
Rasa’s break had ended, cutting short her desire to dwell on the fascinating subject; she had a class to attend. Rasa believed she was going to have a difficult time concentrating with all of the questions she had for both Elder Debbon and Chelesa competing for her attention. She hoped Amanda would contact her later that evening to find out how her meeting with the Elder went.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alena remembered how the daily schedule of training went so she timed her visit to the school just when they would be getting out for lunch. She rushed forward when she saw her mentor and called out, “Elder Debbon.”
Alarmed, he looked over to see someone rushing toward him. His expression instantly changed when he recognized his former student. “Alena, how have you been? What a pleasant surprise.”
“I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Do you have a few minutes?”
Debbon was baffled with Alena’s sudden intensity and asked, “Is this about one of your patients? Do you need a consultation?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Is there somewhere private where we can talk?”
“Sure, we can go to my apartment. Will that do?”
“Perfectly.”
They walked in silence as Alena considered how she should approach this delicate subject. Debbon wondered what could be so important to bring his student to the island to speak with him. He opened the door to his apartment and gestured for her to precede him into the room. She sat down at the table and waited for Elder Debbon to do likewise.
“This is such a complicated situation; I’m struggling to find the right words to broach the subject with you.”
“Just start from the beginning, and we’ll go from there, okay?”
“Okay, do you remember about two anons ago, I applied for the adoption of twin girls?”
“Yes, I believe I do. I wondered how you were going to have time with twins when you already had three small children of your own. Have you reconsidered the adoption? Is that why you’re here?”
“No, it’s nothing like that at all. One of the girls I adopted was kidnapped. We have reason to believe you know where she is.”
“I’m not sure I follow, Alena. How would I know anything about your missing child?”
“She was abducted by Petre MacVeen. He was taken into custody yesterday and admitted he sold Jena to you.”
Debbon could not have been more shocked than he was at that moment. He was having trouble breathing leaving him to wonder if he were having a heart attack. He could feel the blood leaving his face and extremities while his vision started to have spots.
Alena became increasingly alarmed as she watched the changes overtaking Elder Debbon. She stood up and tapped into Elder Debbon’s life-line to steady his heart beat. With her medical assessment confirming he was just in shock and not in need of medical attention, she removed her presence from his mind and waited for him to recover on his own. It was obvious from his reaction he had some knowledge of Jena’s whereabouts.
Finally, Debbon managed to whisper the first thing which came to his mind, “I didn’t know, Alena. I’d had a vision an anon before where Jena was presented to me in danger. I couldn’t leave that precious little girl in the hands of the likes of Petre; she wasn’t safe with him. I checked into his story about the child’s mother being dead which seemed to check out. I had no idea Jena was taken from your family. I promise I didn’t know.”
Alena was satisfied the Elder was speaking the truth. He had no reason to lie nor was he the type to deflect blame. “Where is Jena, Elder Debbon?”
“My family was being threatened. I sent both of the children to a safe house, and I brought Chelesa here with me.”
“Elder Debbon, you called her family. Did you adopt her?”
He shook his head and replied, “No, I negotiated a betrothal agreement with Petre. He lost his parental rights when he failed to show up before the three days expired. Jena is my first-daughter.”
Alena was both elated and appalled at this newest revelation. If Elder Debbon had an agreement then it was binding; however, it also meant it was irrevocable. This was not good news for Amanda. She then told the Elder the final piece of her story, “Jena’s mother has been found alive, Elder Debbon, and she wants her daughter back.”
“Jesa’s alive? Where did you find her?”
“Petre lied about the mother’s name. He always called her Jesisca because he never knew her real name was Amanda. She’s on the island and wants to meet with you. Can you see her tonight after school is over?”
Elder Debbon spent a moment absorbing all of these new facts before slowly nodding his head, “Certainly. Can you bring her to me around six tonight?”
“Yes. Thank you, Elder Debbon. We’ll be back as requested.” She stood up and let herself out to return to the hostel where they had spent the night. Once she sat down at the patil in the room, she sent a message to Amanda. She could hardly wait for the many hours to pass before she would pick up Amanda to finally get started on returning Jena to her mother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amanda rushed into Riccan’s office with the amazing news: Jena had been found, sort of. They definitively knew Elder Debbon and his wife had been raising her. The fact that she was going to meet with him that night had her beyond excited.
Riccan stood up from his desk and walked around it to give her a congratulatory hug. Just as his arms went around her, he looked beyond Amanda to see Ela Nena framed in his doorway. He immediately dropped his arms and said, “I’m glad it worked out so well for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Ela Nena has just arrived for our meeting.”
“Oh, I’m sorry! Of course! Excuse me.” Amanda was beyond flustered as she brushed past the small, fro
wning woman on her way back to her desk.
“You know I don’t approve of physical contact with the staff, Riccan.”
“I’m sorry. Please have a seat. I have the drawings of the newest design for you to review.” He pulled out several large plasfilm sheets and rolled them out across his desk.
Chapter Twenty-One
ALENA ARRIVED AT Amanda’s doorstep at five-thirty to discover Amanda was ready to go, with Juila resting on her hip, as she shut the door behind them. They walked slowly toward the school to have the most important meeting for Amanda’s family. Amanda was a bundle of nerves to finally get a resolution to this situation. She was also wondering about Juila’s reaction to Elder Debbon. Was he going to be the same man whom Jena called Daddy?
The school was located on the far side of the island from where Amanda lived. They took several flights of stairs until they reached Elder Debbon’s apartment. Alena knocked on the door even though they were several minutes early.
Elder Debbon opened the door and stood in amazement as he recognized the woman he had treated so long ago for the broken wrist and beetlesnatch bite. His attention was then drawn to the child she held who was identical in appearance to Jena. He looked at her birth crystal to confirm, where Jena’s had been dark black, this child’s stone was deep red; definitely not Jena. He got over his initial shock and stammered, “Please come in. Come in.”
The three entered his house to see a woman sitting at the table in the dining room. She had obviously been crying and when she spotted Amanda carrying Juila her sobbing renewed.
“They are the woman and child I told you about a couple of days ago, Debbon!” Chelesa spoke suddenly into the quiet room. Continuing her accusatory tirade, she added, “You told me it was my imagination. What do you say about it now?”
Debbon looked uncomfortable with his wife’s question. “I’m sorry, Chelesa, I should have trusted your instinct. You were right.”
Amanda was surprised to see the woman who had asked her for directions to the marketplace. The only one who did not seem phased was Juila. She smiled at every person in the room as though she already knew everyone, which naturally, she did through her link with Jena.
Ascension Discovery Page 79
