04 Last (17 page)

“For good reason,” Daniel said. “You would see us all dead, if it meant you won the war you are waging,” he added to Odette.

“I would not,” Odette said. “But I cannot change what is written.”

Her words had a curious double meaning I was not sure I liked.

“Seeing what we see means exactly that,” Daniel said. “Change…it’s what we do. Pretending like you don’t spend your whole life trying to change what you’ve seen is a lie.”

“The change you speak of is often written with violence,” Odette said in that same calm voice. “To end one monstrous act, I must allow a lesser monstrous act. You would understand that if your gift was more profound…if you did not fear it quite so much.”

Her rebuke made Daniel angry; he did not like her suggestion that he held back out of fear or that there was such a thing as a ‘lesser evil.’ He was doing his best to hold the anger at bay, but he could not hide the emotion in his eyes. Darkness swirled on the edges; a subtle hint of dark in the green. I knew he held control over the emotion, but it was only a matter of time before he lost it. He would lose patience with her games soon enough. I moved to stop their conversation before he was forced across a line he could not uncross.

“I’m here,” I said, before he could respond to her words. “You want to tell me why you went to such extremes as sending Serenity to Alaska to get me here?”

Odette’s eyes switched to Serenity at my mention of her and the fight we had faced. They shared a look, where Serenity nodded in affirmation at the unasked question in Odette’s eyes, and then Odette looked at me again, pleased with whatever Serenity had agreed to. It was as if something had been confirmed – a piece of the endless puzzle of time had fallen in to place. More of her ‘meddling’ had been accomplished.

“I brought you here, because I want you to go see someone,” Odette said.

“Why?” I asked.

Odette leaned forward. Her brown eyes were intense. There was a hint of her power sparkling through the brown, enough to let me know she was not playing games. She was serious.

“May I speak with you in private?” she asked.

“You see the future, right?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“So you know that’s not going to happen,” I said.

“I can see that you and Daniel will speak to me in private,” Odette said. “That’s all I ask…the two of you, alone, with me.”

I looked at Daniel for his opinion. Daniel frowned and tried to see beyond the moment. He knew she would not ask such a thing without something profound in mind. Finally, his eyes bothered that he had come up with nothing he nodded. Jackson did not like the nod. He started to protest, but Daniel put a hand on his arm.

“It’ll be fine…trust me,” Daniel said.

Jackson shook his head at Daniel’s words but did not argue. The others had similar looks of protest on their faces, but they could see Daniel wasn’t in the mood to argue his decision. He wanted to speak with Odette, end the promise I had made, and leave. Odette turned to the others along the table.

“Excuse us, please,” Odette commanded.

The eight other people at the table had been expecting her command. Their eyes on us, they stood and filed out through the door. Serenity, Mick and Eli followed after them.

It took the others longer to leave the room. They were all looking for hidden dangers, not trusting what they saw in front of them. Finally, they, too, made their way back through the large doors. Alex hesitated at the door before leaving. Her blue eyes moved to Odette then back to me. It was a clue that Odette would not ask to speak privately without a reason that would shake me to my core. It was a warning I knew was accurate. Spider came back in to the room and put a hand on Alex’s arm. Alex let him guide her out of the room. When the door shut, Odette leaned back in her chair. Her face changed as she lowered her guard.

“I’ll cut to the chase, for Daniel’s sake,” Odette said.

“I appreciate it,” Daniel said.

Odette looked at me thoughtfully.

“When I was young and foolish, I made a mistake. My gift was new; I did not have the foresight I have now. There was a family. I saw in them a destiny stronger than I had ever seen before. One of their line would become the strongest Watcher in history.”

Daniel had told me this story – it was the prophecy that had pitted Lorian and Darian against each other. Daniel looked shocked that the prophecy had been Odette’s, but I was not as shocked. It made sense that the most powerful seer I knew had made the prophecy that had started the war. Odette nodded at my understanding.

“Yes,” Odette said. “It was my words that started the war. I had a vision and, instead of keeping it to myself, I shared it with those in the vision. They had saved my life – I thought it was only fair they knew. The results were disastrous, as you well know.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“You need to understand the past so you can prepare for what is coming,” she said.

“You mean the end of the world?” I asked.

Odette sighed in agreement.

“There is a great shift coming. The world will be changed forever. Whether that means the end of time has yet to be decided…Many things must first come to pass. What we do now must balance the chaos that is coming.”

“Okay?” I said.

“You must learn Lorian and Darian’s history to fully understand your history and Marcus’ plans for you,” Odette said. “You must understand why he wants you, and how you will play in to the prophecy still unfolding before us.”

“Why don’t you stop talking in riddles and just tell me?” I asked.

Daniel laughed. Despite warning to watch what I said, he could not help but appreciate my inability to step lightly, even around the most powerful of Watchers.

“Everything has its place,” Odette said. “Even the truth.”

“So the truth is that you started the war…”I said. “How does that help us? Lorian and Darian are dead…Nemesis killed them.”

“Yes, Nemesis. It has been a long time since I’ve seen her,” Odette said.

“Did you…” I started to ask.

“Send her to kill Lorian and Darian?” Odette asked. “No. It was the brother’s own sister who did that. None other could have.”

“Lorian and Darian had a sister?” I asked.

“Yes. She was the youngest of a royal family. Their mother ruled a small country. The daughter was the crown jewel of the country… a beautiful guardian of the people. When the brothers each decided they were the one in the prophecy, it was her task to restore balance in her country. Killing her brothers proved impossible, though. They looked her as another threat to their power. After a year of brutal fighting, the brothers would not fall. They were too skilled at fighting...as trained as she was, she could not kill them. They were equal in their abilities. So, she sent up an offering – her life in exchange for her brothers’. She gave up her life to keep them from tearing the world apart. In exchange, Nemesis was to take their lives. But the brothers had come in to their inheritance. They had gone through their birthday and the change. The prophecy was true; they were two of the most powerful Watchers ever to walk the earth. They worked together just once after I shared the truth with them, to lock Nemesis in the world in-between. It was her prison, until you freed her.”

“And she killed Lorian and then Darian,” I said. “I remember. That ends the prophecy, though, right?”

“Not quite,” Odette said. “The sister had a child with a mortal man. She hid the birth from her family. The father and the daughter left their country and fled, to what is now France.”

“So her family is still out there…if her kid went to France with the father then the prophecy is still viable, right?”

“Correct. You must find the last of Lorian and Darian’s line,” Odette said.

“Do you know who it is?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Then just tell me,” I said.

“You will doubt my truthfulness. You will wonder how I am trying to manipulate you. Daniel will council against my advice. You will listen to him, because you trust him.”

“That’s right,” I said.

“So…you must go to one whose impartiality no Watcher can doubt,” Odette said.

“Does someone impartial in our world even exist?” I asked. “Everyone wants something…even if it’s only peace.”

Her words had meant something to Daniel.

“You don’t mean the historian, do you?” Daniel asked.

Odette nodded once at his question.

“She won’t see us. She won’t see anyone. She’ll kill us on sight,” Daniel said.

“Not if you have her sword,” Odette said.

“Her sword, well, I’ll just go get that…” I said dryly. “You don’t think it’s on Craigslist, do you?”

“It is lost,” Odette said.

“Of course it is,” I said.

She pulled a piece of paper out her pocket. She unfolded the paper and pushed it toward the edge of the table. Daniel stepped forward, before I could, and picked up the paper. He looked at it for a short moment then handed it to me. His eyes were curious, but there was no recognition. It was just another sword to him. I looked at the drawing longer than he had. The paper was cracked and parched, the color was faded; it looked as if it had been ripped out of a textbook. A very old textbook. The sword itself was elegant and long. It had strange symbols on the hilt and length of the blade. Looking at it, I could sense a long history of violence. It was beautiful…and familiar. It was more familiar than I thought it would be when Odette had mentioned it.

I had seen the sword before.

The memory of when I had seen it swam in front of my eyes involuntarily. I had just saved Amanda, a girl from King’s Cross High School, and my cousin, from a freezing cold river. Cassandra, one of Marcus’ daughters had found me there and had taken me to an old bunker in the forest. It was there that I had come face-to-face with an old man holding a sword – not what I had expected from my time spent running from the Seekers. A shiver went down my spine as I remembered Sheriff Cobb turning to face me, sword in hand. It was the first time I had faced someone so ruthless, yet so totally insane.

“I know this sword,” I told Daniel, still looking at the paper.

Daniel was surprised. “How?”

“Sheriff Cobb had it,” I said. “He was playing with it when I first saw him in the cellar. I didn’t think anything about it. I just thought it was another antique. It’s there, buried under the rubble of that burnt structure.”

“How come he had it?” Daniel asked me.

“Maybe Marcus gave it to him,” I said. “He was with Marcus’ people.”

“He stole it,” Odette said.

“From whom?” Daniel asked.

“Clare’s grandfather,” Odette said.

“My grandfather?” I asked, surprised she would suggest such a thing.

My grandfather had nothing to do with the world of Watchers. It was unlikely, and ridiculous for her even to pretend as if he had or that he had somehow been given a sword by a Watcher old enough to know the same things Odette knew. Except…I remembered how I had found his book. It had been hidden away in boarded-up room. In that same room there had been a sword holder with no sword. It was possible my grandfather had been given the sword without knowing its significance, and Cobb, who had been way too aware of the world of Watchers, had stolen it. But how did he find the sword and not the book?

“The sword is an heirloom, you might say,” Odette said. “Given to your family a very long time ago. You must be the one to return it to its proper owner: the historian. She will respond by telling you the truth. Something for something. That is the way it works in our world.”

Daniel looked at Odette with a used expression on his face.

“Your ability to twist things to suit your needs is astounding,” he said. “When did you put that sword in a position for Clare to see it? Decades ago? Centuries?”

Odette’s smile was mischievous. It reminded me of Serenity. Or was it the other way around?

“You overestimate my ability to shift the events of the world. I only see what is meant to be…” she said.

“And manipulate the rest,” Daniel said.

Odette leaned forward again and clasped her hands in front of her. Her eyes were serious and her face was impassive. She had finished telling us the ‘truth.’ It was time to move the meeting along.

“Do you agree that the historian is an impartial source for the truth?” Odette asked.

Daniel was reluctant, but I sensed the truth on his face.

“I do,” Daniel agreed.

“Then you will listen to her. When you are ready, you will come back and we will talk about the future,” Odette said. Her eyes focused on mine. “We will talk about you and how you can serve the greater good.”

Daniel’s eyes flashed with anger. He was done with Odette’s ‘greater good.’ He took my hand and turned away from Odette, refusing to promise she would ever see me again, but Odette had more on her mind than just me. Before we could leave, she called across the space.

“I must speak with the others,” she said. “There are truths no less important than the one I shared with you, which I must share with them.”

Daniel stopped and looked at the wall for a brief second. I sensed him wanting to tell her there was no way in hell she would get to speak with them, but his trust in the others won out. He trusted they could handle her games…and it was not his place to decide for them.