Elder (12 page)

Chapter 18

Ini-herit opened the door to his bedroom when he sensed Malukali and Knorbis on the other side of it. He had been dressed for the ball for more than an hour and as he spotted the other two elders, he realized they were also already wearing their formal wear. Malukali’s green gown complemented her eyes, as did the emerald jewelry she wore at her throat and in her dark hair. Knorbis wore a black tuxedo with a coordinating green vest. It was a similar style to the tuxedo Ini-herit wore. The clothes weren’t Ini-herit’s usual style, but he thought they might appeal to Clara Kate.

The desire to draw her attention was new for him, but much like his instinct to watch over her, he didn’t fight it. In fact, the unusual thoughts he’d been having lately were the very reason he had asked the two other elders to visit him.

“Thank you for coming,” he told them as he closed the door.

He directed them to the seating area. The couple took the loveseat as he sat in an adjoining chair. Although they could all communicate through thought, he didn’t want the other elders to know about this conversation. Malukali conveyed an understanding of that through her quiet gaze.

“Of course,” she said. “What can we do for you?”

Now that they were here, he wasn’t sure what to tell them. Not having an understanding of the thoughts and compulsions that had struck him in recent weeks, he found it hard to put them into words.

Eventually, he asked, “Did the Orculesti who paired with me and my Gloresti—or Clara Kate and her Gloresti—convey anything to you about our relationship while we were on the human plane?”

“Clara Kate didn’t have an Orculesti paired with her,” Malukali explained. “The minds of the Kynzesti are very difficult to read, even for me, so it was seen as a waste of effort. Hermes, the Orculesti paired with you and your Gloresti, hasn’t discussed anything that he might have intercepted.”

Ini-herit didn’t know whether or not to be grateful for that. “So the only one who knows what took place between me and Clara Kate on the human plane is Clara Kate?”

“Yes.”

He considered this. “As you know, you unlocked a memory of mine from the human plane when you were seeking information about the map to the scroll piece. I would like you to try to uncover more.”

The couple exchanged a look. When Malukali again turned her gaze to him, he knew enough to interpret sympathy. “Ini-herit, that memory didn’t help you reconnect with your human self. It held no context for you. Anything we uncover at this point—”

“Please,” he interrupted. “I…something is different. There have been things…” He stopped himself, unable to vocalize what he had experienced when he realized Clara Kate would be attending the ball with Alexius. “I do not know for certain, but I think I could possibly be experiencing feelings.”

Now, Malukali’s eyebrows rose. She glanced again at Knorbis. After a moment, they both nodded.

“Very well,” she said. They got to their feet and approached him in the chair. “If you suspect there is something to be uncovered, we will make another attempt. Perhaps if you focus on Clara Kate, it will help our efforts.”

That wouldn’t be a problem. He’d been thinking about her almost constantly for months now. As the energy of the two elders glowed, he closed his eyes and thought of the female who loved him.

“So, what’d’ya say, hon? Is it a date?”

Over the top of his menu, Ini-herit watched Clara Kate interact with Brent Douglas, the captain of the high school football team and the dream date of every girl in Coweta County. Even though Clara Kate had only lived in the area for a few weeks, Brent had zeroed in on her the moment she walked in the front doors of Newnan High. He’d been rather relentless in his pursuit, a fact that irritated Ini-herit more than he wanted to admit.

Not that he couldn’t understand the other guy’s interest, he mused as he studied Clara Kate. In her simple white sundress and summery sandals, she outshined every other female in the restaurant. She wore a barrette with some kind of flower on it that gave her a refreshing, innocent quality that most girls their age lacked.

It wasn’t just her appearance that drew attention, either. She had a quick, contagious smile and a friendly nature. In the time they’d lived together at Mrs. B’s, he’d discovered that she was unfailingly polite and earnest. She’d made a lot of friends in a short amount of time and it was clear she really cared for everyone she allowed into her circle. It wasn’t about being popular to her.

No, it wasn’t a shocker that Brent was asking her out. But Ini-herit didn’t have to like it, did he?

“Oh, um, it’s really nice of you to ask, Brent,” Clara Kate said.

Ini-herit saw her glance at their table, which she’d been walking back to after a visit to the bathroom. Was that a hint of desperation he saw in her eyes? He frowned as he tried to decide whether or not to intervene.

“Great. When can I pick you up?” Brent asked. He reached out, probably to brush away the single wave of hair that had escaped Clara Kate’s barrette.

When she jerked back and once again glanced in his direction, Ini-herit made his decision. He knew panic when he saw it.

“Hey, Angel,” he said as he approached, keeping his tone casual. He saw her brow quirk at the new nickname, but thought it was a nice touch. It sure suited her with her white dress and everything. Swinging an arm over her shoulders, he asked, “What’s taking so long? I’m hungry.”

“Sorry, Harry,” she replied, understanding what he was doing. The gratitude he saw in her lovely eyes told him he’d made the right move. “I was just chatting with Brent.”

“Oh, yeah?” He turned a politely curious gaze to the large, blond male. His confused expression almost made Ini-herit smile. “What’s up, Brent?”

“Well…” He frowned. “Clara Kate, what’s going on? When did you and Harry hook up?”

She shrugged and looked at Ini-herit, who said, “We weren’t advertising it or anything.”

Brent’s broad brow remained furrowed. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“Only if you consider this a joke.”

Then right there in the middle of the restaurant, he pulled Clara Kate close and did something he’d been contemplating for a while now. He kissed her.

He wondered for half a second whether she’d shove him away. He knew she wasn’t the kind of girl who gave out kisses like candy. The appearance of innocence wasn’t a façade for her. So when her hand moved to the back of his head and she met him halfway, he was a little surprised.

And more than a little thrilled.

She didn’t wear much makeup—didn’t need to—and it was nice to enjoy the feel of her soft, unpainted lips against his. He realized that she was letting him lead the way, so he reached up and gently stroked her jaw. Taking the hint, she parted her lips for him.

Then he was lost in the taste of her…the essence of her. Sweet spring days. Brilliant blue skies filled with white, billowing clouds. Colorful gardens bathed in sunlight.

She accepted the bold stroke of his tongue, countered it with a timid but eager brush of her own. He knew then that she’d never been kissed before, and the knowledge touched his heart like nothing else possibly could.

When they parted, he looked into her eyes for a long moment. He knew immediately that she felt the same.

“Okay,” Brent said beside them. “You’re not joking.”

Holding Ini-herit’s gaze, Clara Kate whispered, “No. We’re not.”

Surfacing from the memory, Ini-herit blinked to regain his focus. While Malukali and Knorbis moved to sit again on the loveseat, he fought to hold onto the emotions that the memory evoked. Maybe they didn’t have much meaning to him now, but he liked how they’d made him feel while he was experiencing them.

It was no use, though. He felt nothing.

“I’m sorry,” Malukali said quietly. “I’ve never had anything like this happen before. It’s as though your memories from the human plane belong to another being.”

“We extracted the memory easily enough,” Knorbis added with a thoughtful frown. “But we couldn’t connect it with the emotions you felt at the time. It’s almost as if you’ve locked the emotions down.”

Malukali sighed. “We don’t appear to have the key,” she concluded.

Ini-herit listened to them and absorbed the words. Though they weren’t what he had hoped to hear, their conclusions were no different from his own. He supposed it was a small consolation that a being who couldn’t experience emotion couldn’t be disappointed.

Chapter 19

On the ride to Central, Metis considered how to proceed. The fact that she was successfully en-route to the Estilorian main base had her feeling what could only be described as
exhilarated
. It was a real first.

She feigned exhaustion and lay down on the intriguing platform as they rose into the sky. While she pretended to sleep, she did everything she could to listen in on the thoughts of the Waresti traveling with her. The leader of the small group had only spared three of them for this trip, as the others needed to stay back at the Corgloresti transition point.

The less protection she had, the better, she thought.

In reading their minds, she learned a lot about Waresti procedure. They really did focus on their tasks with the sole purpose of seeing them through. Even though they were on an enchanted platform that couldn’t be accessed by their primary enemies, all of them remained diligent and attentive for the duration of their travels. She wondered if a stray Mercesti could possibly fly by and spot them.

In any case, she also picked up a few more tidbits. Their typical procedure when an Orculesti suffered any kind of trauma that impacted his or her thoughts was to bring that Orculesti to
archigos
Malukali for assessment. That knowledge didn’t please Metis. She had recently overseen the torture of the Orculesti elder, and was fairly certain her thought signature would be recognized by the perceptive female. If Malukali somehow didn’t recognize her, Metis imagined her perceptive husband would. He wasn’t likely to forget anything about the being who had hurt his wife and blackmailed him.

Fortunately, there was some kind of gala that very evening. The Waresti were wavering on whether or not to interrupt the festivities and the elders over this situation, or just have Metis rest until after the event and tell them then. This was exactly the chink in the security she needed.

She sensed when they were slowing down and pretended to blink back to awareness. Stretching, she caught the eye of the closest warrior and did what she could to raise the corners of her mouth.

“I feel surprisingly better after resting,” she said. “Perhaps I spoke too soon when I asked to come back here. I hate to think we have come all this way for no reason.”

Using her new abilities, she sensed the mild sense of relief that flowed among the Waresti as they gave her a scan with their perceptive eyes and then drew their own conclusions that she was faring better. One of them—she gleaned from their thoughts that his name was Patrick—still thought she was speaking strangely and she wondered what she was doing wrong. She pulled the word “contractions” from his thoughts, but didn’t know what he meant.

“I am still a bit out of sorts,” she said, rubbing her temple, “but
archigos
Malukali can surely assist me after the ball.”

“Do you feel you can wait that long?” the male called Carl asked.

“Certainly. It will only be a few hours, correct?”

Patrick frowned. She sensed his continued doubt about her speech pattern and decided to test another of her abilities on him.

“I would appreciate it if you would escort me to my accommodations,” she said, exerting her mind control toward him.

“Of course, Jocelyn,” he said.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell if he was responding to her efforts to influence him or acting of his own accord. Keeping her frustration contained, she nodded and made another attempt to lift the corners of her mouth. It seemed to appease him.

Her first glimpse of the main base had her staring. They docked at a huge floating island topped with numerous tall buildings. Eight smaller islands spiraled up and out from that one. The array of colors and stylings of each island had her undeniably intrigued. Tethys hadn’t known much at all about the base that had become known as Central in recent years. Thus, Metis was going to have to learn as she went along.

“You’re probably too weary to fly,” said Carl. “We’ll escort you to the platform leading to the Orculesti homeland.”

If she stays here, we could attend the ball
, another of them thought.

“I hate to be any more trouble than I already have,” she said. “Is there somewhere here that I could stay for tonight? This would keep me closer to
archigos
Malukali for whenever she is free, as well.”

There was a brief flurry of thought, but eventually, they all nodded. “We can ask a ranking Lekwuesti to identify a room for your use,” Patrick said.

“Thank you,” Metis murmured, containing her satisfaction and offering another demure smile. “That would be just perfect.”

Clara Kate stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room and studied her appearance. Paulina, the Lekwuesti who assisted her in preparing for the ball, had requested her input in the design of her ball gown. Not having any experience with such things, Clara Kate gave her what ideas she could.

Was it just a coincidence that she looked like the human version of an angel? Or had she consciously guided the Lekwuesti in this direction? It was a toss-up.

She’d told Paulina that she typically wore pastels and wasn’t particularly fond of clothing that clung to every part of her body. She also said that she wasn’t used to anything elaborate and wouldn’t be comfortable in something too flashy or ornate.

As a result, she now wore a white, floor-length gown with a soft silver overlay to make it glimmer. Since her date was a Waresti, she also wore a broach of orange and deep blue-green gems between her breasts, which the high-waisted gown displayed in what she thought was a flattering way. Accenting the long sleeves, flowing panels of sheer white fabric had been secured to her shoulders and wrists with delicate straps. Whenever she raised her arms, the panels gave her the appearance of wings.

The circlet on top of her head also added to the angelic image, she realized now. That had been Paulina’s suggestion since Clara Kate didn’t want to wear any other jewelry. Her hair otherwise looked much like it usually did. Even her makeup was about as basic as it could get.

One element of her ensemble seemed less than angelic to her mind, though. The intricate white mask covering the top part of her face gave her an element of mystery that she supposed was the point of an event like this.

A knock sounded at the door. Since Paulina and her assistant had left to get themselves ready for the ball, Clara Kate strode across the room to answer the door herself. Her shoe caught on the edge of her rug. She barely stopped herself from falling. Flushing over her clumsiness and briefly touching her waist, she fixed the bunched rug with her toe and hurried the rest of the way to the door.

Sebastian had created peepholes, so she saw Alexius standing in the hall. She realized that he wore a nicely-tailored tuxedo and a black half-mask. The combination suited him.

Her gaze moved to the door that connected her room to Ini-herit’s. She couldn’t help but remember the one time he’d taken her to a school dance on the human plane. It had been so much simpler and more thrilling than this.

Taking a deep breath and shaking off the memory, she opened the door. When Alexius saw her, his mouth fell open. The reaction contributed to her lingering blush.

“You look amazing,” he greeted her as a smile touched his lips.

“Thanks,” she said. “You do, too.”

He just stood there for a moment, staring at her. Then he seemed to jog himself and pulled his right hand out from behind his back. She realized that he carried something.

“Your mother and your aunts contributed their knowledge of modern human traditions during the planning of the first ball,” he explained. “Now it’s a tradition for a male to bring his date a floral token.”

She realized that he held a small corsage of white flowers. The sight of it once again prompted her to think of her high school dance with Ini-herit. To mask the discomfiting thought, she smiled.

“That’s so sweet of you, Alexius,” she said. “Thank you.”

While he was securing the corsage to her wrist, the door to Ini-herit’s bedroom opened. She told herself not to look over. Alexius deserved her attention right then.

Still, when she heard Ini-herit step into the hall followed by a period of silence, curiosity got the better of her. She lifted her wrist to smell the flowers in the corsage and glanced a few feet down the hall. Ini-herit stared back at her. Although she half-expected him to turn and walk away without a word, he surprised her. His lips moved on a murmured word.

“What did you say?” she asked. Her heart thudded into her throat. Had she understood him correctly?

“Angel,” he repeated more loudly. “You are dressed like an angel.”

“Yes,” she said, taking a single step closer to him even though it made her feel guilty to turn her back on Alexius.

“That is a clever play on one of the human myths about our kind.”

She forced herself to ask, “Is that the only significance my costume holds for you?”

Once again, silence fell in the hallway. Behind her, doors opened as her family made their appearances so they could all go down to the ball together. Ini-herit gazed at her from behind his black and silver half-mask without any kind of reaction. She knew she wouldn’t receive the answer she sought.

“Are you ready to go to the ball, C.K.?” Alexius asked.

Hoping her mask helped hide her tears, Clara Kate nodded. When Alexius offered her his arm, she took it. Then she walked past Ini-herit without looking at him again, determined to enjoy the ball with a male who actually wanted to be with her.