Ember (54 page)

I shook my head at it, finally comprehending
the whole scene.

“Artisans, see?” I pointed to one of the
cream creatures. It held a large golden sword. “And they’re the
Gaeln.”

Ikovos studied it tentatively. I could see I
was at least starting to get him to
consider
the
possibility.

“Where do these paintings come from? Do you
know?”

His head shook, glowing hand moving across
it.

Great, this was my only lead. If Ikovos
doesn’t know then who- . . .

“Do you know where Master Thoran is,
Ikovos?”

“I think he’s here at the lodge for the
night.” He answered it absently. Then suddenly his features
darkened and he turned to look at me. “Why?”

I bit my lip, looking across the
painting.

I don’t know quite yet.

I stood up my feet.

He matched me. “Evelyn, what are you
thinking?”

“You can’t deny that this is more than
coincidental,” I said, finally meeting his gaze and pointing down
at the piece.

He regarded it, then narrowed at me.

“I’m just going to ask him what he knows,
where
this came from.” His expression was severe, too
severe. “Ikovos . . . it’s just Thoran.”

I shook my head not understanding and he
moved closer.

“I keep getting the feeling that . . .” the
mist off his hand grazed my arm, sending a chill shudder down it “.
. . Promise me that you wouldn’t go anywhere without telling
me.”

My head shook again. “Why would I—”

“Just promise,” he repeated.

Silence and locked eyes.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I won’t. I promise.”

He lightened just slightly, then we both
walked out of the room and past the study. From there we separated.
He
was going to his room to get some much deserved
sleep.

I headed off determinedly to look for
Thoran.

*

I checked in all the places I possibly
thought he could be. The cafeteria, his room, that council chamber
place that still gave me the creeps, the sickbay . . .

I didn’t find him anywhere. And the worst
part was that every time I headed somewhere new, I had to go back
to the cafeteria first to discern the proper route.

I folded up the map Sophie had made me,
slipping it back into my packet. I wish it had more than Jaden and
Ikovos’s rooms on there . . .
I’ll never learn my way around
this place.

Finally I thought of the machine room in the
basement, where Jaden had taken me before the meeting in the other
dimension. I couldn’t believe when I actually found the right
staircase. I didn’t like going down it alone though . . . a fact I
knew had nothing to do with being afraid of the dark. When I
reached the wood slatted door at the bottom I could already hear
the mechanisms running on the other side. After taking a brave,
breath I pushed through carefully.

It wasn’t what I expected to see, though I
suppose it was close to how it was the last time I was here.
Working machinery and radiant lights were no shock, there were just
a lot of men too. Over the past few days I’d felt so separated from
all that was happening, and here a bunch of the Masters were right
below me. I bet it had to do with the portal access. . . .

Someone rushed past me through the doorway
and I was forced to move in. I felt awkward, but it seemed they
were all too busy to notice me, or rather care that I was even in
here. Off-hand I didn’t see Thoran, but I kept ahead a bit further
just to be sure. Eventually, my chest fell. The only possibilities
were some doors off the main room and I didn’t think I’d get away
with checking them.

Before I could force myself to give up and
leave, my attention was drawn by a large map hanging on the left
wall beside the door I’d just come through. I’d seen a similar one
in the library. It included the lodge, Sharadeen, Tiver, and more
of the land for miles around. It also showed the order’s territory
in the Meoden realm, with every gateway between the two marked.

The only difference between this map and the
one in the study were colored pins stabbed into different outposts
and portal gates. Red and blue. I studied for a moment . . . My jaw
tightened when I realized that the red signified the spaces the
Meoden had taken over. The Masters had been leaving out even more
than I had guessed. Barely a handful of posts left within the other
dimension.

“Well,” came a voice beside me. Thoran. He
had a notebook in his hand and he was walking closer, “It’s good to
know the security of our plans is kept tight.”

He eyed a few of the nearby men who’d been
ignoring me, then turned his gaze to the map. I darkened, following
it.

“It’s gotten bad, huh?”

There was a long short pause.

“You certainly have a way of finding out
information you’re not supposed to,” he finally said.

I pursed, then shook my head, turning fully
to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t come for that. I came because . . .” I
checked around “. . . I want to ask you about something.”

He took a breath, obviously noticing my
accentuated caution of the others, then nodded to our right.
“Follow me.”

I did as he said, walking beneath some very
strange contraptions. We ended up in a room off the main area. It
was fairly plain, a lone desk in the back, it looked almost like a
business office. The front had a chair with a couch across from it.
He gestured for me to pick one. I chose the chair, he took a seat
opposite. No go sign from him . . . I guess he was just
waiting.

“Right,” I said, folding my hands together.
Where to start, where to start . . . Book? Gaeln? No,
painting.
“Thoran, you know the storage rooms down the halls,
the ones near Cornelius’s study?”

I hardly think that’s what he was expecting.
He lifted his brows. “There’s quite a few around there, yes.”

I fidgeted my fingers, already beginning to
shrink under his gaze. “Do you know where that stuff comes
from?”

“Almost all of the items come from different
places . . . some were here even before I was.” His eyes zoomed in.
“Is there something in particular you’re referring to?”

I don’t think I was doing a very good job of
this.

“A painting,” I answered finally.

His brows went into a slant. He looked
incredibly confused now. “Considering that neither Cornelius nor I
are collectors, I’d say it’s been there for a while. . . . We don’t
get into those rooms often.”

My chest dropped. “So there’s no—”

“Way of telling, no.”

I looked down, contemplating my next action.
All routes were blocked. I either had to let it go or . . . my eyes
hardened and I turned up.

“Thoran,” I started, “are there any other
factions other than the Meoden and the humans?” He stared for a
moment. “Err, not factions, more like races.”

As soon as I said this, I realized it was the
real reason I had come to talk to him.

He looked down to the pad in his hand,
dropping the pen into it. “I knew this painting thing was too easy.
. . .” He sighed. “You’re talking about the Gaeln right?”

My eyes widened immediately. “Yes. You know
about them? Have you ever seen one? Are they real? Are—”

“Who told you about this?” he asked, giving
me a quieting look. “Ikovos?”

My head shook back and forth. “No. I told
him
about it, but I found it out myself.”

“From the painting?” he questioned, obviously
attempting to show at least some interest.

“Err, no.” I cleared my throat. “From a
book.”

His eyes flicked up. “A book?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “Adzamaruha gave it
to me.”

His brow narrowed further, though only for a
moment. Then suddenly he seemed to lighten up considerably.

“Look, Evelyn . . . there’s not much too
these creatures besides old myths and legends. I don’t mind if
you’d like to study this in the future, but for now we need you
helping here. I don’t want you looking into it any further.”

Whoa, that was quick
. I couldn’t just
let it end there.

“But, Thoran, what if it could—”

“It’s just a fairytale,” he interrupted.
“Now, you’re a part of the order and I expect you to follow my
instruction in this.”

I held fast for a moment under his strong
glare . . . but then looked down and nodded once.

After that a man came in calling Thoran to
another matter. He dismissed me and I headed back upstairs a bit
downtrodden. I just thought . . . Something had told me that this
could help.

I ended up at the cafeteria, deciding to
follow Thoran’s advice and see if I could be of use to Sophie with
the cooking. She’d returned early this morning. It was tough seeing
her, she looked more troubled than any of the others let on. Or
maybe I could just see it better with her.

I stayed through dinner so that she could get
back to Thoran. I think for a meeting or something. All the cleanup
was pretty much finished by nine. I waved goodbye to Nathan, who’d
been the only one free to assist me tonight, as he disappeared out
the door. I was in the kitchen. All I had to do was rinse a couple
more dishes, then I was free . . . would be good to go see how
Tanis was doing.

A knock behind me drew my head around. Ikovos
was standing at the doorway with a slight grin.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.” I smiled.

“Still at it?” he asked, walking over to the
counter.

“Yeah.” I wiped the plate I was working on
roughly with the rag. “
Apparently
it’s all I can do to
help.”

He made a questioning face.

I shrugged. “I talked to Thoran about the
Gaeln . . .
sort of
. . . He said it was just a myth and
that I should stay out of it.” I continued washing as Ikovos
crossed his arms.

“And you’re going to?”

My eyes narrowed down in consideration.
“Yes.” Then I looked over smiling. “I don’t want to give him more
to worry about.”

Ikovos looked . . . relieved was it? Or
disappointed . . . ? The space behind him was dark and ominous, the
cafeteria long since emptied.

“What did you do tonight?” I asked, looking
back down.

“Ah . . . I slept a bit. Checked on the guys
downstairs.” He shrugged, leaning his back against the counter.
“Not much to be honest.”

I set the last cup on the towel, switched the
water off, then turned around, whipping my hands dry. It was so
quiet now.

“Sophie said there was a meeting in the
council chamber,” I noted. “Did you go?” I asked it nonchalantly,
almost distractedly, but he moved his gaze off of me right
away.

“Umm . . . yeah. I went. Oh, actually I was
going to tell you, I have to go back out on patrol tomorrow.” I
frowned severely. “Just till noon.”

“I thought you were off for a couple
days.”

“So did I,” he drawled, smirking
humorlessly.

With a slight sigh I threw the towel down and
walked to the counter next to him, leaning in the same manner. “Did
anything else important come up?”

Again he seemed shifty. He didn’t answer
though, eyes turned down. My own narrowed.

“Ikovos?”

“You know,” he sighed suddenly, lifting his
gaze to me, “I never used to have a problem lying before I met
you.”

I pursed my lips. “Is that a good thing,
or?—”

Voices coming from the hall interrupted me,
drawing both of our heads over. I could see the light of a torch
moving closer. Before I could turn back to Ikovos, I felt his hand
on my wrist.

“Come on.” He pulled me quickly, past the
tables of the dark cafeteria and through a nondescript door in the
back.

Out here we were sufficiently hidden from
whoever had entered the kitchen. It was a small, dark, porch area
with no windows heading back to the cafeteria and plenty of trees
blocking the grounds ahead.
Very
windy tonight. He lit the
nearby light with a match then turned back to me.

“What was that about?” I asked, somewhat
humouredly.

He glanced out then, checking the forest. “If
I’m going to be telling you things I shouldn’t, we can’t have
anyone hearing.”

“Things I shouldn’t?” I repeated.

He moved closer to me, gaze following. “You
know the meeting?”

I nodded.

“Thoran talked about you.”

“About . . .”

“What you said about the Gaeln.”

My brow narrowed. “I don’t understand, I
barely even got to say anything before he kicked me out.”

“You didn’t need to.” Ikovos leaned to one
side, looking around again. “He already knew about them.”

“Yeah,” I said, head bobbing, “he told me
that. He thinks they’re fictional, like you do.”

Ikovos eyed me, smirk growing. “Now we’re to
the good part.”

My head tilted confusedly, then suddenly a
broad smile crossed my face. “They’re not a myth?”

Ikovos’s head went back and forth.

I bit my lip excitedly, rising up on my
toes.

“I knew you would go crazy for that,” he said
with a chuckle.

I smiled again, pacing the wood slats
momentarily, then I turned to him.

“But why did Thoran tell me differently? . .
. and why weren’t
you
going to?” I narrowed even further at
the last bit.

“See, now we’re too the not so good part.” He
put a hand up to scratch the back of his head as the wind blew
heavily again. “You now the thing you said about going to look for
the Gaeln to get them to help fight the Meoden?”

I nodded, moving closer.

“Well that’s not a myth either. But as far as
anyone knows it’s supposed to be more than a little dangerous.”

“Wait.” I crossed my arms. “Has Thoran seen
one then?”

“No.”

“Oh. . . .” I thought about that. “Well then
how could he know whether it’s safe or not?”

After a second of him not answering I started
to pace the porch again, this time stopping to look out at the
rustling trees. Suddenly a thought occurred to me.