Jordan (31 page)

J
ordan’s mind kept expanding. At first he read only surface thoughts of those close by. But as he stretched the limits of his
new ability, he realized he could listen in on people across the street, then down the block. It took a lot of effort, but
he learned how to narrow or widen the focus. Dealing with all the extraneous thoughts complicated his search for information.
A lady couldn’t recall where she put her keys. A man wanted to remember to call his wife to tell her he’d be home from work
late, but from the images shot at Jordan, the man didn’t plan on working unless it was on top of his desk with his new secretary.
Jordan picked up on others’ thoughts, their plans, desires, and emotions.

It was so easy to get lost in the myriad details, but eventually Jordan filtered out the extraneous thoughts and homed in
on what he needed. Finally, he tuned out everything except clues about the Grail. But after listening hard, he learned nothing.
So he focused on the location of the government offices. Surely someone in power would eventually lead them to the Grail.

He moved through the street as quickly as he dared. The artificial lighting down here made him feel like a bug under a magnifying
glass. There were no shadows, no dark corners, no places to hide.

“Security’s questioning people back at the restaurant about us,” he warned her. “So once we reach a place to descend, be ready
to move fast.”

“Got it.” At the mention of going deeper into the planet, fear radiated from her. He wasn’t reading her thoughts, because
he knew she didn’t want him to, but from the tilt of her chin he saw she’d hold it together just as she had in the cave on
Arcturus.

He spied a long silver wall with gleaming white marble floors. “We’re getting closer.”

Vivianne jerked her thumb and he saw the lift. Engineers inside a nearby tower employed null-grav devices to raise and lower
a huge open platform. Very few people seemed to be using the platform, but a lighted billboard showed a schedule and that
the lift was about to depart.

“Hurry.” Jordan broke into a run. He could feel Security closing in, see in his mind that they’d just rounded a corner he
and Vi had taken earlier.

He spied an elderly couple wearing straw hats and reached into his pocket and pulled out some credits. “We’d like to purchase
your hats.”

The man looked at him as if he thought he was crazy, but he snatched the credits from Jordan and handed over the hats.

As disguises went, the hats weren’t great, but they had no time. They ran down a ramp and reached it just as a gate closed
right in front of them.

Vivianne tried to push open the gate, but it was locked tight. “We’re too late.”

Jordan cupped his hands. “Climb over.”

Vi took once glance at Security rounding the corner, placed her foot into his hands, and scrambled over the gate. He jumped,
clung, and scaled the fence, then dropped down the other side, where several citizens stared in disapproval.

Security started to climb the gate, too.

Jordan hurried her away from that end of the platform as the machinery on their left rumbled. Beside him, Vi’s knees buckled.

“It’s okay,” he murmured. “Security didn’t make it. We’re going down.”

“That’s not reassuring, Jordan,” she muttered.

When the platform stopped, most people exited. Only a few got on. Then they dropped again. He expected the living conditions
on each level to worsen—just like he’d been led to expect after reading the minds of the general populace. But the opposite
happened.

“Each level seems more luxurious,” Vi noted, her eyes taking in the pristine white buildings at their current level. Each
structure possessed stained-glass windows, blooming flowers, and sweeping lawns. By the time they reached the lowest level,
the homes were mansions, the public buildings magnificent works of architecture. Fountains and sculptures decorated the landscape.

Vi peeked at him from beneath the brim of her hat. “It seems as if the Tribe government is deceiving its own citizens.”

“Just like governments everywhere. Why should Pentar be any different?”

He tried to pick up thoughts about the Grail, but no one nearby knew anything valuable. Except one young man seemed to know
where the government headquarters were located and was heading there himself.

The man’s mood was dark, angry, and fearful. Jordan wasn’t sure why, but the man felt he’d been unfairly accused.

“Follow him.” Jordan gestured with his chin.

“Does he know something?” she asked.

“No, but he might know someone who knows someone who does.”

Vivianne sighed. Her handheld buzzed, and she raised her wrist to her mouth. “Yes, Gray?”

“Repairs are complete. We now have a working cosmic energy convertor.”

“Good job. We hope to be back soon.”

She ended the conversation and then skidded to a stop at the sight of a strange three-legged animal with four eyes and two
tails. “What’s that?”

“Don’t worry. Hartogs are vegetarians, at least according to its owner.” Jordan nevertheless gave the animal a wide berth.
At the moment, the hartog seemed solely focused on when it could take a nap. The animal was picturing a cool, dark room, where
it could crawl under the desk and out of the light of… the Holy Grail?

Jordan delved deeper into the creature’s mind.

“What is it?” Vivianne asked.

Jordan realized he’d stopped walking in order to concentrate better. He resumed their progress, this time following the hartog’s
owner. “Just a sec.”

He focused on the owner’s mind, sifting through memories, but he found nothing about the Grail. Weary, he withdrew. “That
animal has seen the Grail. But its owner seems to know nothing.”

“Maybe he’s not the owner. Or maybe he was with his last owner when he saw it. Or maybe—”

“You’re right. That man isn’t the animal’s owner but this world’s equivalent of a professional dog walker. But we still need
to follow them.”

“What about the government offices?” Vivianne asked.

“They aren’t going anywhere. And I’ve scanned thousands of minds. This is the first clue about the Grail, and I want to pursue
it.”

“So we’re going into the house?”

“Maybe later. First I want to check out the home’s owner. According to his paid help, he’ll attend the parties tonight.”

“Fine, but we aren’t dressed properly for this level.” Vivianne sounded tense.

So far he’d refrained from reading her mind. It took quite a lot of effort to do so, but he didn’t like the anxiety he heard
in her tone. “What’s really wrong?” he asked, knowing instinctively it wasn’t the clothing.

“I told Knox we would succeed, but I never really believed we’d find the Grail.”

He raised his brow. “We haven’t found it yet.”

“But it seems real now. And…”

“And?” he prodded, uncertain where she was going with the conversation. They trailed the Hartog walker into a park. Unlike
the levels up higher, this area had plants, flowers, and green grass—none of them real, but plastic replicas. Still, the animal
seemed to take great pleasure in sniffing every artificial blade.

Vivianne turned to him. “Will you unite the Grail and the Staff the very moment you find the Grail?”

He stopped again and tipped up her chin. “I won’t leave you alone in enemy territory.”

She shook her head and swallowed hard. “I’m not ready to lose you. Not yet.”

“I’ve gotten used to having you around, too.” He kept his words light. But he realized the irony that he’d lived so long alone,
and now that he’d finally found a woman he cared for, he was going to lose her before they’d had any chance to make a life
together.

He’d warned her. He’d told himself to keep his distance. But he’d learned that he couldn’t chose his fate. Apparently it was
his destiny to love Vivianne Blackstone.

Conversation is the slowest form of human communication.

—B
EN
F
RANKLIN

T
he legends about uniting the Staff and Grail were ancient, even back in Arthur’s time,” Jordan told her, his blue eyes kind
and looking far too sad for Vivianne’s taste. But then the sparkle rekindled and he grinned. “But there’s something you should
know.”

“About the Grail?” Vivianne wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and tried to act casual.

While she hadn’t thought they’d find the Grail, she’d always believed they’d find another solution. That a man who’d spent
so many years seeking justice would finally have time for his own happiness. In a fair universe they would have a lifetime
together—but the universe was anything but fair.

“I love you,” Jordan told her and her knees went weak. “I don’t know if that knowledge will make things worse after I am gone,
but Vivianne Blackstone, I love you. And I’m sorry for it.”

“I’m not.” She grabbed his hands, her passion rising up in a fierce swell. “It’s better to have loved… even if—”

She couldn’t voice the reality. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she blinked them away, forced herself to look at the hartog
as it chewed on a flower. Jordan followed her gaze. “We need to keep moving.”

“Yes. Of course.” She wiped the back of her hand over her eyes. She would not cry. She wouldn’t. Right now Jordan was still
alive. There would be more than enough time to grieve. Later.

Jordan loved her. His words meant more than she’d thought possible. He loved her, and her happiness flowed from inside out,
erupting into a giggle of joy.

Jordan shot her a curious glance. “You okay?”

She slipped her hand into his and squeezed. “I love you, too.”

“I’m glad.” His tone was gruff, heartfelt. She wished they could go rent a room and forget the Tribes, Earth, and the Grail.
She wished they could just be two people in love, with all the time they needed at their disposal.

The hartog decided it was done sniffing. Either that or its caretaker forced it forward. In either case, the pet and its steward
darted across the street, through a private gate, and up a staircase toward the double doors of one of a dozen mansions lining
the block.

“Let’s go around back.” Jordan steered her to the corner and crossed the street. The mansions were laid out in neat rows,
every lot the same size, landscaped exactly alike. But only the Hartog mansion had a stone wall around the perimeter.

She was about to ask Jordan more questions when he got that “missing” look in his eyes. He was off reading minds again.

With his special ability, they were a lot more likely to secure information. They needn’t even attract attention to themselves,
and that gave them a huge tactical advantage.

Would it be enough? Surely the Tribes had to keep the Grail well guarded. Surely they would have tight security, alarm systems,
locked doors. They’d be walking straight into danger.

Yet all she wanted to do was skip and dance, because Jordan loved her. She felt crazy good. And scared out of her mind that
she was still going to lose him.

The optimist in her told her they’d find a way to be together. The pessimist in her replied they’d be together, all right—in
death.

Get a grip.

Vivianne needed to get grounded. Do something to keep her mind busy, or she was going to fall prey to her roller-coaster emotions.
She needed a distraction but couldn’t use her handheld to check in, since they’d agreed to keep the communication with the
Draco
down to a minimum for security purposes. Too bad there was nothing to see beyond a bunch of mansions. No one was going in
or out. No one was even on the street.

In fact, the place seemed strangely deserted. But she didn’t know Pentar’s customs. During the day, adults probably worked
and the kids attended school, and for all she knew, the grounds were kept by robots.

She glanced at Jordan. He’d been “gone” for what seemed like a very long time.

“Jordan?”

“The hartog could have seen the Grail anywhere. The animal’s primitive mind doesn’t allow for details that might let me identify
the location.”

“We followed the hartog for nothing?”

“Not for nothing. The hartog’s owner is an important man. He’s going to celebrate with other important leaders tonight.” Jordan
paused, then continued, “There’s some huge social event this evening. The city’s residents are attending a gala.”

“We’re going to attend?” Vivianne asked. “That way you can circulate among the important people.”

Her comment seemed to catch him off guard. He spoke thoughtfully. “I’m not certain I can handle so many minds coming at me
at once.”

She arched her brow. “Here I thought you were omnipotent.”

“I wish.”

She didn’t press the matter.

“Fine.” He changed his mind. “Let’s go join the party.”

“I suspect we need to go clothes shopping… unless you just want to brainwash everyone into thinking I’m wearing a drop-dead-gorgeous
gown?”

His eyes sparkled with a glow that heated her. “Let’s go shop.”

“I’ve very expensive tastes,” she warned.

“All I ask is that you buy sensible shoes.”