Of Noble Chains (The Ventori Fables) (17 page)

“Rider,” she greeted him gruffly, still too deep in thought.  When he didn’t go away she questioned, “What?”

“I heard about last night at the hospital,” Hayden shrugged and stepped closer to her on the sidewalk, “you caught a Black Angel?”

Zia lit up, and she knew he saw that.  But she couldn’t resist pulling out her badge, and waving it over him.  She said, “I got a rank now!”

“Congratulations,” Hayden sounded too sincere, and he was giving her a strange, small smile.

She furrowed her brow.  “What?  No yelling?  No name calling?  Who are you?”  When he glanced at her badge she put it back in her pocket, finally facing him.  He only smiled wider.

“You’re the one that yells,” he admitted with a laugh.

“I’m just…passionate,” Zia crossed her arms.  She was competitive, she knew that, but so was Hayden.  So why did he just seem to roll over and accept the fact she was officially Ventori before he was?  “What are you doing here?”

“Cal’s having a party tonight,” Hayden said, nodding his head over Zia’s shoulder, “I’m going over to help set up.”

Zia chuckled.  “What, he doesn’t want his dozen servants doing it?”

“Guess not,” Hayden paused, and seemed to look her over.  “Did you maybe…want to go with me?  You could bring Iscah.”

“Hmm,” Zia thought of Iscah at a party, or specifically at a party that Cal was throwing.  He wasn’t known for being low key, but it could be fun.  “Sure.  When and where?”

“I can pick you guys up at your place around nine,” Hayden winked at her, something he did often, and started walking away.  “I dare you to wear girl’s shoes!”

“I would if I owned any!” Zia called back with a laugh, and then looked down at her army boots.  She did have a pair that had heels, but it was easier to do damage, and to run, without them. 

Zia took her phone from her pocket and sent a text to Iscah, asking about the party.  She agreed instantly, and they made arrangements for her to go over to Zia’s house at five o’clock.  She and Aeryn should be done by then, she hoped.

Aeryn had watched Zia and Hayden interact, and some part of him wanted to interrupt it.  He was starting to get a sense of just how popular Zia must have been in high school, at least with boys.  It was no wonder Donataen had been so protective of her; she was oblivious to the way men saw her.  Or at least she seemed oblivious to the way Hayden Rider was watching her.

After they parted ways, he had taken one last look at her from behind.  Nothing too creepy, but enough to put his true thoughts and feelings on display.  Zia might have felt she was in competition with that kid, but he clearly felt differently.  Aeryn wondered if he was going to try anything at the party tonight, but he had also mention Zia’s friend, Iscah.  He shook off his protective feelings, knowing he was just channeling some part of Donataen, and walked over to meet with his student.

Zia recognized Aeryn’s footsteps as he approached, and she looked up from her messages with Iscah to see him.  His grey eyes were captivating under the sun, and all the strange thoughts she had earlier during the conversation with her mother were coming back to her.  She could easily picture staring into those eyes in a dimly lit room, with only the two of them making up the entire world.

“Where’s Cindy?” Zia asked, trying to remind herself that Aeryn could not read her mind.  But the way he was looking at her made her feel as if he could.  He was such an experienced Ventori, best in the world, he was probably used to women looking at him; there was no way a teenager like Zia could compare.

“We just need to walk,” Aeryn said, not even greeting her.  He started moving away, and Zia followed, trying to match his steps.

“So where are we going?” Zia’s mind was still elsewhere, and she wasn’t sure if she should tell Aeryn about what had happened.  If anything, she would ask about the ashes.

“We’re going to check out Cindel’s condo,” he explained, taking a sudden left and crossing the street, “it’s not too far from here, and most of her files would be on her home computer.”

“How do you know that?” she felt like she had to jog to keep up with her mentor, and her question finally slowed him down.  He shifted his shoulders, but she couldn’t tell if it was shrug or not; the movement was too stiff.

“It’s what I do,” Aeryn declared.

There was a pause before Zia found the courage to ask, “Do you know what kind of Specter would leave grey ashes behind?”

That brought Aeryn to a halt.  He spun around to face her, and he seemed worried more than anything.  His voice was low when he asked, “Where did you see ashes?”

Zia brushed her hair back, trying to let it move out of the way with the wind.  In her jacket, her new dagger touched the old, and clinked, but Aeryn didn’t seem to notice.  She decided a lie would work to her advantage, and said, “Nowhere, but Hayden asked me if I knew.  I’ve never
heard of grey dust from a Caster before.  They only have blue, green, pink, yellow, and beige.  So is ash even a thing?”

Zia didn’t feel guilty over this lie, because it was obvious Aeryn knew the answer.  He turned and started walking again, and said, “If you ever see grey ashes, run.”

“Why?” Zia no longer had to jog to keep up with him; something about the ashes had made him slow down.

“Because there’s only one thing in the entire world that can leave behind grey ashes, and no Ventori alone can take it down.”

Zia’s heart sped up, the image of the woman in the library and at the cliff coming to her.  Again, she told herself Aeryn couldn’t read her mind.  He went on, “It’s a special sort of Caster, that was banished back in their homeland.”

“In
Castaliana?”

“Yes,” Aeryn and Zia turned a corner, and they were careful to not let any humans hear their conversation.  Not that any human would know much of
Castaliana.  “Caster’s are only ever banished permanently for the worst of crimes, but they aren’t always stuck there.”

“It’s another realm,” Zia said, “they can’t get back here unless it’s a temp spell…can they?”

“They’re called Realm Walkers,” Aeryn admitted, and Zia felt her eyebrows rise.  “They’re the strongest of Casters, and they’re capable of going between the banished lands, and here.  They leave behind a grey dust if they’re not careful.  So if you see it,
run
.”

Zia stopped on the concrete, and wondered what a Realm Walker would have to do with Trenton’s father, or even herself.  But somehow, she knew it would come back to Cindel.  Zia decided to make sure to look for anything at the dead woman’s condo that would point to Casters.

Cindel’s
building was small compared to everything else in New Havilan, but it was nice.  The hallways were wide, with decorative tables and plants, and painted a pearly white.  As Zia and Aeryn walked down to condo 458, a middle-aged man nodded at them.  Aeryn nodded back, and Zia just trailed behind until they reached their destination.

Zia glanced over her shoulder just as the man entered the elevator, and when she turned back she found the door to
Cindel’s condo already open with Aeryn inside.  She quickly stepped in, and shut the door behind her.

“So what are we looking for?” Zia asked, trying to act like she didn’t have her own agenda.  It was hard to remember that Aeryn was her mentor, that he was teaching her how to survive as a Ventori when she did so many things on her own.  She wanted to include him, she really did, but some things, she felt, he didn’t need to know.  After all, he was the one who reported to Ms. Madsen.

“Anything that might lead us to why she was killed,” Aeryn called from another room, “look for case files, evidence of unfaithful lovers, blah, blah, blah.”

“Gotcha,” Zia said back.

Cindel’s condo was big, and the front door opened right into the living room.  It had large, black chairs sitting in front of glass windows that made up the entire far wall from where she stood, and to her left was a small kitchen.  By the way the pans were set up, and the thin line of dust that sat on the appliances, Zia could tell Cindel didn’t cook.  Ever.

Zia stepped down the small gap between the entrance and the living room, and saw that Aeryn was investigating one of the two rooms that sat on the left, just past the kitchen.  So she decided to turn right, for two more rooms, since there was nothing that she could see near the couches.  Zia flicked a light on in one room, and found it was the bathroom; spotless, just like the kitchen.  She turned and moved on, deciding to come back to it later.

The next place was Cindel’s bedroom, relatively clean, but clearly lived in.  The bed was unmade, and a few shirts sat on top of it, as if she had been deciding what to wear for the day.  A bookshelf sat on Zia’s right, and was covered in novels of all languages; some she recognized, others she didn’t.  The far wall was one giant window, revealing the spectacular view of the city.  She took little time to appreciate the way the Arks curved upwards, or how the sun bounced from the sparkling rooftops.  Her eyes scanned the room, and her left sat a dresser, seemingly riffled through.  Zia stepped over, and inspected it, but she never expected to see what she did.

Sitting just on top of the dresser, next to a jewelry box and a stack of papers was a framed photograph.  And staring back at her was Cindel, Aeryn, and another familiar face.  Donataen.

Zia turned her head for only a second to check on where her mentor was, but he was still across the condo; and when she looked back at the photograph, she expected it to be different, like she hadn’t just seen her mentor standing smiling with her brother and the victim.  But they were all still there, standing in front of the Academy of Light, they looked no older than she was now.

Before she could stop herself, she reached out and lightly touched the frame.  In seconds she was already taking the photograph out and looking closer, turning it over to read the back.  In big, swirly handwriting it said, “Me, Aeryn, and Don on graduation day!  Super sunny, and Don and I finally kissed!”  A heart followed the sentence.

Aeryn’s footsteps shuffled outside of the bedroom and Zia folded up the photo and stuck it into her jacket.  When her mentor stepped inside she could only hope she didn’t look as horrified as she felt.  Her brother had dated Cindel?  And Aeryn knew them both?

“Find anything?” Aeryn asked, and Zia looked over at him.  He looked so calculating, standing in the doorway, and she wondered what else she didn’t know about him, or what he had hidden from her.  She shook her head and he noticed the open drawers of the dresser, “Going through girls’ underwear drawers?”

“No,” Zia replied instantly, her tone giving her away, “it was like that when I came in.  I think someone else was here.”

“Think they found what they wanted?” Aeryn surveyed the room, and Zia did the same.

“Yes,” she admitted, “otherwise the room would be completely trashed, right?”

“Good job,” Aeryn smiled, and Zia became very aware of her movements.  “I found her computer, I’m just trying to figure out her login.”

He motioned for her to head out the door, but Zia shook her head.  “I’ll be a second.  I want to see if I can find out anything about her here.”

Aeryn walked away with a shrug.  Immediately Zia began to riffle through
Cindel’s dresser trying to find something, anything, to tell her more; but there was nothing hidden within her clothes.  Zia moved on to the jewelry box.  As she pulled out the levels, she noticed the corner of a paper sitting underneath the last set.  Carefully, she lifted the bottom out, the part that shouldn’t even be able to move, and found a thin stack of letters.

Another glance at the doorway, and Zia pulled the papers out; she easily recognized her brother’s handwriting easily.  She licked her lips, unsure of what to do, but she was already opening the first letter and began to read.

It was a love letter from Donataen to Cindel.  There were only three letters, two of which arranged secret meeting spots somewhere in town, and the third was simply a poem.  Zia couldn’t help but whisper it to herself, imagining her brother next to her, “Love follow me, and let it be sweet.  If I had known this once before, I’d of hurried to meet, this borrowed time.  Love follow me, and let it be sweet.”

It was written in his small, scratchy handwriting, and was signed by “your loving Donataen”.  Zia stepped back and sat down on
Cindel’s bed.  She had never having expected to learn
this
.  The first letter was dated the day he graduated from the Academy of Light, the second was a few months later, and the one that remained open in her hand…it was dated just before he died.  Zia realized that Cindel must have really loved her brother to have kept the letters for so long.

Regaining her senses and holding back tears, Zia refolded the letters and stuck them in with the photograph.  She had never known her brother had been dating someone, but that would have to wait.  She knew Aeryn would never tell her about his connection with Cindel, or her brother, and she was going to have to figure it out on her own.  Somehow, her to-do list was getting longer and longer, and she was running out of helpful resources.  But she was Ventori.  She would get it done.

Zia moved into the living room to find Aeryn sitting at a laptop, a few files on the couch next to him.  As she approached, he handed them to her, his eyes never leaving the screen.  She questioned, “What are these?”