The Realms of Ethair (17 page)

“I know. I’m months ahead of schedule. I hate
shopping too close on Christmas Eve. The traffic; the mass of
people crowding the malls during a sale; just too much hassle for
little me. Anyway, I get to pick some really good items in
advance.” Mindy picked her California Maki between chopsticks.

Arty ordered black coffee and pasta in
pesto which he methodically ate in silence. Reno glanced at him and
rose.

“
I’m going to the restroom. You two catch
up while I’m gone, alright?” He Uncle winked at her and threaded
between tables of Food Choices.

“
So,” Mindy began. “What have you been
doing so far?”

“The usual. Taking care of things at another
part of the world then returning here when I’ve time.” He paused,
his expression turning serious. “I’m sorry about Kristina.”

“
It’s not every
day you wake up and hear that your best friend
just died.” She crossed her arms at the memory of seeing the
remains of Kristina’s house. “Where were you? Aly said you were
supposed to come over that day. The fire even made it to the local
news.”

“I did. I only stayed for fifteen minutes.
Something came up at work and I had to rush to New York. It took me
a month to get back, but then it was too late.”

“You could’ve called any of us.”

Arty gave her an unfathomable look.

“
You were blaming yourself,” she
realized.

“I could’ve prevented it from happening.”

“Look, Arty. What’s done is done and no one
can stop what’s meant to happen. Don’t prosecute yourself for
something you can’t control. If you still feel bad about it, why
not try to make it up to her by moving on with your life and
finding happiness. I know Kristina would want that for you.” She
bobbed her head.

“
Hear, hear,” Reno agreed from behind her.
To Mindy, he said: “Since when did my niece become so wise in the
world?” He patted her shoulder.

Mindy rolled her eyes at him.

“I didn’t realize Arty could be
so…dramatic.”

Reno looked at her fondly and glanced at
their common friend.

“
Dramatic is a term we wouldn’t dare pin on Arty,”
he replied with a wry smile.

The drive home was quiet. Reno had dropped
Arty home first. The latter’s house looked the same: a new-looking
house surrounded by wilderness.

Are there actual snakes hiding
in
there?
she
mused. The last time she had gone to the house, Kristina didn’t
seem to mind its appearance. Mindy had thought the two would soon
get together. They suited each other. If only Arty’s job didn’t
include traipsing around the world and Aunt Ana didn’t get cancer,
maybe they would’ve ended up as a couple.

“
You have that dreamy look in your face,”
Reno interrupted her thoughts.

“Just thinking of what-ifs.”

“
Don’t tell me you’re falling for my best
friend,” he teased with mock astonishment.

“Nah. He’s too serious for my taste.”

“Believe me, he wasn’t always like that.”

“What happened to him?”

“Life.” The traffic light flashed green.
Reno’s focus shifted away from her to the car ahead of them. By the
tone of his voice, he wasn’t going to elaborate on his answer any
further.

“By the way, I’ve been dying to ask. Why were
you in Kristina’s wake?”

“
I was there out of curiosity. I saw the
news and sensed something off.”

“And did you find anything?” Mindy frowned.
She had the same feeling that the fire wasn’t just a simple
accident.

“Nothing I could put a finger on. It’s
probably just a false alarm.” He steered to the right and pulled
over in front of her house. “The funeral, however...”

“
Aly, right?” Mindy grinned. She had never
seen her Uncle so clueless in the face of a woman like Kristina’s
sister.

“
Yes,” he admitted. “And a man you seem to
dislike very much.”

“
Peter,” she sniffed. “Nothing new there.
He was being a jerk as usual.”

“A jerk?”

“He’s a player. He broke Ina’s and Tina’s
heart in college. And he was fooling around with another girl when
he was courting Liza.”

“Tina is Kristina’s short name?”

“Yeah.”

“They were a couple?” He turned off the
engine and faced her. “Wouldn’t his attendance at the wake be
considered as a thoughtful gesture?”

“
It would’ve been if he wasn’t asking
details about the incident. It was horrible enough that we all knew
who perished in it,” Mindy fumed.

“What kind of questions?” Reno leaned on his
seat.

“About the findings from the investigation.
He was questioning its accuracy, as if he was convinced that
Kristina was with someone when the fire started.”

“Could you remember his exact words?”

Mindy paused, recalling what she had
overheard. “He said, ‘Are they sure there was only one body inside
the house?’” Mindy’s forehead wrinkled. She felt disturbed after
repeating Peter’s statement. She had been overcome with grief at
the time to analyze his words.
Why would someone who wasn’t at the scene
say that?
“Uncle, are
you saying there was foul play involved?”

“
It would have been simpler if it was,” he
said in a low voice.

There really is a
conspiracy
, she
thought.

“If Peter is one of your prime suspects, I
have another.”

“
Arturion is innocent,” Reno said
quickly.

“Who’s that?” Mindy asked. She didn’t know
anyone by that name. “I meant Arty. Arthur Menesarios. He was the
last person Kristina saw before the fire.”

Reno didn’t react.

“I know he’s your best friend. He’s my friend
too but he came to her house before leaving for New York.” She
waited for an answer. “I’m not accusing him that he killed Kristina
but we barely knew him and his background. I’m just trying to look
at the situation objectively.”

“
Objectively,” he repeated. “Yes. It is one
of the reasons I have broached this subject with you. Mindy, I want
you to tell me directly, if by any chance you see Peter behaving
oddly and if he approaches you. If he does, act civilly. However,
do not accept his invitation if he offers to take you to a location
he would not disclose.”

“Alright. I’ll keep an eye out. And
Arty?”

“I shall see to it myself, though he has a
credible alibi.” He shrugged.

“What’s his alibi?”

“It’s classified.” Reno smiled
mysteriously.

“I assume it has to do with his work.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” She lifted the door latch when Reno
placed his hand on hers.

“Mindy, this case is dangerous. Please
understand that I’ve only shared this information to protect you.
There would be instances that curiosity would try to get the better
of you. We are not certain who are involved and I would not want
you to endanger your own safety. Leave this job to me and my
people.”

She had never seen him this
dead serious except during one
awful reunion when one of their older relatives had a heart attack.
He, with the help of his mother, Aunt Teresa, pushed their way and
applied first aid to Grandpa Diego. Everybody thought the old man
would die but Grandpa Diego miraculously survived. In fact, he
became stronger after the incident and now walked without a cane to
support him.

“
I will.” A recollection of this
conversation would be enough to keep her from making her own
enquiries. Hopefully.

Mindy’s solemn response bode well. In Merleina,
the neighbors treated each other as an extension of one’s direct
family; but the girl was the little sister he never
had
.

She has been spending more time at the
main office of her father’s company. Still, it cannot be discounted
that Mindy and
Karina
had been friends most of their lives. Exposure to the latter made
it possible for Mindy to raise her frequency and eventually acquire
the
ascension
symptoms. A case he was working on with Sola’s Gate Keepers
came to mind. If she did have the symptoms, will another Zertan
drone come after his niece? Two of his Guards took shifts watching
over Mindy and would alert him if a Keeper notices her or when
danger is close by.

Reno returned to the Keeper’s human
residence. Arturion would probably demand an explanation of his
motives behind the unexpected reunion.

The house seemed empty. The trees and
plants outside were quiet and not a single creature stirred inside.
Neither Arturion’s physical body nor his auric field was in sight.
However, Reno’s instinct told him otherwise.

Merleinans usually have wards in their homes
to keep their privacy in a world where people can easily pick up
another’s thoughts, intentions, and emotions. In the third
dimension, Travelers, Keepers and Guards found it useful to block
intruders and those with ill intent from entering the vicinity of
their abode.

Arturion sat waiting for him in the living
room – rather, waited until sleep took over. This was no ordinary
side effect from using Merkaba to make an active man doze on a hard
wooden chair.

“I’m awake.” Arturion’s head lifted.

“
You are now,” he returned, guessing what
had transpired in their homeland the day before.

“
I can sense you from where you’re
standing,” Arturion said wearily.

“
Good. I won’t have to waste my breath
reminding you about the rules of traveling then. Suffice to say, if
you had kept our meeting on schedule, you wouldn’t have met my
niece.”

“You never told me you were related to
Mindy.”

“You didn’t ask. I, myself, have only
recently discovered her friendship with Karina.”

“During the funeral.”

“Yes.”

“You should have warned me this morning.”

“Perhaps. But I was curious of how both of
you would react.” Arturion waited for him to continue. “In fact,
she believes that it would only be fair to add you as one of the
prime suspects in committing arson and, possibly, murder.”

“Who’s the other one? Peter?” he asked,
untroubled by Mindy’s doubts of his innocence.

“She mentioned him.” Reno repeated what his
niece had heard from Peter.

“Then, our suspicions are correct.”

“It does not prove he has a direct connection
with the Zertans.”

“Yet.”

“
Peter’s family is involved in politics.
His ancestors have powerful friends here and all over the world.
The current patriarch, Peter’s father, is an influential figure;
but there is no love lost between father and son. The young man has
yet to prove himself to his old man.”

“Why not take him in for questioning?”

Indeed, it would have been easier. The
Elders, however, had interfered in the Black Guards business. A
message had been sent to his office prior to his departure to the
third dimension. It clearly stated that there would be no direct
contact to any individual suspected of collaborating with the
Zertans. The high priestess and Sola knows the reason behind it.
However, the Council has been in session for the last two weeks.
The only means to communicate with its members is to send a written
message to the recipient.

“It—” Reno’s train of thought was interrupted
as Kala came to mind.

Arturion jumped from his seat, his chair
crashing unheeded on the floor. For a moment, his eyes were
unseeing.

They looked at each other with the
understanding that the situation had changed at home. Reno extended
his arm; he would make the return journey to Merleina for the two
of them. But his friend had already initiated a Merkaba of his own.
Light flashed. Arturion vanished.

Reno followed suit, shaking his head
disapprovingly. He made his destination to the makeshift training
area he and Karina have been using and walked the remaining
distance to the house.

The front door was ajar. Worry and sadness
leaked through the doorway. He closed it as he entered the
threshold, shutting out the rest of the world of what was taking
place inside.

On the second floor, he met Kala outside
Karina’s quarters. Sara was inside with Sola and
Arturion.

The vertical line deepened between the
girl’s brows. She was concerned for Karina but refrained from
speaking to anyone or sharing her thoughts with Reno.

In a short while, Sara ushered them all to
the living room. The high priestess and the Keepers’ Commander
still wore the Council’s official robes. They had apparently left
directly from the Session hall once they received word from Kala.
It also meant that the Liyanna, even unofficial, holds weight for
the Elders to allow Sara and Sola to leave the meeting.

The set of the high priestess’ mouth was
not promising. Sola appeared more concerned for his foster son than
Karina. Arturion had his Gate Keeper’s stoic mask on. Reno knew it
well and its purpose for he had seen its birth years
ago.

“
We can sustain her physical body until she
wakes – if her soul chooses to return from her spiritual journey.
Apart from that, there is nothing we can do,” Sara
declared.

“A spiritual journey?” Reno asked. There are
those among them, enlightened beings, who could traverse galaxies
and universes and the dimensions by voluntarily leaving behind
their physical body in search for higher truths. They usually come
back after a period of time. This was just one of several means of
travel for the spirit.