Wind-Scarred (The Will of the Elements, Book 1) (14 page)

Ezra's alarm went off about
two seconds after his head hit the pillow. He jerked awake, looking
around in panic, then let out a deep breath. No crazed wind-scarred
with blood bubbling from their mouths chasing him through a secret
underground base while wearing sunglasses that were entirely too
big for them. Good, good. He paused to consider how that had fit in
the two seconds he had been in bed for. The time display blinked
angrily at him. Ah, eight in the morning. Longer than two seconds,
then. He yawned and stretched... then winced, hand flying to his
head.
Maybe this is a
hangover
, he thought, trying to be
positive.
I probably got over that whole
getting hit in the head repeatedly thing before we even got back
last night. Or this morning. Whenever that was. And besides, after
a nightmare like that, today can't help but be
-

Kirsten O'Donnell burst into the room.

-
terrific
, Ezra finished to himself
glumly.

“
There you are! Where have you been?! I've had DOLT looking for
you all night after you conveniently neglected to answer my calls.
And then I find you here, holding your head like some kind of drunk
the morning after-” Her eyes narrowed, burning with fury. She
sniffed the air, then asked coldly, “Ezra, have you been
drinking?”

“
Uh, I really didn't have anything, maybe just a sip!” His
brain was not working at full power here. He needed something good,
something slick. “It was the people around me! They were the ones
drinking!”

Kirsten closed her eyes and drew in a deep
breath, letting it out slowly, her whole body trembling in rage.
Her gorgeous green eyes flashed open and she brought up her virtual
terminal with a curt gesture. “Miss Crawford called. For whatever
reason, she appears to have been amused by your...” her jaw worked
a few times, “antics. I made arrangements for you to meet with her
tomorrow afternoon, not knowing when you would be found last
night.” She looked back at Ezra, glaring and continuing in a level,
frigid voice as she walked toward him, slowly. “I suggest that you
consider treating her with the common courtesy due one of your
peers.” Her hand flew up, one perfectly manicured finger coming to
rest pressed against the underside of Ezra's chin, forcing it up.
“I will be most...” her hand shook in what Ezra could only assume
was a tightly controlled lust for blood, “...displeased if there is
a repeat of yesterday's incident.” Her tone indicated that this was
the kind of displeasure with teeth. Possibly explosives.

“
I-I will do everything in my power to see that she has a-an
enjoyable and-” he shut his eyes and gulped, trying to
think.
What was another word? Come on,
brain, start! Start!
“
Punctual! An enjoyable and punctual time!”

Kirsten's jaw tightened as
if she was grinding her teeth. Her eyes snapped back down to the
nebulous terminal. Her finger stayed exactly where it was. “I will
need your approval to authorize the inspection reports for the
damages you caused the night before last. Several of the port
stations that were shut down are preparing suits for compensation
due to unreasonably enforced downtime. I will handle them, but you
may need to give out special dispensations to a select few. Also,
several news sources of a certain... disreputable nature have
requested interviews with you. I took the liberty of informing them
that your schedule was full from now until the end of time.” Her
fingernail pressed harder into Ezra's chin as she slowly looked
back up at him, eyes slits of emerald fire. “If any of them attempt
to contact you,” she said very quietly. “You will inform them that
all appointments
must
be made through your secretary. Do you understand?”

“
Yes Miss O'Donnell,” Ezra said hurriedly. “Do you need my
approval now?” The documents came up in his net connection, where
he glanced them over and approved them quickly.

Kirsten briefly considered the completed
contracts, then idly straightened out his shirt. “Will that be all,
Mr. Hawkins?” Her tone strongly implied that it would be, and Ezra
nodded desperately. She turned to leave and he began to breathe a
sigh of relief, stifling it when she stopped and glanced back over
her shoulder just before opening the door. “Oh, one more thing,”
she added, almost as an afterthought. “Please invite that friend of
yours, Miss...” Kirsten's eyes tilted upwards, as if trying to
bring a name to mind, “Galois Doe, to dinner tonight.” A sharp,
cruel smile flirted with her lips. “I am looking forward to getting
to know her better.” Without another word, she turned and left.

Ezra collapsed back onto
his bed.
Yesterday
, he thought weakly,
you got in your
first fight. Against a superhuman. Who had already taken out two
agents specially trained to deal with him. Alone, with nothing but
a match and a sword. A village celebrated you. You were the star of
a night of drunken revelry. Kirsten has no business being that
scary, and you know it, so pull yourself together.
He looked longingly at his pillow, wondering if he
could find that nightmare again.

After a long shower, which he came out of
still feeling crushed under the weight of the world, but clean at
least, Ezra headed down to his lab to catch up on some work. His
glider lay just off the generator platform, and he smiled at it
wryly. “You just got me in all kinds of trouble, didn't you?” He
picked it up and put it away, then got to work on re-balancing his
equations for remote wormholes to account for the problems he had
become aware of what felt like a lifetime ago. He was working on
reconciling an especially difficult set of what seemed to be
mutually exclusive theorems when his console alerted him to an
incoming call... from Kirsten. He gritted his teeth and answered,
voice only.

“
Yes Miss O'Donnell?”

“
Mr. Hawkins,” her voice was calm, cool and collected.
There must be someone else listening
in
, Ezra thought exuberantly. “Please come
to the showing room, you have a visitor.” The call went
dead.

Ezra blinked a few times, puzzled. As he
walked out the door and made his way slowly through the house he
wondered, what kind of a visitor would Kirsten allow him to have
today? Certainly not anyone good. He mulled it over in his head. It
must be someone important, or at least, important to Kirsten. DOLT,
maybe, investigating him after what happened on Founder's Day?
Jeffries! He had said that he was getting a warrant! Kirsten had
probably promised to get Ezra out there so she could tie and gag
him while Jeffries trumped up imaginary crimes for him to commit!
That was why she had needed his signature earlier! Oh, why hadn't
he thought it through more carefully? He was probably going to
spend the rest of his life rotting away in a holding cell, the
failure who let the mighty Hawkins Legacy fall.

He paused for a moment, distracted from his
misery. Let the Legacy fall? Kirsten was a lot of things, and most
of them were loyal to what she considered the rightful place of a
Legacy house. She wouldn't let Jeffries or anyone else tear it down
without a fight. No, no it wouldn't be him, but who else would want
to see him and actually convince Kirsten that they were respectable
enough...

Ezra came down the grand staircase,
wondering if he still had time to run. He was just about to turn
for the front door leading to freedom and life when he heard a
loud, friendly voice coming from the showing room.

“
You know, I can show you a little something that can help with
tense muscles. Women always tell me I've got magic fingers. Or a
stretch! You just bend like this...”

Ezra grinned and opened the
showing room door. Mat stood leering happily at Kirsten O'Donnell
while demonstrating a stretch that would have been very...
effective if someone like Kirsten were to try it. At least, from
the perspective of every male in the room. Kirsten was busily
working with her nebulous schedule, her manner somehow
too
calm and composed,
studiously ignoring everything.

Mat spotted Ezra as he walked in the room.
“Hey Ezra! You all ready to go? I've got a mat reserved at the gym
for the next three hours.” He hefted a pack that contained several
workout towels and a change of clothes. Two wooden swords of the
same style as the one Ezra had used yesterday were strapped to the
outside.

“
The gym?” Ezra blinked. How much had he drunk last night? Had
he really said they were going to the gym?

“
Yeah, remember, you asked me to show you around one of these
things after you were so dazzled by my awesome display at that
thing yesterday.” He winked at Ezra, performing his mock salute
from the night before.

Ezra glanced at Kirsten. Why hadn't she shot
this down? “Well, I guess that I could go for a little while,
stretch my muscles and-”

“
Yes, good,” Kirsten interrupted him. “I'll see you back here
for dinner.” She abruptly walked to the door and turned the corner,
practically fleeing out of sight, vanishing deeper into the house.
Ezra goggled at her hasty retreat.

“
You can come and watch if you want! I could even help you work
on your form!” Mat shouted after the redhead hopefully, “Not that
it needs any work!” There was no response. He sighed, lifting his
pack and slinging his other arm around Ezra's shoulders. “Why
didn't you tell me your secretary was such a fox? Not right leaving
me hanging out in the wind like that. What if you had answered the
door instead of her, huh? I still wouldn't know! I can't believe
it, I thought we were pals, man.” He went on, shaking his head and
lamenting how there wouldn't be any pretty girls watching them
today.

Ezra yelped as Gal practically tackled him
the moment they cleared the door. “So, gonna learn some real
self-defense huh? Flying around and lighting people on fire just
isn't good enough anymore, is that it?” She smiled winsomely up at
him then pulled him down in a hard and sudden kiss.

He grinned back at her dumbly for a few
seconds while she laughed in delight, then his brow furrowed. “Why
do you keep doing that? Kissing someone you barely know?”

Gal gave him an appraising
look. “Maybe I think that I know enough.” She toyed absently with
his hair. “You're clever and brave, an innocent idealist who makes
things happen.” She pressed her lips hotly to his in a longer, more
luxurious kiss. “Plus,” she whispered breathlessly when they
parted, “you're just
so
cute
.”

“
Gag,” Mat rolled his eyes. “His house is right there, Doe,
just pull him inside and get it over with.”

Ezra blushed, then glanced at Mat, confused.
“I thought you said that there wouldn't be any pretty girls...”

Mat gave a negative gesture. “Nah, man,
Doe's like practically one of the guys, especially at the gym.”

“
Oh Mat, you charmer.” Gal fluttered her eyelashes up at him as
she grabbed her own bag. “Just wait until I get you alone.” Her
hands made playful jabbing motions Mat's direction.

Mat and Gal continued verbally sparring as
they made their way toward the University gym, Ezra taking
collateral damage on the sidelines. As the last of the Legacy
houses slipped past, they were interrupted by the sound of running
steps followed by a breathless, “Oh, hello Mr. Hawkins. I hadn't
thought to see you until tomorrow afternoon, what with your work
and all. And Miss Doe! It really is a pleasure to see you again as
well.”

Liza Crawford, face slightly flushed as if
she had just been running, smiled happily down at the three Guild
mates. Mat swept in front of Gal and Ezra, bowing gallantly to a
flustered Miss Crawford. “Ezra,” he said reproachfully, “you must
introduce me to your friend. Or were you planning on keeping all
the girls to yourself?”

“
Oh my.” Liza looked to be on the verge of a proper swoon as
Mat smoothly took her hand and placed on kiss on its
back.

“
Matthew Matanane, at your service my lady. And may I just say
that you look stunning in that sun dress.”

“
Oh, well, really, there's no need, I mean, it was just such a
nice day and I thought that I would take a walk when I saw, that is
to say, when the three of you were...” she gestured vaguely in
their direction, blushing furiously. Mat grinned broadly at
her.

Gal rolled her eyes and cut
between them, linking her arm with Liza's. “
They
were just on their way to the
gym.” She said as if implying that Ezra and Mat would be missing
out on far more interesting places, specifically wherever she was
going to be.

“
Oh,” Liza noticed the practice swords strapped to Mat's bag.
“Were you going to be practicing with those? How exciting! Would
you mind terribly, that is, if it's all right... and of course you
can say no, I understand completely-”

Mat's grin broadened on his face. “Of
course! I'd be happy to teach you! Any time you want, wherever you
want, I'll-”

“
Oh no, I couldn't. I really just wanted to watch. It all seems
so exciting, but really, it isn't a very ladylike at all-” She
gasped, hand flying to her mouth, looking at Gal's gym bag in
horror. “But that isn't to say... not that you aren't... oh please
Miss Doe, I beg your forgiveness, I meant no offense.” Her eyes
began to brim with tears.