Laura Jo Phillips (12 page)

Garid ran the words through his mind a few times, then sighed.  “Do you mean,
without deviation or exception
?”

Lenny smiled. “Yep, that’s what I said.  So let’s get moving.  It’s almost dawn already and we got four pulls to make.”

Garid looked down at the printout in his hands and sighed again.  Darck was a damn fool, but he was also the boss on this one, appointed by Stalnek himself.  And this was Garid’s one and only chance to redeem himself.  Arguing with the boss, even if he was an idiot, was insubordination.  Insubordination was not the road to redemption.  It was the road to evisceration.

Garid shoved the printouts into his pocket and reached for his jacket before following Lenny out of the apartment.  All hell was gonna break loose, but Garid had done the only thing he could to prevent it.  He was not sticking his neck out any more.  Now it was all on Darck.

Chapter
17

Earth, Arlington, Virginia

Hope finished rinsing the paint from the last brush and blotted it dry before laying it on the counter with the other brushes.  She wasn’t sure why she kept getting these urges to paint people she didn’t know and creatures she’d never seen or heard of, but they had been irresistible compulsions.  After giving into the first one, she’d fought against the second one for two days.  In the end she hadn’t been able to sleep, eat, or even think of anything else, so she’d given in out of pure desperation. 

Now, as she left the kitchen and wandered back into the living room of her apartment to gaze at the results of her most recent compulsion, it suddenly occurred to her that there a few things about the mural that were a bit too familiar.  She reached up with one hand to the three braids she always wore on the side of her head, just above her left ear, and pulled them forward.  She knew exactly what color they were, but she looked at them anyway, confirming that each one was the same color as one of the creatures now gracing her living room wall. 

Most people thought she dyed the braids, and she let them think that.  But the truth was that she’d been born with the three one inch sections of oddly colored hair on one side of her head.  One section was white, one deep, dark red, and the third a rich, golden brown.  The rest of her hair was dark blonde, with light blonde highlights courtesy of her preference for spending as much time out in the sun as she could manage when she wasn’t working.  She wore each colored section in a long braid that hung nearly to her waist, and she kept the rest of her hair in a long braid down her back that was nearly as thick as her wrist. 

The strange colorations in her otherwise normal hair color had always been a mystery to her, and to her mother and Aunt Olivia.  Now she wondered if she had painted the colors on the mural the same as her own subconsciously, or if there was some deeper meaning to it.  As she continued to stare at the creatures she realized something else.  Their eyes were the same reddish-brown amber color as her cousin’s eyes.  She had never seen anyone else with eyes that color before, and had no idea why she’d painted the eyes that way.  That was just how they had looked in her mind. 

Hope flipped the three thin braids back over her shoulder and shook her head.  She had no idea what the creatures she had painted on her wall were, or where the need to paint them had come from, but for reasons she was too tired to question, she felt better with them there. 

She yawned sleepily and headed for her bedroom.  Now that the mural was done, she knew she wouldn’t have any trouble sleeping and she was looking forward to spending a lot of quality time with her pillow.  She hoped she didn’t wake up with another compulsion.  If she did, she was going to make an appointment with the first mental health physician she could find.

Just as she stepped into her bedroom there was a knock at the door.  She paused, wondering who could possibly be visiting at this time of morning.  A quick glance at the clock and she sighed.  It wasn’t as early as she’d thought.  She turned and headed for the front door.

Chapter
18

Ellicia waited until the crowd of people working on the unit across the hall had left before allowing herself to relax.  It had been a very long week for her, with the plumbers and painters and decorators working late into the evening each day.  She could not feel comfortable with so many strangers around her any more, even if they were constantly supervised by employees of the Directorate.  She’d made that mistake once before, and had no intention of repeating it.

Once the building fell silent, she spent several minutes double checking all of her locks and alarms.  Satisfied that everything was secure, she took a long bath, then went into the kitchen for a cup of herbal tea before bed.  As soon as she stepped into the kitchen she saw his silhouette through the balcony window.  She hesitated, trying to convince herself to turn around and pretend she hadn’t seen him, but she couldn’t.  She crossed the room and opened the door.

“Come on in, Harlan,” she said.  “It’s too cold for me to come out there.”

Harlan turned around, a frown on his face.  “I don’t understand why you stay here,” he said as he crossed the balcony to the door and stepped inside.  “It’s much safer for you at the Director’s place.”

“I don’t want to have this conversation again,” Ellicia replied, closing and locking the door behind him. 

“Well, I don’t like it,” Harlan insisted.

Ellicia arched a brow at him but said nothing.  She turned around and began putting together the ingredients for her tea.

“I know, I have no say in where you stay or what you do,” Harlan said softly.  “But I can’t help but care.”

“I know,” Ellicia replied as she put the cup into the thermette and pressed a button.  Five seconds later she opened the door, took the steaming mug out and carried it to the table.  “This isn’t about you, Harlan,” she said.  “I need to be on my own.  It’s just part of who I am.  Don’t worry.  I’ll be fine.”

Harlan sat down in a chair opposite her and studied her carefully as she stirred honey into her tea.  “Something is bothering you, Angel,” he said.  “What is it?”

Ellicia smiled.  Harlan had always been able to tell what she was feeling even though most people could not.  “The Director wants me to work with a Jasani male-set who are coming here to look into a few things.”

“The missing women?” Harlan asked, much to Ellicia’s surprise.

“Yes, in part,” she said.  “Also, it appears that every woman who goes to Jasan to be a contract or candidate bride, and then changes her mind and comes back, has her memory wiped.”

“How did the Jasani find out about this?” Harlan asked.

“They just realized that none of the women who go to Jasan ever know in advance that they are shifters, or that they do magic.  They thought it strange that, after all of these years and with the high number of women who come back, that the information hasn’t gotten out.”

“It is strange,” Harlan agreed.  “Did you discover their minds were wiped?”

“Yes,” Ellicia said as she wrapped her suddenly cold hands around the mug, enjoying the heat against them. 

“The Director doesn’t want you going back into the field, does he?” Harlan asked.

“No, of course not,” Ellicia replied.  “He just wants me to share info with them, take them on interviews, stuff like that.”  As she spoke, she noticed an odd set of expressions come over Harlan’s face.  He looked surprised, angry, horrified, and then, finally, resigned.  “No,” he said softly.  “No no no.”

“What is it?” she asked. 

Harlan shook his head slowly, as though he had just learned something he didn’t want to know. 

“Harlan, what is it?” she asked again.

Harlan looked up at her and smiled sadly, his eyes bright with what appeared to be unshed tears.  “Tell me a secret,” Harlan said.

Ellicia looked at him with startled eyes.  “Really?”

“Yes, Angel, really,” he replied.

“No,” she said.  “You still owe me a secret, remember?”

“Yes, Angel, I remember,” he said, forcing a smile.  “I guess I was hoping you would have forgotten.”

“Not likely,” Ellicia replied.  “Now, spill it.”

This time Harlan’s smile was more genuine, though brief.  “All right.  I have a cousin who lives here, in Arlington,” he began, much to Ellicia’s surprise.

“Really?” she asked.  “How come you never told me that before?”

“I promised never to tell anyone about her because she has a strong psychic talent, but never wanted to work for the government.”

 “They don’t force people to work for them, Harlan, you know that,” Ellicia said. 

“I know it now,” Harlan agreed.  “But I did not know it before, and Hope still doesn’t know it.”

“Hope?  That’s your cousin’s name, Hope?”

“Yes,” Harlan replied.  “She’s an artist.  She works from a small studio in her apartment doing hand painted portraits.  She’s quite good at it too.”

“What’s her psychic ability?” Ellicia asked curiously.

“
She has more than one
,” Harlan replied.  “The most useful is her ability to read objects.”

Ellicia thought about that for a few minutes as she sipped her tea.  Her talent was in finding objects.  So long as she had at least touched or seen an object up close, she could find it anywhere on the planet.  She was sometimes able to find objects if she had extremely detailed photos of them, or, better still, something associated closely with the object, such as the box in which a ring was kept, or the shelf on which a figurine had stood for an extended time.  Her gift was a strong one, and she had worked hard to make it even stronger over the years. 

“Did you tell her about us?”

Harlan started to reach out for Ellicia’s hand, thought better of it and pulled his own hand back.  “Yes,” he said.  “Not long after I met you, she got it into her head to go to Jasan and look for a husband.  Or rather, three husbands since, as you know, that’s how they do things there.  She didn’t want to agree to a sight unseen bridal contract, so she went to Bride House instead.  That’s where you get to stay for six months and date, trying to find a match that works for you.”

“Did she?  Find a match, I mean,” Ellicia asked.

“No, she didn’t,” Harlan replied.  “She came back about a week ago.”

“Harlan, that’s bad,” Ellicia said, suddenly worried.  “All of the women I’ve interviewed so far who have returned from Jasan have had their memories tampered with.  You need to check on her.”

“I can’t, Angel,” Harlan said softly.  “I need you to do it for me.”

“Oh,” Ellicia said softly.  “That’s not a problem.  I will do it first thing tomorrow.  Just tell me where she lives, and I promise, I won’t tell anyone else about her.”

Harlan hesitated.  “Angel, do you know the names of the Jasani that are coming here?”

“The Director called them the Bearens,” she replied.  “I don’t know their first names.  Why?”

 “I will tell you Hope’s address, but you must promise me that you will not go there alone.  You must take the Bearens with you.”

Ellicia wasn’t sure if she was more surprised than angry, or the other way around.  “I think I am at least capable of visiting another woman on my own,” she said coolly.  “I don’t need chaperones.”

“Ellicia, I know very well what your abilities are,” Harlan said.  “That isn’t what this is about.”

Ellicia stood up and took her mug to the sink.  She rinsed it out, taking her time while she considered what Harlan said.  He knew her, knew her strengths and her weaknesses.  He had to have a reason for his request and, knowing him, it was a good one.  She put the cup down on the counter and turned to face him.

“Okay, I promise,” she said.  “I will not go to see Hope until I have the Bearens with me.”

Harlan arched a brow at her in exact mimicry of the one she had arched at him earlier.  Ellicia grinned.  “Nor will I vox her, nor write to her, nor contact her in any other way.”

“Thank you, Angel,” Harlan said.  “I promise, you will understand the reason for this.”  Harlan gave Ellicia the address and waited for her to find a pad to write it down. 

“Vox code?” Ellicia asked.

“Sorry, I don’t have one for her,” Harlan replied.  “She didn’t think she would be coming back to Earth, so she had it disconnected.  If she has a new one, I don’t know it.”

“All right,” Ellicia said.  It would be easy enough to get a vox code on the woman through the Directorate if necessary.

“I have to go now,” Harlan said, standing up and moving toward the door. 

“Are you all right?” Ellicia asked suddenly.  “Out there on your own, I mean.”

“Yes, Angel, I’m fine,” Harlan replied.  “You do not need to worry about me, I promise.” 

Ellicia nodded.  “Will I see you again?” she asked, angry at herself for the question, but unable to prevent it from slipping out.

“Yes, you will see me again,” he replied.  “Take care of yourself,” he added softly.  Ellicia nodded once more, then turned around, unwilling to watch him leave. 

A few minutes later, when she was certain he was gone, she checked the locks, turned off the lights, and went to bed.  She struggled against the memories that insisted on flooding her mind, but in the end, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about their
secret
ritual, and how it had begun a year earlier.