Undone, p.16
Undone, page 16
Bastian turned and saw her and then bowed his head. “I owe you a debt.”
Jeri glanced at Trendan. “He saved me as much as I did him.”
“I knew you had to be there.” Crissy stayed close to Victor, which seemed unusual for her. Jeri was used to her sitting in corners and trying not to be seen.
Trendan looked at Crissy. “A little more information would have been good.”
Crissy looked all around him and not at him. “I told you to stay out of the water.” She looked quickly at Jeri, “but I knew you wouldn’t.” She shrugged. “I only see what I see. I can’t say more.”
“Did you see why they had to be there?” Capri spoke softly. Jeri looked at her hair to see it wasn’t out of control but wasn’t hanging motionless either.
“I didn’t see the cave.” Crissy moved away from her mate and walked closer to Capri. “I saw the water and knew Jeri had to be there.” She nodded and then lowered her head and mumbled something no one could understand. Her head popped back up, and she stepped even closer to Capri. “Do you see your sister?”
Capri looked amused. “My sister?” She grinned. “I do not have a sister.”
Crissy frowned. “Are you sure? She looks just like you, but her hair is shorter,” Crissy moved her hands around her head, “a lot messier too.” She nodded.
Capri glanced at Victor and then back to Crissy. “You must be mistaken. I would know if I had a sister.”
Bethany shook her head. “Autumn and Paisley didn’t know they were twins until they met in Alterealm.” She looked at Crissy and then to Capri. “Crissy is never wrong.”
Capri opened her mouth and then closed it and studied Crissy. “What did you see?” Her hair was moving in waves out from her body now.
“You.” Crissy looked at Victor, who gave her a gentle look. She turned back to Capri. “With short, messy hair.” Crissy narrowed her eyes and looked above Capri. “Her aura is dark. Yours is not.” She wiggled her hands around in front of her. “It has a trace of dark, but you’re not bad.” Crissy nodded.
Capri glared at her for a moment before she inhaled slowly and then visibly exhaled. “I am much older than you think, Crissy—I would know in all that time if I had a sister.”
“How old?” Prince Quinton asked.
Capri shrugged. “Half century—as best as I can remember. You don’t count after a certain number of years go by.”
“Half century.” Quinton looked at Victor.
Victor inclined his head. “I concur.” He turned to look at Jeri, and her eyes widened. “Can you see Capri’s soul, Jerika?”
Jeri opened her mouth and then slowly looked at Capri. “No. Not at all.”
“That’s curious.”
Sparx moved away from the edge of the garage, walked over, and looked up at Victor. “What are you getting at? What does Capri’s age have to do with anything?” Jeri looked at her hands to see small sparks were coming off her fingers.
“Sparx.” She said quietly. “He’s not accusing her of anything.” Jeri glanced at Trendan and then went over to stand near Sparx. “The magic that was used to stop the water and knock us into the river was strong.” She turned her head and looked at Capri. “The kind of strong that Capri has.”
“Wait.” Flora shoved her glasses up on top of her head and waved her hand around that held her not-so-lovely fragranced herbal cigarette. “Are you saying that Capri has a sister she doesn’t know about that is as powerful as she is—” She looked at Jeri and gave her a look that said she thought it was ridiculous. “That this other person is the reason all this shit has happened?” She snorted. “That’s a big reach. I thought this problem started centuries ago.” She waved her hand at Capri, leaving a trail of smoke in her wake. “Capri and her imaginary sister aren’t old enough to have been involved.”
“It’s all right.” Capri looked at Sparx and then Flora. “They’re not accusing me of anything.” She gave Crissy a long appraisal. “I have blank spots in my memories as a child. If I had a sister, we may not have been together long.”
“Arwan is old enough to have been involved near the start.” The woman standing beside Icky said softly. “He’s needed to recruit many to pull this off.” She looked at the man beside her. “Marcus and all the others were pawns basically, but if this—” She looked at Capri. “—lost sister is as powerful as you say, she could have become one of his generals in this.”
The tall man nodded. “It would explain how this was managed in several realms simultaneously.”
Trendan put his hand up. “So the whole reason Jerika and I were meant to be at that river was so we realized we were up against someone so powerful that we don’t have a chance against?”
Crissy nodded. “Yes.” She frowned. “We have a chance.” She rolled her eyes at him. “There is always a chance.” She nodded and then looked at Victor. “We have magic, and Princess Aireese—” She looked at Capri. “And you…”
Karma shook her head. “Capri doesn’t get involved.”
Capri held her hand up. “It seems this time I have no choice.” She turned and looked at Jerika. “We all have a purpose for being.”
Jeri nodded and then gave Trendan a brief look. “I was needed to see Elyas’ soul and stop the water.” She turned and looked at Crissy. “You were needed to see, and the other woman, Yuna, was needed for reasons we don’t know, but in the end, she was needed to come to us and tell us things.”
Crissy looked sad for a moment, and then her eyes grew wider. “A single stitch is part of a long thread that holds it all together.” She laughed and spun to her mate. “That’s it, Vic.” She looked back at Jeri. “That one has been bothering me for a while now. The pieces were so mixed up that I didn’t know. But now I do.” She shrugged. “Know.”
Bastain was grinning and looking at her. “Are you saying all of this—” He motioned to several others. “Is meant to be. The fathers, Nova’s soul evading me—” He glanced at Nova and grinned at her before turning back to look at Capri. “The whole reason your Geminis exist. Is meant to happen?”
Crissy frowned at him for a moment and then nodded with a smile on her face. “Yes.” she walked into the garage and sat on the steps.
“I need a vacation,” Leone said quietly. He looked at Quinton and then Victor. “The planning and execution of all of this would take…”
“Hundreds of years to plan alone and find every aspect that would need to happen simultaneously,” Victor said in a low voice. “Something that only the gods or ancients could do.”
Quinton turned and looked at his brother. “If you’re trying to tell me that some god is pulling the strings on our lives, I’m going to laugh in your face and then go home and go back to bed.”
Victor looked amused for a brief moment. “I said gods or ancients, brother. It was merely speculation on my part.” He looked at Capri. “We all know there are those from the realms that can live long after any expectancy.”
“I think we need to go see Arwan again,” Bethany said. “Maybe Willis as well and anyone else that is older than a few hundred that we’ve picked up.”
Victor nodded his head slowly. “Perhaps we could persuade Jerika to join us when we do.” He looked right at her. “I am very curious about your ability to see the soul’s life and can only ponder that it may, in fact, show us some answers we have missed.”
It took Jeri a minute to realize he was asking for her help. “Sure.” She nodded. “If you think it will help.”
Chapter Thirty
“Yes,” Bastain shouted. He looked up from his phone and at Trendan. “Sigor has found Fatik.” He looked very excited.
“Fatik?” Victor inquired.
“Yes. The guard that used to be on my family’s detail.” Bastian looked at Trendan and then at Victor. “He is the one that told my brother that his child and other died during the birth.”
Victor quirked one eyebrow and glanced at Quinton. “I should like to join you in the recovery of Fatik.”
Bastian shrugged. “That works.” He zeroed in on Jeri. “We need you too. So you can look at whatever you see and tell us what he doesn’t.”
Jeri hugged her waist and nodded. She glanced to see Trendan was watching her. He turned from her and looked at his brother.
“What about the woman at the shelter? The angry one? Shouldn’t we go see her first and see if she is Elyas’ child? She could confirm Fatik was involved.”
Bastian looked at the ground and then nodded slowly. “We’ll go see her first.” He turned and looked at Tor. “You go back and talk to Sigor and tell him what we’re doing.”
Tor nodded and then looked at Ulric.
Ulric gave him a quick nod. “If we’re with the Justice, I feel confident we can watch both our princes.”
Tor looked over at Victor, who nodded his affirmation. “I’ll wait at the headquarters for you.” He told Bastian and then shoved his sleeve up and touched the band on his wrist. He vanished.
Karma smiled at Jeri. “I really want one of those bands that make people teleport to somewhere else.”
Bethany groaned. “It’s not as fun as it sounds.”
Reagan chuckled. “For some.” She grinned at her mate. “We should go back and fill in the others.”
Quinton nodded, reached over, and put his arm around her. He looked at Karma. “No porter required.” Both vanished.
“That just sucks.” She looked at Capri. “Why couldn’t I get something like that?”
Capri smiled at her. “We don’t know if your ability is all you have.” She motioned to Jeri. “She’s just discovered something else.”
Karma nodded slowly and then looked at Trendan. “I’m part Solrelm. I should be able to vanish, right?”
Trendan looked at her.
“It’s harder than it looks.” Fade yelled down from her window.
Everyone moved so they could look up at her.
“Fifteen minutes.” Fade shouted and looked at Trendan. “When I get up to an hour, I am so out of here.” She laughed and then leaned back inside out of sight.
“Okay.” Sparx looked at Bastian, gave him a strange look, and then turned to Trendan. “I know you have things to rush off to do, but when you get a minute, can you tell me what my—” She motioned up and down her body. “What DNA I have?”
“I thought you didn’t want to know.” Jeri gave her an amused look.
“I didn’t.” She shrugged, “—but if I have some other cool thing I can do, I want to know.”
“Because lightning shooting out of your hands isn’t cool enough.” Flora snorted, pushed her glasses back on, and then walked into the garage.
Sparx looked at the woman beside Icky. “What? Wouldn’t you want to know?”
Clairee smiled. “I would indeed.”
“See.” Sparx went into the garage. “Not all of us are happy to just be.”
Victor turned to Capri. “If you recall anything, please get in touch.”
Capri sobered. “I will.” She glanced at Jeri. “Try to stay dry this time.”
Jeri grimaced. “No more swimming for me.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Trendan was glad to see Liri was there when they arrived. Quinton and Victor elected to wait outside, along with Tor. It was probably for the best. They were a little more intimidating, and the woman they were going to see was already on the defensive. His insides were in knots, and he couldn’t understand why.
Jeri stopped outside the door and took off her pendant. When he gave her a questioning look, she motioned to the door. “I don’t know if this affects those with diluted Solrelm DNA, and don’t want to shock someone by mistake.”
He nodded. He hadn’t considered that.
She gave him a look. “Are you all right?”
How did she know? Were their souls that connected already? He glanced at Bastian, but as always, the only emotion he was displaying was amusement. He sighed. “I think I’m a little nervous. She may be my niece.”
Bastian’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even think of that.” He smiled. “That’s strange. Meeting your three-hundred-year-old niece.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Liri suggested, and it surprised Trendan that she was the voice of reason. Usually, she ran into a situation without thinking it through. “Ready?” She looked at him.
Trendan nodded.
The first thing he noticed when he walked in this time was that the house looked more lived-in than it had on his previous visit. There were items on the counter and shoes at the door. He hadn’t paused in all of his tasks to inquire how many women and children they had found. He frowned and went into the sitting area. He also hadn’t asked how the woman they were here to see had found out that this house existed, and they were looking for the others of the men from his realm.
Liri stopped, and he was so distracted he almost walked into her. “Eleni.” She spoke to the woman he needed to talk to. She was sitting in the chair in the corner reading.
“Have you found him?” She stood up and looked at Trendan.
He felt the tingle go through his arm and knew that Jerika was stepping around him.
“Eleni, I’m Jeri. We’ve come to talk to you.”
The woman’s dark eyes assessed her for a moment. “About what?” The disdain in her voice was very clear.
“You wanted Tredan to find your father…”
“He abandoned my mother and me when I was born.” She scowled. “You have no idea what she…”
“How old are you?” Bastian blurted out.
She turned cold eyes to look at him. “What does that matter?”
Bastain shrugged, his expression void of any concern. “It does trust me.”
She gave him a hard look and then glanced around. “I’m older than I look.” She said without emotion in her voice.
“We know,” Jeri said and then turned and looked at Trendan. “I believe it’s possible. I can’t see the same woman I did with your brother because she’s older than when she was with Elyas…”
“That’s his name,” Eleni growled. “Where is he?” She stepped by Jeri and got in Trendan’s face. “He needs to see what he’s done.”
Liri moved around Bastian and put her hand on Eleni’s shoulder. “Eleni, there are some things you need to know.”
She looked at Liri. “What?”
Liri cleared her throat and looked at Trendan briefly. “Your father didn’t leave your mother on his own.”
Eleni gave her a look that said she didn’t believe her. “What do you mean?”
Bastain stepped up beside Liri. “We need to know if you recognize someone.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. “This man may be the reason your father wasn’t there.”
She put her hands on her hips and gave him an impatient look. When Bastian held the screen out for her to see, Trendan could see in her expression that she recognized Fatik. She nodded. “That’s—” She blinked. “I don’t remember his name, but he used to come around a lot when I was a kid. Then he just didn’t anymore.”
“Fatik is his name.” Trendan fought to keep from growling. “He told your father that you and your mother, Inara, died during your birth.”
Her head snapped, and she gave him a wary look. “What do you mean? Why would he do that?”
“Is your mother all right?” Jeri asked, a concerned look on her face.
Eleni’s expression broke from anger to sadness in a blink. “No. No, she’s not. I don’t know how to help her. I’m only here for answers. I check on her a few times a day.” She turned and looked back at Trendan. “That stuff they gave us to drink. They don’t bring it anymore. Not for months, and I need it.” She stepped closer. “Can you get it?” The angry woman transformed before his eyes into a concerned and upset daughter.
Trendan nodded and then glanced to see Liri taking out her phone. “Yes. If you take us…”
“I am not taking you anywhere near her.” She glanced at Bastian and then back to him. “If you find that man—” She pointed to Bastian’s phone. “I will consider it.”
“Eleni.” Jerika put her hand on the woman’s arm. When she looked at her, Jerika motioned to him and then Bastian. “These are your uncle’s—your father’s brothers.” She offered an understanding smile. “I don’t expect you to be all forgiving in any of this, but there are reasons and things you should know.”
Eleni looked at her for a moment and then turned and looked at Trendan. “I don’t understand. Are you saying my mother had to suffer for…”
“No.” Trendan shook his head. “No, she should not have. We are going to find all those responsible and bring them to justice, starting with Fatik.”
She blew out a breath and nodded in a shaky way. “Okay. You do that, and then I’ll take you to my mother.”
“Riaz is bringing the elixir.” She smiled at Eleni. “The pure elixir, not that bastardized stuff they’ve been giving you.”
Eleni put her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes. “Thank you.” She nodded.
“Your mother will need more care than a dose of elixir,” Trendan said in a soft voice. “We will find you and her a home and guarantee your safety.” He wanted to go. Now. If he stood here much longer, he was going to turn into a rampaging lunatic. His brother’s child was right here in front of him, a damaged, abused child that had grown into an untrusting woman, and he didn’t blame her. He stepped closer and held out his hand. “Trendan.”
With a wary look, she took his hand and shook it quickly.
Trendan glanced at Bastian. “This is Bastian.” He nodded. “We are part of the royal family of Solrelm. Your mother and you are part of that family.”
Eleni didn’t hide the shock. “My father is royalty?” She shook her head. “I always thought mother made that part up.” She stiffened. “Is my father still living?”
