Chapter 13

Eleanor held her breath as her vivid green eyes darted around the table they were all seated at. The five team members had a thick blanket of silence laid over them as they all waited for someone to speak, eyes all locked on the single boy sitting on the opposite side of the table while his golden eyes dodged theirs.

Their conference room was simple, with navy walls and only one window that was just large enough to let a single beam of light into the room. It was only furnished by the table and chairs they sat in; half of its chairs left empty.

She sat beside Ryan, who was absently doodling something on the small pad of paper he had pulled out. She was tempted to stretch her neck to see what it was, but the air was too tense for her to do so. On her other side, Elaine was alarmingly silent. Eleanor glanced over at the girl she considered her friend, concern flooding her veins at how her spine was held ramrod straight as she glared down her nose at her freshly recovered brother. She found herself grateful that she had never been on the receiving end of such a look.

“None of you appreciate me very much,” Jacob’s murmur thundered through the room. He paused, eyes sightlessly starting at the table, mouth open as he thought of what to say. “You’re right,” his gaze flicked to each of them, lingering on Elaine for a second before lowering again. “I was a pitiful, irresponsible, impulsive, selfish coward.” His lips pursed, hands folding on the table. “Sorry isn’t enough. I abandoned you when all of us were hurting, not just me. Cameron,” he looked to his second in command. “What I did wasn’t fair to anyone, but especially you.” He swallowed. “I will never forgive myself for that.”

Eleanor watched him with a heavy heart. She knew how much losing Roselle had hurt him, and she had watched him spiral as their team broke into pieces along with everyone else. She had also seen how his absence had hurt the others though. Elaine had shut everyone out, Ryan had turned to her for comfort, and Cameron had done everything he could to keep the observance running without its leader.

Beside her, Elaine’s breathing had grown loud enough for Eleanor to hear. When she looked over, the older girl’s fists were tightly wound underneath the table. Her face was a statue of silent rage, white eyes blazing.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Cameron’s tone was firm, but without anger. His evergreen eyes were strained but held finality. “Guilt and grudges are no help to us right now. The first thing we need to do is figure out how to retrieve the last child before it’s too late.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened at the reminder. After the chaos of the previous day and helping the newbies settle in, she had almost forgotten. “How’s Anna?” She directed the question at Jacob, noting his surprise at her knowing Anna’s name.

“She’s recovering,” there was a hint of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth for a split second before it was gone. “She’ll be joining us here after she’s discharged.” His face darkened, a drastic change from a few seconds prior. “She’s being brought into the observance,” he scanned the faces around him, a warning in his eyes. “She doesn’t have a choice, and neither do you. Ryan, I’d appreciate you keeping an eye on her the first couple days just in case there’s any issue. Otherwise, I am going to be mentoring her.” He raised an eyebrow, as though waiting for one of them to challenge him. “Now, for the boy, I’m open to suggestions.”

“I say we just grab him,” Ryan shrugged, twirling his pen between his fingers.

“And that worked so well last time?” Jacob sighed. “It’s not that easy.”

“Why not?” Ryan tilted his head, his silver eyes dancing.

“They’ve upped security, and they’re out there looking for information from you and they will recognize you if you step foot on school property.” He shook his head, frustration lacing his voice.

“Then just don’t do it at the school,” Ryan smacked his hand down on the table, eyebrows raised, prompting agreement.

“If not at the school, then where?” Jacob’s eyes drooped in exasperation. “We have no idea where else to find him.”

“There’s one place,” Cameron interjected. “Where we can find him.”

Everyone around the table whipped their head to where he was seated at the end of the table. “What do you mean? Where?” Jacob’s eyes bugged at their older teammate.

“While you were gone,” Cameron smiled begrudgingly. “I made trips to keep tabs on you for… certain people who were concerned. A couple of times, a young Hecathian boy walked by me. I’m sure it’s him. It’s a slim shot, not knowing which house is his and parents are probably cracking down on watching their kids, but there’s a chance we may be able to get him along that road.

“It’s possible,” Jacob nodded slowly, as though plotting to kidnap a child was a normal thing. “There’s some hills around that area, were you able to see which direction he came from?”

Cameron shook his head. “I just know where I was.”

“That doesn’t leave much room for mess-ups,” Ryan muttered. Eleanor turned to him, watching as he flipped to the next page of paper, his pen scribbling across it more furiously than before.

“Ria,” Jacob looked to his sister, who had begun picking at a loose string along the seam of her blouse. “You’re our best strategist in risky situations, what do you think?”

At any other time, one could imagine Elaine brushing off the comment, but now she downright scowled. “I’d just leave him.” Her poisonous hiss caused everyone to pause.

“What?” Jacob just blinked at her, his shock and confusion shared by the others waiting for her to explain herself.

“The boy is only a liability,” her cold eyes stared down her brother. “We all know that it’s preferable to live as a human anyway, so why not just let him live that dream life and spare him this torture?”

Jacob visibly flinched, staring open-mouthed at her. Eleanor narrowed her eyes at his reaction, in fact, all of his responses indicated he was unaware of what was running through any of their minds. Why wasn’t he using his telepathic abilities? Meanwhile, Cameron’s eyes darted uncomfortably about the room, looking anywhere but at the two. Eleanor didn’t blame him, the air could be sliced through with a knife.

After composing himself, Jacob’s mutter was taught with restraint. “Just because you’re upset with me doesn’t mean we leave a helpless kid to be vulnerable.”

Elaine only rolled her eyes in response, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a huff as she folded her arms across her chest.

“I could at least defend myself out there,” Jacob continued. “Whether my decision was good or not, I knew what the risks were and what I needed to do if something did happen.”

“And that worked out great for you, didn’t it?” She spat, and Eleanor could swear the air had gotten colder around them.

“We are not doing this right now,” Jacob warned her as he leaned forward onto his elbow. “There is a kid we need to get tomorrow and we are not going in without a plan this time.”

Elaine shrugged dismissively. “Then do the pickup thing; grab him before he gets there. Any more planning doesn’t leave any room to improvise, which we would need to do in any case. That way you don’t need to step foot on your precious school property or whatever.”

Eleanor wanted to leave. She had witnessed the last time Sagael siblings had fought, and needless to say that it had not ended well. The two were glaring daggers at each other, Jacob moving to stand, his hands pressed flat on the table as he kept eye contact with his sister.

“I don’t know if you know this,” he growled. “But there are warrants for our heads out there. Do you know what that means?” His eyes flared. “It means that if anyone sees us, we could very well end up in a human prison in a matter of hours where we will proceed to remain for the foreseeable future. This isn’t about getting onto school grounds, it’s about even stepping foot into public!”

“If the police are looking for us, why isn’t your father sending someone else?” Ryan cut off whatever response Elaine had ready.

Jacob straightened, frustration coming off of him in waves. “We lost him, so we need to make sure he gets here,” he waved his hands dismissively at his father’s logic before slumping back into his seat. “We need a retriever, a driver, and I would prefer to include a familiar face for him too. Whatever the case, this is going to be a small team, and I’m grounded so I am out of the question here.”

No one was surprised at that, although it felt as though it complicated things.

“Elaine’s too conspicuous,” Cameron’s soothing tone lulled the room. “And so am I, since I’m the one who actually entered the building. Out of us, Ryan has the best chance at this.”

“Good point,” Ryan perked up in his seat, his sandy hair bouncing at his quick movement.

“Since I might be recognized,” Cameron went on, sending a knowing look toward Jacob. “It might be a better idea to get some assistance from someone else. You might not like it, but we all know someone who can help us.”

“You’re right,” Jacob let out a humorless laugh. “I don’t like it. I’d much rather rely on you than her any day.”

“They have me on camera,” Cameron raised his eyebrows. “I fought a police officer. I am just as recognizable as you are, but they have no idea who she is.”

“Adara does not need to be brought back into our business, she made her decision to leave, therefore we will respect that.”

“I’m not saying she needs to be there, we could find someone else, but she’s our best bet to agree to do this and you know that.”

“Then you can ask her,” Jacob hummed. “I already have to ask about transportation, as there’s no way we can use a van this time.”

“Okay,” Cameron agreed easily. “You said someone familiar, so are we bringing a recruit out on a mission?”

Eleanor felt her insides twist at the idea. She’d been in the observance for almost a year and their retrieval mission had been the most intense and terrifying experience since she joined. While this was supposed to be a low-key mission, she couldn’t help but be reminded how that retrieval was supposed to be an in-and-out mission too. She could never imagine going out with no training whatsoever.

“It’s risky bringing one of them back,” Cameron frowned. “They’re still adapting, and going back might be difficult for them. Perhaps it’s not a good idea-”

“That’s why you’re bringing Ben with you.”

Cameron blinked at Jacob’s interruption, and even Elaine was now raising an eyebrow at the confidence Jacob had in that statement.

“He won’t be tempted by his old life,” Jacob reinforced. “He’s quiet, but even if it wasn’t just between the two of them, Ben is the best option for this.”

There was something Jacob wasn’t saying, and it made Eleanor’s skin crawl. Her thoughts suddenly wandered to the mysterious boy upstairs that had been so accepting as he found out his existence was a lie and was taken into a new home.

It was like he wasn’t leaving anything behind.

“I don’t know,” Cameron’s dark eyes were calculated. “He seems trustworthy, but I don’t know if placing him with Ryan, and potentially Amber, is the best idea.”

“Hey,” Ryan protested before he stopped and shrugged. “Actually, fair.”

“Either Adara or Cameron will be driving,” Jacob pointed his finger in warning at his friend. “Only in some disastrous situation where they are unable to drive and have the injuries to prove it will you ever get behind the wheel, do you understand?”

“Spoilsport,” Ryan groaned, though his eyes were filled with jest. “Almost drive off the road one time and there’s suddenly a lifetime ban. Shame on you for not giving second chances.”

“That was your second chance, and you’re missing the fact that you almost drove us into a lake,” Jacob pointed out, though the beginning of a grin was playing on the edges of his lips at the memory. “No more driving.”

“Fine,” the blond drawled out. “We wouldn’t want to scare Ben away on his first mission, right?”

“He might already be running,” Eleanor couldn’t help herself, laughing as Ryan mimed being shot in the heart.

“My friends have turned against me,” Ryan pouted. “Elaine, you’re my only ally now-”

Elaine’s glare flew past Eleanor to land on the boy. “Shove it, dolt, I’d rather partner with a Vorakur.”

“Ouch,” Eleanor suppressed a giggle at his less-than-affected reply. “At least you’d match though, you’re about as prickly as one. Though you don’t look as intimidating, so you’re actually closer to a porcupine- or no, a hedgehog!”

“Let’s not call Elaine a hedgehog,” Cameron intervened, raising his voice to suppress the squawk of rage that escaped Elaine. “We know our plan. Tomorrow morning, probably Amber, or someone else, will drive Ryan and Ben to grab our last rescue. The whole mission should last less than three hours, but everyone else should be prepped and ready to go in case anything goes wrong.”

“Any questions?” Jacob added.

“Can I pick the color of the care this time?” Ryan piped up.

Elaine’s scoff was the only sound as the rest of them simply looked at him in exasperation.

“That’s a ‘no’ then.”

____________________________

Anna felt the brush of sheets and the weight of a pillow underneath her head. The warm brush of another’s fingers against hers was calloused and familiar. She could feel the slight chill against her face and along her shoulders, yet she couldn’t feel the pain that had been racking her body with an intensity she had never felt before.

There was an ever-present scent of evergreen that was downplayed by the stench of cleaning chemicals and the stinging hint of metal. Every few seconds, the patter of footsteps on a tile floor reached her, though she could tell they were further away. Mostly, she listened to the steady rhythm of her heart and the steady breaths of her father beside her. There was a strange taste of citrus in her mouth, despite her not remembering the last time she ate one.

She was wrapped in warmth, with light just beyond her closed eyelids, tempting them to open. She could feel her father’s fear and guilt from beside her, his touch one of sorrow. Though she could open her eyes, she was frightened. As soon as she looked at her father, knowing she could no longer be ignorant of the truth, nothing would ever be the same again.

She wouldn’t be able to childishly dismiss the moments that didn’t align with her father’s lie. The questions would no longer be silent pleas that she suppressed. She wouldn’t be able to accept the vague stories and half-truths she had been fed. She had always wanted to know more, but now, facing the truth, she was afraid.

Her eyelids fluttered open, light blinding her in an opaque filter with only a silhouette to distinguish where her father sat, slumped forward in his seat. As she blinked, her vision cleared to reveal him gripping her hand in his, face bowed over it in a silent prayer. His hair had fallen into his eyes, though they were closed, and Anna couldn’t help but notice how he looked older than she had ever seen him. Dark circles had gathered beneath his eyes, his face sunken and the colour of ash.

She tried moving her hand, but only succeeded in making it twitch; a dull quake ran through the nerves in her arm in response to the movement. As small as it was, it was enough for her father to open his eyes, his face snapping to look at her with wide, concerned, yet hopeful eyes. “Marie?” He breathed hoarsely, hands tightening on hers in his grasp.

Her throat felt clogged when she opened her mouth, a strangled cough escaping with a sting that made her flinch.

“Here,” her father reached for the glass of water on the side table just out of her view. He stood, one arm wrapping under her to sit her up, supporting her as he held the glass to her lips. “You’re still weak, just take your time,” he soothed.

Though the water was cold, warmth flooded her veins as she was reminded of how he had taken care of her while she was sick as a child. He took the glass away, reaching to set it back on the table before gently helping her adjust to sit up properly against the wall behind her.

Her head felt light, one hand reaching up almost mindlessly, only to send a jolt of panic through her as her fingers brushed her freshly cut hair just below her chin. Her breathing stuttered as she was able to look down at herself, unable to ignore the faded scars that now adorned her right arm. Alarm flooded through her, her breaths coming faster as her gaze then swept around the room.

She wasn’t in a hospital, but it might as well have been one. Her face whirled back to her father, who was reaching for her hands again. He was saying something, but the pounding in her head drowned out the words. He placed his hand on her temple, the weight comforting as she met his violet eyes, the panic slowly releasing her as she listened to his low, comforting voice.

“It’s okay,” his murmur came through. “You’re safe; you’re okay. Everything’s okay.”

“How long?” Her cracked voice ended his mantra.

“Not long,” his hand ran down along her curls before raising again to her head, the motion calming. “Just yesterday.”

Yesterday. Her brows furrowed, confused. That wasn’t right, no one’s scarred over in a single night. She was sure her bones would still be broken- at least she was pretty sure that was what she had felt before the world had gone dark. Was she still asleep?

“You’re at a place called the academy,” her father continued, as though everything still made sense. “You’re safe, they’ve been taking care of you. They healed you, you’re okay.” His hand squeezed hers warmly. “I know these people; they told me what happened. Do you remember?”

She nodded, her mouth suddenly dry.

“You were so brave,” he gasped, hand dropping from her hair to cup her cheek. “And I’m so sorry,” his voice wobbled, his violet eyes blinking rapidly as tears began to gather. “If I had told you– I should have told you. I almost did a thousand times, but that doesn’t matter. I could have lost you,” He stared desperately into her eyes, his thumb brushing over her cheek.

“Father,” she spoke through the lump forming in her throat. She felt the inevitable beginning sting of tears in her eyes, suddenly unable to look at him as emotions bubbled in her chest. “What happened?” He somehow understood that she meant prior to the last day, his eyes immediately darkening.

“I was a fool,” he took his hand away from her face but held onto her hand as though it was his lifeline. “I thought we could run from it forever. I thought- I don’t know what I thought.” Anna looked back at her father, startled. For the first time ever, her father was rambling. “I just- I wanted to protect you, and I did a lousy job of it.” His face lowered, shame wrinkling his features.

“Tell me now,” she swallowed the fear rising in her throat at her own words.

He lifted his head, confliction dancing across his features. He took a breath, opening his mouth to speak before hesitating. His gaze travelled across the room, lingering for a moment before tracking the origin of purposeful footsteps leading their way out of the large room they were in. The finality of the door closing behind them, the person leaving the father and daughter in thick silence.

“Tell me everything,” she ignored how fast her heartbeat was in her chest as she spoke the words.

“I-” her father’s face twisted. “I don’t even know where to start.” He sighed. “I’ll just- I’ll just start at the beginning,” he nodded to himself, pulling his lips tight. “The first thing you need to know,” he almost winced, eyes seeking hers. “Is that my name is not Stephen.”

As soon as the sentence left his lips, his frame released the tension he had been holding for years. His grip on her hand loosened, though it remained strong. The panic was gone with a whoosh of his breath, and the man she recognised as her father had taken the place of the rambling wreck he had been a moment before. The sentence stuck in her mind though. Her father’s identity was now thrown into the air, confirming just how much of her life had been a lie.

“My name is Seniar Ocoltha,” his tone was careful as he spoke his name for what was probably the first time in ten years. “I am a Hecathian, and was born as the fourth in line in the royal family.” His eyes were distant, seeing a world of memories beyond the room they sat in. “In my position, I led our military to defeat our enemies and protect our people. I was a hero,” his head hung, a callous chuckle leaving his lips, as though the idea was now absurd.

Anna held her breath, unsure how to respond, but waited for him to continue.

“Twenty years ago, I was young and reckless,” he shook his head, though the action was more fond than critical. “And curious, and I ended up falling in love with your mother. We knew nothing of each

other’s worlds, but we grew closer by teaching each other.”

Anna felt her heart leap in her chest, her fingers tightening on his at the very mention of her missing mother. How much would he tell her? How much was there to tell? A world of answers swirled in her father’s eyes as he looked up to meet hers once again.

“Natalie became my whole world,” a sad smile played on his lips, eyes growing distant again. “And we were happy. She chose to follow me to my home, to a world called Ariya where we would build our lives together.” There was bitterness entwined with the fondness in which he spoke, the question resting at the tip of Anna’s tongue while she kept silent. “Then we had Arabella, and you, and I never imagined that life could be so full,” he smiled, eyes reddened. “But it didn’t last long. You were only a few months old when my brother, the king, declared you a threat.”

“Why?” Anna broke her silence with the hushed question, anxiety blossoming in her chest.

“You are, and your sister was, only half-Hecathian,” he said grimly. “Your sister was fairly accepted since she took more after me, but you…” he paused. “We suspected it was because you’re half-human, but you possess a rarity in Hecathian power that no one has ever seen before.”

Cold washed over her, and she was suddenly afraid of what her father was going to say next.

“Our people are blessed with abilities humans would consider superhuman,” her father began, unaware of how Anna had frozen on the cot. “With twelve areas of magical abilities that I’m sure you’re beginning to notice.”

Anna nodded breathlessly, the moments over the past few weeks fresh in her mind.

“Most of us only have one or two, some even three, but you…” he patted her hand, pulling her back to reality. “You were blessed with them all. No one could figure out why, and your mother and I were ready to love you as you were and teach you once you were old enough, but my brother and the people didn’t understand.” His voice tightened, along with his hand. “For two years, we fought against him,” he looked at her, eyes open and full of grief. “We managed to keep them from doing anything rash, and we loved you both so much. We were happy,” he repeated, face paling as images flashed behind his eyes. “Then our homeland was attacked,” he swallowed, his eyes glassing over. “It was nothing like anything I’d ever seen. All our enemies from over decades all came at once, brutally killing everyone in their path.”

He looked sick, beads of sweat gathering on the sides of his face and his breath growing laboured just thinking about what happened. Anna grasped his hand, ready to tell him that it was okay not to talk about it, but he pressed on before she could speak.

“Arabella,” he uttered her sister’s name, shaking his head. “I couldn’t save her. I had to go back, and when I found your mother, there wasn’t anything left of her.” he squeezed his eyes shut tight, a tear carving its way down his face. Anna could only stare at her father, watching him break down before her. “You were all I had then, and I couldn’t wallow in my own pity. I had to take care of you. I tried to protect my people and I failed, but I would not fail you too.”

Anna felt the moisture on her cheeks, her eyes burning, but did nothing to wipe the tears away. Pain pulsed in her chest, her throat tight as she held her father’s hand in hers.

“So I lied,” he confessed. “I foolishly thought that if I hid my world from you, you could be safe and happy. We were in your mother’s world, and I hoped that I could give you a life that you could enjoy without the fear that came along with mine,” He smiled bitterly. “But four years ago, I realized how alone I was, and the years were counting down to when your abilities would become more noticeable. Yet, I still pretended as though you would never know, and fed you excuses and lies to keep you from looking any deeper.”

It was one thing to assume, but another to hear it from him. A knife was driven into her heart as she sucked in a shaky breath, unsure how she was supposed to process that information.

“Before I knew it, I had spun this web of lies that I could only fear you would find out about while knowing that someday you would. I had dug a hole with the intention of one day getting out, but it got too deep,” he lowered his eyes, not looking at her. “When I received word that Jisuph had survived too, I knew the risks, but I still couldn’t bring myself to break the illusion that you had grown up in. I didn’t imagine you would meet Maishear’s son. Maishear was my second in command, and who happens to run this place,” a humourless laugh racked his whole body. “Nor did I expect you to be attacked in the human world. I always imagined that I would be there to protect you if a daemon found you.”

“Daemon,” she repeated, her heart in her stomach.

“Our enemies,” he shifted in his seat, his expression worn. “Who attacked us thirteen years ago and fought wars against before that.”

She nodded, her mind racing through what her father had told her. She looked around the room, taking in the chapel-like appearance she had brushed over before. “And the people here…”

“Are other survivors of the attack,” he confirmed. “And I trust Maishear. I don’t always agree with him, but we fought together since I learned to pick up a sword. We saved each other’s lives and he’s a good man.” He met her gaze, tormented. “I can’t return to this life, but if you want to learn about where we came from, I won’t stop you from choosing either way.”

Anna’s mind was a buzzing mess. She had known there had been a lot being kept from her, but this was overwhelming.

“You don’t need to decide right now,” he assured her, allowing her to relax in her seated position. “Right now, your job is to get back on your feet, even if your injuries have already been healed.” His demeanour had relatively turned back to normal, the horrors of his story twisted into the

exhaustion pulling at his features.

“Father?” She asked, eyes seeking his for their familiar comfort.

He was tense, afraid of her reaction to everything he had said when he spoke. “Yes?”

“I only have a question,” she swallowed, watching him nod in encouragement. “Is my name actually Annamarie?”

His face softened, a subtle smile returning to him. “Yes, Marie, your mother and I gave you both an English and Caldesarian name.”

“What is…”

“Your other name?” He raised his eyebrows, his smile growing. “Allenesaia, named after my mother, Allena.”

Anna pressed her father’s hand in hers, offering him a small smile. She wasn’t okay right now, she still had a lot to process, but she would be.

They would be.