Chapter 51

Kara smirked. “I’m going to stand by the door, so I don’t pick up on your thoughts accidentally.”

Nova gave her a shocked look. My thoughts?

“I’ll explain later.” Kara glanced at the men behind her. “I know I won’t pick up anything from Victor or Arius. Just stand here. He’ll be able to see you when Michael changes it, but not hear you, so you can talk if you like.” She paused. “Do you want him to hear you?”

Nova wasn’t sure who he was, but if this was truly what she meant to do then she might need to. “I’ll let you know.”

“Okay.” Kara moved over and did something on a little panel by the end of the wall. With a quick glance and an understanding smile, she left the space.

Nova looked at the glass wall and was surprised to see a man on the other side now. A quick assessment of what he was wearing, red jacket, black hat, told her he was one of the men Bastian had seen earlier. His soul was dark, not as much as some she’d seen, but dark enough that it caused her heart to accelerate. She turned to look at Bastian who stood hovering at the door. “I don’t think he’s been doing this as long as some.”

He quirked an eyebrow and then nodded his head once and stepped out of sight.

She turned back to the man. His expression was confusion, and fear. He had no idea where he was. Having recently been transported, she understood his dilemma. A door on the other side of his cell opened and Arius walked in. The expression on his face was nothing like it had been when they were all in the dining room. The man that was in there backed up against the wall, in reaction to Arius’ lethal look.

King Troy came in next and stood to the side of the door, Victor right behind him and stood to the other side. Kara stopped in the doorway and stayed there. She touched her bracelet and then nodded to Arius.

If Nova had been the place of the man, she would have told them anything they wanted to know. Just looking at the three men scared her, and she was a friend to them. Maybe not friends, but they were on her side—or she theirs, she wasn’t sure which.

“Do you know where you are?” Arius asked, his gaze locked on the man.

The man glanced from him to Victor and then gave his head a shake.

Poor sap, Nova thought.

“You’re in Alterealm.”

The man’s eyes bulged. “I don’t feel well.” He put his hand over his stomach.

“It will pass. The cell’s acclimation setting isn’t as strong as the chamber.” Arius didn’t pause for light conversation; he motioned to Troy. “My brother, King Troy, has some questions for you and if you’re smart, you’ll answer them.”

A few expressions went through the man’s dark eyes, at first Nova thought he was going to disagree, then he pulled his hat off and nodded his head with a jerky movement.

“What were you doing in the city in the human realm?” Troy stepped away from the wall.

“Looking for someone,” the man answered and then glanced at Victor and took a sidestep, putting more space between them.

“Who?” Troy’s tone finally matched his title. It was a question but sounded more like a command.

“A-a woman.”

“Why?” Troy glanced at Arius briefly and then it looked like he was staring at the floor.

Nova stepped closer to the wall, was he really able to be inside his head? She looked at Kara, she had an expression of focus on her face.

“She’s important. They-they need her,” the man said quietly.

“Why do they need her?” Arius asked the question this time.

“I-I don’t know.” The man put his hand over his stomach again and held it there.

Arius lifted his gaze away from the man and looked in the direction of Nova, he gave a slight nod. Michael stepped into the area she was in and did something on the panel.

Arius motioned to her, and the man turned and looked.

When his eyes rounded, Nova knew he could see her. “That’s her.” The man pointed at her. “That’s the one they want.” He nodded and looked at Arius excitedly like he’d just answered a bonus question. “Wait, why is she here?” He stepped back away from her.

“Why do they want her?” Arius spoke the words clearly.

“I don’t know. Something about seeing things.” The man’s dark eyes looked Nova over. “I don’t know," he said again. "Normally I’m not on the streets…”

“What is your job?” Kara asked suddenly.

The man jolted and turned to look at her, “I-I pick up the elixir vials.” He glanced at Arius quickly. “They’re left in a closet near the chamber of souls, the maid’s closet, and deliver them.”

“Where?” Arius asked. “Where do you deliver it? To whom?”

The man turned back to Arius. “Where it tells me to.” He squeezed his hat between his hands. “Sem would meet me there.”

“Who is Sem”

“I don’t know.” He swallowed, several expressions crossing his face. “He’s tall, has long red hair, and his eyes are like a silver color.” He looked at Victor. “I don’t know what he is.”

“How did you know where to meet him?” Kara looked confused.

Could she really hear his thoughts?

“The-the...” He motioned his hand in a circle. “The dish thing that was filled with water. Voices come out of it.”

Troy’s head popped up and he looked over at Victor.

Nova looked from one to the other, what had he said that set them both off?

“Can I go home?” The man looked from one man to the next. “To Solrelm?”

Bastian stepped up behind Kara and said something to her. She stepped out of the way.

The man dropped his hat and then bowed his head and held it there.

“I don’t think you’re going home any time soon.” Bastian stepped inside the room and then stopped. “Unless, of course, you can tell us who recruited you to take part in breaking all of our vows.”

“Rodnie,” he said quickly and then bent down and picked up his hat.

“Rodnie who?” Bastian’s expression could rival the lethal stares of the other men in there with them.

“I don’t know his last name.” He looked at the floor and then jerked his head back up. “He works at the labs out at the research site.” He stood there with his mouth open and then snapped it shut and stood giving Bastian a hopeful look.

“Who else is involved?” Bastian crossed his arms over his chest and held his look.

“I-I only know of a few that just follow orders like me.”

Bastian glanced at Arius. “He can help us put names to faces with those we’ve caught.” He turned back to the man. “You’ll help him if you ever want to be in Solrelm again.” He smirked, but this time it looked more like a snarl. “You’ll be in prison when you do go back.”

The man’s shoulders slumped. “I knew it was wrong, I knew, but they made it sound so right.”

“What sounded right? What did they tell you would happen?”

“That we’d actually have a chance of being selected to find our other.”

Bastian looked shocked and then shook his head. “They told you that you’d be selected to go to the banquets?” He nodded to Bastian. “It’s a draw, you moron. No one can guarantee you a spot.”

“Your family is,” the man spat at him.

Bastian did smirk this time. “And I found my other.” He smiled and then lifted his hand and held it toward Nova, “In the human realm.”

The man looked at her, shock and horror on his face. “That’s-that’s—” He put his hand over his mouth and stood there staring at her. “How is that possible?” He jerked his head back to look at Bastian.

“So, you didn’t know that part?” Bastian nodded his head slowly. “It’s true, our others can come from different realms.”

The man backed up until he hit the wall. Sliding slowly down it, he put his hands over his face.

Troy looked at Arius. “We’ll let him mull that over for now.”

Arius nodded and then motioned to the door.

Michael did something on the panel and Nova could no longer see the man.

Nova left the little area and saw the others standing in a corridor between the clear cells. Bastian pointed to Tor as soon as he stepped out. “Call Trendan, tell him to find everyone named, Sem, and Rodnie, the second one works at the labs where we found Glen.”

Tor quirked an eyebrow. “Do you think he knew about Glen?”

Bastian shrugged. “I don’t know, but we’re going back to ask him.”

“What was that about talking water?” Daxx snorted.

Troy looked at Victor for a second before he answered her. “Veiltide.”

“The other realm?” she asked, sounding unsure.

Victor nodded. “Using water as a telephone is one of their parlor tricks.”

“Telephone, weapon, elevator, it creeps me out,” Quinton grumbled.

“That’s—” Paisley frowned. “No, I don’t have a word that works.”

Troy turned to Bastian. “I don’t think you’re going to find Sem in Solrelm. I believe he’s from Veiltide.”

Bastian heaved a sigh. “Aireese’s people, now King Erian’s too.”

“We knew all the realms were involved,” Victor stated with no emotion in his voice.

“I’ll get in touch with Prince Artesiam.”

“I think we should talk to Arwan again,” Autumn said and then nodded. “Let him see Nova too. And Bastian.”

“Together?” Chase quirked an eyebrow and looked at his twin. “It might work.”

“Who is Arwan?” Nova felt like she was being left out of something big.

“The crazy ancient mage,” Bastian answered.

“The one that’s behind all of this?” Nova looked from one to the other.

Daxx nodded. “He has all the answers, just doesn’t like sharing.”

“Are you good with that?” Rafael was watching Kara.

“If it helps, I can handle it for a short bit.” She looked at Bethany. “Ask Clairee to have a big batch of tea made up.” She turned to Rafael. “I’ll need a few minutes.”

Nova looked at Kara, not sure what they were talking about.

“Hearing a mage’s thoughts is...” Paisley glanced at Kara. “A lot like trying to find your way out of a circus maze.”

“With a thousand clowns,” Kara mumbled and nodded to Troy, “let’s do it.”