Chapter Thirty

“Jude, I’m home,” Olivia called out, shutting the door behind her.

“Upstairs,” her young brother replied.

Olivia climbed the stairs quickly. “Hey buddy,” she said, seeing Jude at his desk. “What are you reading?”

“One of the books I got at the clinic.”

Olivia smiled. “Dr. Roberts called.”

Jude lifted his head from the book and looked at her. “And?”

“He said the test results weren’t good again. He is moving the surgery forward.”

“Oh,” was all that Jude said.

“I can cancel my trip and stay with you if you’re not feeling well.”

“Nonsense. I don’t know what Dr. Roberts said, but I’m feeling fine. You should go. Granny K will take good care of me anyway. You don’t have to worry.”

Olivia nodded and kissed the top of his head. “Okay then, I’ll go order pizza. With the phone call, I totally forgot to stop and pick one on my way here.”

***

Olivia got up early the next morning. As she was packing her bags, she caught herself feeling excited at the prospect of seeing Owen again and spending time with him. She recalled his words from last night, promising her that he would be there to support her during Jude’s surgery, and her heart filled with emotion. He had sounded so sincere, and she felt she could really count on him.

Finishing with her bags, she went to wake Jude up and help him prepare for his stay with Soonja. As arranged, she would take Jude to Soonja’s house in about an hour and then return to wait for Martha to pick her up.

“Are you sure you didn’t forget anything?” Olivia asked Jude, once they were ready to go.

“That’s the tenth time you’ve asked me that. Relax, Olivia.”

“Okay, okay, let’s go then.” Just as Olivia was reaching to open the door, someone rang on the bell outside. She started but opened the door anyway and found the postman waiting, laden with a large box.

“Parcel for Jude Kensington.”

Olivia looked automatically at Jude, who stepped up to sign for the package looking just as baffled as she did.

“Bring it with,” Olivia said. “You’ll have to open it at Soonja’s; there’s no time now. The taxi is waiting for us.”

Jude nodded. The box was almost as big as his torso. Once they were in the taxi, he could not resist beginning to break open the outer packaging.

“I think it’s a box of miniatures,” he said, pleased but confused. A boy who had been told he might not see adulthood was not prone to excitement, having already been delivered the worst disappointment.

Olivia did not have the heart to tell him to be patient; he would comply, but with that horribly familiar blank look that reminded her how little time he might have to wait for anything.

The packaging eased gradually open throughout the drive, until Jude could peel it open enough to look inside.

“It is. It’s the Fated Host.”

Olivia made a nonplussed expression.

“It’s one of the biggest sets they do,” Jude explained. “Who could have sent it?”

Only one name sprang to Olivia’s mind, but she did not say so right then.

The traffic was light and the drive brief. The gates of the Kim residence parted, and Soonja appeared at the front door before the taxi had quite finished rolling up the drive.

“And what is this?” she asked, seeing the huge box in Jude’s arms.

“I think it’s from Owen,” Olivia said.

Jude nodded. “I’ve not told anyone else I wanted this,” he admitted.

Soonja’s cheeks dimpled, and her lips pursed, containing a pleased smile. “Well, what are you waiting for? Come in and open it. Olivia, you can wait long enough to see this too?”

Olivia glanced at the waiting cab. “I shouldn’t, the meter’s running.”

“Oh, pish, bill the company,” Soonja breezed and called out to the driver, “Can you wait, or shall I call a limo?”

The driver shrugged and tapped the meter. Soonja rolled her eyes extravagantly, taking in the long drive, gated garden, and expansive mansion behind her. The driver nodded and shrugged in return and got out of the car to smoke a cigarette.

They went inside, and in the lounge, Jude began tearing into the packaging. Polystyrene beads spilled out as Jude extracted the box within, garish with bright Fantasy artwork. At the bottom of the outer box was a delivery receipt, bearing Owen’s name amid the other details. Olivia showed it to Soonja wordlessly while Jude was still engrossed in the gift itself.

Soonja smiled tightly. “It’s the thought that counts, both ways, be the gift large or small.”

“This is large,” Olivia said softly.

“Lucky Jude didn’t tell Owen he wanted a motorbike. Or a helicopter. If the mood was with him, he might have bought him a jetpack.” She patted Olivia on the arm, then directed her attention to Jude and the box. “And what is it you’ve got there?”

“The Fated Host,” Jude said, sitting amid the wreckage of the packaging with the bright box before him.

Olivia peered over his shoulder at the image on the box. “They look gruesome. Couldn’t you like the good guys?”

“There aren’t any,” Jude explained. “It’s Grimdark, you know, dystopia. The Fated Host worship change.”

“I always liked the Dark Elves,” Soonja admitted. “When Owen was about your age, he bought and painted a witch-queen on a dragon for my birthday. I always thought it rather apt. It’s on the mantle in my bedroom.”

Olivia blinked in mild surprise.

“It never hurts to show an interest,” Soonja explained. “Helps to understand why people do what they do. A habit Owen has apparently learned well.”

The remark sparked a string of memories in snapshot, and Olivia caught herself nodding.

“Tell me about them,” Soonja said to Jude, settling herself on the couch nearby. “Who is this huge bird-thing towering above them all?”

“The Fatemaker,” Jude said. “He’s a blind demon who sees past and future and changes them.”

He had started opening the box now, with meticulous care. From it issued a dozen large sprues of plastic pieces. Jude sifted through them until he identified the huge wings of the centerpiece model.

“A demon?” Olivia echoed dubiously.

“Oh shush,” Soonja told her. “Change is good, if I’m hearing correctly.”

Jude nodded, engrossed in studying the details of the pieces on their sprues. Suddenly, he looked up. “I don’t have my paints or glue...”

“Never mind that,” Soonja told him. “I’ll fetch out Owen’s old things, and we’ll set you up on the coffee table here. I’m sure you’ll have more fun painting than anything else I might have thought up to entertain you.”

Olivia checked the time on her phone and bit her lip. “I have to go, the taxi driver must be rubbing his hands at the fare.”

“Pfft,” Soonja replied, but nodded and rose to see Olivia out.

As they stepped into the hall, she asked, “Do you know the story of the thousand cranes?”

“No?” Olivia frowned.

“There are versions of it in every country on the Asian coast. Once there was a girl who was told she would die, and there was nothing the doctors could do...”

“Do I want to hear this?” Olivia asked.

“I think so. One day, a priest came to visit her. Seeing how sad she was, he told her that if she could make a thousand origami cranes in the time that remained her, perhaps the gods would smile and show mercy.”

“And did they?”

“That depends who tells the story, and it’s beside the point. Owen knows the story, and I think what he’s done is give Jude the same.”

“He’ll never paint all those figures before his operation,” Olivia realized.

“Exactly. But if he tries, perhaps the Fatemaker will smile and change his future. Or grant one.”

Olivia hugged Soonja tightly. “Thank you,” she said, trying hard not to cry. She really hoped Jude had a bright future ahead of him.

“It’s not me you should be thanking.”

Olivia nodded her understanding. “I’ll see him at the conference. We’ll talk.”

“That makes me happy,” Soonja said and squeezed Olivia’s hands.

“Take care of Jude. I’ll see you soon.”

“Have fun,” Soonja called out as Olivia was getting into the taxi.

***

Once they got back to her house, she spotted a fancy car parked outside. A man in a black suit was standing by the driver’s door. She paid the taxi driver and got out, curious to see what other surprise was waiting for her this morning.

She approached the man, and he slightly bowed his head in greeting.

“Are you Miss Kensington?”

“Yes,” she replied. “And you are?”

“David. I am Mr. Kim’s chauffeur. I’ll be taking you to the conference.”

Olivia looked at the car, its windows made to obscure visibility and maintain the passengers’ privacy. “Is Owen in there too?”

“No, miss. Mr. Kim is driving himself to the venue. He just wanted you to have a more pleasant and safe journey and send me to you, but he is not joining us today.”

“Oh,” Olivia said, realizing she was disappointed to hear that. “I’ll go get my bags then.”

“Allow me,” the chauffeur said and followed her inside the house.