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k_a_webbHereward stormed into the Sleeping Chimaera. He looked as though he’d been in some sort of fight, so Lucille knew what had happened without needing to ask and her heart sank. Someone had died. There wouldn’t be fury in his eyes if all of his guards had got through it safely. “Why didn’t you tell us there was a Fasachi connection?”
Peric tilted his head to one side, studying Hereward. “Would you have believed me if I had, Hereward?”
Silence followed. “I don’t know.” He slumped into the seat next to Lucille. “My people are dead, Peric, and I have to tell their families.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You were the one who sent the note, weren’t you?” Hereward shook his head. “You did try to tell me, but I thought it was the counterfeiters trying to fool me, so I didn’t pay any attention, no matter what anyone said to me. Both Sal and Durai tried to convince me otherwise.”
“Durai and Sal had been working with is to prepare as many guards as possible for the fight to be with Fasachis, but obviously it wasn’t enough.” Lucilled sighed. “I wish things could have been different, Hereward. We did our best to make sure you’d all come out of it safely. Unfortunately our best wasn’t good enough.”
Their eyes met as Hereward shook his head. “No, Lucille, it was my best that wasn’t good enough. My job is to investigate every possible lead and I didn’t. I was scared that we would come up against Fasachis, so I made the decision that it was better to pretend that it wasn’t going to happen instead of reacting the way I should have.”
“Even though I think you could have made better choices I don’t blame you for feeling that way.” Durai sat down opposite Hereward. “When I first read the note I felt exactly the same way you did, because I didn’t want to think we’d be coming up against a group of Fasachis, but I realised that it was more than likely true. None of us think the ring started there, though.”
“That is where we’re going to have to go next though.” Peric’s eyes met with Lucille. “Even though I don’t want to go to Fasach I have to see this to the end. We all do.”
“Leaving without bringing an end to the ring might mean that the counterfeits end up travelling to other worlds and I can’t let them happen.” Lucile smiled at Peric before turning her attention back to Hereward. “As I’m in contact with the current leader of the Council I could get him to send someone trustworthy here to keep an eye on things.”
“We should be fine… I hope we will be anyway, as we managed to capture the goanna boss and his underlings. Of course that doesn’t mean we’ve brough a total end to the counterfeiters in Seahorse Port, but with them in custody I hope we’ll be able to capture the rest without too much difficulty.”
“I’m glad.” Lucille looked at Durai, knowing that he was the more trustworthy of the two of them, and it was when he shook his head that she knew things weren’t as tidy as Hereward wanted them to be. “We’ll be here for another couple of days at least, so let me know if you change your mind.”
Hereward nodded. “I will. Now that it’s all over I have some reports to write and then I need to go to tell the families what’s happened.” He slumped. “That’s always my least favourite part of the job.”
Once Hereward had left the Chimera Lucille turned to Durai. “What did happen?”
Durai glanced over his shoulder, as though he was making certain that Hereward was gone, before saying anything. “Merry, do you have a vision crystal? It would be easier for me to show everyone what happened rather than trying to describe it.”
Meriwether nodded. “I have one upstairs. I won’t be long.”
He disappeared, leaving Lucille staring at Durai. “A vision crystal?”
“Before I came here I did my best to gather the memories of as many of my guards as possible. I want to see what we missed, because I’m certain we missed something. All Hereward wanted to do was get off that ship once he had control of the goanna boss. Right now it’s still in port, but there are no guarantees it will stay there until morning, and I have a horrible feeling that someone here is able to take over.” Durai sighed. “Hereward is tired of it now. I am as well, but I think I have a reason to keep going and he doesn’t.”
“You have a family to protect.”
Nodding, Durai rested his head on one of his paws. “Hereward, from the very early days, was totally focused on his career, so he never found anyone. I managed to split my attention between my career and my relationship, which I think might only have been because I happened to be in that relationship before I started training to be a guard. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t. We both worry about each other – she worries that something will happen to me when I’m on duty and I worry that something will happen to her because of what I do. It doesn’t help that we have children as well, children who I love and do my best to protect from the worst of my job, but it doesn’t always work as well as I need it to.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Get someone here to keep an eye on things.” Durai smiled at Lucille. “Maybe not a Moonjumper, just someone you trust, because I don’t think we’ve solved the issues here, not yet.”
Lucille nibbled her bottom lip. “I think I’ll have a chat with Kai as he’s already here.”
“You know him well enough to trust him?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course I can.” Durai studied her. “What don’t I know about Kaito?”
“When I knew him he was a Moonjumper. Technically he still is, because he escaped the Council before they could take him in for questioning, and he came here so he’d be safe. It isn’t something he tells to everyone, but I think it’s time you knew, as he will be able to help you if you need it, so go to him if something does happen. Tell him I sent you and he’ll do what he can.” Lucille shook her head. “Honestly I think he knows more of the Shadow Council than he lets on, so if he can’t help I’m sure he’ll be able to get someone else in.”
“Even though I didn’t think it was possible I always thought there was something a little strange about Kaito. His magic…”
“It does work differently to yours. We aren’t certain why, though. It could be because he once lived a life here or it could simply be because being a Moonjumper means that you can use the magics of different worlds in a way that no one else can.”
“Doesn’t he want to find out for certain?”
“He does, but he’s always been more thoughtful that I have. I always jump into things with both feet, while Kai will think things through first, so he’s probably better for you now than I would be.”
“That’s why you came with Peric and Bertram in the first place.”
“Exactly.” Lucille laughed. “I should have walked away. I should have followed the first rule. Instead I got involved, before telling the Council why I had to be. Fortunately they accepted my reasoning and I could stay here, but there was always a chance I could have had my Moonjumper status removed from me because of what I did.”
“Fortunately the Council aren’t stupid enough to do something like that.” Meriwether placed the vision crystal in the middle of the table. “You are a shooting star. If they pushed you away they would lose someone they need, because they know something’s coming as well even if they don’t want to believe it. Without you they won’t have the one thing they’re really going to need – a Moonjumper that is trusted and on the Council.”
She felt her cheeks flush as she shrugged. “Maybe you’re right about that, but I don’t feel special, I don’t feel like a shooting star, and I never have done.”
“Which is why you’re special. The people who feel they are never truly are special and those who are special blush when they’re told they’re a shooting star.” He smiled at her. “Accept what you are, Lucy, because we need someone like you more than we ever have before. You’re the right person to be here, now, and you’ll be the right person to be speaking for us when we need you to. Even though you may not think we should we do believe in you, because you’ve helped us and no Council Moonjumper has done that before.”
Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.