Arrival of the Traveler (Waldgrave Book 1) (18 page)

They stared at each other. For Lena, the room suddenly seemed both too big and too small. She didn’t want to be there anymore. She didn’t want to comfort anyone who would encourage what her mother was encouraging, even if she was her mother. Ava lifted herself up; she washed her face and started reapplying her makeup as Lena watched in horror. Her mood had changed entirely.

“And you can just live here, like that? You think of me like that?”

“I have social responsibilities to the other families. I’m Avalon Daray, after all.” She started sifting through a bag of eye shadow compresses. “I don’t make those decisions anyway. If you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare to impress my friends.”

Ava gestured for Lena to leave. Half in disbelief, she did. She couldn’t stay; there was nothing to keep her here. It was less than three months until her birthday in July; she was too young to do it herself. She needed an adult—her father. She needed to run, as he had run, so fast, and to so many places that they would never catch up to her. She would escape from Waldgrave.

No. Running didn’t work, as her current situation indicated. She walked to the library and looked forlornly at the upward leading staircase. She was afraid of him. She knew he wouldn’t help her, but she knew he needed her. As much as she believed Howard and Master Mason when they said everything that could be done was being done, she needed to face this demon herself.

Dreams can’t hurt you, Lena, they’re just dreams…
 Her dreams were real. Her father had known, but these words still gave her comfort. Master Daray wouldn’t hurt her—he needed her, after all.

“What am I waiting for?” She reached out and touched the banister, but didn’t move. She wondered why she didn’t just run; if she knew he wasn’t going to help her, really, it was her only choice. But then, at least she would have faced him, as an adult and an equal.

You may enter.

Lena jumped. She stared up at the door at the top of the stairs, her throat gone dry and goose bumps forming on her skin. She started to slowly back away from the staircase.

Come now, Eden. I’ve been expecting you for quite some time. Years, even.

She took a deep breath. To back down now would be to admit defeat. Her chest was tight and every part of her quivered like a leaf. She forced herself back toward the stairs, every move as halting as a marionette. She climbed the stairs, not knowing exactly how she managed to do it. The adrenaline pulsing in her brain was causing her ears to buzz.

Open the door…

She reached her hand towards the knob, half afraid that it might bite her. She half expected it to jerk open in front of her, revealing a menace that would cause her to faint down the stairs again. She turned it slowly, and then pushed it open.

Good girl.

It was a much simpler room than the library. Bookshelves, orderly and alphabetized, covered one entire wall. Muted light came from wall lamps which vaguely resembled giant leaves, and the room was carpeted in a deep burgundy. It might have been her fear, but Lena thought it was meant to resemble blood. Various artifacts littered the room; tapestries, rugs, framed mirrors, coat racks, giant wooden trunks, and even the skeleton of a giant creature Lena couldn’t identify. It had the form of a cat, ready to pounce, except that it appeared to be more lizard-like than anything else, with a sweeping skeletal tail behind it and two horns sprouting from its forehead. And in the middle of it all was an oversized desk, carved very elaborately, and behind the desk…

You will never be my equal.

“I don’t want to be your equal.”

His upper lip quivered. He smiled in a way that scared her. “And yet you wish to face me as such. Have a seat.”

“What…?” Lena suddenly felt dizzy. A chair had condensed in front of the desk. She walked towards it, trying to seem unimpressed, but the dusty smell of the artifacts was getting to her. The chair itself smelled moldy; it probably hadn’t been used in—

“About ten years. I haven’t been allowed many guests since then.” Daray picked up a pen from his desk and casually examined it. His face was old, and his eyes had a look that Lena had too frequently seen in her short life.

“You’re dying.” She said, before she had even had time to think about it.

Daray froze, the pen suspended haphazardly between two fingers. His shallow eyes drifted to Lena, and a crooked smile overcame his thin lips.

Clever girl…
 “Since the day I was born, as it goes. I am not so easily impressed. But since it’s death you wish to speak of—“

For a fleeting moment, Lena feared he would start in on her father again. He flashed another smile at her and continued.

“—your brother, I mean. He was a fine boy; it’s really too bad. If he hadn’t been murdered by zealots, well, we’d know each other on different terms. If your mother hadn’t chosen to run off with a damn human, we wouldn’t have to know each other at all.” He set the pen down. “And I think…” He pushed himself up from the desk, and began wandering toward one of the wall mirrors. “Those may be the only things the two of you had in common. My decision concerning young Master Corbett stands.”

“I won’t stay…” Lena whispered. He was old, yes—but so regal. His movements were as strong as those of a man fifty years his junior, and even so, there was no mistaking that look. Lena had experienced it first with her father, and then with her grandmother. When someone is going to die, things come floating to the surface like rot in a bog. Baby eyes are deep and dark as the ocean, but dying souls push everything up and out, until the eyes are so light and clear and there are only a few specks of condensed color flecking them. Lena could see death hovering around Master Daray.

A movement across the room caught her eye, and Lena looked over to see the cat, sitting stark still next to a bookcase and watching her. Lena greatly disliked that cat…He seemed to always be watching her.

“He’s a portal cat, Lena. I know you’ve never heard of such a thing, as he’s the last of his breed. A sad thing, really. You see, when the original Silenti came through the portal, some of them brought pets.” She saw him nod at the gigantic skeleton. “There were only a few portal cats, but they have very long life spans. Some were known to reach well over five hundred years and weigh over fifteen thousand pounds. They are natural companions for Silenti, as they share some of our abilities. Remarkable animals. Genetically, they can interbreed with house cats. It’s even been suggested to me that I try to repopulate the species by breeding him with a regular house cat,” Daray turned and looked over his shoulder at Lena, an ironic smile on his face, “But I wouldn’t do him the dishonor of forcing him to propagate impure, weakly offspring. Such creatures have no place in the world.”

You’re sick…
 “I’m not staying.” Lena simply restated her earlier assertion. She wasn’t going to let him get to her, as Howard had said he would try.

“I won’t force you to. I’m not the enemy. Howard, however…” He turned back to the mirror and straightened his clothes. “Well, I doubt he would ever give you such an offer. My rules were always simple, Eden. Live by them and you can do what you want. I would let you travel the globe again, given that you acquiesced to a few simple requirements. One or two little things, that’s all I ask, and then I’d give you the world. Howard would never do that for you.”

“You’re just saying that because he says not to trust you.”

“If you believe I’m the one keeping you here,” He turned to face her, and started walking toward the chair. “Then go with my blessing. Howard is a jailor, and we have more in common than you think. I’ll even release you from the marriage if you prove me wrong.”

“You’re lying. There’s nothing he wants more than to keep me away from you.”

Daray laughed quietly. He waved Lena away as he sat down to his desk; Lena went immediately back to her room, with Daray’s blessing that she might leave Waldgrave forever, and started packing.

*****

CHAPTER
9

She set her sights on the end of the family meetings. She would fulfill her social duties, say her goodbyes all at once, and then set off like everyone else. She knew she had nowhere to go, and no one to stay with, but she was sure she would figure it out somehow. The Masons were friendly enough, and might be willing to take her. She was sure Howard would know of somewhere she could go to be safe until she was eighteen—he had admitted to her that he had secretly been supplying the money that had funded her father’s travels. But until then, she at least had the fact that Waldgrave was a temporary exile.

“My, you’re in a sunny disposition today.” Hesper looked at Lena from under her dark eye makeup.

Lena smiled over at her. “Breakfast is good today.”

“Sure…” Hesper eyed Lena suspiciously; the eggs were cold, the toast overdone, and the oatmeal slightly too dry.

“Oh! I forgot!” To Hesper’s slight annoyance, Lena’s face lit up further. “I wrote a note. Do you think you could…”

Hesper took her meaning at once, and her mood lifted. “Absolutely.”

Lena pulled the note out of her pocket and put it gingerly in Hesper’s hand. It was dishonest to let Hesper believe it was a love note, but Lena was sure that was the only way it would get delivered. She wanted to say her final goodbyes to Griffin. To tell him thanks for being a friend, even a false one, and not to look for her once she was gone. She smiled at Hesper; she wished they would have met in any other situation. It was unfortunate that she was Griffin’s sister, and even though Lena would have liked her as a sister-in-law, she was in a position where it would only happen over her dead body. There was only a little over a week to go until she left this world, the Silenti world, forever.

Everything was different over the next few days. Lena even found it in her to smile in spite of Serafina and her band of venomous friends. Even one particularly nasty remark, about how being raised by humans made one suitable for nothing better than servant work, didn’t dampen her spirits. Lena had simply smiled, walked up to her, and asked if she was jealous.

“You know, Sera, you’ll never be a Daray, so stop pretending.”

Serafina’s jaw had dropped in disbelief. Several people in the room had stopped talking and turned their heads to watch. Some of them had even giggled—music to Lena’s ears. Serafina had blushed, speechless, and walked away. Not back to her friends, but out of the room. It had been magnificent.

Howard was hard to come by. After three days had passed, and she still hadn’t managed to run into him (even at mealtimes, which was very uncharacteristic), she sought out Mrs. Ralston to ask about him. She was in the kitchen, which was usual nowadays.

“Mrs. Ralston, I need to find—“

“Excuse me, dear!” She turned around, carrying a rather large platter with several garnished Cornish hens on it. Lena stepped backwards and into another kitchen helper.

“Oh! Sorry! Mrs. Ralston, where’s Howard?” The kitchen was busy. People were everywhere, mixing things, washing things, stirring things on the stove.

“He’s upstairs, like usual.” Mrs. Ralston bustled, adjusting her grip on the tray as she gestured at Lena with her elbow. “I need to be where you are.”

Lena stepped aside again, this time being careful not to bump anyone. “Can you go and find him for me?”

Mrs. Ralston set the hens down, stripped off the oven mitts, wiped her hands on her apron, then planted them firmly on her hips. A few strands of hair had slipped out of the tight bun on the back of her head and fell across her face.

“I’m a little busy, if you haven’t noticed. We’re short staffed this year, so I’m very sorry. No.”

“Well…” Lena looked around. She really needed to talk to Howard about leaving, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to navigate the upper floors well enough to find him. She sighed, and looked back into Mrs. Ralston’s strained face. “What can I do to help?”

Mrs. Ralston pursed her lips; she clearly thought that Lena’s presence in the kitchen was more likely a hindrance than a help. “Sink. Ask Lynn where she needs you.”

Lena slouched over to the sink, where a burly woman with blond hair stared at her with beady eyes. “Lynn?”

The woman threw a towel at her and pointed to a spot next to a boy who was drying dishes as they were passed to him. Lena walked over and took a spot next to him.

“So, do you come here often?”

Lena rolled her eyes before looking over at her drying companion. At first, she had thought he was a child. Now she saw that he was only short, and perhaps only a year younger than herself. He had a sickly pale complexion and a lopsided smile.

“I live here,” she replied.

The boy glanced around the room, as if trying to place her. “Haven’t seen you on the drying line before…”

“I’m…um, new to dish work.” Lena looked down at her hands, not wishing to embarrass the boy, who obviously thought she was one of the staff.

He smiled and passed her a dish, which she dried and passed on to her right, where someone was taking stacks to re-shelve.

“I’m Devin.” He stuck a hand out at her.

“Lena.” She extended her hand, and they shook.

Lynn glared at them, and they went back to their dishes. Lena threw a look over her shoulder to see if Mrs. Ralston was watching her, but was unpleasantly surprised to see Serafina Perry. Leaning against the wall near the door to the dining room, she had a tight smile on her face.

Finally found where you belong, I see…
 She said with a pleased sneer.

She walked slowly out of the room. Lena was sure Serafina would make her regret her decision to help. Sure enough, a few moments later, Lena noticed heads poking through the door, and heard laughter in the living room. She felt the blush spreading up her neck, and tried to focus on the dish and drying cloth in her hands.

“Just ignore them. They think they’re so much better than us, but they’re not.”

She looked over at Devin. “What?”

Devin glanced back at the door. “We should be equals, but we’re not.”

Lena shrugged. She really wasn’t sure how to respond to Devin’s remarks.      

Devin went on. “I mean, I’ve only been here three years, and even I know it.”      

“I’ve only been here since early February.” Lena smiled weakly.

“Oh, wow. Kind of sucks, doesn’t it? I mean, you find out you’re special, and then you wind up being a second class citizen.” Devin was scrubbing the dishes as they came through now, which really wasn’t necessary, but certainly added an emphasis to his words. Lena tried to change the subject. She wasn’t in the mood for more politics.

“Some of them are nice…”

“You haven’t been here long enough. I mean, they’re born to fortune, and the best we can hope for is that they let us stay on as help? It’s really not fair. Just because you’re found and brought into the community, instead of being born to Silenti parents, means you’re less of a Silenti…” He looked over at Lena. She suddenly found it hard to meet his eyes, but tried to. She was relieved to see Howard walking into the kitchen out of the corner of her eye.

“Devin, it was nice to meet you. I’ve got to go. Excuse me…” She finished off the plate in her hand and then put down the towel and walked out into the living room with Howard. She sighed deeply and smiled at him.

“I’ve decided I’m leaving.” She said.

Howard smiled bemusedly. “Yes, Griffin told me he thought you would want to leave. It’s odd, really, how well he knows you. Where are you going?”

“I was hoping you could send me somewhere until I’m old enough…you know, to be on my own.”

“Lena.” The look on his face wasn’t promising. “That’s just not an option.”

Lena looked around the room. Deciding she needed more privacy, she asked Howard to follow her up to the library before continuing.

“What do you mean, not an option? I want to be away from here! Everyone here is sexist. And I’m not marrying him!” Lena threw herself down on a couch. “I even got his permission…” She nodded toward the stairs.

Howard sat down next to her. “I agree you’re not marrying him.”

“I’m not a political plaything! I shouldn’t have to deal with this. I want you to tell me I can date whoever I want, marry whoever I want, and do whatever the hell I feel like doing with my life!”

Howard stared. “I’m sorry. You can do those things, but I can’t let you leave. For your own good.”

She pounded the couch with her fists, gritting her teeth. “You said I was here because he wanted me to be, and that you had to be here so he wouldn’t make me twisted or something. 
He
 said I could go, so it really makes sense that I leave, because it’ll take a lot of strain off of everyone.” She took a deep breath to steady herself. She couldn’t believe she was actually having to fight Howard on this issue. “Including me. Being away from here would make my life a lot easier.”