Misplaced (38 page)

Sh
e
remembere
d
tha
t
da
y
a
s
i
f
i
t
w
er
e
happenin
g
again.
Ho
w
unafrai
d
he
r
siste
r
ha
d
been
!
“Thi
s
ne
v
e
r
happened,”
Menefr
a
ha
d
declared
,
stickin
g
he
r
smal
l
fac
e
clos
e
t
o
the
captain’s
,
“fo
r
i
f
i
t
did,
”
he
r
twin’
s
voic
e
turne
d
ominous,
“Nandor will be most unhappy with you.”

After
he
nodded
w
eakly,
Mennie
wiped
a
w
ay
Khara’s
tears
an
d
tol
d
her
,
“I
f
m
y
e
y
e
s
turne
d
int
o
pool
s
o
f
gol
d
th
e
w
ay
yours do, I would make myself cry e
v
ery day.”

I
n
tha
t
moment
,
Khar
a
ha
d
fel
t
th
e
abundanc
e
o
f
he
r
siste
r
’s
lo
v
e. Now she wondered where it had gone.

R
e
f
lec
tin
g
o
n
Fathe
r
Do
nat
o’
s
a
rgu
me
n
t
fo
r
th
e
s
upr
em
e
po
w
er
of
lo
v
e
w
as
equally
perplexing.
The
truth
in
his
gentle
word
s
coul
d
no
t
b
e
denied
.
P
erhap
s
h
e
migh
t
b
e
abl
e
t
o
help
her with a few other questions that stole her sleep at night.

Chapte
r
Sixteen
Vic
t
oria

Th
e
harder she tried to push a
w
ay the images conjured
b
y
he
r
imagination
,
th
e
mor
e
realisti
c
the
y
became—Khara
w
anderin
g
th
e
streets
,
confuse
d
an
d
afraid
.
Wha
t
i
f
sh
e
ha
d
dare
d
t
o
as
k
fo
r
help
?
V
ictori
a
picture
d
he
r
frien
d
lace
d
into
a straitjacket while some xenophobic psychiatrist pumped her full of sedati
v
es after hearing her story.

“Where is she?” she demanded of Dante. He jumped onto the
counter,
normally
a
punishable
offense. “
Y
ou
’
re
supposed to
know
e
v
erything.
Is
she
all
right?”
His
luminous
e
y
es
closed
lazily
,
an
d
the
n
opene
d
wit
h
a
snap
.
“
I
ha
v
e
n
o
ide
a
wha
t
that’s
supposed to mean,”
V
ictoria said as she lifted him up, placing
th
e
mink
y
softnes
s
o
f
hi
s
chee
k
agains
t
hers
.
“I
n
he
r
world, askin
g
yo
u
t
o
inter
v
en
e
i
s
perfectl
y
normal.
”
Dant
e
bega
n
to
squirm
and
she
set
him
on
the
floor. Ears
back,
he
scrambled a
w
ay.

“Some sacred being you are.
Y
ou can’t e
v
en
w
atch out for
her
,
an
d
sh
e
idolize
s
you.
”
Cel
l
phon
e
i
n
hand
,
sh
e
hea
v
e
d
a
sigh.
“
Y
ou
’
re
nothing
but
an
ordinary
cat,
and
not
a
v
ery
good
one at that.”

Ther
e
w
a
s
n
o
on
e
t
o
call
,
n
o
on
e
wh
o
coul
d
help
.
She
debated
searching
the
neighborhood,
but
decided
it
w
as
best
to
stay put. Throwing open the patio doors, she stepped outside.
An
y
minut
e
now
,
she
’
l
l
b
e
back
;
sh
e
can’
t
ha
v
e
gon
e
far.
Another
hour.
If
she
hasn’t
come
back
by
then,
I
’
ll…I
’
ll
what?
It’s
going
to
be
all
right.
Y
eah,
that’s
it.
Inhale.
Deep,
calming
breaths
.
Thin
k
o
f
somethin
g
positi
v
e—th
e
w
a
y
Rober
t
squeezed
you
r
han
d
th
e
othe
r
night
.
Coul
d
Khar
a
b
e
righ
t
abou
t
him
?
Khara, where are you? Oh god…

Mercifully,
the
front
door
opened
and
Khara
w
andered
in
absentmindedly,
scarcely
ackno
w
ledging
that
anyone
else
w
as
in the room.

“Wher
e
i
n
t
h
e
hel
l
ha
v
e
y
o
u
b
een
!
Y
o
u
ha
v
e
n
o
ide
a
how
worrie
d
I’
v
e
been
.
Fro
m
no
w
on
,
whe
n
I’
m
gone
,
yo
u
stay
here!”

T
urning
her
hawk’s
stare
on
V
ictoria,
Khara
challenged,
in
a
disconcertingly
calm
voice,
“I
did
not
realize
that
I
w
as
your
prisoner.”

“Y
o
u
k
no
w
b
ette
r
t
ha
n
t
ha
t
.
Loo
k
,
I’
m
doin
g
e
v
er
yt
hin
g
I
can,
but
I
need
your
help.
And
that
means
not
complicating
the
situation any further.”

Khara
rejected
the
idea
with
a
toss
of
her
head.
“I
ha
v
e
been
ensuring our safe passage.”

“Y
ou don’t say. May I ask how you did that?”

“I
consulte
d
wit
h
Fathe
r
Donat
o
a
t
th
e
templ
e
o
f
St
.
P
atrick.”

“Y
ou
w
ent
to
church?
That’s
just
great.”
V
ictoria
collapsed
on
the
couch,
grabbed
a
pillow
and
clutched
it
to
her
chest.
“I
hope you didn’t mention me.”

Khar
a
sa
t
a
s
fa
r
a
w
a
y
a
s
th
e
L-shape
d
sof
a
allo
w
ed
,
arms
across
her
chest.
“Rest
assured,
I
did
not.
Among
other
things,
he has promised to show me how the bells work.”

“No!”
V
ictoria
sat
up,
pitching
the
pillow
to
the
floor.
“It’s
not a good idea for you to go back there.”

“But I
w
ant to learn more about your god of lo
v
e.”

“
Y
ou
ha
v
e
to
belie
v
e
me
when
I
tell
you
that
e
v
ery
person
who knows you
’
re here lessens our chances of success.”

A
bewildere
d
loo
k
crosse
d
Khara’
s
face
.
“Wha
t
har
m
ca
n
he
bring? I said only that I
w
as a visitor.”

“I
suppos
e
yo
u
forgo
t
t
o
mentio
n
tha
t
you
’
r
e
ro
y
alt
y
o
n
a
time-tra
v
eling mission to regain your crown?”