Passion (12 page)

Everyone
looked expectantly at Liam.  He’d still not given an answer and he seemed at a
loss.

“They
could bottle as many as they can,” I suggested.

Liam
looked at me with an amused gaze.  “That would probably be the simplest
solution.”  He turned to his new armies.  “Is that possible?”

Every
one of the men there pulled out two small bottles, one from each pocket.

“Great.”
Liam clapped his hands together with satisfaction.  “Get going, and remember,
be discreet and be silent.”

“Is
there any way they can communicate with us?” Torrid asked.  “I mean, what if
they come across a veritable army of Catchers?”

Liam
seemed reluctant to acknowledge the validity of Torrid’s question, but he
finally had to concede.  “That’s a good idea, but I have no radio, no phone…
basically I have no reliable way of communicating.”

“I
do,” I said. 

They
all looked at me as if I’d spoken out of turn.

“Well,
Torrid could, too, can’t you?”

“Telepathy?” 
He looked at the band of waiting men.  “That’s not always reliable.  It comes
and goes.  It depends so much on who you're trying to connect with.”

“All
we need is someone with an open mind,” I said.  Looking from Torrid to Liam I
saw their skepticism.  “Come on.  I’m sure there is someone here who has the
ability to think clearly and concisely; someone who can let us know what’s
going on.”

A
tall, shy looking blond with big brown eyes raised his hand.  “Mom always said
I was like an open book.”

I
looked at him, held his gaze, and peered deep into his mind.  “I’m sure your
mother Gail was right… Jimmy… is that right?”

He
grinned. “My mother’s name is Gail, and yes, Jimmy’s my name.”

Feeling
a little cocky I looked at Liam and Torrid.  “How’s that?”

A
little shocked, Liam looked at me.  “You can… I mean you read… Since when?”

Despite
the innocent wonder of his question, I could see his concern.  Could I read his
mind?

“No,
Liam.  I’ve never read your mind.  I’ve never really tried.”

His
eyes widened and he cocked his head with doubt.  “But… you just did.”

“I
didn’t read your mind, Liam.  I read your eyes.  I didn’t literally hear you
ask the question, like I’ve done a few times with Torrid.  I could hear him,
faintly, but clearly, as though he were whispering in my ear.  What I just did
with you was an educated guess based on how well I know you.”

“Okay,
Kama.  We’ll talk about it later.”  He turned to his men.  “Anyone else capable
of telepathy, contact Kama.  Ideally I’d like to have at least one of you from
each band.”

Two
other young men raised their hand.

“Sounds
good, Moran and Finch.”

With
the communication problem resolved, Liam opened the door to the tunnel.  “Good
luck, guys.”

They
marched into the tunnel as silently as they could…seventy-two burly djinn men,
recently freed and now taking the battle to the Catchers instead of being the
ones running away. Liam quietly shut the door behind them.

“Now
what?” Torrid crossed his arms over his chest.

Liam
turned away from Torrid and looked at me.  “Get Denia.  I think the army she’s
gathered will be better suited for the Governor’s Manor.  The house is large
and so are the grounds.  I want them to spread out and look for…” He choked and
fell silent.

“I
think Denia is perfect for the task of searching your home, Liam.  I’ll go get
her.”

Back
in the stairwell, I found Denia.  “Liam wants you to go to the Governor’s
Manor.”

“Okay…
You kind of say that as if it was a big deal.  Should I be honored or what?”

“The
Governor’s Manor is where Liam grew up.  I don’t think he wants an army to
bulldoze their way in there.  Regardless of what’s happened, I think he sees
this as a delicate operation.  That said, I’m sure he wants swift justice for
any Catchers or Magical Ones you come across.”  I turned away and looked out
the doorway and into the circular room.

Liam
stood near Torrid though they didn’t speak to one another.  Each was lost in
his own thoughts, contemplating the possible outcome of this offensive.

“I’m
not sure about the treatment he would prefer should you run into his father.”

“His
father being…?”

I
looked at her, surprised she didn’t know who Liam was.  “His father is the
governor… Governor Pim Seer.”

Denia
gazed back at her band of brightly colored friends.  “We’ll be as respectful as
we can, which, under the circumstances might not live up to your friend’s
standards, but… hell, this is war.”

I
wanted to argue with her, but just shrugged.  She was right.  This was war.  I
led her and her army to Liam.

“I’ve
already explained a bit about her mission,” I told him.

His
head was elsewhere.  He looked at us, but didn’t see us.

“Liam?”
I patted his shoulder and tried to shake him out of it.  “Liam, Denia’s here
and she’s ready.  I know this is a sensitive matter, but Denia understands.”  I
shot her a sidelong glance.

She
nodded her response.

“I
want them to bottle any and all Catchers and Magical Ones they find.  If they
find Dr. Sanz, sound the alarm.”

I
didn’t want to push the question of his father, but had to.  “What about…?”

Liam
turned to address Denia directly.  “If you see the governor…”

My
heart went out to him.  I couldn’t imagine having to decide the fate of a
parent.

“Sound
the alarm.”

Chapter 13

F
or the next fifteen minutes we worked with the
remaining troops, determining their strengths and weaknesses.  Once they were
sent off on their mission, we were left with our own part in this offensive
strike.

“You
ready?” I looked at Liam.  His strength and determination were still there,
strong and unrelenting, but I could see how he dreaded going back to his home.

“I
won’t deny it.  I’m not looking forward to going.  As for my father… well, I
have mixed feelings.  Part of me wants to personally choke the wind out of him
should I run into him.  The other part just hopes I don’t run into him at all.”

“Either
way,” Torrid said.  “We better get going.”

Liam
nodded tightly and led the way.  Aside from the soft padding of our feet on the
damp concrete floor, the tunnel was silent, and increasingly dark.  Only when
we turned in the direction of the manor did a glimmer of light appear.

The
great distance that still separated us from the manor made the light appear as
a pinpoint.  Our progress was fast, but still the light seemed miles away. 
After a few minutes we heard the light chatter of Denia and her crew.  Though
it was impossible to make out what they were saying, their tone was
encouraging.  Light and carefree, they almost seemed to be enjoying their time
at the manor.

“This
tunnel opens up into the manor’s cellar.  I know my father kept an impressive
collection of rare and expensive wines in a portion of the cellar.  I hope
they’re not enjoying themselves too much.”

I
glanced sidelong at Liam and saw his teasing grin.  “When this is all over, we
can all meet in your father’s cellar and celebrate our victory.”

While
he grinned his agreement, his eyes held onto a reservation.  I wanted to ask if
it was about drinking his father’s wine or if he simply didn’t believe we had a
true chance of winning.

Putting
my hand to his shoulder, I wanted to reassure him, but I remained silent and
simply tried to convey my optimism through my touch.

As
we got closer to the manor I’d come to know so well in my childhood, the scents
I remembered; scents of rich upholstery and soft leather, of fresh cut flowers
and gourmet food, of expensive cologne.  For a poignant moment I was brought
back to the many afternoons I’d spent there with Liam. Always with Liam. I
swallowed.

Liam’s
hand brushed across mine, a ploy he’d used so many times before we’d started
dating.  I smiled at the thought.  He was such an outgoing and sociable guy,
yet when it came to showing me how he really felt about me, he’d always been
shy and hesitant.

“This
is it,” Liam finally said. 

Up
ahead, now clearly defined, was a screen door that led into Liam’s home.

He
took the last steps and put his hand to the door.  “This is it,” he repeated.

“You
want me to go in first?” I asked.

For
a moment he didn’t answer and I thought I’d offended him.  When he did turn to
look at me, he flashed me one of his warm and playful grins.

“Thanks,
Kama.  I got it.”  He pushed the door and entered the cellar.

“Where
do you want to start?” I asked.

“Upstairs
in the private quarters.” He swallowed and even grimaced.  “I’m not too
thrilled about having to go through my dad’s room, but…”

Resigned
to the task ahead of him, he led us up to the main floor then onto the private
rooms of the second floor.  His room was to the right, while his father’s room
was at the opposite end.  My entire home could easily fit two times in the
space that divided their rooms.  Perhaps it explained the emotional distance
that now separated Liam from his father.

“I’m
going to go take a look in my room,” Liam said.

“Torrid,”
I said.  “Why don’t you go through his father’s room?”

I
saw his displeasure, but he nodded.

“Fine.”

“He
has a private bathroom, his sleeping quarters and a smaller room in which he
occasionally receives guests.”

With
an efficient nod to Liam, and a questioning nod to me, he turned and went in
search of the governor’s room.

“Thanks,”
Liam said.

“I
know this is difficult on you, no matter how stoic you try to be.  I just want
to do what I can to help make it easier.”

“You
coming to my room with me?”

The
question held such weight and such memories.  I couldn’t help but let out an
amused giggle as I thought of all the times he’d asked me that.  It had always
been innocent and playful as children, but had come to mean time alone with him
as we’d grown closer.

I
followed him to his room, down the familiar corridor that had always been so
intimidating, yet these were the corridors that had forged so many dreams. 
Tempted to speak of my memories aloud, I clenched my teeth and kept quiet.

“Who
would have ever thought we’d be walking down this hall under these
circumstances?” Liam said, his tone soft and solemn.

I
didn’t know what to say.  There were no words that could erase the plans we’ve
had together nor explain how everything had changed. 

“We
sure had some good times here, didn’t we?”

Though
I’d allowed myself to silently go partway down that memory lane, I knew it
wasn’t a good idea to take that route with Liam.

“Things
changed pretty fast.  Who would have thought that turning eighteen would bring
so many changes?”

“Remember
when we took some of the tomato plants from the garden and tried to plant them
in my room.”

I
chuckled.  “We’d brought up bucket after bucket of soil.”

“Why
in the world did we think that they would grow in my room?”

“I
don’t know.  Probably because we were eight years old.”

“Not
to argue, but I think we were ten.”

“Still,
I think we can be excused for being silly and naïve at ten.”

He
stopped walking and turned to me.  “I’d give the world the be silly and naïve
again.  I’d give the world to be ten again, if only to start all over again
with you.”

“Liam,”
I whispered.

Shaking
his head, he resumed his stride.  “I know.  Sorry.  Being here… with you… the
emotions are a little stronger than I thought.  You know it’s not what you
thought… my fear of coming here.  It’s not facing my father that I fear most. 
It’s facing my memories of you.  It’s remembering the plans we’d made, the
dreams we had.”

He
took an uncompromising hold of my hand.  “I know we can’t go back to what we
were.  I know I’m now meant to be a strong warrior; that I have to stand up and
defend the Arcadia that I want to build, but that doesn’t mean that I can so
easily let go of everything we had; everything we were.”

“Believe
it or not, this is hard on me, too, Liam.  I never planned for the changes that
came.  They just came.”

“I
know.  I’m not blaming you, but I can’t say I’m happy about it either.”

We
arrived at his room and stood at the threshold, each consumed by the memories
that had made up such a large part of our lives.

The
moment we walked in, I knew it was a mistake.  Walking into his room was like
flipping through a photo album.  The memories were even more startlingly clear
than I had anticipated.

His
bed where we’d spent so many evenings sitting and talking, only to later spend
so much time touching and discovering.

“Remember
the first time you kissed me?” I heard the question come through my lips as if
I was still the twelve year old who’d received that kiss.

“I
was so nervous,” he admitted.

“I
remember.  You went and brushed your teeth three times.”

He
chuckled.  “I wanted to smell fresh.”

“Well,
you certainly did.”

“It
was the best kiss in the world.”

I
looked at him.  While I could see his desire to respect the new direction I’d
taken in my life, I could also see his desire to pull me into his arms and try kissing
me.

“Um,
what exactly are we looking for?” I asked before things became too heated.

He
stared blankly at me for a long moment.

“Find
Catchers.  Find Rogue Magical Ones.” 

He
sounded so unconvincing that I wanted to give him a pep talk to bring him back
in the game.