Ambrosia Shore (9 page)

My feet hobbled up the stone steps, struggling to keep up, as the man dragged me toward the massive entrance of the Court of Ambassadors. My wrists ached where the cold metal handcuffs dug into my skin. I could feel Rayne’s phone buzzing in my pocket, over and over again. I wondered if Jax was trying to call me. My head jerked back to search the crowd behind me, hoping to find his face.

Was this the end of the line, my cover officially blown? Or was there a chance this guy secretly worked for my father, and the whole handcuff-thing was just to keep up appearances? But no one in Banya even knew who I was—except this guy apparently—and it seemed to me like we were actually attracting unwanted attention from onlookers, something I was sure my father would want to avoid.

The guy’s feet suddenly stopped only halfway up the steps as an attractive, middle-aged man approached from above. “Oh, Councilman Bennett,” the guy said nervously. “I wasn’t expecting to see you, sir.”

The name immediately caught my attention. Wasn’t that the same name Jax called his father earlier?

“What’s going on here?” the councilman asked. “Who is this woman?”

The guy swallowed. “Uh, her name is Sadie, sir. She’s under suspect of being involved with the Rayne Stevens incident. I have orders to bring her in for questioning.”

“I didn’t authorize this arrest,” the councilman said. “Get her out of those cuffs; you’re making a public scene. And can’t you see that you’re hurting the poor woman?”

“Forgive me, sir, I was just—”

“You were just going to hand over custody to me,” the councilman cut in.

The guy hesitated for only a second before he pulled out his keys and released my wrists from the handcuffs. Then he shrank away down the steps.

Councilman Bennett turned to me kindly. “You’ll have to forgive my associate. It seems that some people have lost all sense of civility these days.”

I nodded with half a smile, not sure what to say.

He extended his hand up toward the entrance of the building. “Why don’t you join me inside for a short chat, so we can get this all sorted out?” His pleasant tone sounded almost like an invitation, but I had a feeling a man in his position was used to getting what he wanted whether he asked nicely or not.

I looked up at the grand entrance of the building then glanced back at the crowd below, wondering if I should make a run for it, but figuring it would only make matters worse. As if sensing my hesitation, two men in suits appeared from the shadows on either side of us, making their presence known while holding back a few yards away.

“Shall we?” Councilman Bennett said. Without waiting for an answer, he placed his hand gently on my shoulder and escorted me up the steps.

Two massive front doors adorned with elaborate wood carvings appeared at the top of the steps. Councilman Bennett continued to lead me forward through a grand foyer that circled us with marble and ornate arched ceilings. I tried to conceal my interest in our surroundings, hoping it wasn’t completely obvious that I’d never been there before, and not wanting to give away the fact that I wanted to search every inch of the building to see if I could find Rayne. Of course, I doubted they kept their prisoners anywhere easy to find.

The foyer itself appeared to be open to the public, but as we approached an impressive double staircase at the far end of the large hall we had to pass through a security screening area with several guards. The councilman was admitted with just a nod of acknowledgement to one of the men on duty, but as I walked through the archway of metal, a sharp ringing noise from an alarm caused me to freeze in place.

A wave of fear seized through me. Were they going to search me? The Water Briolette I found at the Sacred Pool was still in my pocket, concealed by only a few layers of fabric. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew I had to keep the stone safe; I had to keep it a secret.

The alarm blared for only a second before it went quiet again. The guard closest to me stepped forward to block my path. “All visitors must empty their pockets before entering,” he instructed. He took a small plastic bin from atop the security equipment and slid it across the table toward me.

I nodded with a nervous smile, trying not to focus on all the intimidating eyes staring down at me. I moved my hand slowly, cautiously down to my back pocket where I removed Rayne’s phone and placed it carefully into the plastic bin. Then I stared back at the guard without another move. He waved me forward. I held my breath and stepped back under the metal arch. I forced my right foot through the opening, just waiting for the sound of the alarm to ripple through my ears.

But there was nothing. When I finally realized that the air had remained quiet and I was successfully across to the other side without a sound, the guard was holding out a small paper ticket in my direction. “You can claim your belongings when you leave,” he said to me.

I grabbed the ticket and staggered away as fast as I could, reaching Councilman Bennett’s side in less than a second at the foot of the double staircase where he was waiting. The stone was safe…at least for now.

“Just a little further,” Councilman Bennett assured me as he directed me up the stairs. When we turned down a long corridor on the second floor, lined with plush red carpets and elegant paintings, I glanced back and noticed the men in dark suits still trailing us closely from behind. My palms grew more hot and clammy with each passing step, wondering what exactly I was headed for.

As I moved forward in silence, I couldn’t help but wonder where my father was during all of this. Jax said he spoke to him directly to confirm my mother was unharmed, which led me to believe that my father was unharmed too. So then, why wasn’t he here? Why were Rayne and I left here to figure things out on our own?

My heart sunk a little. Did my father leave me yet again? So soon? Did he come to my rescue only to abandon me all over again? Or was there a chance he was still caught in the middle of our fight from the day before, perhaps hunting Voss down like the criminal that he was?

Councilman Bennett opened a door for me just before we reached another corridor at the end of the hall, motioning for me to step inside. But just before I moved to follow, a group of men walked past the hallway along the far wall, causing me to pause and watch them pass by. I watched intently as several guards led the pack. Between them, a head of bright red hair caught my attention. I recognized Honeycutt immediately, Rayne’s friend that helped him break in at the Sacred Pool to save me. He turned his head briefly to nod with a reassuring smile, full of confidence, as if to tell me that everything was under control, at least with his side of the story. The interesting thing was, he didn’t seem the least bit surprised to see me.

Councilman Bennett must have noticed me staring. “See someone you recognize?” he asked me.

I quickly shook my head, smiling nervously. “Um, no. I don’t think so.”

He nodded and motioned for me to enter the room. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was about to enter an interrogation room, with concrete walls and a window disguised as a mirror for someone to spy on us. But when I stepped inside, I found nothing more than a nicely decorated office, with a desk, computer, and shelves.

Councilman Bennett pulled up a chair for me and closed the door behind us. “So…Sadie…” he began. “That is your name, correct?”

I hesitated to answer right away, but I couldn’t see any way to change what the councilman already knew. I finally nodded in defeat.

The councilman settled into a large leather chair behind the desk. “The associate of mine you met outside seems to think you’re involved with Rayne Stevens in some way. Is this true?”

I couldn’t make myself answer even if I wanted to. My throat went dry as I stared back at him from across the desk.

“That’s okay,” Councilman Bennett offered. “Just take your time. There’s no crime in knowing someone, whether they’ve done anything wrong or not.”

It took everything I had to hold my composure, but I clamped my hands securely in my lap and stared up at him, hardly able to swallow, still not willing to open my mouth.

After an awkward pause, the councilman smiled at me warmly. “Well, why don’t I just do the talking, until you feel a little more comfortable?” He leaned forward against the desk. “Now, I’m not saying you do or don’t know Rayne Stevens, but if by chance you do…you should probably know that Mr. Stevens is in some serious trouble. I apprehended him myself earlier today, and the charges are quite severe.”

I cleared my throat, finally feeling the need to speak. “Um, do you mind telling me what he’s being charged with exactly?”

“Well, there are a handful of less severe charges, such as assaulting a government agent, for example, but those are hardly a concern for someone who could be facing a life-long sentence to exile for treason.”

My voice suddenly burst. “
Treason
?”

The councilman’s tone fell quiet, almost sympathetic. “Yes, well any act that could be considered a threat to Ambrosia’s survival, or foreign security, is a weighty affair. I’m told there is solid evidence that Mr. Stevens broke into the grounds of the Sacred Pool. As I’m sure you know, there is no other place more critical to our people’s survival. And I certainly don’t want to point fingers, but there’s been some talk floating around that Mr. Stevens wasn’t alone at the time of the breach, that there may have been a woman with him—a woman that he failed to document at the border…who must now be considered a possible threat to security…” His voice carried the words slowly towards me, like he was waiting for me to give myself away.

My lungs seized in my chest.

But before I could even think how to respond, Councilman Bennett got up from his desk and moved right into the chair beside me. “However,” he said in a hushed tone, “Ambassador Fairbanks is a dear friend of mine, and I know how highly he speaks of Mr. Stevens. I’m personally not convinced that he had anything to do with the break-in at the Sacred Pool, and even if he did, I have a feeling he was justified in his actions. In fact, I was quite pleased to hear you may be associated with him when I intercepted your arrest. I was hoping you might be someone who could help me clear his name…”

A small smile tried to break through my lips. I wanted to believe that it was true, that I had found an ally for Rayne’s cause in my father’s absence. But how could I be sure?

“Can’t the Ambassador help Rayne’s situation?” I asked, hoping the councilman might shed some light on my father’s whereabouts.

Councilman Bennett leaned in closer. “The Ambassador has been detained outside the Threshold border. The Council is unsure when he will return. This is highly unusual and the public has not been informed of this, so I would ask for your discretion on the subject.”

“Of course,” I said, disappointed that he seemed to know even less than I did.

“In the Ambassador’s absence, it has already been decided that his second in command, Councilman Zieg Thompson, will preside over Mr. Steven’s preliminary hearing, which is set to take place in the next twenty-four hours, whether the Ambassador has returned or not.”

I shook my head. “But that’s only one day…”

“The Council isn’t known to act slowly on matters of this magnitude,” he explained. “When it comes to issues of foreign security, it’s important that we maintain the public’s confidence in our ability to nullify any threats as quickly as possible. I’m afraid there are several border guards ready and willing to testify against Mr. Stevens, but only one agent has agreed to speak on his defense. If there’s any chance you have information that could help him, I would urge you to come forward before it’s too late.”

I could feel my teeth gnawing at the inside of my cheek as I tried to think through my options. Without my father here to help us, what chance did Rayne have of getting out of this mess? It hardly sounded like he was going to get a fair trial. He told me not to tell anyone who I really was, but maybe I could still help him without giving the truth completely away. Either way, I couldn’t sit by and let him go to prison for the rest of his life. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do everything in my power to try to help him.

Rayne had risked everything to save me, now I had to do the same for him.

I began hesitantly. “Let’s say…someone did know something that could help Rayne’s case. What would they need to do in order to help him?”

“Just agree to testify before the Council in a private hearing tomorrow morning, and present them any information that could shed light on Rayne’s innocence or motives.” Councilman Bennett’s gaze bore down on me as he continued. “Perhaps the most severe charges could be dropped if the Council were given evidence that this mystery woman was not a threat to Banya or the Sacred Pool.”

My eyes met his gaze. Then I nodded quietly, signaling that I understood what he was implying I should do.

“Everything would be kept strictly confidential,” he explained. “Rayne has become a bit of a symbol for the Keeper program in Banya, and the Council doesn’t want anything leaking out to the public until they’re sure it’s necessary.”

“Would Rayne be there at the hearing?” I asked, knowing that if he saw me there, he might do something rash to save me from revealing anything about myself.

“No,” the councilman said. “Everyone will be questioned in private, including the prisoner.”