Conflicted: Keegan's Chronicles (13 page)

Rourk laughed. “I hope I don’t have to do
that. Now let’s get prepared for tomorrow. Sleep on top of your
blankets so you don’t have to make it in the morning. Go jump in
the shower now so you are not fighting in line in the morning. When
you get back, we’ll make sure you have everything in order.”

“Thanks, Rourk.”

Rourk watched as Tommy headed off to the
shower, his shoulders slumped and his head down. The boy needed a
lecture on perception. He should be holding his head high and back
straight, no matter what was going on in his heart and mind. Rourk
couldn’t help but feel bad for him; he knew what it was like to
love someone and not have the feelings returned.

They only had two more weeks of basic
training. Rourk would be glad when it was over, although he still
had a long way to go before it was really over. They had lost a few
guys--some to injuries, some for reasons like Tommy’s, and even one
who had been considering suicide--but most of them had managed to
last.

Thinking of the guys who had left to return
home to their women, Rourk thought,
it’s crazy how much a girl can mess up a guy’s
plans
. The more he thought of it, he realized even most wars
were started because of a woman. Tommy had made the right decision.
At least now he had a goal which would help keep his mind off the
pain.

Rourk knew that having a goal didn’t always
help. No matter what he was doing, Keegan was always in the back of
his mind. He wondered if the loss of a human love was felt as
deeply as the love of a chosen.

Just looking at Tommy, he figured it had to
be pretty close.

Keegan lugged her bags down the stairs,
grunting from the effort as she griped, “This is ridiculous, Mom, I
really don’t see why we can’t teleport. We are wasting so many
hours when we could be there in seconds.”

Emerald glanced up from where she was
clipping her luggage tag into place on her plaid suitcase. She
raised an eyebrow at Keegan’s load. “I told you, Keegan, we
shouldn’t misuse magic. We are perfectly capable of flying like
normal humans. It will be fun.”

Richard appeared in the open front door and
looked up, frowning at his daughter. “Keegan, what in the world? I
told you that you could only bring one bag.”

Keegan rolled her eyes, letting her bags
thunk
on the
floor as she came off the staircase. “As if I could fit everything
I need in one bag, Dad. It’s not like we’re just going away for the
weekend.”

He closed his eyes and sighed, rubbing his
beard. “Well, don’t ask us for help. You are responsible for your
own luggage.”

“Whatever. When are we leaving?”

“In about thirty minutes.”

“Where is the itinerary, Richard?” Emerald
called from the living room. Keegan stepped over to the archway
leading from the foyer. Her mother was on her knees, frantically
moving papers around on the coffee table.

“It was right on the table a minute ago,”
Richard replied, pushing past Keegan to go help her look.

“Well, it’s not there now!”

They heard giggling and the three of them
looked over to find Warrick in the corner, chewing on the itinerary
it as if it were candy.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Emerald
slammed her hand down on the table, making a crystal candle holder
rattle.

“Emerald, just print out another, it’s not a
big deal,” Richard soothed.

“Hello?” Donald called, coming through the
still open front door with nothing more than a backpack on his
shoulder.

“I like you already, Donald,” Richard said,
walking over to clap a hand to the boy’s shoulder. He glared at his
daughter as she came back into the foyer, smiling at Donald.
“Keegan, take note. This is how you are supposed to travel. And
Donald, not matter how pouty she gets, do not help her with her
bags.”

“Yes, sir. I mean Richard. Sorry that is
going to take some getting used to.” Keegan thought it was cute how
Donald stuttered when he spoke to her dad.

Once the bags were loaded into the Land
Rover, they were on the way. It was an hour’s drive to Nashville
and Keegan was peeved that Thaddeus sat between her and Donald.
Poor Sammy was stuck in the back with the luggage. It passed
quickly, and they arrived at the airport two hours early.

After waiting thirty minutes in line to
check-in, the service representative said there wasn’t a ticket
issued for Warrick. Keegan watched her dad’s eyes narrow and his
lips tighten as he spoke with the representative, sure signs he was
pissed. He had to go through the hassle of getting another ticket
issued, a process that took almost an hour.

When they finally made it through security
and to the departure gate, the agent frowned at the tickets. “Sir,
there’s a problem. Are you aware that Warrick’s ticket has been
issued for economy class while the rest of your party is in
business?”

“That is ridiculous,” Emerald spat. “He is
still under two so he sits on my lap. He doesn’t even have his own
seat.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the agent responded, not
sounding sorry at all. “It’s going to have to be taken care of
before you can board.”

After too much back and forth, the ticket
was fixed and they were allowed to board right as they made the
final boarding call.

“I told you we should have teleported,”
Keegan said gleefully as they were hurrying down the jetway.

“Shut-up, Keegan,” three voices chorused,
making her giggle.

Sliding his hand into hers, Donald grinned
at Keegan as they walked. “I’m really excited about this trip. We
don’t get to travel a lot.”

“What is it you want to see while we’re in
Italy?” Keegan asked. They paused to greet the flight attendant, an
older blonde woman with a pretty smile, and slowly followed the
late boarders down the aisle.

“The Colosseum, I’ve always wanted to see
that. Oh! Will it matter that we don’t speak Italian? What do you
want to see?”

Keegan quickly got caught up in his
excitement and they chatted, holding hands, during the entire
flight.

***

During the layover in Paris, they were told
that Warrick’s stroller was going all the way to Rome. That meant
they had to carry all the bags and the baby instead of using his
stroller as a cart, and the Charles de Gaulle airport was huge.

Emerald was not happy.

“Is it too much to ask for some competence
in customer service?” she snapped, shifting Warrick to her other
hip as they searched for the gate for their connecting flight.

Warrick started screaming, unprovoked, and
threw his bottle, which hit a nearby man in the head. After
profusely apologizing to the man, in a fit of exasperation, Emerald
said, “Fine, you win Keegan. We are teleporting back home.”

“Yes!” Keegan was so excited. She had never
teleported before. Not to mention she was dying carrying all her
luggage, but she wasn’t about to admit that to her father.

Of course, her mother was just being
sarcastic.

They arrived in Rome much too early to check
into the hotel, so they decided to go for a walk. Thankfully, the
hotel had a check room for baggage.

At first, Keegan wasn’t very impressed. The
hotel seemed run down and even the neighborhood was a bit on the
dingy side. It was nothing at all like she had imagined. However,
the deeper they walked into the city, the more its beauty started
to emerge. She quickly forgot about the long flight, her tired
feet, and her aching back and allowed the magic of the ancient city
to take over.

“Isn’t this amazing?” Keegan murmured,
squeezing Donald’s hand. “Imagine all the artists and masonries
that were involved in building this city.”

Donald’s whispered answer was awed. “I am
speechless. I expected it to be pretty since I’ve seen pictures,
but this is magnificent. I feel so small, as if I don’t belong
here. This is a place fit for the gods.”

Thaddeus and Sam were anxious to go to the
Colosseum, so they grabbed a taxi instead of making the hour-long
walk. Keegan had to admit it was a breathtaking site. She found it
incredible that it was still standing and that so much took place
beyond its walls. They signed up for a guided tour, but quickly
ditched it when they realized the guide was boring. Everyone wanted
to explore on their own.

Keegan could tell the guys were in awe, and
as she wandered, she had the fleeting thought that Rourk would have
enjoyed it, too.
Where did that come from?
she wondered, remembering
a flash of Rourk’s soft gray eyes and his tousled dark hair.

She shook herself from her
counter-productive thoughts, looking around for the others, and
noticed Thaddeus. He was standing as still as a statue with his
eyes closed and his face slightly tilted up to the sky. Keegan
watched him curiously for several minutes as he did nothing but
breathe, wondering if he was having a vision.

Donald’s eyes were large, trying to see
everything at once. When he drew near her and spoke, his voice was
low and hallowed. “I feel like their ghosts are still here.”

Thaddeus, with his eyes still closed, smiled
and said, “They are. Some of them couldn’t let the place go and
still wander around. They seem annoyed that tourists have taken
over the grounds.”

Eventually he opened his eyes. Keegan asked,
“Were you having a vision?”

“More like a flashback. It was insane, I was
actually watching a gladiator contest. You think elves are cool?
Those guys were ridiculously crazy. I could feel the ground shake
from the roars of the crowd. It was a whole different world back
then. Humans have gotten soft.”

“I envy your gift, my son,” Richard said,
walking up in time to catch Thaddeus’ explanation. “I would do
anything to go back in time and witness what took place here. You
can feel the electricity running through even now.” He took a deep
breath and closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he placed his
hand on the marble pillar. With his large, imposing form and thick
beard, he could have passed for a gladiator.

“Donald, I also sense the spirits that walk
amongst us today. I have traveled far and wide yet I have never
felt anything as magnificent as the energy that claims these
grounds.” He put his arms around Donald and Thaddeus. “Remember
this day. This is what we strive to live up to. The history of
great warriors.”

“Well, warriors,” Keegan said with a chuckle
as she took Donald’s hand. “I’m starving so I think it’s time for
some pizza. We can’t visit Italy and not have a slice or two.”

Emerald nodded her agreement. “I agree.
Warrick is getting fussy and needs to eat. This was definitely
worth the trip. I hope we come back here someday. Perhaps when
Warrick is old enough to understand.” They all looked over at the
baby. He was walking around with a twig, striking the ground with
it at odd intervals.

“Perhaps, he already understands.” Richard
smiled down at his youngest son.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. They
walked many miles and saw many beautiful monuments, fountains, and
statues. By the time they made it back to the hotel, everyone was
ready to crash. There was one more day in Rome and then they were
headed to Venice, where the cruise ship would depart.

They took a train to Venice, which Keegan
loved. There was something about a train station that she found
very romantic as she watched the people bustling around, getting
ready to head off on their own adventures. She thought she probably
enjoyed train stations even more than coffee shops.

Keegan pulled out her camera and started
snapping pictures of the travelers. She always felt a little odd
taking photos of people without their permission, but they were in
a public place after all.

As they took their seats on the train,
Keegan noticed another elf seated near them. She was beautiful,
with long curly red hair to her waist. She had the sides pinned
back as if she were trying to show off her pointed ears. She looked
very elfish, so Keegan thought her bloodline must be strong.

Keegan glanced over at Donald to see if he
had noticed her, but he was deep in conversation with Thaddeus.
Keegan made eye contact with the elf and they exchanged knowing
smiles.

Thankfully, Warrick slept almost the whole
train ride so they didn’t have to listen to him screaming at
completely random times as he usually did. Keegan spent most of the
ride snapping pictures through the window. She wished the windows
had been cleaned. They were so dirty it would take forever to clean
up the images on photoshop.

After a while, it was hard to keep her eyes
open so she laid her head on Donald’s shoulder and dozed off. The
next thing she knew, Donald was shaking her awake and laughing as
she wiped the drool off her face.

“You missed some.” He wiped the corner of
her mouth with his sleeve.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Venice!” she
told him excitedly. “I have to get a mask to add to my collection.”
Jumping up a little too quickly, she hit her head on the overhang.
“Ouch.”

A parade was passing as they left the train
station via a small side road. People were dancing and singing,
wearing brightly colored robes and dresses. Some were playing
instruments, the music carrying over the exclamations of the crowd
lining the street to watch, while some held signs and danced.

Keegan laughed in delight, jumping out into
the street to join them as they danced to the lilting music. She
shared smiles with several of the parade members, who clapped their
hands to encourage her.

“Keegan! Get back here!” Her mother yelled,
irritation in her voice.

Pouting, Keegan danced back to the side of
the road, waving goodbye to the parade goers.

The streets were lined with shops and tons
of people were milling around, chatting and gesturing to one
another. It was so bright and cheerful with so much going on around
her, Keegan didn’t know where to look first. She continued to take
photos and thought of how easy it was to get good pictures when the
scenery was so amazing.