Dark Weaver (Weaver Series) (9 page)

“Yes, yes, I’d expect nothing less from my son. 
What of my husband —have you any word Digger?”  I watched as his bare little feet fidgeted on Pepper’s hard wood floor.  “No word yet Gen. I’m sorry, I’m doing my best, but I cannot get any sense of where he is.  It’s as though he vanished right into thin air.”  Digger threw his hands up dramatically for emphasis.

“He’s out there somewhere, and I trust you will locate him.  If he were dead, my son would have already claimed the thrown and the title so at best we know he’s alive.”  I watched this exchange and found myself surprised that I hadn’t even thought about her husband.  Kalan had never once mentioned him
beyond the time in the cave when he mentioned his mother’s betrothal, so I guess it never crossed my mind.  It made me wonder what he must be like.  If he were anything like my daddy, he’d be tearing into his son post haste for being such a spoiled rotten brat!  I didn’t want to interrupt them so I made a mental note to ask about the king and learn what I could.  As Digger and Gen went back and forth about the details of Era, I glanced over at Kess who had suddenly gotten up to stare out the window and pace.  Something was troubling him and I sensed it in my bones.

He turned to me at that point and
all at once, I could hear him in my mind. “
I will protect you, I promise that no matter what happens…you will be safe.
”  I wasn’t expecting this since I was stripped of my abilities so I’m sure the look on my face was priceless.  Everyone else in the room was preoccupied but the sparkle in Kessler’s eyes had me riveted.  “
I can hear you!
”  I said with my inner voice, and I swear his eyes said so much in that instant.  “
Of course you can, I’ve given you a little piece of me.
”  I turned my head to keep from laughing, because his expression was so flirtatious.  One thing you could count on about Kess was his ability to lay on the charm, even if the circumstances didn’t seem fit.  I’m sure I lacked the ability to block my thoughts because he immediately fired back with, “not to worry, it won’t last long.”  He was controlling what I could hear from him, but observably, it didn’t work that way for my thoughts.  I was wide open.

Digger went on to inform us that new informati
on on the dark weavers had come out.  It was rumored that Railey had killed Lela and absorbed her powers.  Pepper gasped at the same time I did.  This news came as a startling revelation to both of us, but it didn’t seem to shock the rest of them. Kess confirmed that it was his sister’s plan all along.  Though now, the fear was that with Lela’s power she might be able to figure out how to tap into the master weaver abilities she possessed from Peter.  I did my best to stop the conversation in its tracks, but I was unsuccessful.  The moment Peter’s name came up, Pepper jumped up and excused herself from the room.  We made plans as a group to meet the following day at Kessler’s place and then Digger weaved himself out.

“It’s becoming more difficult for Digger to come to us, did you sense that Kessler?” 

“I did, and we have so few allies.  I think that we’d better move forward with our plans as quickly as we can under the circumstances.”  Gen agreed.  Pepper eventually came back into the room with Marty and we did our best to resume an appearance of normality through the rest of the evening.  I followed Gen’s lead and acted overly excited when she gave a convincing presentation on the city’s sites.  “Oh I’d just love to see that mall!”  I squealed.  I guess I did a good enough job because we were able to convince Marty that the three of us girls would be staying in the city the following night so that we could shop and stay for a late showing of a play that was in town. 

Kess
muttered something about a string of meetings the following day and then he called for a cab and left.  I found the lengths that he went to for Marty’s sake very sweet. Before he walked out he made a point of sending me a mental message saying,
just think of me if you need anything, I won’t be far.

With Kess gone, and my hosts snuggled up on their sofa together the weight of the day pressed in on me.  Gen went to bed early and since they only had one extra room I was forced to wait until Marty and Pepper finished watching television (or realized I was yawning like crazy) before I was able to take over the couch and get some sleep.  I’d pulled Pepper aside and reminded her that I was without any toiletries or changes of clothes so she’d manif
ested a suitcase for me that contained enough to make me feel a little less lost. 

Once everyone was asleep, I found the silence of
their living room almost unbearable.  The streetlight outside provided just enough light in the room to keep me from sleeping, and I desperately longed for the ability to weave myself a glass of milk.  When one appeared on the coffee table I whispered a mental thank you to my benefactor, which was returned with a soft,
you’re welcome love
.  It felt good to know he was looking out for me.  I finished the last sip, and sat the glass on the table.  I couldn’t help but smile when the glass slowly faded out of sight.  I curled up on my side and was out the minute my head hit the pillow.  I enjoyed the best night’s sleep I’d had in a very long time.

I woke up to the sound of pots and pans clanking and realized Pepper was sitting in the chair across from me.  “Good morning sleepy head,” she said in a chirpy voice.  “What time is it?”  I asked, stretching.

“It’s almost ten o’clock.  You were snoring so loud, I’m surprised you did
n’t wake yourself up sooner!”  she said with a laugh.

“I’m so sorry, I don’t think I snore usually but I’m telling you, I got the best night sleep!
  I probably would have kept right on sleeping if I hadn’t heard someone clanking in the kitchen.”  Gen called out an apology and then Pepper mouthed, “She’s constantly re-arranging things.”  We had a silent chuckle together and then I hogged the bathroom for a nice, hot shower.  Marty was already gone to work, and Pepper and Gen had already gotten ready for the day, so I was able to take my time without feeling as if I was in anyone’s way.  I hadn’t really thought about how often I’d weaved myself into a presentable state until now, but it was sort of nice to work through the simple things because it kept my mind focused.

Unfortunately, I didn’t hear the knock on the front door, and I didn’t hear the commotion that followed.  It wasn’t until Kess
appeared telling me to cover myself that I realized there was a problem.  Sensing urgency, I yanked the plastic shower curtain from the hooks and wrapped it around myself just as he weaved.

The four of us stood in the center of a large room with plush, white carpet
that was now soggy where I stood.  Everyone was out of breath and panting.  I was just dripping wet and completely surprised. 

“Is everyone
all right?”  Kess asked immediately.  I wiped a fat drip from my forehead and pulled my plastic curtain a little tighter. 

“Right as rain,” I squeaked.  My hair was still lathered in shampoo
and I was simultaneously alarmed and mortified.  Of course, the laughing ensued the minute everyone calmed down enough to get a good look at me.  I tried to be a good sport but it frankly wasn’t so funny to me.  It was Kessler who weaved me into dry cloths and even managed to pay attention to the smaller details because my hair was suddenly dry and up in my usual ponytail.  Granted, the jeans were tighter than I would have liked but I was grateful.

“But
they do show of your…assets,” he said with a grin, clearly he was paying close attention to my thoughts regardless of the circumstances.

I rolled my eyes at him. 
“So what the heck just happened y’all?”  I asked, trying to turn the attention to something more important (than my butt).

“I opened the door and this innocent looking grandmother-lady was standing there.  I thought she was going to try to sell me somet
hing, but as soon as she saw me, she just weaved herself right on in and I mean it was weird!  She did it really slow and morphed right through me to get inside!  I was too shocked to do anything until Gen came around the corner from the kitchen, screaming at the top of her lungs for me to get out of the way!  The next thing I knew Gen goes all Ninja and cracks that grandma on the side of the head with my cast iron skillet! I’m not talking cartoon style, I mean gruesome gory style.”  She took a breath and then looked me dead in the eyes, “Jo it was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.”  She went on to describe the gritty details of what had happened, “I’m talking globby blood spatters all over the place.  Granny hit the floor and she was out cold.  I thought that was it, but two seconds later all that blood started to dry up and disappear.”

Kess shook his head and said,
“It was Bernice from the council, not an innocent senior citizen Pepper.  That woman is several centuries old and she uses that morphing technique to gain information quickly.  She wasn’t alone either.  Jazelle was with her, and that one is even more lethal.”

“Did you bash
her on her head too?”  I asked Gen.

“No,
Kess showed up thankfully and got us all out of there before we had to fight her.”  I had this mental image of Gen playing baseball with a skillet and it was laughable to me to imagine this elegant woman doing anything like that.

“I just knew there was a reason I was drawn to that kitchen,” Gen said with a sigh.  “Kessler, you’ll have to get a weave in place for Marty and Pepper.  That place isn’t safe for them anymore.
  Bernice will be livid once she composes herself.” 

“Already done, said Kess.”

I was fighting with my gag reflex from the visceral images that Pepper had described, and my knees were knocking just thinking about how close they came to capturing me.  Desperate to shift the focus, I concentrated on the mundane things that I could control.

“So
who’s place is this?”  I asked in a forced, chipper voice.  I spied several beautiful paintings, and a massive piano, which didn’t even make a dent in the space it took up.

“Mine
.  It’s my new California place — and thanks.  I’m glad you like my decorating,” said Kess.

“Are we safe here?”  Pepper asked anxiously.

“I believe we are for now.  I’ve wrapped the house in a confusing layer of thought patterns.  Anyone who comes close will feel a sudden urge to keep moving.  It’s a dark weaver tactic that I don’t expect they’ll catch on to for a while.”

“Clever boy,” Gen said with a grin.
  “Now give me the grand tour of this beautiful home,” she said locking arms with him.  Kess winked at me and the two of them trailed off toward the staircase.  He wanted to show off his game room, and his surround sound system.

I noticed that Pepper did not look very happy.  She wandered over to the window and looked out at the stunning view of the ocean.  With t
he weave, we gained time so I figured it was probably about seven-thirty in the morning.  The sun was just coming up and the sky was a beautiful blend of orange and baby blue.  There would be no grey skies today, but I could still feel the gloom inside myself and it was obviously the same for my friend.  I stepped up behind her quietly and put my hand on her shoulder.

“
Hey there, are you okay?” I asked gently.  She tucked her hair behind her ears and shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m just tired, and I’
m worried for Marty.”  She let out a ragged sigh.  “It’s hard being with someone who isn’t in the circle of all of this stuff.  I can’t even imagine what he would think if he knew what we all are, or the things that we’ve been through.  He’s just so…
normal.”

“He’s a great guy Pep,” I offered sincerely. 
It hadn’t crossed my mind how hard that must be for her.  I’d never had a relationship besides the one with Kalan, and the weaving was second nature to us.  I hugged her and tried to offer some word of comfort – which only left me feeling inadequate.  The truth was, I felt guilty about everything.  If it weren’t for me, she’d just be living a somewhat normal life with her boyfriend. 

Later that afternoon once everyone had had a chance to calm down, Kess
sat us down to discuss the plan.  Apparently, he, Pepper, and Gen had been working on it together for the past six months.  I did the math in my head and it hurt to know that this was happening during what I’d considered the happiest time in my life.  The last six months with Kalan had been so good…or at least I thought they had been.

Digger was our only
‘inside’ man and that surprised me considering he’d drugged my food back in Era.  In hindsight I knew that whatever they drugged me with helped somehow with the things Chloe tried to pull out of my head.  I had to wonder if that had anything to do with all of those wonderful meals Kalan had cooked for me.  To think I’d felt so loved every time he’d put a plate in front of me and all the while he was probably drugging me and then doing his best to try to suck information out of my head!

I had to believe Kess and Gen when they’d said Digger had no choice but to carry out the plans at that point, but it still made me angry.  My opinion of him changed once Gen said that Digger had been a quartz miner, and knew the old mines that surrounded my family property. She credited him with designing the first crystal building in Era and her eyes took a far away daze when she explained how those buildings could rejuvenate weavers.  This came at a time when Era was at war so Digger earned his place on the council.  He had been a dear friend of hers ever since.  Once Digger arrived, we all sat down at Kessler’s formal dining room table to discuss one final piece of the plan.  It wasn’t long before I learned more than I could handle. 

“It’s the only way love.  Believe me if there were another, I would never suggest it.”  I wrapped my arms around myself and hugged my elbows in tight.  I just knew I was about to throw my head back and start screaming like a banshee.  I looked around the table and saw the hard determination in each of their faces, but it wasn’t enough to remove the f
ear that had knotted my stomach

“Please…no,
”  I begged.  Kess, put a hand up when Gen attempted to convince me.  “Let me speak with her privately.”  Gen nodded her consent and Kess got out of his chair very calmly and walked over to me, his expression full of tenderness.

“Jo, give me your hands.”

“No Kessler, I can’t,” I pleaded.  He bent in front of me and dropped his head.  When he looked up, strands of his dark hair could not hide the tears glistening in his brown eyes. 

“Trust me,” he whispered.  I met his gaze, and placed my shaking hands in his.  “We’ll be right back,
”  he said to the others and then I shut my eyes to avoid the dizziness I knew would follow.

“Okay
little one, open your eyes,” he said gently.  I didn’t have to open them to know where he’d taken me.  He sat down in the sand and gently tugged my hand so that I would sit beside him.  The late afternoon sun was a fat orange ball sinking into the end of the sea.  For a moment, I longed to sink with it. Kess still had my hand and he waited for a long while before he spoke.

“I know that this will be hard for you, but I know you are strong enough to do it too.

“No, you’re wrong there!”  I threw my hands up to stop him from interrupting.  “I’m not strong enough for this Kess.”  We were sitting side by side and I looked up at his profile.  His strong nose, the crescent shape of his lip ring.  It was the first time I realized that I hadn’t seen him wear his bowler hat since my trial in Era, and I thought to myself how much I missed it.  It was a fleeting thought, but the second I had it that hat appeared on his head.  I smiled and watched as he did too.  “You’re in my head, aren’t you?

“
Yes.  I always have been,” he said in a meaningful tone.  I tilted my head to the side and one word came to mind…
presque vu. 
I put my head between my knees to keep from fainting as a rush of images flooded my mind.  My blood was racing through my veins so hard I thought I might have a heart attack or at the very least get sick.  I exhaled and inhaled several times as the shock took hold…

I
remembered.

My
papaw was standing in the kitchen clutching something in his shaky hand. He told me not to be afraid and handed me a small vial.  He said I was to go out to the old mine and wait.  He said it was the closest place to the source of my power and that someone was going to meet me there to teach me how to use it.  This didn’t make sense to me, but I was only seven years old and I loved him.  I did what he asked without question.  If this was the only way to help mamaw, I would try my best for both of their sakes. 

I remembered the sound of the
screen door shutting behind me and the heat of the day as I trudged through the tall grass to the opening of the mine.  In my mind I saw myself sitting in the shade of the opening and waiting like he’d said to despite my stifling thirst.

A boy
about my age appeared as if out of nowhere and he sat down in the grass in front of me.  He said his name was Kessler, but that I could call him Kess. 

“Kiss?”  I’m not going to call you that!  I said with a laugh.

“No, not kiss, my name is Kess!”  He said shaking his head like I was ridiculous.  When I asked him his last name he shrugged and said ‘weaver’ which I accepted without question.  He asked if I was thirsty and I asked him why he wore such a funny looking hat.  He handed me an iced cold glass of sweet tea and then he took his hat off and threw it over his shoulder into the bushes which made me laugh.  He was funny and I liked him.  He asked me if I had the vial and I nodded and pulled it out of the pocket in my skirt to show him.  “Good,” he said and then he stood up and held out his hand for me to take.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me Joey, I was sent here to help you learn what you need to know to help your
mamaw.”

I gave him my hand and he pulled me to my feet, leading me into the mine
. “I’m not afraid of you,”  I said and he smiled. 

“The minerals in this mine are quartz, and that’s
sort of the same stuff that’s in that little glass thing your papaw gave you.”

“Why do you call it vile, is it nasty?  Does it have poop in it or something?  My
mamaw calls her old hound dog vile when he has accidents on her rug.”

“You are adorable, do you know that?”  I nodded yes because I liked that he thought I was special.

“No dogs did anything in that,” he said pointing to the container in my hand.  “It’s a different meaning for a container.”

“Oh
. So when do I get my powers?”  I asked very secretively.  I was expecting a cape, and a very sporty suit that everyone would recognize when they saw me flying around our town saving everybody.

“You don’t get a suit silly,” said Kessler.

“I didn’t say that out loud, how’d you know what I was thinking?”

“I’ll teach you…”