Of Noble Chains (The Ventori Fables) (5 page)

So while Win and Cash sat behind closed doors, Zia waited in the small waiting area.  Today she knew they were talking about more treatment options, but it would only prolong the inevitable.  But even if it was just to add another day, Zia was willing to try it.  It also reinforced her belief that Win could never know that she had started her official Ventori training with Aeryn.

A vent overhead buzzed to life, brushing through Zia’s hair.  She glanced up at it, letting the air blow over her face, letting it soothe her.  Her eyes closed, and only reopened when it the breeze died.  She lifted her head, and looked towards the door her mother sat behind.  How was it going?

A person threw themselves into the chair next to her with a huff, and she glanced over to see her hospital buddy Melinda there.  Her dark hair was in a high ponytail, with her messy bangs falling in front of her eyes.

“Hey, Mel,” Zia gave her a smile, despite the dread in the pit of her stomach.

“’
Ey, Zee,” Mel sighed.  “How’s it going?  You graduate yet?”

Zia had never told Mel of her dreams of becoming a Ventori, though she had mentioned it as a possibility.  But Mel was human, and didn’t understand the honour and respect of it all, though she claimed she did.  She related it to being a part of the Human Guard, but Zia didn’t think it was even close to that.

“I did, just the other day,” she leaned further into the seat, “how are you doing?”

Like Win, Mel was afflicted with the sickness but she didn’t show it.  Mel was all attitude and
snark, which Zia loved.  It was nice to talk to someone who could hurl insults back at her; Iscah just couldn’t handle it.

“I’m doing good,” she shrugged, looping an arm around Zia’s shoulders, “they think I might be able to make it pretty far past thirty.”

“If anyone is going to ensure they live just to spite someone, it’ll be you,” Zia tried to joke, and it got a laugh out of Mel.  Her whole body shook as she did, but it was just who she was, it had nothing to do with the sickness.

“Did you hear about the signing for Specter Healthcare?” Mel suddenly asked.

“Yeah,” Zia snorted, “they can actually come up here for it.”

“Ugh,” Mel rolled her eyes, “can you imagine?  A Specter coming up North just to fix a cold?”

Zia laughed.  “They don’t even get sick, I don’t see why they had to make an Accord for it!”

Zia and Mel laughed, not even caring about the elderly woman that sat across from them.  The woman squinted her eyes at the girls, and finally spoke, “You know nothing of this world.”

The girls faltered.  Mel stood, ready to fight but Zia put a hand on her wrist.  “What was that?”

“It is because of humans,”—the woman looked to Zia—“and members like you that there is war in this world.  If you do not change your ways…I am glad I will not be in this world much longer.”

Mel pouted, her cheeks reddening with anger.  Zia just shook her head, and the woman walked off.  Neither of the girls knew what to do about that; no human had ever stood up for a Specter for.

Zia woke up at six the next day, completely eager for it to start.  And as she was dancing around her room, she remembered that she had no way of contacting Aeryn, since they hadn’t exchanged phone numbers, or anything else for that matter.  Her pace slowed as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, hand in the air and ready to apply another coat of mascara.

“Crap,” she whispered.  She quickly finished getting ready and headed downstairs, the smell of bacon enticing.  As her foot touched down on the first floor there was a knock at the door.

“Who could that be?” Cashel asked from the kitchen.

“
Dunno,” Zia called back, knowing her mother wasn’t in there too.  She usually slept in late, even with her afternoon naps and going to bed before the sun.  “I’ll get it.”

She padded over to the door and swung it open, very un-Tracker like, she thought, but who would attack at half past six in the morning?  The wind blew her hair back as she came face to face with Aeryn, a smile on his lips.

“Great, you’re up,” he said, inviting himself into her home with a single step.  Zia was pushed to the side as he looked around the hallway, unaware of the intrusion.  She thought he seemed a little too eager to investigate an average household.

“What are you doing here?” Zia asked, hoping her father wasn’t about to come around the corner.  She shut the door behind her, wanting to make Aeryn leave, but not wanting to, at the same time.  Maybe she could just—

“Hello,” Cashel appeared in the kitchen doorway, metal tongs in hand.  “Who might you be?”

“Good morning,” Aeryn said, reaching a hand out, “name’s Aeryn.”

Although he was confused, Cashel took the man’s hand.  With a glance up the stairs he turned back to the Tracker and said, “Please keep your voice down, my wife is sleeping.”

“Gotcha,” Aeryn laughed and continued to inspect the various photographs on the walls and little knick knacks that decorated the hallway.  Zia was given a strict look from her father, asking her to explain but she merely shrugged, her brain trying to think up a good lie to save herself.  How could she explain knowing Aeryn, an older man, and not admit he was Ventori and also her mentor?

“I’m just here to pick Zia up,” Aeryn said, eyes falling over a particular family photo that included Donataen, “take her to—“

“Work!” Zia tried not to shout but it still came out like a scream.  “He’s here to take me to…work.”

“Oh, I see,” Cashel eyed the stranger in his home, “and what is your relationship exactly?”

“I’m her m—“

“Man!  He’s my man,” Zia laughed and grabbed onto Aeryn’s arm.  “Surprise, I have a boyfriend.”

Aeryn didn’t react like Zia had thought he would.  But then again, she hadn’t had enough time to think any of this through.  Aeryn wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, but not too close as to upset Cashel.  Zia blushed, never having a real man like him do that before.  Suddenly it was even harder to lift her head to look her father in the eyes.

“A boyfriend?” Win’s voice drifted down the stairs.  She stood at the top, bathrobe draped around her as she began to descend.  Something about the fading flowers on her cuffs made Zia’s heart sink.

“Yup,” Zia swallowed, her mother’s eyes piercing into Aeryn. 

“Where in Havilan did you meet?” It was Cashel doing the questioning this time.  His scrutinizing Medean blood came out in full force then as he lowered his eyes towards the fake couple.

“Oh, calm down Cash,” Win shushed, “we’ve never met any of her boyfriends, just be happy you know what this one looks like.”

Cashel grunted at his wife, clearly unhappy with her words.  Zia took a deep breath ready to explain and thank her mother for her understanding when Win said, “Now you don’t have to waste any time tracking him to place a bug on him.”

“No bugs please,” Aeryn joked as Win shot him a superior smile.  And here Zia thought her mother was frail.  “Cindy doesn’t like them much.”

“Cindy?” Zia heard herself asking.  They weren’t even dating for real and she felt appalled she already sounded like a jealous girlfriend.

“My horse,” Aeryn explained, gripping Zia’s waist just a little bit tighter, “she’s fine around mosquitoes, but she hates anything bigger.”

“You ride a horse?” Win asked, curious.

“Easier to get around,” Aeryn’s eyes drifted over Cashel, “perfectly safe though.”

Hoping to avoid any further conflict, Zia said, “Dad, the bacon’s burning!”

Cashel’s eyes widened and he hurried back into the kitchen.  Win moved into the doorway to giggle at her husband, but made sure to keep an eye on Aeryn.

“Anyway,” Aeryn said as he turned to Zia, “I think we have to go.”

“Right,” she agreed and freed herself, rather unwillingly, from his grip.  She dashed over and kissed her mom on the cheek before throwing on her favourite pair of boots.  “I’ll see you later!”

“Stay safe!” her mother called out as she passed by Aeryn.  Suddenly, his hand shot out and he grabbed onto Zia’s arm.

“Hold on,” he said and just as Zia looked up to see what he wanted, he kissed her.  Zia didn’t hear if her mother reacted, she was too busy trying to figure out what was going on.  Rinehart the Unbreakable was in her hallway, kissing her.  And it wasn’t like any other kiss she had ever experienced; of the four boys she had dated in high school she had only kissed two.  But this was nothing like those; those were desperate boys, and she’d had the control.  This was a man, and his kiss was gentle; he held all the power.  This was something Zia wasn’t used to.

Their lips parted and Aeryn slowly smiled, enjoying the expression on Kehzia’s face.  It was a fun mixture of surprise, anxiousness and attraction.  He turned to her mother, who simply raised one thin eyebrow at him.

“It was nice meeting you,” he said and he grabbed onto Kehzia’s hand, pulling her out the door.  Aeryn felt triumphant as he held onto her hand, as if kissing her had proven something to himself, to Donataen or maybe it was to their parents.

“What was that?” Kehzia ripped out of Aeryn’s grip and turned to face him on the cobble walk, only a few feet away from Cindy who was already shimmering in the early morning light.

“I wanted to convince them,” he explained, “we are ‘dating’ aren’t we?”

“Yeah but…” Kehzia looked down and then back up at him quickly.  “That wasn’t necessary.”

“No,” Aeryn shrugged and turned around, “but it was fun.”

Zia’s face was burning, her mind racing after that kiss.  Something about it had made every part of her body tingle, her stomach twisting in all sorts of directions.  Something about it made her angry too.  She looked up to see Aeryn fiddling with something on a big black horse.

“Well don’t do it again,” she ordered him, “not unless it’s my idea…wait…I mean…”

“I know what you mean,” Aeryn sighed, sounding almost exhausted with her.  “Now come on, we’ve got work to do.”

“Okay,” Zia accepted that Aeryn was in charge here, even though it was hard for her to do it.  It was hard for her to try and stop her face from turning as red as it was, but she easily forgot about it when she watched Aeryn’s horse, Cindy begin to change.

One moment, she was standing in the shade, but as the sun came over the high tower of City Ark she began to sparkle.  Cindy, once a black charger, turned into a glittering glass steed, starting from her tail until the line of magic came to her nose.  Zia gasped, amazed.

“No way,” she said, watching the horse trot on the spot after its transformation, “you have a Seraphic Steed?  No.  Freaking.  Way.”

Zia jumped towards Cindy, hands hovering over the clear mane.  As her eyes drifted up and down the horse she stopped at its white saddle, noticing something was missing.  She asked, “Where are her wings?”

“She’s just a baby,” Aeryn held his hand out for Zia to hoist herself up but she didn’t move, “she’s still got about a hundred or so years before she gets her wings.”  He leaned closer to the horse’s head and finished, “She hasn’t even picked night or day yet!”

“That’s okay though,” Zia said, running her fingers through the sparkling mane.  Cindy huffed, tickled by the light touch.  “Technically they don’t have to choose a side, right?  They’ll just stay black at night and clear in the day.”

“She’ll be picking day,” Aeryn said, shoving his hand out to Zia again.  This time she took it, and allowed him to help her onto the steed.  She didn’t need the help, since Zia had been riding horses since seventh grade, but she wasn’t going to refuse any chance to get closer with Aeryn; as long as it was on her terms, that was.  “She never fully changes at night.”

“What do you mean?” Zia slid back on the saddle, ready to let Aeryn in front of her but he moved her forward.  “And what are you doing?”

“It’s easier for the small one to be in front,” Aeryn said and he jumped up, legs coming around Zia’s.  “And she doesn’t have a Fallen Form at night; she just looks like a regular horse.”

“Oh,” Zia said, very aware of Aeryn’s arms around her.  He flicked the reins and Cindy took off, her glass hooves clinking on the pavement.  Zia held onto the horn of the saddle, trying to focus on anything else that didn’t involve Aeryn.

As they rode in silence, Aeryn found it hard not to compare Zia to other girls he had ridden with, which wasn’t many.  His previous love had been bigger than her, but she fit perfectly between his arms.  Even he wasn’t sure why he insisted she sit up front.

But she had listened and got on, a blush still clear on her cheeks.  Something about that made Aeryn happy, knowing he could so easily get past her barriers. 
What do you think of that, Donataen?

Aeryn flicked the reins to move faster, and Cindy obeyed.  The steed picked up her pace as they passed by pedestrians and cars and other riders.  He would never admit it, but Aeryn missed New Havilan.  What he didn’t miss were the memories.

Maybe after he was done with Zia he would be able to move on.

Maybe.

Zia was first to get down from Cindy, partly because she felt like she was about to burst into flames being seated with Aeryn, and partly because she just really wanted to know what they were doing at the Redcreek Bridge.  But her quick escape wasn’t as elegant as she had hoped and her knees buckled, toppling her to the ground.