Riddle of Fate (6 page)

Beautifully Dangerous

Derrin’s notebook dropped from his hand, thumping to the floor. Khaya bolted upright. He mouthed ‘sorry’ at her and picked it back up. Writing things down always helped him get things straight in his own mind.

“What do we do now?” Khaya asked.

“You stay here, out of sight,” he said, slipping his notebook in his pocket and standing up. “I’m going to see what’s happening out there.”

“You want me to stay holed up in this dirty room? Doing what?”

He pulled a bag from his pocket. She yelped when something wriggled inside it. “What is that?” she asked.

“This is what you will be keeping yourself busy with. When I come back, I want you to be able to tell me what's inside the bag. And you’re not allowed to open it.”

She frowned and her nose wrinkled. “How am I meant to tell you that if I can’t look at it?”

“You need to master your new ability. I have a feeling that before long, we will have need of it.”

She eyed the squirming bag dubiously as he walked out.

Derrin took a few steps down the hall before Leaping to Merrit’s home. He needed to see if it played out the way he thought it would. It frustrated him how slowly humans travelled. Leaping was essential for one in his occupation. If he had to travel by foot or even on horseback to get from one case to the next, countless souls would get lost before he could reach them.

Men were coming and going from the house. He recognised Peater, Khaya’s supervisor. He was speaking with one of the lawmen. “I’m not sure, sir,” Peater was saying, “as I said before, she seemed troubled yesterday, but when I asked her if anything was the matter, she said not. She left a little late from the library, but I was expecting her in at the usual time today. That’s why when both she and Merrit failed to turn up this morning, I was very concerned.”

The lawman was scribbling notes down with his quill, a small inkpot dangling from his belt. “What was the relationship like between Miss Pherela and Master Pem?” he asked.

Peater shrugged. “I think they were on friendly terms. Merrit asked Khaya out with him on several occasions. I think they went out a few times recently, but with different intentions.”

The lawman nodded, one eyebrow lifting, while scribbling Peater’s answer down. “What do you mean? Master Pem was pursuing Miss Pherela and she was not interested?”

“I hadn’t thought about it in that light, but I guess that is a possibility.”

Derrin snorted. Peater was obviously trying to make cast suspicion on Khaya. The lawmen of course had no idea what really went on inside the library, but it seemed the Company was trying to use them to bring her in.

A crowd had formed and he studied the faces. Brier was there as he’d thought he might be. Interesting. He wasn’t speaking with the lawmen and he was standing in amongst the throng. One of Merrit’s neighbours was making their way over to Brier and Derrin followed, but stopped a short distance away. He wanted to remain within earshot of Peater.

“Brier,” the man, Derrin thought he was called Jerrem, said, “do you know where Khaya is?”

Brier had been turning away. He’d seen Jerrem approaching and seemed reluctant to talk to him. A dark scowl clouded his face as he turned back. “Why would I know? If I knew where she was, I would be asking her to speak with the lawmen to clear her name.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Who?”

Jerrem’s eyes narrowed. “The lawmen of course. Surely, they've questioned you. You are in a relationship with her, aren’t you?”

“No, I haven’t spoken to them. And Khaya and I are friends, nothing more.”

Jerrem laughed. “There is nothing to hide, Brier. Not in this modern age.”

“I am telling you,” Brier said, jabbing a finger at Jerrem’s chest, “we are friends.”

Jerrem’s laughter cut off at Brier’s tone. He held up his hands and said, “Very well. I still think you should speak with the lawmen.”

“And I think it would be in your best interests to keep your opinions to yourself,” Brier said, his voice carrying a threat, his face cold.

Jerrem watched after him as he strode away.

What was going on there?
Derrin had never liked Brier, and he had his reasons for it, but he’d been convinced that the man loved Khaya. He wasn’t acting like someone who loved her, though. Or perhaps he thought he would only make things worse if he spoke with the lawmen. Derrin would have to keep a closer eye on him.

A bald man was having a whispered conversation with Peater. Derrin thought he’d seen him at the library before and sidled closer to hear what they were saying. “…imprint is definitely hers. No doubt about that,” the bald man said.

“Do you think this means she's gone crazy?”

“I think that is implied by the dead co-worker, don’t you?”

“And you're certain that it wasn’t Company orders?” Peater asked.

“If it was, it was over my head,” he said, his sharp nose wrinkling. “We have to find her. As soon as possible. If she is capable of killing a co-worker, then I'm sure it won’t be long before more bodies turn up.”

“We'll put a team together. We’ll patrol all roads leaving Arroe. We
will
find her.”

The bald man strode away without another word.

So, if it wasn't the Company setting her up, then who?

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Derrin found Brier at a tavern not far from Merrit’s home. He did enjoy the predictability of human actions. Brier was sitting alone in the far corner, his back to the wall. He had the hood of his cloak pulled up over his head and his eyes were hidden in shadows. It was clear, though, that he was keeping watch. But, was he waiting for someone or was he afraid someone was coming to look for him?

For a moment, he thought Brier’s gaze settled on him before scanning the room again. That was impossible. Humans could not see him. He still didn't really understand why Khaya could. It had to be related to what happened all those years ago, but he didn’t understand it any more than he understood why most humans clung to life so.

Two men entered the tavern. No, not men. There was no mistaking a Collector for a man. Yet, Brier clearly saw them. And stranger still, the Collectors strode over to him – sat down across from him.

In all the decades that Derrin had been a Collector, he had only once come across a human able to see a Collector, and that was Khaya. And she was different. She was connected to him. Even if she couldn’t remember him.

Derrin kept his head down. He couldn’t risk the Collectors seeing him. They were too far away for him to hear what was said, but he didn’t need to. This meeting confirmed it. Brier was the human the Order had sent after Khaya. Where did Merrit’s death fit into their plans? It didn’t make sense. Did he kill Merrit? And if he did, to what purpose?

Derrin slipped out of the tavern before being seen. He walked into a nearby alley before Leaping back to the Orange Tree Inn. Collectors were able to see where a doorway for a Leap had been made – as well as where it led – a good ten minutes after it was made.

Derrin tapped on the door before walking in. He frowned as he pushed the door open. The room was dark and no lamp had been lit. His stomach became a hard pit of tension as he stepped into the room, not knowing what he would find. A faint burnt smell hung in the air. “Khaya?”

A whimper.

“Khaya, are you hurt?” he asked.

She didn’t answer. He squinted to see her silhouette huddled on the bed, her back leaning against the wall. Derrin lit a lamp.

Her eyes were red rimmed. She sat staring at him without saying a word. Then he saw it. The bag he’d given her was on the floor. The drawstring was still pulled tight, but there was no longer any movement.

“What happened?” he asked, knowing – more or less – what the answer was going to be.

She gave no response apart from her mouth pulling into a tight line. He picked up the bag and pulled it open. He grimaced. “What happened?” he repeated.

“I did what you asked. I used my cursed ability. Did you know what would happen?”

“Did I know you would kill it? No, of course not.”

“It was an accident,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“I’m sure it was, Khaya. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

She swallowed hard and, turning her face away, blinked back tears. She took a moment to compose herself before speaking. “I tried to look inside the bag with my ability. Took me a while before I managed to sense it in there. It was amazing.” A small smile appeared on her lips and she looked up at him. “I could see its little heart beating, the blood rushing from one chamber to the next and through its body. I saw its lungs fill and empty of air.” She fell silent and was staring at the wall as though watching it all again. “Then I found its nerves. Remarkable. Like little lightning bolts shooting from one part of the body to the next. I couldn’t draw my attention away from it. I… I don’t know what happened. One moment I was just watching it, the next –” her voice faltered. “I got so fixated on this display and I wanted to see more of it. The next thing I knew, there wasn’t anything happening at all. Its heart had stopped and its lungs were still. And then I smelled it.

“It was as though an actual lightning bolt had hit it. I killed it.”

“I shouldn’t have given you a live subject to start with. I’m sorry. I’ll get rid of it.” He scooped the bag up and disposed of it outside. When he walked back into the room, Khaya had composed herself, her red eyes the only thing betraying her anguish.

“Do you think I killed Merrit?” she asked.

“Do you?” Derrin knew that it couldn’t have been her. He also knew that the Company claimed people with two abilities went mad. He wasn’t certain if he believed that either.

“I don’t think I did,” she said after a pause. “When I run the events of the night through my mind, there seems no time unaccounted for. I don’t see how I could have.”

“But?”

“Would I know if I was mad? Would I be aware of it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t believe you killed him, though.”

Her eyes lifted to meet his, tentative hope in them. “Why not?”

“You didn’t have the time.”

Her face fell. “Oh.”

Derrin shifted from one foot to the other. Did he say something wrong? “I went by Merrit’s house.”

“You could have been seen! Don’t you think that was a foolish risk?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. We have a problem.” She pursed her lips and he continued, “Your imprint was found at the scene. Someone is trying to set you up.”

“That must be the Company,” Khaya said. “Who else would know about that, not to mention be capable of that?”

“You could be right, but we should keep an open mind. How long have you known Brier?”

The corners of her mouth twisted down. “About a year. Why do you ask? Was he there?”

“He was. You’ve taken him to your bed, haven’t you?”

Khaya’s cheeks flushed. “I don’t see how that could possibly be any of your concern.”

“I’ll take that as a yes then. Strange…”

“What are you talking about? What’s strange?”

“I don’t know yet. Have you ever known Brier to meet with anyone unusual?”

“No. Tell me what you saw today.”

“I don’t know yet. I am trying to find out what it means, but until then, I wouldn’t like to speculate.”

“Brier didn’t have anything to do with this, if that’s what you’re thinking. He loves me. I have no doubts about him.”

She might not, but Derrin had grave concerns. What were the chances that a man who could see Collectors happened to meet and fall in love with Khaya? What were the chances that he wasn’t the man the Council sent after her?

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Khaya woke with a start. For a moment she was disorientated before she realised she was still in the seedy inn. She turned over and glanced down at the floor, expecting to find Derrin sleeping on the pile of blankets. He wasn’t there.

It was still dark out. She stood and peered out of the window. She could not see much in the darkness, but she recognised Derrin’s broad shoulders as he strode across the street.

Then he vanished.

She blinked, sure it was just sleep-hazed eyes that was blurring her vision. He was gone. With a pounding heart, she sat back on the bed. What did she really know about this man? A man that she allowed to sleep in the same room as her.

He must be an employee of the Company
, she thought. That was the only explanation. Vanishing into thin air – that could be his ability. It had to be. He told her that he wasn’t part of the Company, but of course he wouldn’t reveal the truth if he was. Her stomach clenched. The Company sent him. To keep her in one place. To keep her from leaving Arroe. To make sure she wasn’t going crazy and killing people.

She smacked a hand against her forehead. Why had she been so blind? He knew far too much of how the Company operated to be anything but one of their lackeys. Lighting a lamp, she threw her few belongings into her bag and hurried out.