The Legend of the Blue Eyes (17 page)

“Does it make a difference? She was taken
from her own bedroom upon arriving here,” Turner replied.

“True, but she was safe the entire time. Her
uncle makes it a point to personally see that she doesn’t get into
trouble,” Devin explained.

“Is that how you knew so fast that we were
gone?” Turner asked.

“Yes, he called as soon as you stopped at
the station and bought tickets,” Devin replied.

“But I was so safe. No one was following us.
I am sure,” Turner complained, racking his brain to try to recall
any little detail that would have indicated that someone was
following them.

“You’d never notice he was
there. It’s his specialty, or rather should I say, he was meant to
be a spy who goes unnoticed. That’s what his
kind
are good at,” Devin
replied.

“You mean he’s baku?” Turner asked.

“The best,” Devin replied, moving Arianna
slightly to prop his legs up on the rest of the seat.

“Are you saying that her uncle is Gabriel?”
Turner responded in awe, still staring at the sleeping Arianna.
“The best?” Turner repeated, raising his eyebrow at the thought.
“Then is he here now, on this train?” Turner asked.

“Correct again,” Devin replied, shutting his
own eyes. “Purebred baku and purebred dearg-dul.”

“She really is both?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t doubt it. He doesn’t
exactly trust us to watch over her yet, and I doubt it’s for her
dearg-dul qualities,” Devin said, yawning. “But you wouldn’t find
him even if you went door to door looking in each room. You don’t
live as long as he or Lord Randolph have, in the middle of an
ongoing war between the two races, no less, unless you are the
best.”

Turner spent the rest of the ride
alternating between looking out the window and watching Arianna
peacefully sleep on Devin. Devin was right. Turner couldn’t sense
the presence of a baku on the train at all, but he knew Gabriel
must be somewhere. Gabriel obviously didn’t trust Devin and his
team alone to protect Arianna. He had to be close, but Turner
couldn’t even guess where.

When the train finally stopped, Devin gently
placed Arianna on the seat and joined Molina in the room to the
right of their compartment. Turner could hear them talking. It was
1:30 in the afternoon, still too soon for any dearg-duls to be out
in the sunlight. They would have to wait on the train. Turner
listened to them debate their options as two large, black cars with
tinted windows arrived at the station. Turner knew immediately his
father had sent an escort for him and Arianna.

Arianna stretched as she yawned. “Why does
he always have to be right?” she asked.

“Who?” Turner replied.

“Devin,” Arianna responded.

Turner laughed. “I wouldn’t say he’s always
right, but concerning your health, he is the best person to trust.
Your grandfather has trained him well.”

Arianna peered out the window into the train
station. “What are we waiting for?” she asked. “Is this our
exit?”

“Yes, but it’s 1:30,” Turner replied.
“Molina and Devin are deciding what to do.”

Arianna listened to the next room, then
looked at the train station blocking her view. “You said the train
goes right into your city. So, we don’t have to travel farther do
we?” she asked.

“No, it’s only about a ten minute drive to
my father’s house from here,” Turner replied.

“Then why can’t we leave now? Molina,
Nelson, and Mica can catch up after two,” Arianna replied. “I’ve
traveled around with just Devin before, and they considered that
safe. Besides, my uncle is nearby.”

“You know where your uncle is?” Turner
asked.

“Yeah, I can smell his blood,” Arianna
replied, standing and walking to the door.

Turner closed his eyes and searched for the
baku scent. Again, he found nothing. “How can you smell his blood,
he must be quite a ways away from us right now ‘cause I don’t smell
any baku blood.”

“No, he’s just four rooms down,” Arianna
replied. “It’s like Devin. I can smell his blood anywhere he goes,”
Arianna explained. “The same with my uncle.”

“You’ve drunk his blood before?” Turner
asked, dubious that such an important baku would share his
blood.

“Mm hmm,” Arianna opened the compartment
door. “Are you going to stay behind?” Arianna asked as Turner
remained seated.

“It still isn’t two yet,” he replied.

“So what?” Arianna tied up her hair, ready
to go.

“Do you want to be burned?”

Arianna laughed. “You’re worried about me?
Don’t be.” Turner followed as Arianna opened the door to the room
with Devin and Molina in it. “Can we leave now?” she asked boldly,
still running on the elation that freedom gave her.

Devin and Molina looked to Arianna.

“I mean, can I leave with Devin, Jackson,
and Nixon as my guards and then you guys can catch up later?”
Arianna rephrased her question, trying to be nicer.

“If you leave now, people will know your
secret,” Molina replied.

“Who cares?” Arianna shot
back. “I’m sick of all the secrets. They’ll eventually find out
anyways.” Molina gave Devin a look, but he just shook his
head
no
.

“Fine,” Molina replied hesitatingly. “You
can leave here, but only go straight to Lord Winter’s compound.
Wait there for us to catch up.” Arianna nodded.

“Right boss,” she replied with a salute and
then a giggle as she noticed Turner’s complete shock.

Arianna and Turner arrived at his home and
threw the whole estate into chaos. Lord Winter sent them to town to
get clothing and supplies for the weekend, as they had left Lord
Randolph’s estate without a single packed item. Once the shock wore
off, Lord Winter had promptly decided a formal dinner was required
for Arianna, his son’s unannounced guest, and the plans were off
and running. Arianna and Turner happily ran back into town to avoid
the chaos that always pursued Arianna. It took five stores, but
they had found everything they needed for the weekend, and
regretfully knew they would have to return to Lord Winter’s
home.

Arianna sighed as she took the last bag from
the cashier. “That should be enough to get through the weekend,”
she commented, counting the bags between Turner and herself. “I
still think that hat suited you. It completes your look,” she
commented on the small, multicolored beanie hat Turner was wearing
around the last store.

“One more stop,” Turner added as they walked
out of the store.

“But I have enough,” Arianna complained,
counting the number of outfits she had bought in her head.

“Nope, you need something for tomorrow
night,” Turner replied.

“I thought your dad was just being generous,
offering to throw a party in my honor,” Arianna complained. “I
didn’t know he was serious.”

“Oh, he sure was,” Turner
replied. “It’s important to people like my father to show their
connections in the world, and what better connection than his son
being friends with Lord Randolph’s granddaughter?” Turner explained
with a shrug. “I thought he might do something like this, but I
didn’t think he’d do it the first time I brought you here. The old
man is a little eccentric when it comes to these things. This way,”
Turner directed, grabbing Arianna’s arm and pulling her across the
street. Arianna smiled.
First
time
, she pondered.

Her smile instantly faded. Arianna wrinkled
her nose as Turner pulled her into a nearby dress shop. Lining one
wall were various-styled wedding gowns and on the other side were
formal dresses.

“Pick anything you like,” Turner responded.
“No dress codes for the guest of honor.”

Arianna looked behind Turner to Molina
standing outside the shop. Arianna waved her inside.

“I need help,” she whispered. “I don’t do
the formal girly things that well. It’s easier to just wear what
someone else picks out.” Molina smiled. Arianna’s boldness at the
train station was only temporary. She had changed back into the shy
girl that needed an older sister’s help. Obliged to follow her
orders, but more so amused by the sudden change in Arianna, Molina
began picking through the racks of dresses.

“Try these three,” she said, handing three
deep blue colored dressed to Arianna. Arianna nodded
thankfully.

Following the sales lady to the dressing
room, Arianna sighed again as she plopped down in the seat in the
waiting room. So far, she had found the town was more normal than
she expected. No one walked around in night human form. People
weren’t drinking human blood as they walked down the street. In
fact, it could be anyone’s hometown. As she listened to the random
conversations outside, it was what you might expect in any town: a
group of teenage girls talking about their latest crush, a
middle-aged man in the hardware store asking how best to install a
new kitchen sink, and a little child asking his mother to be picked
up.

Reluctantly, Arianna stood
and picked up the first dress. She wasn’t looking forward to
another dinner in her honor. Whether the guests realized it or not
at the last one, she could hear everything anyone said about her.
She didn’t like being made the centerpiece for an evening, but even
more dreaded wearing a formal gown again.
At least it’s not pink with lace
,
she reassured herself with a giggle as she slipped into the first
dress. It wasn’t something Arianna could be seen in public in, so
she changed to the second dress. The second dress was fine, except
it was too long for Arianna’s short size. And the last dress,
Arianna knew her grandfather wouldn’t approve of. Changing back
into the second dress, Arianna exited the dressing room for
Molina’s approval.

“That looks good,” Molina said, as she
walked into the dressing room hallway. “It’s a little too long
though. Eight-inch heels should do the trick,” she teased. Pulling
her hand from behind her back, she offered up a pair of heels. “But
I thought these would probably look best with any of the
dresses.”

Arianna put the shoes on, but the dress was
still too long.

“Not a problem,” the saleslady said, joining
them. “We can alter that for you and have it to Lord Winter’s place
by tomorrow afternoon.”

Arianna returned to the dressing room.
Pausing in the room, she tapped on the wall between her room and
the next.

“Gabriel?” she asked quietly, trying not to
be heard by Turner standing in the store.

“Put your hand under here,” Gabriel
directed, waving to her from beneath the wall between the two
rooms. Arianna followed his direction, squatting down by the wall
and placing her hand under the partial wall. “Just hold still one
second, and we can finish talking.” Arianna felt him take her hand
gently and prick the tip of her finger. Quickly he grasped her
finger in his hand, but Arianna could already hear Turner and
Molina hurrying to the dressing room.

“Arianna, are you okay?” Turner asked,
worried as he had momentarily smelled her blood.

“I’m fine,” Arianna replied. “I just pricked
myself on one of these pins,” she lied.

“Okay,” Turner said, leaving the room.

‘Good lie,’
Gabriel replied. Arianna stared around the room.
She was sure she heard him clearly, as though he was standing next
to her and not through a wall.

“I don’t understand,” Arianna replied.

‘Don’t talk out
loud,’
Gabriel
explained
. ‘Turner will hear you’
Puzzled, Arianna continued to sit on the floor,
wondering how he was talking to her without talking out
loud.
‘This is a method baku can use to
communicate without talking. Blood to blood allows us to
communicate with any other night human. All you have to do is think
what you want to say, and I’ll hear it.’

‘Just think?’
she pondered. Immediately imagines flashed to
mind of Devin and Turner.

‘Yes, just think but not
about those boys. I don’t need to know what you think of
them,’
Gabriel replied.

Arianna blushed, realizing her thoughts had
just been conveyed to him.

‘Why don’t you just talk to
me normally?’
she asked.

‘Because this isn’t a safe
place for our kind,’
he
explained.

‘But Devin and Molina are
fine with you, now that you helped them,’
Arianna tried to reason.

‘They may be, but your
friend out there, and all the people of this city, wouldn’t
be,’
he replied. ‘
I wanted to talk to you before I left. I need to get home and
deal with some business, so I won’t be following you around until
you return to your grandfather’s home. I need you to promise me, no
more of this running-away-without-Devin business. That boy knows
how to better protect you than anyone. It’s just not safe for you
to be running around. You don’t know what kind of world is waiting
to get a hold of you.’