Chapter 12
“Mariah.” Desmond took her in his arms as soon as she got off the ship. He didn't pull her close, but it was enough of an embrace to draw raised eyebrows. She twisted immediately to just take his arm, moving slowly to get a bearing on her surroundings. “Thank you for coming.”
“It's better than sitting around waiting for news on Sybil.” Mariah chewed at her lip.
“Nothing yet?” Desmond asked.
“Have you tried to reach out to her?” Nathaniel asked, keeping stride with them.
“No,” Mariah said. “You know how it is, Nathaniel. If she is somewhere in hiding, one com-link call could throw everything off.”
“I know,” Nathaniel replied. “I just wish there was something we could do. I feel helpless with Sybil, I feel helpless with Eliza, I…” He reached out quickly as Sienna tripped over a wire. It was a fast save, and she righted herself, continuing to walk. “Just feel helpless.”
“There's a moment where you are not,” Desmond pointed out to him, and Sienna smiled up at him. She was trying to be friendly, but Nathaniel was rigid. “Mariah, I will show you the throne room and introduce you to those you should know. After that, we need to go.”
“You have a plan?” she asked, and Desmond sighed.
“We have an idea. But as you said, it's better than sitting around, doing nothing.”
“I'm going to check with the communication room,” Nathaniel said as they made it into the palace. “Make sure they haven't heard anything. Sienna, stay here.”
Desmond sighed as he watched Nathaniel go, but drew Sienna close to keep her out of the hustle and bustle.
“I'm sorry to leave you like this,” he said to Mariah.
“No, this is our job,” Mariah replied, and then lowered her voice. It was so soft that Desmond could barely hear her. “Besides, I am glad I get to see you.”
He smiled at her choice of words as they turned into the throne room.
H expected more resistance with the fact that witches were being left in charge. But everyone seemed to accept that it was the way things were. No one said anything as they parted ways to let them through. It seemed half the country was in the throne room. There were advisors, politicians, military personnel, and the unimpressed rebels who still wanted negotiations. It was not going to be an easy few days for Mariah. But Desmond knew that she could handle it, and all without even blinking an eye. This was a shadow of what the two of them used to do at their best.
“You will call me if you need anything,” he said to her. “Please.”
“I will, but I will be fine,” she assured him. “You just be careful.”
“I will,” he replied. “We will be back before you know it.”
Her arm was in his, and her hand brushed his. He wished he could hold her close here and now, but there were hundreds of eyes on them. Everyone knew witches weren't supposed to fall in love.
‘Who knows what they think of Nathaniel and Eliza?’ Desmond thought. It took all his strength to eventually pull away from Mariah and head back down the platform steps, Sienna at his side.
He noted that she stayed close out of physical need, but not necessarily out of emotional need. She used his body to dodge the people around her, but she didn't look around for his comfort.
She was already so different from Nathaniel, and he wondered whether he would get the chance to learn more about her. He prayed to the magic that he would get a few more years, if nothing else.
Nathaniel met them in the hallway, practically bouncing on his heels.
“No messages,” he said, their rucksacks at his feet. “Let's go.”
“You need to hold on a moment,” Desmond said as he picked up his rucksack and gave Sienna hers. Witches needed to pack minimally; they were taught to live off the land. However, her circumstances were obviously different. “We will gain nothing with all of our energy wasted at the beginning.”
“I've got a smaller ship on standby for us,” he said. “It’s an open top, but there's enough room for the three of us. Four, if we find her. It's faster than walking.”
“Open top does not give us coverage if we are fired upon,” Desmond pointed out.
“Well, it's what we have,” Nathaniel replied. “So, we will have to be the coverage.”
Desmond sighed, glancing down at Sienna. He thought about transferring all the information to her, but there wasn't time. Nathaniel was right. They had already been delayed twelve hours too long. No one had slept much preparing for this, none of them being particularly good at naps. Now, they didn't know when they would see sleep again.
“All right,” Desmond replied. “Let's go.”
Nathaniel practically sprinted off down the hallway. Desmond could feel his thoughts and his distractions. This was exactly why they weren't supposed to form attachments; it could lead to distraction, and distraction could lead to death. However, Desmond knew he would be doing the exact same thing if it was Mariah.
“That one,” Nathaniel said, when they came to a long, brown ship, open on top. There was a small trunk and four seats. Sienna went for the back, but Desmond redirected her.
“No,” he said, pointing to the front. “You watch Nathaniel and learn.”
She paused and then shrugged, clambering into the front seat. Nathaniel took the steering wheel, and Desmond got into the back, leaning against the seat.
“It's nice to be chauffeured around,” Desmond said, and Nathaniel rolled his eyes.
“And you tell me not to make jokes, Maestro,” he said.
“It wasn't a joke,” Desmond said as Nathaniel started the engine. “I was telling the truth.”
“Wonderful,” Nathaniel replied as he made sure all the systems were online. The hangar was open, and security was clear of the door. With their queen missing in action, security had of course been upped. However, no one knew exactly what to do. They were exhausted after searching for sixteen hours straight, and no one had a new plan. Waiting was the worst part of any search.
“Do you know where you are going?” Desmond asked as they began to navigate through the busy air. Outside, things were normal. The news of Eliza's disappearance had not managed to reach the civilians. However, Desmond knew it wouldn't be long before it did. Eliza appeared to her people every day or two. If this went on much longer, they would notice her absence.
“I already keyed the coordinates in,” Nathaniel said as he focused ahead.
“Show Sienna how to do that,” Desmond said.
“We don't have time, Desmond,” Nathaniel replied. In response, Desmond leaned forward and touched the navigation system. The directions came up, and he promptly deleted them.
“What are you doing?” Nathaniel howled him. “After I get off the main highway, I have no idea what to do!”
“What's the name of the farm?” Desmond asked.
“Richmond Farms,” Nathaniel was seething at him.
“Sienna,” Desmond placed a hand on her bony shoulder. “Richmond Farms. Can you do it?”
She turned to look at him, and then silently turned to the navigation screen. The language set was Basic, but she saw the Jeffro button and changed it.
“We don't have time for this,” Nathaniel repeated. “If I miss this turn off–”
“There is always time for lessons,” Desmond replied, cutting him off. “Stay calm and focus on teaching her how to do it, or she will never learn.”
“Desmond, this is life or death,” Nathaniel snapped.
“And this is when you learned the most, if you recall,” Desmond responded.
Nathaniel said nothing to that, setting his jaw. But eventually, he turned to glance at the screen where Sienna was keying in the name of the farm. Her hands paused, and he indicated the green button.
“Here,” he said, trying not to scream at her. He resented this moment, but Desmond was right. However, his calmness only lasted a moment when the system told him to make a U-turn. “Argh, I told you. This traffic is ridiculous. Now I have to find a place to turn around in this line.”
“Which will take a moment,” Desmond said as Nathaniel made a breakneck turn that made Sienna scream. He kept his hand on her shoulder. “But it was worth the lesson, I think.”
Nathaniel stayed quiet, focusing on the path ahead. He was afraid of saying anything else for fear that he would snap.
They got off the highway and turned onto quieter airways. Soon, they were out of the city and cruising past the open farms. The air was cleaner right away, and the atmosphere was less noisy. Nathaniel shifted into autopilot, letting the system take over now that he didn't have to dodge a ship every few moments. He took his hands away from the steering wheel and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he reached out to nature, looking for any sign of Eliza, any memory of her that he could glean.
But there was nothing. Any magic pings he put out weren't answered.
“We'll find her,” Desmond said after a moment. “We've never failed at search and rescues.”
“Not all of them were alive,” Nathaniel pointed out, and Desmond couldn't argue with that fact. Half the time with quests like this, their subjects were dead and cold.
Sienna broke the mood with the rustle of a ration from her pack. Nathaniel reached over, opening the packet and handing it back to her without another word.
“Whoever kidnapped her will be tried at the Intergalactic Court,” Nathaniel said after a few moments. “This is a case we will be on for a while.”
“We've testified at the Intergalactic Court before,” Desmond said. “If that's what we have to do, then we will do it, even if it takes months.”
“I should have been there,” Nathaniel said, shaking his head. “I should have sensed it, I should have felt it.”
“We can't blame ourselves for the past,” Desmond answered. “You know that. We can only affect the future.”
“Still, if I hadn't been distracted–”
“Nathaniel!” Desmond snapped, knowing what was coming. Sienna's head shot up. “You will not say another word.”
Nathaniel took the warning, and tried not to glare at Sienna. He knew he was being a child, but he didn't care. If he had been with Eliza, he could have protected her. She would still be with him; he was sure of it.
The farm eventually came into view, and he took the ship off autopilot, bringing them down. He always had trouble with landings. Take off and cruising was easy, but landing, he felt, was like playing chess with his eyes closed. Even with all the advanced technology, he still felt like he had to guess about the ground under him.
Of course, there was technology that did everything automatically; but he didn't trust it. Desmond and Sienna's lives were in his hands, and he'd rather it be a bumpy landing that a computer error that ended in disaster.
“Here we are,” he said as the systems shut down. “Leave your rucksack here, Sienna.”
Nathaniel twisted his wrist, which Desmond knew was his way of storing up magic. He didn't approve of it, the equivalent of a knight drawing his sword. But every witch had their own way of preparing for negotiations. Nathaniel's, it seemed, just involved being a warrior to the core. He was his own person now, Desmond tried to remember as he helped Sienna out. His choices were his own, and it was time to let him sink or swim.