EIGHTY:  Confession in his looks

            “You told her,” said Siobhan as Jude walked through the door.  Octavius turned to look at her.

            “Good boy,” I said out loud.

            “He’s a good cat.  He’ll keep sending us the information while he’s there,” said Edlawit. “I love this cat.”

            “Edlawit, you stay with Arous,” I’ll keep with Octavius. See if we learn anything new.  I doubt we will but just in case.”

            Jude stroked Octavius.

            “You told her everything, didn’t you?” said Siobhan.  “That’s why she’s not worried about breaking into the HaleSpa.  She thinks Simon will save her if she gets into any trouble.”

            “Maybe,” said Jude. “Or maybe she’s just tired of waiting for other people to help her.  People who pretend to be her friends but aren’t.  Not really.”

            “That’s not fair,” said Siobhan. “How was I supposed to tell Ricci no? How are any of us to tell him no?”  A fit of coughing seized Siobhan.  Jude took her glass and filled it up again.  She drank half of it.

            “I could’ve,” said Jude. “Ricci can’t touch me and he knows it.”

            “Why?” asked Siobhan. “And you haven’t told her yet, have you? That you work for Ricci, too. That you could’ve been Captain of the Grey Guard.  He wanted you, not Simon.”

            “Because I have a gift.  I can port without being turned into a Miasman.”

            “What? You mean?”

            “Yes, they are real, not just fairytales, not just Grey Guard dressed up with red-rimmed glasses and grey pin stripe suits.”

            “What are they for?”

            “They are an assassin squad. And they’re guarding Lady Grey.”

            “And Simon,” Siobhan asked. “Is Simon a Miasman?”

            “No,” said Jude.  “He’s just a regular Grey Guard.  Have you ever seen one of them turned?”

            “No,” said Siobhan.

            “Then don’t,” said Jude.

            “Why are you telling me this? Feeling the need for confession? Save it for Arous.”

“You’re thirsty all the time, aren’t you?”

Siobhan didn’t answer.

“It wasn’t just a dream, Siobhan. Ricci’s going to turn you.  You’re as good as one of them.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Ricci had his personal Abbot from the HaleSpa look at me.  She said that it will go away.  It’s just stress.  But I feel like I can’t catch a real breath.”

            Another fit of coughing over took Siobhan.

            “Jude,” she said. “I don’t think I can make it out there.  I can’t drive her hoveh.”

            “I know,” he said. “Don’t worry.  I’ll take care of her.”

SEVENTY-NINE: Full Trust Fraction Twelve

“I have to go back,” said Arous.  “You know I went there a couple of weeks ago to visit Jason. He was screaming at me, he knew me as the girl who killed his friend.”

            “Who’s Jason?” asked Siobhan. 

            “Just a guy I met,” said Arous. “But one of the Novices there said he did that at another person that was in the HaleSpa that was Lunese but the head nurse made her stop talking about it. My mom is still there Siobhan. I know it.”

            “She died, Arous.”

            “That’s what they told you.”

            “It could be another Lunese,” said Siobhan.

            “There are no more Lunese, Siobhan. We were the only two.”

            “That you know of.”

            “I know it’s her.”

            “What do you want me to do?” asked Siobhan.

            “I’m going to miasma-port inside at mid-night. There’s a fountain-”

            “Miasma-what?”

            “Ricci installed that fountain for her. He can go right in whenever he wants.”

            “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Siobhan. “First you’re talking about some guys with dogs screaming at you in a HaleSpa.  Now you’re attributing some fairytale status to Ephor Ricci. Jude talks some sense into her.”

            Jude had sat in a corner with Octavius looking out the window.

            “He’s not a Misaman,” was all Jude would say.

            “Not a Misamen – the  Miasman,” said Arous.

            “If I’m going to believe you, you have to explain.”

            “Look, Siobhan, it’s not a fairytale, but all the magic you hear about in fairytales its real.  It’s just been gone. It’s coming back.”

            “Granted I’ve seen you skin-dance but now you’re talking about . . . what?”

            “Teleporting using water,” said Jude still looking out the window.

            “Okay. . . what?”

            “Look, I’m getting there. Inside the HaleSpa.  I don’t need to explain how.”

            “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all day,” quipped Jude.

            “But what do you want me to do?” said Siobhan.

            “Nothing, I guess.”

            “Good because I’m not porting with you through a fountain or whatever you do.”

            “Nothing, like that, I mean. I need you waiting with my hoveh a mile from the HaleSpa.”

            “That doesn’t sound like nothing,” said Siobhan and she cover a cough. “Arous, I’m not feeling well.”

            “I can’t port her back with me. I can only get there myself. I could but Ricci would probably know. It’s like – when someone walks down the hall or up to your room door. All Miasmen can feel the vibrations of someone traveling in the Miasma. Just one person, they probably won’t think anything of it, but if I was to try to bring someone through with me, especially someone who doesn’t port, it would be like someone pounding on your door just before a car crashes through your wall.”

            “So, wait with the hoveh,” said Siobhan.

            “Yeah, I’ll get us out and into the woods.  Jude says there’s a service road that goes into the woods and around behind the HaleSpa. It’ll be dangerous to drive up that road and just park in the woods for too long but if you time it right you should be on that main road that runs into the service road right as we’re coming out of the woods.”

            “And if you don’t?”

            “Wait,” said Arous. “Don’t leave until you see us.”

            “I mean, if you don’t find her?” asked Siobhan. “What if I don’t see you, what if I see the Spartan Guards first.”

            “What would Spartan Guards be doing at a HaleSpa?”

            Siobhan colored then went pale. She began coughing again.

            Arous picked through her words. “What exactly do you know, Siobhan? You know she’s there, don’t you?”

            Siobhan didn’t say anything.  The two stared at each other for a moment. Arous walked to the kitchen a got her a glass of water.

            “Thanks,” said Siobhan.

            “Don’t worry,” Arous said to Siobhan stroking her face. “I’ll find her. She has to be in a room off the fountain. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

            “When are we doing this?”

            “Tonight. In 15 minutes,” said Arous.

            “Arous, first I have to-” asked Siobhan.

            “Don’t bother calling Simon,” said Arous, “I’ll see him with I get there. He’s on duty. I suspect he may even be guarding my mother.  No wonder he didn’t tell me he’d gotten a promotion.”

            Siobhan didn’t even bother stopping her jaw from flapping open.

            “Siobhan,” said Arous. “I consider you my friend.  I need your help, please.”

            Siobhan’s face had gained its color. She was shaking, she was sweating.

            “Did Simon tell you?” Siobhan asked.

            Arous didn’t say anything and didn’t look at Jude. She walked into the bathroom.

            “Jude?” said Siobhan almost inaudible.

            Arous walked back out holding a large mandrake plan in each arm.

            “Jude, can you walk these downstairs? Please.”

            Jude took them without saying anything and left. Arous turned to Siobhan.

            “I’m trusting you,” said Arous. “You should leave in about thirty minutes. As soon as you hear the shower, I’m gone.” And she Arous walked into the bath room.

SEVENTY-EIGHT: Cat’s play

When Arous got home from the Ambassador’s Ball, Jude had left a V-Dot for her.  He had Octavius with him.  She didn’t know how the cat managed it but he’d broken out from her apartment again. A couple of times he’d just gone to the stables to watch Jude.  A few more times he’d accompanied Simon on his little errands.

“That cat,” she sighed upon hearing the V-Dot, “he’s got to have opposable thumbs. He makes me tired.”

She didn’t hear Octavius or Jude come in but they were standing in the shadows when she woke up from her nap.

            “How long have you been here?”

            “You probably got MiJin fired,” said Jude. “Or worse.”

            “I doubt it,” Arous yawned.

            “No, I’m pretty sure your ruined her life,” said Jude. He was measuring his breaths. “You may have even ended her life.”

            “That’s a serious accusation.”

            “Arous, you arranged a meeting, dressed or whatever you call it, like MiJin, to meet Ephor Ricci in the Rose Gazebo.  All that anyone, especially Jellina, will know is that MiJin was with Ephor Ricci in the Rose Gazebo alone.  You know they don’t like her. You should knkow that Lady Rose has her on probation, Arous.  She’s not supposed to be anywhere unless she’s in another Idelle’s company.”

            “I forgot,” said Arous, looking down. “I told her I’d come back to get her.”

            “Yeah, well, fortunately for you, Octavius is looking out for your friends.  He found me as things were dying down and I was able to escort her out of the kitchen on my arm.”

            “How did he know where she was?”

            “He has a good nose! Who cares, Arous? We’re talking about Mijin.”

 “What’s the worst they can do to her?” yawned Arous. “Kick her out of the house. She can stay with me.”

“It’s not that simple,” Jude mumbled. He was sweating, shaking.

“They’re not going to kill her, anyway.”

            “You don’t know that!” Jude yelled at her then slumped into a pillow on the floor. “You don’t even know who you are dealing with.”

            “They don’t kill people, Jude.  They put them in HaleSpa’s and let them live to death.”

            Jude just glared at Arous.

            “If they put her in a HaleSpa, I’ll just break her out when I break out my mom.”

“You don’t know do you? You really don’t have any idea?” Jude was staring at her with is head cocked to one side and a strange smile on his lips.

            “What?”

            “That Ricci, isn’t a nice guy, Arous.”

            “Well, I know that.”

            “If Lady Rose wants MiJin gone, she only has to say the word.”

            “Well, it’d probably be good for her to get kicked out of the house.”

            “I’m not talking about her getting kicked out of the house!” Jude sat bolt upright and grabbed both of Arous’ hands. “Arous, they could kill her and no one would know or care or have to power to do anything about it.”

            “It’s not that serious.”

            “Don’t you trust me Arous? I know you do. I know you do.  Believe me when I tell you. Please.”

            There was silence as Arous looked into Jude’s eyes for the first time.  She saw panic. Love. A dash of rage.

            “I didn’t know,” said Arous. “I really didn’t know it was that serious.”

            “There’s something else that you don’t know,” said Jude. “They set you up. Simon. Siobhan. From the very beginning. They’ve never been your friends.  Ricci arranged that meeting, Arous, not you.”

            Arous sat on the pillow.  Now Jude was the one kneeling beside her in a flash.

            “What?”

            “They are employed by Ricci,” Jude was soft. His arm was around her. “Ricci paid them to be your friends.”

            Jude stroked her hair.

            “I’m sorry, Arous,” he said, “but, you can’t tell them I told you.”

            “It doesn’t make sense, Jude, why would Ricci, do that?”

            “Maybe for the same reason you’re hunting down your mother,” he said. “Look, Arous, it does make sense.  If you’re looking for your mother and he knew your mother . . . I mean, the one thing you’ve found out is that your mother didn’t actually leave under auspicious circumstances.”

            “But what would Ricci have to do with me?”

            “Arous, what did your mother have to say in that letter about Ricci.  I’ve had dreams, Arous.  It could go either way. Either you make Ricci or you are his end game.”

Arous was stunned into silence. Her heart race so fast it was almost still.

“How did you know about the letter?”

Jude didn’t answer.

            “It’s you watching my apartment at night?”

            Jude looked down.

            “I thought it was James. Then when Siobhan walked in wear that garb I thought it was the faceless man from my dreams. I see Octavius sitting at the window making mouths.  It’s been you this whole time.”

            “Look, Arous, listen. There’s something about Mijin, me, you that goes beyond-”

            But Arous cut him off. “No. No, you need to tell me something or I’m going to assume it’s you, not them. You need to tell me something to make me believe that you’re not the bad guy.”

            “Ricci, is,” Jude began but he didn’t finish.  He sat there in silence for a moment while wheels clicked and whirred inside of Arous.

            “Have you ever seen a cat play with a mouse?” he said finally.

            “Yeah,” she said. “And, I’ve also seen a snake play with a cat.”  Arous got up and went to the IDE-3 Wall.

            “What are you doing?” he said.

            “I’m sending a V-Dot to Siobhan.”

            “Arous, you can’t tell her!”

            “I’m not telling her anything, but stay and listen if you want to make sure,” she said smiling. “You can snake how a snake plays with a cat.”

            Jude looked at her dumbfounded.

            “If Ricci is in all this and Simon and Siobhan, then it should be no problem to break right into the HaleSpa and free my mother.”