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Curled into a ball on her bed, Tabatha cried. On the bedside table, the tablet flashed, and she could hear agonised screams coming from the speakers, despite having tried to turn the sound off or disconnect the thing.
Daddy, why are they doing this? Why do they need me to do their dirty work here? I just want to be a Marine Biologist; I never wanted to follow you into politics or business.
The maid hovered by the door, torn between trying to comfort the girl and doing her duty. A footstep behind her on the stone floor of the receiving chamber, made the maid whirl to face the intruder.
“How dare you enter the suite of... Ard-Chomhairleoir! I didn’t realise... it was you.”
He nodded, “You are to be commended for your care of the Lady Torqithrelle. I wish to speak with her, however. Would you be so kind as to announce my presence?”
The maid nodded and stepped into Tabatha’s bedroom, “My Lady, the Ard-Chomhairleoir has arrived and craves a moment of your attention.”
Tabatha looked up, her eyes swollen and red, “I’m not talking to anyone in this bloody place, tell him to go away.”
“She can’t, Lady Torqithrelle.” The Ard-Chomhairleoir said from the doorway, “Her duty to you requires that she allow me to talk to you.”
Pushing herself upright, Tabatha glared at him, “Why should I talk to any of you?”
“Because I am one of the few people who might be able to improve your situation.” He said.
Sighing, she wiped her eyes on her sleeve, “Very well. I’ll be out in a second.”
He bowed and turned away from the door.
The maid hurried in and began brushing Tabatha’s hair, “Would you like me to apply make-up, my lady?”
She shook her head, “No point.”
The maid heard the depression in her mistress’ voice and settled for making sure that the girl was tidy.
Ten minutes later, Tabatha emerged from her bedroom, the tablet clutched in her hands with the screen facing the floor. Ard-Chomhairleoir stood up from one of the chairs at the small dining table.
“That’s a little better.” He said approvingly, “I’m going to assume that you have had no sustenance at all today.” Without waiting for her to reply he turned to the maid, “Tea and something simple to eat, quickly.”
The maid curtseyed and dashed out of the suite.
Tabatha placed the tablet onto the table screen down and shoved it across the polished surface toward him, “Tell me how you can stop this.”
He slapped one hand down on the tablet, “I can’t. You have to.”
She slumped into a chair, “How? Give up my dreams to do a job I’m not suited to? Follow the orders of a woman I don’t know and leave my whole life behind?”
“You love these people, that much is clear and that is good; that you feel that empathy. The Banríona has no tie to them; they are disposable in a way that you are not,” he told her sitting back down.
“She’s killing my Father piece by piece. Does she really think that will make me want to be her daughter again?” Tabatha said.
“The Féile na Banríona is a complicated woman, mayhap she thinks that by eliminating your adoptive parents, you will turn to her instead. I counselled her against this, but she will not listen to me, preferring the advice of the Maor Ard.”
Tabatha stared at the tablet, “She can’t just hurt people like this, even if they aren’t the same race as her.”
“Your birth Father thought the same way; Lord Áedán was a leavening influence on the Banríona, he counselled her toward diplomatic means of conflict resolution.” He sighed, “He was the best of her Husbands, none of the others quite match up to him, even now.”
“So how do I stop her hurting my family?” Tabatha wasn’t quite sure how to take the revelation that the queen had more than one husband. How many brothers and sisters do I have then?
“You have but to give your word that you will become Ó Fhionnuisce and rule the Fae in the Queen’s name here,” He smiled, “I will persuade her that you should be allowed to return to England to complete your education and will help you to do your duties here.”
Tabatha retrieved the Tablet and turned it over. Her father lay chained to a table. Behind him a figure in black leather was looking at a rack full of saws, pincers, blades; things that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in a horror movie. They’ve burned his feet so badly there’s nothing but bone showing and the skin on his left leg has been removed... this is evil. She shuddered, If they do this to my father, what would they do to my mother?
Flipping the screen back over, she swallowed against a throat full of bile, “I have no choice then. I can’t let her get away with this and if doing the role, she asks of me will stop this barbaric behaviour, then I have to give in.”
“It will save the ones you love. I promise I will make sure that they are healed of any harm that has come to them.”
“Thank you.”
He stood and bowed, “I suggest that you rest now, and we shall hold the ceremony for your appointment to the position of Ó Fhionnuisce tomorrow.”
Tabatha nodded, “Looks like I am going to have to learn a new language as well; half the time I have no idea what you are talking about. What does Ó Fhionnuisce mean in English?”
The Ard-Chomhairleoir shrugged, “I believe it means ‘Golden Phoenix’. It is a reference to the fact that we Fae live for a lot longer than Humans. I shall instruct the Ceann Maoirseoir to help you understand our language. After all, you will need to be fluent in it and several others to be able to fulfil your duties properly here in the East.”
“Thank you again.” Tabatha went to stand and see him out, but he waved her back, scooping up the tablet from the table.
“Your maid will return soon with your food. Stay seated by all means, my Lady.” He turned and left the suite.
Tabatha collapsed onto the polished wood and wept again.
––––––––
“ANDREW READING-SMITH has been seen in the City District,” Zhao said.
Kai rubbed her eyes and grinned, “Excellent. Any idea what he is up to?” There was a pause and Kai heard shuffling of paper over the phone line.
“He’s hanging around the area that Derwin-Hepler & Reading-Smith is situated in. We aren’t entirely sure why, but the security in the building has been alerted and he’s being watched by some of my best trackers.”
“I hope they aren’t Lángrén again.”
“No, Xixuegui, it’s after midnight after all.”
“Good, vampires are a little harder to rip to shreds.”
There was silence at the other end.
“Any physical sign of the women yet?” Kai changed the subject.
“Unfortunately, no. How are you doing at your end of things?” Zhao said.
“Well, the torture of David Smith has stopped, thank heaven. I’m still getting little more from Melanie and Louise than the scent of grass and various herbs.” She paused as something occurred to her, “But I have an idea of who might be able to help me with the identification.”
“You’ll call me as soon as you know anything?”
“Of course. I’m not going up against Fae in a fight unless I have Wei Tian on my side again. I’m good with a knife, but I can’t do magic or fight a proper warrior.” She laughed.
“Well, we can do that; the Head of the Autumn Temple has agreed to allow you to carry him when you need a weapon. I’d be happier if you used a gun, but it’s up to you.” He said.
“Too many people have touched a gun during its manufacture and the Dragons refuse to perform cleansing rituals on them; something to do with them being too easy for a demon to take over.”
“I suppose I can understand that. I’ll talk to you later.” He rang off and Kai sat back in her chair, sighing.
I’ll call Amira in a while; she might know where the women are being held by the herbs I can smell when I contact them. She stretched, then leaned over the folders she was reading again. These dossiers on the Triang are fascinating stuff.
She finished flipping through the one on the Silver Wolf and opened the next one. Black Dragon was the originator of the Triang and the Treaty huh? Well, I knew that the White Tiger is the next in command for the Vampires... her eyes widened... so that’s who it is at the moment? I never would have guessed that one! I suppose I’d better get on with some work then. Grinning, she shut the folder and put them away in one of her lockable drawers.
As she was dialling Amira’s private number, the door crashed open, and Melanie Reading-Smith dashed in with Edward just behind her.
Kai put the phone down and stood up, “Melanie?”
The woman was drenched as if she’d run through a rainstorm, but a quick glance out the window told Kai that it was probably from running. Melanie wore no shoes; her blouse was torn and her make up smudged as if she’d been crying.
Edward guided her into one of the chairs, “You’re safe now, you’re safe. Just sit down and relax. I’ll get you a hot drink.”
Kai moved round the desk and took the chair beside her, “What happened, how did you get away?”
“They were moving us from once place to another in a car. We stopped at a traffic light, I managed to get the door open and ran for it.” Melanie gasped, “I had to leave Louise behind though, they hamstrung her.”
Kai winced, “Ow. Tabatha won’t like that.”
“How do you know?” Melanie relaxed into the chair as Edward brought in a tray with two mugs of steaming coffee and a plate of biscuits, “Thank you.” She cradled the mug he gave her and breathed the steam.
Edward put the second mug on the desk with the plate of biscuits, “I’ve locked the outer office so that anyone wanting to enter will have to be buzzed in. I’ll stay out there and keep watch.”
Kai nodded, “Thank you, Edward.”
He smiled and left the office.
“I’ve been looking in on Tabatha every so often. Something about her situation is upsetting her, but I don’t think she’s being mistreated as such.” Kai remembered the last time she’d touched Tabatha’s mind; the girl’s mental despair had prevented her from being able to do anything more than watch what was going on.
“Have you been able to talk to her again?” Melanie sipped her coffee.
“No. Somehow, she’s being shown the torture that David is undergoing...”
Melanie gasped, “They’re torturing her father?”
Kai sighed, “the Fae are the most ruthless of the races here; they have very little empathy for Humans and none at all for Werewolves and Vampires, despite the fact that those races live as long, if not longer than the Fae. Dragons are the only ones that the Fae will see as equals.”
“I knew that they hated us Humans, I didn’t think that was extended to anyone else; they always seemed to deal with Peter respectfully.” Melanie took a biscuit and dunked it into her coffee before eating it, “so what do we do now?”
Kai pulled the phone across the desk, “First I tell Zhao that you are with me so he can take you to a safe place. Do you have any idea where they were taking you?”
Melanie considered the question carefully, “Well, we were kept in separate rooms, somewhere with a lot of nature. I could hear singing birds and running water, even though they had me blindfolded all the time.”
That tallies with what I sensed from them in Zhao’s office. Kai grabbed her notebook and pencil and made a note of the description from Melanie on a clean page, as well as a brief report of her client’s escape. “What direction did they drive you in after leaving there?”
“I didn’t get the blindfold off until after I managed to get out of the car, but the area I ran off in was West Uptown. I think they were going north. Definitely out of the city anyway.”
Kai opened the dossier on the Fae and checked the small map inside. Were they going home? Is Tabatha being held in Mailith? She dialled Zhao’s number and put it on speaker phone as it rang.
“Hello?”
“Hi Zhao, it’s me.”
“Have you come up with something already?” He sounded hopeful.
“Better than that; Melanie Reading-Smith escaped and is with me.”
Melanie gave a little wave and said “Hi,” she said in a tired voice.
“Excellent news. I’ll come and collect her myself. Anything else?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.” Kai said.
Zhao rang off.
It didn’t take him long to get to her office. By the time he arrived, Kai had taken a full statement of what had happened to Melanie from the moment she’d left Zhao’s office to go shopping with Louise, to when she’d arrived at Kai’s office.
She also managed to send a text to Amira: What flowers smell like cinnamon?
Amira replied: You taking up botany now? Purple Buttons Rose like the ones that grow in West Park, they smell similar. Why?
Just working on a case.
Fair enough.
“Mrs Reading-Smith, I’m pleased to see that you’re unhurt.” Zhao said as he entered the office. A pair of Special Division officers followed behind him, along with a female CSI tech.
“I’m the only one who is, by the sounds of it.” She replied gloomily.
“If you wouldn’t mind removing what you’re wearing so that we can get any evidence off it...” Zhao began.
Kai glared at him, “Then you three can wait outside and I’ll give Melanie something decent to wear instead of those awful paper suits you force on people.”
The CSI grinned at her, “Good idea, Ma’am.”
Zhao and the two officers retreated to the outer office and Kai shut the blinds, before she pulled out the bag she kept in the office with her spare clothes, “Take your pick. I haven’t got any boots that will fit you though.”
The tech took each item of clothing and put it into a separate evidence bag, then she took samples from her nails, hair and skin. Kai watched the process, remembering when she’d had to have it done to her in the hospital after killing Chamberlain. I felt like I was being treated like a criminal, despite Zhao’s assurances that I wasn’t. I hope that Melanie doesn’t feel like that; the clothes should help, that paper suit is so degrading!
Finally, as Melanie got dressed, the tech smiled at Kai and Melanie, “All done, Ma’am. I’ll tell Detective Zhao.”
“Thank you.” Kai unlocked the door.
The tech left, then a few minutes later Zhao and his entourage came in.
“Feel a bit better, Mrs Reading-Smith?” Zhao said.
“Yes, thank you. Are you going to be able to find my Sister and brother in law?” She replied.
“We don’t know yet. Let’s get you to safety first. Miss Riordan, are you coming too?” the detective asked as Kai passed over the statement she’d taken from Melanie, “Oh, excellent. We’ll still have to interview her, but this will make it a lot easier.”
“No, I have a lead that I’d like to follow up. Can I borrow one of your officers, just in case?” Kai thought about the description Melanie had given of the place they’d been held.
“Well, I have another one down in the car, so I suppose you can have Clarke.” He waved one hand toward the female officer.
The woman stepped forward, “Ma’am.” She raised her top lip to show a fang.
Vampire. She’ll do nicely. Kai said, “Thanks, Zhao.”