Chapter Twenty-Four
Tom
The hall is filled with people, making his progress slow. After the long wait just to get here, this last agonizing hold up seems somehow worse than all the rest.
“I didn’t know you were coming today, Tom.’
Jimmy’s quiet voice, still strangely audible above the hubbub of the great hall, catches his attention.
“I’m never sure myself when I’ll be coming, Jimmy, this visit is something of a surprise for me too.” Tom looks down at Jimmy’s slight, neat frame. “Is Rye over at the barracks?”
“No he’s gone out into the City with the girl.”
“The girl?”
“Yes; your brother seems to have got himself a girlfriend, or to be more precise, two.”
Jimmy’s voice is bland, but it has the effect of stilling Tom’s progress through the crowd.
“Really?” Tom manages to inject a faintly amused note into his voice, concealing the rushing thoughts and feeling of dread that washes over him. “I can’t think Nova’s too jazzed about another girl in competition.”
“Another two girls,” clarifies Jimmy. “Nova’s dropped out of the running altogether.”
“I dare say he’ll tell me all about it when he gets back,” shrugs Tom. “Pass the word that I’m here would you Jimmy; I’m off to see Mari.”
Jimmy’s voice again halts his steps.
“She won’t be home, Tom, she’ll be with the other girl.”
“As in…”
“As in Ryder’s other girl.”
“I see; and where will they be?”
“At Wisteria House, that’s where Ryder’s given them quarters,” answers Jimmy. “I’ve called my car for you; it should be waiting outside by now.”
“Thanks, Jimmy.”
The car is waiting by the curb as he steps out into the pleasant surroundings of the Andak compound. He’d been astonished to learn that Jan and Deeta were in Rye’s care, but on reflection perhaps it wasn’t such a big surprise. Ryder had a profound, if sardonic, interest in the female of the species, an interest that they seemed to reciprocate enthusiastically. Tom frowns, the ominous feeling of trouble deepening. Ryder had claimed them, had taken them to live in his mother’s house, and was at this very moment travelling the City with one of them, alone.
Please don’t let it be Deeta!
Please don’t let it be that; he couldn’t take it. He didn’t like the way that, just the thought of it, was making him feel.
He’d watched Deeta grow from girlhood to womanhood with a tense feeling of foreboding, knowing that with every passing year his feelings for her changed and intensified. He had also known that he could never act on his feelings.
It was impossible to bring upon her the disgust of the world outside the Andak compound, or the snappish hate within Andak territory. He was impeded not so much by the thought that it might make her unhappy, but by the feeling that he had for her.
Deeta hated confrontation and anger, and the Andak compound was rife with both. It was his duty to protect her from that and, if he could spare her from one moment’s unhappiness, he would do it. Even if that meant that he would never be able to tell her how he felt. He wouldn’t lie to himself and pretend that it didn’t hurt him to have Deeta so close, so trusting, and yet to be unable to do anything about it. He also knew that his hurt would only be made worse with the passing of time.
He had watched with jealousy her developing beauty, knowing that he was not the only one who was noticing. He’d had to accept that one day someone would make a bid for her affections and win. That man, whoever he was, would become more to her than he had ever, or would ever, be.
It was in Deeta’s nature to be loving and caring; he had seen those qualities in her from the very first. It was what had alerted him to the future problems he would face. That unselfish warmth of feeling that she had rained upon him and Uncle Jep had been a soothing balm, healing the wounds inflicted upon his soul as a blood Andak. He had resigned himself to the fact that she would one day love another, but he was damned if he would let it be Rye! He could only be unselfish up to a point. He would not let Ryder’s impulsiveness destroy all he had tried to protect.
The car pulls up outside the house, and Tom notices the wisteria draping the frame of the veranda in softly scented purple flowers. Then the door opens and Mari stands on the threshold.
“Hello, Mari.”
“Tom!” Mari pulls him in to her arms and embraces him wordlessly. “Thank goodness you’re safe!”
“Which one of the girls is with Rye?”
“Deeta. Why, what is it? What’s wrong?”
Tom feels the weight of depression settle on his shoulders.
A small figure bursts into the hall and cannons into him, winding his arms tightly around Tom’s waist and burying his head against Tom’s side. Dec’s body trembles as he holds him tight. A few anxious lines disappear from Tom’s face as he looks down at the boy’s dark head.
“Miss me did you?” He smiles and rests his hand on the boy’s dark, curly hair. Dec’s only answer is a muffled sob and to tighten his hold.
“Come on, Dec; I need to sit down, then you can tell me all about your adventure.”
Tom passes his arm around Dec’s slight shoulders, and walks with him into the sitting room. Jan is curled up in an arm chair, resplendent in a shimmering violet dressing gown.
“Hiya, Tommy.” Her voice is lazily welcoming, as though she’d seen him just a few hours before and saw nothing remarkable in seeing him again. He smiles.
“Hello, Jan.”
His eyes move past her to Keya who is perched nervously on the edge of her seat. Any anger or irritation he might have felt, disappears. She seems thinner; her hands fidget with a red curl that has lost its patina of health, and her lips are bloodlessly pale, blending in with her milky skin.
“Hello, Keya.”
“Hello, Tom.” Her voice trembles uncertainly, and she only meet his eyes briefly before looking away.
Tom settles into the soft cushions, one arm hugging Dec to him, with his eyes fixed firmly on Jan.
“What’s going on?”
“You want me to start from the beginning?” she asks.
“It seems like the best place to me.”
Jan takes a deep breath.
“After you left the Marshall compound the Andak attacked. Deeta and I ran, but we were captured and brought here.”
She pauses to raise her hand to touch the back of her still tender head, and then dryly continues.
“I don’t remember arriving, I was still out cold, but when I did come round it was with a splitting headache. I was in a strange room all by myself, and I could hear some sort of commotion in the next room. I unscrewed the leg from the table and went to find out what it was. Deeta was struggling with a man in the next door, so I bashed him over the head. As it turned out he was your brother; Ryder. Deeta had pretended that she didn’t know who you were, but he knew she was lying when I told him we knew you.” She raises her hand. “I know, I know; clever Jan. Anyway Deeta told me that you had a traitor in the family, and she wasn’t sure if we should trust him. So we decided to test him. Deeta told him that she would take him, and only him, to you. They’re out there now, in a random building, with Deeta pointing a gun at his head. If Andak troops turn up, he’s a bad guy, if they don’t… I guess we trust him.”
Tom has been regarding the top of Dec’s head in silence.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit of a haphazard and dangerous way of finding out?”
“Not rocket science perhaps, but come on Tom, we did what we could!” Jan moves restlessly in her chair. “We wanted to trust him, but we had to make sure. Heck, he tried to throttle Deeta at first!” Jan pauses for a moment before challenging. “Tell me that you’ve always held him above suspicion!”
For a moment the room is still as Tom, his eyes firmly fixed on Jan, remains quiet.
“If I ever was cautious
of Ryder, it was for Dec’s sake. If it had been me on my own, Rye would have had my full confidence.”
“And if it had been just me and Deeta it would have been different too. But it was you and Dec’s lives that we held in our hands, and we had no right to risk them,” states Jan quietly.
Dec’s young voice falls into the tense silence.
“Is Ryder alright then, Uncle Tom?”
“Does he know?” asks Tom quickly, turning to Mari.
“He was told, I don’t know if he remembers. He didn’t believe us,” Mari answers.
Dec looks sharply at each of them.
“You mean they were telling the truth, Uncle Tom? He is my uncle and she’s my mother?” Dec's voice is very small.
“Let me tell you a story, Dec.” Tom turns the little boy to face him. “When I was your age, my oldest brother Dax was worried that if I stayed with him and his wife, Mari, I would somehow get hurt. So he sent me with an old friend of his called Andres Jepsjon, to live somewhere where I would be safe. Then Dax and Mari had a baby boy, you Dec, and they loved you very much. They were afraid that you would be hurt if you stayed with them, though. So they sent you to live with me and Uncle Jep, but it was a secret. They didn’t tell any of your other uncles, they were told you had been abducted. When Ryder found out where you were, he came to rescue you and bring back to your family.
“But you are my family, Uncle Tom!”
“Yes, Dec, but Ryder didn’t know you were with me and that we were safe.”
“Well now we can tell him and we can all go back home, can’t we? We don’t have to stay here,” pleads Dec.
“It’s not as simple as all that, Dec, we have to be patient. First of all we have to find out who wants to harm us, but to do that we have to stay here and have an adventure. You’d like to have an adventure, wouldn’t you, Dec?”
“An — an adventure?” Dec brushes away the tears from his cheeks, and looks at Tom speculatively from puffy eyes. “You mean like in ‘The Sooner’?” he asks, his voice taking on a breathless excitement.
“Yes, like in ‘The Sooner’. You’ll have to do just as we tell you, maybe…” Tom puts his head to one side. “I don’t know, maybe you’re too young after all,” he muses considering, but there is a smile in his eyes.
“No, I’m not! I’m not, Uncle Tom!” Dec is jumping up and down with excitement. “If Pal can do it, so can I. I’ll do just what you tell me too!”
“Steady, Dec,” laughs Tom. “I haven’t even told you what it is you’ll have to do yet!”
“Aunty Jan told me. She said that I’ve got to pretend that I don’t know who you, Aunty Deet, and Aunty Jan are. I can do that, Uncle Tom, easy peasy I can!”
“It’s a pity Jak Dane’s not here to help us,” remarks Tom mournfully.
“Don’t you worry, Uncle Tom, we’ll manage on our own!” Dec looks around the room until his eyes alight on Mari.
“I say… um… could I…” Dec blushes adorably. “I know I said no before, but could I have that lemonade now?”
“Of course you can, I’ll go and get it.”
Mari disappears quickly, tears glittering in her eyes.
“Hey, Uncle Tom.” Dec turns worried eyes towards him. “You don’t think I upset her do you?”
“No, Dec; you made her happy.”
“I did?” asks Dec awed. “Well then I’m going to drink lemonade until I burst!”
Tom laughs, and pulls Dec into his arms.
“Ah, Dec, I missed you, you little tyke.”
The little boy looks highly gratified at this declaration, but pulls back from his embrace, fixing serious eyes on his.
“She’s very nice, but…” He leans forward confidingly. “Did you notice; her nails are red!”
-------
Deeta
“Back already, Ryder?”
Ryder turns to smile vaguely at Jimmy.
“Yes, we didn’t get very far before Deeta developed a blister and refused to go any further. I had to carry her most of the way back!” Ryder laughs easily. “Believe me; she’s not as light as she looks!”
“You missed Tom’s arrival; he came back not three hours after you’d left.”
Ryder’s eyes make contact with mine.
“Really? I’ll have to find him after I’ve dropped Deeta off.”
“You won’t have to; he’s at Wisteria House now, he went to see Mari,” informs Jimmy.
“How useful of him,” remarks Ryder. “See you later, Jimmy.”
With a wave of his hand, Ryder walks towards the doors and I trail dazedly after him. Although I’d known he would probably come soon, I can’t help the butterflies that begin to race around my stomach.
He’s here!
For the first time in a long time I feel hope and smile; at myself and my simple faith in Tom’s ability to fix everything. Mostly I smile because I know that my faith in him is not misplaced; everything will be fine.
Excitement courses through my veins as we pull up beside the house.
“Congratulations, Deeta.”
“For what?”
“For telling the truth.”
“Oh and which one are you; the pot or the kettle?” I ask indignantly. “After the whopper you told Jimmy, I would have thought that you’d be a little quieter on the subject of truth!”
Mari opens the door to find us laughing, and with longing and trepidation I enter the sitting room.
“Hello, Deeta, did you enjoy your walk? You won’t believe who turned up on our doorstep, begging for an invite in,” Jan informs me languidly.
Tom stands, and for a brief moment my eyes meet his. All I want to do is throw myself in his arms, yet for some odd reason I feel too self-conscious to do so.
“Aunty Deeta, we’re going to have an adventure, just like Jak Dane!”
Dec hugs me excitedly, and then draws back.
“Why didn’t you come and visit me in prison?”
“Dec, for goodness sake!” Even as tears smart in my eyes I find myself laughing. “Don’t go around telling everyone you’ve been in prison!”
“Well I have and the books are right: the food’s just awful.” Dec grins up at me. “Roy’s gonna be so jealous!”
I kiss the top of his head, squeezing him to me.
“Did you miss me?”
“You bet, the food was that bad and,” Dec looks around and lowers his voice, “and they put a rubber protector on my bed. It made such a racket it’s a wonder I got any sleep. I ask you; it’s one thing being poisoned, but did they have to insult me too?”
“That’s dreadful, Dec,” I reply, trying not to laugh.
“Well it shook me,” says Dec aggrieved. “I won’t lie to you; it did.”
He suddenly notices Ryder standing behind me and pulls away slightly, subjecting him to a steady inspection.
“Uncle Tom says that you’re alright.” He looks a little diffident. “He said that you were telling the truth.”
“That was nice of him.” Ryder meets Tom’s eyes over the little boys head. “How have you been, lad?”
“Not bad,” shrugs Tom. “I shan’t ask how you’ve been, I already know: busy.”
They shake hands, pulling together for an instant to thump each other on the back.
“I do have a question though; did Deeta really pull a gun on you?”
“Are you kidding?” Ryder laughs. “She tried to put a bullet in me!”
“I did not! I just let off a warning shot over his shoulder.”
“Most ghastly shock I’ve had in my life,” breaks in Ryder, “seeing as though I gave her a locked palm recognition gun. She swiped a manual when I wasn’t looking.”
“Bad choice of words, Rye, it reminds me that we have something to clear up.”
I unzip the front of my jump suit, and pull out my locket.
“Could you please tell Ryder that you gave this to me, he’s of the unshakable belief that I pinched it from you.”
Slowly Tom??
?s eyes move from the locket to Ryder, and I have the strangest feeling that in that moment they have a silent conversation.
“I gave it her, Rye.”
For a second longer they gaze at each other, and I move to sit on the sofa, pulling Dec down next to me and giving him a squeeze.
“Where did you go, Tom?” My voice is soft, and as Tom turns to face me I see a weary light enter his eyes.
“You remember me saying that we needed the Marshalls protection?” he asks. “It wasn’t exactly their protection we needed, more their numbers. I knew that when the Andak found out that Dec had been with me, they’d come for me. You see, nobody likes to say it, but we all know what’s happening; that we’re being killed off one by one. We pretend, but it’s just a ruse, because if we didn’t pretend we wouldn’t be able to live together in this place, would we? And besides, what’s that old saying? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
He shakes his head.
“Anyway, I knew they’d think that I was the killer. I couldn’t let them come and destroy the Clark tribe, but I also couldn’t leave Uncle Jep and the kids with the Clarks to become outcasts. I needed time to settle them somewhere else, but we didn’t have the time. The Andak would need little or no preparation to attack the Clark tribe, so I had to move us to the Marshalls.
“I never anticipated that the Marshalls would have to fight; I didn’t expect it to come to that. I thought that maybe there would be enough time to settle Uncle Jep and the kids, and then give myself up before the Andak launched their offensive on the Marshall compound. The next thing I knew, I was hearing reports that the Marshalls had been wiped out, so I went back.”
For a second Jan and I freeze. Tom was not a very popular figure last time we were in Marshall territory, the subsequent visit that the Andak paid them will not have improved their opinion of him. I guess Jan pretty much sums it up when her jaw drops and she asks faintly.
“You mean, you walked into Marshall territory… and the Marshalls let you walk back out again?”
“I shan’t deny that for a little while things were decidedly sticky,” Tom smiles.
“Sticky! I should say so!”
“Tom did you see my parents? And Clare? What about Philip? Did you…?” I begin.
“They’re fine, Deeta. Clare and Phillip, your mum and dad, Nella and Ralph.” He turns to look at Keya. “Jamie’s fine too, so are Mr. and Mrs. Green.”
Keya remains stock still for a moment, and then suddenly her face crumples and she starts to cry.
“Don’t Keya, please don’t.” I slide my arm around her waist, and she turns her face into my shoulder, sobbing with relief.
“In fact… ” Tom slides his hand into the inside pocket of his leather jacket, and pulls out a wad of papers. “I feel like the postman; there’s letters from both of your families here…”
Before he has finished speaking, Jan, Keya, and I are out of our seats, and have swarmed around him, snatching the papers out of his loose grip.
“Wow, I’ve got to remember that trick,” laughs Ryder.
“Oh, no!” My gasp casts the room into silence and the blood drains from my face, leaving me shaking and cold.
“Deeta, what’s wrong?” asks Jan quickly.
My eyes meet Tom’s guiltily.
“I’m so sorry, Tom.” My voice is hardly more than a whisper. I see understanding enter his eyes, and he raises his hand to rub the back of his neck.
“Ah yes, about that.”
“I thought he knew, I thought you’d told him.”
Tom rocks back and forth on his heels for a moment.
“Forget about it, Deeta, it’s not important now.”
Ryder looks from one to the other of us and then at Jan.
“I wish I knew what we’re supposed to be forgetting.”
He looks to his brother again, but I can see in Tom’s face that he is not going to give me away.
“I told Robin Marshall that Tom was Andak.”
Jan’s sharp intake of breath is audible, and her hand moves to cover her mouth.
“What did he say, Tom?” I ask with difficulty. “Did he… was he angry?”
“Let’s just say he wasn’t as pleased to see me as he usually is.”
“Meaning what?” Jan prompts.
“He tried to murder me,” grins Tom. “Don’t look so shocked; he calmed down after a bit, in the end he was quite reasonable.”
“What happened after that?”
“I came home, fully expecting to be escorted straight to a holding room the second I was seen.” Tom’s eyes meet Ryder’s, and I see a question in them. “But surprisingly enough nobody seemed to want to shoot me, throw me into prison, or even question me.”
Ryder grins, settling himself more comfortably in the large armchair.
“Come on, Tommy, do you really think I’d level an accusation like that at you?”
“You had more than enough evidence against me.”
“Evidence is for people who don’t know the person being accused,” dismisses Ryder. “I don’t care how much evidence was brought against you: I know that you didn’t kill Dax, Rothe, or any of them. I know you couldn’t do something like that.” He shrugs. “That being the case what was the point in telling the others something that they would only misunderstand?”
For a second Tom stares at him in silence, gratitude spilling from his eyes.
“Thanks, Rye.”
“Don’t mention it. Really; don’t.”
Tom stands up and ruffles Dec’s hair.
“I have to report in.”
“I’d better come with you.” Ryder winks at us. “We’ll pick you girls up later and take you to the dance.”
“What dance?” asks Jan.
“We always have a party when Tom comes home,” answers Mari absentmindedly. “Which reminds me; I’d better call through to the pavilion so they know he’s back.”
“We’re going to a party?” cries Dec enthusiastically. “This just keeps getting better and better!”