“I thought Father usually did that,” Kira said.
“Not always. Sometimes Mari did it. But always for a good reason. Oh, that reminds me. We were talking about what good meant.” Kath turned to Jason, asking about Urth and his studies. Kira watched and listened as Kath drew Jason out until they were discussing good and bad and philosophers or writers no one else but Jason had ever heard of on Dematr.
The lunch took a long time, but Kira didn’t mind. She’d forgotten how much she loved just being with Kath. And It was the first really peaceful, relaxing time she could recall in a while. Kath’s breezy attitude toward Jason had clearly made him feel at home as well.
“All right,” Kath finally announced. “Jason, if I know men, and I think I do, you’d really like to take a bath after that sea voyage. Upstairs. Second door on the left.”
“Thank you,” Jason said, getting up. He paused, bowing slightly from the waist toward Kath, his hands held together just before him in a formal Urth gesture that Kira had seen directed at her parents a few times. “I really mean that. Thank you.”
“Oh, go away with that silver tongue of yours,” Kath said with a laugh as she and Kira went to sit down next to each other on a couch.
“Silver is kind of a sore subject at the moment,” Kira said as Jason disappeared up the stairs.
“Why?”
“That Mara thing the Imperials believe.”
“But they don’t think you’re Mara.”
“Not anymore,” Kira said. “Now I’m Mara’s unnatural offspring. The daughter of darkness.”
“Really? Cool. Can I be your Aunt of Opacity?” Kath grinned at her. “Now that we’re alone, we can talk about important things. Like your Jason. He’s pretty smart.”
“Isn’t he? And he’s nice, and he’s brave. You wouldn’t believe how brave.”
“And he’s all right with being with you? Lady Kira? He doesn’t feel ignored by others?”
Kira sighed. “He is fine with it. More than I am! He deserves more attention when we’re together. But Jason’s parents are both really awful people. I mean awful. As in awful. And they both like to build themselves up by tearing down other people, like look-how-great-I-am stuff? So Jason grew up disliking that. He’s actually a lot happier not to be noticed most of the time. As long as he knows he’s doing something good, he doesn’t want that to be noticed, because then he starts questioning himself whether he’s doing it to get credit for it instead of doing it because it’s right.”
Kath took a quick drink. “Does he have an older brother? Because I’m still looking.”
“Whatever happened to that one guy? Don?”
“Oh, yeah, Don. It turned out that Don of Cape Astra and I had differing views on who I should be. Since I insisted on having the final word on who I was, we decided the relationship didn’t have a future.”
“I hate guys like that,” Kira said.
“I doubt you’ll have to worry about them now that Jason’s here. He really seems to be in love with you.”
“He is. He’s saved my life like, I don’t know, five or six times.”
Kath studied Kira. “Is that saved your life literally?”
“Yeah,” Kira admitted. “Kath, you need to know that we’re in Cape Astra because some bad people are after us.”
“Why haven’t you gone to the city police? Or the militia, or the military?”
“It’s… complicated,” Kira said. “But we’re a little ahead of the bad guys, so I risked stopping to see you because I’ve missed you so much and… ”
Kath raised her eyebrows at Kira. “And?”
“I could use some advice.”
“Oh.” Kath glanced at the stairs. “You and Jason?”
“Ummm… yes. That’s one thing. Which is tied in to the other thing.”
“You’re getting along all right?”
“Yeah. Mostly.” When I’m not insane, Kira thought but didn’t add out loud.
“Uh huh.” Kath gave her a knowing nod. “Problems in bed?”
“Ummm… ”
“How many other partners have you had, Kira?”
“Are you asking me how many other guys I’ve dated?” Kira asked. “Or how many other guys I’ve… Kath, Jason is my first.”
“How about Jason? I have no idea how they are on Urth about this.”
“He’s… ummm… the same. I’m his first.”
“Really? Oh, that’s nice. But inexperience can lead to problems,” Kath said sympathetically. “Unless it’s… ”
“Unless it’s what?” Kira asked.
Kath hesitated. “Is he… different?”
“Different?”
“You know. He’s from Urth. Is he different?”
“Jason can be sort of weird at times and he’s always saying things I don’t understand and… that’s not what you’re talking about, is it?”
“No,” Kath said. “I mean, different, down there.”
“Down there.” Kira felt her face growing warmer. “I… don’t… think so. I mean, Jason isn’t any different! If he was, Doctor Sino would have told me, wouldn’t she? She’s from Urth! She’d know! I saw her just before we left on this trip, and Doctor Sino is a woman, so she’d think of that, and she would’ve told me, oh, by the way, there’s something you probably ought to know before the wedding, Kira! Right?”
Kath looked confused. “Would Doctor of Sino—”
“Doctor Sino.”
“Would she know? If she’s from Urth as well?”
“She’s a doctor! A healer! She’s been seeing men and women since she got to this world. I really think she would have noticed and said something and stars above, Kath, now you’ve got me worried that Jason is somehow not built right for him and me to—”
“Relax,” Kath said. “Breathe.”
Kira calmed herself. “All right. Kath, I do know what guys look like, I mean I’ve been around horses all my life, and Jason seems to be, well, I mean, I don’t want to say average. He’s… oh, blazes, I want him so bad and we haven’t. But not because of that.”
“What’s the problem, then?”
“I… I blacked out.”
Kira was surprised to see a reassuring smile from her aunt. “Kira, that’s all right. Sometimes the physical experience can be so intense—”
“No! That’s not what I mean, Aunt Kath! I… wait. Really?”
“Kira, what do you think made you black out?”
Kira looked at Kath, overcoming her reluctance to talk about it. “I know what made me black out. It’s my powers. I know it’s them. They keep causing problems, and making me act strange, and they seem to be making me go insane, and black out, and do things without knowing what I’m doing, and we never told you about the powers, did we?”
Kath’s gaze grew troubled. “Powers?”
“Mage powers,” Kira said. “I have Mage powers.”
“But… you’re a Mechanic.”
“Yes. Don’t say it’s impossible. I know it is. But it’s true.”
Kath studied Kira as if she had never seen her before. “What can you do?”
Feeling even more uncomfortable than she had earlier, Kira shrugged. “Um, make myself invisible, sense other Mages, experience foresight—”
“Foresight?” Kath stared at Kira, her mouth agape. “You’re a Mage?”
“And a Mechanic.”
“And it’s causing problems?”
“Yes! I kept pretending it wasn’t, but it is. And it’s getting worse.”
“Why didn’t Mari tell us?” Kath demanded, outraged. “Do Mother and Father know?”
“You mean Grandmother and Grandfather? No.”
“You didn’t tell family? You never told me?”
“Kath, it developed slowly and then got bigger fast! We didn’t even know what was happening for a long time! It didn’t really burst out until after I met Jason, and this is the first time I’ve seen you since then. And Mother and Father are so worried and I’ve felt like a… I’
m not allowed to say freak. But, you know.”
“You poor thing.” Kath leaned in, embracing Kira, and Kira hugged her back, feeling unsettled inside. “What can I do?” Kath asked.
“You can’t think of anything?”
“Wow, you expected me to have some answers to that? You’ve got a pretty high opinion of me, Kira.” Kath shook her head, distressed. “Did I hear the word insane in there?”
“Yes. It… comes and goes. Jason and I haven’t figured out the pattern yet, except that when I’m rested and calm I’m less likely to… get crazy. Like now. I’m fine.”
“Jason,” Kath said. “How is your man taking it?”
“He’s… trying to help me figure it out. He’s sticking with me even when I’m… a little hard to be around.”
“He’s a young man. He’s all right with the physical problems?”
“Neither of us is all right with them! But Kath, if I went up there right now and said, let’s do it, he’d turn me down, because he wouldn’t know if I was aware of what I was doing or was thinking straight. There’ve been a few times like that.”
“He’d turn you down?” Kath asked, smiling. “Eighteen years old and he’d turn down your offer to be sure he wasn’t hurting you? You have got yourself quite a man.”
“I know. But… this is scary.”
“What about your father? No one knows more about Mage things than Alain, right?”
“I’m unique,” Kira said in a low voice. “No one knows anything.”
“Mari should have told me,” Kath said. “She’s a fantastic daughter of Jules and a great big sister, but the mother thing has always given her trouble.”
“That’s not true!” Kira objected. “Mother is so great. She’s the real Wonderful Woman. I couldn’t ask for a better mother.”
Kath stared at her as if Kira had suddenly grown a second head. “You are saying that? The same Kira who once begged me to adopt her and take her away from the horrible woman who claimed to be her mother but couldn’t possibly love her?”
“I never said that.”
“You were on your knees begging me, Kira! ‘Please, Aunt Kath! Save me!’”
“I’ve never been that overdramatic.”
“Oh, stars above! I guess those Mage powers have also caused you to forget most of your childhood.”
“Kath, I know I used to have problems sometimes with Mother, but she’s not the same as she used to be. I can talk to her now and everything.”
Kath managed a smile, but Kira could see the concern it tried to mask. “I’m glad that, uh, Mari has changed so much. What are you going to do?”
“Destroy the powers. That’s all I can do. I’m going to figure out how to get rid of my Mage powers. I… haven’t been able to, yet. They’re fighting back, they keep getting stronger, but I’m going to beat them.” She felt her words resonate inside her, a warning and a promise to the Mage powers that were trying to destroy her.
“All right,” Kath said. “You know best when it comes to this. Do you need to stay here a while to work on that?”
“I’m not staying here!” Kira said, wondering why she felt a sudden sense of panic, of being threatened. “It’s way too dangerous for you.”
“Do you need me to pack any food for you and Jason?”
“Jason?” Kira felt a sudden shock as she realized she had envisioned leaving here alone. Why? “Um, yes, please.”
“Kira?”
“I probably shouldn’t say any more. I’ve probably said too much. There are people… bad people… dangerous… ” Kira felt a Mage nearby. Maybe one street over. An enemy?
The ceiling felt too low and the walls too close. Kira fought a sense of being locked in.
What if the Mage she sensed was the lightning Mage? What if she had led Maxim and his followers to Aunt Kath’s house?
Her plan had worked. But something was wrong. Very wrong. Kath was here. What if they attacked now?
“Kira?” Kath was looking at her intently. Worriedly. “Kira, talk to me.”
“I have to go now.” Kira bolted to her feet, grabbing for her jacket and pack.
Kath jumped up as well. “You can find Jason upstairs, the—”
“There’s no time,” Kira said, barely able to control an overwhelming urge to flee from the danger stalking her.
“I’ll go up and tell Jason, then.” Kath stared as Kira ran to the door. “Kira? I’ll get Jason down here.”
Kira felt words jammed in her throat, unable to get out. She shook her head at Kath and yanked the door open, running outside and down the street.
Chapter Fourteen
Where was the train station? The train ran north toward… Farland. Something in Farland promised security.
Kira realized she was still carrying her jacket, not wearing it, and her shoulder holster was attracting attention. She slowed to a walk to pull on her jacket.
The train station. Don’t get noticed. Wait. She wanted to be noticed. Get Maxim following her. Out there in the harbor.
Kira turned and looked, seeing the Imperial-flagged passenger ship dropping anchor. Longboats were already nearby, ready to take the passengers ashore. Passengers. Mercenaries. Mechanics. Mages. All of them wanting to kill her.
And Maxim was here. She could feel the cold hatred flowing from the ship. It had to be him.
She stumbled to a halt, pressing her hands against her head, trying to order her thoughts.
“Kira?”
She jerked about, shocked, one hand going for her pistol.
Jason stood there, breathing heavily from a run, his eyes on her looking accusing and wounded.
“You… you caught up,” Kira said. “Good.”
He looked down the street, then back at her. “You promised never to lie to me again.”
“I did promise.” Kira tried to steady herself inside. “I… I don’t know why I ran. I just had to run. And it felt… it felt like I was endangering you and Kath and everyone. Jason, I was too scared to think. And if you think it’s easy for me to admit that—”
“At least you’re being honest with me now, if not with yourself.”
“What does that mean?”
Jason kept his eyes on her, ignoring the passing pedestrians. “You were too scared to think, but you didn’t hide in a room or under a bed in Kath’s house. You ran, so anybody after you would chase you, and not attack me or Kath. Do you think I don’t know you by now?”
She struggled for words, surprised. “But I—”
“You’re like your mother. You don’t think of yourself when you get scared. You think of other people, and how to protect them from what you’re scared of.”
Why did that settle her emotions even as she rejected what Jason said? Kira breathed out slowly. “I may not be as wonderful as you think I am.”
“You’re sure working hard to convince me of that. What were you planning on doing after you finished running?”
Planning. Kira looked toward the harbor as her mind seized on that word. “He’s waiting for me to be brought to him. He won’t come off the ship.” Why did she know that? But she did.
“You mean Maxim? Kira, you don’t know—”
“Yes, I do. It’s so obvious. He’s out there on that ship, Jason. Waiting, like a spider.” She touched her pistol under her jacket, then looked up at the sky. “It’ll be dark in a little while.”
“And?” Jason asked, his gaze now wary and worried.
“I’m tired of running.”
“Kira, no!”
She fixed her gaze on him, feeling that certainty fill her again. “Two choices, Jason. Come with me, or stay here.”
“How about the third choice?” Jason said, his voice trembling. “Stopping you?”
“Do you want to try?” She heard the threat in her voice under the question. That surprised her. This was Jason, after all. But even though Jason seemed to be having trouble thinking, he still must be smart enough to know what would happen if he tried to take down Kira. She??
?d been taking lessons from Aunt Bev and other experts for more than a decade, while Jason had not much more than a year of such training under his belt. “And don’t think about calling for help. If you do that, I’ll disappear.”
Jason grimaced with frustration.. “I almost wish I had one of those marlin spikes! Almost! Kira, please. Think about this!”
“Are you with me or not? I won’t ask again.”
He looked down, then back at her, his mouth a thin, stubborn line. “I won’t go back to your parents to tell them I left you when you needed me. Okay, daughter of darkness. Let’s go get killed together.”
Daughter of darkness. She remembered that name. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad name. “We need a boat. A small one. So we can get close without being spotted.”
“We’re going to steal another boat,” Jason said.
“Just a little one. Come on.”
He followed her, saying nothing.
* * *
Kira found a spot with a good view of the harbor that also offered a place where they could lie while concealed from the views of passersby. She and Jason watched as the sun went down and lights were lit around the harbor and on the ships and boats at anchor. A lot of men and women came ashore from the Imperial-flagged passenger ship, some disappearing into the city and others sweeping the waterfront. Kira saw several of them locate the sailboat and go aboard to search it before moving on.
She felt Mages among those searchers, and saw the dark jackets of Mechanics scattered among them as well.
But her sense of Maxim’s location remained fixed on that ship. He wasn’t going anywhere. Wasn’t going to take any personal risks.
“Everything is going according to plan,” she whispered to Jason.
“Is it?”
Kira gave him a sharp look, unhappy with the bitterness in his voice. “Is there something I should be doing that would make you happier?”
“I’m just hoping you fall asleep,” Jason said.
“Why would I fall asleep? I’m not tired at all.” And she wasn’t. Despite the long day, Kira felt full of energy.
The only time her confidence and energy faltered was when she saw a figure walking along the waterfront as if searching for someone. It looked a lot like Kath.