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Display a printable version Afternoon Tea
Karen had never heard anyone actually speak the Heinlein acronym for 'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.' as an actual word (Tan-Staff-Fell) before, much less in a southern twang. She would grin over it later. Right now, she was not grinning. Not even smiling. "I know because only a scum sucking lowlife who preys on the grief stricken like you would have anything to do with an Order that advocates theft, fraud and murder. You're not part of them but you are in league with them..." "You wound me!" He put a hand over his heart as if hurt. "... and the only thing little about me is my fear of you." She ignored his mockery. He lost his playful demeanor. "Careful." Karen planted her fingertips on the countertop and leaned towards him. "Careful of what, you miserable bottom feeder? Or what? What will you do? The only way you can hurt your victims is for them to voluntarily come to you. For them to willingly give to you while you just take and take and take! I'm smarter than that. I know what you are. It'll be a cold day in hell before you get your claws in me." She saw the anger gathering in his face. It was not smart to point out a man's flaws. Worse to grind his face in them but she was too angry to stop. "Now, if you won't tell me where Paul Maloy is or who his boss is, then you do this: You tell them that I'm coming and that they will pay for all of the harm they have done. I promise you that. They, and all those who stand in my way, will pay. You think carefully about that, too, Luke." Taking her fingertips off the countertop, she brushed them at her jeans as if they were dirty. She was pleased to note that her shaking was from adrenaline and not fear. She waited for the man to respond. He did nothing but clench his teeth and glower at her. She nodded. "Fine. I will get Paul Maloy if it's the last thing I do." Then, she turned and strode from the store without a backward glance. She walked across the street towards the Colonel's Park and into it. She smiled when she saw Aaron waiting for her by the statue of the Colonel. He headed towards her as soon as he saw her. "How'd it go? You ok?" Karen gave him a hug and a brief kiss. "Well enough. The word will get out to the Order. I've talked to enough people. He was the last on my list. The Order's going to have to watch their step from now on." She hugged him again. "Thanks for waiting for me in the park. David would never have." "I didn't like it but you're a big girl. I was just waiting for the explosion before I came running." "No, you don't understand. I really appreciate this; you coming with me but waiting outside, understanding that I need to do these confrontations by myself but really needing your support in-between threats." "Karen, you didn't threaten Luke Coleman, did you? That man is dangerous." "I did a little but he had it coming." He whistled low. "That's not very healthy. He's one of the more powerful but neutral forces in Kendrick." "Neutral my ass. He's sided with the Order. I could see it on his face. I don't think neutral exists anymore in Kendrick. Things are coming to a head." "And you're gonna light the fuse?" "If I have to. I'm sick of this! Sick to death of all this pussyfooting around. Sick of people saying, 'Follow the rules!' You know what? These damn rules are what got us to this point now. The Makah people refused to go to the police about the murders of their own people. The police representative allowed this to happen. Now, instead of the police looking for Paul Maloy for murder and bringing in official help, it's all swept under the carpet. This is wrong. Someone has to take a stand. It might as well be me." Aaron raised his hands in defense. "Whoa. You're preaching to the choir here, dearheart. I know you're right. It's why I'm coming with you. It's why I'm trying to help. But... and I hate to have to ask this... but, have you thought about why these rules were in place to begin with?" Karen let her anger drain from her. "Yeah. I have. But, it's like any system that has gone corrupt. It was put in place to protect the innocent. Now, they've been twisted until all they do is help the bad guys. I can't abide by a system like that. This is one of the few ways I know to make it better." "I know. I know. It's why I love you. You stand by the conviction of your words." He paused, looking at her frown. "What?" "Nothing." She shook her head. Looking at her watch, she said, "I gotta go." "Want me to give you a ride home?" "Nah. I think I need some time alone with my thoughts and to think out what I'm going to do next. The walking will do me good." He did not look happy but he nodded. "Ok. I'll be at the club tonight if you want to see me." Karen gave him a hug and a kiss good-bye. "Thanks for understanding." She walked away in the direction of home. *** An hour later, Karen was regretting her hasty decision to flee from that word "love" and to walk home. She had not taken into account how far it was from City Center to Crossroads District where her apartment was. Though the walk had been pleasant enough at first, the sun was reaching its zenith on this unusually warm summer's day. It was getting very hot for the Pacific Northwest and she was not half way home yet. She thought to hail a cab and realized that she was in the middle of suburbia. Instead, she would have to find the nearest intersection then call a cab company. As she looked down the way towards the nearest cross street, Karen noticed something odd. She could see light footsteps on the sidewalk leading towards a nearby driveway. Her eyes followed the barely visible steps all the way back to where she stood. Looking behind her from where she had come, there were no footsteps at all. The odd there-but-not-there footsteps started where she stood. She took four steps forward and looked back. No footsteps. Looking forward, they were still there, leading her towards the driveway at the end of the hedge. She followed them to the driveway and stopped. Behind, as expected this time, the footsteps were gone. Before her, the footsteps walked down a private driveway bordered on one side by a built-up wall of rock on the left and by the continuation of the tall hedge on the right. Abruptly, the not-there steps turned right and walked straight into the hedge. Knowing that she was being led by something supernatural - yet another thing she did not know of - Karen walked cautiously to the point in the hedge where the footsteps disappeared. At first, she saw nothing but more dense foliage. Then, as she watched, a hedge door seemed to form before her eyes. It was like discovering the picture in one of those 3-D optical illusion prints. Once you see the picture, you cannot 'not see' it anymore. Before she could reach for the doorknob, the door swung inward and an old man in a butler's uniform stood there. "Good afternoon, Miss Wilson. You are expected. Please come in." He stood aside with solicitous deference. "Uh, Thank you, uh... " "James." "Thank you, James." She stepped inside. "But, who is expecting me?" "The Lady of the Grey Manor, of course." He turned and began to lead her towards a white gazebo with a gabled roof. Behind the gazebo was a beautiful storybook Victorian home with two turrets. The whole thing was grey, edged in white. The first and last time Karen had heard of the Lady of the Grey Manor was when she had met Heather at Bacchanalia. Heather had come looking for help in saving an old professor who had once saved her from a decidedly non-supernatural predator. She had mentioned going to see the Lady of the Grey Manor then. The Lady apparently was yet another supernatural force that lived in Kendrick. She seemed to have a lot of information. Whose side she was on was anyone's guess. James led her up to the gazebo then pulled out a chair for her. Already at the table had to be the Lady of the Grey Manor. She was a handsome woman with white hair piled high upon her head. She wore a layered, high collared gown in white and grey. The ensemble was completed with a pair of white gloves. Karen did not know anything about antique clothing but if she had to guess, the Lady was dressed in a Victorian or Edwardian style. The timeless elegance of the woman made Karen feel like the proverbial country bumpkin in a fairytale. "Good afternoon, Miss Wilson." The Lady's voice was smooth and welcoming. "I had hoped you would come." She offered Karen her hand. "I am known as the Lady of the Grey Manor. Please just call me Lady Grey." Karen gave the Lady a firm short handshake. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Grey." She stopped then, not knowing what else to say. James returned, carrying a silver serving tray with a porcelain tea set and series of small tea cakes. He served the Lady first, fixing the tea and putting out a plate of cakes with the cup. Then, he fixed Karen's tea - exactly how she liked it. A little milk and a lot of sugar. She could only guess that knowing how she liked her tea was part of his particular magic. After the tea was served, James departed and sips of delight had been had, Lady Grey smiled at Karen. "I know you are wondering why you are here. I will tell you that the answer is both simple and complex. The simple answer is that I wanted to meet you for myself. I have been hearing of you for some time now." "Good things, I hope." Karen eyed the tea cake with some trepidation, wondering if she could manage to eat it without spilling crumbs all over herself. "Good depends on your point of view, does it not?" "I suppose but I believe there are some inherently good actions and some inherently bad actions." "Oh? How so?" "Well, hurting a child is inherently bad to me." "A spanking to teach a child a lesson does hurt him or her." "That isn't what I meant." "Hmm? What did you mean?" "I mean... people like Thomas Rutherford..." Karen did not want to explain further in such gentle company. The former Vice Principal had committed suicide after Karen had found the body of a dead child in the man's office in an abandoned school that was scheduled to be torn down. Amongst the man's confessions within the suicide note was the admission that he was both a pedophile and a murderer. "Ah. Yes. I understand now. In this case, I will agree with you." She sipped from her teacup. "Karen, you understand what you are doing in Kendrick now, don't you?" "I'm not sure I understand your question." "Do you understand that your actions, while helpful up to this point, are going to force a war between the supernatural factions in Kendrick?" "Yes. I do." "Do you understand that people will die in this war? People you care about?" Karen paused, thinking about it for a long time. She gulped at her tea, not tasting it. "Yes." She answered. "Yes. People will die but people are already dying and no one is doing anything about it. I can't let that go on. I can't let people die, artifacts be stolen or for the Order to merrily continue on their way in whatever scheme they have planned." "What if they are doing what they are doing for the good of Kendrick?" "Do you really believe that?" It was Lady Grey's turn to be silent for a time. Finally, she sighed. "No. I do not. The Order is acting in its own selfish interest." "That is why I am doing this. Everyone knows what they are doing but no one is taking a stand." "Karen, do you believe in this enough to die for it?" "Believe in stopping the Order for doing what they are doing, regardless of whom it hurts?" She nodded. "I know I'm putting myself in danger. I don't want to die but I'm willing to risk it." "What about risking the lives of your friends and loved ones?" "What do you mean?" "Do you believe the Order is only going to target you? No. They will go after those you care the most for - Aaron or David or both." Karen grimaced. "Both of them are..." She stopped. "You are angry with both. Do you realize that you have chosen two men who represent the two sides of you? David is your safe, normal mundane side. Aaron is your exciting, supernatural side. But, now, you've discovered that David isn't so safe or mundane anymore while Aaron has a very mundane side to him as well." "How do you know all this? How do you know about me?" "We all have our fortes, my dear. Mine is information. I am right, aren't I." "Yes." Karen had never thought of the two men in such terms. Not really but now that it had been pointed out, yes, it was true. "Now, both of them... and both sides of me... are in danger." "Yes. Knowing that, do you still mean to make your stand against the Order of the Sacred Eye?" She clinked her teacup back to the saucer. "Yes. I can't stop now. I just can't. It wouldn't be right and I made a promise..." The Lady nodded. "Accepted. Then, I will do what I can to help you. Give me your teacup." Karen handed it over. "Going to read my fortune?" "Something like that." Lady Grey turned the cup back and forth murmuring. She frowned slightly. "What? What do you see?" Karen leaned forward despite her still skeptical nature. "Nothing is written in stone but if you continue on your path, I see thee things: The first is that someone close to you will betray you. Someone you trust. Beware of light within the light. The second is that your mentor is not who or what you believe him to be. But, he is not the one who will betray you. The last is death but I don't know for whom. Someone close to you will die if you continue as you have been." "I'm sorry I asked." "No great change will come without sacrifice. What you are pushing with your vendetta against the Order will cause this great change." Lady Grey made a beckoning gesture over her shoulder. "Reginald and I have been acquaintances for many years. We have not always agreed but I think you do well by him. I have a gift for you." Karen looked up. From the direction the Lady gestured came two children of about nine years old, a boy and a girl. They skipped along, and then dashed, laughing, up to the gazebo. She realized that she recognized the children. She first saw them in the Transitory Tunnel. Now, she suddenly realized she had been seeing them around town, near her, for weeks. She would notice them, and then forget them. The boy bowed. "She is Thomasina." The girl curtsied. "He is Thomas." "We are both older..." The boy said. "... and younger..." The girl said. "...than we appear." Thomas said. "This is our greatest asset..." Thomasina said. "... and our greatest weakness." Thomas concluded. Thomasina stepped forward and handed Karen a box. "This belongs to you." "Thank you." Karen said, feeling a bit bewildered by the single conversation coming from the two children. As the two eternal children reverenced, then dashed away, Lady Grey spoke up. "I did not know whether or not I should return this to you. Without it, you have found the inner strength to take the stand that needed to be taken. But, now, I believe you will need it, and all of your other skills, to direct this storm you are creating." Karen opened the box and was very surprised to see a familiar silver bracelet inside. She held it up and read the charm dangling from it. "Joy" was written on one side. "Hope" was written on the other. "I had forgotten how pretty this bracelet was. How did you...?" "You sacrificed it, and all it represented, when you saved Professor Chapman." "Language professor - Greek, Latin, Spanish and Italian." Karen murmured as she put the bracelet back on her wrist. "I have one last question for you. When you sacrificed your memory, why did you choose to sacrifice the good memory of your friend rather than the bad memory of your grandmother's death?" "Pain is a funny thing. It forces a person to act. In tragedy, you discover the mettle of a person. Strength of character is what you do when you are hurt or scared. It shows what kind of person you are. I still miss my Grandmother but it was her death that made me choose to be the person I am today. I didn't want to lose that." "Thank you, Karen. I have enjoyed this afternoon with you. I hope, after the storm dies away, we may do this again." She could hear the unspoken dismissal and stood. It was time for her to go. Karen had too many things on her mind as it was. "Thank you for the tea and the reading, Lady Grey. I hope to see you again as well." "James will show you out and I believe you will find yourself much closer to home. Good afternoon." She was led to the other side of the large yard to another door in the hedge. James opened it and gave her a small bow. "Good afternoon, Miss Wilson. I hope you have a good evening." "Thank you. You, too." She stepped out of the hedge onto another private driveway. Walking down to the street, she saw she was only a few blocks away from home. For that, she was thankful. She wanted nothing more than to be in the safety of her apartment with Sebastian curled up beside her and a drawing pencil in her hand. Later, she would think about what had been read in her tea leaves. For now, she just wanted to be home. As she walked along, she wondered where Sebastian was and if he had been there within the sanctuary of the Grey Manor. She looked around to see if she could catch a glimpse of grey moving. She smiled as she thought she could, high above her. 'You can only because I let you.' 'You were there?' She asked. 'No. I could still hear you but there are places that gargoyles cannot or do not go.' 'Why not?' 'In this case, politeness. Reginald and Susan and my elders have told me not to go there. But, in other cases, there is magic that bars or hurts us.' 'Ok. Can you always hear my thoughts?' 'Yes. You can always call to me, Karen. I will always protect you unless I am dead.' Sebastian's last sending disturbed her. Coupled with the warnings from the Lady Grey, she was suddenly worried for Sebastian's safety. Then, the guilt washed over her. She was more worried for her little guardian than she was for the two men she had refused to let herself love. There was a lesson in this realization and she really needed to learn it in a hurry. Elsewhere... "Huh? How'd she get my name?" Paul lounged on the couch in Praetor's living room. "I don't know. But, according to Luke, she is filled with piss and vinegar, demanding you or your boss. She's put the Order on notice that you will pay for your crimes. Paul scowled. "Stupid bitch. Shoulda killed her." "Now, now, Todesengel. We need her. Let's think about this carefully. She wants you quite badly. I'm sure this could be turned to our advantage." "How?" "Have someone offer you to her. Someone she trusts." "You want me to play bait?" "Why not?" "Because I kill things. I'm not some lamb to be slaughtered." His voice was flat with contempt. Praetor sighed and wondered if he was the only person in the room with a brain. "No. You're not a lamb to be slaughtered but what's the harm in dressing the wolf up like a lamb until it's time for the wolf to come out and do his duty?" A slow smile covered Paul face. "I get it. Have her come for me then we take her." "Exactly. Well, not exactly but close. I have a plan. I had wondered how I would get her to the ritual on time." He toasted his assassin "Here's to impulsive women ruled by their emotions." The men raised their glasses towards each other and tossed back their drinks. Things were definitely on the upswing.
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| Last updated on 8/15/2006 7:06:14 PM by Jennifer Brozek |
| Return to the Library. Go to Kendrick Archives. |
| Other documents at this level: 01 - Caller ID: Unknown 02 - Eye of the Engraving 03 - Arbiter 04 - Forgotten School Days 05 - Sacrificium Memoriae 06 - The Inspiration of Insanity 07 - The Running Feeling 09 - Sins of the Brother 10 - Burning Bridges 11 - Betrayal 12 - Warfare & the Rite 13 - Beginnings and Endings 14 - Heart's Desire 15 - Burn 16 - Many Happy Returns 17 - Many Unanswered Questions 18 - Concessions 19 - Blue Moon Revelations 20 - First Blood 21 - Transcript 22 - Ultimatums Part One 23 - Ultimatums Part Two 24 - Too Little Too Late |
"What makes you think I know anything about the Order of the Sacred Eye or who this Paul Maloy is?" Luke Coleman stood behind the counter of his antique store Treasures & Trinkets ("One man's trash is another man's treasure!") drumming his fingers on the polished wood surface. "And if I did, what makes you think I would just tell you about either without some sort of trade. TANSTAAFL, little girl. TANSTAAFL."