Beyond The Vale Page 13

  “A few. But not enough to do anything openly.”

  That they had allies was reassuring. Assuming these men were telling the truth. A deception didn’t make sense, though. He couldn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know.

  “So Linx asked you to help me?”

  The guard frowned at the name. “Yes. And she left out that you were a mage. She could have gotten you killed.”

  “What about your captain?”

  The guard sneered. “You mean Lord Xavier? He has his own agenda. But rest assured, we’ll deal with him when the time comes.”

  “And what of the Magistrate?”

  “Couldn’t say. There are officers who are loyal to the princess. But that’s all I know.” “We’re here,” called the driver.

  The van slowed and pulled to the side of the road.

  The guard in the back pulled a holorecording from his pocket and gave it to Bane. “It’s from Linx.” He stood and opened the rear door.

  Even from his limited vantage point, he knew where they had taken him. “Thanks for the

  help.”

  The guard nodded sharply.

  Bane stepped out, still holding his shoulder. Across the street, the music was filtering through the thin walls. He considered a drink. But then he had no money. The door to the garage opened, eliminating any chance of delay.

  His father spotted him, looking confused and surprised. Bane waved, affecting a pleasant

  smile.

  “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back,” said Dorn as Bane drew near. “Was that a royal guard van you got out of?”

  “It’s a long story,” said Bane.

  “Well, I’m done for the day. You can tell me all about it.” “I need to use your holoplayer first.”

  “You know where it is. I’m going across the street for a sandwich. Meet me there when you’re done.”

  His father was behaving strangely. Usually they would embrace. But this time he did not so much as smile before tottering toward the tavern.

  Bane entered the garage from the side door and threaded his way between the three vehicles in the bay, to the rear. He ascended the stairs to the loft and paused to take a long reflective look. He had grown up within these walls, yet still he did not feel at home. He had hated it here. He’d hated when his father would tell him how lucky they were. How other people were starving.

  Bane glanced over where his bedroom had been. His father had kept it ready for years, but had stopped after he left the College and converted it to a library. In a strange way, it had hurt his feelings. Not that he would ever say so.

  The holoplayer was covered with dust. Father preferred a good book for his entertainment.

  He inserted the disk and a moment later, Linx appeared, smiling at him.

  “Sorry for shooting you,” she began. “No hard feelings. But I had to, in case I was being watched. By now you’ve figured out that I’m not as loyal to the king as he thinks. Don’t get me wrong. He raised me out of poverty. But I just can’t stand by and watch while he slaughters thousands of people. I know you have no reason to trust me. So I’ll go ahead and tell you I’ve placed a tracking device in your neck.”

  Bane stiffened. A quick search revealed a tiny lump beneath his left ear.

  “I imagine right now, you’re wanting to take it out. Don’t. If you look in your pocket, you should find a slip of paper with the locations of the hellspawn facilities.”

  As she said, there was a small paper with locations written on it.

  “When you’re within a mile of the fourth location on the list, the device will send me a signal. Once received, it will take me about an hour to shut down the power to all four. And don’t worry about poisoning the tanks. That wasn’t true. But I needed to tell you something to get you to bring me to Exodus. Just blow them to hell. Don’t go there yourself until your people are ready to move. Otherwise it will be a disaster. I’ll only get one chance at this.

  “So good luck. And tell Drake… tell him I hope to see him again. I’ll take care of Cal until it’s all over.”

  The screen went blank. Bane scratched at the tracking device, uncertain whether he should remove it or to believe any of what Linx had said. He went back to the garage, pausing a moment to look at the vehicles his father was working on. One was a magistrate’s patrol car, the other two old and dented pieces of junk.

  Bane chuckled. Dad always did like working on junk. Probably local. And he was probably working for practically nothing. As good as the man was with engines, he was terrible at business. The bar was just starting to fill up, and the cage was being made ready for the night’s entertainment. A memory flashed through Bane’s mind of the one time he had snuck across the street to watch the fights. His father had come in just as they were getting started. The furious look in his eyes had Bane thinking he was about to get a beating. Though his father was not normally a violent man, this was the one rule he knew he could never break. In the end, it was so much worse

  than that. Bane had sworn on his honor not to go there. And he had broken his word. The disappointment in his voice was just as painful.

  Bane found him at the table farthest from the coming spectacle, his meal in front of him and another at the empty chair opposite.

  “I didn’t order drinks yet,” said Dorn.

  Bane sat down and smiled over at his father. “It’s good to see you.” “Is it?”

  Bane furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

  “A while back a man came to see me about you,” said Dorn. “Xavier, his name was.

  Wanted to know where you were.” “What did you tell him?”

  “The truth. I didn’t know.” When he saw his son’s eyes dart to the door, he raised a hand. “Don’t worry. They’re not coming back. They were more interested in Drake than you. But he did have some interesting things to say. Care to know what they were?”

  Bane lowered his eyes.

  “How long have you been lying to me?” “Does it matter?”

  “No. I guess it doesn’t. But what does is how you kept me from finding out.” Bane forced himself to meet his eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “I think you know. I’m not a fool, son. You messed around with my memory. It’s the only way you could have kept it from me this long. I know all the hawkers”

  Bane’s first instinct was to deny it. This was the moment he had dreaded would come. “I’m

  sorry.”

  A tear spilled down Dorn’s cheek. “Why?”

  “Because of the way you’re looking at me now. The same look you had the first time you found out what I had become.”

  “You had no right. I’m your father.” His calm tone contrasted with his hurt expression. “Do you remember the day I left the College?”

  “I don’t know. Do I?”

  “I only altered your memories of my being a hawker. You have my word.” Dorn sniffed. “Your word? What is that worth?”

  A fury swelled in his chest. “You want to know why I did it? Why I changed your memory? Because of this. That disappointed, ‘Oh, what a waste of life’ way you look at me. You think I wanted to end up like this?”

  “You had the talent to do anything you wanted,” Dorn shot back. “You could have been the headmaster one day, if you’d only applied yourself. But you just couldn’t keep that mouth of yours shut. Instead, you kill people. My only son. A cold-hearted murderer.”

  “You don’t know a thing about me or what I do. And you don’t know what happened at the College.”

  Dorn’s features disintegrated as sorrow overtook him. “Yes, I do. Your friend Max told

  me.”

  “You spoke to Max?”

  Dorn nodded. “He said the headmaster insulted me. That was why you challenged him.”

  Bane was stunned into silence. He had never told his father why he had been expelled from his position. He knew Dorn would not have reacted well. He would have told him that it didn’t matter what pe
ople said. But it did. To Bane, it mattered.

  “What difference does it make now? What’s done is done. I can’t change it.” “Do you remember when you were little, and I told you about your mother?”

  He remembered it as if it had just happened. It was also the day he told him about Lenora and the help she had provided.

  Bane nodded.

  “What I never told you was that she tried to defy the king and raise you herself. She was even willing to renounce her title and come with me to the provinces.”

  His father had not spoken much about his mother, only that they’d loved one another, and she’d had no choice but to give him up. “Why didn’t she?”

  “If she had tried, we wouldn’t be here right now. It was explained in no uncertain terms that before she would be allowed to leave Troi, both you and I would be killed.” He wiped his eyes. “You already know that she died shortly after you left her care. But she made me promise to be sure you were happy. That you lived a good life. I failed her…and you.”

  “No. I’m the one who failed. I know you’re ashamed of me. And that’s my fault. You’re right. I should have kept my mouth shut. I just…I just couldn’t.”

  “I know. I couldn’t have either.” He gave Bane a weak smile. “You’re too much like your old man for your own good. I should have never made you feel that you had to alter my memory to keep my love.” He leaned in. “But never do it again.”

  Bane smiled back. “I won’t.”

  A young girl approached, and Dorn ordered the two of them a beer. “Now, why don’t you tell me what Xavier wants with you and Drake?” “If I tell you, it could put you in danger.”

  Dorn regarded his son for a brief moment. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Exodus, does it?”

  “How do you know about Exodus?”

  “I’m fixing one of their cars now,” he replied. “They wanted me to tell you to contact them if I saw you. I have the location at the garage.”

  Bane started to rise, but his father held out his hand.

  “Finish your food. It’s too late to reach them tonight. Besides, there’s something I want to give you.”

  They ate in silence. That his father would not speak while eating had driven him crazy as a child. Particularly since he was invariably full of energy at mealtimes. But even now, it made him anxious. His father grinned as if to say he knew how it bothered him.

  After the last bite, Dorn leaned back and rubbed his belly. “That was just what I needed.” “Can we go now?”

  Dorn chuckled and tossed a twenty note on the table. “Still the same impatient boy. Come on. Let’s go see your present.” He glanced over to the cage. “Unless you’d rather stay and watch. You won’t get in trouble this time.”

  Bane pushed back his chair. “Very funny.”

  At the garage, Dorn paused to put away a few tools, and then led Bane through the rear door to a shed where most of the custom work – special parts and devices – were made.

  “Are you ready?” his father asked.

  Bane noticed the tiniest hint of excitement in his eyes.

  Dorn pushed a button next to the bay door, and with a clatter of gears, it slowly opened.

  Bane’s eyes popped wide as with the flickering of lights, his “gift” was revealed.

  Its lines were sleek and its swoop-backed design aggressive. The crimson paint glistened with infused mana; the front grill snarled viciously, like a predator stalking its prey. It looked somewhat like Cal, but with a broader chassis and lower profile.

  “Are you serious?” was all Bane could say.

  Dorn shrugged. “I figure you’ve waited long enough.”

  With slow steps, Bane walked her length, his finger extended, drifting just above the paint until he made a complete circle. “How did you manage this? It must have cost a fortune.”

  “I have my resources. So it meets with your approval?”

  Tear sprang forth, and he turned and wrapped his arms around his father. “Thank you.”

  Dorn returned his son’s embrace fully. “I should have done this years ago.” He stepped away. “Get in.”

  Bane dried his face on his sleeve, smiling with the anticipation of a young boy. The interior was very much like Cal’s also, though the seat felt as if it had been made for him specifically. Even the mana pad was in perfect reach. He closed his eyes and gripped the wheel, letting the sweet scent of oiled leather fill his nostrils.

  “Go on,” said Dorn. “You going to sit there or are you going to take her out?” “Just waiting on you.”

  Dorn hopped inside and ran his hands over the dash. “You should name her, you know.” A smiled eased its way up. “Shelea.”

  Dorn nodded his approval. “Perfect. But when we were alone, I called your mother Shel.” Bane fired the engine. “You ready, Shel?”

  She purred as if in response.

  Bane pulled from the bay and around the building. He could feel her power begging to be unleashed. He touched the mana pad.

  “Hello, Samuel.” The voice was feminine, though unlike Cal’s, it did not have a seductive quality. He glanced over to his father. Tears were again falling. In that moment, he knew he was hearing his mother’s voice. Yes. The name was perfect.

  “Hello, Shel. Show me what you can do.”

  He pressed hard on the accelerator, in seconds reaching one hundred fifty. If he could have, he would have kept going until dawn. When they finally returned, he was feeling a sense of contentment that had eluded him his entire life. He would never hide who he was from his father again. He knew they both had held onto regret and guilt far too long. As of that moment…it ended.

  Chapter Twelve

  The scent of spiced porridge beckoned Bane awake, and the faint light from the window had him groaning. It was barely dawn. The adrenaline from driving Shel had kept him up for hours after they returned, and the chair he had to sleep in was hard and uncomfortable. His father had promised to buy a bed for his next visit. He’d thought to explain what was happening regarding Exodus and the hellspawn, but he decided to wait. Why spoil a good evening?

  Dorn was sitting at the table, looking over a notebook. He kept all his ideas for improvements in one of these, of which he had dozens. A bowl and a cup of juice were waiting, his father already having finished his.

  “What are you looking at?” asked Bane, taking a seat.

  “A mana filter,” he replied. “If I can get it to work, it should let Shel go twice as far without refueling.” He looked over the top of the notebook. “You do know not to put cheap mana fuel in her, right?”

  Bane chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” After a few bites, he cleared his throat to get his father’s attention.

  “Something on your mind?”

  “I need you to get out of here for a while.”

  Dorn closed the notebook. “Why?” When his son didn’t reply, he said: “You need to stop trying to protect me, son. If you’re in danger or in any trouble, I need to know.”

  “You’re right. You should know what’s happening.” He took a breath and then explained to him the reason he was with Exodus, starting from when he’d met Drake. Dorn listened with an

  oddly impassive expression, as if none of what he was being told were any more shocking than if his son was describing a day at the market.

  “I always knew Salazar would be trouble,” he said, once Bane had finished. “You still have friends in Troi, right?”

  “I’m not going anywhere, son. This is my home. Whatever happens, this is where I belong.” “I’m not telling you to abandon it. Just go somewhere until it’s over.”

  “There is nowhere,” said Dorn. “I can’t go to Troi. And if what you’re saying is true, then there’s nowhere in the provinces to hide.”

  “Then I’m leaving Shel with you,” Bane said.

  “Like hell you are. If you plan to take down the hellspawn, you’ll need all the help you can get.” He reached across and touched his son’s hand. “I’ll b
e fine. Besides, if the hellspawn get loose, where could I go? It’s not like I could drive forever.”

  Bane wanted to argue, but it was pointless. His father had that look that said he would not be persuaded.

  After breakfast, they headed to the garage, where his father gave him directions to a building about ten miles outside of town.

  “It just looks abandoned,” he explained. “But they’re in there.” He grabbed Bane’s arm as he opened the door. “Are you sure you trust these people?”

  He wasn’t. How could he trust anyone? When he was a hawker, life was simple. He only had himself to rely upon. That was its saving grace. “They’re fine. I can’t stop Salazar without them.”

  “Well, you just be careful.” “I will.”

  Dorn opened the bay door. The excitement he should have felt at getting behind the wheel of Shel was dampened by worry. If he failed, the garage would offer no defense against what was coming.

  Bane paused to give the old man a long, firm embrace. It felt good not to have lies between them. As he fired the engine, he could see that his father was just as concerned about him. It was a look that was always there when he left. A pity Bane had detested working on vehicles; it wouldn’t have been such a bad life. Boring. But it appeared to make his father happy. Together they perhaps could have even moved the shop to the inner provinces.