A small part of his mind told him it was a bad idea, that a trained path-changer deep in the middle of their career would not change. But he had been there too and Valeria had taken that leap of faith. Why shouldn't he do the same?
-Do you know where we could find her? - he asked the man, who seemed taken back by his sudden awakening.
-The polizia has already looked for her in our old house, but ... my brother has a summer house in Anzio, a town close by. She could be hiding there. -
Andre rubbed her chin.
-Nah that would still be too obvious. - she concluded. Her eyes sparkled with a new idea, which Isaac knew he was not going to like. -What if Giacomo sent her a message instead? An invite to a location. We know she wants to kill him, she will go. -
Giacomo's face drained of every colour.
-She wants to ... kill me? -
Andre waved his words away with a gesture of her hands. -Yeah well do not build the machine and you will be fine. We will take care of her. -
Isaac wished he could feel as sure as she seemed. Nonetheless, he nodded approvingly in Giacomo's direction and the man seemed satisfied.
They wrote and posted the letter together, telling Jane about some make-believe testament that the her husband had left for her. The meeting point was going to be in Anzio, a close-by town outside Rome. Isaac knew that if things were going to go bad, it was better to keep as many mortals away as possible. He had no idea how magically gifted this Jane was going to be.
Giacomo left in the evening, with the assurance that he was going to remain in the area until everything finished.
Isaac and Andre returned to their homely routine of cooking, tidying and reading newspapers in search of new murders. Just the typical household activities.
He was glad for having something to do at all times, it helped him to cancel out the voice in his head telling him that he was failing Valeria.
After two weeks of sending the letter, there were still no news of either Jane or Valeria. Isaac had healed enough to resume his physical training, so him and Andre were doing some mindless fencing in the park outside the hotel.
Left, right, dive, hit.
A swift movement of his wrist allowed him to twist the sword in his friend's hands. Its fall echoed through the empty area. They had decided to train at sunrise, when everyone else was still asleep. It was better for mortals not to ask trouble brining questions such as "Why on Earth are you still using swords?" Or "Why is that woman kicking the guy's ass?".
Isaac didn't really know how to react at his success. He had never been able to disarm Andre, female form or not. Even the trees had remained quite.
-Your head is somewhere else - he concluded.
Andre rolled her eyes and tidied her wild brown hair behind her back. She raised her sword with a grin and attacked him again.
He dived left and put his right leg forward. As he expected, Andre instinctively stepped towards him and tripped over his foot. He grabbed her shoulders before she could fall face-on on the ground.
-Crap - she said simply, moving his hand away. -Yeah it's just ... Valeria. Maybe we should go to France and try to free her. -
-How?- he asked calmly. He started polishing his sword with the end of his sleeve.
-You are the one with the plans usually -
-Yeah and see how the last one turned out. - he paused his cleaning and bit his lip. His last plan had involved the two of them escaping from the mist people and ended up with both of them with their memories wiped. But he was not meant to say that.
Andre rolled her eyes. -That was all Valeria. Your plans usually have some thinking behind it. -
She misunderstood his reference. Good.
The fact that she had such trust in him left his troath dry.
-Ok, what is that for Nature's sake?! - Andre pointed a finger at him. Her freckled nose was only a few inches from his face. -At least once a week we are having a normal conversation and then you get all sad and moody and wrap yourself in a magic shield and I cannot read your emotions. What. Are. You. Hiding. -
She forced him to take a step back at every word.
"Crap, she noticed." Was his only thought.
Isaac had learned how to fake being emotionless a few years back, even before meeting Andre and Valeria. Pretending not to feel anything was still better than being purged once a week by the mist people. A survival instinct.
He still did it once in a while, unconsciously, whenever his strongest emotions resurfaced. That usually involved Andre in one way or another.
-No bullshit Isaac, I have just lost one of the people I love the most in the world and I need to know you are on my side. No secrets. -
Andre's eyes were sparkling with hurt, fear and rage. She had spent the past 200 years of her life with Valeria and merely a few with him as an added memeber of the exiled group. She had every right to not trust him and yet ... it stung.
Nonetheless he could not tell her the truth, not the whole truth anyways. She was too fragile, too shocked. Maybe after they found Valeria ... yes, then he could tell her. But for the time being, he needed an excuse for his weird behaviour that would not raise any questions.
Isaac looked around for any help from the trees. Their leaves didn't reply to his cry for help and simply stared at him right back.
The boy sighed and lowered his mental shield letting Andre see the true nature of his emotions. He looked at her straight in her golden eyes and managed to pull a smile. His heart beating faster as she started to interpret his feelings.
Her eyes widened as she took a step back.
YOU ARE READING
Immortal Tales - the boy with magic
Fantasy* Completed* Short stories collection of the Wattpad novel "Immortal Tales - the world of the mist" Path-changers are immortal souls roaming in the world as the executioners of the magical beings of the mist world. They have no name, no age, no fee...
