Saints of Evil | Trepidation Trilogy | The Empty World Sequence

Sixteen

     Mara drew him close to her, held him.  "We do nothing.  We take Astoric with us, take them both and leave.  And we do nothing, don't encourage them.  And love them of course."

     "Oh, Lord," Trip cried as he fell the remaining space between them, "How do we keep them safe now?"

    

†  †  †

Midnight, beautiful.  They got off the small plane and stepped onto the private airfield.  There was a car waiting, long, gleaming, and white, a single figure standing in front of it.  Father pulled gently at Astoric's arm, "Hurry," he said.  And Astoric ran. 

     It was all so disorienting to him, the new names, but they just came to him without speech, and the constant presence of two bodies that were like his and were not sick.  Orchid was the one near the car. He opened the door with only a glance as they approached.  Astoric felt Sadian push him inside.  He had never been in a vehicle like this.  But he had only been in one vehicle, the black wagon that had taken them from the castle just as it grew dark to the plane. 

     They were all inside.  Orchid smiled as the car began to roll along the road.  He was able to communicate silently with the driver.  "I did everything as you said," and it was confusing because he looked at Astoric, and Astoric had never told him anything.  Orchid smiled differently and looked at Father.

     "Astoric," said Father, in a tone that was meant to introduce his son. 

     "No one I can ask has seen Thierry." He tossed his head to gesture toward the front of the car.  "David can't tell where he is.  Thierry has always been good at hiding."

     "I know how to find him," Mara said. It was something like creepy the way she said that.  We have ways...  

     Orchid nodded.  "I took his things out of the house.  I looked it over myself, everything seems secure.  Now, Quick has claimed in the past to be able to get secure lines for the phone or computer, but I'm not sure if it's something she can do just anywhere, or still."

     "I already talked to her, it doesn't matter with she and I, we can say things in different words.  I'm not too concerned about that.  Only if Astoric is to finish school..."

     "It's easy to get him on, it's only a problem if he needs to prove that was him later, and he won't for a while, not if you mean to keep him out of sight."

     "I don't want the globe aware that there are two yet," Father said. 

     "Yes, that would really scare them."

     Father said nothing but pet the back of Astoric's neck.  It felt nice and Astoric let himself fall to lean against Father's side.  He'd been scared at first, but Sadian had taken him outside and shown him the sky, and the fangs, given him a little blood.    And then Father had come with Mara and  explained who Astoric was, and that they would take him away to live with them.  And Father would do his best to keep them safe, but they must help him.

     On the plane Astoric had fallen asleep on a bench with Father, and it had felt better than anything having a parent.  His mother was dead, he knew that, and he had done it with his birth.  Astoric was not very sad.  He had Sadian, she was like them.  He did miss Claudia a little.  She had just been so very pretty. 

     The long white car stopped.  Father said it was time to get out, they were home.   Mara got out of the car first.  Then Astoric, and everyone else.  It was warm here and  everything was vastly different from the castle, dark narrow streets with sand strewn across the pavement, low rectangular buildings, glimmering glass windows, bright awnings.  The trees he saw were tropical, he'd seen pictures.  And the air!  "What is that smell?"