ODE TO THE END: A BALLAD OF BROTHERS

CHAPTER 39

ACHIM

"Why did you let Naomi meet with me," asked Achim.

"What? Oh. You mean on the roof earlier today," Mave replied

Thunder rumbled in the clouds above. Rain had yet to fall, but Achim and Mave had taken refuge in a warehouse ravaged by neglect. The building was one of many, and it stood in a forest of derelict structures populated by vermin and vagrants alike. The two settled far from prying eyes, but Mave stood at the mouth of the door as if expectant.

Achim wondered why they sat idle. He recovered enough to carry them anywhere the woman asked, but she had them sitting there in the name of conserving their energy. The dark boy did not trust her explanation, but the question he asked plagued him far more than the logistics of their rescue plan. Why did she let him meet Naomi again? Achim watched the Caitlyn Queen as she collected her thoughts.

"Why did I let you see Naomi?" Mave repeated. "Because I had a feeling she would try to see you again. As I am sure you recall, you were rescued last night. Carried by the wind just as I had you cornered. My agents and I had no evidence to explain that haunting incident, to say nothing of pinpointing the location of you and your accomplices. Naomi was the best way of finding you and getting that information we needed. It worked, all things considered."

"Right. Because your daughter getting kidnapped was a part of your master plan." The dark boy saw a strand of Mave's hair suddenly pop out of place. Her face did not flinch. She simply brushed down her curls with a stroke of the hand and reset the rubber band that wrapped it.

"In lieu of further commentary, I will simply say this. An individual of my station needs not justify themselves to the inquiries of children. I have the utmost faith in my daughter. She can handle whatever your brother has in-store for her," said Mave.

"You sound sure now, but you didn't seem that way earlier," said the vindictive Achim. "You sounded like you were desperate."

Mave said nothing. She simply continued to fix her pony tail high and crossed her arms once she was done. The woman stepped out of the door after that and turned the corner for a short distance. Now out of Achim's immediate sight, the dark boy narrowed his glare. She may have been out of sight, but Achim could hear her close by. "I know you were listening to us earlier, so I know you know what Naomi said about how she feels. Did you know all of that stuff too?"

"Enough with the pointless questions, Mr. Arbitor. They will not move me to feel whatever it is you're trying to get me to feel," Mave declared.

"I'm not trying to 'move' you. I'm just asking a question."

"How juvenile," Mave huffed. She walked back into the warehouse and looked at Achim with a barbed gaze. Despite what was said, the dark boy felt the weight of her condemnation. "Instead of pestering me, make use of this time by attempting to track down your brother."

"Track down my brother? What makes you think I can do that? Besides, don't you have a tracker on hand or something? You found us before, so you must have one," said Achim.

"If I had such a device on my person I would have utilized it, Mr. Arbitor. As for my reasons, prior experience tells me that you should be able to locate your own kind."

"I honestly feel like you're just trying to change the subject," Achim snarked. "Either way, I don't really know what you're talking about, Mave."

"You will refer to me as respectfully as Mrs. Caitlyn. I will not acknowledge any other names, Mr. Arbitor."

"Whatever. That doesn't change the fact that I don't know what you're asking me to do. I never even met 'my kind' before a few days ago. I heard rumors every once in a while, but even those were just monster stories."