Shadowchild

Chapter Thirteen, Secrets

Bennie nodded.

"I should have realized that was it. Sorry, I'm silly. It should stop hurting on its own but I'll give you some solution for the next time it bothers you."

"It's not painful," Bennie said, "It's different, like... a part of me is being tugged in two different directions... by chains centered on top of the mark...or something..."

Aila looked at Bennie thoughtfully, but snapped out of her reverie at the sound of the front door being kicked open.

Bennie jerked her collar up and jumped up, gasping with relief and horror.

"Holy crap, Perce!" she said, hugging him then examining his bloodied face.

"'Tis but a scratch," Perce said as Sean and Gemini both tried to clean the slashes on the side of his face.

"I think that's more than a scratch, mister," Aila snapped, "And since I'm the healer we'll go by what I say. What the hell were you thinking, running off like that? You've got more important things on your hands to look out for than some bloody Rend!"

Perce was plunked down forcefully into a chair while Aila started treating his injuries with another potion from her shelf.

"It was really bad, Aila, and you know I couldn't stay without raising suspicion."

"Hmph," Aila snorted as the gashes on Perce's face shrank, then slowly vanished under her hand.

"But we got them in the end," Perce said, the smile in his voice if not in his temporarily immobilized face, "And—"

"I don't care!" Aila growled. "You've got to be careful now! He's caught on, Perce. Why do you think that attack was set up?"

"We'll discuss this later," Perce said, sounding unusually grave.

Perce," Sean jumped in, "What's this about?"

"Something classified that Aila shouldn't be letting you all worry about right now," Perce said, shooting the fairy a warning look. "But I do need to tell you that the attack was in San Antonio."

"What?" Gemini said. Bennie paled.

"No one was badly hurt, civilian's memories are being rewritten and the mess is being cleaned up," Perce said. "But we're going to have to train in Pelanca from now on. We can't afford to be caught off guard during practice."

The group sat in silence for a moment before Bennie spoke up.

"So they were after us?"

She almost said "me" because she could tell nothing this drastic had happened to the group before she arrived, but she didn't want to sound overly paranoid.

Perce looked her straight in the eyes.

"I don't want you to worry–any of you," he said. "But I won't lie to you."

Bennie sighed. She would worry. If Reyortsed was concerned about them, or her, he could hurt her family, blood family and this new family she was now part of. She couldn't bear to lose any of them.

"I'll be staying in my apartment here so I'll show you where it is," Perce said. "Sean, I expect you to pick up Bennie every night we train and come straight here. Take the larger tunnels so you can fly. Absolutely no going anywhere alone for either of you, check your back and make sure no one is following best as you can. Gem, you come with one of the groups from Dwendol. We'll meet at my place at ten thirty each night."

Aila saw them to the door, hovering at eye level with Perce. She cupped his face in her hand.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said. "I worry, you understand. Do try to stay out of trouble now?"

"I already am," Perce smiled at her. Then he followed his charge out the door.

***

Perce lived in a simple but tasteful apartment on the outskirts of the city. Bennie noticed Perce defied the messy bachelor stereotype. His home was very tidy, though certainly lived in, with a few dishes in the sink and a several books off the shelf and on the table.

"Y'all hungry?" he said, pulling some TV dinners out of the freezer. Apparently he didn't cook much though. Bennie shifted on her feet.

"I don't think I could eat right now," she said.

"Me either," Gem agreed.

"I'll take the teriyaki," Sean grinned, but the grin was forced. And Perce saw straight through it.

"Look, I know you guys are worried, but there's nothing to it right now."

"Then why is Reyortsed looking for us?" Sean spouted. "He's certainly something to it, if you ask me. He's the biggest threat to the Guardians since Sheyneh's time!"

Perce remained silent and expressionless. Bennie watched as Sean calculated something from Perce's face into his mind, before understanding lit up in his eyes.

"That's what this is all about, isn't it?" he said to Perce. Bennie was confused.

"I think we should call it a night," Perce said.

"Perce," Bennie said. "At some point you have to tell us everything, but before that, we need to figure out what to tell my mom."

Perce nearly dropped the TV dinners as he put them away.

"That's the scariest thing I've heard all day," he said.

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