She stared sightlessly out the window, deep in thought. The guards had woken quicker than she had anticipated, and had caught her using the sat. device. After crushing it beneath their boots, they had escorted her back to the stables and up to her room.
She had tried talking to the guards, making possible friends and allies, but no one would really discuss anything with her and she couldn't establish a rapport between any of them. She had even tried using glamour – her people's type of magic – but they had been able to resist. It was then she knew for sure that they were similar to herself. Although she didn't remember them, she knew her father had once surrounded himself with other fae. When he had joined Cobra, she hadn't seen it in the men he worked with. Obviously things had changed. Something was coming – she just wasn't sure what.
Had her message even gotten through? Then again, what could Hawk do, she sighed. After her ride, she was forbidden to leave the house again without a full escort – and that would only be to her father's castle, she was told, and nowhere else. If she was so worried about her horses, then the guards would exercise them.
She had never been to the other realm, only knowing it through stories – mostly from Grandmother. At one time, she had said, her father had once been ruler of one of the kingdoms in the other world. Another had "stolen" his throne and he had been cast out to the human world along with his followers. Her father's powers had been bound and he had been banned from ever entering the realm again.
He had found her mother living among the humans and had charmed her enough for them to be married. Of course, after she had been born, her father's restless nature – especially with women – had been the last straw, and since her birth didn't change his ways, they divorced.
Her mother's family had some of the "old blood" running through their veins, but it wasn't as pure as her father's. Hence, Alison was half human, half fae. Because the union happened outside the realm, Alison had been born with her powers unbound. When her "gift" had been discovered at age 3, her father had used her in his travels to help in his "business." Little Alison had just been happy that her father had seemed so devoted to her. She had missed him when she had spent part of the year with her mother, especially since it was never quite as exciting as her life with him.
It was older Alison, in her late teens, that had discovered her father's true nature. Besides building an army to reclaim his realm, he had been manipulating and exploiting humans all this time. She had been ashamed and embarrassed. Here she had worshipped the man, and he was truly one of the evils in the world, she had thought at the time. From there, the relationship was cracked, warped, and over the years, became practically nonexistent.
With the help of her military stepbrother, Alison had been able to do some good in her life, trying to make up for her father's faults. While her father's friends and associates didn't see a problem with his "business" dealings, Alison had been sickened by it. She had then and there vowed to stop people such as him from ever succeeding in their endeavors. She had talked to Clayton and he had invited her to join an anti-terrorist organization he was in charge of operating. She had jumped at the chance, feeling that to heal her family's honor, it was the best course of action.
She had never dreamed that GI Joe would be what it was, or that her father, in his effort to gather power around him, would be the antithesis of her new position. They had never spoken in battle and neither addressed the other directly. In fact, with the mask, she had not known it was him until he had spoken to her that first time. Although his voice was muffled through the mask, she knew who he was and remembered literally backing up in surprise. She had thought she had been prepared, but the sense of lies and betrayal had hit her hard at that encounter, and she had suffered nightmares for weeks afterwards.
She wondered why he had forced his hand this time. They had been content to live their lives separately. What was so special about this moment in time that he felt she not only needed to be with him, but to be loyal as well? He had gathered armies before, only to lose them. What made this time different?
His powers had been bound when he had been banished, but his talent with engineering was still above most human levels. Grandmother had told her he had been able to manipulate others, pushing them with his thoughts, and Alison could almost swear she had felt him pushing at her. It was weak, but if his power was returning….what did that mean?
She blew out a frustrated sigh. A movement outside her window caught her attention, disrupting her thoughts. She focused in on the bush where she could have sworn she saw a black figure disappear. She blinked twice, trying not to get her hopes up. It could very well have been her imagination, or merely an animal. She stared intently out the window a few more minutes. Seeing nothing, she rolled her eyes at herself and moved away, letting the curtain drop into place.
Obviously, her mind was playing tricks. The odds were against Hawk receiving her message, as brief as it was. She had been interrupted too soon for it to send properly, even though she had repeated it several times. Still, that little flutter of hope she felt wouldn't quite go away.
There was a knock at her door. Before she could answer, two guards stepped in.
"Your father wishes to see you," said the taller one, his eyes staring intently at her.
Without waiting for her to answer, they stepped beside her and she felt compelled to move along with them.
They led her outside to a waiting car. Squeezing in beside her, one on either side, she felt trapped. Perhaps if she had been by the door, she could have managed to free herself. She kept her eyes open and looked for any possibility.
None availed itself and she soon found herself walking into her father's castle. Memories from her childhood flooded her mind as she made her way to the Great Hall. Of course, she thought snidely, he would take up residence here. She also noticed that not one sign of Cobra was present – not a soldier, emblem...nothing that would associate him with the terrorist organization. Had he truly left them behind? It was hard to believe, especially since he had helped create it.
"Alison, my dear daughter, how nice of you to come and visit!" Destro smiled, approaching her from the other side of the hall. He embraced her and ignored the fact that she stood stiffly in his arms.
"Come, I have a visitor who'd like to see you."
She followed him without saying a word. What else could she do? She glanced at her guards who stayed by her side. Obviously, they didn't want to give her a chance to escape. She repressed a sigh.
She was surprised to find Grandmother sitting in a small room, a tea service in front of her. Lady Jaye watched the steam rise lazily from the spout of the pot. She looked at her father questioningly. As far as she could remember, he and Grandmother had never quite gotten along. She'd been in Alison's life as a child, but only as an escape from the castle. Little Alison would often go find her so she could munch on cookies and tea, as well as hear the fantastic tales Grandmother could spin.
"I'll leave you two to talk," her father said, interrupting her thoughts. He left the room. She was surprised when the guards followed suit, although she guessed they would probably be waiting for her outside the door.
Lady Jaye looked at Grandmother who nodded and smiled. "Come, child, we have much to discuss." She handed Lady Jaye a cup and she took a careful sip, not wanting to burn her tongue.
She was surprised to find the tea tasted bitter, and she quickly put down the cup, not wanting to offend Grandmother. She looked up and found the old woman studying her closely, her eyes narrowed. A split second later, she had her friendly smile back on her face, and Lady Jaye blinked, not sure if she imagined what she saw.
"Drink up, my dear. I know it is not one of my sweeter teas, but it's a health tonic. You've been looking poorly of late. A little stressed. Trust me, it'll help," she encouraged.
Something about the older woman's tone put Lady Jaye on alert. She pretended to sip the tea as the older lady discussed folklore and legends of the past. Some of it slipped past her lips and made her way down to her stomach, leaving a bitter aching feeling.
Finally, it was over. When Grandmother turned her back to answer a knock on the door, Lady Jaye dumped the rest of her cup in a potted plant sitting behind her chair. She could almost swear she heard a slight fizzle as the tea dissolved into the dirt. Her imagination working overtime, Lady Jaye thought. The castle tended to do that to you.
"Well, my dear, you get a good rest. There is much your father wants to discuss with you. Hear him out and keep an open mind. I know in the human world, it hasn't seemed like he has your best interests at heart, but things are changing. He is changing back to the way he was, when he was once ruler of our realm." She patted Lady Jaye's arm. "Don't you worry, my dear. Things will all be back to normal, soon."
It had been a strange interview with Grandmother, leaving Lady Jaye feeling decidedly uncomfortable. Her instincts told her something wasn't right. She'd have to be on her guard. Sighing, she made her way back to the chambers that once served as her room. She was feeling a little dizzy and felt a strong urge to lie down. Maybe after resting, she could shake off this strange feeling that had overcome her.