---Chapter 31---
Victoria went down to breakfast and Adam was already there. Not only Adam, but that peculiar man, Saelar, was there as well. He tended to come and go. Sometimes she didn't see him for weeks and then he would just pop up. He had been around for a few days now, and most of the time- he seemed to be following her. Always it felt to her like he knew something she didn't. In truth, she'd found he had known at least one thing she didn't. He said he'd been the one to 'give' her to Adam all those years ago.
As Victoria walked around to take a seat, Saelar's eyes followed her, surveying her intently. Victoria took a seat and Saelar turned his eyes to Adam and distinctly nodded. A smile broke out on Adam's face and he turned to look at Victoria. That satisfied smile froze her on the spot. "I would like to commend you, Victoria. I must say that I am quite pleased with you."
"Why?" Victoria asked, haltingly.
"Why on a job very well done of course." -Adam.
Whatever did he mean *exactly*? Victoria was momentarily apprehensive. She didn't have time to ponder though, because two of Adam's men came bursting into the room. "All apologies, Mr. Winthrop - but we've got bad news to report." The one that was the leader, said.
Adam's smile vanished as he concentrated his attention upon them. "What is it?"
"Our primary subject - killed one of our men, Meison, who was assigned last night."
"So you're saying Maxwell Evans killed Meison at Miss Parker's last night." -Adam was thinking as he said this.
The man nodded affirmatively. "Yes, sir."
"Where's the body?" -Adam.
"Disposed of. In the desert, sir." -the man replied.
"He knows. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he knows the originator." -Saelar.
Adam stood up. "It seems as if he has forced my hand. All must progress ahead of schedule. But so be it." Adam said and motioned for his two men to follow him as he left the room.
With another surveying look at Victoria, Saelar followed as well.
Victoria suddenly didn't feel very hungry. In fact, she felt very sick to her stomach.
-=-=-=-=-
On Victoria's way back to her rooms, a short while later, she contacted Saelar in one of the hallways.
"I am wanting to speak with you." -Saelar.
"Why me?" -Victoria.
"What I am about to tell you is important." Saelar said as he came close to her. "Adam would have you not know. But it is necessary for you to know now."
"Is this about when you gave me to Adam, as you said once before?" -Victoria.
"Some, yes, perceptive one." -Saelar.
He continued, "You always knew you were different, did you not?"
Victoria nodded and Saelar said, "But you've yet to know how different." He continued on, "You are special, different, not altogether human. Far more."
His enigmatic words scared her. "I don't understand."
"No, you do not. Let me be brief, as now is not the time for remembrances and long drawn out speeches." Saelar hesitated a moment, before continuing, "You are not of this world -originally. An alien being I shall say, as you can perhaps understand that best. Your mother - your host mother, carried a trace of alien blood from her bloodlines which started long ago on this planet when her ancestor mixed successfully with an alien. This uniqueness in her DNA, allowed for you to be carried by her. You were born of a human, yet you are not. Let's just say you were created - recreated in your image before and you have incarnated again. A new life in a new planet. As an infant, I entrusted you to Adam Winthrop. He knows of all of this."
"If this is true." Victoria barely whispered.
'It is." Saelar said, non-emotionally and matter-of-fact, as he always seemed.
"Then why did you give me to Adam and how do you know all of this?" -Victoria.
"You were given to him for at the time I was not able to protect you. Adam Winthrop was the one human who could. And he has- relatively. Yet he has used you and your abilities for his own ends time and again. He has plans for you that will not come to fruition. This must cease soon." -Saelar.
"How do you know all of this?" -Victoria demanded.
"I am as you are, more or less." -Saelar.
Victoria shook her head, barely able to digest all of this. "What does Adam have against Michael Guerin, Max Evans and the others?"
"They are of the blood. Similar to you. He has great plans for all of you and himself as well." -Saelar.
"All of them?" -Victoria.
"Only three." -Saelar.
"Max, Isabel and.. Michael?" Victoria almost whispered.
"Yes." -Saelar.
Victoria felt so dizzy that she found need to sit down on a cushioned bench, so that she wouldn't fall.
"Why do you tell me this now - as if I would have any good reason to trust you after you have been in league with Adam through all of this." -Victoria spouted.
"He thinks what I want him to think, that I am his ally. I am - insomuch as I need be. You are always a priority, however. My mission is-" Saelar was about to say more but he discouraged himself from doing so.
Instead he looked at her as intently as ever and said, "There is something else which you are not aware of."
His next words stunned Victoria so much that she did faint.
---End of Chapter 31---
{Only 3 more chapters to come for "A Shadow of Fate."}
Victoria went down to breakfast and Adam was already there. Not only Adam, but that peculiar man, Saelar, was there as well. He tended to come and go. Sometimes she didn't see him for weeks and then he would just pop up. He had been around for a few days now, and most of the time- he seemed to be following her. Always it felt to her like he knew something she didn't. In truth, she'd found he had known at least one thing she didn't. He said he'd been the one to 'give' her to Adam all those years ago.
As Victoria walked around to take a seat, Saelar's eyes followed her, surveying her intently. Victoria took a seat and Saelar turned his eyes to Adam and distinctly nodded. A smile broke out on Adam's face and he turned to look at Victoria. That satisfied smile froze her on the spot. "I would like to commend you, Victoria. I must say that I am quite pleased with you."
"Why?" Victoria asked, haltingly.
"Why on a job very well done of course." -Adam.
Whatever did he mean *exactly*? Victoria was momentarily apprehensive. She didn't have time to ponder though, because two of Adam's men came bursting into the room. "All apologies, Mr. Winthrop - but we've got bad news to report." The one that was the leader, said.
Adam's smile vanished as he concentrated his attention upon them. "What is it?"
"Our primary subject - killed one of our men, Meison, who was assigned last night."
"So you're saying Maxwell Evans killed Meison at Miss Parker's last night." -Adam was thinking as he said this.
The man nodded affirmatively. "Yes, sir."
"Where's the body?" -Adam.
"Disposed of. In the desert, sir." -the man replied.
"He knows. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he knows the originator." -Saelar.
Adam stood up. "It seems as if he has forced my hand. All must progress ahead of schedule. But so be it." Adam said and motioned for his two men to follow him as he left the room.
With another surveying look at Victoria, Saelar followed as well.
Victoria suddenly didn't feel very hungry. In fact, she felt very sick to her stomach.
-=-=-=-=-
On Victoria's way back to her rooms, a short while later, she contacted Saelar in one of the hallways.
"I am wanting to speak with you." -Saelar.
"Why me?" -Victoria.
"What I am about to tell you is important." Saelar said as he came close to her. "Adam would have you not know. But it is necessary for you to know now."
"Is this about when you gave me to Adam, as you said once before?" -Victoria.
"Some, yes, perceptive one." -Saelar.
He continued, "You always knew you were different, did you not?"
Victoria nodded and Saelar said, "But you've yet to know how different." He continued on, "You are special, different, not altogether human. Far more."
His enigmatic words scared her. "I don't understand."
"No, you do not. Let me be brief, as now is not the time for remembrances and long drawn out speeches." Saelar hesitated a moment, before continuing, "You are not of this world -originally. An alien being I shall say, as you can perhaps understand that best. Your mother - your host mother, carried a trace of alien blood from her bloodlines which started long ago on this planet when her ancestor mixed successfully with an alien. This uniqueness in her DNA, allowed for you to be carried by her. You were born of a human, yet you are not. Let's just say you were created - recreated in your image before and you have incarnated again. A new life in a new planet. As an infant, I entrusted you to Adam Winthrop. He knows of all of this."
"If this is true." Victoria barely whispered.
'It is." Saelar said, non-emotionally and matter-of-fact, as he always seemed.
"Then why did you give me to Adam and how do you know all of this?" -Victoria.
"You were given to him for at the time I was not able to protect you. Adam Winthrop was the one human who could. And he has- relatively. Yet he has used you and your abilities for his own ends time and again. He has plans for you that will not come to fruition. This must cease soon." -Saelar.
"How do you know all of this?" -Victoria demanded.
"I am as you are, more or less." -Saelar.
Victoria shook her head, barely able to digest all of this. "What does Adam have against Michael Guerin, Max Evans and the others?"
"They are of the blood. Similar to you. He has great plans for all of you and himself as well." -Saelar.
"All of them?" -Victoria.
"Only three." -Saelar.
"Max, Isabel and.. Michael?" Victoria almost whispered.
"Yes." -Saelar.
Victoria felt so dizzy that she found need to sit down on a cushioned bench, so that she wouldn't fall.
"Why do you tell me this now - as if I would have any good reason to trust you after you have been in league with Adam through all of this." -Victoria spouted.
"He thinks what I want him to think, that I am his ally. I am - insomuch as I need be. You are always a priority, however. My mission is-" Saelar was about to say more but he discouraged himself from doing so.
Instead he looked at her as intently as ever and said, "There is something else which you are not aware of."
His next words stunned Victoria so much that she did faint.
---End of Chapter 31---
{Only 3 more chapters to come for "A Shadow of Fate."}