Absolution
Chapter 4

The early morning breeze blew over Kat's shoulders causing her to shiver as her dew-laden shoes made their way across the cobblestone garden path. She walked across the rich field of grass to the fenced stables.

Kat couldn't sleep anymore. She got up just as the sun was rising and decided to do as Sark suggested the night before and explore the grounds.

Surprisingly no one stopped her on her way out. She'd passed right by the old butler and a housekeeper who'd both bid her good morning, and right out the front door. Were it not for the two guards she'd seen patrolling the lane, she'd have thought the estate completely lacked any security measures.

The barn door was open slightly and it groaned quietly as she pushed it open and stepped inside. The horses reacted to her presence immediately and began snorting and requesting her attention by sticking their heads above the stall doors.

She noted their names as she walked along the barn. Stargazer, Gloria, Tesss, and Laina were only four of the seven. The last horse on the left was named Chance and as Kat neared him, he stuck his head above the door neighing loudly. He was beautiful, or so she thought. He was a dark chestnut brown with sleek coat and huge dark eyes. She'd never seen a horse that close up before so she didn't have any to compare him to.

Tentatively she reached her hand out to touch his neck and after hesitating twice, she managed to stroke him. When she drew her hand away, the horse startled her by neighing loudly, tapping at the stall door with his hoof, thrusting his head forward and nudging her arm.

"Don't be afraid." Ilya's calming voice came from the doorway. He moved to stand beside Kat and reached his hand out so the horse could smell his scent.

"Chance is somewhat of a ladies man, a flirt if you will."

Kat had to smile at the way the words sounded with Ilya's accent.

"He seeks female attention for the most part."

Kat watched with slight alarm as Ilya stood behind her and took her hand covering it with his own and raising it. Chance sniffed her open palm before butting the back of her arm with his snout.

"Don't be afraid," Ilya said softly in her ear and guided her palm up the horse's long snout as he spoke. "All he wants is for you to scratch behind his ears."

Kat could feel a shiver of excitement run through her body as she scratched behind Chance's ears and he swung his head back and forth obviously enjoying her actions.

"Ilya, do you know where Sark went?" she asked quietly. When he didn't answer, Kat looked up and saw that his hand had stilled and his eyes were fixed on the scars upon the underside of her arm. "Ilya?" she called his name louder this time and broke him out of his trance like state.

"Yes?"

"Is everything okay?" she asked glancing down at her arm.

"Of course," his hand dropped to his side.

"Do you know where Sark went?" she repeated her question. "Hey," she exclaimed jumping back; the moment interrupted by Chance who decided to nuzzle her neck and nip slightly on her cheek.

"I told you he was a flirt," Ilya laughed and pushed Chance's head away from Kat's neck. "Do you want to go riding before breakfast?" he asked.

"I don't know how to, I've never been."

"It's alright, I'll take you." Ilya nudged her away from the stall. "You'll have fun. I'll meet you out front."

Kat nodded and walked out the barn. Ilya appeared moments later on the other side of the fence, leading the horse by its bridle.

"There's no saddle, I'll fall off," Kat protested gazing at the large animal.

"You won't," Ilya promised. He mounted the horse and held out his hand motioning for her to step up on the fence. Hesitantly Kat did so and Ilya lifted her to sit in front of him.

Kat grabbed hold of the horse's mane as Ilya instructed and held tightly. With one hand around Kat's waist, he held the reigns with the other and nudged Chance across the field.

"See," Ilya said softly. "It's not so bad."

Kat ran her hand down the horse's neck, feeling the strong animal beneath her touch. Her eyes travelled up to the horizon where the sun was still rising. It seemed so unreal that she was here. People were searching around the world for her and she was safe, riding a horse for the first time. She shivered slightly.

"Cold?"

Kat didn't answer. Ilya's arm tightened around her waist drawing her closer to him and Kat relaxed against his chest, feeling surprisingly safe. The feeling only lasted for a moment as the horse picked up speed and began galloping across the field, faster and faster.

"The fence! Ilya?"

Kat tried to twist her head up to see his face but the horse was going too fast. He was headed straight toward a wooden fence.

"Ilya!"

They flew over the fence. Kat screamed. On the other side, Ilya slowed the horse to a stop as Kat struggled to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" he asked after he'd stopped laughing.

"Why did you do that?"

"It makes you feel alive."

Ilya's voice was a mere whisper in her ear and she smiled as always at the accent in his voice. Kat stared out over the countryside before her. In the distance, she could see a small cottage belonging to the nearest neighbours. "It's beautiful out here. It doesn't seem like Russia at all."

"Why don't you like Russia?" Ilya asked.

"Everything bad always happens in Russia," she answered simply. "Why does Talia hate me?"

"It's not you precisely," Ilya laughed, his voice echoing in the silent air. "Talia is 23 and…boy crazy as you Americans say. She's been after Sark, since the day she turned thirteen."

"You've known them that long?" Kat reached down tracing her finger over the ring he wore on his right index finger; the scripted design seemed familiar. "Who are you really Ilya?" she asked.

Ilya clucked his tongue and Chance took off in a slow gallop around the field ignoring Kat's question as he always did. He soon spotted Yelena waiting near the gate, her arms crossed over her chest and she did not look pleased.

"I think we're in for it," Kat said softly.

"No, just me."

Ilya slowed Chance to a walk and came up to the fence.

"Ilya, what were you thinking?" Yelena took the bridle reins from Ilya and he slid off the horse. "Not even a saddle, you know I don't like that and Katarina is in no condition to be galloping across the countryside. She still has injuries."

"Lena, it's okay," Kat protested. "I'm fine, I wanted to go." She held onto Ilya's shoulders as he lifted her down from the horse.

"Ilya knows better," Yelena shot him a disapproving motherly type glare. "Your body is still healing. Now come inside for breakfast, everyone is waiting."

"Everybody?"

"Well, everyone other than my sister and her daughter. They don't dare grace us with their presence before noon."

"Now why doesn't that surprise me," she said it with a faint laugh and glanced up at Lena; she liked her. Perhaps Yelena was the only good Derevko amongst all the bad.

"Katia," a voice called to her. "Katia, wake up."

Kat rolled over blinking through squinted eyes in the early morning light. Her shoulder still ached slightly when she slept on it. It had been a week and a half since Katya and the others had taken her and a full week since Sark had disappeared on business. Aside from Yelena, Ilya was her only companion and had taken her horseback riding every morning since the first, a week before. She avoided Talia as much as possible and got to know Anna and Alexei better, but she found it difficult to spend time with them as much of the focus was on their babies.

"Katia, wake up," the voice repeated.

"Julian?"

"Yes." He was impatient. "Are you awake?"

"Yes." She moaned stretching her arms and glanced at the clock. "It's barely six o'clock. You've been gone for a week and you didn't call, not once."

"Get dressed." He was brusque in his demeanour as he placed some clothes on the bed. "Put these on and go to Yelena. We leave in twenty minutes, hurry."

Kat sat up quickly. "What's going on?" she yelled after Sark but he was gone.

"I look ridiculous." Kat pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She scrutinized her appearance in the mirror.

Yelena secured a rubber band at the end of a braided pigtail. She grabbed the next section, braiding it to match. "It's not that bad," she eyed the mirror.

"Lena, I look like I'm twelve." Kat tugged on an overall strap attempting to tighten it, not that it did much good.

"I think that's the idea," Ilya remarked from his position in the doorway. He held out a passport. "You were born twelve years ago."

Kat took it from his hand. "What's going on?"

"I know as much as you," he said shrugging his shoulders. "Sark woke me a several hours ago to make it."

Kat spotted a small overnight bag on the floor. "Lena?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I have my own business to attend to and you need to go. Sark is waiting in the car."

Kat nodded and ran out of Lena's room and down the stairs as quickly as she could. A car waited at the front door driven by (NAME? OR SOMETHING) who looked like one of Sark's guards. Kat had barely closed the door when it took off, tires squealing.

"Sark, what's going on?" Kat demanded. She looked curiously at his attire, a pair of faded jeans, and black t-shirt.

Sark noticed the stressed reference to his name. Kat was pissed. "We're going to Australia."

"Why."

"I obtained information regarding the identity of the Covenant's mole."

"The one who set me up?"

"Yes."

"We went over the files while you were gone, more than once each, we couldn't find anything," Kat said wondering what he had been able to find out that they couldn't.

"We were looking for the wrong information."

"He wasn't in those files?"

"He was."

Sark's answer confirmed the sex of the CIA's traitor. "Who?"

He shook his head. "Not until we have proof."

Kat leaned back in the seat opposite Sark. "Why are you so secretive?"

"What if I'm mistaken?" he asked. "Can you handle that? Can you go back to the CIA and not have a suspicion?"

Kat twisted in her seat and stared out the tinted window for a few moments. She looked at him. "What's the plan?"

"For starters, I'm David Williams. I'm taking my little sister Isabelle on a trip to Australia, our parents just died." Sark placed a black baseball hat on his head backward and tossed her a red one. "Put this on and pay attention."

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