Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Thanks to all who reviewed. Tess and Khai finally meet up in this part, but I don't give much detail to what happened before their meeting. They just start talking, and you can fill in the blanks of who saw who first and how they reacted and all that. Sorry, not much action in this chapter, just a lot of conversations and preparations. There will be more action in the next chapter, and we will get another look at how the Resistance is doing.

I hint at something very important in this chapter, a foreshadowing of sorts. So if anything seems vague and not explained, chances are, it will be elaborated on in later chapters.

this is the stuff of legends…

Chapter Twelve: In The Triaji Desert

Day 12

"Hey, Izzie."

Isabel turned in surprise to see her father standing in the doorway of her house. She blinked once and then gave a quick, forced smile. "Hey, Dad." She hurried over to him and gave him a hug. "I thought you'd be at work now?"

"Oh, I'm on my lunch break," he replied with a smile. "I was going to meet your mother for a quick old-married-couple-lunch, and Jesse asked me to pick up some of his case files for him."

"Oh," Isabel flashed him a smile, her heart beating wildly. Did he know? Had the plan not worked, had he discovered something?

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something else," Mr. Evans continued slowly. He walked over to Isabel and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know things have been a little rocky between us since you and Jesse got married, but you are still my daughter, and if there is anything you need to talk to me about, I am here for you. You know that, right?"

"Of course," Isabel replied quickly, a little too quickly. She turned away and walked over to her sofa, sinking into the cushions. "Is that what you came here to tell me?"

Mr. Evans sighed. This was harder than he thought it would be. Isabel didn't seem to want to help him with the conversation, and he didn't know how to bring up Tess without alerting his daughter to his suspicions.

"Actually…Jesse talked to me yesterday. He mentioned something about Tess…" Mr. Evans held his breath, hoping Isabel would take the bait.

"What did he say?" Isabel asked, her tone guarded.

"Just that something had happened," Mr. Evans answered gently. "Something that upset you both, and I just… I was worried. I wanted you to know that you could talk to me."

"I know, Dad. We know," Isabel assured him. "It's just… we didn't know how to talk about this."

"Tell me about it…?"

Isabel closed her eyes, tears spilling over at the corners, and took a deep breath, preparing for the performance of her life. "Well, it all started with this guy that Tess was dating before she moved here…"

"You're here."

"Yes."

"Good."

Tess would have laughed at how monosyllabic their greeting was, but she was too busy trying to wrap her head around the fact that she wasn't alone anymore. She and Alex had a protector now, someone to help them fight this battle.

Khai, for his part, was marveling at the change that he saw in his Queen. It was mostly in the eyes, they seemed older now, older and wiser as though she had lived through years of battles and grief.

And in a way, she had. They all had, these past several months had been filled with more bloodshed and loss than anyone should ever have to deal with.

They were standing in the desert, less than a days walk from the mountains. The sun was high overhead, drenching them with golden light. They were both covered in sweat, but Tess' smile lit up her face and Khai's grimace seemed at least a little less severe.

They were happy to see each other.

Khai reached underneath his robe and extracted an object wrapped in cloth. The cloth was dirty, ragged, and torn around the edges. It had seen months of travel, and the threads hung out at the edges.

But Tess could feel the power radiating from within the bundle of cloth. She held her breath and reached out, her fingers lightly skimming over the cloth. She swallowed and shook her head in wonder, her other arm pulling Alex closer to her as she felt the power crackle under her skin.

"This is…"

"The Granolith," Khai said with reverence. "It is, Ava."

And Tess noted with detached interest that he said Ava with the same reverence that he spoke of the Granolith. It unnerved her suddenly, to hear it in his voice. She always knew that the people were expecting her be their savoir, but the way Khai said her name, it just made it so much more real. She was their Queen, and she was responsible for them.

And she was scared.

And then something completely unexpected happened. Tess felt something brush against her mind, a faint presence, strange and familiar at the same time. And then a word echoed in her head, one she had longed to hear for so long, one that filled her with hope.

Mama.

She gasped, and looked down at Alex, while Khai stared at her in concern and surprise.

"I think he just spoke to me."

Khai frowned slightly and said, "I suppose it is possible that Alex would have the ability to create mind links. He could have inherited those powers from you, they are linked to the ability to mind-warp. Of course, it is a bit early for his powers to be showing up, but he does come from powerful parents…"

But Tess was not listening. She had forgotten where she was, or who she was with, or the battles that she would have to fight in just a number of days. She was only aware of the single word reverberating through her mind as she stared down at her son's beautiful sapphire eyes.

"Hey, baby," Tess whispered. "Mama's here."

"He will be a great leader one day," Khai said softly. He stared at the bundle in Tess' arms. It was ironic, they were both holding precious bundles. He was holding the symbol of the throne of Antar, and she was holding the Heir to the throne of Antar.

Both of which Khivar wanted.

They were running out of time.

The Resistance was running out of time.

"We need to move," Khai said abruptly, and Tess nodded her agreement.

They walked in silence for a moment, then Tess said, "Alex is only a few months old. Why is Khivar so afraid of him? He can't do any damage."

"It isn't what he can do now that scares Khivar, as what he could do later," Khai replied. He paused, then continued, "And it is also what he represents. The true Heir."

Tess looked down at her son. "He's only a few months old, Khai. Everyone expects him to be a leader, to be their savoir, but he is just a child. He can't rule the country, and I don't want him to be bartered and traded about in a struggle for power."

"He doesn't need to lead, Ava," Khai pointed out. "You can lead for him, until he is old enough to assume the throne."

Tess nodded slowly and looked away. There was something in her eyes that made Khai pause, a look he could not quite place. He felt something twist deep within his stomach, an unknown fear bubbling to the surface. Unsure, he too looked away, and the travelers moved on in silence.

"Philip, what are you doing?" Mrs. Evans asked as she walked into the living room. Mr. Evans quickly turned around, hiding the notebook behind his back and giving his wife an innocent smile. Wanting to keep her out of everything that was going on, he had not informed her of any of his suspicions. It would break her heart to know what he thought their children might be doing.

"Nothing, Diane," Mr. Evans replied casually. The notebook was full of scribbled notes and half-thought-through ideas.

Mrs. Evans raised an eyebrow. "Really? You've been doing 'nothing' for a while now. I'm not blind, you know. Tell me what's going on."

Mr. Evans hesitated, weighing his options. He could tell her the truth and risk crushing her, or he could lie and hope she didn't find out. Neither option was ideal, but they were the only two choices that he had.

However, he didn't have to make the decision, because Mrs. Evans continued talking.

"Is this about Isabel and Max?" she asked shrewdly, narrowing her eyes.

Mr. Evans raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "Wh-what?" he stammered, unsure how she had known. And what else she knew…

"I know something has been going on with them. Ever since Max and Liz were accused of robbing that store, and then Max moved into Michael's apartment, things have been strained between the four of us. And lately its only gotten worse. Tell me what you are doing." The last was an order, not a request, and Mr. Evans found himself complying.

He told the entire story starting from what Jesse overheard about Tess, going through his conversation with Jim Valenti, and finally ending with Jesse's refusal to continue the investigation and the truth about Tess' death.

Mrs. Evans was silent for several minutes, absorbing everything she had heard. Then she sat down on the sofa next to Mr. Evans and took a deep breath. "Well, there doesn't seem to be any reason to investigate. We know what happened to Tess." Her words were flat, emotionless, and Mr. Evans knew that she didn't believe the story any more than he did.

"Really?" he shook his head skeptically.

"It makes sense," Mrs. Evans protested, more to convince herself than her husband. "About Tess' death, I mean. If she died over the summer, it makes sense that Max would have been acting so strangely this year…"

"It isn't just this year," Mr. Evans replied pointedly. "We've known since we adopted them that there was something different about our children."

"So why start the investigation now?" Mrs. Evans demanded. "If everything has been okay for the last ten years, why start now?"

"Because this was the first time that my son may have committed a felony," Mr. Evans pointed out reasonably. Mrs. Evans wavered and looked away, her eyes filled with doubt, and Mr. Evans continued, "I want to believe that nothing is going on, that I am imagining all of this. But these are my children, our children, and if they are in any kind of trouble, I have to know. I have to be able to protect them."

"By investigating them? By betraying their trust?" Mrs. Evans countered.

"If they won't tell us the truth…"

"They will," Mrs. Evans said firmly. "They'll tell us the truth when they are ready." She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and looked away, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "They will," she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

"But will they tell us in time?" Mr. Evans questioned.

"What secret do you think they are hiding?" Mrs. Evans asked, changing the subject.

Mr. Evans shook his head. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "But I think it started around the time of the shooting at the Crashdown two years ago. When Max first started hanging out with Liz Parker."

"Who else knows you are investigation them?" Mrs. Evans murmured.

"Sheriff Hanson," Mr. Evans replied. "And Jesse." There was a silence, then Mr. Evans replied, "Look, Diane, I don't like this any better than you do, but I honestly don't know what else to do. I can't just sit her and do nothing if they are in danger."

"I know," Mrs. Evans agreed. "But have you found anything in your investigation?"

"No…"

"Then what makes you think this is the right way to go about it?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"What would you have me do?" Mr. Evans asked. "Sit around and pretend I just don't see?" He shook his head and stood up, pacing quickly back and forth across the floor. "I can't do that."

"Trust them," Mrs. Evans replied, getting to her feet as well. She crossed to her husband and took his hand. "Trust our children, they will come to us when they are ready."

Mr. Evans sighed and looked away. "Do you really think that is the right choice?"

And Mrs. Evans was honest enough to reply, "I don't know…"

Next Chapter: By the Banks of the Landra River

Due: Fri. 3/17