A/N: I loved the feedback on the last couple of chapters! Thanks as always :-). Your reviews always make me so happy, and it's good to know what you guys want more of. Definitely going to be focusing on the family aspect a lot more. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
By the way, happy holidays! We're getting ready for a quiet little Christmas over here, just my husband and daughter. So I'm planning on a delicious turkey dinner and lots more writing by the fireplace. Hope yours is a good one, too!
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Elion. How long had you two been partners?"
Elion barely heard the question. His mind rattled loud as the Drums, with gusts of anger howling through his thoughts. He couldn't get the image of Durand's body out of his head. Two other agents had carried him into camp just an hour ago, and at first, Elion thought it was a washed up animal carcass. His partner had been left to the elements, to the mud and the rain, in the merciless scowl of Shadow Ridge. Shadow Ridge. Why does this case keep coming back to Shadow Ridge?
Lorana politely rapped her fingers against the side of her tea. "Mr. Elion?"
He realized that he was holding a mug of tea as well. It felt warm against his clammy palms. "Hmm? Did you say something?"
"I said how long had you been working together?"
"Oh, uh...two years," he replied, taking a sip of hot tea. "Durand thought this assignment was a fool's errand. He always brought that kind of optimism to a case." A hollow laugh tumbled from his lips. "I'm going to miss that grumpy old man."
Adren, who sat beside his wife, tugged at his wiry beard. Though he felt sorry for the agent, he was still not overly fond of his company. "Will you be headed back to Kitadara, then?"
After another swig of his tea, Elion continued his sleep-deprived ramblings. "An animal. They said it had to have been an animal. So where were the teeth marks? Claw marks? No, a hole like that...it was made by a weapon."
Lorana covered her mouth, feeling sickly at the image his words provoked. Her husband patted her on the arm. "Dear, won't you go check on Wrennie? I thought I heard him stirring."
Nodding, she stood up from the table. Like her husband, she had heard no sound from the baby's room. But she welcomed the excuse to pardon herself from such unpleasant conversation. Elion's eyes remained on his tea as Lorana departed. A roll of thunder rumbled across the sky, unheeded by the two men left sitting at the table.
All the while, Elion's weary mind scratched for answers. For justice. He had tried to convince the other agents to stay, to keep searching for the truth. But they were all as ignorant as the innkeeper. Space rocks. Animals. They wanted answers that didn't frighten them, answers that kept their world as limited as their minds. He was sure that strangers walked among them. Strangers from another planet. And someone else knew about it. Someone had sent Keeling's team out there. But who? Who did Keeling work for? And where did they go?
"Well-" Adren said, interrupting the agent's brooding. "I suppose you should head out now, before the highway floods. Maybe you'll meet the Riker family on the road."
One of Elion's brows arched. "They've left?"
"Yes, not too long ago. I think Mr. Will was eager to get to work. I hope he finds something."
Elion set his mug down with a sigh. "I'm sure he will. Kitadara is full of opportunities." While he wished the family well, it was Lady Deanna that he found his thoughts dwelling on. He had hoped to say goodbye to her. There was something rare, something unforgettable about the woman. Her composure was graceful but not delicate, and she carried herself with a hint of aristocracy that belied her roots in a poor mining town. Unlike the others, she seemed to sincerely believe him. She deserved better than a narrow-minded miner from Ebon Plains.
Though admittedly, her husband was nothing to balk at. Towering in height and with shoulders that could fill a doorway, he possessed a naturally commanding air. His daughter's eyes glinted with the same steel as well. Yet those very eyes would soften in the presence of Jora, the young girl of the house.
As Elion's mind turned to Jora, he felt a faint tug of hope. She was the last avenue in his search for answers. And so, it was with relief that he found her sitting on the little wooden porch after he bid the innkeeper goodbye.
Silver sat at her side, and together they watched golden lightning leap from cloud to cloud as sheets of rain fell from the sky. There was something melancholy in the slump of her shoulders and in the way she absent-mindedly played with a rock at her feet. It brought out a gentler side of the agent that reminded him of his own lonely upbringing.
"Your friend Carmen-she's gone then?" he asked.
Jora glanced up at him quickly, furtively. "Yeah," she mumbled.
"You'll make more friends, don't worry." Coming alongside her, Elion took a seat on the wooden stair and clasped his hands over his knees. "Something tells me you're very good at making new friends."
Her hand that was playing with the rock froze. "What do you mean?"
He smiled shrewdly. "Nothing. Just that you're a special girl. And brave, too. I think you know this jungle better than anyone else in Almer." He lowered his voice. "But...why do you go out there at night?"
"At night?" She looked up at him again, and this time she held his gaze. "I don't go out there at night. My dad would be furious."
"That's why I didn't tell him." Elion had expected her to lie, but not so well. She seemed genuinely confused by the agent's accusation.
"Tell him what? I don't understand."
"I saw you yesterday morning, while I was searching for Durand. You and Silver were crossing the river on your way back home."
"But we weren't!" she insisted, climbing to her feet to glare at him defiantly.
Elion studied her face, and to his surprise, he found no hint of deception. Yet how? Or rather...who. Who had he seen crossing the river with Silver? He replayed the memory in his head, desperate for a new detail. He remembered hearing the dog's bark. He remembered making his way towards the river, where he had seen a flash of silver tail disappearing into the treeline on the other side. Then he had caught a glimpse of a skirt, someone following close behind the dog.
"Jora...what about Silver? Where was he?" Elion asked.
"He sleeps in the barn," she answered. "And he wouldn't wander. He's a very loyal dog." She wrapped her arms around Silver's neck, daring the agent to say otherwise. No, Jora didn't have the answers. No one had any answers, it seemed.
"I've noticed that," Elion said, assuring her with a smile. "Well...keep him close. And don't go near Shadow Ridge for awhile, okay?"
"What do you mean?" Slowly, the girl perched herself back on the edge of the stair. "Did something happen? Did you find your partner?"
Elion nodded, but did not explain. It would be cruel to place the weight of such news on her young shoulders. Still, he could see the wheels of her mind turning. And though she was small, he knew the dangerous determination of such a mind. For it was not unlike his own mind. "Listen, Jora…" he began, placing an earnest hand on her knee. "Like I said, you're a special girl. You know what it's like, to be curious. To want answers. And your turn will come. Maybe one day I'll even see you in my office in Kitadara."
"Girls can't be agents," she said, trying to keep the bitterness from bleeding into her voice. "Everybody knows that."
"They can't be agents yet." A gentle smile crossed his lips. "But that will change, I'm sure of it. For now, please don't go looking for the truth on your own. Stay here, where it's safe. Okay?"
"I can take care of myself-"
"Please." The word sounded more like a push than a plea.
Grumbling, she folded her arms atop her lap. "Alright, alright."
"Good." Satisfied with her answer, Elion rose and brushed the mud from his clothes. "Til we meet again, Jora. I look forward to seeing your resume on my desk." Then, shielding his eyes from the rain, he left the Perler house behind.
But just as he had no intention of joining the other agents on the road to Kitadara, the young girl had no intention of staying away from Shadow Ridge.