Kit wasn't sure what was going on. He thought he might be having an out-of-body experience. That was the only thing that would explain his current circumstances.
At the moment he was sitting at a roughly hewn wooden table across from Nita. His companions were strewn around him, some standing and some crouched close to the fire for warmth. They were all waiting for Dameon to return from wherever he'd disappeared to just minutes after their arrival, saying merely that he had an errand to complete before he offered any explanations. Andrea stayed with them, but her presence was not soothing. She stared unseeingly into the depths of the fire and refused to speak unless asked a direct question. Even then, she abstained from telling them any more about what was going on, saying it was not her place to explain.
It was a strange situation by any standard, and the only thing that kept Kit sitting there was Ponch's casual attitude toward the whole miserable catastrophe. Although the only thought Kit could pry out of him at the moment was an overwhelming sense of patience and calm, Kit was not altogether reassured. Several times he leaned forward to whisper a word to Nita, and each time he was rebuffed gently by Ponch shaking his head almost imperceptibly. As frustrating as this was, Kit knew better than to question his dog.
Dairine had no such qualms. She paced incessantly up and down the clearing. Every now and then a cry of frustration and rage escaped her. After about fifteen minutes of this childish behavior, she plunked herself down and said quite calmly, "If he isn't back in ten minutes, I'm leaving."
"That won't be necessary," a voice like velvet responded from beyond where the light of the fire could reach. A second later Dameon came striding out of the trees, and Andrea jumped up to embrace him.
"Well?" she cried, scouring his face with her eyes. "What is their decision?"
To Kit's great surprise, Dameon grinned. "They have decided to let our guests go free," he said, his eyes laughing, "and would like to extend a formal apology for the…er…incident."
"You mean kidnapping?" Nita suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from her place across from Kit. "I was nearly killed and Ronan as well! Are you trying to say that was just some sort of misunderstanding?"
During this speech Kit had moved instinctively to Nita's side, wrapping one arm around her waist to keep her from lunging at the inhumanly beautiful couple.
Dameon's face was smooth. "Actually, yes," he informed Nita frankly. "The council believed you were agents of the Lone One and saw fit to remove you from society."
At this, Nita started laughing, but it was not the sweet, girlish laugh Kit was used to. This laugh had a hard edged to it, a half-crazed sound. His arm tightened around her waist. Maybe he'd underestimated how much she'd been through in the past few days. The firelight danced on her cheeks, transforming her into a creature he barely recognized. Her voice was rough and her tone incredulous.
"Your council believed we were his? I have to say, I don't have much respect for them if they're so inept at recognizing events of his creation."
Dameon's handsome features were no longer impassive. "Do not presume to call us inept, young one. Not so long ago, your own sister was inhabited by the devil himself and you scarcely noticed the warning signs until it was almost too late."
Nita's jaw fell open, and Dairine flushed bright scarlet, her eyes fixed on the ground. Distantly Kit observed Roshaun trying to comfort her with an arm around her shoulders, and was not surprised to see her shrug it off. Alyra stood beside him, her eyes filled with wonder and confusion. Ronan looked tensed for a fight. He caught Kit's eye and nodded very slightly. Well, at least they wouldn't be without backup if this turned ugly.
Dameon continued talking as if his words had garnered no reaction. "I wouldn't expect you to understand…" he began, surveying each of their faces in turn. "We are an ancient people, older than humans, old as the world itself…And we have watched the millennia go by, mapping the progress of the human race as the years progressed, waiting for the point where we would have to intervene. The point in history where we would have the power to stop you destroying everything we have labored so long to protect. It is more than a duty, more than a call, it is written in our very blood. It was always our destiny to save the world…we were intended to save you from yourselves."
He hesitated, and the sorrow on his face was incomparable. It took Kit's breath away. Because he knew that he could never looked like that. Not even if everything dear to him was taken away, not even if Nita's very life were extinguished – he cringed at the thought, but knew that even then he would have to suffer for untold eons before his eyes could begin to reflect the sadness that Dameon's now held. The clearing was silent for a moment, and then and Andrea took up the mantle.
"Dameon said it was our duty to be Protectors. And he is right…until very recently, it was. But it is no longer our cross to bear. Don't misunderstand, children. We are not giving up. There is still hope for this world, and many things you can achieve…even now, in your anger" her limpid eyes focused on Nita "I am surprised by the fierceness of your love…for all of them, but especially for him." She nodded at Kit, who froze. Nita looked at him wonderingly, but he was still as a statue, unable to move even an eyelash. He tuned back into Andrea's speech.
"I lose my point within words, as I so often do. Our purpose in telling you all this, young ones, is not to frighten or intimidate you. We mean simply to pass on the responsibility we have tended for so many centuries." Her eyes swept around the clearing once before coming to rest on Alyra. "You, there. You are not of this world, yet you have great potential in you….do not waste it." Alyra looked humbled for once. All was silent for a moment, and then Dameon spoke once more.
"The fate of your world is now your own….Goodbye."
And with that, before anyone could say a word, the lovely pair joined hands and leapt gracefully together into the forest, leaving only the red embers of the fire and the sweet echo of their voices in the trees to show that they'd ever been there. The stars shown like hard, unforgiving diamonds above their heads, and Kit, though Nita was close enough to reach out and embrace, had never felt so alone.
A/N: I know not everything makes sense at this point, but I promise Ponch will explain everything in the next chapter….hope you enjoyed it, and as always, please remember to review!