Chapter 1
"What do you mean...saw Amar but I saw him..." Die? Indeed, that was the word that clumped in the back of my cold throat. The wonderful introduction to the world I know now began with the dying of Mary Dowd, alias Virginia Doyle. My mother and her protector of the Rakshana, Amar...Kartik's brother. The only family he knew. It saddened and worried me deeply, deep enough to have me stuttering despite myself.
"Yes, I know just as much as you..." Kartik said, if not less, the words burned on the tip of his tongue. Ignorance was not bliss. It was hell. It was the bloody hell I went through every night I felt Kartik's absence.
Amar, I thought to myself. Had he been corrupted? Had he met our Pippa, did he meet my mother? Had he not crossed over? What was in his path? Where was he? In the realms? So many questions clouded my mind and it was indeed silent murder that I couldn't ask. But I was compelled to bear this murder as Kartik didn't know as much as me. Ignorance was NOT bliss; I repeated angrily to myself, Kartik winced as I thought it. He looked down at once as if to find a way out so I wouldn't notice his cringing.
"Well, Mr. Kartik. You have proved to be an excellent coachman to our dear Gemma." Felicity spat, "But I'm afraid your loyalty can not be trusted. After all, a man that can betray his own brotherhood can betray anyone." She scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. Kartik stared back at her, fearless as I knew he was. Something sat at the tip of his lashes, shielding his eyes. It darkened the bottom of his eyes, making his resemble someone I had once known.
"Why on earth do you look like a butcher?!" I exclaimed, mindlessly. Kartik glanced at me and chuckled.
"You've noticed the soorma." He said. Soorma, right. That was it. A common form of eyeliner among Muslims and men of Middle Eastern descent. My mother often told me that most Muslims' prayer weren't subject to acceptance if performed without oil in their hair and soorma in their eyes. It looked odd, at first but upon closer inspection it brought out the rich chocolate eyes. I looked away quickly; I couldn't be caught gazing at him so.
"Soorma?" I echoed.
"I've been living with some Muslims. Moors I believe, from Spain? They moved from Castile a decade or so ago." He exclaimed, untying the knot at the end of his cloak. A knot in his cloak, a reminder. He undid it, his task fulfilled? I was utterly baffled. That was his agenda alright; Stalk Gemma, stop Gemma, talk to Gemma, lie to Gemma? My name was too recurrent. I wasn't all that important.
"Oh." I said. "Let's go, then. We need to find Amar?" I stated more like a question. The humidity was dying out again, as the sun set. I tried not to look at the sky awkwardly but it was stained a deep shade of crimson. Like blood, I shuddered.
"No, his loyalty..." Felicity started before Ann cut her off triumphantly.
"We owe Mr. Kartik plenty considering the various times he's saved our Gemma." Ann said, benevolently. Thank you, Ann.
"He was serving his brotherhood." Felicity argued.
"So? That proves his loyal worth in itself." I argued on his behalf.
"Loyalty to his brotherhood but he couldn't fulfill any one of his duties. Not to get a share in the magic, not to keep you safe," Not to kill me, I concluded. Felicity continued after pausing, "How are we to know what his brother was like any whom? He could have been in league with HER now," She referred to Circe.
"Amar would never betray his brotherhood by doing any such thing." Kartik said, personally muttering.
"Really?" Felicity mused, "So sure, huh?"
"Gemma," Kartik started, my cheeks flushed at use of my name, "I do not know how or why or even where but Amar is still among us, but not in this world. I'm not sure which world he's present in, but still, he is amongst us. He talked to me, I've spoken to him." He said, enthusiastically. His eyes were agleam but in the middle of the deep chocolate brown, a pit of black grew, I shuddered as I looked away. He frowned, misunderstanding the gesture.
"Miss Doyle. The Rakshana and Amar were my only family. The only family I have or will ever know. I cannot lose both, Amar is out there still. This is not a life or death situation, this is beyond that, obviously." He said, eying my untwisted amulet. It was neither bent out of shape, nor twisted as Nell had left it. He raised an eyebrow at it, only to be mirrored by Felicity.
"Fine, we will offer out assistance to you. But what can YOU do for us?" My heart sank at all the possibilities of what she could ask. Fee don't, please.
"Please Fee, we're already indebted," Ann nudged her, reminding of the past argument between the two.
"To the realms?" I asked, lending my hand to him. Kartik's face went agleam as the four of us joined hands. His hands were rough and firm, and unnaturally cold against mine. I tried not to squeeze his hand as we made the door of light appear, but before any of us could concentrate…
"Miss Doyle, your hands…" He said, awkwardly.
"Pardon?" I choked out, letting go instantly.
"Your hands are very…." He started, searching for an inoffensive word, "Clammy."
Splendid! I was sweating senselessly onto his hand that is oh so ladylike.
"I may be a bit indisposed. Hopefully, I don't have a temperature…" I said, feeling my head fakely. He laid his hand atop mine as it fell on my forehead, smirking. I wondered if he was predicting my façade.
"Shall we go back?" He asked. I glanced at Felicity, who was beaming inexplicitly. If anything, Kartik's presence was something she did not enjoy. This is one fact that cannot be denied. I gave no reply.
"Uh. Er, I don't know…." I stuttered. Ann stole a glance at me and said, "We really must be getting back to Spence. The sun has set and we wouldn't want to worry Mrs. Nightwing." She reasoned, we silently agreed. Without farewells, we skipped back towards Spence. Felicity skipped, Ann marched and I slumped. I slugged on forward and not so surprised I was when I found a piece of folded parchment left on my desk in our room.
Patience is a virtue, I told myself. Grandmama told me often. But was it really? I was not really that much impatient was I? I wondered as I ripped open the parchment. In his scruffy legible handwriting I saw the letters I'd missed so.
Gemma,
Miss Doyle,
Meet me in the caves at midnight.
He was losing his touch, honestly. He must stay in practice, I resolved. Of writing me these notes, of course. He never added my name. Ever. I wondered. After dinner, at approximately nine thirty we were sent to bed. Ann, being the restless girl she was, instantly fell into her deep slumber.
In my bed, I clutched the note close. I hadn't burnt this one. I didn't intend to. The impossible rush of adrenaline sent coursing through my veins refused to let me sleep.
Relax Gemma. It's just a note. You're not meeting him for pleasure…Well, yes I was. But that wasn't for him to know. I giggled childishly to myself. How could I think of something so useless at a time like this? Circe was on the loose, and Amar hadn't crossed over. Or so I assumed.
Amusingly, the thoughts of stress in my life managed to lull me to sleep. The one o clock bell jolted me awake. I was a light sleeper. Blast, I thought. In my silk nightgown, I silently made my way out to the cave where we had met recently.
I found Kartik, propped against a tree, sleeping with his wild ebony curls falling to his face, unruly as they were. I smiled; there was something so incredibly childlike about him when he slept. I couldn't decipher what. I cracked a twig as I stepped back to rest on a large stone. He stirred, opening his eyes.
"Miss Doyle." He started, smiling oddly. His eyes were still captive to the soorma and his face was stubbled, he resembled his brother slightly. He didn't look like a boy anymore, he looked like a man.
He was a man. And I, a woman. The thought struck me as extremely scandalous. Meeting at the caves at such an hour.
"I'm delayed. Please forgive me." I choked. His smile grew to a grin.
"I knew you would come." He smiled hard, "It's alright."
"So…?" I sat at the rock.
"I believe I had something urgent to discuss…" He said, cautiously. I turned to look at him and found him inches away from me. How he arrived there, was a mystery to me.
"Yes…?" I asked.
He grinned brightly.