Chapter 17, Answers, Part 1
Author's Note: Thanks to all who have been walking alongside me on this little journey! As always, all reviews are most welcome and appreciated.
The fire in the fireplace crackled as it burned lower. By now the servants had cleared the dinner dishes and were impatiently waiting for Cain and the Queen to leave the dining room. They had yet to take away the linens and put the tables back in their original places before they could go home for the day.
The Queen took notice of the door leading to the kitchen opening a crack and then quickly closing. She said to Cain, "Major, please escort me to my sitting room." She looked back over to the door and then back to Cain. "There will be privacy there."
The Queen's sitting room was small and cozy. As they entered the room they discovered that her chambermaid had already drawn the heavy velvet curtains for the evening. They were a deep blue in color and the heavy gold braid tiebacks, normally used during the day, hung at the edges. A light colored wooden desk was placed near the window. It was small and had delicate hand-carved legs. The fireplace was lined with white and gray marble complimented by a dark gray flagstone floor. Bookcases, a few small brass electric lamps, and a few oil portraits lined the walls. The chambermaid finished fixing the fire in the fireplace and then quickly exited the room. The Queen motioned for Cain to sit down in one of the large velvet chairs in front of the fire. Being in such an intimate setting made him feel uncomfortable. He draped his long duster over the back of the chair and sat down.
The Queen started off by saying, "There are a few items that we need to discuss Major."
"This is about Jill isn't it," he replied. He crossed his leg and laid his hat on top of his knee. Even now you still refuse to call me by name.
She watched him start to play with the edge of his hat. "Yes, amongst other things." She paused and for the first time in a long while she was unsure of where to begin. She had realized the day before that she was going to have to talk to Cain about the travel storms; however, it had been over a year since she had had such an intimate conversation with him. The familiarity was no longer there.
"Why don't you start with that registration law," he asked. He remembered her furled look when he introduced Jill to her the day before.
The Queen rested her arms on the arms of the chair and began. "A few months after you were assigned to the western territories we began to receive an increasing number of reports of articles from the other world; from DG's world. Obviously the articles were being transported by travel storms. At first the after effects of the travel storms were seen in remote areas of the O.Z. However, with increasing frequency, the travel storms occurred near or in the villages and towns. It caused much devastation."
Cain nodded his head in understanding. "So who was generating them?"
"As of this day we have still been unable to determine that," she briskly replied. "A few times we were able to locate and confiscate the machines that generated the storms; however, the operator or operators escaped."
"Do you think that the operators are remnants of the Longcoats?"
"Perhaps, even though as you are aware of, most of the remnants have been captured. We are positive though that the operators are formally organized and have a purpose. We enacted the ban on travel storms in order to stifle them." She paused again, waiting for his next question. She took a guess as to what it was. "As I stated before, we were not only able to confiscate the machines that generated the storms, but some times entire cargo containers of articles. We keep the containers here in a large store room under guard."
Cain went through his memories and the image of Jill's stripped truck entered his mind. "Do you have any engines?"
The Queen looked confused for a moment. "What do you mean by engines?"
"Engines from vehicles," he paused for a moment and shifted his legs. "Jill was driving her truck when the travel storm hit her. She had to abandon it and when I found it later, it was stripped of the engine."
The Queen turned pale and folded her hands in to her lap. She stared in to the fire and for a brief time neither spoke.
"So it continues to progress," she softly commented. Cain looked over at her.
"The articles that we found ranged from small electronic devices, as DG explained it, to other trinkets, clothing, and weapons. The weapons are of various types of guns and such. DG recognized some of the weapons as being quite powerful. She called them rocket launchers."
Cain asked, "Which are what?"
The Queen continued quietly, "DG said that it fires a bomb over a great distance. It only takes one man to carry such a weapon which makes it so dangerous. After the most powerful weapons were found, Dr. Addison recommended that we enact the registration law. The purpose was to track whether the contraband went from weapons to human trafficking."
"When you saw Jill yesterday, you saw that it had," stated Cain.
"Yes," replied the Queen.
Sergeant Costello's voice rang in his ears. "Why are you trying to hide all of this? The 9th Street Precinct has caches of those things too."
"To try to maintain the public peace, Major. It has taken this long to return the O.Z. to some sense of normalcy. Throughout history there have been naturally occurring travel storms," she said as she thought back to how her husband arrived in the O.Z, "bringing articles from that other world. The populace would panic if they learned that another insurgency was rising again and that they were the ones intentionally creating travel storms to bring weapons of war."
Cain unsympathetically replied, "You should have told the populace the truth. It's not like they're not panicked now."
Neither spoke again. The only sound was the crackling of the fire. Cain finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "When we were at the cabin some men broke in looking for Jill."
The Queen shifted in her chair and unfolded her hands. She placed her left hand on the arm of the chair and leaned slightly his way. "Has Jill told you what she did in the other world? Why people from this world would risk bringing her here?"
"She told me that she was a secretary," he said softly quietly. Why did you lie to me Jill?
The Queen said nothing for a second. "It does not seem like a secretary would need to go to secondary school for the general sciences."
"No, it doesn't," Cain grudgingly agreed.
The Queen regained her composure. "Until further notice she will not be allowed to go out unescorted unless she is either with you or a guard. I also trust that you will find out the truth behind her background. It may be the only new lead that we have."
Cain simply nodded in agreement.
"General Turnbaugh will assist you in the interrogation," she added.
Cain visibly stiffened. "Jill has not done anything wrong in the eyes of the law." The old tin man in him screamed liar… she killed Lieutenant Miller.
"As true as that may be, she still needs to be re-questioned. Given that the investigation of the travel storms is under the jurisdiction of the military, General Turnbaugh or his designee will be involved in her interrogation," she firmly stated.
Cain knew that there was no use in arguing, "I'll make the arrangements in the morning," he answered.
"You also need to have a discussion about her recent behavior," the Queen added. Cain raised his eyebrow.
"It is my understanding that last night she broke numerous items in her chamber. Amongst the items were her mirror, the contents on top of her dresser, and her bedside lamp. I will not tolerate such behavior." Cain's eyes showed surprise but the Queen ignored it and continued her verbal assault. "I was also told that she was in the Armory. That was unauthorized, irregardless of the fact that she was with Glitch."
"I'll make sure that it doesn't happen again," he solemnly replied.
"As long as she is a visitor in this palace I am going to hold you personally responsible for her behavior. I will not allow an outworlder to upset the day to day operations of this palace. There are enough crises already." And with that the Queen took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair.
Cain silently debated about whether he should ask his next question or not. To hell with it. "Do you really trust Dr. Addison?"
"Excuse me Major? Would you care to explain that further," demanded the Queen as she leaned forward in her chair.
"Jill never told anyone, even me, where she went to secondary school. How did Dr. Addison know where she went," he questioned as he moved forward in his chair. The old tin man in him was starting to come out again.
The Queen's lavender eyes flared in the firelight. "As much disdain as you may have for Dr. Addison, my husband and I do trust him. We would not let him near our daughters if we did not."
"That's not the question I asked," Cain coldly replied as he put his hat on the arm of the chair.
"Once upon a time I would have considered your judgment infallible; however, that was shattered with the death of DG's parents," the Queen responded back, just as cold.
Her reply cut through him like a knife.
"After you were ordered to the western territories, Azkadellia suffered a total mental collapse. No doctors were able to help her and it was Dr. Addison who was able to silence her demons."
Cain remained silent.
The Queen continued, very sternly, "We have the utmost trust and confidence in Dr. Addison and he has given us no reason to question that. You do not need to like Dr. Addison; however, I expect that you show him the same respect as you would for any other member of this royal court. Is that understood?"
Cain looked the Queen in the eye. He austerely replied, "Quite clearly." As he did so he rose from his chair, grabbed his duster, and headed for the door.
"There is one more thing Major," stated the Queen as she rose from her chair. She still refused to call him by name.
Cain stopped, briefly looked up at the ceiling and then turned around to look at her.
"Even though you have business here at the palace, stay away from my daughter," she said. Her lavender eyes continued to glare in the firelight. Azkadellia's comment about seeing him and DG on the balcony, alone, infuriated her.
Cain said nothing.
The Queen went on, "While the death of DG's parents may have been determined accidental, their blood is still on your hands. And you know all too well the amount of suffering that DG went through because of it," she paused and then hissed, "You have brought her nothing but heartache," she paused one more time and then added, "While you were gone she found comfort in Glitch and fell in love with him. He has now asked her to be his wife….. She has found happiness and I will not allow you to interfere with that."
Cain's expression hardened but as it did, felt the ache grow in his chest, "She's said yes then," he asked.
The Queen inhaled deeply and straightened her shoulders, "She has not given him a formal answer yet."
He realized that he left his hat on the arm of the chair that he was sitting in. He took a few steps over to the chair and picked it up. The Queen continued to carefully watch him as he walked back towards the door.
He put his hand on the doorknob and stopped without looking at the Queen, "If DG's happy, then that's all that matters," he said softly.
And with that he left the room and shut the door gently behind him without waiting for a response from the Queen. He took a few steps down the hallway and then stopped. There was a window nearby and he walked over to it. The moon was full and it cast its light across the grounds and the city. He looked down and saw a garden. He realized that it was the same garden where he tried to tell DG that he was sorry. Back then it was in the summer and the garden was full of life. Now a light coating of snow covered the bare bushes and statues and the light from the full moon emphasized its coldness. He stood there a long time before turning to continue down the hallway. He was headed towards the Armory.