silverchain.

chapter fifteen: truth surfacing

Jenna took a deep breath. Telling people things they didn't want to hear was usually a favorite occupation of hers; however, this was Karis and about Amiti, and it nearly broke her own heart. She prayed that the girl would be open, and, voice cracking slightly, she called out gently, "Karis?"

The young woman appeared in the doorway almost instantly, green hair falling in her face. "What is it?" she asked, in a tone that could mean anticipation or dread. Jenna feared that the latter would be a more appropriate emotion.

"Ivan...thought it best for me to tell you about Alex," she hedged, and patted the empty seat next to her. The older woman remembered Isaac's words to her. Her husband had told her earnestly that he loved her and believed in her, and while Jenna was not positive that she was the right one to break the news to Karis, the others assured her this was a situation that required a woman's touch.

The Jupiter Adept scrunched up her face. "Why?"

Jenna passed a hand over her forehead. "Jeez, I better not be getting sick," she muttered.

"What's that?" Karis asked, taking the offered seat and appearing expectant. Jenna twisted her own auburn hair nervously, a habit which she still had not broken after all of these years.

"Nothing. Anyway...are you ready?"

"Of course." The young woman appeared to have accepted the situation in her own, level-headed way, and Jenna nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed at her own distraught state.

"The reason that your father went to see Alex...was about Amiti," she began.

No surprise registered in the other woman's eyes.

Rubbing the sofa fabric absent-mindedly as she spoke, Jenna continued, "He saw something in Amiti that made him nervous. A resemblance, I guess. I don't know, I don't understand Ivan's mind. Anyway, he smelled a rat when Amiti revealed the story about his past."

"Amiti was entirely honest with him," Karis replied, a hint of anger coloring her words. Jenna winced.

"That's not what I meant, or what he did, for that matter. He just...realized something was suspicious. Something Amiti couldn't help. So, he went to see Alex, to see if his...his conjecture...was right."

"And?"

"It was," Jenna said darkly.

The Jupiter Adept pursed her lips, but did not add to the conversation.

The Mars Adept, in her turn, realized that the truth had to come out. "Alex is Amiti's father."

"What?"

Jenna's brow furrowed, and she spun in her seat to face the other direction. Matthew and Tyrell stood at the entrance to the house. Her son appeared concerned; Tyrell thunderstruck.

"Matthew! Didn't your father tell you I was going to have a private conversation with Karis?" she demanded.

The young man spread his hands wide. "Uh...no. What...what's going on?"

Karis still seemed to be digesting the information, and barely noticed the boys' presence. The older woman sighed.

"Well, you might as well come on in and sit, since you've already heard the bombshell."

"So, you're serious?" Tyrell asked, eyes wide.

Matthew pulled his best friend over to the chairs opposite the couch, and they took the seats. The young leader never took his eyes off of his mother. Finally, he nodded. "That makes sense," he said softly.

"Wh-what should I do?" Karis questioned, in a voice so small and so lost that the three other occupants of the room goggled at her. Karis, strong, confident, independent Karis didn't know what to do.

After a minute, Tyrell spoke up roughly. "Why does it matter?"

"What?" The young woman seemed only a step away from rage, but he did not back down.

"I mean it. Why does it matter? So freakin' what. Alex is Amiti's dad. He didn't even meet him til lately, and it's not like evil gets passed down, right? He's a good guy, no matter who his dad is. And you love him. So..." He shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. "I say, go for it."

Silence fell again. Karis stared at her lap, Matthew somewhere out the window. Tyrell kept his resolute expression; Jenna bit her lip, considering.

"I agree with Tyrell," she said bluntly. "He is a good guy, and a good king, for that matter. He loves you so much, Karis. There's no reason to hold this against him, especially because he doesn't even know yet."

"Someone needs to tell him," Matthew added thoughtfully.

"Why not you?" Tyrell asked. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably at the sudden attention the other three bestowed on him at this comment. "I mean, you're the leader and all."

"You mean, I was," Matthew corrected. "When we all traveled together."

"No. I mean you are." The redhead looked at the Venus Adept seriously. "You really think all this junk is over? You're the leader, and you're always gonna be the leader."

"He's right," Karis said suddenly. "Just like Isaac is for them." She jerked her head towards Jenna.

"Why not you, then?" Matthew countered. "If you still love him, I mean. He asked you to marry him."

"He did?" Jenna pouted. "Nobody tells me anything."

A gentle breeze floated through the open window. Karis shook her head. "No, Matthew. It should be you. Yes, I still love him, and...I do still want to marry him. I want to accept his proposal, whether I have Dad's permission or not. But...he doesn't need to hear this from me."

"All right," the young man agreed. "We can go straight to Ayuthay after Morgal."

"Why Morgal?" his mother asked.

Matthew's eyes were steely. "I need to talk to Sveta."

Jenna felt uncomfortable. While the beastman sounded like a sweet girl, marriage at that young age made her uneasy. What if Matthew got into something that he didn't really want, and he was too chivalrous to get out of the relationship? Remembering how Karis felt about Ivan's disapproval, however, the woman kept silent.

"How are we gonna get there?" Karis wondered.

Tyrell grinned, and raised his eyebrows. "Being friends with pirates is great."