Memories
Twisted Duty
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Thomas Logan watched as the governess walked swiftly through the garden, nose in her book. There was something odd about that woman. Something not quite right. Of course, it could be the fact she was insane, always talking about how women and men were equal and all were the same; man, woman and child where it truly mattered. He didn't believe that. There was an order to things and Soft John had upset it enough already, without this Douglas woman stirring things up.
He glanced up at the tree he was meant to be trimming. He wondered what damage a branch could do if cut at the right moment. She was walking under the tree. And the branch fell.
She flipped backwards, landing neatly with her legs splayed out, hands anchoring her to the floor. She looked up at him and her lips slid back in a terrifying snarl. Then she leapt forward, like a cat pouncing on a mouse, knocking the ladder over. And now she had a knife in her hands, a slender silver blade he had seen her use as a letter-opener, but it was clear now it was an ornate knife disguised as a letter opener, because the blade was as sharp as any knife used to butcher an animal.
"Listen well, Thomas Logan. I am here to do a job. Do not try and stop me from doing it, else I shall cut your throat and history be damned. Do you understand?"
There was something ancient and terrible in her eyes, the amber eyes that flashed liquid gold and for the briefest of moments he saw a face mutilated by scars. And her lips slid back in a snarl.
"I said, do you understand me?"
"Yes…! Yes!"
"Good. Then you'll forget all about this and never so much as look at me again."
She got up and with a casual wave of her hand, she was gone and Thomas wondered what had caused the ladder to fall over.
"I know it was small and petty, but she did so want to punish her biological father-in-law. Does that even make sense? How can you have a biological father-in-law? Ooh, now I'm going to have to look that up!"
Phoenix rolled her eyes.
"Sweetie, considering how long you managed to not think about this, how can you suddenly start wondering about it now?"
Death sniggered.
"She's getting scatterbrained. And we all know what happens when she does that."
James sat there staring at her. His eyes were sad.
"Miss Douglas, why can't I play outside?"
"You know why, James. You're still too weak."
"I hate being ill. I think it makes me less."
Her back stiffened and then she knelt in front of him and clasped his hands in hers.
"It is not how strong or healthy you are on the outside that matters, James. It is what is inside, what is in here," her hands touched his chest, "and here," hands on his head, "that matters. You are only as strong as you think you are. And you are kind and fair. You are strong."
He smiled and she leant forward and kissed his forehead.
"I will be next door. If you need anything, just call me."
"How sweet."
"Death, quit the sarcasm."
She stood in silence, listening to the shouts and screams. And then the pure animal howl. Agony and pain. She slowly walked down the corridor and watched from the shadows as a mother rejected her child. And the boy ran in confusion and fear from the room, followed by Rose. And Tora entered the room and stood watching Elizabeth Howlett as she cradled the head of Thomas Logan in her lap. And then Tora spoke, cold and angry, as sharp as ice and as dangerous as Etana.
"You disgust me. You turn aside your son. You grieve for a murderer. I have no pity for you."
The woman's head snapped up to look at her.
"You… What are you doing here!?"
And Tora let the mortal form slide off, revealing her as she truly was, a being made of ice and water and mist and light, a human-dragon who without limit.
"I am here to observe. Know this, you do not deserve him. He will never be able to overcome your rejection. He will always crave your love. And he deserves so much more. Elizabeth Howlett, you sicken me. I have watched parents die to save a child with a much greater 'deformity' than that of your son. And it is no deformity. It is a gift."
And she turned and walked away, removing the memories of what she had said from Dog's mind. But she walked away, knowing what Elizabeth Howlett would do next. And somehow, she found herself unable to feel regret.
"She's losing herself! This is never a good thing!"
"Phoenix, what his mother did to Logan haunted him his entire life. His own mother called him an abomination. What mother does that?"
"Oh yes. You were always angry about that."
Rose was running when she heard a cough and she turned to see Miss Douglas.
"Come in, girl. You'll freeze."
"I… I was told to catch the train…"
"Trains are cancelled. The weather's too bad. Bring James in as well. Don't try and hide, I know what's wrong. Or what's right, rather."
"Miss Douglas?"
She turned to the girl.
"You honestly think that he is the only one? We are not as numerous as we will one day be, but we exist."
Rose stepped back in fear.
"You… You're like him…"
"Yes and no. We are all unique. Our gifts are different. But he must come in."
She led the shivering boy in and quickly had him in the bed, wrapped up in blankets. He fell asleep in an instant and she slowly walked around the tiny cottage, sorting items and putting a kettle on the fire to boil. Rose watched warily and then Miss Douglas sat down opposite her.
"Fire away. You obviously have a lot of questions."
"There's never been a house here."
Miss Douglas shrugged.
"I know. But you needed shelter so I made it."
"You…made a house?"
"I said we were all unique. I am just a little different to even the rest of my kind."
"Who are you?"
She sighed and her hands steepled under her chin and as Rose watched, her whole face seemed to melt and reform. The woman staring at her now had sharp golden eyes. Her red hair was scarred with black and hung loose around her shoulders and her face was scarred with parallel marks.
"I am Tora. Or Marie. Or Tigress. Or Dragon. I have gone by many names, I have been to the realm of King David and I have not yet been born."
Rose blinked. Tora rolled her eyes.
"I read you that new book by Mr Wells, did I not?"
"The Time Machine…? Wait! Are you saying that…?"
"I am from the future. Well… A future. There are many. But I was…injured and sent back here to make sure certain…events took place. Nothing much, just a little push here and there."
"Do you know James then?"
Tora paused and Rose saw something flash through her eyes.
"He is dear to me, yes."
"How far forward in time do you come from?"
The look that Rose got told her that Miss Do- Tora or Marie or Tigress or Dragon approved of her question.
"A little over a hundred years."
"And James is… James is…?"
"Still alive? Yes. And kicking. And fighting. Oh, is he fighting…"
Rose glanced at the sleeping boy. Tora obviously caught the look.
"He grows hard over the years. Life will not be easy on him. On all our kind, but him especially. He will scream and bleed and be called animal. And then he will find his family. Our family."
"You love him?"
A long pause. And then the golden eyes fixed on Rose's.
"What was the name of my fiancé?"
"Jim from the East Coas… You mean…?"
"I did not lie. The man I love runs a school on the East Coast. Just…not yet. Not for a while."
Rose glanced back at James.
"What do I do?"
"Keep him safe. Keep him secret. Head over to British Columbia. He will not be the same after tonight. Something in his mind is gone. He heals from more than physical wounds. It is the curse that we both live with."
"Then how do you have…?"
"Scars? My…sister tried to kill me. I had rights to something she desired and she scarred me. Later… Later she tried to kill my son. I did what I had to do."
Rose saw something in the eyes now, something pained and tired and old. There was something not there, something that was missing. Some vital part of this woman had been left behind and now she was not fully human.
"What do you want from me?"
"I need you to defend him. I cannot stay much longer. I have other duties to attend to. I will keep an eye out for him but I must deal with other matters. Then maybe I will be given peace."
The way she said the last sentence made Rose think she wasn't addressing her, but something internal.
"Take what you need from the cottage. It will provide food, clothes and limited shelter. Leave tomorrow, because I'm only putting enough power into this to make it last until midday."
"Wait! Are you leaving now?!"
"I have to. There is a pressing need for me to go to London."
"Wait!"
But as Rose watched, the mysterious woman she thought she had known faded away into nothing.
"Really, Tora? Really?"