Trey’s dad clears his throat. “Thank you for the timely invitation.”
“Let me introduce you. Kricket, this is my mamon, Vessey Allairis,” he says while gesturing toward his mother. I sink into a deep curtsy, even though technically I don’t have to, because I’m a priestess and in that circle curtsying to her is considered beneath me. That’s one reason why I do it. The other reason is that I want her to know up front that I respect her as the mother of the person I love.
“Greetings, Hautess Allairis,” I say formally.
She’s still recovering from her sob, but she manages to choke out the word “Greetings.”
Trey smiles encouragingly at me. “Kricket, this is my pasdon. Do you know what that word means?”
“Is it like ‘dad’?”
“It is. His name is Vanderline Allairis,” Trey adds.
“Greetings, Vanderline.” I try not to stare at him as I sink into a deep curtsy, sweeping my hand across my chest to rest on my shoulder in an appropriate greeting. I know I’m supposed to avert my eyes in a nod, but I can’t. He looks too much like Trey and Victus.
As I rise, I’m relieved that my knee-jerk response hasn’t offended him. With a nod, his deep voice is similar to Trey’s as he replies, “Greetings, Fay Kricket.”
Trey’s mamon is still unable to speak, but she has a smile on her face nonetheless. I raise a shaky hand to my forehead, trying to block the glare of the sun as it continues to rise. It takes me a second to realize that I’m so sensitive to it because I haven’t been in the sunlight for several rotations; I’ve seen it only here and there since the war began.
I think Trey’s dad notices that I’m a tired wreck, because he steps aside so that we can enter the house, saying, “Don’t allow us to keep you out here all morning.” Vanderline ushers us both toward the door. “You both clearly need to rest.”
I stop before crossing the threshold. “I can’t stay here, Trey,” I say in a near whisper. I grab onto the sleeve of his shirt to get his attention. “Your entire family is dead if I stay here. They can’t be near me. If Kyon finds me here, he’ll show them no mercy.” I’m trembling like an El platform with an approaching train. I try not to show it.
“Kricket.” Trey strokes my pale cheek, talking to me in a calming voice. “I have a plan. We won’t stay long.”
“What’s the plan?” I look at his parents’ concerned faces and I know that if I’m responsible for their deaths, Trey will never survive it. They’re his family. They’ve always been his family. He can probably live without me, but he’ll never be able to live without them. “You need to take me somewhere so that if they find me, I’ll be alone and they won’t kill anyone else.”
They’re better off without me and I’m better off when the only person I’m responsible for, or to, is me. Could I survive on Ethar alone? I may know enough now to get by for a little while, but ultimately, Kyon will find me. I have no doubt about that. He has all the resources, and given a long enough time line, he won’t fail. I will be forced to deal with him.
I feel like a cornered animal; I want to claw my way out. Trey cups both my cheeks with his hands and forces me to look at him. “There is no safe place in Rafe anymore, Kricket, not for any of us. It won’t matter if we’re with you or not. The Alameeda are killing everyone. It’s just like it was during the Terrible War. Extermination. All of us—myself included. We actually have a better chance of survival if we stay with you, because after you get some rest, you’re going to begin to hone your ability to see and affect the future. You’re going to make time bend to your will, and I’m going to do everything I can to help you stay ahead of them until such a time as we can fight them.”
He looks away from me to the faces of his parents. “This isn’t the way I wanted to tell you all of this. It’s worse than we first thought. The Alameeda are primed to annihilate us all in this round. No mercy. We have to prepare to move into the restricted area. We can stay here only until we can make ready. The word has gone out. Rafe troops are converging to secret bases in the annexed area. We will try to join them there, in the Forest of Omnicron.”
There’s shocked silence from everyone present. Trey is in control of the situation, our leader. “We’ll talk more after Kricket and I have had a chance to recuperate. In the interim, everyone should get as much rest as possible. The rotations ahead are sure to be trying ones.”