The Serenader

Chapter 8

Calya's POV
"So what do we do about it?" Atlas asked.

Blythe was right - she had to be - or else none of this made any sense. I thought of the fear, that wave of artificial emotion. I realized Atlas didn't even know the truth behind it, the truth about what some of us Illusionists could do. And on top of that, I was still exhausted by my trial in the tunnel. I'd reached out with everything in me, trying to push the fear away with my own feelings. In the end I hadn't been strong enough, and it left me drained. Only for a moment had it backed off enough to let Blythe and Atlas slip away, and I'd left everyone else in that room in harm's way. I knew what I had to do, though. I had to go back.

"If you go back to the meeting," I started. "I'll get in the tunnel again. It's the best place to hear what's going on. I'll fight it, and this time I'll hold it off long enough for both of you to get everyone out."

"How? How will you fight it?" Atlas asked. He'd picked up on some of the truth, but maybe not everything. For now, that was enough.

"Blythe," I said, ignoring him. "Tell me about Illusion. How did it start? Why's it called that?"

"You want to discuss this now?"

"Just humor me. I need to know if what we think is going on is even possible."

Blythe sighed. "Fine, but you already know this story," she said. Then, speaking quickly, she continued. "A few hundred years ago, Illusion randomly showed up in four families. With no warning, certain people just knew things - things they shouldn't have. Word of this new sense spread quickly, and people were immediately suspicious. They thought it was all a ploy for these people to make money and gain publicity. That's why it was named 'Illusion'; they thought it was all fake. Eventually it became clear that it actually did exist. People realized that when two Illusionists married, their children inherited Illusion - every one of them. But if only one parent had the gift, it was much, much rarer that their child would. But these answers still left a ton more questions. Harmonia was founded later to bring stability to the chaos that spawned from Illusion. And now, here we are." She paused. "What's so important about that story?"

"Everything," I said. "So it's pretty much stayed in the same bloodlines since it started? And it's always stayed the same?" I asked.

"Yes, mostly," Blythe said. "There has been the occasional divergence with marriages and the generations that have passed, but for the most part it's stayed the same." She studied my face. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about the logic behind it," I told her. "If what I can do is some sort of divergence, why aren't I the only one?"

"It could be-" Blythe started, but she was interrupted.

"I don't need to know what's going on with you," Atlas said. "I understand that much. But we should at least get out of the middle of the hallway. Look-" He pointed up ahead, where the meeting had let out.  The doors at the end of the corridor were wide open, and people were starting to roam the halls.

We rushed around the corner to hide, only to be found by our father moments later. What happened in the ballroom after my siblings left, I don't know, but immediately I could tell how anxious he was. Then I realized that in order to have felt that, I had used my Illusion. Inwardly, I chastised myself, but then I remembered Illusion was necessary in a time of uncertainty. I had needed to use it in the passage. And I could worry about restraining it again later.

"It isn't safe here," our father said. His words were so abrupt that I felt another spike of alarm - from me and from Atlas and Blythe.

"What are you talking about? What happened in there?" Blythe asked. I could tell she was a little fearful to say anything after she'd broken such an important rule by leaving, but our father hardly seemed to notice. In fact, he came across as somewhat relieved that Atlas and Blythe weren't present to hear what had happened.

"Exactly what I feared," he answered. "And what I tried to prevent. Lydia's pulling away."

My father turned to me and Atlas before any of us had time to process the news. "You have to leave - both of you. Get away from here as fast as you can. I need my eldest to be safe, and Cal - I'm very sorry - but I can't have you around when I have to deal with an Illusion-related crime."

"What?" It took a few moments for me to understand what he was saying. And then it hit me.

"No, please!" I cried, desperation seeping into my words, and with it a bit of my power. I didn't care anymore; it didn't matter. He knew. I don't know how, but he knew. I'd lost my grip on Illusion, and now I had no reason to hold it back. If I used it, I might change his mind, and that would be worth it. "Ionia is my home. I can't leave my home, not now!"

Then I realized what I had done, what I had tried to do, and my sense of reality came back to me. My father set his jaw.

"That won't work on me," he lectured. "Your little power is exactly why you must go. Now that I know for certain, it's only a matter of time before the others here find out what you are, and that would be catastrophic. They would suspect you were behind everything."

I just stood there, stunned that he even knew about it. When I regained my wits enough to look at Blythe, she lowered her gaze to avoid meeting my eyes. That's when I knew what had really happened.

"How could you?" I whispered.

She didn't say anything, but the amount of grief and sorrow and even regret flooding from her said plenty.

I thought it was for the best, she seemed to say.

Atlas shifted uncomfortably, mature enough to understand not to involve himself. "I'll go back to the Navy," he said. "I'll stay away from here until you tell me it's safe."

"No." Our father's voice was firm. "You will take your sister to the place on the border of Ionia and Aeolia, right up against the Canal. It's only a few days walk from here, and your mother knew the place well. It'll provide you with protection until things calm down."

"Just arrest Lady Juliette," Blythe suggested, the answer so obvious it felt wrong. "We know she's the one who did it. We can end this right now. Nobody has to go anywhere."

My father sighed. "Juliette Sommers isn't a citizen of my kingdom anymore," he explained. "I don't have the authority to arrest her, and even if I did, I have no evidence. There are rules I have to adhere to because of my Illusion. If I arrest her based on an inkling, I risk looking desperate to keep Lydia as my own. The other regions would see it as an abuse of my Illusion, like a power I've overused. Maybe you don't understand, but I have to do this the right way."

"Cal has evidence," Atlas pointed out. "Firsthand. She heard what happened through the walls."

"But then everyone would know that my daughter has the same power, the same impossible power as a potential convict. On top of that, she was eavesdropping on a Region Meeting, which is a legal offense. I exercise my authority enough as it is by not charging her."

"What about Des and Eclipse?" Blythe asked. "And me? You're just going to leave us here in the middle of danger while Cal and Atlas get to flee to safety?"

"I have to do what's right for my children and for my kingdom," our father answered. "People will question why all of you left at once. I can claim Atlas has returned to the Navy for a little while, and it'll be easy to cover for Cal since she's still young." His atmosphere changed from strict father to controlling king. "This must be done. All of you, show me you're worthy of the title 'Noble'. Cal and Atlas, you will leave within the hour. Gather your things and be ready."