ShadowSong [Book 1 & 2: Complete] [NaNoWriMo16/17]

Chapter 84 - Sabotage

Week 2 Vote Goal #2: 205

Though Jason attempted to distract himself with some last minute rehearsal, he couldn't stop glancing at Olivia's reply on his Liasier.

It'd been at least twenty minutes since Olivia had left to contact Banshee, and some feeling that twisted his stomach into knots kept worrying that something was wrong. After the first fifteen, he'd sent her a message.

[I'm just ensuring that you're on schedule?]

Her reply had come through a few minutes later . [Yup! Everything is all good, just might take a little longer than originally planned. This Lumi stuff is actually important unlike all that performance stuff. I'm sure the High ShadowSpeaker won't care if I'm late.]

Jason read the message for what felt like the hundreth time. It sounded like it could have been her, yet... something was still off. He'd expected her to ask for Melissa's schedule, and though he wouldn't have been surprised to hear those temple-dismissive words out of her mouth, it wasn't sitting right.

I should have given her a code word, thought Jason, pressing his lips together as he forced himself to put the Liaiser down. Or gone with her. He forced himself to take a breath and look away from his Liaiser. If it goes another fifteen minutes without an update, I'll call her.

Fifteen minutes passed by.

Jason called Olivia. She rejected his call, following it with a message.

[Busy, Frostsong. Later.]

He stared at the message.

She hadn't called him Frostsong, teasing excepted, since he'd apologised.

Jason tapped the piece of ice that hugged his ear and said in a low voice, "Sae?"

The piece of ice grew a beak and half a wing that Jason covered with his hand. "What's up, featherbutt?"

"Is it possible for you to locate Olivia, or would that be asking too much of you?"

"Do I look like a bloodhound to you?"

Jason frowned. "A what?"

"Look, kiddo, I'm a bird," said Sae. "I ain't got a good sniffer on me, and I don't have the magic voodoo stuff that--"

Jason stood up, pretending to be interested in the papers in front of him. "Yes or no, Sae?"

Sae's half-formed wing ruffled. "I guess I could have a look around, see if I could hunt her down, but I'm not making any promises, buddy."

Jason paused to scan the room and see if anyone was watching. With a casual movement, he lifted the papers up in front of his face, giving Sae a cover to poof back into existence in. "Go now. If you can't find Olivia, search for any Serpent related activity. Come back in ten minutes if you don't find anything. I think she was heading for the Starlight Hall to find Banshee."

"Yes, boss," said Sae, sprouting both wings in a puff of snow and darting up towards the ceiling.

From the corner of his eye, Jason watched his Ascended fly over the heads of everyone in the room and disappear through the performance hall door as his ten minutes of agony began. He was beginning to sort through the finalised list of tasks for the third time when Ella walked over, her two Pillarguards standing a few metres behind her.

"How are you doing over here?" she asked, sitting down on the edge of the table and leaning on her arm. Various colours of spray paint covered her forearms, a stark contrast to the black clothes she wore. "I think I've seen you shuffle those same papers at least six times now."