The Ancient One

Chapter 10

The next few days, Kristiana met Sam at the library at 7:00 every evening. By Friday, he had the workings of a very good essay, and true to her word, she wasn't writing it for him. She only provided guidance and advice, nothing more. By the time they parted on Saturday, he was finished, other than cleaning it up a little.

It had actually been an enjoyable time for her, despite her growing concerns. Sam was more and more entering her thoughts, even when he wasn't present. She was also finding herself distracted more than was safe.

Kristiana, however, had two meetings that she was concerned about. Sure, she knew the second was a trap, and she had a plan in place to circumvent the trap, but plans didn't always go the way people intended them. If this went wrong, she could die, or worse, someone that she cared about.

Another thought, one that usually would make her smile, was that she wanted to start playing with the hunters again. That would be a good bit of entertainment, but she needed to be focused on her task, not dealing with extras. Of course, what she planned that night would further that desire, which put her in a really good mood.

During those same nights, she and her guard, with help from a few local porphyrics, were fighting the wild ones and making some limited progress. They'd cured dozens, but she was pretty sure there were too many more, unseen.

"Charlotte, tomorrow night, before the council meeting, I will play with the hunters. It will loosen me up for the real threat," she said, when she was getting ready for her two Sunday night meetings.

"English, Kristiana, and the hunters are a real threat. Do not take them lightly," Charlotte scolded her. She decided not to tell Charlotte about that night's game.

"I not take them lightly," she replied, switching to English. "But they not catch me. They too slow, and now they worried about me. They not know if guards are hiding in shadow."

"That makes them more dangerous, not less."

"I am careful," Kristiana said.

"You are never careful, my sweet, not by anyone's estimation but your own."

"I find your lack of faith disturbing," Kristiana said, quoting a line in an American movie she'd seen recently. She wasn't sure, but she thought it was Star Wars. As she thought about it, she was certain that was the movie, but there were several of them, and she had no idea which one it came from.

"You don't even pay attention to me when I want to fuss with you about this foolhardy thing you are going to do," Charlotte was saying.

"I am sorry. I try to remember the movie the quote came from. It is one of the Star Wars movies, I think, but I not know which one."

"It was Episode 4, the one called A New Hope."

"That was a good movie. I like it," Kristiana said.

"It was a good movie, but you're not diverting me that easily," Charlotte said, and Kristiana smiled at her. She hadn't expected the ruse to work, but she had to try. She always had to. It was part of the games they played with each other.

"I must try. It is fun to divert you, when I can."

"You try every time you need to be scolded, like now."

"It is the game we play, and you like it too."

"Yes, I suppose I do," Charlotte said, and sighed. She hadn't been diverted, necessarily, but she'd realized it was a losing effort to continue the fight. Kristiana saw the change in her expression when she accepted that fact.

"I am leaving," she announced to Charlotte, a bit after the sun had set. Stefans had alerted her that everything was in place, and the 'meeting' would happen at 11:00.