Once inside the travel space, Sara lets her mind fall into confusion. The Zher girl was not acting the way she should, and Sara knows it even though she doesn't know the girl. She is convinced that the girl is the Zher princess, who disappeared at the same time as the prince. She can ignore the girl for now, despite her hostility, since she is looking for the Zher prince, who was clearly not there.
Because of her inattentiveness, Cat is able to take control of the travel space that she created. Instead of taking them back to the school they came from, it manipulates the magic controlling the space to take them back to the castle. It is surprised by this, but it does not question the opportunity to get Sara back where it feels she belongs.
Sara does not notice Cat's hijacking of her travel space until they are already standing in the castle courtyard with a surprised servant staring at them. He clearly was not expecting them back, and he stammers nervously as Cat orders him to stop gawking and fetch the king. He goes running off just as Sara realizes exactly where she is.
"What the..." she says, almost angrily. "Cat, what are we doing back here?"
"We have to inform your father about what just happened, Princess," Cat says smoothly. "He needs to know that the Zher princess is still alive, and that she is paranoid and hostile to those she doesn't know. You must realize that yourself."
"I know!" she exclaims. "But I don't need to be here when you report. Why did you drag me back here?"
"It was the best use of personal power, Princess," it says. "It would have been a terrible waste of both your power and my own to have gone back to your school before I came here. And, you father will probably want your help planning the peace talks that will have to happen."
"I don't want to be back here," she grumbles, but she does nothing about it. She just glares at Cat and looks sullen.
A few moments later the king runs out into the courtyard. He is out of breath as he stops in front of Sara and Cat, but he looks excited. "Well, did you find him?" he asks breathlessly.
"No," Cat says, bowing low. "Instead we found who we believe is the Zher princess. She was definitely a Zher, but she was hostile toward us. She assumed that we were from the people who caused the massacre. She threatened us with a magical bolt, so we thought it better to leave."
"In other words, we acted like cowards," Sara says, slightly bitterly. "Though, I certainly am not ashamed to say that I ran away in this instance. That girl had almost as much control over her magic as I have over mine, and she had power to spare to back up her threat."
"Did you do anything that could have been seen as a threat?" her father asks. Sara shakes her head.
"She collapsed not too long after we emerged into normal space near her," she says. "She saw it happen, but that should not have been enough to prove any sort of hostile intent. When she came to, she was hostile, and we didn't even have a chance to try and explain ourselves."
"We will have to try to approach her again some time," the king says thoughtfully. "Our two families have always supported each other, though we failed fourteen years ago. We need to make peace with the princess and show her that she will be safe among us."
"Why did I have the feeling you would say that?" Sara asks.
"Maybe because it is the only intelligent path to take, Sara," he replies.
"Count me out," she says. "You promised me that I could stay at school until you found the Zher prince, and I plan on keeping you to that promise."
She glares at him, and he shakes his head sadly. This causes her to throw her arms up in disgust and call open a gate to the travel space. Just as she is about to step into the space, the king steps forward, laying his hand gently on her arm.
"Please, Sara," he says. "I know I promised you that you could stay at the school, but that was earlier. I am going to need your help to both search for the Zher prince and make peace with his sister. I won't make you deal with her if you don't want to, but I still need your help."
"No," she says stubbornly.
"Sara, don't make me order you to do this," her father says. His voice sounds odd, as if he cannot stand the idea, but is more than willing to do it if the need arises. He stares at her steadily, and when she looks at him, she can see his resolve clear in his eyes.
Stiffly, she turns back to the gate to travel space. She starts to take a step into it, so she can return to her school, but before her foot hits the ground she hears her father clear his throat behind her. "Sara Andrina of Boreia," he says, his voice clear and steady. He is about to continue when she whirls around.
"Don't you dare finish that!" she exclaims. "Fine, I'll help you with your damned search for a dead man! But if you finish that order there is no way in hell that I will agree to do it, even if it costs me my freedom!"
The gate vanishes behind her as she glares at the king. He remains silent, not finishing the statement he started. Instead, he smiles happily and embraces his daughter. "Thank you, Sara," he says warmly.
"But, if I help you, you have to let me go back to school every now and then to keep myself caught up," she says. "I am not going to fail this semester just because you want to marry me to a dead man."
"Of course!" he exclaims. "But not right now. Right now we need to start planning."
"Sure," she says, though she sounds less than enthused. She just lets her father lead her into the castle itself. She has the sinking feeling that she isn't going to have any chances to get back to school at all, despite what her father agreed to.
-
That day, as Akka is sitting in the mall, Ben is waiting in the meeting room of the Kellen school board. He is nervous, and almost unable to sit still, because he knows that soon one of the more senior board members will arrive to take him to meet with the founding families. His mouth is dry, and he swallows nervously as he starts pacing around the room again.
He has been there for an hour already, because he was too anxious to stay at home. He knew that no one would be there, so he arrived early, hoping that maybe a little of the tension would go away if he was there. It didn't work, though, and he is now even more wound up than he was before.
Finally, as he is turning away from the door to pace back to the other end of the room, the head of the board walks into the room. Ben hears the door open and whirls around to face him as he enters. Because of that, he is able to see the man enter, followed by five other people, three men and two women. He hurriedly seats himself in his assigned spot at the table as the head of the board proceeds to the other end of the room and allows the five people to sit around the head of the table.
"Mr. Tanner," the head says stiffly. "As you asked, I have arranged for you to meet with the founding families of the Kellen School. You will be given a chance to present your cause, but do remember who you are talking to. And, if they decline, do not press. Their first word is their final word."
"Yes sir," Ben says, though he is starting to feel slightly lightheaded just being in the presence of the five people sitting at the table with him. Each of them exudes an aura of sheer presence that Ben can feel, though he is not sure how. The feeling is odd to him, and he begins to regret asking for the opportunity as he tries to swallow his fear and summon up some courage.
"Well then, may I present the heads of the founding families of the Kellen school," the head says. He indicates each of the five men and women as he names them, leaving the forbidding man at the head of the table for last.
"Denrick Esskerin." He indicates the old man who is sitting closest to Ben. The man is the oldest person that Ben has ever seen, though Ben cannot quite pin how old he actually thinks the man is. His fine hair is snowy white and cut short. Dark brown eyes that almost seem to glow red when Ben looks at him peer out of a pale face that is heavily wrinkled and spotted with age. Ben cannot help but shiver as the man looks at him, and his terror leaps back up into his throat, causing his heart to pound in his ears.
"Caroline Jalei." The woman sitting next to the old man nods at Ben. She looks to be barely older than Ben, though her eyes prove that to be an illusion. She has an awesome sort of beauty that causes Ben's mouth to go even drier as she looks at him. Her hair is long and midnight black, setting off pale blue eyes and a flawless tanned complexion perfectly.
"Mareina Daaarn." The woman sitting across from the old man is only slightly younger than he is. Unlike him, she seems to have aged very well. Her skin is barely wrinkled at all, and the only real indication of her extreme age is the worldly, aged look in her eyes. Her hair is steely gray and pulled up in a tight, severe bun. Her nearly black eyes are sharp as she looks at Ben, a thoughtful look on her face.
"Teold Tannir." The man sitting next to the old woman looks to be somewhere in his late forties in age. He has the type of features that only improve with age, and he is a very stunning man to look at. His hair is white blonde, grown longer than the Jalei head's is, and braided in an intricate pattern that makes Ben wonder if it has some meaning to it. He has pale green eyes that widen with surprise as he truly looks at Ben for the first time. At the same time, the man seems to go pale.
"And finally, Wre Kellen." The man at the head of the table looks to be in his mid-thirties. He has a more powerful stare than any of the other people sitting at the table, one that makes Ben's stomach join his fear in jumping up into his throat. His dark complexion and silvery white short-cut hair make him by far the oddest looking of the group, but also the most striking. His eyes are silver, not gray, and they narrow with an angry look as he notices the look on Tannir's face.
"You may go now," Kellen says to the head of the board. "We would speak with the boy alone."
"Yes, sir," the head says, bowing and leaving the room. As the door shuts, the five family heads all turn their attention on Ben at once.
"You are Benjamin Tanner," Daaarn says. Ben nods, while trying to fight the urge to hide under the table with all five of the clearly powerful people in the room staring at him.
"Yes, ma'am," he says finally, barely keeping his voice from squeaking.
"Shouldn't that be "Tannir," Teold?" Jalei asks Tannir dryly. The older man flushes ever so slightly.
"I could have told you that, Caroline," Esskerin says. "It was obvious from the moment I felt the addition of his blood to the weaving."
"Well, not all of us are as intimately tied to the magic as you are, now are we?" Jalei asks coldly. "And I am still glad that that is the case. I would hate to be as aged as you are."
"The power makes it worth it," Esskerin says, but Jalei sneers.
"Quiet, both of you!" Kellen snaps. The two both glance at their obvious leader and fall silent. "Now then, is what Jalei guessed true, Tannir? Is this boy of your blood?" Ben has already figured out what Jalei's question to Tannir meant, but with the blunt way that Kellen says it Ben cannot help but fight back the urge to hide again.
"We all have our little by-blows," Tannir says stiffly. He is clearly as uncomfortable with the subject as Ben is. "How was I supposed to know that the newest member of those running this project for us would be my only one?"
"So he's yours?" Jalei asks incredulously.
"Of course he is!" Tannir exclaims. "Isn't it obvious? Anyway, I recognize his mother in him."
"You can't be serious!" Ben blurts out before his brain can remind him that speaking without permission is probably a very bad thing to do in this situation. He immediately turns bright red and starts staring at the table, avoiding the glares that the family heads turn on him.
"I am convinced," Daaarn says. "He is just like Teold, not thinking before he speaks. And so quick to blush too." This just causes Ben's face to turn a brighter shade of red.
"Boy, your mother's name is Janet Westen, is it not?" Tannir asks Ben, obviously trying to make him feel a little more comfortable and less embarrassed. Ben nods. "Just as I thought."
"I remember her," Jalei says. "Though you never mentioned that you got her pregnant."
"Of course I didn't!" Tannir shoots back. "That isn't the kind of thing you talk about. Or would you like to talk about Kate and Michael?"
Jalei shoots a venomous look across the table at Tannir. Daaarn and Esskerin ignore the two, choosing instead to study Ben closely. Esskerin's gaze makes Ben's blood run cold. He can tell that the man is watching him, even though he is still staring fixedly at the table to avoid looking at any of the five family heads.
"I thought I told you to be quiet!" Kellen snaps again. Ben looks up to see Jalei and Tannir glaring at each other across the table. Both are silent, though they look like they would rather be shouting at each other.
"Now then," Kellen says. "Putting aside matters of the boy's parentage, let us get to the point. You, boy, wanted to petition us with something? I cannot agree without knowing what it is, but I can assure you that we will listen to your request. But, do not think that your blood will get you anything more than what we would give a complete outsider."
"I didn't think it would, sir," Ben says.
"Well?" Kellen asks.
"It's about my friend Akka," Ben says. "Akka Carrom. She was expelled for no apparent reason the other day, even though she's probably the best student in the school! The board told me that you ordered her expulsion and that I would have to bring it up to you if I wanted to get her back in."
"No," Kellen says. "We will not let her back into this school."
"Will you at least tell me why?" Ben asks. Tannir shoots a warning glare at him, but Ben ignores it. "So I can tell her why she was thrown out. It really means a lot to her."
Kellen looks over at Esskerin. A silent conversation seems to occur between the two men. The air in the room seems to thicken as the two stay silent. Then, finally, Esskerin nods and looks over at Ben.
"She is a danger to our privacy," the old man says. "I caught a Boreian cat construct sniffing around the campus the other day. It was following that girl's magical signature. She was expelled to avoid any further incursions of constructs onto our land."
"A cat construct?" Ben asks, again speaking before he thinks. "Like a white cat person?" Kellen and Esskerin both look slightly surprised for a moment. Then Kellen's eyes narrow, and he stares at Ben with a hard look.
"Why would you think that?" Esskerin asks.
"Because I saw a white cat person in Akka's house yesterday," Ben replies. "It claimed to serve her and called her Princess."
Daaarn gasps, and Ben sees Tannir swallow nervously. At the same time, an angry look appears on Kellen's face. His words do not have any visible effect on Jalei, but Ben can tell that she is paying more attention to him. Esskerin looks thoughtful.
More silent conversation seems to pass between the five people at the head of the table. Ben gulps nervously and watches them closely. He hopes that he hadn't angered them, though he is half convinced that they are all angry with him. Finally, Kellen frowns.
"Are you absolutely sure it called her Princess?" he asks. "And that it was a white Cat?"
"It certainly looked like a white humanoid cat to me," Ben says. "And yes, I'm sure that it called Akka Princess. It's not something that happens everyday, so it was kinda weird to hear it."
"I need her here to make sure," Esskerin says to Kellen. Kellen glares at him, but nods.
"You heard him," he says. "Bring the girl here tomorrow. We will be here to make sure that you are not detained for bringing her onto the campus."
"Are you going to let her back in?" Ben asks, cheering up slightly.
"You will find out tomorrow," Kellen says. "You may go now."
"Thank you," Ben says, but even then the five family heads are ignoring him.
He stands up and exits the room quickly. As soon as he passes through the doorway he feels a huge weight seem to lift off his shoulders, allowing him to breathe freely again. As fast as he can, he gets out of the school and heads over to Akka's house to tell her the news. He is convinced that the founding families will let her back into the school, and he wants to see her reaction as he tells her.