Kabal - 2. Chapter 2

The faint rumbling of an outboard engine signaled the approach of a motorboat. "Shit! That's Craig! He’s early.” Landyn threw his fork on the table and grabbed Nico by the shoulder none too gently, shoving him in the direction of his cabin.” Quickly! Hide! Lock the door behind you, and keep your shields up since we don't want him to know you're here. Craig's a tracker; one of our best. When he gets the slightest whiff someone else is on board, the secret is out. We'll try to keep him upstairs, but it could be he already knows something and wants to snoop around."

Simon nodded while rinsing Nico's plate and mug hastily. "We use the cabin beside yours for additional storage, and that's where we put the stuff Craig ordered.”

“What he ordered?”

“He lives on one of the islands you probably saw when you brought Landyn his coffee. When we are nearby, we supply him with the things he can’t grow himself. He'll probably follow us down under the pretense of helping with the carrying. I'm certain he'll try your door, so you have to stay absolutely silent."

Nico rolled his eyes at his friends for remembering Craig when it was almost too late. Luckily, he didn't have the time yet to clutter the boat with his usual junk, otherwise there would have been no chance to hide that there was another person on board.

After closing the cabin door behind him, he looked around the spartan room, thinking if he still had time to get his e-reader out, but he heard loud voices, and two sets of footsteps coming down the stairs. Instantly freezing in mid-motion, he ended up in an awkward ‘I just got shot in the ass position’. Very slowly, he balanced his body so he would not end up in a heap on the floor. The snick of a lock indicated the door of the cabin next to his was now unlocked.

"Everything’s in here. You can take the two boxes over there, and I'll take the bag with the bottles. Not that I couldn't have handled everything without your help; I'm not that old you know," Simon grumbled.

"And what's in here? Your secret booze stash?" Somebody rattled the door handle of his cabin, and Nico held his breath, calming down his rapid heartbeat.

"Nah, that cabin is still empty. We don't need that much space for storage, even if I love my food supplies well-stocked," Simon joked.

Nico hoped only he could hear how forced his friend's attempt at humor was.

"And your booze stash, I'm sure. Is it the same size as this cabin? Can I have a look?" The guy was persistent.

"Why?" Simon was clearly annoyed now.

Crap, Si, relax! Nico almost started to pace before he remembered he had to stay silent.

"I was just curious. You're awfully defensive though. Honestly, are you hiding something in there?" Craig asked suspiciously. "Or someone?"

Shi, shit, shit, shit.

"Sure, my secret pot plantation." Finally, Simon seemed to relax and get the hang of it. He even laughed convincingly.

"Sorry, Craig, if I seem to be a little pushy. It's just that we are running late, and we want to make it to St. Clara tonight; they have this awesome little market that is only open in the wee hours of the morning. You can get all different varieties of delicious seafood there you don’t find anywhere else."

But Craig didn't give up that easily. "What, I don't even get a beer? Some host you are...."

"At nine in the morning? You can have coffee if you want."

"If you make it Irish."

"You're incorrigible."

Nico could hear them walking away, but he was sure Craig would not give up so easily. The only place to hide in the cabin was the tiny closet. He tiptoed over to his backpack, grabbed it along with his swords, and climbed into the small space, then pushed the door closed and pressed himself against it. As he had expected, he heard a faint scratching, a click, and then the cabin door opening.

“Craig! What the fuck!”

“Someone saw you at the harbor. They said you have a guest.”

“Someone, huh? You could have just asked, asshole, instead of snooping around. Now that you made sure there’s no one here, you can fuck off.”

“Simon....” Craig wheedled.

“I said fuck off. And you can ask someone to bring your supplies to you next time.”

“Simon, come on....”

“You need to learn when to rein in your inner tracker, my friend; otherwise you’ll be eating lots of fish and homegrown veggies. No beer or coffee, but spring water for the next few months. It’s not only us who get upset by your constant prodding.”

“I’m sorry Si. It’s who I am.”

Nico was relieved when he heard their retreating footsteps and Craig asking, “Are we good?” In the distance.

The hard knock on the cabin door half an hour later made him jump. "The nosy bastard is finally gone," Landyn grumbled. “If we want the king to stay unaware you’re back, we definitely have to be more careful.”

They reached St. Clara a few hours later than they had wanted, but still found a suitable berth, albeit a bit further away than they had planned. Simon cooked dinner, and they decided to set the table on deck so they could eat under the gorgeous, starry, night sky.

"It's almost as if you could reach out and easily grab one." Nico tipped his head back and pretended to do just that.

"Yeah, but what would you do with it? Part of their charm is that they are unreachable." Landyn caught Nico's searching hand and put a beer in it.

Nico peered at the bottle and grinned. "That's a poor substitute for a star, Lan.” Then he leaned back and patted his stomach. "There isn’t a chance I could come to the market with you in the morning, huh?”

“Nope. After how Craig behaved, you better hide on the boat.”

Nico collected their plates. “You could be a real chef Si, you know that, right? I'd get fat if I lived with you guys all the time."

"Ivan likes to cook too, just so you know." Simon looked Nico up and down. "I can't see you becoming fat though."

Nico perked up when he'd heard the name of Diarmad's new housekeeper; he had met the man a few times before and had immediately liked him. "How's Ivan?"

"As lonely as his boss," Landyn snapped. "They're a good match."

Simon looked at Nico beseechingly, willing him not to react to Landyn's harsh words.

Nico shrugged. "He didn't find his mate yet?"

Relieved that Nico decided to ignore Landyn's snappy remark, Simon hurried to answer his question. "No, and he's not even looking, if you ask me. The Order offered their help, but he didn't want it. He said he'd know when the time would be right."

"I'll go get another beer." Landyn got up and disappeared to the galley.

As soon as he was gone, Simon leaned over to Nico and whispered, "When you told us you were coming back, Landyn kind of hoped that you... that you maybe wanted to get back together with the king." Seeing Nico scowling, he held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I know it's none of our business, I'm just telling you as an explanation of why he sometimes reacts so badly. He's always embarrassed afterwards, if it helps. It's just... the guilt is gnawing at him." He shook his head, looked at Nico, then grinned. "I'll kick his ass later."

"Good," Nico closed his eyes and took some deep breaths, inhaling the salty air and absorbing the calmness of their surroundings. Maybe it wasn't so bad they hadn't found a place closer to the lively promenade after all. Eventually he said, "So, tell me about this dispute."

"You mean between the McLeans and the two clans living in Twin Springs?"

"I don't know, you tell me. All I heard was that there will be negotiations at Diarmad's new summer house because some clans had a disagreement. Rumor says there had been violence also."

"Let's wait for Landyn. He knows more about this whole mess; he was one of the people who negotiated with both sides in order to make the meeting possible."

At that moment Landyn came back, three bottles of beer in his hands. "What are you talking about?"

"Twin Springs and the McLeans." Simon took the bottles from him and passed one to Nico.

"Ahh, hell. One thing is for sure, you couldn't have chosen a better moment to come back, even if you tried. With luck, you can make this so much easier...." He sat heavily in the chair beside his mate.

Nico had a puzzled expression on his face. "Me? I don't understand, how could I...."

Landyn took a swig from his bottle. "I think I have to go a bit further to explain all this." He played with the label of his bottle, gathering his thoughts. "Okay, on one hand we have the McLeans, a very old clan, absolutely loyal to the king. They left Tracct with Diarmad’s uncle when he was appointed our first king. After he was murdered, they withdrew from all community life, with either humans or Seraei, with the exception of seeking mates, of course. Instead, the clan leaders bought a huge chunk of land outside the boundaries of Twin Springs. Over decades, they built an entire village with shops and businesses and even a school. The only time they leave their home for a long period is when they go to college or learn a trade. After graduation they always come back home. On the other hand, we have the Smythes and the O’Gradys who happily live among the humans in Twin Springs."

Nico frowned. "How do the McLeans prevent people from moving to their village? Seraei I can understand, but humans?”

“I think they influence their minds, make them feel unwelcome.”

“Neat. Are the McLeans one of those backwater people then, who only like the old ways, never use computers, or watch TV, something like that?"

Landyn smiled. "One would suspect that, but it's actually contrary to that. They have all the necessary technologies and are very open-minded people; they just like to be among their own. I guess that makes them suspicious to other clans. The fact that they are also very wealthy might be a part of this also. The only McLean I know of who does not live on clan land is Ivan, since he became the king’s housekeeper."

"Ivan is a McLean? Why doesn't he live with his people?"

"I don't know; you’ll have to ask him yourself when you are at the summer house."

"If I wanted to visit them, could I do that?" Nico suddenly sounded intrigued.

"Sure. Contrary to what some clans allege, everybody is welcome to visit, do business with them, and look around. To my knowledge they don't have any secrets besides supposedly producing a seer every few centuries.” Landyn snorted. “And this… let's say… ‘quirk’ of preferring to live all in one place and discouraging Seraei who aren’t clan from moving to their territory."

"I can see that other clans might find this weird though. Often when people don't understand the reasons for something they get defensive, spread rumors, and such," Nico said with understanding in his voice.

"Exactly, and the clans who are spreading the um... unfriendliest rumors are the two clans living in Twin Springs proper; the O'Gradys, and the Smythes. Until recently, it was only rhetorical banter, nothing that needed the king's attention. Of course, he expressed his displeasure whenever the occasion arose, but didn’t think it would become a problem. We suspected their bickering was an expression of jealousy from the less successful clans. No one could ever provide sufficient evidence of their assertions anyway, and honestly, most of them sounded far-fetched, if not ridiculous."

"So what did they say the McLeans do? Secret animal sacrifices? Orgies? Drug parties?" Nico laughed.

Landyn pointed the bottle at Nico. "You're not entirely wrong, believe it or not." Simon scoffed, while his mate shook his head. "One thing they always complained about the most was -hold your breath- that the McLeans would come into their city to snatch human mates."

Nico raised his eyebrows. "Their city, uh-huh, so Twin Springs belongs to them now, hmm? How come that escaped our knowledge until now?"

"You're not the only one who didn't get the memo. Everybody knows it’s utter nonsense because it's not how it works, and most of the McLeans find their human mates while they are away at school. I know of only two who found their mates in Twin Springs, which; however, should be a joyful event for the other Seraei and not something to complain about."

"And why is this a problem anyway?"

"It's a problem because a few months ago Laurie McLean met her mate at a meeting in Twin Springs. As it happens, the woman was a very successful and wealthy business owner, who naturally followed Laurie and rebuilt her firm on McLean land. The O'Gradys alleged that one of their women had already set her eyes on her, and the McLeans had snatched her away by offering her potential benefits for her business. From there on everything went downhill."

"How could they say that? I mean it's stupid; the joining ritual would have killed them if they hadn't been right for each other. I doubted the power of the ritual once, but I was human, they should have known better." Nico leaned forward in his seat, watching his friend's reaction, but Landyn only shrugged.

"Of course, the McLeans denied having done anything like that, but the talk didn't stop there. Then fights occurred when members of the clans met by accident, and finally Duncan McLean had enough and called for a meeting between the leaders on neutral ground. Nobody knows exactly what happened; only that one of the Smythes died during a skirmish between some younger clan members in the bathroom of the hotel restaurant where the meeting was. There were always animosities, some taunting and slights, but never before had it gone so far that it erupted into actual violence and death."

"How did the man die?"

"He was stabbed with a knife that belonged to one of the McLean boys, but nobody saw him stab him. He claims the knife had been stolen from him. Anyway, now the king had to intervene, and he did this by sending negotiators and investigators. It took us nearly four months to get every party to partake in new negotiations. We had to find a neutral place away from both territories, had to decide how many members of each clan can accompany their leader, set security measures, and on top of that, the Order suddenly wanted to be involved also."

"The Order?" Nico thought about his grandmother, who had been a member of the Order. "What interests could they have? D. told me the members of the Order are humans who have a special aptitude; that they are able to sense when joined souls are about to be born and to whom. Sometimes they also help to locate mates of the Ancients.”

“All true.”

“So why do they want to be involved in the negotiations?”

"That is something we asked ourselves and which they, in my opinion, failed to explain," Simon answered, narrowing his eyes. "Fact is, nobody really wants to upset the Order, so we gave in, and they have been invited too."

Then he glanced at Landyn, who nodded. "So it has finally been decided the negotiations will take place at the king's summer house; he will be responsible for their security, and every leader can be accompanied by two advisors. The king acts as a neutral party and chief negotiator, and the Order will send an observer."

Simon suddenly looked around as if he expected someone lurking in the dark, then he said with a lowered voice, "The problem is, we suspect that at least one party is hiding something from us or has a hidden agenda."

Landyn nodded. "Yeah, it's also strange how the situation got out of hand so quickly after years of more or less harmless banter; so the thought occurred that the situation has been deliberately escalated. Suddenly faced with the risk of a full-blown war between the clans, the king was practically forced to intervene.

"Nothing can be proved though, because although the king is known to be a strong telepath, he could never read the mind of a clan leader; their ability to shield themselves is too strong." Landyn riveted his eyes on the triangle between Nico's brows. "There is only one telepath known who could do that, and I have the feeling that at least some of them are very glad he is currently in Japan, separated from his mate, and therefore not available." He grinned wickedly. "Nobody knows yet that you're back; it will be a pleasant surprise for some of them."

Nico's head shot up. "You think I could help?"

"Of course, your presence alone might prevent them from lying and scheming. They know you would detect that immediately. We just have to make sure they don't find out you're here before they arrive." Landyn rubbed his hands with glee.

"You could have called me, even if I were still in Japan, I'd come." Nico huffed.

Simon bent forward and laid his hand on Nico's thigh. "We know that, and we asked the king to call you, but he said no, you were not to be disturbed in your mourning. Ronan argued if you were any other man and not his mate, he would order you to come home, and he admitted it, albeit grudgingly. Personally, I think after that he would have called you next week at the latest."

Hearing all this, Nico suddenly felt tired; he stood up and rubbed his eyes. "I think I'll hit the sack. I’m still having trouble with the time difference, and this was a lot of information to take in."

Happy New Year! 
I felt the need to celebrate 2019 with a new chapter. Posting the next chapter will take a little longer.
Thank you for reading.Comments and likes are always welcome. 
@Valkyrie : Thank you for editing and beta reading.