Insight Kindling Read online

  The air in the space around me suddenly felt thick and fuzzy. I had to breathe more deeply to feel like I was getting enough oxygen. From somewhere that sounded far away, I heard Mom gasp from her seat.

  “But it’s because of you that Calla ran away and took off with the travel glasses.” Commissioner Reese’s voice sounded far away too. How did he know I ran away? No one at the hearing mentioned it.

  “You’re right,” Valcas said. “But I never expected her to go searching into my past. I thought that she would go directly to her father, that he’d be the first person she’d try to find with the travel glasses.”

  Valcas tore the photograph again, and again, until there were sixteen small pieces. “I was wrong.”

  A man in a bailiff’s uniform approached the podium with a candle and a small copper-colored plate. Valcas sprinkled the pieces of photograph over the plate, letting the papers fall inside. The man in uniform tipped the candle. Wax dripped onto the plate, forming small beads on the torn papers. The candle tipped further, until the papers caught on fire.

  I felt a twinge deep in my gut as I watched the photograph—the daily reminder—the writing on a physical object intended to change the past, burn away.

  The man in uniform took my letter to Edgar from the podium and then placed both the letter and the copper plate of ashes on the Commissioner’s desk.

  Commissioner Reese turned to me and sighed. “I know what happened at the dock where Valcas found you. I also know about your journeys into the past and the Halls’ futuristic world. You may not have been a traveler when all this started, Miss Winston. But now you are a traveler, and that role brings with it a set of rules that I expect to be followed.”

  I nodded helplessly and held my breath.

  “Miss Winston, I hold you accountable for the daily reminder you left in Edgar Hall’s past. I cannot, however, place blame on you for the photograph introduced into Valcas’ past. That daily reminder has now been destroyed and will be treated as if it had never existed. It will be forgotten.”

  I relaxed a little and began breathing again.

  “For your sentence, you will have a choice. You must choose between paying a two million dollar fine or helping Valcas continue his mission to find your father.”

  I gulped. Jail wasn’t one of the choices—not that it would have been my first choice. Okay then, money I didn’t have or more time spent with Valcas, on a dangerous mission to find my father.

  Mom was already looking at me when I glanced her way. She hadn’t gasped or screamed. She was kneeling on the ground, in agony. Her face was ashen, with tears streaming down her cheeks. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. We both knew we didn’t have that kind of money.

  I mouthed the words “don’t worry” to Mom. Then I clenched my fists into tight balls, mimicking Ivory, showing everyone I could be brave too. “I accept the mission,” I said.

  Commissioner Reese nodded. “I was hoping you’d say that. You will receive your assignment papers by the end of today. The TSTA is honored to have found a traveler like you. Thank you, Valcas, for finding Miss Winston and bringing her here today.”

  Valcas slid his sunglasses back on his face.

  “Don’t thank me, Commissioner. Thank Calla. Travelers aren’t found. They’re called.”

  VALCAS PULLED me and Mom out of the Hearing Chamber faster than I could regret my choice to accept the mission. On my way out, I caught the eye of that boy again, the one with the red earring. He looked impressed, although I couldn’t imagine why. Had I the luxury of more time to think about it, I would have considered it a shame that I had to go before finding out how his hearing went.

  Mom grabbed me and hugged me when we reached the hallway. In between sobs, she gurgled words of apology and grief. Did I mean that much to her?

  I thought about the time I’d spent with Edgar, and how even though he and his daughter Shirlyn had been separated for a long time, Edgar still thought about her and cared for her. He’d even mistaken me for her once when he’d spaced out. I decided to give my relationship with Mom another chance, one that Edgar and Shirlyn no longer had. I didn’t know what the future would bring or how the search for my father would end.

  I awkwardly patted Mom’s back. “I’m sorry too. What else could I have done?”

  Mom sniffled and looked up at Valcas. “I want to blame you, but I can’t. You’ll continue to protect her? You’ll keep her safe?”

  Valcas nodded. “Of course.”

  “And when you find him, you will slap him for me?”

  “I’ll punch him right in the gut.”

  I cringed. “Is that really necessary?”

  Mom and Valcas looked at one another and both answered, “Yes.”

  Then Mom’s eyes lit up. “Valcas?”

  “Yes?”

  “You and Calla don’t have to do this alone.”

  Valcas frowned. “I appreciate the offer, Ms. Winston, but I think you should stay here. Someone needs to monitor our comings and goings from the inside.”

  “No, not me,” Mom said, her eyes widening. Her enthusiasm was starting to get creepy.

  “Who, then?”

  “I can access the assignment records and see if I can help organize a crew of travelers, a search team. You two don’t have to do this alone. Missions can be combined. I can find you the best travelers…”

  Valcas took Mom in his arms, comforting her. The sight of it took my breath away. It looked totally weird.

  “Calm down, Ms. Winston,” he said.

  “A search team,” Mom repeated. “I should go now, before the assignments are finalized.” She broke free from Valcas and ran down the hallway.

  Valcas nudged me with his elbow. “Well, now I see where you get your flair for dramatic escapes.” He laughed.

  I gave him a level stare. “I’m going back to the cafeteria to wait for Mom and my assignment papers. You—I don’t really care about whatever it is you’re going to be doing for the rest of the day.” I turned on one heel.

  “Please, Calla,” he called after me. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be charged with two infractions.”

  “If it wasn’t for you,” I said, “there wouldn’t be any infractions.” I stopped long enough to look over my shoulder. “Here’s a little tip of advice, Valcas. If you really want to protect me or Mom—whatever noble deed you think you’re doing for us—then you should start considering other people’s feelings. The world doesn’t revolve around you.”

  “Worlds…”

  “Whatever. Bye.”

  “WHAT IS this place?” I asked Mom as she led me down a long corridor. The walls were bare, the hallway plainly lit.

  Valcas followed behind us like a lost puppy. I glanced back at him a couple of times to see whether he was upset with me. His glasses were on and his expression was fixed and emotionless. I sighed. Maybe I shouldn’t have lashed out at him earlier. The point was hitting home that we were going to have to spend an awful lot of time together, whether I liked it or not.

  “We are in the Central Headquarters of the TSTA,” Mom replied. “I wish we could keep you here longer, that things would have worked out differently.”

  “Yeah.” I frowned. “We haven’t had much time together.” Although Mom and I probably had more interaction at TSTA Headquarters than we’d had in years. I still couldn’t tell whether Mom was trying to make up for lost time or if she really felt that way about me. I reminded myself of my promise to give our relationship another chance. I didn’t know how soon I’d see her again after leaving TSTA Headquarters.

  “I apologize for that, to both of you.” Valcas’ voice was low. I blinked. He actually sounded sorry. “Had I known how strong willed and resourceful your daughter was, I would have done things differently. Calla, I should have told you that I knew Plaka. Maybe we could have skipped all of this. I’m sorry.”

  “Apology accepted,” I said, stopping to look over my shoulder. “You can stop brooding now. It won’t help.” />
  Valcas had stopped walking. His lips parted in disbelief.

  “What?” I said. “I know a lot about brooding and how much time and energy it wastes.”

  “What were they handing out in the cafeteria? Happy cakes? Did you overdose?”

  I snickered. “I just figured that if we’re going to work together we should start it out right. Start over. Maybe all of this will go more smoothly if we put the past behind us and at least try to get along.”

  Smiling, I added, “Cupcakes… with frosting and sprinkles.”

  MOM LOOKED back and forth between me and Valcas and arched an eyebrow. “The conference room where we’ll be meeting is over there.” She pointed. “Two doors to the left. Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

  Valcas and I entered the conference room and sat down across from one another. I patted the top of the table with my hands and swiveled back and forth in my chair.

  “Okay, so starting over,” Valcas said, serious and unsmiling. “Your father requested that I protect you, not in general, but from a particular being.”

  I nodded. “An Uproar. So I’ve heard.”

  “Calla, while I regard Plaka as a close friend, there are others who consider him an enemy. I regret having frightened you earlier—at my palace, at Enta’s home, at the harbor with the watercraft. I wasn’t certain how to present all this information to you at what has become a most crucial time. And I had to test your abilities. Your mother is a strong woman, but you, Calla—you remind me so much of your father.”

  “I do?”

  Valcas smiled. “You raise questions where others would blindly trust. You have an extraordinary sense of self-preservation, when necessary. And then, out of nowhere, you display the most baffling acts of fearlessness. I don’t know whether it’s because you are brave or just stubborn. I wonder the same about Plaka to this very day.”

  Having never heard any description of my father’s personality, I blushed, secretly proud that his traits ran through my own blood. I felt closer to my father than ever before.

  Valcas grew melancholy. “The incident at the lake, as you know, was not caused by the impact of my arrival. The Uproar that was there is a force of energy that can pass through worlds unattended by a traveler. It’s not human, although it likely has been sent by one. Plaka worried that, even after his death, his enemies would continue to follow his bloodline until it was depleted entirely. An Uproar can sense a particular line of blood and distinguish it from others, and then pursue it through time and space. Plaka’s feud must run deeply for an Uproar to now be after you. I don’t know the history behind those events, however. Plaka had well-kept secrets, as most of us do.”

  I gulped, absorbing all of this. “But why now? How long has this Uproar thing been following me?”

  “I don’t know. There appeared to be little activity until just before I found you. I suspect it is because the Uproar didn’t begin to pursue you until your father disappeared completely. This is why I have little hope of finding Plaka alive.”

  “Then why did you pull me into the search?

  “I didn’t say that it was hopeless, just that there is little hope. Seriously, Calla, would you rather be sent on a mission to find someone you don’t know? Or, did you have a couple million dollars lying around that you could have used to pay TSTA’s fine?”

  I exhaled slowly and then pressed my lips together. The words on the tip of my tongue, if spoken, would not have helped with the fresh start I’d asked of Valcas.

  I looked away from him and rubbed my eyes as multiple emotions brewed within me—a deep sadness from a potentially permanent loss of my father; alarm at the announcement of being faced with dangers I could never have imagined; and a sheepishness for either trusting or mistrusting Valcas, I wasn’t sure which.

  I took a deep, calming breath.

  Valcas’ warning became remarkably plain in light of the new context.

  “There is no distance that you can place between us that will promise you your safety. You abandoned any hope for security back at my palace,” he’d said.

  “You were trying to warn me, weren’t you?” I leaned over the table toward him. “But you also said that you’d recover me with or without the glasses. You were so threatening. Do you have any idea what I was thinking? I fainted and went into shock. Edgar had to nurse me back to health! If he hadn’t been there… Well, then what?”

  “I had no idea where you were. I couldn’t find you.”

  “Neither could I, not at first,” Mom said as she quietly entered the room. “It was like you’d fallen off the map.”

  “I was with Edgar, at his workshop.”

  Mom nodded and then looked over at Valcas. “She got caught in Edgar’s Nowhere.”

  I pictured Edgar’s workshop and the silver brook, still and unmoving. Edgar’s voice echoed in my thoughts.

  “Calla, it occurred to me that you’re spending an awful lot of time on the running away aspect of your plans… I’m just recommending a more offensive approach to the situation. You cannot, or rather should not, have to live a life tramping from place to place in constant fear.”

  “He’s right,” I whispered. “I can’t run away forever.”

  Mom and Valcas looked in my direction, waiting for an explanation.

  “We can’t run, and Plaka, I mean, my father— If he’s still alive, he has to stop. Now.”

  Mom stared at me.

  “I’m ready for this mission.” I pulled out the envelope I’d received while waiting in the cafeteria. “My assignment.”

  I looked over at Valcas. A smirk of approval played across his lips.

  I OPENED the envelope and smoothed out the folded sheet of paper that contained my sentence, my mission to join Valcas in his search for my father.

  I sighed. “I can do this. I can’t run and hide from the Uproar forever. I might as well have stayed in Edgar’s Nowhere until he got tired of his youth elixir and decided to let us die…”

  Mom winced, then nodded. “Either way, it doesn’t seem that you have much of a choice. Calla, I don’t have a lot more time today. We should discuss the additional members who will join your mission.” She softened, revealing a slight smile. “You’ve become such a strong young woman. I’m proud of you.”

  I bowed my head, my cheeks flushing slightly. Mom was right. Many things had changed. I now knew that Valcas was responsible for developing my strength, the catalyst that helped me to discover and test my potential. He’d introduced me to time travel. He’d thrown me off the deep end—off a couple of cliffs, actually.

  I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I didn’t want to give Valcas more credit than he deserved. But, without him, I probably never would have met Edgar or Enta, much less the past versions of Shirlyn and Romaso.

  Valcas shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I looked up to see that he’d been staring at me. I cleared my throat and turned to Mom. “Yes, please tell me who the other people will be. How many of us are going?”

  Mom pressed a button on the conference table. “There will be four members on your team,” she said.

  A projector hummed as it warmed up before lighting the white wall across from where I sat. The first slide contained not a photograph of a person, but an animé drawing of a female figure. She appeared strong, lithe and fearless, from her stubborn jawline to her lean muscled limbs. Her short, tousled locks of hair were pure white. I recognized her immediately.

  Valcas and I looked at each other and grinned.

  “Ivory is from Sable’s homeland,” Mom informed me more than Valcas. “I understand that you already have some background about Valcas’ mother.”

  I nodded, remembering Sable’s ethereal good looks and the bright emerald eyes that she’d passed on to Valcas, before he’d sapped them of their beauty.

  “As you learned at the hearing,” Mom continued, “Ivory is a Chauffeur, a certified travel craft operator, the very best there is.”

  “She also proves
rather useful during hand-to-hand combat,” added Valcas with a dark chuckle.

  “She is well trained.”

  “Why is she a drawing?” I asked.

  “Ivory refuses to have her photograph taken,” Mom explained.

  “But she isn’t impossible to record,” added Valcas.

  I smiled, remembering the zobascope and its successor technology, the travel glasses, both invented by Edgar. I made a mental note to myself to search for images of Ivory in my own pair of travel glasses, the ones that had been well used by Valcas. I hadn’t remembered coming across Ivory while browsing through the glasses previously.

  I pouted my lips, wondering why Valcas continued to let me keep the glasses that contained his recordings. Why would he trust me with all of his thoughts and memories? I couldn’t imagine sharing such things with others. I shook my head and shrugged. None of that mattered now. We had Ivory!

  “I feel safer already,” I said. “Who’s next?”

  At the press of another button, a fair young male appeared on the projection wall, flaxen blond with dark blue eyes. My eyes grew wide. I’d seen him before too, just that very morning. The blond wore a slouchy green jacket layered over a white T-shirt and blue jeans. A glint of red peeked out from behind the sandy locks that covered his right ear.

  “Benjamin Raymond,” Mom said. “He goes by the nickname Ray.”

  “I have to object to this one,” said Valcas in a slow, even tone. “He’s too young. He’s barely Calla’s age.”

  I looked at Ray more closely. He had somewhat of a baby face and could pass for a teenager still in high school. A shadow of stubble stained his jaw and chin.

  Mom shook her head. “He’s already passed all of the TSTA’s tests, scoring higher than anyone else to date.” She sounded stiff, unyielding. “Ray also has the unusual ability to see during travel.”

  I squeezed my brows together, remembering the blinding white light generated during travel, the Blanching Effect. The light was bright and painful. I couldn’t imagine anyone being able to keep his or her eyes open during that unless, of course, they were wearing the travel glasses. Then again, all of my experience traveling had been with the use of unofficial objects. I’d never used a licensed TSTA vehicle, the way Edgar and his family traveled to seventeenth-century Venice. I wondered whether the same blinding white light surrounded the travelers during transport. Edgar’s lecture on the Blanching Effect seemed to imply that the bright light would be present during any type of time travel.