Read Online Vendetta (Legend of the Ir'Indicti #4) by Connie Suttle - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Connie Suttle
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fought each other through so much of their lives, I'm not really surprised."
"Yeah. But I think Dori may take Wynn's place soon. She likes Sali."
"Hon, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I think we were doomed from the start. It was nice while it lasted, though."
"I can barely remember being that young," Adele sighed. "Ashe, I was already a hundred years old when I met your father. That was more than fifty years ago."
Ashe sat, stunned, his fork halfway to his mouth. "You're a hundred and fifty?" his voice squeaked in an embarrassing manner.
"Yes, hon. I'm that old. And no matter what happens, I'll always love you and your father. Don't ever forget that."
"When did you go to college?" Ashe whispered.
"I graduated just before I met your father. Going to London was what I'd saved for, back then. We met and that was that."
"You've been married for fifty years?"
"We were married by the Head of the Council. For a fifty-year period, that could be renewed afterward. Unless something happened."
"What do you mean, unless something happened?"
"Your father was an Enforcer for the Council. Wlodek said that if there were an emergency, your father could be called back into service. I'm worried, now. I got this from them this morning. Special courier."
"So they won't renew?" Ashe stared at the letter in his mother's hands. She'd pulled it from a kitchen drawer.
"I didn't intend to show you this, but you're old enough to know," Adele said. "According to the Council, our marriage expired six days ago. If this isn't a renewal, then your father will have to go back to London."
"He won't be my dad anymore?" Ashe felt like crying. Was struggling not to.
"He'll always be your dad. I'll always be your mother. No matter what." Adele was weeping now.
"Mom, don't cry," Ashe was up and hugging his mother. He didn't know what to do or who to call for help with this. He sent mindspeech to the first person who came to mind— Winkler .
Winkler walked into the house moments later, Buck right behind him. "Come, sit down, Adele, we'll get this sorted out," Buck led Ashe's mother to a barstool and settled her on it. "Ashe, get a cool wet cloth for me, please?" Ashe went to do as asked, quickly handing a damp kitchen towel to Buck.
"Ashe, let's go out back," Winkler led Ashe toward the patio doors and the deck beyond. "Now, what happened?" He asked. Ashe explained about the fifty years and the unopened letter. Winkler swore.
* * *
"Wlodek's doing this to pull the boy to him," Weldon said when Winkler called later. Buck, Trajan and Trace had taken Adele and Ashe to the beach for a walk after Adele calmed down. "He can't turn him until he's eighteen, but this could serve to force Adele and Ashe to go to London, just so they can see Aedan once in a while. Wlodek will have that boy placed under compulsion before you can blink, and ready to come when called if he needs him."
"Then we'll have to work faster here," Winkler said. "I don't want to force that boy into anything. Matt wants him too, as soon as he's of age. The boy should get to make up his own mind."
"I agree. I'm sure we could work something out among all of us. Offer to pay for special assignments and such. If he were older, I'd send him back to Mexico with Grady and Clayton. I think Ashe could get Zeke Tanner for us easily."
"Lissa could have. She was older and not susceptible to compulsion. Poor Ashe, he won't know what hit him if Wlodek gets his claws in that boy."
"You saw what he did to Lissa."
"Wlodek has a lot to answer for," Winkler agreed. "But he wasn't the one who got Lissa killed. Her father did that."
"I still don't understand that." Weldon had no idea how anyone could set their child against an enemy that they knew quite well would kill her.
"Neither do I. She's beyond anyone's reach, now. Ashe—we have to watch over him. He's so young, still."
"I agree. But this is a delicate situation. Wlodek and the Council may think they're entitled to Ashe. They're wrong, but we still
"Yeah. But I think Dori may take Wynn's place soon. She likes Sali."
"Hon, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I think we were doomed from the start. It was nice while it lasted, though."
"I can barely remember being that young," Adele sighed. "Ashe, I was already a hundred years old when I met your father. That was more than fifty years ago."
Ashe sat, stunned, his fork halfway to his mouth. "You're a hundred and fifty?" his voice squeaked in an embarrassing manner.
"Yes, hon. I'm that old. And no matter what happens, I'll always love you and your father. Don't ever forget that."
"When did you go to college?" Ashe whispered.
"I graduated just before I met your father. Going to London was what I'd saved for, back then. We met and that was that."
"You've been married for fifty years?"
"We were married by the Head of the Council. For a fifty-year period, that could be renewed afterward. Unless something happened."
"What do you mean, unless something happened?"
"Your father was an Enforcer for the Council. Wlodek said that if there were an emergency, your father could be called back into service. I'm worried, now. I got this from them this morning. Special courier."
"So they won't renew?" Ashe stared at the letter in his mother's hands. She'd pulled it from a kitchen drawer.
"I didn't intend to show you this, but you're old enough to know," Adele said. "According to the Council, our marriage expired six days ago. If this isn't a renewal, then your father will have to go back to London."
"He won't be my dad anymore?" Ashe felt like crying. Was struggling not to.
"He'll always be your dad. I'll always be your mother. No matter what." Adele was weeping now.
"Mom, don't cry," Ashe was up and hugging his mother. He didn't know what to do or who to call for help with this. He sent mindspeech to the first person who came to mind— Winkler .
Winkler walked into the house moments later, Buck right behind him. "Come, sit down, Adele, we'll get this sorted out," Buck led Ashe's mother to a barstool and settled her on it. "Ashe, get a cool wet cloth for me, please?" Ashe went to do as asked, quickly handing a damp kitchen towel to Buck.
"Ashe, let's go out back," Winkler led Ashe toward the patio doors and the deck beyond. "Now, what happened?" He asked. Ashe explained about the fifty years and the unopened letter. Winkler swore.
* * *
"Wlodek's doing this to pull the boy to him," Weldon said when Winkler called later. Buck, Trajan and Trace had taken Adele and Ashe to the beach for a walk after Adele calmed down. "He can't turn him until he's eighteen, but this could serve to force Adele and Ashe to go to London, just so they can see Aedan once in a while. Wlodek will have that boy placed under compulsion before you can blink, and ready to come when called if he needs him."
"Then we'll have to work faster here," Winkler said. "I don't want to force that boy into anything. Matt wants him too, as soon as he's of age. The boy should get to make up his own mind."
"I agree. I'm sure we could work something out among all of us. Offer to pay for special assignments and such. If he were older, I'd send him back to Mexico with Grady and Clayton. I think Ashe could get Zeke Tanner for us easily."
"Lissa could have. She was older and not susceptible to compulsion. Poor Ashe, he won't know what hit him if Wlodek gets his claws in that boy."
"You saw what he did to Lissa."
"Wlodek has a lot to answer for," Winkler agreed. "But he wasn't the one who got Lissa killed. Her father did that."
"I still don't understand that." Weldon had no idea how anyone could set their child against an enemy that they knew quite well would kill her.
"Neither do I. She's beyond anyone's reach, now. Ashe—we have to watch over him. He's so young, still."
"I agree. But this is a delicate situation. Wlodek and the Council may think they're entitled to Ashe. They're wrong, but we still
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