Monday morning, Kerrigan had Evelynn braid her hair in two rows that crossed just above her ears and connected into a single braid down her back.
“Mr. Nuri sent word that Conor is coming in to meet his whole team this morning. he invited you to join.” Evelynn was telling her.
“Well, we cannot be late then.” Kerrigan said.
“It is just down the hall. Thankfully you only have to roll down three doors. Its amazing not having to take the trolly car down the mountain every morning.”
Kerrigan grimaced remembering those cold descends down from the temple. She definitely did not miss that commute. She only really missed her violin she had left in her room.
When Evelynn declared her ready, they situated a blanket across her legs again, and wheeled out into the hall where Reilynn joined them and followed toward the conference room. Through the glass walls Kerrigan saw Conor set down his briefcase and take off his tan suit j
(Conor’s POV)Conor tried to get back to Vokrizin on Tuesday but that morning had brought massive storms. He called Colonel Eli and learned that a small team had stayed the night and were the only ones there Tuesday. Thankfully, the weather cleared by evening and Wednesday when he came in, everyone seemed to be in good spirits.Conor found Colonel Eli and ask, “Do you think we will be able to take miss Lokir to the community center today?”“The weather is cleared out nicely. From what my people say, storm damage is minimal, just some flooding that is mostly in the lower city so I don’t think it will be an issue. If anything, it might be a good day to go. I bet my niece will be there organizing the kids to clean the place up after the rains while any reporters and such will be focused on the docks to notice us heading that way.”“Good deal. If you would, go ahead and send a team. I will go find miss Lokir and meet
*** Kerrigan’s POV***“Eibhlin! You came!”Kerrigan watched the little girl run up to her and take her hand. She smiled dumbly and squeezed, “Wh- What? Eibhlin? Who is Eibhlin?”“You are silly. Come and see.”Kerrigan let Reilynn wheel her after the little girl who let them to a wall with several pictures drawn in chalk.“What is your name?” Kerrigan asked.“I am Hannah, this is Maggie.” Little Hannah said, pointing to Maggie, who had followed them.“Hello, Hannah. What do we have here?” she asked gesturing at the chalk drawings.“This is Miss Cara. That one is Mr. Johnathan. We added Mr. Peter in next to miss Cara. He is nice.” Explained Maggie.Hannah pointed toward two other figures standing next to each other, “That one is you, Eibhlin, and that one is Mr. Conor.”“Me? You keep calling me, Eibhlin.
*** Conor POV*** 122Conor sat down hard. “I am sorry Johnathan. I didn’t even think to ask sooner what you all would need here. Are their families ok?”“Several are without power, but the city will have that fixed by the end of the day. The main issue is they live in basements, lower streets and other places that flood easily. Some still have standing water, but most just are very damp right now. Most of the town is prepared for that kind of storm. They happen often enough. But those people just cannot afford to live in better conditions.” Johnathan explained.A knock sounded on the office door. Conor nodded and Johnathan opened it to find Kerrigan and Reilynn. “Ah, ladies. Come on in if you like.”“Were we interrupting?” Kerrigan asked.“Johnathan here was just filling me in on the condition of some of the families of the kids outside. Some didn’t weather the storm as well as we mi
*** Kerrigan POV***123Kerrigan lay in bed staring at the tiny bracelet. The green and black bands blended with highlights of gold thread. She remembered when Hannah had tied it around her wrist, “Now, Eibhlin, we are friends.”Hannah had handed her a set of other strings to take back with her if she wanted to make another. She looked at the colors Hannah had chosen. Blue, green, gold and black. She looked at the blue and thought of Conor’s eyes. She sighed. Since when was she a moon eyed girl thinking about a guy? She had a company to run after all. A life of her own that didn’t have time nor place for such nonsense.However, that name struck at her heart, a long forgotten memory.A knock came at the door and Evelynn came in. “Mr. Brantley would like to see you.”“I am decent, he can come in here. It will take me too long to get out there.”A minute later Conor came into the room. “May I
*** Conor, Jinstain. *** Colonel Eli proved to be a vicious task master. The second he learned that Kerrigan was able to walk on her own, he ordered that she come to the roof to be tested. “If the dragons cannot aid you, you must be able to defend them at all costs. It is our sacred duty.” He had said. Eli had paired Conor and Kerrigan up, along with Parker and Reilynn, Gabriella and Evelynn. As they began their initial warm ups, it became evident that while Kerrigan had training and skill, she was still suffering from her injury. She would guard her leg and cringe if her shoulder was struck. “Does it hurt?” Conor asked. “Not really. It’s more the fear of pain now. Let’s go again.” Conor enjoyed working with her. It was certainly easier than his bouts with Parker. The ease of training didn’t last long however. Soon, Eli swapped him to Reilynn, who looked like she was ready to pound him into the roof. “Begin!” Reilynn darted for
*** Breanne POV Targu Province, Temple of Abraxas***Breanne slipped through the halls of the temple of Abraxas on silent feet. She had trained here every day of her life since she was five and knew every hall and every room better than the back of her hand. The kids who grew up here had always mastered these halls better than any one else thanks to their endless games of hid and seek, chase, and cat and mouse. Today, she was tracking Kelan Benedict.The traitorous bastard had been spotted on the trolly lift by one of her loyal guards who had alerted her. She had left Dragon Corporation and was now closing in on where that bastard had gone. Her sources had guided her to the wing where the Prima held his office. Fresh Dragoon guards patrolled the corridors now that she had never seen before. These men must be some of the Prima’s personal pets then.She twisted out of sight and down another hall and opened a small door. Brooms and buckets greet
Training that week was brutal. Conor and Kerrigan worked together every morning alongside the Dragoons, pushing their limits and refining their skills. With each passing day, Kerrigan’s wounds healed, and her old speed and agility returned. By the end of the week, the Dragoons had little hope of keeping track of Kerrigan and Conor as they twirled and danced with their practice daggers. Their sparring sessions often took them right through the midst of the other training exercises, causing the Dragoons to curse as the whirlwind of their movement tore between them, only for Kerrigan or Conor to materialize seconds later on the other side of the rooftop.When their final session ended, Conor was putting away the training blades when Kerrigan looked up at him. “Conor, your Gala is coming up soon, right?”“Yes,” Conor replied, wiping sweat from his brow. “Peter is about ready to let us make it public. We’ve been talking to the community and many of the major CEOs in the area to set everythi
Kerrigan donned a black face mask. She had gotten used to wearing one in Targu Province just to help with the cold air. Now it helped mask her identity to some degree. She also put on her knee high boots and a light gray sweater. She liked this outfit that Evelynn had gotten her, but she was thrilled to finally get a chance to have some clothes tailored to her again. Most of what Evelynn picked out tended to hide her figure, not complement it. She wondered if it was intentional on Evelynn’s part. She made her way out into the hallway, still marveling that she was able to do this under her own power again. Her hand went to Abraxas’s pendent. ‘I will find a way to restore your power.’ Only a gentle brush of consciousness reassured her he still resided within the stone. &nbs