ShadowSong [Book 1 & 2: Complete] [NaNoWriMo16/17]

Chapter 26 - Suspicion

Jason arrived back on temple grounds more than a little distracted.

He'd been about to transform to save that woman, right in the centre of the street before hundreds of witnesses.

He'd been a breath away from speaking the words. If he had, his mother would have never let him hear the end of it--never in public of course, but within the suffocating walls of the house he was supposed to call a home, her lectures would have been endless. His life would never have had a chance to be normal again.

And yet, none of that had mattered in the moment. All he'd been able to think of was how disappointed Banshee would have been, had she ever found out that he'd valued his Luminary status over a life.

Jason parked the Gleamer, removed his helmet, and went about releasing the trailer he'd been towing. In the sidecar, Olivia opened her mouth to say something but closed it in the end, apparently having finally given up on the questions.

If he'd been annoyed at her before, it was only amplified by her actions during the Manifested attack. She'd blatantly disregarded her safety for her bag--the bag, of all things. There were several Gleamers sitting on the street, but she'd decided her bag was far more important. The more time he spent with her, the more desperate she seemed. He felt dumber than ever for letting his guard down around her, but he only ever needed a lesson once.

He tried to put it out of his mind as much as he could as he involved himself in the work. With the trailer released, it was now simply a case of unloading the boxes. Mundane, but there had been a purpose behind his trade in duties--he'd wanted a chance to make contact with Andrew as Jason. Not just that, but he'd wanted the chance to study their possessions and attempt to determine Andrew's relationship to Ella.

Now, it didn't look like he'd get the chance. Given the corrupted Manifested attack, trusted Speakers were taking the boxes directly to the room, which left Jason with far too much time alone with his own thoughts.

Had Harpy not arrived, would he have really transformed? Banshee would never have known what he'd failed to do, but he doubted he'd ever have been able to look her in the eye again afterwards.

Jason's fingers ran over the hidden form of his starsong amulet, concealed under his clothes.

If he'd gone Dark, would it have changed Banshee's fate?

He shook his head and got back to the work, continuing to unload the boxed possessions.

A few minutes later, the group lost direction, milling about in a rather distracted form, and in the absence of any Speakers, Jason changed his role to one of an organisational nature. He'd seen his mother take charge enough, and apparently his straightforward attitude meant that he was particularly good at it, but it helped that every person in the room knew exactly who he was.

"Yes, Frostsong!" they answered as he finished sorting them out.

Jason turned back, glancing at Olivia to ensure she hadn't run away while his back was turned but sure enough, she was still by a trailer, helping another guy untie the tarp. She flashed her newfound friend a smile, who laughed at whatever she said. Jason had to resist the urge to roll his eyes before he turned away, putting a little distance between him and her as he searched for the missing Speakers.

He found them outside a door frame, standing in a corridor and talking in hushed tones.

"--the Starlight Hall, yes. The reports say that the High Speaker there was attacked by whoever it was."

"Attacked? Here? On golden starstone?"

"It is indeed concerning. The appearance of Hydra has concerned the Luminaries, it seems, with good reason."