And what would happen if she actually found this mount of judgment? Would her father be there? Or would she have to go back in time, yet again?
She found it hard to rest until she knew the answers to all these questions.
Caitlin needed clarity. Seeing how happy and content Scarlet and everyone else was, she slowly stood.
Everyone looked at her. "Please excuse me for a few moments," Caitlin said.
A servant hurried over and pulled back her chair.
"Of course," Lily said, "it's been a long day. The servants will show you to your room.” Caitlin leaned over and kissed Scarlet on the head, and leaned in and kissed Caleb on the lips.
Then she walked out of the room, following a servant. She felt a bit bad leaving everyone there, but they all seemed content and happy, and she needed just a few minutes to herself, to get her mind clear. She found it hard to think with everyone there.
Caitlin was shown to a magnificent room, enormous, at least fifty feet in every direction, and shaped in a semi-circle, with an entire wall of glass, looking out over the grounds of Windsor Castle.
It was an exquisite room, an architectural masterpiece, with moldings all over the walls and ceilings, huge rugs laid out in every direction, antique couches and chairs and bureaus and dressers, and a huge four-poster bed in the corner. It lifted Caitlin's spirits to be here, although at the same time, she sensed that she wouldn't be here long, that her journey would lead her elsewhere.
She walked over to the window and looked out, at the last fading light of the day. Where was it that her father meant for her to go? Would there ever be an end to this mission, to these clues?
Would she see Sam again, after their journeys took them in different directions? She knew that Caleb would accompany her. But what about Polly? Would she go with her, or with Sam?
And what about Scarlet? Already, Caitlin felt as if she were part of her family. She could not see herself ever abandoning her. But what would that mean for the future? Would she bring Scarlet on this mission everywhere? Would that be too dangerous for her?
Caitlin spotted a small writing desk in the corner, and sat before it. She reached back, deep into one of her pant pockets, and extracted her journal. She had been carrying it all along, and it felt good to take it out and hold it.
She turned back page after page, and saw the journal was getting thicker, more used up, weather-worn. It was truly becoming an old, trusted friend.
Finally, she found an empty page, grabbed the quill off the tabletop, blotted it, and settled in to write.
What is my destiny? When am I meant to find my father? Who is he? Does he really love me? Why was I chosen for this mission? Why is it that I'm so special? And how is my mission different from Sam's?
And what will happen when I find the shield? Will all of this be over? What does that mean? Will I ever return to a normal life? When and where? Will Caleb be in it?
Caitlin stared at her entry. It surprised her. It was not her typical journal entry. She wasn't summarizing, like she usually did. She didn't feel the need to anymore. Now she felt the need to question. To question the very deepest essence of who she was. She lifted the quill again: Should I forget the mission? Should I just stay here, forget the clues, live here happy, safe, and secure? Or should I go out there again, back on the trail and part from Sam? Is there more security in staying here? Or more security in fulfilling my mission?
"Look!" came an excited voice.
Caitlin spun around, snapped out of her reverie.
There stood Scarlet, dressed in a beautiful, small silk white gown, wearing a diamond laden tiara and small diamond necklaces and diamond bracelets. She was positively beaming.
Caitlin couldn't believe the sight. She looked like a real, small princess.
"Lily gave these to me. She said I could have them. Can I? Please?” Caitlin smiled wide. She didn’t quite know what to say. "Um…if she said so, then, um…of course.”
Scarlet smiled wider than Caitlin ever thought possible, and came running over and hugged her.
Caitlin hugged her back. It felt good to have her in her arms.
"I love it here," Scarlet said. "Can we stay forever?” Caitlin stared back, thinking how uncanny it was that Scarlet should ask the very thing that was on her mind. She could see that Scarlet was a very evolved child, and wondered just how deep her powers went.
"I would love to," Caitlin said. "But if we have to leave, we will always be able to find another place that is nice.”
Scarlet hugged Caitlin again. "I love you, mommy," she said.
Mommy.
The word rang through Caitlin like an electric shock. It was so unexpected, and yet it felt so good to hear it, and it brought up so many feelings, that Caitlin found herself bursting into tears, crying as she held Scarlet, feeling the hot tears pouring down her cheeks. She felt that she really did love Scarlet like her own child. And she couldn’t help it, but it made her think, once again, of being pregnant, and of the child she might have had with Caleb.
Scarlet pulled back and looked at her. "What's wrong mommy?"
Caitlin quickly wiped away her tears. "Nothing, sweetheart. Everything is perfect."
Ruth came running into the room, and Scarlet wheeled, bursting into laughter as she turned and played with her. The two of them ran throughout the huge room, chasing each other.
Caitlin wiped away the last of her tears, and looked out the window, at the setting sun. She knew that she had a major decision to make. And that she had to make it soon. Would she stay here forever? Or would she pursue her destiny?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kyle loved watching the night fall. This was his favorite time of day, especially as he went further back in time, as he watched all the simple human folk close up their shops, board up their shutters, scurry to their homes, as if terrified of the dark. The further back in time he went, the more afraid people seemed to be of the night.
And of course, they had reason to fear.
This was the favorite time of day for people like Kyle, and for his entire race. As dusk fell, that creepy feeling that the humans began to feel was indeed the feeling of his kind awakening. Kyle never felt so energized as he did at dusk, so ready to head out there and wreak whatever damage he could.
Kyle reached down and touched the dozens of vials of plague he had stored safely in his pouch, and a reassured smile crossed his face. Standing there, in the heart of London, he looked at the bustling crowds before him, all these pathetic little humans who had no idea what was about to come, the storm that he, single-handedly, was about to bring. He felt elated, like a kid about to enter a candy shop. Everywhere, there were crowds, alleys, bars—places to spread the plague. He was so giddy, he hardly knew where to begin.