Room 218, Thursday Afternoon

[glacial_queen]

There was a letter for Karla in the mail today. It bore the SaDiablo seal and was from Dhemlan, but just holding it filled Karla with foreboding. Even the feel of the fine linen paper under her fingers gave her a chill, like a cold, dead wind was blowing through her.

She shivered as she opened it, wishing with all her might that it was a bill for the kitchen or a written tirade from Mrs. Beale and Helene both.

Inside the envelope was a single sheet of the Hall's stationary, folded over a small scrap of onionskin.

Karla,

This arrived at the Hall overnight. Geoffrey reports that a similar note appeared at the keep. Jaenelle is certain they're authentic. Stay safe. Portalocity will contact you when we've ascertained the best time to bring you home.

DO NOT COME HOME UNTIL YOU ARE CALLED.

Saetan

The cold only got sharper as she picked up the scrap of paper. Almost from a distance, she realized that her hands with shaking. From nerves or from cold, she couldn't tell.

He is claiming she is dead. Arranging meeting with warlords. Come soon.

All the breath whooshed out of her lungs and the note fluttered to the floor. Mini-Morton scurried over to pick it up with a series of concerned beeps, but Karla barely noticed.

Anger and planning would come later. Right now, there was only shock and a kind of fuzzy blankness.

[Door and post open. Morton's note written by the fantastic glacial_warlord]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

Ben kept his hand on her back. "It could just be a coincidence," Ben said, though he didn't think it was. "Your uncle is hardly the only slumbitch ever to exist and want to be in charge of something that doesn't belong to him."

[glacial_queen]

"It's not so hard to imagine, I guess," Karla said dubiously. "One male wants power but knows that he can't change hundreds of thousands of years of Blood history. So he sets up some kind of fancy council to act as 'advisors' to the Queen."

Those other similarities, like breaking young witches and turning the sexes against one another and using fear tactics and the Ring of Obedience were just more coincidences, really!

[momslilassassin]

He sprawled next to her on the floor and held out the water glass Mini-Morton brought back. "But you don't really think so."

[glacial_queen]

Karla took a long sip before replying. "No," she admitted quietly. "My Black Widow senses are telling me that they're connected, even if I can't imagine how or why."

[momslilassassin]

"Maybe you should write Morton with it?" he suggested. "Since you won't be home for a while."

[glacial_queen]

"I have a feeling I'll be heading home sooner than that," Karla murmured, looking at the scrap of paper again. "This meeting of his--he's going to have to have it fast, otherwise, everyone will think I'm an imposter or something."

[momslilassassin]

"I'm coming," Ben repeated. "Morton will just have to deal."

[glacial_queen]

Karla raised her hands into the air. "I'm not even arguing," she said. "I'll feel better if you're there. If things go poorly, you're our secret weapon."

Between his lack of Jewel, his lightsaber, and his blaster, anyone who made a move would literally have no idea what hit them.

[momslilassassin]

"You're not arguing," Ben repeated. "This is going to be bad, huh."

[glacial_queen]

"I am not that contrary," Karla argued. Contrarily.

"...But I think so, yeah."

[momslilassassin]

"Do you want to take anyone else?" he asked.

[glacial_queen]

Karla shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. "Too many more people and it'll be hard to get in or out unseen. Maybe Lucivar or Aaron once we get to Dhemlan, depending on what Morton's planning."

[momslilassassin]

He nodded. "I'll leave messages for Tahiri and Ender so they don't worry," he said. "And Granddad and Jaina."

He paused. "Too many people worry about me."

[glacial_queen]

"That's not true," Karla said, leaning backward to lace one of her hands with his. "It's good to have people worry about you. It means you have people who love you."

[momslilassassin]

He, predictably, blushed. "I never thought of it that way."

[glacial_queen]

"It's because you're dense a lot of the time," Karla replied, though her heart really wasn't in it. She held his hand a little tighter. "Silly Skywalker."

[momslilassassin]

He squeezed her hand in reply. "Yeah, maybe."

He didn't really think so, of course.

[glacial_queen]

See previous comment: dense.

"So, yeah," Karla said with a sigh. "I'll have to call Dinah. Leave a message for Warren and Raven and Emma, too. Maybe Sookie." She made a face. "Perhaps just do a mental broadcast to the entire school..."

[momslilassassin]

"No, because then you'll deal with the random bitching from people who don't know you could get into your head and blah, blah, blah," Ben replied, rolling his eyes. "Any idea when 'soon' would be? Is there a time difference between your dimension and here?"

[glacial_queen]

"You know, I'll have some nervous energy to burn off," Karla mused. "Yelling at idiots might help with that."

She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Time passes about double there. So...we're probably talking within the next few days. Next week at the latest."

[momslilassassin]

"I've got nothing planned," Ben said with another squeeze to her hand. "Give me a few minutes to grab weapons and I'm ready to go."

[glacial_queen]

"Are you going to clank when you walk?" Karla asked suspiciously. "That's going to make sneaking difficult."

[momslilassassin]

Ben looked insulted. "I was an assassin," he said. "You won't hear me coming. I'm not going to wear armor like Arthur."

[glacial_queen]

Karla gave Ben an apologetic smile. "I didn't really think you would," she assured him. "Though I'm kind of intrigued to find out how many weapons you can carry without showing."

[momslilassassin]

"A lot," Ben said with a grin, "but Dad says that more than just a lightsaber is excessive."