Secrets At Crescent Point, page 26
A few days after that terrible time in the cave, I sat next to Siyah on the sand of Noble’s shore. The bonfire blazed against the inky sky casting embers into the whirling wind like dancing fireflies. Violin music drifted across the night, and I watched with a smile as children danced and giggled and chased one another only to be shooed by their mothers to a safer distance. Soft waves lapped behind us and I snuggled deeper in the blanket enveloping us both.
Siyah smelled of grass and sun and the warmth of him spread through me.
He ran his hand down my back smoothing my long hair, and I felt the softest brush of a kiss trail heat across my temple.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice low and thick.
“That I can’t remember a time when I was happier.”
“Do you still love Noble? After all that you’ve been through here?”
I looked into his face, the firelight blazing the blue of his eyes. “A hard won love is worth its weight in gold.”
He smiled, caressing my cheek with the back of his fingers. “Then I am most blessed.”
“We both are.” I turned, kissing the palm of his hand. A strange look crossed his chiseled features and I held his gaze with mine. “What is it, Siyah?”
“Raven…” he began, his voice thick as he moved, rising to his knee. Siyah held a ring between us. Sparkling with fire, the single ruby shone in the night and I gasped.
46
Siyah
The sun burned low in the sky, red and fierce as it seared the horizon. Siyah stood with his hand on the rough stones of the Crescent Point formation, his gaze out to sea. Footsteps behind him made him turn, and he nodded before peering back out over the crimson skyline.
“I heard you took the second chair,” Thompson said and joined Siyah at the edge of the cliffs. He tipped his hat back on his head and nodded out at the surf. “Szoram heads the council of seven, now.”
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other,” Siyah said. “I have much to learn, yet.”
Thompson chuckled. “Quoting Kennedy is a good start.”
The edges of Siyah’s mouth quirked up a bit. “Tell me what you’ve learned.”
“We found Luka,” Thompson said. “He got himself patched up by some sort of underground doctor, but the infection caught up with him. Seattle PD picked him up a few days ago. He ran his car into a ditch.”
“Is he talking?”
“Won’t stop talking, actually. Gave up the GPS as soon as they had him in the ambulance. He’ll get a deal for all the names and information they can get from him.” Thompson glanced over at Siyah. “Your Raven got him good. He would have gotten away if not for the hole she left in him.”
Siyah did smile, then. “And my land?”
“You’re free to start construction again. We’ve cleared out the tunnels. The drug ring was using them to avoid the Coast Guard once the dye packs started calling attention to their shipment drops. They were moving a lot of heroin from Canada to the States right under everyone’s noses. When Raven ordered that assessor’s report, Luka saw it through his city records job and went after her to keep her quiet. He was the one who attacked her in the funhouse. When that didn’t work, he went after her on the boat.”
Siyah ground his jaw against the rise of anger. “Did he kill Elgin?”
“Elgin killed Elgin when he got himself shredded by the boat propeller while trying to retrieve a bundle of drugs hooked to a buoy. He got the glow paint all over him in the process. Luka said it was what made the drug runners step up the excavation. They did their blasting at night…”
“The tremors and lights in the woods,” Siyah finished for him.
“Yes, which accounted for the strange animal deaths from the stuff they were using. They would have bored holes right through Noble without thinking about all the problems that would have caused.”
“I am grateful that we did not lose homes to sink holes or instability.” Siyah shook his head. “Luka gave no thought to consequences.”
“He was in deep with some very ruthless men,” Thompson said. “It was his fault Niklos found out and he was desperate to fix it.”
“And the boy that drowned, the Romany child?”
“He just happened to see something in the water and they ran him over to keep him quiet,” Thompson said, his voice thick. “There really were monsters. Just not the kind we thought.”
“What do I tell the families,” Siyah muttered. “One of our own did this.”
“And many of you tried to stop it,” Thompson countered. “Niklos meant to tell you on the night he was killed. Luka admitted that’s what set him off.”
“He stole the GPS to keep Sonja safe,” Siyah said, understanding.
“Yeah,” Thompson shook his head. “It was insurance for her, not him. He loved her, from what I’m hearing.”
“That will be a comfort, though a small one.”
“I heard you guys booted a few families off the island,” Thompson said quietly. “Anything I need to worry about?”
Siyah turned to his friend, his jaw tight. “Luka and Lenora’s families will not return to Noble. They lost their council seats to more honorable men.”
“And your father?”
“Deakon is gone,” Siyah intoned. “But the wounds he and the others left will take time to heal. The council will have to earn the trust of the families again.”
“Siyah,” Thompson said and the tone of his voice made Siyah turn. “Ruling and leading are two different things and you know the difference. You are what the families need.”
“Thank you, my friend,” Siyah said and meant it. “We shall see what becomes of those noble thoughts.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
The Ferris wheel spun against the sky, brilliant blue and yellow lights flickering at the spokes. The Titan tore over its tracks, the yelps and squeals of passengers echoing across the bustling faire. Tourists and village families wandered the many beautiful shops boasting the best and most creative our Romany families proudly offered. Music, light and festive, floated along the street. The scents and sights of the Crescent Point Boardwalk lit up the night with frivolity and fun. A true success; Noble Island’s Romany families productive and proud, exactly as Siyah had dreamed.
I watched it all from a distance as I stood under the white marquee on the shores of Echo Cliffs. My mother fluttered with my sister as they affixed a crown of fuchsia atop my hair. I smiled while clutching the bouquet of wildflowers. Soft pink blooms trailed down in delicate tendrils stopping just above my bare feet. Soft footfalls sounded, and I turned to watch my father as he lit a torch staked into the sand, the flare of light glistening off the swirl of crystal beads woven along the bodice of my gown. I took in a breath, sure and steady as the first lilting notes of the violin began.
“It is time, little bird,” my father said, his voice hoarse. He stood in formal dress offering me his arm, the rich fabric and colors of our Romany ancestry setting off his dark eyes. A dagger hung at his waist, the handle encircled with rubies. It was a gift from Siyah on our engagement night.
“I love you, Papa,” I whispered as we walked.
He squeezed my hand, both of us taking in a breath when we turned the corner and took in the scene before us.
Luminaries sparkled like a river of light pouring out across the warm sand to the shore. The path led between white chairs draped with blue and white silk to a trail of rose petals winding towards a wedding arch. Dangling blooms of bright fuchsia and wisteria framed the glorious sunset. Pooling at the horizon, swaths of pink and purple clouds hovered in the golden light. Their sweet scent stirred in the gentle summer breeze and floated the delicate organza of my dress like wispy tendrils of smoke. My father led me towards him and my heart leapt with every step.
At the front of the aisle, Siyah turned, his beautiful eyes alight with the flames of the candles. He took in a breath, and his smile made my heart vault. He wore the deep black pants and shirt of our tradition. His dark leather boots and scabbard at his waist made him look every bit the Romany prince he truly had become.
“Comoara mea,” he whispered and held out his hand, enveloping me with warmth and strength.
I trembled in his grasp, so deeply moved because I knew the depth of his love for me. I whispered a prayer to my Lord in heaven who brought me through what I thought I could not face and led me to a future I dared not dream. Joy and hope. Faith and forgiveness.
Thank you, Father.
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May God’s glory shine through
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AMDG
Raquel Byrnes, Secrets At Crescent Point
