Page 6 of Seducing Jenny
“Are you familiar with the story of Credo Bateen?”
The unexpected question took me aback. “Justice’s father?”
She nodded once. “And former Ruler of Orhon, who took ill, and his son has reigned ever since. Yes, that’s the one.”
I narrowed my eyes, wondering at the game she was playing. “What of him?”
“He is your host.”
My brow raised in doubt. “I don’t know who you think I am, Petal, but I am on the royal council. Or at least I was until today, and I am well aware that Credo is in a state of catatonia. So how, precisely, is he my host?”
“He is still catatonic, but this home is his,” she said evenly. “You are on Credo’s island. We are some of his caretakers.”
I glanced at Trunk. “And you somehow don’t know who you actually work for?”
“It could be the Ruler Justice Bateen. Or it could be someone on the council who hired us.” Trunk shrugged. “We don’t know who actually hired us.”
I was getting nowhere fast. “Where is this island located? Nearest landmass? Coordinates?”
“That is the second answer to your question,” Petal said, tipping her head to the side. “We don’t know.”
I stared at them incredulously. “You don’t know where you are?”
She nodded once.
This made no sense. “How did you come to work today?”
“The same way I do every day. I woke up and came downstairs.”
“You live here?”
“All of us who work on Credo’s island live here, in the manor,” she replied. “There are four of us. Two per shift.”
I stretched my neck in frustration. “How did you get here, if you don’t know wherehereis?”
Tank answered this time. “We’re drugged, brought to the island, and left for six month rotations. When it’s over, they come and get us. We’re drugged again and sent home with enough wealth to keep our mouths shut.”
Petal added, “Our ruler doesn’t want anyone becoming too familiar with Credo’s condition or surroundings. So the staff rotates to ensure Credo’s safety.”
I ran a hand through my hair and stared out the window for a long beat. It sounded insane. But also, exactly like something Justice would do.
“You say Credo is here. Prove it.” I needed to see the man with my own eyes.
Petal and Trunk led me back upstairs, which appeared to be where all the bedrooms were. The door at the end of the hall with the seablooms was Credo’s bedroom. His was more lavishly decorated, more befitting a man of his station, but still simple. The most striking thing about the room was the open windows and the few seabirds that stayed on the sills.
And there he was, laying on the bed. Credo Bateen. Once the most beloved leader Orhon had ever known.
The old man looked so much like Justice. Like a vision of his future. I stared at his still form and felt something cold twist in my chest.
His skin was smooth, his lips full, trembling occasionally. His eyes were wide and brown, staring ahead, unmoving. His white hair had nearly all fallen out, with a few faint strands of it on his pillow. Somehow, his body still held muscle, but his legs beneath the blankets looked thin.
Seeing Credo that way…part of my ghost felt gutted. “Why are the windows open?” I asked quietly. “That can’t be sanitary with the birds.”
“The only time he ever made noise was when someone shut the windows,” Trunk said. “According to the logs, it was also the only time he appeared to be in pain. So, we leave them open. The birds don’t come in. They just stay there and watch him sometimes.”
“How does he have any musculature left?” I asked. “He’s been like this for years.”
“It’s a mystery of the disease,” Petal said with a shrug. “No one really knows. I mean, it’s not like we feed him—”
