She came over and wove her arm through his. “In that case, I accept. Come, let’s go have breakfast at my mum’s.”
***
AN HOUR LATER, THEYsat in the conservatory at Kalli’s mum’s house. The older woman exuded a comforting and inviting aura. It was easy to see where Kalli got her looks. Her mum was vivacious and still spry and fit. Her hair was a warm brown instead of the coppery curls he adored in Kalli, but the facial features and mannerisms were similar. He liked her immediately. And it appeared the feeling was mutual. No cliche here about the unbearable mother-in-law.
Mrs. Brooks had received them with hugs and kisses. He couldn’t remember the last time his own mother had hugged or kissed him. Then she led them to the kitchen while she set out to prepare a veritable breakfast feast of fruits, eggs, ham, warm breads, and sundry jellies and jams. All produced in her land, she announced proudly.
Kalli helped her, and he took inordinate pleasure watching them work together. Their bond and affection were evident in their interaction.
Now as they dug into the food, he realized why Kalli had not bothered to keep food in her little cottage. His own parbot was a superb cook, yet he had tasted nothing so fresh and tasty as this meal.
As he sipped on freshly squeezed orange juice, Mrs. Brooks asked Kalli, “Have you told him about the message on the stone?”
He looked at Kalli, puzzled. “She has not. What message?”
Kalli sighed. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about that. I intended to tell you when I called you, but then we got sidetracked.”
Sidetracked. Yeah, that was a nice way of describing the massive row they had got into. “Well, tell me now. What’s going on?”
“I discovered a message written on the walls of the ruins that I believe is a request for help from the Duke of Avondale.”
He raised his eyebrow, surprised. “The duke? The one we met?”
“Yes.”
“What did it say?”
She pulled out her device and showed him the picture she had taken. He read the words and frowned.
“Does this mean he wants to go to Olivia’s time?”
“I believe so,” Kalli replied.
“And of course he wants us to take him there.”
“Who else? We are the only people he knows who can time travel.”
He rubbed his hands through his face. “I can’t do it.”
Kalli’s face fell. Became harder. “I didn’t think you would want to. I know how you felt about leaving Olivia in the past. But I thought to tell you, anyway.”
Damn, she believed he didn’t want to help the duke. “It’s not that I don’t want to help, Kalli. I don’t have the means to help him anymore. After the declaration I made yesterday, the commission is going to investigate ChronoSynthetics. They will indefinitely suspend the time travel program. Even if they decide to resume it, I’ve burned my bridges with Max. He has the rights to the technology for the next thirty years, and he won’t let me anywhere near his company after I uncovered his deceitful scheme.”
“Oh. So we can’t time-travel anymore?”
“I’m afraid not, sprite. If I had known this before, maybe I wouldn’t have uncovered the conspiracy. At least not yet. I would have bided my time. I don’t know if even then it would have worked, because as I told you, the technology is in Max’s hands, and I don’t see him allowing me to use it without a thorough explanation. But I could have tried. However, after I exposed him, the lines have been drawn.”
“Damn. This is my fault. I should have told you before. That day when I called you, I intended to tell you. My mum advised me to tell you, to talk to you, but I was so hot-headed. So stubborn. And now there’s nothing we can do.”
“Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have known. If anything, it’s my fault for not listening to you, for not realizing sooner...”
“It’s nobody’s fault, I’m sure,” Mrs. Brooks interjected.
“This is so unfair! You are the one who developed the technology. You should have access to it.” Kalli exploded.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. Yes, I led the development team. But a project like this requires many people. And a big budget. You could say I sold myself to be able to develop it. I needed ChronoSynthetic's funding and was willing to sacrifice my autonomy.”
“It is unfortunate that the people who develop the technological and scientific advancements are often not the ones who control them. It puts dangerous power in the hands of undeserving individuals,” Kalli’s mum said.
