Chapter 5 Sky Yale

Jade finished demonstrating the details of the trip, pointing to the map unrolled before them. She paid extreme attention to the details, not missing every one of the fifteen territories where the civilians had noticed a demonic presence in the area. She had noted down the behaviours and tendencies of these creatures, plus the measures that they needed to take.

The way Chad was acting when faced with the information she just presented irked her even more. He sat down on the floor, coolly watching her, without a single tinge of seriousness on his visage. But getting furious at him was meaningless. He would end up infuriating her with something new.

She turned to Sky instead and questioned him.

“Are you clear about what we have to do?”

Sky smiled foolishly. “As my brother said, we will keep you safe, Madame!”

Jade glared daggers at him for a few seconds before walking away and heading into a room. She seized a porcelain cup lying on a table nearby, accompanied by a teapot and poured herself some tea to calm her nerves.  

She breathed in the aroma of the tea leaves and sipped the hot tea. Keep your calm, Jade. She couldn’t allow her emotions to affect her actions.  

Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around abruptly to bump into someone. Chad grinned impishly, with his arms gently positioned on her shoulders. This was outrageous! How could he have followed her into the room? It was off limits to mercenaries, and this Chad didn’t follow the rules. They had put up a notice disallowing entry to the public.

“Get your filthy hands off me!” she hissed at him, trying to push him away. This wasn’t what she wanted when she mentioned needing some strong companions on the trip. Chad’s lack of interest in the potential risks of their travel, along with his cheekiness, bothered her. But other than him, with her inexperience, she didn’t know who she could hire. Nobody had turned up in enquiry for the job for several days. Even before Chad came three days ago.

She had to take what she had. Chad retreated, still smiling boldly. She assumed that he was just insolent.

Putting on a front that nothing had happened, she returned to the office where Sky was waiting. Chad hadn’t followed, and she wondered where he had gone, hoping he had just gone to the latrine at the back of the establishment.

“Miss Gold, if I may say something?” The sky seemed persistent while looking her in the eye.

“Young Master Yale, what is it, if I may ask?” She was as courteous as ever.

He bowed, talking in a very timid voice. Even his eye contact was limited, and he wore a sheepish expression.

“I’m wondering if you still remember me, Miss Gold.”

“You are Sky Yale, as I recall?”

“Back at the cemetery. To be particular, my mother’s grave. Yvette Sue.”

It dawned upon her he was referring to that one chance meeting with her at her aunt’s grave. When he stated that night he was visiting his mother, she disbelieved him and accused him of trespassing.

“So, it’s you,” she didn’t see a point in pretending to not know him when they had exchanged blows so vividly that night. As she remembered, it had been a full moon and if he asked around, he would know her relationship with Yvette Sue, anyway. Everyone in the island city knew she was Yvette's niece. 

But was this man, whom she never heard of all her life, really her aunt’s son, making him her cousin? Her aunt had never spoken of having a son at all. Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t even aware if her aunt had ever had a lover. She had never married all her life, so where could this son have come from?

Talking about this in the office could warrant some undesirable attention. Neither could she keep the doors bolted shut for long. Waving her arm, she gestured for Sky to follow her outside so that she could find a spot for them to speak with no one hearing their conversation. She didn’t want a third person to suspect that her aunt had an illegitimate son, truth or not.

They made their way to the flower garden about ten li from the office. Without saying a word, she pointed towards the resting spot, where a firm stone table and some chairs appeared to invite them. Jade invited Sky to take a seat, smiling amiably.

“Please take a seat, Master Yale.”

He accepted, nervously sitting down on the stone chair. Jade looked amused.

“You said that Yvette Sue is your mother. How are you sure?”

The sky appeared nervous. Noticing it, she adjusted her tone to a softer tone.

“I’m not saying that you are a fake or anything like that. I was guarding Aunt Sue’s grave, and you appeared. So I mistook you for a robber.”

Apart from her inquisitiveness, she needed to clarify what was his relationship with Yvette Sue. Because of that, she hoped he wouldn’t find out from the civilians that she was related to her aunt and withheld the fact from him. 

Sky  turned out to be very trusting and sincere with what he knew.

“Actually,” he said with an honest expression. “I don’t know if I am her son.”

She returned his look with a queer stare, questioning him what he meant.

“I lost my memory. All I have is this jade pendant.”

He retrieved an item from his pocket and handed it to Jade, allowing her to inspect it. She immediately recognised it as one of her aunt’s possessions, but she also remembered that the pendant was one of a pair. Still, how could it be possible that a stranger had it?

“Where did you come from?”

Her question startled Sky, and he appeared to encounter hardship in finding the right answer. She hesitated to interrogate him further, seeing through his discomfort. Perhaps she should ask him later after some time had passed. After all, he wouldn’t have the answer for her.

She tapped him on the back. 

“Never mind about my question. It was my mistake asking.”

She felt sorry for him. What if he was her cousin? With her mother gone, she hadn’t had many relatives left. She hadn’t given it much thought that her aunt would have a son.

There was the sound of footsteps in the distance, although Sky didn’t realise it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure hiding in the distance. Someone was eavesdropping on them, and she quickly rushed after the person to find out.

The sight of those familiar dark eyes, a sharp nose and thick lips greeted her. 

“Bud, what are you doing here?” Sky uttered in surprise.

Chad's face was expressionless, and without saying a word, he strode away, puzzling Jade further.