He nodded. “How would he know that? How would Goen know that if you have never used your ability?”
She shrugged. “I am as baffled as you are.”
The door suddenly opened and Sheriff Conroy walked in, shutting the door behind him. He carried a rag which he used to wipe his hands as he sat down behind his desk. Juda and Cayn waited to hear what he wanted to tell them.
“The coroner confirms Haram is deceased. Deputy Shiner double-checked the cell where Goen had been held. The cuffs are still locked and the ropes are tied, which tells us that the man either mysteriously shrank to where he could slip out of them and out of the cell, or he was able to worm his way out, like some sort of damn contortionist. But if Goen was somehow able to slip out of his restraints, how did he manage to get out of that back room? Unless…” He grimaced. “Unless Goen was teleported out of there, like the man claimed.”
“Juda and I were discussing that,” Cayn said. “We were wondering what Haram meant when he said he sent Goen sideways.”
“Same timeline, right?” Conroy clarified. “If what he said is the truth, Goen is somewhere here in town. Would you say that’s what he meant?”
“Yes,” Cayn replied.
Juda also nodded. “We have been wondering what Haram meant when he said Goen could stop time.”
Conroy waved his hands. “I’ve been thinking about that, too. Listen, when you use your ability... Let’s say you’re standing next to a normal human being when a Nomad uses his ability on you. Like, if Goen freezes time. Does it affect just you? Or are the other people also caught in it?”
Juda glanced over at her husband who looked back. “To be honest, I do not know,” she said. “My love?”
He shook his head. “I never…tried.”
Conroy chuckled as he stared at the two of them. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, you never used your abilities on anyone other than other Nomads? Or had to use them on a Nomad when there was another human present?”
“No,” Cayn answered.
“We have been very careful to keep our kind secret,” Juda explained.
“I try very hard not to bring any attention to us,” Cayn continued. “But sometimes it cannot be avoided.” He grinned. “Oft times, it does not matter, since we usually move on afterwards.”
“All right.” The sheriff sighed, leaned back in his chair, and laced his fingers together to lay them on his belly. “So we don’t know if you using your ability affects other regular humans. To be blunt, if circumstances occur where that has to happen, I don’t want any of the people here in town to become one of your guinea pigs.”
Juda gave him a confused look, as did her husband, and the sheriff chuckled.
“What I’m saying is, I don’t want anyone here in town accidentally getting caught up in what you can do, and be transported elsewhere.”
“Neither do we,” Cayn assured him.
“We are tired of running,” Juda confessed. “We want to settle down and raise a family. We want to become…as normal as possible.”
“And we’d love to have you become part of our community,” Conroy remarked. “But we have a bit of a conundrum now with Goen escaping. I don’t have enough manpower to assign someone to guard you two around the clock until he decides to show up again. And we both agree that this Goen guy isn’t going to give up until he gets what he wants, correct?”
Cayn nodded for the both of them. “What I do not understand is what Haram meant when he said Goen wants Juda.”
“Whenever we have encountered him, he attacks Cayn,” Juda included. “He calls for Cayn.”
Conroy gave them a crooked smile. “You can’t figure it out? It’s as plain as the nose on your face. Let me ask you something first. Have any of your kind ever mated with a normal human? Had children who were half-Nomad?”
“Many times,” Cayn admitted.
“Did any of those half-breeds possess any abilities to manipulate time?”
Cayn shook his head. “No. Never.”
“As far as we know,” Juda quickly added.
Leaning forward, the sheriff braced his elbows on his desk and pointed to her. “If what you’ve told me is the truth, then it’s possible you’re the only living female left of your kind. That’s why Goen wants you. But in order to get to you, he has to kill Cayn.”
She exchanged worried looks with her husband until he turned back to Conroy.
