The Emperor

by N. M. Brown

  Dixie. That was the key. Where she and Adin had failed before, she would succeed and thus please her family.

  She’d get everything back to the way it was.

  Echo smiled as she hatched her plan. She would win favour with the family, no matter the cost. First problem however, was that McQueen was attached to this case and he would looked at her offer to help with a suspicious eye. Her second problem: coming up with a genuine reason why she would want to help that didn’t include telling him she wanted to steal the deadly narcotic and present it to her demonic family as penance for her past negligence. “Easy as pie.” Echo whispered to no one and she shivered in the cold.

  The wind whistled past and Echo pulled her coat tighter, closing her eyes to soak in the morning sun. But even as she tried to plot and scheme, her eyes were drawn to a ragged crack on the sidewalk beside her. As much as she focused, she couldn’t stop slipping into old memories; ones she’d thought long forgotten.

  Looking behind, she examined the large oak doors and the wonky brick work that made the church. Weathered gargoyles screamed down, and the tinted stained glass glistened in the sun. ‘Easy’ was something she’d said before, not so many years ago and on this very spot.

  “No way. You won’t do it.” Adin teased as they stood looking at the autumn leaves cluttered in the doorway.

  Wrapped up in coats and scarves, Echo and Adin had spentg one of their very few free afternoons together. Echo had aced Archer’s business call with China, playing the sexy secretary to perfection in the background. Dropping her pen multiple times and wandering fingers dipping close to her cleavage, the cooperate millionaires were successfully distracted. Adin had most of the morning with Nic, locked behind the Dream Suit door but as soon as he’d finished, he dragged her out into town. Together, they’d stolen some over-priced coffee’s and muffins and enjoyed the stroll, eventually leading themselves past o this church.

  “I will,” Echo insisted and looked back at the oak doors. “What’s the bastard going to do? Strike the place with lightening on a perfect, blue sky day?” She snorted and sipped the last of some spiced, tea.

  Adin snorted and pointed at the doors. “You won’t get with-in five feet of that door.” He explained, tossing his perfect bleach blonde hair out of his eyes. Sweet sixteen going on flirty thirties, Echo and Adin had been graced with a puberty of ease. Beautiful cheek bone complimented perfect lips and they both could wear a smile that sent shivers down spines. Not a pimple or spot blemished their face – Twi made sure of that – and Sam enjoyed making their masculine and feminine assets peek to perfection.

  Narrowing her eyes, Echo skipped a little closer to the towering church. “Six feet to go… no lightening? No raining frogs or flying locusts… oh, I think the bastards on his rest day.” She joked, earning an evil scowl from the passing woman, her shopping bags knocking her knees.

  “Please. You’re only eight feet away. Closer, closer!” Adin cheered her on, throwing his left-over coffee at her feet, making her dance. Echo twirled across the flagstones, enjoying the rush of autumn air nip at her nose. The church front loomed, and she laughed as she reached the front steps.

  “Only three feet to go?” She joked, balancing on one foot, the other hovering outward into mid air. “What do you think Adin? Spontaneous combustion? Falling space junk-?”

  A thunderous crack lashed through the air and Echo stubbled in surprise. It wasn’t until warm arms looped around her, did she realise she was moving and only when the hard ground slammed into her, did she realised she’d been tackled.

  “Ow, ow, ow!” She snipped, feeling her lungs decompress with the weight on top of her. “Adin! Get you lardy ass off me!” she wheezed and quickly enough, she was free, wiping rotting leaves off herself. “What the fuck Adin? If you wanted to play rough, you should have fucking said. I would have worn my flat shoes.”

  But Adin wasn’t listening, instead he was looking at were Echo had been stood only moments ago. Just in front of the steps, dust and mortar had exploded in a splatter, while nestled in its centre was a figurehead. Bottom jaw gone, the cherub screamed at them both, his eyes wide in pain and his once soft curls washed away into an ugly bold cap. Green lichens flaked off its face like tears as the dust settled and Echo marvelled at the destruction before her.

  “Holy shit.” Echo breathed, breaking the silence. Head shooting upwards, she narrowed her vision on the top bell tower. A few pigeons dozed, but she saw no person hanging over the edge to examine their victim. “Ho-ly… shit! God- is trying – to kill me!” With an excited skip Echo danced in front on Adin who still looked at the mess on the floor. “God is trying to kill me. God is trying to kill me!” She sang.

  Suddenly with warning, Adin scooped Echo up and spun her around in his arms, causing her to scream with laughter. “Well the bastard isn’t doing a very good job of it is he?” Placing her back on her feet, Adin wound his arms around Echo in a hug; one of the very few displays of affection they ever gave each other. “The Bastard has clearly lost his violent steak.”

  “Please.” Echo smiled, thumping Adin gently on the arm. “It would take a Hell of a lot more than a fall rock to kill me.”

  “That is true.” Adin laughed showing one of his very rare smiles; no charm, just genuine happiness. “Maybe I’ll have to give him a few pointers.”

  Echo had thumped Adin again and before long they were both walking back to Cardinal House, deep in discussion that if Adin could speak with the holy twat: what would he say? And if he couldn’t, how would one go about breaking into Heaven?

  ◆◆◆

  Echo had been so lost in the memory, she hadn’t heard the shuffle of feet, or the snort of surprise until Queenie sat right next to her. “What are you doing here?” He asked.

  “I thought you might be going to kill you wife. I wanted in of the action.” Echo responded automatically despite knowing McQueen wouldn’t believe her. Looking away from the front of the Church, Echo scooted a little further away from the doors and felt the world settle just a little better on her shoulders. “Did you get the answers to your prayers?”

  “No.” McQueen answered honestly, and he too looked out across the street rather than at her.

  Echo just nodded in understanding. “Well, if I was a high and mighty, omnipresent being, watching your sham of a marriage; I’d tell you to buckle up, ditch the hoe and be thankful she didn’t drag you to your early grave.”

  McQueen smiled slightly and rocked backwards where he sat, drinking in the sun as Echo had done. “You really think that?” he asked, and Echo gave it some genuine thought before answering.

  “I think,” She began, her tongue feeling heavy and strange. “I think it’s a woman’s right to do with her body as she pleases.” Echo could see McQueen turn to look at her, but she kept her gaze dead ahead. “I think any woman unwilling to have a child can do as they please. But I think it takes two to tango and therefore takes two to make a decision.” Shrugging, Echo felt itchy under her skin and a strange bout of nausea curled in her stomach. She was being-… nice. Too nice. Flapping her hand in a dismissive wave, she continued. “But your bitch of a wife? Now she was a phyco. For beauty, vanity, sex and greed, she allowed your bundle of joy to swim down a bathtub drainpipe.”

  "I'll ignore that you just said that." McQueen answered in a deadpan voice, but allowed the silence to gather around them. People wandered by but Echo paid them little heed as she ruled out any weapons tucked under their clothes. She was on a kill list after all, she couldn’t be too careful.

  “Are you going to tell me?” McQueen asked after what seemed an age, his voice as soft as the wind, but as cutting as the frigid temperature around them. “Because I keep asking myself who could be trying to kill you, and I can only come up with one answer.”

  Echo breathed through her nose and told herself not to react. He was trained to read people; if she didn’t react it would give him nothing. But she needn’t have bothered; he just kept talking into the wind, pu
shing aside his own problems for her own.

  “It’s your family, isn’t it?” He guessed “They’re the only people who would have you this rattled. You wouldn’t come to me for any old Joe-Blogs. They’re the only people who are of any importance to you.”

  Echo forced her teeth to unclamp. How dare he judge; how dare he assume. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” She answered back, though it wasn’t as harsh as she would have liked. “My family doesn’t want me dead. There is no reason for them wanting me dead. It’s just-… just a test.” Echo explained, nodding to herself. “They’ve done it before. This is just another. I have to be better.”

  “Better? A test? Echo do you hear yourself. You are justifying the fact they are trying to kill you. That’s-… that’s-,”

  “Crazy?” Echo offered. “Really, is its crazy McQueen? As crazy say, as lying to yourself for eight years about your wife because you were just too damn scared to talk to her about it. As crazy as trying to start a new life, without ending your old one?” Echo brushed the hair out of her face and regained her composure. “My family and I are at least honest. You just hide from yours.”

  “And you’re not hiding?” McQueen asked, turning to face her. Dark clouds were starting to gather overhead, and Echo could smell the rain in the air, clean and threatening. “If it was someone random trying to kill you, you’d be out there, - dare I say - trying to kill them back. But you’re not. You’re hiding here with me-,”

  “I am not hiding!” But McQueen ignored her.

  “You ran out of that House like it was burning, covered in bruises and blood. Echo I can see the strangulation marks around your neck and I’m pretty sure you didn’t want them there.” Surprisingly, McQueen moved closer and it made Echo shake. She only wanted to get the Dixie, she didn’t want or need an intervention, but still he kept pushing and pushing. “That House Echo, I get that it’s your home, but it doesn’t make it a safe place. If there is anyone who scares you enough to run, its them. Your family.”

  “So what?” Echo snapped and she was agitated enough she couldn’t sit any more. Standing she walked away but felt the thrum in her bones that spun her on her heels and spit venom at McQueen. “So, what if my family is testing me. They’re my family, theycan do as they please. Whatever they choose only makes me stronger.”

  McQueen had stood with her and on the steps, the Church behind him, he looked the picturesque image of the Saint he thought he was. Echo felt that burning desire flare within her blackened soul and tare him down. She wanted him to break, burn and sell his soul to her because no one was this good. No one was this understanding and selfless. She would find his darkness and expose it for every dark thought and every dark deed it was.

  She vibrated with anger but didn’t pull away and even as he captured her eyes with his, she couldn’t spit in them. “Death doesn't make you stronger Echo, it just makes you dead. It doesn't matter who they are, i won't let the kill you!”

  "You think you can stop them?" Echo blasted out a laugh before turning stone, cold sober. "Dead and crazy?” She whispered, already shaking her head, pitying the fool. He didn’t know. Didn’t understand. "I tell you they're the Seven Deadly Sins, Queenie and now they want to kill me, but you-... you think you can stop them? Who's the crazy one now?”

  McQueen opened his mouth to answer and Echo watched him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But she should have known better by now, McQueen was apart of humanity ad they didn’t believe in the unbelievable. “I don’t care, Echo. It doesn’t matter. You are mortal, you are human Echo and that’s who I protect. The human race. Humanity. So, that means you.”

  “But do you believe?” She snapped, her temper flaring. She was done dancing around the point. If she was going to get this Dixie, get out of the firing line with her Family, she couldn’t be hiding the truth anymore. Queenie needed a good dose of realit. “Tell me right here and now McQueen, do you believe, or do you think I’m crazy?”

  Only the pigeons cooing in the morning rays made a noise as seconds passed. McQueen was good at keeping a straight face, his mind no doubt ticking over with every though, every loophole and every step-up Echo could be planning.

  Taking a steady breath, then another, Echo gave him his due, as he looked her in the eye. “I don’t care who they are, or who they think they are or who you think they manifest as-… none of that. No one is going to kill you.” Standing close once more, he did shy away or heisted as he’d once done. His voice was strong and controlled; ready. “You will not die on the whim of another, human or demon, beast or man. I think there is hope for you yet Echo.”

  Echo couldn’t breathe. This was ridiculous; words of a madman, blind to what he truly faced. “I was wrong, you’re the crazy one.” she hissed.

  “Maybe, but that only makes me as crazy as you.” He laughed and all Echo could do was roll her eyes.

  “Grow up Queenie. You can’t save everyone, especially not me.”

  “But I can try.” He smiled and slowly, with a lightness in his step, he began to walk away. "First step is you helping me with this case. Help me save these children and maybe you can be saved."

  “You can try all you like but I’m not saving any of those gremlins. I’m just in this for my own reasons.” Echo scoffed and slowly, she followed.

  “Reasons that will save you from your family?” McQueen asked, causing Echo to glare at him in surprise. “You only do things for two reasons: yourself and for your family. Your family want you dead, so you’re trying to ease their anger.”

  Back straight Echo regarded McQueen slowly. She was impressed but she’d never let him know that. “I have no idea what you could mean.” She smiled. “But if I were hypothetically to need something to appease their anger, I’d tell you this; if you truly think you can protect me, save me from them, you’d better be prepared, because no one gets between a demon and its prey.”

  “And if these demons are real and I do believe, then my belief in God and his teachings will be stronger.” McQueen answer and he shared a smile; a smile Echo had only seen once before, in a photo almost a decade old. The smile when his life was a happy one. Echo didn’t read too much into that, but it did please her to think that cow, Anna McQueen was quickly losing her grip. “If I believe you are being hunted by demons, then my faith in your salvation is strong enough for the both of us.”

  “I don’t need saving Queenie.”

  “Everyone needs saving Echo.”

  XXII

  McQueen had felt so off tilt and his need to be grounded had been so strong, he didn’t remember running all the way to the Church. He’d blinked and suddenly he was there, slowing as he’d entered the doors. To him, God and his guidance was probably the only thing that could give him solace right now. Between Anna, Sage, Echo, bullets and murdered kids… he had needed help from above.

  Walking up the aisle in the Church, McQueen felt a heaviness on his shoulders he couldn’t shake. It was like a cloak that dragged behind him, pulling him down while he desperately reached for the surface. It was suffocating. So, he thought about what he would pray for: safety for Echo? Understanding from Anna? Time from Sage? The three trails of his life, three impossible requests?

  Kneeling in a pew, he bowed his head and though slowly about what exactly he wanted; what he would say.

  Asking God to save Echo was like asking for fish to fly: possible, but would take years of evolution and behavioural changes, so after streams of conscious pray, McQueen pondered the other aspects of his life. His mind diverted from the underbelly of evil, to thoughts of Anna and his child that would never be. In hindsight, it wasn’t that much of a better subject to think about, but as his Nana would say; if you couldn’t think about it in the presence and glory of God, where would you think about it?

  “Please Lord,” McQueen bowed his head, sending one last pray, “Save my Anna. The truth about what happened; the motive behind it all, I don’t know, I can only speculate. So please, use your wisdom and help
her. Guide her. Give her a hand when all else falls.”