by Lola StVil
The Akon then goes over to the bar and begins to tend to his wound.
“Now, can we focus on the matter I came to discuss?” Malakaro asks.
“What do you want?” Dad replies.
“Maybe I came for a family reunion. Perhaps the son you never came for simply wants to exchange pleasantries,” Malakaro replies, laughing.
“I came for you. I came as often as I could. I made it my mission to save you, but I couldn’t save you from yourself,” Dad argues.
Malakaro’s laugh chills me. It’s soft, cold, and void of any kind of joy. He studies my father closely before he speaks.
“I possessed powers beyond your puny understanding and you ran away in fear,” he concludes.
“That is not the reason. You wanted to hurt Pryor and Sam. I couldn’t bring you anywhere near them!”
“THEY STOOD IN THE WAY AND I KNEW THEY HAD TO BE ELIMINATED. IT WAS SIMPLE!” Malakaro roars.
No one is more shocked by his outburst than Malakaro himself. He’s normally so controlled and calm. He quickly composes himself, and it’s as if the outburst never happened.
“It’s not simple, Jason. You can’t remove beings from the world because they stand in your way. They are my family; I love them. I will do anything to protect them.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t. That’s why I couldn’t bring you home,” Dad says sadly.
“I have dealt with beings who believe in things like mercy and compassion. I never knew my own father was guilty of such weakness. Yet here we are.”
“Jason, what do you want?”
“Every time a messenger bird manages to get through what little light there is left, I know about it. I know that your wife is ill.”
“You don’t know anything about her,” Dad snaps.
“The illness she suffers from, it’s called Dytra. I came to know of its existence in my years of study. No wonder your Healers have not heard of it, it’s very rare. It only happens to powerful beings that face sudden torment and anguish, like say the death of a child. It fractures the soul and rends it until there is nothing left. Death is slow. Painful. Unavoidable,” Malakaro says with a soft smile.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. We have renowned Healers in the light. If there was such an illness, they would have told me about it,” the First Guardian reasons.
“A great Healer may know how to mend wings, cure various diseases, and restore the gift of flight. However that same Healer wouldn’t be able to make a cup of coffee, a relatively simple mixture the humans live on.”
“What’s your point, Jason?”
“Healers are limited by their experiences. I know about your wife’s illness because I studied one thing every minute of every day for years: How to destroy powerful beings. I came across the illness your wife has and promise you she will die.”
“BULLSHIT!” my father rages.
“Tell me, have the greenish blue welts appeared on her body yet?”
Dad is rendered speechless as he looks at Malakaro.
“I take your silence to be a confirmation. In that case, you were wrong about the reason your wife sent you down here. She didn’t send you as a last wish, she sent you down here because she didn’t want you to witness her death.”
“What do the welts mean?” Dad asks.
“It’s the final stage, Marcus. When you go into the light, you will be going back to nothing. No one. You will have lost yet another member of your family.”
“And you came here to gloat, is that it? Is that it? Huh? DAMN YOU!”
“On the contrary, I came to help,” Malakaro says.
He takes out a small black leather box and places it on the table. Malakaro opens the box and reveals an eyeball fossilized in amber.
“This eye belonged to Marcella Cornwall,” Malakaro confirms.
Marcella Cornwall was the first and only human to have seen the face of Omnis. He fell in love with her and could not refrain from seeing her. He stopped the world in order to come to Earth and see her. Laying eyes on Omnis gave Marcella unimaginable powers. The powers ended up driving her mad. Humans weren’t built to hold that kind of power.
Omnis sent an angel named Armando to take the power away from Marcella. Armando came to Earth, but he too fell for her. So, instead of containing all her powers like he was supposed to, he freed her of all but one power—the power to heal.
Her healing power was so strong one could get healed of any and all illnesses by simply touching her. She became sought after by every demon, as she was a priceless weapon. She was kept in a castle with no doors, and she was so lonely, she took her own life.
When the demon world found out, they all rushed to get a piece of Marcella because having any part of her body in their possession would mean that they too could self-heal. When the demons got there, they fought each other for Marcella’s body parts. They ended up setting the castle on fire. In the end, there was nothing left of Marcella’s corpse. However, there were always rumors of a surviving body part.
“How the hell do I know that this is really a piece of Marcella?” Dad asks.
Malakaro silently calls Uncle Rage over to him. He holds out a black vial filled with liquid and makes Uncle Rage drink. Suddenly red veins begin to appear on the Akon’s face. They quickly spread through his body. He cries out in pain as the veins travel into his eyes, nose, and head. My father runs to his side and tries to help him, but Uncle Rage is in so much pain, he can’t hold still. The Akon falls to the floor, convulsing violently.
“Jason, stop it!” Dad pleads.
“This little infection is called Sum. It’s also quite deadly. It uses the body as a breeding ground and spreads poison into its host. The Akon would be dead within the next five minutes, give or take,” Malakaro says as he calmly stands up and places the eye into Uncle Rage’s hand.
The moment the eye touches his skin, Uncle Rage stops screaming; within seconds, the veins retreat and the Akon is well again. Even the gash in his neck has gone away. Dad asks him if he’s okay, and Uncle Rage confirms he’s in no more pain.
“What’s to stop me ripping you apart and taking the eye?” Dad asks.
“It would do you no good. The eye is bound to me. It will only go where I will it to,” he replies.
“Let me guess, if I let you kill me, you surrender the eye,” Dad says.
“No, not at all. Marcus, I want you to be alive. How can I take everything you hold dear if you are dead?” he reasons.
“You want Pryor, is that it? Well, you’re out of luck because Emmy and I would rather die than give her to you,” Dad swears.
“I don’t need Pryor—right now.”
“Then what the hell do you want?”
“It’s simple. I will give you the eye if you answer a question.”
“That’s it? You save Emmy’s life, and in return, I answer a few questions?” Dad pushes.
“Not a few, just one—who is the Blue Rose heir?”
Chapter Seven:
While You Were Gone
The look on Randy’s face is that of pure terror. I don’t know if my father knows who the Blue Rose heir is, but given the fact that he’s spoken to the Face, chances are he knows everything. I take Randy’s hand in mine and silently assure him that everything will be fine. We don’t talk because there simply are no words to describe how devastating this situation has become. We turn back to the watch and look on anxiously as my father and his estranged son face off.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Dad says.
“Ah yes, you have been gone for quite a while now. An angel named Pinter created five vials called ‘Rye.’ When they are combined and ingested, they hold the ultimate power, the only power that can surpass Omnis’. However, only half of the mixture created can be taken by me.
“In order to get the full power of the mixture, I will need someone else to drink the other half. That other being that can drink the mixture is called the
Blue Rose. Only he or she can drink the other half and survive. Whoever this being is, after they drink, they will become an unstoppable force of evil known as the Alago,” Malakaro explains.
“And you think I’m just going to give you that information?” Dad asks.
“I think you want your wife to live. If you love her and the rest of your family like you say you do, you’ll tell me what I need to know.”
“Don’t count on it,” Dad replies.
“If you want to save your wife, you will meet me here at sunrise with the identity of the Blue Rose.”
“I won’t hand you information and let you hurt someone else.”
“Then your wife will die; as much as I would like her to live and watch you lose everything, as with your son, I am okay with her death. Just know that you had the chance to save her and you failed. In fact, Marcus, you seem to fail the ones you love often. Let’s hope this time is different,” Malakaro says.
Malakaro heads for the door but stops when he gets to Uncle Rage. He studies him closely. I can tell by the anger in my uncle’s face he wants to cut Malakaro’s head clean off. But thankfully he doesn’t make a move towards him. Instead, the two exchange heated glares.
“I kept you alive, Akon, because I have business with someone close to you, and I fear killing you would distract him.”
“Are you talking about Aaden? What business do you have with my son?” Uncle Rage demands.
“You were great once, Akon. That time is over. Weakness takes root in you the same way it did Marcus. And now both of you are at the mercy of your feelings. Two great leaders reduced to being…human,” he replies as he opens the door and walks out.
“Malakaro has Aaden! He has Aaden!” Uncle Rage yells frantically as he makes a call on his cell.
He leaves a message for Aaden, telling him to call back immediately and that it’s life or death. A few moments later, the Akon gets a call. He talks to Aaden and quickly hangs up. Uncle Rage informs my dad that Aaden is in Paris, working on something.
“Did he say what he’s working on?” Dad asks.
“No, damn kids. Whatever it is, he assured me it was on behalf of the team. But would Malakaro say he was working with Aaden if he wasn’t?”
“Jason likes to play mind games. He was just screwing with you,” Dad says.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. What are we going to do about the eye? How do we get it from Malakaro?”
“I know there has to be a way to take Jason down, but not in the time I have left. There’s only one thing we can do, find the Blue Rose. Do you have any idea who it is?”
“I thought you would know since you’re the First Guardian,” Uncle Rage says.
“I pretended not to know about the whole Blue Rose issue, but it was explained to me when I first got here.”
“Why don’t you know who it is? You’re a Guardian.”
“It reveals itself to one Guardian. That’s it. I wasn’t on Earth, so the symbol would reveal itself to the next ‘First,’ the First Noru.”
“That means that Pryor…”
“Yes, Pryor knows who the Blue Rose is and that’s the key to saving her mother.”
“Randy, will you stop it!” I shout as he looks out the window and daydreams.
“I’ve lived a full life. I watched every season of Doctor Who, I’ve been to Comic-Con, I kissed the girl of my dreams. It’s okay to end my life, Pry. I’m ready,” he says.
“I’m glad you are okay with dying, but I am not okay with your death. So will you please just stop so I can think?”
“There’s nothing to think about. You have to reveal to your father that I am the Blue Rose.”
“I’m not revealing anything, and just to be clear, my dad would never sacrifice you,” I remind him.
“He should! I’m only one person. Your mom is Death! She’s far more important than I am.”
“Randy, that’s not true.”
“Look, your mom has always been good to me. She always treated me like I was her own. I can’t stand by and let her die.”
“There has to be another way. Maybe we can figure out how to break the bond Malakaro has on the eye. Or maybe we can find another body part from Marcella. Who knows, she could have a toe or something left behind.”
“Pry, your mom is dying right now. We don’t have time to go on a mission and seek out another way. Your dad has to be back in the light in a matter of hours. We have only one option: You need to tell your dad who I am.”
“And then what? How do I live with knowing that I sent my best friend to my psychotic brother?”
“Well, how do you think I would feel knowing that I am the reason your mom died? Pryor, you have to tell him who I am. That’s the only way to save her.”
“Randy, I need to think; let me think,” I snap.
“There is nothing to think about. Chances are Malakaro will figure out who I am. Why not just come out with it?”
“What do you think will happen when we tell Malakaro who you are? Do you think he’s going to greet you with a hug and a warm cup of cocoa? Do you get how dangerous it would be to have him know who you are? It’s like you actually want to die!”
“No, Pryor, I don’t want to die. I want to graduate high school, I want to see the next season of Walking Dead, and I want to have sex for the first time! But I am not being given a choice. Malakaro isn’t playing around. If you don’t tell your dad who I am, you will lose your mother.”
Randy’s words sink in and I feel as if I have lead pumped into my stomach. The weight is unbearable. I plop down on the bed and stare at the wall in front of me. I would never say this out loud, but I wish Aaden was here. I wish I could fall into his embrace and feel his strong arms around me.
Your mom’s in trouble, your best friend is losing it, and your father is going through hell; you pick now to start sounding like the heroine in a cheap paperback romance novel?
“Pryor!” Randy shouts.
“Oh, sorry.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I lie.
“I know you don’t want to tell your dad, but honestly we don’t have time to look for another way. Think about it, Pry. You’ve lost so much already, am I really worth the trouble?”
“Randy, you are worth every bit of it. I love you. I won’t sacrifice you for anything.”
“Maybe that’s the problem; you’re too close to me. It’s clouding your judgment. You can’t risk everything for one person.”
“I can when that person is my best friend. I know we’re fighting right now, but that doesn’t change how far I will go to protect you,” I remind him.
“So you’re telling me we are going to sit here and watch as Mrs. Cane dies? You would really just let your own mom die? I’m not okay with that.”
“You think I’m happy about this? You act like this is easy for me! Well, it’s not, okay, so just back off while I figure this out.”
“We don’t have time, Pry! You have to talk to your father.”
“And say what?” I plead.
“Well, you could start with telling me what the hell you were thinking when you placed a tracker on me,” someone says from the doorway.
“Dad!” I reply as I jump to my feet.
“Randy, I need to talk to my daughter—alone.”
“Um…yeah, sure, okay,” Randy says.
“You were out of line to try to track me—” my dad begins.
“Mr. Cane, I have something to tell you,” Randy says.
“Randy, no!” I beg.
“What is it?” Dad asks him.
“Um…well…I…”
“Randy, what do you need to tell me?”
“It’s me. I’m the Blue Rose.”
We explain to my dad how we first found out that Randy was the Blue Rose heir. He listens carefully, and when we are done, he turns all his attention to Randy.
“Thank you for telling me, Randy. That took a lot of courage,” Dad says.
�
��So…when do we go see Malakaro?” Randy asks.
“We don’t,” my dad says, looking back at me, pained.
“What are you talking about? We have to save your wife,” Randy pleads.
“It’s not that simple. If the Blue Rose was someone with power, there may be a chance that he could fight back. But we can’t hand a human over to Jason. That’s not how we do things,” Dad says.
“So because I’m human, I can’t help out? How is that fair?” Randy counters.
“We just want you to be safe,” I reply.
“I can’t believe you guys are still trying to act like I’m just some human off the street. I’ve been in a few battles now. I’ve helped more than a few times. Why is it that everyone else can help but me?”
“Randy, you have helped us. We are lucky to have you on the team, but that’s why we can’t just hand you over,” I reply.
“Mr. Cane, please. I don’t want to be the reason why Pryor’s mom dies.”
“If Emmy dies, it’s because she fell ill. It is not your fault. We don’t expect you to hand your life over to Jason. And even if we did, Emmy would never forgive us for letting something happen to you. Now I know you want to help, but this isn’t the best way to do that,” Dad adds.
“So that’s it? You guys just send the human home and refuse to let him help?” Randy asks in disbelief.
“Believe me, I wish I could,” Dad replies gravely.
“Well, I don’t accept that. I’m going to save Mrs. Cane, no matter what. If I have to get past you, Mr. Cane, then that’s just what I will do,” Randy says authoritatively.
Even if my father wasn’t as powerful as he is, the sheer size of him compared to Randy makes Randy’s declaration the silliest and most endearing thing I’ve ever heard. Dad and I exchange a quick glance.
“You’re going to fight me to get to Jason and surrender yourself?” Dad asks him.
“Yes.”
“Randy, turn around, get on the Port, and go home,” he says.
Randy is about to argue, but one look into my father’s stern face tells him there would be consequences for not doing what was asked of him. Randy swallows hard but doesn’t move.
