by Lola St. Vil
I shake my head and clear my throat in an attempt to stay focused.
“So Lucy sent the Death Stalkers just for Emmy,” I conclude.
“Yes. We don’t know how she knew Emmy would be here,” Miku says.
“The Sage knows her. He knows she won’t be too far from the action. She has this thing where she has to help, no matter how many times her ‘help’ ends up being more of a pain,” Ameana says.
“C’mon, Mimi. Emmy has saved us a few times,” Miku reminds her.
“Here and there, but we work better when we don’t have to babysit,” Ameana counters.
“This wouldn’t be a problem if you guys had let me kill her all those times,” Rage says as an aside.
“None of that matters. She needs to be back in base camp,” I order.
“She’s earned a right to be here, Marcus,” Miku says.
“What part about Death Stalkers don’t you get, Pretty?” I ask her.
“You don’t let her stay and you will spend this whole time wondering if she has, yet again, found another way to disobey your orders. And it’s good to have her close since she’s Lucy’s most wanted,” Miku responds.
“Fine, we’ll just have to make sure we take out the Death Stalkers before they even get a chance to seek her out.”
“Yeah, let’s center every move we make around Emmy,” Ameana says bitterly.
“Yo, what’s your issue, son? We’ve been going crazy turning meters on and off for your boy toy. So, be easy,” Jay scolds Ameana.
“What do you mean turning meters on and off?” I ask.
“Well, the alarms go off when the meter registers something without a soul has breached the perimeters. So every time Rage gets near there, the alarms go crazy. The soldiers have been running to and from the perimeter all morning,” Miku tells me.
“We could just recalibrate the meters so they don’t go off,” Ameana offers.
“We don’t have time for that. I say we throw Rage out into the middle of the battle field and take bets to see how long before his wings are ripped off,” Rio offers.
“Really, Rio; that’s the most Angel-like thing you could say right now?” Ameana says defensively.
“I’m being an Angel by not killing him,” Rio offers.
“Oh, and how would you kill me? Read me to death?” Rage mocks.
Rio’s wings spread in the air and flap furiously.
“We have made an exception to include the human in the meter; I don’t see why we can’t include Thomas,” Ameana counters.
“Because Emmy has a soul. She has a heart. That reminds me; how do you love a guy who can’t love you back?” Jay asks.
“Who said he can’t?” Ameana snaps.
“How could he? He doesn’t have a heart. I mean, maybe after this battle, we should go see the wizard about getting him a heart,” Jay mocks.
Rio looks over at him and smiles. It’s the first thing the two of them have agreed with in days.
“You’re right, Speedy; I don’t have a heart. But at least I can protect my girl from getting blown up into a million pieces. Tell me, when the explosion ripped her soul into shreds, do you think she just blacked out? Or did she feel every slow, agonizing moment?” I knew Jay was going to do it even before I turned towards him. He tackles Rage and soon the two are in the air; fire balls flying everywhere. Jay skillfully dodges them and gets the upper hand on Rage.
Jay’s advantage quickly goes away as Rage hurls a fireball at his head. Jay ducks it just in time, but Rage grabs him by his foot and hurls him to the ground. Rage looms over Jay with fire ball in hand. Rage underestimates Jay’s speed; before he can throw down the fire ball, Jay is up and standing behind Rage. Ameana places herself between the two of them and shouts at them to stop.
“We don’t have time for this. The Sage is getting ready to attack. So, either kill each other quickly or shut the hell up and let me figure this out,” I shout at them.
They stop attacking each other but they continue to throw evil stares each other’s way. Miku shakes her head at Ameana. She is clearly irate that the ‘Rage thing’ is lasting this long. She isn’t the only one, but now is not the time to address that.
The truth is, while I do not trust Rage, Emmy has yet to see him doing anything wrong in the Tracker she wears.
“We’re going to need help with the Fire Swans. We can’t take on them, the Quo, and the Death Stalkers. We need more reinforcement,” I inform them.
“I have a keeper friend of mine - he might let us use some of his animals,” Bianca offers kindly.
“Perfect; give him a call him and see if he has anything that can take on Fire Swans. Tell him we’ll pay whoever.”
“Sure, honey,” she smiles, kisses me on the lips quickly and goes off. The team stops and looks at me.
“We have to keep up appearances or the Quo won’t back us,” I remind them.
They all avoid my eyes. I clear my throat and head back to the soldiers. Dalce hands me a map of the territory and we plot out the best places to position the soldiers.
Soon, Wolf joins us, along with the rest of the Omari. Wolf keeps throwing evil glances at Rage. Rage in turn, sneers at him. Ameana places a hand on Rage’s shoulders in an attempt to keep him from doing anything stupid.
Rage attacking Wolf would be just that; stupid. Wolf is an expert fighter and although not a fan of taking a life, he seems more than willing to make an exception for Rage. There is also the matter of Wolf being a Kon. The Omari would follow him into Difi if they had to. He is their leader and they will protect him no matter what.
Wolf tries to stay focused on the battle ahead but the more glances he steals at Ameana, the more it angers Rage. Sensing it is only a matter of seconds before one of them attacked the other, Ameana wisely suggests that she and Rage inspect the shield for any possible weak points.
After Wolf and I come to decision regarding the placement of the Omari, I address the army and thank them for fighting along side us. I promise them that they won’t be forgotten and discarded like they were before by the Council. They shout and cheer.
One of them calls out, “How was she?”
Dalce tells me they are referring to my night with Bianca. I nod reluctantly and they responded with a series of profane noises. Even the female soldiers found the subject of Bianca and I worth cheering for. When the crowd finally calms down, I dispatch them to various points along the perimeters, and throughout the mountain range.
After addressing the soldiers, I spot Emmy a few yards away with Eta. She excitedly shows Eta the basic moves that Wolf has taught her. She beams with excitement as she shows off her new right hook jab. She’s not going to kill any Demons with her new skills. In fact, I’m not sure she can even land a punch at all.
But the thing that has me completely captivated isn’t her new found ‘moves,’ it’s her face.
Emmy is beaming. She’s never really been taught to fight. I think she’s really enjoying it.
She’s happy, so that means she and I are okay, right?
When our eyes meet, I smile at her. She quickly turns her face back to Eta. She says something to her and the two of them quickly take off.
She can’t even look at me…
I order the Twins to head to the Market and seek out any weapons that might give us an edge.
Although most Sellers are in hiding, fearing that they will be killed in the crossfire, I’m certain Tony and a few others have stuck around, knowing that because it’s war time, they can charge three times as much for weapons.
I turn to Jay and order him to send a few lookouts ahead so we know exactly when the Believers are coming.
“Don’t let our lookouts breach The Sage’s Shield. We don’t want to be the ones who start this. Once there are enough Fire Swans circling, we can get the soldiers ready; when the Swans attack the shield, that’s the signal.”
“Won’t that be too late?” He asks.
“One Fire Swan can’t break the shield. It will t
ake at least six of them. Tell the others, once there are six swans in the air…we engage.”
“Okay, I’m on it,” he says about to rush off.
“Jay, where was Emmy when the contract was fulfilled and turned into stone?”
“She was in the room with Dalce and Eta.”
“She saw the whole thing?”
“Yeah, Miku offered to go for a walk with her but she said she didn’t want to go.”
“She knew exactly when Bianca and I had our…”
“Exchange? Yeah, everyone does.”
He pats my shoulder and Glides away.
Through the afternoon, Emmy and I make eye contact - or at least I do. She always avoids me. I make myself focus on the battle ahead. I want to make sure we are ready for whatever the Sage has in store for us.
Finally, night falls. We are waiting for the Sage to make the first move by sending the Fire Swans into the air. The soldiers are ready and the perimeter is secure.
Emmy hasn’t said a word to me, much less looked at me.
I have to admit it hurts. I’ve missed her so much. I want to hold her more than I have ever wanted anything in this world. But I doubt I will be able to get her to hug me. In fact, it’ll be a miracle if she ever looks directly at me again.
Emmy has chosen to sleep in the opening of the cave, furthest away from my sleeping area. I’m sharing the space in a small opening in the side the mountain with Bianca. Well, I’m supposed to, anyway. I have yet to leave the command center. And even if I were to leave, I would recharge somewhere alone. Right now, I’m too tired and miserable to care what the Quo think about where I do or don’t recharge.
Ameana tells me to go recharge since it’s been days since I had some rest. She assures me that she will take my place and oversee everything.
“No, I’m good. I want to be here,” I promise her.
“Marcus, you’re going to have to face her sometime,” she points out.
“She hates me.”
“She should; you betrayed her.”
“I had no choice - I didn’t—“
“—Marcus, I didn’t say you didn’t have your reasons. I’m saying it’s still a betrayal. You still slept with another girl. That’s only a few weeks after you kissed another girl. No offense, but if I were Emmy, I would’ve kicked your ass a hundred battles ago.”
“Wow, thanks,” I say dryly.
“I’m just telling you the truth,” she replies sweetly.
I shake my head and let her stand watch over the shield for awhile. So far, there is one Fire Swan in the air. It swoops around in a circle but has yet to attack. No doubt it’s waiting for others to arrive.
I look all over for her. Finally, I find her sitting alone, at the side of a small, rocky hill. She looks out into the black sky. The sun should be out soon, judging from the bright orange hue on the horizon. I walk to her and sit a few feet away. I want to touch her but the Sage and I aren’t the only ones with our shields up.
“Hey,” I say softly, looking out into the sky.
I think it’s easier to look out than directly at her. That way I don’t see the immense pain in her beautiful eyes. I can pretend I didn’t put it there. I continue to speak without looking at her. She sits so still it’s like she’s barely breathing. She looks straight ahead, out into nothing.
“I’m not gonna ask you to look at me because I've already asked too much of you. It seems like whenever there's a sacrifice to be made, you’re the one who is forced to make it.” She remains perfectly still. I can’t tell what’s going on in her head. Normally, I would have some indication but she’s keeping me out of her thoughts; out of her heart.
“I know it’s asking too much to expect you to run into my arms after I come back from spending the night with someone else.”
The second Fire Swan appears in the sky. I’m on alert but I know two Fire Swans aren’t enough to break our shields.
“When you were going out with Lucas, I was in Hell. I pictured him holding and kissing you - I lost it. I knocked down an entire building. Actually, a few buildings,” I admit.
My girl doesn’t respond, so I continue, in the hope that my words will be enough, but fearing they won’t be. I pause and fight the urge to pull her close to me and feel her against me.
Damn, it still amazes me just how strongly I need her…
“Emmy, I know you were there the moment the Exchange happened. I can’t imagine what it was like to have everyone in the room look at you. So, you don't have to look at me. But I have never loved any one being the way I love you. And while I won't ask for the embrace that I so desperately want…” I finally look over at her and see tears falling down her cheeks and onto her shirt. My first and only instinct is to reach out for her. But her shields are far from down. I keep trying to reach her with my words since my touching her isn’t an option.
“You don't have to say anything at all if you’re not ready to talk to me. But, Emmy, put your hand in mine, let me know I haven’t lost you.”
I look over at my hand, only about a foot or so away from her. But I know my reaching out to her won’t tell me what I need to know; is she still with me? Or was the reality of knowing I was with Bianca too much for her to take? I wait for Emmy to place her hand on mine. It doesn’t happen.
A wave of pure dread creeps down my body causing me to feel weak. I can’t turn to face her now because I fear what I will see in her eyes.
Has she finally had enough? Is this really truly the end for us?
“Emmy, you can hate me if that’s what you need to do right now; just give me some indication that we’ll get past this. Emmy, take my hand,” I say finally turning to her.
I hold my hand out to her. She does not take it. Her tears have dried now. In her eyes there is a wryness I have never seen before.
She had been attacked one time too many. She’d been disappointed and hurt by me, one time toomany. And no matter what the reasons were, like Ameana said, I still betrayed her yet again.
It’s been less than a minute but it feels like my hand has been held out forever. Emmy does not budge. I put my hand down on the jagged rocks we’re sitting on. As a leader, to prepare myself for the battle, I try to hone my strength and certainty. It has been replaced with crippling sadness and anxiety.
I flash back to all the times I loved her from afar.
When she stood there in her Piglet - t-shirt, messy hair and still looked more stunning than anygirl I had ever seen in or out of the light…
When she berated me for calling Mrs. Charlotte “just” a cat…
When she brazenly marched down the stadium steps at the Runner ball game to scold the officialbecause I got hurt…
Now, it’s over.
Please, please, don’t let it end like this.
I turn towards her; I try one final time.
“I know I haven’t loved you the way you deserved to be loved; but I would give the last feather from my wings, the last drop of soul from my blood, if it means you would let me try again.” She sits still.
“I don’t remember how to live without you; I don’t remember how not to want you…” She is unmoved.
This is the end.
Despair weighs heavy on me and causes me to bow my head as yet another memory flashes in my head.
It was our first date. She was so nervous, she wrapped her hand around the door knob andwouldn’t let go. I helped her by kissing each and every one of her fingers and assuring them thateverything was going to be okay.
But it’s not;Emmy and I are over…
Something softly grazes my finger. The touch is slight; I’m not sure it’s anything more than the wind. I look over to where I placed my hand.
It’s her! She moved her hand just a little. Now her pinky finger grazes me lightly, or at least I think it does. It may all be in my head.
Please…
There’s no further movement.
Damn.
Then she curls her finger around mine.
&nb
sp; Thank you, Omnis.
She still can’t bring herself to look at me, but that’s okay. I’ll take anything I get, so long as I get to be in her life.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
THE VIEW FROM HERE
I would like to stay with her until everything is okay between us. But I think it will take a lot more than a few hours. I would also like to walk her to her makeshift home but the Quo are everywhere. It wouldn’t look right. I think she knows that too, because she heads home without asking me to join her.
I walk back to the command center to relieve Ameana. I’m about to enter when I hear her and Rage talking. Again, as her ex-boyfriend, I have no desire to know what the two of them talk about. But as the leader, it would be foolish not to keep an eye on the lead Akon.
I cross over to the side of the opening that allows me to see the two of them better. Ameana and Rage are alone. She’s holding a plate; a flat circular crystal, the size of a golf ball. Something appears inside it when she touches it. I can’t make out what is says from here.
“Where’d you get that from?” Rage asks her.
“It’s a souvenir from the wedding. It was in the small boxes.”
“Oh, that’s what was in it? I thought the boxes contained what was left of the human’s dignity.” She laughs softly.
“I can’t believe Emmy is okay with it.”
“Humans are stupid.”
“I can actually see her heart breaking. Dear Omnis, that girl is weak,” she says with a sigh.
He laughs and shakes his head.
“If you were in Emmy’s position, what would you do?” He asks.
“Thomas, I would never be in Emmy’s position.”
“Why?”
“Because the minute Dalce opened his mouth and said you had to marry Bianca, father and daughter would have matching headstones.”
“I love when you talk like a Demon. It does things to me,” he says, pulling her into his arms.
They kiss passionately. I ask Omnis to please blind me because I definitely do not want to be seeing this. Thankfully, they pull apart a few moments later.
