by Amy Cross
“You're lucky. Everything that has ever happened on Thaxos... No matter how bad it gets, I keep telling myself that it can never hurt as much as watching my sister die. I know that sounds melodramatic and maudlin, but it's true. Amanda's death was the worst thing in the world, and I still think about her every single day.” Leaning down, she kissed her sister's hand gently, before glancing at the silver necklace that hung around the sick woman's neck. “I know this is going to sound stupid,” she continued, “but that necklace... It was passed down to Amanda from our grandmother. It was the only thing that either of us had left of her.”
“I've never seen you wearing it.”
“I lost it,” she replied. “That's the crazy thing. Amanda made me promise to keep the necklace after she was gone, and I swore, I mean I really swore. And then in all the heartbreak after she died, somehow I lost track of the damn thing, and by the time I asked if anyone had seen it, it was gone. I guess I always figured that one of the hospital workers swiped it, or maybe it just got binned. Still, ever since that day, I've always regretted the fact that I wasn't able to hold onto Elspeth's necklace.”
“Elspeth?” Edgar asked.
“My grandmother's name,” she continued with a faint, sad smile. “It'll be my daughter's name, too, if I ever have one.” She reached over and took the necklace in her hand for a moment, tilting it so that he could see the name Elspeth engraved in the metal.
“You'll make a very good mother one day,” he told her.
“Maybe.” Letting go of the necklace, she turned to him. “I can't even imagine what a child of yours would be like, but I'm sure he'd work out okay in the end.”
“I shall take that as a compliment,” he replied, before a flicker of sadness crossed his face. “Kate, I entered your mind today for a reason. There's something I need to tell you while I still have a chance.”
“Are you worried I won't wake up?”
“You'll wake up,” he continued, “but perhaps not in time. I need to hurry, for your sake as well as for my own. I know I've made mistakes, and I can see now how I could have done everything very differently, but I can't dwell on those failures. I have spent so much time trying to work out how to crush Quillian, it never occurred to me that perhaps I was simply letting him keep the war running.”
“You're stronger than him,” she pointed out.
“But he has had time to set this all up. He's systematically hurting the people I care about. Madeleine... and you.”
“Edgar -”
“Let me finish,” he told her. “Kate, I finally know what I have to do. I don't know how it fits in with anything else that has happened. Perhaps it doesn't, perhaps I am going to inadvertently change the course of destiny itself, but I think this is the right thing to do, so...” He paused. “I came into your mind to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” She stared at him, shocked by the idea. “Edgar, what are you talking about?”
“I am going to face Quillian today,” he continued, “and I do not think I will return.”
“Of course you'll return.”
He shook his head.
“I've seen you after this point,” she reminded him. “I came from the future, remember? You're alive and well, nearly a century from now!”
“I don't doubt you,” he replied, “but I suspect that perhaps, sometimes, the future can be changed. Whatever happens, I want you to know that my feelings for you are absolutely genuine, and that one of my reasons for making this decision is the fact that I can no longer allow you to suffer.”
“Edgar -”
“Quillian will bring nothing but pain to this world,” he continued. “He will dedicate his life not to killing me, but to causing misery for everyone I care about. Can you imagine what my life will be like, Kate? Every time I come to care about someone, I know that I'll be bringing pain into their life? How can I live like that? How can I contemplate children, when I know that Quillian and his associates have their claws in my soul?” He paused for a moment. “Besides, the most important thing right now is stopping the rise of Ashalla. If I must give myself to Quillian in order to end this madness, then that is what I shall do.”
“There's another way, Edgar.”
He shook his head.
“This isn't how it ends,” she replied, getting to her feet and hurrying around the bed until she reached him. “I know this isn't how it ends, it can't be!”
“I wish I had your faith, Kate.”
“Trust me.”
“Perhaps my actions will in some way bring about the future that you know,” he replied, “or perhaps, when his will is strong enough, one man can change the course of history. Either way, I am going to do what I know today to be right, and I hope that this time I have chosen the right path.” He stepped closer. “There is nothing, Kate, that I would not do to keep you and Madeleine from Quillian's wretched grasp.”
“You have to fight him!” she replied. “Edgar, you can't ignore your instincts!”
“Goodbye, Kate,” he whispered, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. “I am only sorry that we did not have more time together.”
“No,” she replied, “Edgar, you -”
As soon as she looked up at him, she realized he was gone. Turning, she looked around the dark hospital room, but she was alone once more with her sister, and with the heart monitor still beeping in the corner.
“Come back!” she shouted, hurrying to the middle of the room and then looking up at the ceiling. “Edgar! You have to come back! You're making a huge mistake!”
She waited, but a sense of panic began to grow in her chest as she realized that he could no longer hear her.
“Nixon!” she screamed. “Get me out of here!”
***
“How is she?” Nixon asked, standing in the doorway.
“Still sleeping,” Edgar replied, taking his hand from the side of her face. For a moment, he saw a flicker in her eyes, but they remained closed. “How much longer do you think it will take,” he added, “before she wakes of her own accord?”
“The sedative should last for a few more hours, but... Why, Edgar? Don't you want her to wake up?”
“Of course I do,” he said, turning and heading to the door. “A few hours should be enough. Whatever she tells you when she comes around, whatever she claims, I need you to promise me one thing.” He stopped next to Nixon and stared into his eyes for a moment. “You must keep her here until morning. Under no circumstances is she to be allowed out of the house until sunrise tomorrow.”
“Fine, but -”
“And keep her alive,” he added. “Her life is more important than anyone's.” Turning, he began to walk away, before stopping and glancing back at Nixon. “You have been a good friend, James. I hope you realize that.”
“I...” Nixon paused. “Are you okay, Edgar?”
“Look after Kate,” he replied, turning and hurrying along the corridor. “Do that one last thing for me.”
VI
“Empty?” Joshua muttered, tilting the bottle upside down and watching as a trickle of beer ran down onto the grass. “Damn it, how the hell did that happen?”
Hearing footsteps nearby, he turned and looked across the dark town square. At first he saw no-one, but finally he spotted a figure making its way closer through the shadows. He wasn't sure who was approaching, but he could tell it was a woman.
“Got any more beer?” he asked with a grin. “How about joining me for -”
Stopping suddenly, he saw Estella's face staring down at him as the woman got closer.
“What do you want?” he asked. “I heard you lost your cushy little job at the cantina. Must suck to be you right now.”
He waited, but she merely watched him, as if she was lost in thought.
“I don't suppose you've got any more beer, have you?” he continued, getting to his feet and swaying slightly, before steadying himself against the railing. “I could do with another swig or two before bedtime.” He paused for a moment. �
�You're welcome to join me. Not just for the swig. Also for bedtime.”
“Take me to him,” she said firmly.
“Take you to who?” he asked with a frown.
“The offer I was made,” she continued. “You told me that Quill wanted to talk to me.”
He paused again. “Sure. I remember. And you were pretty damn certain that you didn't want to hear what he had to say.”
“I've changed my mind.”
“You have, huh? And why might that be?”
“There's nothing left for me on this island now,” she replied. “I had Edgar, and I lost him. I thought I could make a new life down here in this wretched little town, but the locals have turned against me. What else should I do? Waste away to nothing, or embrace my powers and see what I can achieve?” She stepped closer. “Maybe I should waste away, but I can't. I don't have that in me, so... I want to listen to Quill and find out what he's offering. I'm not saying that I'll definitely work with him, but perhaps we can come to some kind of mutually beneficial understanding.”
“Huh,” Joshua replied, wiping some beer from his lips. “Well, I honestly never thought this moment would come.”
“Gloating isn't a very attractive quality in a man,” she told him. “My business isn't with you, Joshua, so let's not waste any more time. Take me to Quill.”
***
Standing in the doorway for a moment, Jennifer peered into Anna's room and watched as her daughter slept calmly. She kept expecting her to wake up suddenly, or to cry out as another nightmare gripped her soul, but the girl seemed completely calm now, as if the horrors of the previous few weeks had truly left her mind.
Finally, Jennifer pulled the door shut, making sure not to make a noise.
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking up at the ceiling for a moment with tears in her eyes. “Thank you, God, for taking the suffering from her heart.”
***
By the time Edgar reached the edge of town, night had fallen and the island was bathed in darkness. Stars lit the sky above, and a few of the town's building had lights, but for the most part Thaxos had retreated for the night, barely visible across the dark Mediterranean sea on all sides. Even the lighthouse, which for many years had warned approaching ships of the rocks below, had not been working for a while now, ever since its keeper had disappeared. Now, as Edgar got closer, he knew that the fatal moment had arrived.
He stopped for a few seconds, spotting the flickering light of candles below the main door on the lighthouse's side. Every fiber of his body ached with fury, and there was still a part of him that wanted to go storming through so he could rip Quillian's throat out and smear the man's body across the ground. At the same time, he knew that he couldn't risk falling into his enemy's hands, and he worried that even from beyond the grave Quillian would have arranged for ways to keep hurting Madeleine and Kate. Revenge had been driving Quillian's every action since his arrival on Thaxos, and now Edgar understood that the only way to deal with the threat was to remove that desire.
Revenge had to be granted, and it had to be complete.
Heading to the door, he pulled it open and looked through to the lighthouse's interior. Candles burned all around, and there were voices in the distance. Stepping inside, Edgar looked up and saw that part of the ceiling had been damaged, no doubt during one of Quillian's bursts of anger. That anger, he realized now, had been directed toward him, always toward him, even if it had gone through others in the process. Slowly, he turned and pulled the door shut, while telling himself that he was doing that right thing by those for whom he cared the most.
“And what do we have here?” Quillian asked suddenly, from the other side of the room.
Turning, Edgar saw his enemy watching with an expression of great delight.
“I wondered how long it would take you to show up on my doorstep,” Quillian continued. “You're a little later than I expected, but I don't suppose I can hold that against you. Let me guess, Le Compte... You've come to teach me a lesson. My mind is about to be separated from my body, is it not?” Leaning on his cane, he shuffled forward. His frame was thin now and his skin seemed to cling more tightly than ever to his bones. “Look at me. I'm hardly in good shape for a fight. If only we had met like this in my younger days. I could have given you the challenge you so richly deserve.”
“No more fighting talk,” Edgar said firmly.
“You want to get straight on with things? Fine.” With a grimace of pain, Quillian threw off his rags, revealing his weak and emaciated body. “I'm stronger than I look, Le Compte. Maybe not by much, but enough. If you think this will be easy, you're wrong.”
“I didn't come here to engage in combat,” Edgar told him, stepping forward.
“Did you come to negotiate?”
Edgar shook his head.
“To threaten me, perhaps? After all, you probably think that your gaggle of girlfriends did a good job at Raven's Briar. You're probably very proud of their efforts, aren't you?”
“There will be no threats today,” Edgar replied, stopping in the center of the room. “I came to ask you to leave Kate Langley and my sister alone.”
“Why should I?” Quillian snapped.
“Because they're not the ones you want,” Edgar said firmly. “I am.”
“But I can get to you through them,” Quillian replied, “can I not?” He smiled. “You don't have children, Le Compte, so I can't pay you back in kind. I can't kill innocents when they've barely begun their lives, there's no nest of little Le Comptes I can burn. I can hurt the ones you care about, though. Killing you would be quick, but this way -”
“I surrender,” Edgar said suddenly.
At this, Quillian paused for a moment. “You... surrender?”
“I will submit myself to any torture you can imagine,” Edgar continued, “for all eternity. No release, no end, no mercy... You can chain me up and spend the rest of your life coming up with new and ever more ingenious ways to make me suffer. I will bleed a thousand rivers, and I will cry out, and I will beg for mercy, but once you have this plunged into my chest...” He held up the Crucifix of St. Joan. “You know what this is, don't you?”
“I do,” Quillian replied with a faint smile. “That thing will pin you down forever.”
“I won't be able to escape,” Edgar told him. “It'll be over. Done.”
“And why would you submit in such a manner?”
“To save the others.”
“Are you really so weak?”
“Leave Kate and Madeleine alone,” he continued, taking another step forward. “That's all I ask. Whether they stay on Thaxos or go elsewhere, you must agree that you will never again cause them pain or suffering.”
Quillian stared at him for a moment. “And in return, I shall have... you?”
“For eternity,” Edgar replied. “What's wrong? Are you worried you'll run out of ways to torture me?”
“Never,” Quillian said softly, as his smile grew. “I must admit, the thought is tempting. I thought I'd covered every base and anticipated your every move, but surrender? No, I never considered the possibility that you'd take this approach.”
“Kate and Madeleine have suffered enough,” Edgar told him. “Leave them alone and I'm yours.”
“To torture,” Quillian continued, as if he was savoring the idea, “forever?”
“Forever,” Edgar said firmly.
“Well, that does sound tempting,” Quillian replied, “but forever is a very long time. As you can see, Le Compte, I'm an old man, and I can only trust my hatred to drive me forward for so long. Perhaps...” He paused. “Perhaps I would need a little assistance if I were to accept your kind offer.” Turning, he looked toward the shadows. “What say you, my dear? Would you be willing to help me deal with this cursed man for the rest of eternity?”
Slowly, a figure stepped out of the darkness, and finally Estella appeared next to Quillian, keeping her eyes fixed nervously, cautiously on Edgar.
“What are you doing h
ere?” Edgar asked.
“She was driven into my embrace by the hatred of those around her,” Quillian told him. “No-one else was able to appreciate her true gifts.”
“Go,” Edgar told Estella firmly. “You can't trust him, you mustn't listen to a word he says. He's just going to use you!”
“I'm sorry, Edgar,” Estella replied, with tears in her eyes, “but after everything you've done to me, and after all the humiliations I've suffered, I think it's finally time for me to embrace who and what I am. Quillian is going to teach me the extent of my powers, and he says I have great potential. He's the first person who has truly treated me the way I deserve to be treated.”
“You're making a mistake,” Edgar replied. “You've made a lot of those over the past few months, but this one is too far. Estella -”
“You don't get to lecture me!” she shouted suddenly, her temper flaring as she took a step toward him. “I tried everything to please you, and you still threw me out! I tried to please the people of this town, and they treated me like some kind of demon!” She paused for a moment. “Not anymore! Now I'm going to be all that I can be, and I won't let anyone stand in my way!”
“Is this a deal-breaker?” Quillian asked with a smile, keeping his eyes fixed on Edgar. “You were willing to submit to me, but are you willing to submit to us?”
“I...” Pausing, Edgar seemed wracked with doubt for a moment. “If I do this, do you promise to leave Kate and Madeleine alone forever?”
“I don't care about Kate or Madeleine,” Quillian replied. “Submit to me, and I'll forget they ever existed. They'll be free to live their lives however they wish.”
“And you?” Edgar asked, turning to Estella. “Do you swear to end your vendetta against Kate?”
“I never had a vendetta against Kate,” Estella hissed at him. “I only wanted to keep you! That was all it was ever about!” She paused. “For as long as you're a prisoner of Quillian, I promise to leave Kate unharmed.”
