“So that’s twice you’ve lied,” Aidan huffed. “Why should I believe anything you say from here on out? You could just be using me to pursue your agenda. What are you after, Bailey? The Choate?”
“That hurts that you would say that,” Bailey said, putting a hand to her chest. “After all we’ve been through.”
“You should have just told me to come here –”
“– but I was detained. I couldn’t –”
“– YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!” Aidan screamed. A pair of tired eyes appeared just above the bannister behind the boys. Bailey nodded in the barkeep’s direction and he disappeared.
“I’m sorry.”
“Who do you think I am? Do you really not trust me enough that you–”
“That’s enough,” Jin interrupted. His calm yet booming voice caught Aidan off guard. “Bailey’s intentions were pure, and we knew that you wouldn’t listen to reason. We acted in a manner that would yield the best results.”
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Well, you are now. And there’s going to be plenty more of it. Guess who’s going to be partnered up tomorrow? You, me, Isaac, and a few others under my command. I wanted to bring you both here to see what we can do. Figure out a way to overcome the wall in our path.”
“Which is?”
“Necrosis,” he said, slamming his fist on the table. Isaac’s face gave no response, but Aidan was immediately paralyzed. Before he could even gain his composure, he began sweating. The room lost all air and he felt like his soul had just fallen into a bottomless pit.
“What is it?” Isaac asked in reply, his head swiveling back and forth between them. “What did Jin say? Is it Zorin’s new potion flavor?”
“No, Necrosis is a man,” Aidan said, taking a gulp. “Or at least he used to be.” He fought back the stinging in his eyes as tears of fear began to well up uncontrollably. How was he going to survive to get back to Leah when he had to face such a monster?
“You wouldn’t have come here if you had known ahead of time,” Jin explained. “You would have spent the night in the arms of Ainsley’s daughter. I, for one, have no intention of getting killed.”
“Why – why even continue going on the mission?” Aidan stammered.
“You know why,” Jin snapped, leaning into the table.
“Can someone PLEASE tell me who Necrosis is,” Isaac shouted. Jin leaned onto the table.
“I’ve been in Lowsunn for a couple years now, but I spend every moment I can on the outside because this is where I feel I belong. Let me explain something. The world you both remember has changed. It’s still very, very dangerous, but there are societies now. I’m not talking about the failed attempts you’ve experienced. I’m talking real, thriving cities, bigger than Lowsunn and far more powerful. No matter how much people destroy, they always rebuild, even if it’s just to tear it all down again. The murderers of old, the ones who would go around exacting their bloodlust on others – most of them are gone, and the smart ones have gone into hiding. What happens when you use one of your seals?”
“It’s gone.”
“Exactly. All those greedy, selfish, vile men used their Yen long ago when the world was made brand new. But time heals all wounds. With their Yen gone, they eventually had to face others who still had their Yen intact, or groups of people with abilities more thought out than theirs had been. Obsidian has now become a world in which you can go outside and for the most part live a peaceable, comfortable life, as long as you stay out of the way of a dangerous few. We refer to them as the Omegas. Men of old that have become powerful beings beyond our comprehension. They don’t fear. They don’t hide. They are the equivalent of gods walking amongst us. Necrosis is one such creature. And sadly, he knows when someone on the planet aims to defeat him. It is part of his terrible power.”
“What do you mean?” Isaac asked, now beginning to feel his hands tremble.
“He used both of his Yen early on, and he wasn’t afraid to announce what they were used for. One, was to know when a threat was coming his way and to simultaneously know everything there was to know about that person or group. Memories, abilities, everything. You so much as speak his name, and he is suddenly aware of your existence. This is so he could actively combat his enemies before they’ve even devised a plan. And for his second Yen, he desired a strength that rivaled that of the comet of Advent.”
“Then why can’t one of us just use one of our seals to wish for more strength than he has?”
“You think that hasn’t been thought of or tried? Listen, even with the Yen, there is order. You want to know what most men do? They wish to become as strong as ten men, or a hundred or a thousand. Some get more general and wish to be the strongest man in the world. And perhaps the Judge grants it, but what happens when another one wishes for the same? The previous man just became number two on the planet. And so on and so on. Next thing you know, the strongest man on the planet just became the thousandth in order. Necrosis made sure to beat us all out.”
“The Judge won’t grant wishes that destroys the planet completely,” Bailey said. “Or something so ridiculous that it may threaten his position. That’s part of the reason the mythical Choate is so popular. In an age of wishes, that artifact has become the wish without chains.”
“The Judge is not going to grant someone the power of the sun,” Jin explained. “Or the stars or anything that could again, destroy the planet. But the power of the comet that hit us? Sure. The comet destroyed half of our world, but mostly because of its size, and even then, it only scorched the surface, not the core or the mantle. With this power condensed into one man, it’s not so bad. The planet won’t be destroyed, and the wish could be granted.”
“But surely there’s something in-between the comet and the sun.”
“Perhaps, but do you know what it is? Our wishes are limited by our imaginations. You could probably ask the Judge, but then your Yen will be taken for probing. You could use a Yen to get the answer, but what if the Judge says that there is nothing in-between?”
“What about wishing to be stronger than Necrosis? Even just slightly?”
“Perhaps you could. But remember his first Yen. He knows you, and all that you are. Even if you were stronger, his knowledge of you would negate most of the plans you could make. As our wishes are limited by our imagination, so are our abilities.”
“Then how do we do this?” Aidan shook his head. “How…how do we survive this? Any plan we make, he’ll know what it is. He’ll know what we can do. He’ll know about my most powerful attack before I even think of unleashing it, and having the power of the comet…I’m nowhere near that strong.”
“Whether we go or stay in Lowsunn, Necrosis may seek us out,” Jin sighed. “The moment we were put on that list, he knew of our existence. It’s better that we face this threat than have him come for us in Lowsunn. As people begin defending their home, they will simply become threats in his mind. In a lot of ways, he is a very intimidating machine.”
“What did you have in mind?” Isaac asked, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.
“My ability is relative absorption as I like to call it. When I am hit by a force, whether a fist or a rock, my body absorbs the kinetic energy surrounding that person or object and then I channel it back either through my fists or an object I am carrying, such as a sword. I might not be able to kill Necrosis outright, but I might be able to knock him unconscious if I can survive one of his blows.”
“That’s the plan?” Isaac said, clutching his temples. “We’re doomed.”
“The hit,” Aidan said in thought. “It would have to be pretty hard.”
“It’s the reason I’m wearing so much armor,” Jin said, glancing down. “But I don’t know if it will be enough. Getting hit in the chest would surely shatter it and I don’t know how much the armor will actually slow his approach. Even if it did stay intact, I would surely be thrown off my feet, and the whiplash alone might kill me. Of course, this is all supposing h
e’s going to hit me in the body. A head shot would kill me instantly.”
“We only get one shot,” Aidan sighed. “And it depends on you surviving a hit from an Omega.”
“It’s all we’ve come up with,” Jin said with a heavy sigh. “But I am open to suggestions.”
“I have one. We leave Lowsunn and stay on the run.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Our running might show Necrosis that we’re not a threat after all.”
“No one knows how long it would take for that message to get through.”
“It’s an option,” Aidan replied. Jin looked over at Bailey who nodded in his direction.
“The boy has a point. Only you and your team are on the list, not Lowsunn. While you’re on the run, you could gather more information that could help our cause. And it would ensure your survival. If you don’t come back to Lowsunn, the Elders will just assume you’ve died. They might even consider the mission a success and the threat level gets removed in Necrosis’s mind. The plan might work.”
“I like being on the outside,” Jin replied. “But not enough that I would sleep on the ground. We would have to gather supplies, shelter – all the necessities while we stayed on the move, always with an eye open!”
“Or you could die tomorrow, my friend,” Bailey said solemnly. Jin grabbed his hair and grit his teeth in exasperation as Bailey turned to the boys.
“Are you okay with that?” she asked. Isaac nodded reluctantly but Aidan was at a loss for words. Once again, two paths were before him that could destroy all he cared about. Take Leah with him or leave her in Lowsunn – both options had their risks. Both would probably end in blood. He just had to decide how much he would allow to be spilled.
“I think running is better than fighting this battle,” he said finally. “But, I want to talk this over with my wife as well. It’s up to her whether she wants to go with me or not.”
“Do you understand how serious each choice is? And what you’ll be asking of her either way?”
“Don’t have a clue,” Aidan laughed. “And I would rather not know. But I have to choose, and I’m ready to get it over with. I’m going to be leaving now. I want to spend my last couple of hours with her.”
“I understand,” Bailey said. Jin began to protest but she placed a hand on his chest. “Be careful on your way back.”
“Those people outside,” Isaac said suddenly. “Are they real?”
“No, they’re puppets,” Bailey said. “Created by Eugene’s imagination to fill up this place. By controlling the way they act and making the environment enjoyable, we’re able to attract future villagers to Lowsunn.”
“Control,” Aidan said with downcast eyes. “You seem to have a knack for it.”
“I’m not the enemy, Tallawah,” she said, glaring at him. “Given our past, I hoped you would have realized that by now.”
“Given our past, I hoped you would have known me by now. You would have remembered how much I hated tricks and that you needed to get the message across another way.”
“I know you more than you think. And that’s exactly why I sent the message that way.”
“We’ll finish this later,” Aidan said, pushing Isaac lightly toward the stairs. “But just remember how much this hurt me.”
“I’ll remember,” Bailey said with a lump in her throat. “I promise.”
Chapter 15 – Trust
She wasn’t in the infirmary. She wasn’t in her bedroom or the Field of Visions either and Aidan felt like he was going mad searching for her. It hadn’t taken long at all to find the break in the shield and he and Isaac had parted ways in the forest, each not having much to say. All Aidan could think about was what he was going to tell Leah, and what he was going to suggest she do. But reaching her room and finding her gone? Now all he could do was worry about what had happened to her.
Immediately, his mind raced through a list of faces and names, with her father at the top. But he knew that deep down she had probably just been checked out of the infirmary. After his encounter with Elder Ainsley, it wasn’t unthinkable that she might be found in the Elders’ compound, bundled up before a warm fire, drinking warm tea as her father scolded her for associating herself with the scum on his boot or whatever the heck he had called him that afternoon.
But before he scorched the compound in search of Leah, he decided to check one last place. Once again he navigated the shadows and crept his way into the boys’ cabin, just as the sky was beginning to come to life and the birds were warming up for their morning song. He made it past the rooms where his associates slept and into his bedroom. He barely remembered to close the door behind him when he saw her, sitting on the bed in the dark, holding his pillow.
He tried to tackle her, he was so excited, but she caught him in mid-air with an explosion of water that thrust him into the door. The water became ice and then the floorboards became sentient, creaking up and wrapping around his wrists to hold him down. She shot up from the bed to her feet and threw the pillow directly in his face. Thankfully, it wasn’t encased in ice.
“Where have you been?”
“Out,” he said.
“Haha. That’s funny. You know what’s also funny? This.” She made a circle with her index finger towards Aidan and a floorboard shot up and slammed into his elbow. He winced and fought against his restraints. “Get it? Funny bone? Why aren’t you laughing?”
“Leah, we don’t have much time together.”
“And whose fault is that?” she sobbed, walking over and stooping down so that she was eye-level with him. “I thought you were going to come by tonight. What happened?”
“A lot,” he said, hearing the stirring of boys awakening from the morning light. Without a window in his room for the sun to lift his eyelids, their rustling had always been his alarm.
“Whatever,” she said, walking back to the bed. The floorboards unraveled and reverted back to their rightful place. The ice on his body melted, leaving his clothes damp. He climbed to his feet and sat next to her, deciding to take her hand into his.
“It was important,” he said.
“More secret espionage stuff?”
“Yeah, and I’m going to tell you all about it.”
“You are? Why the sudden change?” she asked, looking up at him in puzzlement. “I was disappointed that you weren’t there, but I don’t want you to jeopardize anything you were working on.”
“No, I need you to hear this. The reason I was brought here to Lowsunn is because Bailey sponsored me. She believed that I had the resolve to become some kind of strong leader if I just harnessed my anger properly. Her words. Anyways, she and I are part of a secret underground movement that monitors the Elders. It’s no secret even among the people here that their dealings are shady.”
“So what do you do? Prevent the Elders from making wrong decisions?”
“I’ve been on the ground floor mostly. I don’t know much. But the movement mostly just watches, and ensures that we keep our focus on what’s best for Lowsunn. Usually that means not getting too comfortable. Comfort in some ways can be a hindrance to growth. You lose that will to grow, to fight for what you believe in…I know how that feels. From seeing both sides though, I believe there has to be a balance somewhere. We just have to find it. I think the villagers here could rise to do better.”
“Kind of like what Duncan was talking about,” she said. He didn’t know how to take that.
“In a way, I guess. But I don’t like his methods. I don’t care for the Movement’s methods that much either…but most of us don’t get a choice in what situations we’re placed in.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to go with every which way the current takes you. You can paddle. If Bailey or anyone else in this Movement isn’t treating you right, shouldn’t you speak up? Doesn’t your vote count too?”
“I would like to think it does. But it sure doesn’t feel that way.”
“It’s still better than doing nothing.”
<
br /> “I’ve made some choices on my own,” he said, smiling at her. “Choosing to be with you was a big one.”
“I believe it was the other way around, mister.”
“Either way, that’s one move I’ll never regret. And that’s why what I have to say next is pretty painful.”
“What happened?”
“I was outside the shields tonight,” he admitted. “I know you would have come with me, but I didn’t know the situation. Our Movement found out the particulars of the mission list and most of the names on there were people in our organization. I was brought outside to talk, and they told me that the enemy I would have to face…it’s one of the Omegas.”
“What?” she gasped, squeezing his hand. “Which one?”
“Necrosis,” he said solemnly. He could feel Leah’s temperature rise through her palm. “Listen, I don’t know for sure if your father’s involved. It’s no secret that the Elders want me gone.”
“But they’re not expelling you. They’re murdering you.”
“Not exactly. My team and I – we’ve decided to leave Lowsunn. Necrosis will probably still come after us, but it’s better than meeting certain doom and putting the rest of the village in danger.”
“When?” she asked, casting her head down, her hair veiling her face.
“Tomorrow. I’ll be leaving with the mission. Only I won’t be coming back.”
“And what happens to me?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about…I –” Leah clutched his jaw and slammed his lips onto hers, holding it with all the strength she could muster. Aidan sighed deeply and pulled away, but all he could see were her pleading eyes.
“Whatever you do, just don’t leave me behind,” she said. Aidan began to say something, but then he stopped and pulled her to his chest, kissing the crown of her head and holding her tight.
“I won’t,” he said. And he felt her temperature drop immediately.
***
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 47
