“If the Elders are after us,” Eugene said, “they might have sent a hit on Isaac. They know that they placed you two together on a mission. Maybe they realized that they gave you too much of an advantage and that by removing one of you from the equation, the others would have a greater probability of failing.”
“All the more reason to get stronger,” Isaac said.
“We’re leaving Lowsunn at 11:30,” Aidan stated. “We’re meeting in the south end by the shield. Do you need any supplies or anything?”
“Just what I have on me,” Isaac replied. “You know I don’t have anything.”
“Me neither,” Aidan chuckled. “Well, until then, we’re sticking together. I don’t want to give the assassin another chance. Unless you feel like being bait and we try to settle this.”
“No, like I said, he’s probably gone. Besides, have you said good-bye to Leah yet?”
“No,” Aidan replied. “I was heading over to do so when I realized you were missing.”
“It’s so weird. I can still feel where the blade pierced through me…I don’t think I’m going to get over this anytime soon.”
“Just accompany me,” Aidan replied, and he turned to Eugene. “It’s good you found Isaac and were able to get one of us in time. But what this also means is that you’re going to have to be careful around here in our absence. Most of us are leaving. There’s no one to protect you.”
“Even if I’m killed, I’ve lived a full life,” Eugene said, his eyes smiling. “I wish you both the best of luck.”
“Thanks,” Aidan said, and they walked away. Eugene began searching the ground for clues as to what had happened. The two boys stayed in the background as much as possible as they made their way to Leah’s cabin in the south. She was sitting right outside the door when they arrived and she stood to greet them with a smile.
“I was given an N mission,” she declared with a smirk. Isaac raised an eyebrow.
“What is that?” he asked. “I’ve only heard of A through D.”
“There are six classes to a mission,” Aidan declared. “The highest is Omega, and then it goes A, B, C, D, and ends with N for negligible. Basically she’s probably going to Otalli or another nearby location to get supplies and come right back. But it doesn’t matter. Leah, plans have changed. You’re coming with us this morning.”
“I thought we talked about this.”
“There was an attempt on my life,” Isaac said. “No let me take that back. I was murdered. If it wasn’t for Aidan using a Yen, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”
Leah’s eyes widened in surprise as Aidan pulled up his sleeve to reveal it as truth. She rubbed her fingers across the newly darkened seal.
“We can’t stay here,” Aidan said. “Not with a murderer around. We can’t risk it.”
“But it’s already...” she looked up at the sun. “It’s close to 11. I haven’t packed anything. I haven’t seen my father –”
“We can gather some of your belongings, but it might be best to leave your father be. We don’t even know for sure that he wasn’t involved.”
“So one minute he’s innocent until proven guilty, and the next, he’s a possible murderer?”
“What would you do, Leah? Huh? Would you want to stay here? I know Lowsunn is all you’ve known since the new era, but you have to make a choice now. It’s either stay here and take the risk, or come with me, and well…take that risk too.”
“It’s not even a question,” she answered with a weak smile. “It’s just hard now that the day we leave for good has come so quickly.”
“I’ll do everything I can to make it easy for you,” Aidan said. “Now go inside and get some things. We have to meet up with Jin and the others.” Leah entered the cabin as Isaac glanced around him.
“I don’t know what’s right anymore,” he muttered.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just…I didn’t think the Elders would be so bold as to try to kill me like that. What if I had been found by someone other than Eugene? It would have raised a lot of questions. People would have gone into a panic.”
“Yeah…” Aidan said in thought. “It doesn’t sound like the Elders at all. But like Eugene said, they must have realized that putting the two of us together just increased our chances at survival. With everyone leaving, they took the risk. If Eugene hadn’t found you so quickly, they might have cleaned up your body quick.”
“Yeah, it’s great he was there, isn’t it?” Isaac muttered. “You know, what if – what if Eugene was the one who did it?”
“No offense, but you would have heard Eugene coming.”
“One of his puppets then. Especially if it’s the kind that can just hang from strings. They might not have touched the ground at all.”
“You’re getting conspiracy theory on me again.”
“No, think about it. What do you actually know about Eugene? You know he works closely with the Elders. And did you know that his abilities involved puppetry from the beginning?”
“No, he told me differently,” Aidan said. “Said it was a tactical mind.”
“He could be one of the Elders’ secret assassins.”
“Then why would he run to get me so fast?”
“Because he got you to use a Yen.”
Aidan’s eyes widened in a rage once he heard that. He could feel his blood boiling. He hoped it wasn’t true. For Eugene’s sake, he prayed it wasn’t.
“If I die, our chances at survival go down collectively,” Isaac continued. “So even if I had died before you got to me, there would have been no loss. But since I didn’t, having you use a Yen just makes you specifically that much weaker. Even I used one in the heat of the moment. All we have left is one each.”
“Where do you think Eugene is now?” Aidan asked, clenching his jaw.
“Look, it’s just a theory,” Isaac said, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “And we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it right now anyways. We have no proof and it’s just his word against ours. And if I’m wrong, all it does is weaken our relationship with him and the rest of the Movement.”
“And if he is the culprit, he just got away with it.”
“For now. But we’ll keep an eye out.”
“I’m sick of keeping an eye out. I want this to end. All the games. All the politics. Why can’t we just grab Eugene and force him to talk?”
“Because he might not. And even if he does, there’s no guarantee he won’t be lying.”
“That’s why we must ask around,” Leah said, emerging from the cabin. She only had her Lowsunn backpack over her shoulder. “There’s no question that many know of Lowsunn. They might have more knowledge and insight into what goes on here than we do since we’re already in the mix. Only a baker knows how his cake is going to turn out. The ingredients are simply clueless and along for the ride.”
“Oh!” Isaac exclaimed, turning to Aidan. “So this is where you get all your metaphors from!” Aidan smacked him upside the head and Leah giggled.
“Regardless, we have to go,” Leah said. “If we stay, everyone’s going to want to know why.”
“We’ll be back for sure,” Aidan muttered as the three of them headed south, past the cabins and through the woods behind them. Neither of them said a word as they traveled further and further into the woods, not until they saw a group standing by the shield’s edge. Jin waved at them cheerfully, but his face scowled once he saw Leah with them.
“Um, what is she doing here? She has her own mission to go on.”
“She’s coming,” Aidan said, sticking his face into Jin’s. “And that’s final.”
“You don’t get to make that call,” Jin replied. “She’s the Elder’s daughter. AND she’s supposed to be leaving with her own group. They’re going to notice she’s missing within the hour and they’ll know she went off with you. They’ll hunt us down.”
“The three of us can leave on our own if that’s what needs to happen. But there’s
no guarantee they won’t come searching for her in your group. They’ll find out you didn’t go to Darken, and they’ll figure out you went running. At least if we’re all together, we can all fight as one.”
“You just had to find a way to make this harder,” Jin sighed. “And I was hoping you wouldn’t live up to your reputation.”
“You should have known better,” Aidan smiled. “Now let’s get going. We need to put some distance between us and this place.”
“Whatever,” Jin groaned, walking off. Jessica patted Leah on the back and gave her a hug while Grain and Teller wore unreadable expressions. Leah introduced herself to the group, but not everyone responded. Once she was done, they all picked up their few belongings and headed out.
Passing through the shield was different this time. There was no reason to crawl or be afraid of what section they touched, although Aidan did wonder if the shield was able to identify who specifically had passed through it, or if it just registered in general that someone had. If it was able to identify the people who passed through, then Leah’s missing would be reported sooner than he had thought. But once Jin and Grain leapt through to the other side, he realized that there was no turning back. All of them followed suit, and in an instant they were back in the real world. Isaac reached back and caressed the shield to see if he could go back in but his hand remained flat against its surface. Without authorization to re-enter Lowsunn, they were stuck out in the open.
On the south end of Lowsunn, there wasn’t a cliff or rolling hill to behold. Just a massive expanse that stretched as far as the eye could see. The sky was a cloudless baby blue. The air was crisp, thin and fresh, unlike the recycled thick atmosphere in Lowsunn. There were no beasts, but hundreds of dragonflies danced in the air. Dandelions with diamond petals covered the valley and an ambiance of hope permeated the air. Except for Jin and Aidan, they were all in awe, and at first no one moved. They just took in the sight as if it were an organic mural. Jin chuckled and placed an elbow on Grain’s shoulder.
“C’mon, everyone. Let’s get moving. We have to find shelter before dark.”
Chapter 16 – What We Fear
“Oh! Look at that!” Isaac exclaimed as they walked. A small lake, nearly a mile wide, hung in the air to their right. Aidan was quick to elaborate.
“It’s called an aqua station. It’s actually quite common around here. Why don’t you go stick your head in and take a drink?”
“Is it safe?”
“Usually. When it rains, the water falls into the lake and it gets purified. All of the residue gets dropped to the ground below which is why there’s so much mud and strange-colored grime underneath. Take that green patch over there on the left side. I don’t even want to know where that came from.”
“So I just go over and take a sip?”
“Yeah. Here, let me show you.” Aidan walked up and stuck his face into the jiggling substance, drinking freely until he had his fill. When he emerged from it, his face was drenched, but his thirst was quenched. “Ah, that tastes good.”
“And you’re sure it’s not poisoned?”
“This aqua station has a great probability of being safe since it’s sitting in the middle of nowhere. Once we’re in the Onyx area, I would be a little more careful though.”
“Alright,” Leah said, walking over to the aqua station and sticking her head into the water. She took a sip and emerged, face dripping. “Oh my, that’s good.” She stuck her head back in to drink more and the others followed suit.
“Yeah, it’s pretty crisp,” Aidan replied. It took a few moments for everyone to drink their fill. “So Jin, how much longer until we get to Onyx?” Aidan asked after everyone was done.
“Oh that’s going to be a couple of days,” Jin replied, wiping his lips with his sleeve. “I don’t even know if there’s shelter between us, and it will be evening soon. The sky’s already turning pink and red.”
“We might as well keep moving,” Grain said. “Though I have to admit, I’m kind of getting used to being out here. I was pretty terrified at first, but it’s not that bad.”
“All we’ve seen is this valley,” Jin pointed out. “There’s a lot more to this world than we’ve experienced yet.”
“Hey!” Isaac shouted from a distance. “There’s something over there!” He was about a quarter mile ahead of them, and the group sped up to reach him. They stopped and followed his index finger to where it was pointing. Somewhere out in the expanse, they could just make out a tiny dot.
“I’ll get a closer look,” Teller said, rising off his feet and into the air. He slowly gained altitude and headed toward the dot. Once he was about three-quarters of the way there, he doubled back and landed hard on the ground in front of them. “It’s a house. Small, but there was a light on inside.”
“Anything else?” Jin asked.
“Nothing I could sense,” he replied. “But the grass surrounding the home for about a quarter mile was littered with paper.”
“Paper?”
“Yeah, it was all over the place. Just lying in the grass.”
“It might involve the inhabitant’s abilities,” Jin said thoughtfully. “Most of us should stay away from that paper as much as possible. We don’t know why it’s there. Aidan, you’ll be taking point. You’ll approach from the front while myself, Grain and Isaac take the back. Teller, stick to the skies overhead. How many windows did you see on the house?”
“One on each side. A couple in front. Very tiny though. I don’t think anyone can fit through them.”
“Leah and Jessica will each take a side. If whoever’s inside makes a threatening move, I want you two to force him to his butt and ice him. Hold him down until we can assess who he is.” They nodded as Jin turned to Aidan.
“I understand I gave you the worst position, but given that you have the most experience out of all of us, you were best suited for the job.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take my time approaching while the rest of you circle around.”
“Thank you,” Jin nodded. They traveled most of the distance to the house and, once they got close, dispersed their separate ways to flank the house. Aidan clenched his fists and warmed them. If he was forced to attack, it would have to be quickly. He took a step forward slowly and continued towards the house in like fashion, giving the inhabitant plenty of time to see him approaching. Once Aidan was within a quarter mile, he saw the paper that Teller had mentioned. They weren’t just scraps. They were little paper men, with sticks going up their backs so they could stand. They stood up between the blades of grass like miniature scarecrows, except these wards had creepy smiles on their faces. Against his better judgment, he began stepping on them, but it was the only way he could move forward. With each crunch, he expected the others to avenge their fallen brethren. To come to life and transform into giants and crush him. But nothing happened. They stayed silent, and Aidan kept his sights on his goal.
As he approached, he noticed that the house had not been made by humin hands, but by Yen. It was square and tiny, with a roof that looked like it had been melted into place, drooped over the sides of the house and hardened like stale syrup. The windows could barely allow a bird to enter and the door was a plank of wood, held in place by rusted hinges. Through the two small windows in the front, Aidan could see the flicker of a candle bouncing off the dark walls, and its brief illuminations showed him that the interior was very cramped. Just as he was a few yards from the front door, he saw Leah and Jessica squish their backs up against the sides, waiting for their cue to attack.
Aidan took one more step forward, and the door suddenly burst open, flying completely off the rusted hinges and onto some paper men below. An old man in a dirty apron and hole-covered boots spread his arms wide.
“Welcome, stranger!” he cried, then he noticed the door’s demise. “Dang nabbit. They told me those hinges would last until the second Advent. Liars, all of them!” He turned his attention back to Aidan. “Well, come inside now. I got liber
stew on the pot, and I made enough for you and your friends. Tell em to come inside now. Why it take you so long to walk here is beyond me. Seen you coming long way off…kids, now. They slower than old folk. There is nothing –” he went back inside muttering to himself and leaving Aidan in awe.
Jin appeared from behind the house and shrugged his shoulders. Aidan nodded and they all reconvened in the front.
“What now?” Grain asked. Jin took a glance inside and saw the old man hunched over a boiling cauldron, stirring so slowly it was like he was falling asleep.
“Jessica and Teller stay outside. The rest of us go in until we think it’s safe. Just because he seems harmless doesn’t mean anything. Did you guys see these creepy things?” Jin held up a paper man and Teller slapped it out of his hand.
“It’s getting colder. I’d really like to be inside,” Teller said.
“Stay outside, just for a little while. To make sure there’s no others on their way.”
“Fine,” Teller sucked his teeth and flew back up into the air. Jessica maintained her spot outside the window while the rest entered the humble home. They could barely squeeze into it comfortably. There was a table to the left with its chairs pushed in. The chairs still had their backs pressed up against the walls. No one bothered sitting for they simply wouldn’t fit. In the middle, by the back door, was a dirty toilet, and to the right was the “kitchen.” A cauldron was hanging up by five rusted wires over a blazing hot fire. The old man took a spoonful of the stew and took a sip.
“Oh, that’s vile. As bad as a demon’s socks,” he spat the mouthful into a corner and then wiped his greasy hands on his apron and turned around. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Not hungry,” they all said in unison. The old man laughed heartily and took a step outside, waving for them to follow him. They did and once they were all out in the open, he swat his hands out into the air and the paper men blew away as if caught in a tornado. They spiraled up higher and higher until they couldn’t be seen anymore, and the old man took a seat in the grass, crossing his legs. He waved a trembling finger at Aidan.
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 49
