“We did run away at first, but then we discovered that you resent Necrosis after Bailey and the others. With so many more threats to the Omega, I figured the attack wouldn’t be localized anymore, and that it would just end up destroying the village in the process. I intervened for the good of us all.”
“I’m glad you did,” he sighed. “I would have been killed too. But that part wasn’t my doing. That was all the Elders.”
“What do you mean?” Aidan asked, looking back at Leah in surprise.
“After finding you near Onyx Major, the Elders were furious, believing that you really were building an army over there. Necrosis was already on his way to your group at that point, from my doing. The Elders caught word of his incoming arrival and decided to take a risk of their own. They had known about the Movement for a while now, and they were just waiting for the right moment to strike. This was that moment. They were the ones that altered the course of the Omega from you to Lowsunn. They were the ones who sent most of the Movement to die by Necrosis’s hands. All to hurt you, destroy them, and weaken whatever army you had accumulated in the city.”
“No way,” was all Aidan could say. Leah’s hand had been over her mouth during the entire explanation. All this time, he had given the Elders the benefit of the doubt. He had known they were a lot of things, but certainly not murderers. He had figured Eugene was behind both rounds of assignments, but why would he lie now?
“I know it’s shocking,” Eugene said. “But it’s over now. You survived my schemes. You survived the Elders, and now I know for a fact that we’re on the same side. We have a piece to the Choate. My standing is sustained and your reputation is better than ever. We can slowly manipulate the two sides to get the other pieces. I can be the brains, and you the brawn.”
“Like you’re really going to keep me alive,” Aidan scoffed. “You might not be able to fight me, but you’ll devise a way to kill me in the end.”
“But we’re partners.”
“So you say. How dumb do you think I am?”
“I’ll admit, I thought you were. But after what you’ve just accomplished, I see you as an invaluable asset.”
“As I do for you. Why don’t you come outside?” Aidan said, pointing to his forehead. Eugene frowned and squinted his eyes. A small beetle fluttered its wings from between Aidan’s spiky hair. “Everyone’s going to have lots and lots of questions for you.”
Aidan and Leah stepped outside and Eugene cautiously followed. Once he was outside the schoolhouse, Makana and Jin kicked in the back of his legs and held his arms behind his back. The whole village of Lowsunn had surrounded the schoolhouse with angry, concerned looks on their faces. Bailey and the Elders were gathered in front, along with a smiling Isaac, who had a beetle also on the top of his head, which had transmitted every word Aidan and Eugene had exchanged.
“You traitor!” Elder Thine spat, slapping Eugene across the face. “After all the privileges we’ve bestowed upon you. After all the luxuries, you spit in our face!”
“Traitor,” Elder Seven seethed as Eugene grit his teeth and glared at Aidan.
“You tricked me,” he said, and Aidan nodded.
“Something you must have thought was impossible,” Aidan said, snatching the piece of the Choate from Eugene’s sweaty hands.
“How could you do this?” Bailey asked, stepping forward and kneeling down to his level. “I thought – I thought we believed in the same thing.”
“Right,” Eugene laughed. “And why is that? Because back when you and the Elders were building Lowsunn I praised you and your views? Please. I was sucking up to you to gain your trust as well as the others. All of you are the same. You’re so self-righteous that you can’t even see when someone’s fooling you right underneath your nose! When you defected to bring in this wild brat, I saw it as an opportunity to play both sides! Until you became a prominent member of the Movement, I had no one to play the Elders against, but you performed your job perfectly. I used you, Bailey. Just like everyone else! You’re nothing but my tools! My puppets!”
“But why would you do this? We could have accomplished so much together. Why would you throw it all away?”
“I can only imagine how the naturals feel,” Eugene said, bowing his head. “Not only losing all of your loved ones in Advent, but not getting any sort of relief in exchange. They watch as everyone around them makes their wishes and rebuilds new lives and worlds while they continue to suffer and wallow in their pain. I had two seals, two Yen, and I wasted them. I threw away my opportunity and, like watching a gem wash down the river, I saw my chances at a better life slip through my grasp.
“My first wish was to control life-sized puppets, so real that people would think they were humin. I thought I would re-create the family I lost in Advent. But they were lifeless and boring and predictable, and so I wasted my last Yen to bring my real wife back to life. Because I was lonely…but the Judge told me...he told me that I needed three Yen to bring someone back to life, and then he wouldn’t even let me keep my second Yen! How is anyone supposed to still be sane after hearing that? When I first met you all in the wild, talking of building Lowsunn. I saw it as my second chance. If only I –”
Eugene’s words were cut short as Elder Exil stuck a blade through his heart.
“Yes,” Elder Thine muttered. “I was wondering when someone would shut him up. The last thing we need is an army of puppets attacking the village.” Bailey made a move to hit her, but Isaac held her back. Elder Thine turned to Bailey. “I guess there’s no use hiding our opinions of each other anymore. To any of you.”
She turned to face the people.
“What you must take from this is that Eugene has orchestrated both this Movement and the Elders against each other. He was the true enemy, not us. Now that both parties are aware of how wrong we have been in our secrets and disdain, we can move forward to a greater and brighter future. This so-called Movement and the Elders can work together for what’s best for Lowsunn. We will be meeting together tomorrow to discuss just how we can do so, but it has been a tiring night, and we ask that you excuse us so that we may absorb and evaluate tonight’s events. We are all after the same thing, and we will never ever stop working for you – the people.”
“But you sent us to die,” Aidan spat. Elder Thine peered at him through tired eyes.
“I did what Bailey and your friends would have done in the same position. But I don’t need to explain myself to you.”
Elder Thine and the other Elders retired to their compound, and the crowd just watched them leave. Aidan went to lunge for Elder Thine, but Isaac grabbed him from behind.
“Not right now,” Isaac whispered into his ear, pointing down to their mentor. “The Elders can wait. They know they’ve lost, and they’re at our mercy now. You go after them, and you’ll just start an ugly fight.”
Aidan glared at him but kept his feet planted. He bent down to see how his mentor was doing. Bailey was still staring into Eugene’s lifeless face as Jin and Makana carried away the body to dispose of it.
“Bailey,” Aidan said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I exposed everything you worked for. I –”
“– no, no,” she said, her voice distant and strained. “It was necessary, Aidan. I understand. I was blind. We were all so blind. He…he could have killed us all. Teller…I got Teller killed.”
“Hey,” Aidan said, hugging her tight. “Don’t do that. Don’t you do that.”
“That man did so much damage, and I just let it happen,” she cried, refusing to hug Aidan back. “I could have stopped him. I could have acted sooner. Why didn’t I act sooner?! Teller…he was such a good boy. I used to babysit him. He used to cry my name at night when he had nightmares, when he thought someone was breaking into the village… He was like a son to me! I let my son die! I let him–”
“STOP IT!” Isaac barked. He turned his head and wiped his eyes. Leah hugged Bailey from behind as she whispered into her ear.
“W
e’re here for you.”
“All of us are,” Aidan whispered. “Just stay with us.”
Bailey cried some more, but finally, she rested her head onto Aidan’s shoulder.
And embraced him back.
Chapter 23 – Elder
“Bailey’s finally asleep,” Isaac sighed, entering the bedroom. “Makana’s keeping watch and I’ll be taking over in a few hours. Jin extends his thanks and says he’ll see you soon. He left a few minutes ago to be with Grain. He knew you all would understand.”
“Especially after surviving an Omega,” Aidan sighed, patting Leah’s knee next to him. “We’ll visit him soon.”
“Before she fell asleep, Bailey said we should destroy the Choate piece.”
“What do you think?” Aidan asked Leah. She gave a heavy sigh and shook her head.
“No clue. Can it be destroyed?”
“Probably not, but we can try.”
“I think we should all make that decision together. Jin, Grain, Bailey…all of us.”
“You mean not the Elders?” Isaac laughed, sitting down beside Aidan. The silence in the room told him loud and clear that it was joke in bad taste. Isaac winced. “Sorry guys.”
“So what happens now?” Leah asked. Aidan shrugged his shoulders.
“I guess Bailey and the Elders work things out. It’s not like the Elders have any power anymore after their little stunt got exposed. Bailey can pretty much demand whatever she wants. I just don’t know if she’s up to all of this. Makana might be able to take her place but she’s kind of rough around the edges. Elroy is in no condition.”
“Who’s Elroy?”
“The other fourth of the Movement leaders,” Aidan yawned, laying back on the bed.
“You think Lowsunn will be okay?” she asked.
“Well, the Elders are pissed,” Isaac chuckled. “Bailey’s a wreck. The people are confused as ever, and there’s an Omega under our doorstep that may someday find his way to the surface and bring forward an equivalent of the apocalypse. Yeah, we’re in excellent shape. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.”
“Strawberry potions,” Aidan sighed happily, closing his eyes and folding his arms.
“Oh, my,” Leah said, and Isaac laughed.
“Sounds like a date,” Isaac chuckled.
“Who said you’re coming?” Aidan asked as a knock came at the door. “Come in!”
Sawyer stepped in, his stuffed dragon hanging on to his shoulder.
“Hey little man,” Isaac said. “What’s going on?”
“Morrigan,” he sobbed. “I can’t find her.” Aidan, Leah, and Isaac glanced at each other.
“Do you have any ideas where she might have gone?” Isaac asked.
“No. It’s not like her.”
“She wouldn’t have run away,” Leah said. “Could only be a couple options.”
“More like one,” Isaac said, standing to his feet. “The Elders.”
“You think Elder Thine would hurt her own daughter?” Aidan asked.
“I’m sure of it. You saw what they did to Eugene for betraying them.”
“Sawyer,” Aidan said, turning to the boy. “Is there any chance that your mother or any of the Elders found out she helped us?”
“They might have,” he sobbed. “She wouldn’t trust anyone but me, and they know I was missing for a little while.”
“Let’s go,” Aidan ordered, as they all jumped up from the bed. “The Elders might have realized their plan would have succeeded without our interference. Someone had to have given us a heads up, and it sure wasn’t Eugene.”
He was dead tired, but he wasn’t about to stop fighting now. Especially for the girl that had inadvertently saved them all.
“Where could she be?” Isaac asked.
“There’s a secret chamber in my Mama’s house where the Elders talk. But I don’t have a key.”
“Is it on the top floor?”
“Yes.”
“Then I already have one,” he said, unsheathing his sword. “Take us to the roof.” Sawyer wiped his eyes.
“We can take Charlie. Let’s go outside.”
They ran out into the open and Charlie seemed to teleport off of Sawyer’s shoulder. One moment he was a stuffed animal, the next he was a real dragon, and Aidan could have sworn it sneered at him. He patted its hide as the four of them hopped on and took to the skies.
The ride was short and they arrived at Elder Thine’s mansion in a matter of seconds. Isaac and Leah jumped off first, but before Aidan followed suit, he leaned in close to Sawyer.
“Get far away from here,” he said. “Just in case things go bad for us, I don’t want your Mama coming after you too. Understand?” Sawyer nodded and Aidan jumped. Charlie took off into the clouds.
“We forgot to ask exactly where the chamber is,” Leah said, but Isaac was already cutting into the roof.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s on the top floor. That’s all I need to know.” Once he had cut a hole in the roof, they all jumped in before it sealed back up. It was not the chamber. But the luxurious decorations caught them off guard nonetheless. The walls were made of gold bricks. Blue and purple banners covered the walls. Decadent gems and rubies were embedded in elegant necklaces, standing in glass podiums as if they were trophies. Leah rolled her eyes as Isaac and Aidan stared at her.
“Yes,” she sighed. “My home looks the same.”
“Why?” Aidan asked. “Just…why?”
“I don’t know. It’s pretty.”
“It’s gaudy.”
“You wouldn’t know.”
“We’re here for a reason,” Isaac said, pushing past them. At the end of the hall was a vault door, encased in gold and designed with thick gears and levers. Isaac didn’t bother with subtlety. He lunged forward, drove his blade into the middle of the door and began pulling down. Once he made a gash big enough to his liking, he cut through the center and began slashing from left to right. A hole the size of his fist was made and he stuck his face in.
In the center of the room was Morrigan, chained to the wall, and all five remaining Elders were around her, staring directly at him in shock. Once Morrigan recognized him, her eyes lit up with hope.
“Isaac!” she screamed. Isaac’s eyes sparkled and his cheeks turned slightly red.
“I could really get used to her saying my name like that,” he sighed, sticking in the blade one last time, expanding both the length and width of the hole simultaneously. The hole was big enough for him to squeeze through, but before he could attempt to enter it he was shot backwards with a lightning bolt.
Aidan and Leah rushed forward. Leah hit the hole first and dived in, casting chains of ice around the hands of two of the Elders. Elder Ainsley ran towards her and tried to hold her back, but she hit him with a battering ram made of ice from the palm of her right hand. He got the wind knocked out of him and went flying to the side on the floor. Serah Thine and the other standing Elder made no move as Isaac and Aidan entered. Leah remained poised to fire off more of her abilities if necessary.
The room was massive, easily three times the size of their cabins alone. Stakes with torches lit up the golden-bricked room and a symbol of the Yen was on the main wall in the back. Morrigan hung from her chained arms in the center.
“You have to save me!” she cried out, as Elder Thine lifted her nose up at the intruders. “They’re going to take my Yen and ki –”
“– that’s enough!” Elder Exil shouted, punching her in the stomach. He turned to Elder Thine. “Do you want me to handle the intruders?”
“Let me speak,” she said, as she took a step forward and glared at Aidan. “I knew it was a mistake letting you into this village the moment I saw you, but Bailey’s resignation enticed me. Her views had long clashed with ours.”
“Let Morrigan go,” Aidan ordered, but she made no move to do so.
“You have deeply wounded us,” she said, folding her hands. “No matter how hard we try, we will never have the power
we once had. You have crippled us.”
“Not if you work with Bailey and the others. Not if you work with the people and atone for what you’ve done.”
“The people,” she scoffed. “What do they know? They act on emotion just as much as you do. Are we to wipe away every tear? Satisfy every complaint? We may live in luxury, but we have earned our right. Who are you to question our way of life?”
“There is a better way.”
“But do the people want it? Of course if they demanded such, we would be forced to adapt. We are but few. But they do not truly want change. Because they are comfortable. They are content. They are happy with their scraps. Why tantalize them with anything more when so much hardship comes of it?”
“It’s not right for you to decide for them.”
“You know nothing of what it takes to lead. How every decision you make affects the very world we live in. Your defeat of Necrosis today, for example. Were you proud of it? It may have been noble to come to the defense of your comrades, but have you thought it all through? Do you think word has not spread of your victory beyond these walls? Do you not think that others just as strong or greater will not come to our borders and seek a challenge? We maintain a delicate order here. Eugene Balthasar disrupted that order, and that is why he died. He brought that monster to our doorstep in the first place when we would have never, ever, ordered such a thing to happen. Why are we the monsters because we took advantage of a force already set in motion? Now Lowsunn stands on the brink of annihilation. All you have done is delayed its demise.”
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 56
