by A. N. Sage
“Not information.” She said, getting back to the plan.
“Oh?” Elena was intrigued.
“Me. I am what will be of use to you.” Ruby straightened her back, her mother always said that good posture exuded confidence and that is exactly what she needed right now.
“I see. How exactly?”
“I think we can all stop the charades here.” She walked over to the window, trying to see if she could spot resistance members outside, but they were too high up. “I am an AetherBorn, no need pretending otherwise.”
She looked back at Cyril and the mayor. They were speechless. No condescending remarks, she had them hooked.
“I am assuming the Sword of Enuma is here? That is the ‘artifact’ you were alluding to?” she asked Jake, who was a minute short of hiding in the corner of the room. She felt bad, giving out information would likely not go over well with Cyril.
“Yes, you’re correct.” Cyril said, eyeing his son like a sniper. “What does that have to do with the resistance?”
“Well, they want it, of course. Or did you think the attack on the bank was their big performance?”
“It did seem odd, them laying low after we...” Elena stopped talking.
“What? Found where they operate out of and killed a bunch of people?” She was starting to get upset. “They’re getting close to figuring out where the sword is and when they do, you’ll have a war on your hands.”
“And how exactly do you propose we stop them?”
“You don’t.” She said sharply. “I do.”
The room was quiet enough to hear the heartbeat of each person in it. No one spoke a word and she could have sworn Jake was trying not to breathe, just to stay quiet. The time had come to close the deal.
“Having the sword might have been useful this far, but these are not the same times as those of your ancestors. Fire and Earth want to come out of hiding, they are pissed, and they want to take over. Your possession of the sword will not help. They have the numbers and they are ready for a fight.”
“I’m still not sure where you come in.” Jake said. She could see he didn’t like how involved she wanted to be.
“I am an AetherBorn, Jake! My ancestors were literally created to wield and guard the sword. I am the only one in this room who can bring it to its full power, and if you’re smart, you’ll use that power to continue your dominance over the other Elementals.”
“You’ll have to excuse my son, Ruby. I’m sure you can imagine how shocking this is for us to hear. How do we know we can trust you?”
“You can’t. All you can be sure of is that the resistance put my best friend in the hospital. They have no control and more innocent people will be hurt unless we stop them.” She hated using Shaylah as a bargaining chip, but what she was about to say next was not any better. “You can trust that I love your son and I want to help him. Oh, and I’m assuming you’d like to prevent the deaths of humans and your own houses, right?”
They fell silent again. Cyril did not look convinced, but Elena walked in front of him and stood by Ruby. She put her hand on her shoulder, and Ruby could feel the weight of the power it carried. Like she was in the presence of royalty. “Well, where do we start, then?” she smiled.
“The sword.” Ruby said and pulled away from the mayor. “I will need to see the sword.”
Chapter 39
Underwhelming
There was still no response from Liam since her last text to him. She had no choice but to follow through with the plan and trust that the resistance had her back. As she followed Jake down the corridor, her stomach turned with each step.
“We’re here.” Jake said, breaking the deafening silence.
Her hand pushed open the door in front of them and she felt a chill from the metal. Her palms tingled, feeling the sword was within reach.
The room was dark, with just a few pot lights shedding streams of light around the perimeter. Ruby had expected a grander entrance, but instead, she found herself in a space that resembled a library wing of a museum. There were books filling the shelves on the wall opposite her and a single desk and chair in the corner. The other three walls were adorned by large, antique gold frames surrounding abstract works of art.
“Well, this is...”
“Underwhelming?” Jake said and smiled.
He walked to one of the paintings and lifted the frame from the wall, setting it aside to reveal a hidden safe. The safe door was covered in symbols similar to those in Cyril’s office, which seemed foolish to Ruby. The sword didn’t need their protection, the only guardian it needed was her. She tried to see the code Jake entered to unlock the door, but he was too far away from her to catch all the numbers. The safe swung open, causing a light to flicker on a piece of metal inside; the outline of the sword resting on a satin display case.
Ruby walked slowly towards it, her eyes studying the weapon. It was simple in design and if not for the stones adorning its handle, she would have thought it was just a show piece. Like the fake swords she’d seen in party stores while looking for a Halloween costume. The golden handle was tarnished, with decorative carvings barely visible in their antiquated state. There were five stones cast into simple settings. Ruby did the math; the ruby, emerald, sapphire and diamond were all representative of the four houses. What was the onyx at the top for? She gazed at Jake for answers, but he looked disinterested, like he was showing her his mother’s fine china collection.
Her hands started to heat up the closer she got, and her vision flickered between blurred and razor focused. Ruby felt like someone was pointing a flashlight in her face and pushed the palm of her hand in front of her eyes.
“Are you ok?” Jake asked. He rushed towards her and caught her by the waist right as she was about to collapse.
“Yeah. Sorry. I just got a little dizzy.” She steadied herself quickly and shook her head.
She needed him out of the way. This was her only shot to grab the sword and get out of there. She couldn’t wait to text Liam for a rendezvous point in the building. There was no way she wanted to be stuck in this place alone with the sword in tow.
Squeezing Jake’s arm tightly she pulled herself up to stand, seeing the worry on his face pushed daggers of guilt into her. Despite everything, he did really care for her and she hated what she had to do to him in order to go through with the plan.
I’m sorry. She thought and pulled him in for a kiss.
His lips were cold at first and he seemed hesitant to kiss her back. She tightened her grip on him, taking control of the situation. She was balancing on her toes to reach his lips, her hands pushing against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist, and she could feel him press her tightly towards him. A part of her still wanted this to be real.
Light bounced off the sword and she remembered why she was there. Her hands fell to her side and she closed her eyes tightly. A black fog formed at the base of her feet and slowly enveloped the two of them. She pulled its energy inward, breathing it in and directing it towards her hands. She could see Jake open his eyes and begin to pull away from her, fearful. Her hands cupped together, she pushed them to his chest abruptly and watched as the darkness shot him across the room, making him slide across the floor, and land face down, unconscious.
There was no time to think now. She ran towards the safe, trailing black fog behind her with each leap. Her hand reached for the sword and as she grabbed the handle, the stones on its handle pulsated light. She could feel the weight of it in her hand, lifting the weapon to study it. The fog danced around her arm, making the Sword of Enuma look as if it was surrounded by a black fire.
Behind her, the doors swung open and she twisted around to face the intruders. Cyril and Elena stood in the entrance, calm and collected.
“Now, let’s not do anything foolish, darling.” Cyril grinned.
He stepped aside and Ruby watched two soldiers enter the room holding Liam and Zag at gunpoint.
“Put the sword down or your friends di
e.”
Chapter 40
We aren’t monsters
“Don’t do it, Ruby!” Liam shouted. The guard who was holding him dug the gun deeper into his forehead and she could see him wince from the pain.
They’d caught him. They’d caught him and he was going to die if she didn’t make a decision soon.
Ruby looked around the room. She was panicking and breathless, but she knew she had to get herself together. If they were going to survive this, she had to gather her thoughts and find a loophole. Fast.
There was no way to escape, this she knew for sure. They were surrounded, and she would have to make a choice. It was either saving his life or helping the resistance. She knew what he’d pick if the tables were reversed. But she wasn’t him, she wasn’t anything like him, and for the first time it seemed like that might actually work in her favor.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see his lips moving. He was mad. Likely yelling at her to run, to leave him behind. She couldn’t worry about his feelings right now. She knew what she had to do. Her hand gripped the sword's handle tighter. Her breath steady and calm as she gathered her strength and prepared for what came next.
I choose how this ends. Not them.
“Ruby, honey, we don’t want to hurt anyone.” Elena made one step towards her. “But you don’t really think we are going to let you walk out of here with the sword, do you?”
“Let them go!” She screamed.
“Look, Ruby. We aren’t monsters. We will let you all go, but you need to put the sword down. Now.”
She looked at Liam and Zag, they were in no shape to fight their way out of this. If they had been captured, and from the looks of it beaten, the rest of the resistance was probably facing the same fate. There was no way they were going to walk out of here alive if she didn’t do something quick.
“They’re lying! You know they’re lying!” Liam was struggling to get free.
“I’m not going to let them kill you!” She felt her eyes fill with tears.
Liam’s eyes met hers, apologetic for what he was going to do next. His hands pressed against the guard who was holding him, burning through his shirt until he collapsed. He moved quickly towards Elena, shooting a stream of fire towards her. Her screams cut through the room, bringing Ruby to the ground. She could feel the burning pain coming from the mayor.
Using the sword for balance she pushed herself up, scanning the room for Liam. She could see him in front of her, but something was wrong. His eyes were emptying of life, the green in them becoming dull and distant. His hands fell lifelessly to his side. From behind him, Cyril grinned, dropping a blood-covered knife to the ground. The metal hit the floor, followed by Liam’s body. Blood stained the marble around him, inching closer to Cyril’s shoes.
“Liam!” she screamed and started to run towards him but her eyes caught Cyril’s gaze. She knew if she moved any closer, she and Zag would suffer the same fate.
Ruby closed her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to hold him right now. To be back in the training room, his fiery lips on hers, pulling her closer and making her feel safe. She thought about her parents, watching her mom cook dinner while her dad told his terrible jokes. Her mind raced over her life, like snap shots in a photo album. Going to school, watching movies with Jake, Shaylah in the hospital.
Her hand gripped the handle tighter. The room started to spin, and she dug her feet into the floor for balance. Ruby raced through time, going back through everything that happened since that incident on the subway. The air around her began to move with her thoughts, to shift as if it was moving up and down at the same time. She tried to focus on Liam, but his face was starting to blur. Ruby felt like she was watching everything in the room through a carnival mirror, a bystander to her own life.
The room filled with black, dense fog. She tried to push her hand through it, but it was thicker than a wall. The only thing still visible was the onyx on the sword, glowing like an LED lamp on steroids. Her emotions seemed to rush to the surface, running under her skin like a million ants, looking for a way out. Her stomach turned from the movement of images around her. What the hell is happening?
She squeezed her eyes shut to contain the vertigo that overcame her. Her mind started to slow down. An image of Liam in front of her. His eyes, lips, hands. She studied them intently, trying to remember every detail. Refusing to accept the fact that he was really gone. Breathing slowly, her hand let go of the sword handle. She waited for it to hit the ground, but the room was silent.
Ruby opened her eyes. A light danced from number to number on the panel in front of her. She was in the elevator with Jake again. The sword was nowhere to be seen.
She glanced at her watch; four thirty-seven. It was as if the last hour hadn’t even happened. Ruby was scared. Was she losing her mind? Did she actually get to the sword? Was Liam captured?
“Ready?” Jake said, as the elevator door opened.
She looked around and saw the openness of the Air and Water research facility. They were back in Cyril’s office building, making their way to his office. Ruby followed Jake to the marked, metal doors and watched as the two guards moved aside to let them pass. She’d been here before, in this exact moment.
“Hey, dad! Someone wants to see you!” she heard Jake yell out.
Holy crap. She thought. I travelled back in time.
Chapter 41
Do we have a deal?
“Jake mentioned you wanted to talk?” Elena said.
Ruby waited until Rhea and the girls were out of the room to start talking. She remembered this all too well and knew exactly what Elena would say next. There was no time for chit chat. The original plan wouldn’t work, it would only lead to more death. To Liam’s death.
“Actually, I didn’t come here to talk.” She said. “As we speak, resistance members have already broken into the building.”
“I’m sorry but why...”
“Why am I telling you this?”
She studied their startled faces. They didn’t believe her but that was fine. She would make them believe. She threw her phone to Jake who jumped back in surprise but still managed to catch it.
“Read out loud the last message I sent.”
“I’m in, the sword is on the top floor. Will text with location once I have it.” Jake’s eyes shot up at hers, confused and demanding an explanation.
“You can call your guys downstairs, but trust me, no one will answer.” She said as Cyril put the phone in his hand down on the table. “The guards are either incapacitated or worse.”
“Ruby, why are you telling us this? You understand the position you’re putting yourself in, correct?” Elena walked to the couch and sat down. Trying to look relaxed, to hide the fear in her eyes. The fear one feels when they have been blindsided. She had them trapped with her words.
Her eyes shifted to Cyril, wanting nothing more than to end him. She could feel her anger rushing to the surface and took a deep breath to calm down. “Trust me. I understand everything all too well.”
“So why?” Jake said.
“I’m here to make a trade.”
“I’m sorry?” Cyril was intrigued.
“I have something that you need. I’m here to trade for it.”
“And what exactly do you have that could benefit us?” Elena was grinning, not realizing she was playing right into Ruby’s hands.
“Me. You can have me.”
The room went silent. She could hear the leather of the couch move as Elena leaned in closer. Cyril sat down on the chair at his desk and was watching her without blinking. She had their attention.
“You have the power. You have the sword. And now you can have an AetherBorn. I will go with you willingly without a fight and will stay as long as you wish. I can help you use the sword.”
“And why do we need that?”
“Because we both know that you want this war to end as much as I do. You said it yourself, you’re not monsters.” She said, catching Cyril look
at Elena in confusion.
Oh, right. They haven’t said that yet. She thought.
“And what exactly do you get out of all of this?”
“You don’t harm the resistance and you let me call them off and leave here peacefully. They will be led by a Fire Elemental. I want your word that nothing will happen to him.”
Jake’s smile dropped, realizing that she’d used him, that she had no intention of being with him. She hated that she’d hurt him this way, but there was no other option. Liam’s life was in the balance.
“So, do we have a deal?”
Cyril turned to Elena who nodded in agreement. He picked up the phone and whispered something into the receiver. A moment later, the doors opened and one of the guards from outside walked in. He started to make his way to Ruby, but she put her hand up in front of him.
“I want to hear you say it.” She said.
“You have a deal, Ruby. We will not hurt them; you can call them off.” He looked at Jake who reluctantly walked over to Ruby with her phone.
She texted Liam and handed the phone back to Jake, watching as he walked away from her. She tried to find his eyes, but he turned around and looked blankly out the window, his hands balled up into fists.
Well, that was easy. She thought as the guard pulled her arms behind her back and tightened the cuffs.
Chapter 42
An animal on display
Ruby’s back was straining. She’d been sitting on the floor of the glass room for a few hours now. The concrete was cold against her legs and she felt like an animal on display. She wondered what this room was used for before it was an AetherBorn cage. Maybe a meeting room.
