Amare- Bloodlines

by J Gaines

  “How did you do that?” asked Sophia breathlessly.

  “I don’t know,” replied Amias, checking his hands for cuts.

  “We need to go. Where’s Olivia?”

  “I don’t know that either.” Amias bent down and picked Lucas’s body up, placing it back on his shoulders.

  Sophia threw down her gun and picked up one of the guard’s weapons. “Come on.” They made their way forward as bullets whistled towards them. “We haven’t got long, Amias. There are more and more of Kaden’s security forces coming in from the stairway.”

  Amias looked back, expecting to see an army racing towards them. “How far are we from the entrance?”

  “About a couple of hundred metres, I think.”

  A voice from behind them caused Sophia to spin around with her weapon raised. “Olivia! Where have you been?”

  “Trying to find a way out.”

  “Is there a way out?” Amias growled.

  Olivia shook her head. “The exit is too heavily guarded. The three of us alone will never make it. Can we turn back?”

  This time Sophia shook her head. “No. We’ll never make it back that way.”

  Olivia bent down and also picked up one of the fallen weapons. “Then we make our stand here.”

  Amias placed Lucas on the ground and picked up a weapon, too. “Nobody else dies.”

  Olivia nodded. “I hope that’s true. But if it’s a choice of being captured by Kaden, or dying, I know what my choice is.” She removed the clip of her weapon to check how many bullets were left.

  Sophia glanced around one of the pillars. “There are too many of them.” She fired a few shots, and then pulled back as bullets buried themselves into the pillar, sending clouds of dust into her face.

  Olivia began to fire shots at anything that moved as Amias joined Sophia, feeling the vibration of the weapon in his hands as he fired blindly. He could see guards running from cover and moving towards them. It was then that he saw the tall figure of Kaden slipping between the pillars, a sword in his hand, still wearing the suit he’d been in when he’d killed Lucas. Amias felt anger surge through him. He stopped firing and felt the fury propelling him forwards, despite the desperate odds. He bit his lip and looked at Sophia, who was crouched against the pillar with the gun pulled tightly against her chest. He couldn’t leave them.

  They were almost out of bullets and within minutes Kaden would have them. He pulled himself back to Sophia’s side and reached for her hand. She looked at him sadly and Olivia joined them. Suddenly a new noise smashed through the gunfire and there was the loud roar of an engine. A large grey van raced towards them and screeched to a halt yards from where they were huddling. The door swung open and the bearded face of John was visible, as he took cover behind the dashboard.

  “Come on,” he shouted desperately. Amias pulled Sophia to her feet and pushed her towards the van, which was already riddled with bullet holes. Sophia sprinted towards the open side door, with Olivia following; Amias pulled Lucas onto his back and followed. Moments later, he threw himself in after them.

  The wheels of the van screeched as it pulled away and Amias reached out to shut the door. As he looked out he saw something moving quickly towards the van: he recognised the tall figure of Kaden, who was matching the van for speed and was about to leap onto it. He desperately looked for something to fend him off with: the gun Sophia had given him! He pulled it from his belt and emptied the clip in the direction of Kaden. None of the shots found their mark as Kaden weaved his way in and out of the bullets, but they slowed him down. As the van sped forwards it hit the ramp and moved out of the carpark and into the night; Amias saw Kaden slowing to a walk, and then he disappeared from sight.

  Chapter 15

  Amias was instantly set upon by two people with a medical bag. They carefully pulled the blood-soaked, makeshift bandage from his wound and removed his t-shirt. Shining a torch on the wound, they set about their work, hampered by the persistent bumps and turns of the van. It was dark except for the light from the torch and Amias was glad of this; he didn’t want to look at anyone, least of all John, who luckily was travelling in the van’s cab.

  He did his best to ignore the people attending him and the pain from his wound, and he looked at Lucas who was lying at his feet. A wave of emotion overcame him and he fought back tears. He was taking him away from that place. He could never truly repay him, but at least Lucas wasn’t being left there. Sophia was sitting next to him, weeping. He remembered what Lucas had told him about her, and resisted the compulsion to tell her. Another time. He watched as Olivia got up and laid her jacket over Lucas’s face. Their eyes met as she stood over him. He still had the dull headache he’d felt since his interrogation and he rubbed his forehead habitually. His wound was stitched and freshly dressed as they travelled in silence, and somebody draped a jacket around his shoulders. They’d been driving for over an hour, and Amias realised he didn’t know their destination.

  “Where are we going?”

  Sophia turned to him in surprise. “To headquarters.”

  “It’s not been compromised?”

  “Not unless you know something we don’t?” Olivia asked urgently.

  “You mean, unless we told Kaden where it is?” Amias replied angrily, nodding in the direction of Lucas.

  “We need to know,” replied Olivia calmly. “Nobody would blame either of you.”

  Amias controlled himself, sighing deeply. “Kaden doesn’t know the location.”

  “Are you sure Lucas didn’t tell him?” questioned Olivia. “I’m sorry but I have to ask,” she added quickly.

  He paused for a moment and then shook his head. “He didn’t tell them.”

  “He’ll always be honoured by the altéré, Amias. He sacrificed his life to keep our secret.”

  Amias clenched his jaw and closed his eyes.

  *

  He awoke to find Olivia sitting opposite him, watching him sadly. The deep reverberation of the van’s engine and the lack of turns told him they were on the motorway, which meant they’d soon be at their base. His wound was less painful now, and he raised his hand, clenching his fist into a tight ball to test it. He looked up to see Olivia still watching him.

  “Why didn’t Kaden kill you?” she asked quietly.

  He felt Sophia shift herself uneasily next to him. “Lucky, I guess,” he replied shortly.

  “When you addressed the council, you told us Kaden would come for all of us, and there was no escape. And yet you’ve done exactly that, twice?” Olivia replied.

  Amias looked at her coldly. “Kaden let me live. That’s the only reason I’m alive.”

  “But why did he let you live?” she pressed.

  He felt anger growing inside him, but he pushed it away, sighing deeply. “He was trying to use me,” he paused, “to get Lucas to tell him the location of the base. He knew I wouldn’t. He killed Lucas because he realised he wasn’t going to break. I would have been next.”

  Olivia’s eyes never left his. “But he knows you’re his biggest threat, so why not just kill you immediately?”

  Amias let out a hollow laugh. “He’s not concerned about me. You all think that I have a chance against him, but you’ve got it wrong. You or Sophia have more chance of killing Kaden than I do. He’s more powerful than any of us, you need to realise that. As does John.”

  “You think John doesn’t know the danger Kaden poses?” replied Olivia calmly.

  “I don’t think he understands what he’s dealing with,” answered Amias.

  “And you do?”

  He sensed that Olivia suspected he wasn’t telling her everything; she was studying him intently. “I’ve spent more time around him than most.” He threw her an angry glance as he rubbed his shoulder.

  “That’s why I’m asking you,” Olivia persisted.

 
“You don’t trust me?”

  “I don’t know you well enough to trust you yet. I know that John trusts you… with his life.”

  “You know what Kaden did to Blaise and Jasmine?” Amias was fighting to control his growing anger.

  “Yes. And I also know what they did to you. They both betrayed you; and Blaise was your brother. I think it’s fair to say Kaden can manipulate anyone. He could have infiltrated any of us.”

  “Then he wouldn’t need me to tell him where headquarters are, would he?” responded Amias quickly.

  “Maybe he already knows where it is. Maybe he’s just waiting for the right time to attack.”

  Amias smiled. “Maybe he’s manipulated you?”

  “Maybe he has,” laughed Olivia. “How can any of us be sure?”

  “If you look into my eyes you’ll see the truth is there,” replied Amias. “I think you already know.”

  Olivia smiled. “When I look into your eyes I see pain. Anguish and darkness, as well. But I also see hope, even if you don’t know it’s there. And I see deep, deep love. A love that will save lives and set you free. Your biggest tests are ahead of you, Amias, and not all of them involve Kaden. You’ll need to use what makes you unique, and where your strength comes from. Your compassion will be needed in the coming days.”

  Amias wasn’t sure how to reply. He turned and saw Sophia watching them strangely. He was about to speak when he felt the van veer to the left and a knock came from the cab as they left the motorway. He looked at Olivia and noticed she wasn’t blindfolded. She guessed his thoughts and tapped the side of the van. “No windows. No need to blindfold me in here.”

  “You shouldn’t have to be blindfolded. The same goes for all the elders. I think John’s taking security too far. We’re all on the same side,” responded Sophia.

  Olivia turned to her. “John knows what he’s doing; I don’t take it as disrespect. The fewer people who know the location of your headquarters, the fewer people who can be forced to disclose it to Kaden.” She looked at Lucas’s body sadly.

  After another hour, the van slowed and came to a stop. There was a knock from the cab and Amias knew they were at the gates. The van picked up speed again, twisting and turning along the narrow road to the facility.

  Amias readied himself for what was to come, pulling himself to his feet and resting heavily against the side of the van. He felt better standing, but suddenly he longed to be alone and on his hill. He had a strange feeling it would be a long time before he would be able to stand there again; he closed his eyes as the van pulled to a halt for the final time. The engine was turned off and he heard the doors of the cab open and shut. The others began to stand as the back doors swung open. The light dazzled him for a moment before he managed to focus on the bearded face of John. He walked to the door and stepped out into the light.

  “Hello, son,” John said warmly, embracing him tightly. He could feel the strength in his torso and arms.

  Amias hesitantly returned the embrace. “Hello.”

  John laughed as he helped the others out of the van, but then stopped as he saw the covered body of Lucas. He motioned to the two men who were with him and they jumped into the van and gently carried him out and across the warehouse floor.

  “He was a good man.” John said softly. “We’ll give him the funeral he deserves and honour him always.” He turned to Amias. “You need to rest and eat now.”

  “I’m okay,” replied Amias.

  “You need to rest, and quickly. We’ll need to debrief you as soon as we can. I’ve managed to secure you some time before that happens. You need to make the most of it.”

  “I’d rather we get it over with, John. Really, I’m okay.”

  John took a long look at him and sighed. “I understand. Follow me.” He turned and made his way across the warehouse floor, followed by Olivia. Amias glanced at Sophia, and she gave her best attempt at an encouraging smile. He stopped.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded slowly, but tears filled her eyes. “There’s something you need to know–” She was interrupted by John, who turned and bellowed out Amias’s name.

  “I’m sorry, Sophia. We’ll talk later?” Sophia nodded, and Amias strode in the direction of the waiting Olivia and John. They made their way through the facility, down the long corridors in the familiar direction of John’s office. The people they passed greeted him warmly, and he nodded in response, wondering how they would feel when the news circulated that Lucas was dead. It’s my fault. Finally they reached John’s office. As they entered, Xavier got up and walked towards Amias with his hand outstretched.

  “Amias! Thank god. It’s beyond all hope that you return to us.” Amias clasped his hand and allowed Xavier to embrace him. Other than Xavier, the room was empty. John pulled four chairs into a circle and motioned for Amias to sit down. Once he was seated, Olivia and Xavier took their seats and waited for John to join them. John was rummaging in his desk; he drew out a bottle of water and a chocolate bar. He shut the drawer and threw both to Amias.

  “My emergency rations.” He smiled and took his seat.

  There was a moment’s silence as the three of them exchanged glances, before Xavier turned to Amias. “I know you’re eager to get this over and done with, but we want you to know that it can wait.”

  “One night won’t make a difference,” added John. “If there’s something you urgently need to tell us then we can do it now. Otherwise we can do the full debrief tomorrow.”

  Amias looked at the bottle of water and the chocolate, suddenly realising how hungry he was. He tore open the wrapper and took a large bite, followed by a long draught of water. “It’s okay. We should do it now.”

  They traded more looks, before John sighed. “Fine. Then can you tell us what happened? Starting with the surveillance mission.”

  Amias lowered his head, unable to look John in the eyes. “I’m guessing you know I disobeyed Lucas’s order not to engage with Andre.” He hesitated, fighting the shame that hit him. “I lost control, I saw Andre and I thought I could take him. I didn’t think Lucas would follow me into the warehouse… I thought the only person I was putting in danger was myself. I followed Andre into the building, but he was hiding, so I attempted to locate him, and that’s when Lucas found me.” Tears welled up in his eyes and he fought them back, determined not to allow emotion to cheat him of his contrition. “We were overwhelmed and outnumbered by Andre’s men, and then captured.” He continued, telling them everything that had happened, except Kaden’s revelations to him. Instinct told him he should share this only with John, for now at least.

  The three of them were silent for a few moments after he’d finished his account, before John lowered his head and sighed. “We acted as soon as we could, but I’m sorry it wasn’t soon enough. We had to assess the situation properly and ensure we weren’t sending a team to their deaths.” He leaned forward to Amias. “I know you blame yourself for what’s happened, but you shouldn’t. Any one of us would have been tempted to do what you did.”

  Amias shook his head. “But none of you would have done it. I acted selfishly, and Lucas is dead because of it. Nothing can change that now.”

  “You’re right, nothing can change the fact he’s dead. But you are in control of what you do now; it’s your choice,” replied Olivia.

  Amias met her eyes. “My choice?”

  “Yes. You can make a choice to allow what’s happened to overcome you, or you can let it make you stronger. You’ve learned a lesson about leadership, even though at the time you weren’t a leader. You’re brave, and you’re strong; Lucas knew that, and we know it.”

  “You don’t understand,” replied Amias. “I’m no match for Kaden, I didn’t have the strength to break free and to save Lucas. Kaden is too powerful for any one person to overcome.”

  “Then you don’t need to fac
e him alone, we can face him together,” answered Olivia.

  “That’s right, Amias. We are in this together, it’s only you who has tortured yourself into thinking you have to face Kaden alone,” added John.

  Xavier leaned forward in his chair and clenched his fist. “Together we are stronger. If Kaden is as powerful as you say, then it will need all of our strength, and I don’t just mean the people in this room.”

  Amias clenched his jaw and ran his hand through his hair. “Then you have my strength, for what it’s worth. I will do everything I can to help you. I promise you that.”

  John nodded and smiled. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re on board. Now, there are other things we need to discuss. Since you were captured we’ve learned some disturbing news regarding Kaden. We understand he’s receiving support from a foreign force. We’re unsure of who it is, and we don’t want to assume anything… but if our intelligence is correct, it’s financial support… arms and people.”

  “Victor?” exclaimed Amias.

  “As I said, we don’t want to jump to any misinformed assumptions, but we’ve tried to contact Victor since the council meeting, and we’ve been unable to.”