The Rising Sun: Episode 2
Page 13
Qyro nodded. “Half a piece of cake.”
Ion looked down at the heavy furcoat he was now robed in, and the almost ludicrously long and stuffy trench coat Qyro had worn only reluctantly. Both of the heavily furred coats had been ‘borrowed’ from a streetside vendor they had passed along their way to the hangar.
Things had fared better than they could have hoped, and Mantra’s plan was the reason for it: he been right to tell Vestra and Qyro to split up. He thought that a girl travelling alone would arouse less suspicion, as with two boys. And so, Ion and Qyro had made their way to the nearest hangar. Mantra had suggested a heavy disguise, but also one that had thick fur which would act as a very mild shield to their mystical auras. In case there were mystical energy detectors in the hangar. Whether or not it was needed they knew not, but luck gave them a heavy favour: they slipped right into the hangar, and had breezed right through to put themselves on the very first cruiser leaving the planet. It couldn’t have been easier.
While the hangar the two of them came to was closer, Vestra had to reach a hangar slightly further off. She had messaged Qyro just a minute or two back, informing them that she had managed to get into the hangar safely, and would be boarding the cruiser she was awaiting anytime now.
The items cluttered in his pocket added to the weight of the furcoat. Scowling, Ion shoved his hand into the cloak pocket underneath his furcoat and drew a handful of the stuff lying inside of it.
The crumpled piece of paper that he had been carrying for months now…
And the strangely shaped, large fang like object Jedius had given him…
Ion stared at the fang for a moment, before realising that it deserved a better position than lying buried at the base of his pocket, forgotten. This meant far more to him … And he needed it, the last token of his master, to constantly remind him of something he could never forget.
Just as he needed the poster to remind him of something he could never forget as well…
“Hold this for a bit, won’t you?” said Ion, placing the crumpled poster on Qyro’s lap. He tore a long strip of cloth off his sleeve. Using it, he wove a necklace like string for the fang, and wore it around his neck. He turned to Qyro, who had unrolled the poster and was staring at the criminal in it, his face grave.
“What do you carry this around for?” he asked, turning to Ion. “That’s the wanted poster of one of the deadliest assassins and murderers that’s now on the loose. I wouldn’t keep that for company if I were you.” He handed the poster back to Ion.
Ion stared at the poster for a second, before sighing. “Yeah, well I would.”
Qyro’s stare intensified, intrigued. “Why’s that?”
“I am a part of you, Ion … You can’t outrun me.” Ion looked down at the poster, at the face with the glowing red eyes and black hair.
“Don’t worry,” he said in a casual tone. “That’s not really as scary as he really looks. The poster’s made from a drawn one. It’s not a real capture of him.” He frowned. “And whoever drew it added the glowing eyes, the pale skin and other stupid features to overdo the scary effect people have of him.”
Qyro’s eyes roamed over the poster, surveying it, before slowly rising to meet Ion. He was quiet for a moment, before saying, “You talk like you know him, this murderer in the poster.”
Ion felt his eyebrows contract in a faint frown above his nose. “We’ve met.”
Qyro’s eyes widened slightly. “You’ve met him?”
“You could say so, I guess.”
Qyro’s face hosted a mixture of shock and curiosity, the latter mounting steadily.
“How?”
Ion gave another strained sigh, his gaze carrying out the window by Qyro’s right. “It’s hard to explain, pal.”
“Is it?”
“Believe me.” Ion shook his head. “It really is.”
“Try me.” said Qyro, with a hint of boldness in his voice. “What’ve you shared with that guy in the poster?”
Ion gave the question a moment’s thought … He gave the situation a moment’s thought, and then turned around to face Qyro full in the face, deciding to give the answer.
“Everything.” he said softly, feeling his lips part in a smile. “The guy in the poster is me.”
__________
Vestra felt her anxiety slowly vanish now that she’d made it into the station successfully. She had made her booking for the first cruiser to leave the planet, and was now having to wait for it to arrive. It would be here in a few minutes. Meanwhile, she was now strolling down one of the corridors, feeling her fear and tension now replaced by a sluggish boredom. As she walked down the hall, her eyes automatically zipped to focus over something pasted at the corner of the large room.
A poster.
And it depicted a murderer on the loose, a dangerous assassin whom the states of the spectrum were striving to hunt down … He had glowing eyes and black hair.
Vestra knew who this most wanted criminal was…
She had just met him less than an hour back.
But instead of fear, anger or disgust, the emotion she felt as she stared at the poster … was sympathy.
Sighing softly, Vestra turned and continued walking.
To be continued …
In THE RISING SUN – Episode 3