Chapter 7
There was no way to get from Metz to Espérer and back except on foot, which restricted the number of people who actually travelled between the two cities. The Journeymen didn’t go to Espérer unless they needed to.
Rosie and Joseph needed to. They trekked through the forest between Outer Metz and Espérer, walking briskly.
“Do you really think we’ll make it there and back before daybreak tomorrow? I have to be at work in the morning,” Rosie said.
Joseph was thoughtful, “I think it’s possible if we get help from the Keepers. They could take us home once we get there. It’s a good thing they don’t have to walk everywhere.”
“They only use their powers when it’s absolutely necessary.”
“It’s absolutely necessary that you get to work on time tomorrow.”
Rosie sighed, “That much is true.”
They walked briskly through the greenery, regularly stopping to catch their breaths as they leaned on the tall trees that rose from the ground. The tops of the trees shaded them from the afternoon sun. At first the plants appeared still and inanimate but the closer they got to Espérer, the more they met large shrubs whose leaves spread out flat against the soil as if offering Rosie and Joseph a carpet to walk on. The shrubs were showing them the way to Espérer.
“Have you ever passed through here before?”
“No, never,” Joseph said in awe of the hospitable shrubs.
They saw small, wispy whirlwinds littered with soil and twigs dancing the Russian Polka. The whirlwinds stopped for a few seconds to bow to them courteously.
Rosie was enjoying all this immensely when she saw something strange ahead of her.
“Joseph, look.”
She pointed to what looked like a man staring down at an area beneath a tree. The man splayed himself on the ground, oblivious to any inquisitive eyes. Then he shifted until Rosie could only see his curved back.
“What’s he doing?” Rosie whispered, as they dropped onto their bellies.
“He’s lying on the ground in fetal position. I think he’s crying. He keeps repeating something.”
“What d’you think he’s saying?”
“I don’t know, Rosie. I can’t read lips.”
Joseph crept closer to the man, inching his way forward on his belly. Finally, the man raised his head, one knee still resting on the ground. Joseph could hardly believe his eyes. He knew that face. Quickly, he slipped a mobile phone out of his pocket, aimed and took a picture.
The man got up, took one more look at the ground and walked away somberly. Joseph stayed on his belly for a long time, waiting for the man to get as far away as possible. Minutes later, he crept towards Rosie -not quite sure what to say.
“That was Lieutenant Nick Blade.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. It was him.”
“What do you think he was doing?”
Joseph thought for a moment, then said, “He was kneeling in front of a patch of soil, the way Journeymen do at graves.”
All color drained from Rosie’s face.
“You don’t think—-?”
“I think we should find out what’s buried under that tree, Rosie. Tomorrow. When we come back with the Metz police.”
“Why tomorrow when we can find out now? What if there’s nothing there? We’d have brought the police all this way for nothing.”
“Then we’ll come back alone. It’s getting late now. We have to head back or get to Espérer as planned.”
“I can’t go to Espérer now knowing that man killed my father!”
“Keep your voice down,” Joseph whispered. “We don’t know that for sure. Let’s go home.”
“I’m digging up that grave.”
“Rosie, listen to me—-.”
Rosie was already on her way to the grave. She ran to the patch of earth and began pushing the dirt away with her hands. She did it carefully, not wanting to disturb her father’s remains, not knowing just how shallow the grave was. Joseph quietly knelt beside her. There was no point in arguing with her. They worked with their hands until they realized whatever was there must be hidden slightly deeper under the soil. Taking a thick branch that lay nearby, Joseph drove one end into the ground and began scooping the soil away.
The sun had sunk when they finally uncovered a layer of plastic shimmering in the light of Rosie’s torch. Joseph stopped digging as they searched for each other’s faces in the dark. The plastic was see-through and all Rosie had to do was shine the torch on the discoloring face that was tightly wrapped in it.
Joseph took her by the hands and pulled her up. He quickly replaced the soil on the grave. They didn’t say a word as they walked away.
PART III
THE PROMISE
Chapter 8
The tension in her body seems to subside whenever I touch her. I press my lips on her forehead as she closes her eyes, relaxing in my arms. My lips move to the bridge of her nose and descend until they are against hers. Hers are soft, the softest I have ever tasted. She’s not wearing lipstick but they are a dim shade of pink. The tip of my tongue grazes her bottom lip. And she opens her mouth invitingly. I slide my tongue inside her mouth and feel it mingle with hers. Her kiss is patient and yet, hungry. There’s no rush. We could do this all day. And yet, I want her now. We strike a balance between love and passion in a delicious dance we’ve been doing for a while now.
When the kiss ends, we’re both a bit breathless. She opens her eyes slightly -her black lashes fluttering once, twice- and places her hand on my chest. This alone makes my heart beat even faster. She notices the change and looks into my eyes, hers flashing a dangerous green. They never cease to amaze me, the different sides of her. There’s gentle Dana, the one everyone sees. She conducts the assemblies at the academy. She’s there at the Savvy meetings at Château de Confiance. She’s my friend and confidant. There’s fierce Dana, the warrior. I wouldn’t want to be in her crosshairs. Then there’s the Dana I see in bed. The woman who has an unquenchable thirst for lust. She’s downright sinful sometimes. The things she makes me do to her..., the way she grabs my hair right before she cums, screaming, “Oh, John. Don’t stop.”
She’s nibbled her way down my chest now. The sensation nearly knocks the air out of my lungs. She takes me in her hand, stroking me and licking the tip of my member. I just want to explode right there on her tongue but she doesn’t let me. She presses her finger near the tip of my throbbing manhood, easing back a wave of pleasure I was easily getting swept up in.
She moves up my body, every inch of her taut, curves calling out to me. As she leans her head against mine, she whispers something in my ear.
“You don’t wanna do that right now,” she says as she mounts me.
There’s a knock on the door of my apartment just when I slide into her.
“Damn,” I say, utterly disappointed.
“Hush. Let’s just ignore it.”
“Sergeant Howard? Are you there? Lieutenant Blade is asking for you.”
Dana is perfectly still when she hears Blade’s name. She knows it must be important. As she rolls onto her side, I caress her thigh and tell her I’ll make it up to her.
“I’ll be right there,” I shout to the voice at the other side of the door.
The apartment is so small that my voice easily reaches outside my bedroom to the messenger. This is how I like life. Compact and simple. The only complicated thing in my life is Dana. But that’s perfectly fine with me. She accepts me as I am, and I accept her. Most importantly, she knows I’ll always be there when she needs me.
Chapter 9
As I arrive at Château de Confiance, I’m wondering why Blade has called me here. The messenger was only told to summon me and was given no further details. Whatever it is must be on need-to-know basis. I step into the large living room and find Blade settled in a sofa, looking quite straight-faced as he usually does. He stands and extends a hand. I grip it firmly and he offers me a seat
.
“Would you like anything to drink?” he asks me.
“No, thank you, Lieutenant.”
Only in my head do I call him Blade. He’s a good man, a solid soldier. I sound cocky even to myself as I say this. He’s old enough to be my father, after all. His experience is invaluable to us all. But he gave a lesson at the academy once that has stuck with me through the years.
“No Keeper is infallible,” he said. “Suspect even the least suspicious and the most distinguished. Because the higher a Keeper climbs, the more there is to lose. This makes him more open to corruption than the lowest ranking Keeper. So keep your eye on your leaders, just as much as we keep our eyes on you.”
Ever since then, I’ve been keeping an eye on him. Just for fun at first. But lately, he’s been acting strange. He’s careful with what he says and accusatory towards Savvy members. He has the air of someone who now sees the world differently, and thinks everyone else thinks the same way too.
Evil men believe everyone is corrupt.
That’s what the book of Rules and Morals says, just before it advises us to beware of evil among us.
“I’ve called you here for a specific reason,” Blade is saying.
I nod and listen intently.
“I would like you to investigate something. It has to be you, one of our best men.”
“Alright. What is it you’d like me to investigate?”
“An anonymous source has come to me and told me that there has been some illegal activity in the forest lately.”
“What kind of illegal activity?”
“One of our own was seen hiding something there a week ago. I’d like you to find out what it is.”
“And you’d like me to handle it alone?”
“Yes,” Blade says with conviction. “This is a sensitive issue. It might have something to do with the recent lack of rain and the rotting of vegetation where the Keeper hid whatever is down there.”
“I’ll go there at dusk. No one will be out in the forest at that time unless they’re doing something they shouldn’t be doing.”
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
I bow my head slightly and find my way out of the castle. So that’s why Blade has been wary of everyone. Someone has broken a Rule. And now I’ve been entrusted with the duty of finding out who this culprit is. Not bad, John, not bad at all.
As I make my way back to my apartment, I can’t help but think about Dana. She’s probably gone by now. It’s not like her to hang around doing nothing. She might be at the training arena. Or in the library. But I hope, for some reason, she’s still waiting for me.
I arrive home, unlock the door and swing it open. And there she is. She’s wearing nothing. A warm, sweet-savory aroma floats around us as I walk into the room. So she’s made dinner, too? It’s my lucky day. I didn’t even know she could cook.
Something about this picture seems skewed. How odd that I get a great assignment from Blade the same day that Dana springs a surprise dinner on me. Do good things ever come in pairs? But right now, I can barely think straight. Dana’s walking towards me -hips swaying invitingly. Her black hair is wrapped in a bun on her head. I’m tempted to untie it and let it fall on those alabaster shoulders. But then that would hide that glorious long neck.
I take her into my arms, burying my head in the crook of her neck. She smells so good.
“Not so fast. You have to eat first,” she says as she pushes me away.
I wish this night would never end.
Chapter 10
Dana was sleeping when I left. Fitfully. As if she was worried about something. I don’t quite understand what it is about tonight. I’ve been uneasy too.
I drive down to the forest with the shovel in the trunk. I could just use my abilities but it’s not necessary. I could do with some exercise after all the sleeping I did today. I know from intuition where the rotting portion of earth is. Keepers are bestowed with an internal compass that leads them to whatever point on the earth we need to get to. We don’t need ‘directions’.
I shine the headlights on the, now, yellow rectangle on the ground. It lies under a diseased tree that stands out from the rest of the lush greenery of the forest. As I take all this in, my worst fears churn inside my stomach. There isn’t just ‘something’ hidden here. There’s a body. The body of a Journeyman. Growing up, we all learn about Keeper-killers. Keepers who kill Journeymen. The Journeymen learn about them too. These are the classic signs of one such grave site. A travesty has been committed.
I drop to my knees to honor this sacred site, horrified at what has happened. As I bow my head in reverence, I feel the heat of an angry Keeper’s eyes boring through me. And then I feel it again but from a different angle this time. Then again. I raise my head and realize that I am surrounded.
“Sergeant Howard, get up and move toward my voice,” I can hear Blade saying to me.
He moves into the white of the headlights and my eyes fall on his.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” he asks me.
“What’s going on? What are you doing?”
“Drop the act, Howard. We know what you’ve done,” a familiar voice answers.
He’s a member of Savvy, a good friend of mine. My mind is racing. I can’t digest the reality of what’s happening to me.
They think I killed the Journeyman.
As my friends shove me into the backseat of my car and drive me back to Espérer -the Bureau of Corrections, no doubt- I remember what Dana said to me this morning.
“John, you would never lie to me, would you?”
“I never have and I never will,” I told her.
“So I can trust you?”
“You know you can.”
“Have you ever been in a situation where there are two people you love and you have to decide who’s lying to you and who’s not?” she asked me.
“The one who really loves you wouldn’t put you in that situation.”
I thought I saw tears in her eyes then. But maybe I was wrong because Dana doesn’t cry.
“Promise me you will always tell me the truth, even when it might cost you everything,” she said.
I promised her. I hope she believed me.
PART IV
THE DECISION
Chapter 11
Sophie shook herself out of her boots and put them away in the closet near the front door.
“I can’t believe I have an entire closet just for putting my coat away as soon as I get home.”
Her daughter was sitting on the sofa, watching the news.
“I can’t believe they’ve got the guy who killed Dad.”
“I thought I’d be first to tell you.”
“They held a press conference as soon as you left the police station.”
Rosie looked over at her mother.
“Are you ok?” she asked.
Sophie hadn’t been herself ever since Maximilian’s disappearance and Rosie was beginning to understand her mother would never be the same again.
“I’m fine, Rosie. Don’t worry about me. Simone isn’t doing so good. She keeps forgetting things I taught her ages ago. I don’t think she should go back to school next year. I’ll apply for a homeschooling permit under special circumstances.”
“You can do that?”
“I’m not sure. I heard such a thing exists. If I apply now while people remember what’s happened to us, maybe we’ll get it.”
“It’s worth a try,” Rosie said.
She didn’t know how to say it but she knew she had to tell her mother. At the same time, how would that help? Who would believe them if they told the world a decorated Great Keeper, second-in-command to Captain Dana Reeves had done it? She’d have to find another way.
Sophie sat down next to Rosie and took her hand, “It’s over. They’ve closed the case.”
Rosie expected that some form of relief would accompany those words but her mother’s voice had a hollow ring to it instead.
“Yes, Mo
m. It’s over.”
She would have to solve this herself. She picked up the phone and searched for Joseph’s name in her contacts.
“MISSING OUTER METZ yet?” Joseph joked as he walked through the front door.
“Nope,” Rosie laughed. “How about you? Are you liking your new home?”
“It’s heaven.”
“We’ll be in the study, Mom,” Rosie called out to her mother, leading Joseph down to a room filled with sunlight and books.
“I can’t believe it,” Joseph said. “We should have told them who we saw.”
“That wouldn’t have made a difference. They’re just as corrupt as everyone else,” Rosie answered bitterly.
“You don’t know that. Maybe they made a mistake during the course of their investigation. It’s our fault they got the wrong guy.”
“I don’t think it’s that simple. I called the detective assigned to our case in Metz. Guess who was involved in the investigation on the Keeper’s end.”
“Lieutenant Blade.”
Rosie nodded.
“But I thought they have a representative from the Bureau—-.”
“Blade took over from the representative claiming he wanted to personally make sure justice was done.”
Joseph was pacing the study floor, like he always did when his mind was working.
“What? What are you thinking, Joseph?”
“I’m thinking that there’s one person who will definitely care about the truth. It’s what he does with it that I’m afraid of.”
Chapter 12
Joseph and Rosie arrived at work even earlier the next day, knowing that the man from Finance always came in two hours before everyone else. He liked to order a coffee whenever he was near the food court, but that was rare. Usually, food was brought up to the offices of higher level employees. The man was the only member of top management that showed his face at the food court. He wore tailored navy blue or grey suits that showed off his athletic figure. He had a compelling face that made you think he was somebody even before he introduced himself. His brown hair curved into loose curls that gave his serious demeanor a fun edge. Women could barely contain themselves when he was near and men made way for him as he passed. He walked slowly and deliberately, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Even though he worked harder than most, he left the building at the end of every day. He seemed to have a life -which added to his intrigue.
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