by Leyton, Bisi
She stopped struggling and lay still. “This is never going to end. You’re going to hate me forever.”
“I do not hate you. I actually love you,” Felip whispered softly. “You cannot see it—yet.”
Her tears rolled onto the ashwood floor.
“Do not cry. It is going to be okay. I swear.” He kissed her forehead. “The renewal will not hurt you.”
“I’m not crying for you. Oleander, Coles, Steven and everyone would be alive still, if you hadn’t started all of this.”
“You are hurting, so let me end your pain.”
“I’m Wisteria Kuti, the Sen of the First Pillar. My pain should be the least of your worries.”
The sides of his mouth curved up in a small smile and he placed his hands on the sides of her head.
Her face heated up from his pulse. “Agave,” she whispered.
The yellow window swung open and a shadow creature slithered inside, floating around the room.
“How did they get in here?” Felip jumped up as the thick black fog circled around them. “You made this happen?”
The mist gathered together in the shape of a shadowy wolf-like animal.
“Do you even understand what this place is?” She panted as she rose to her knees.
“Not now. Come on.” Panicky, he attempted to get to her.
She yanked her arm away.
“Wisteria now is not the time for you to prove a point. We need to get out of here. If the shadow wolves touch you, the pain will be more than you can handle.”
“More—than—I—can—handle?” She pronounced each word slowly as the fog formed more shadow beasts. “My daughter died because of you, that was more pain than I could handle.”
“Wisteria, move now.”
“No, I’m not afraid of what’s here.”
“This is no joke. We need to move deeper into the house.”
“Concerned I might get killed before you can renew me and escape from here?”
“I meant it when I said I didn’t want to see you hurt.” He pulled her to her feet.
More shadow creatures appeared through the yellow window, growling at the pair with desperately hungry voices.
“No.” She broke away from him. “I’m safer here than with you.”
Black sand poured in from the sides of the walls.
Felip backed away from her as he realized what was happening. “This is impossible.”
Moving into the center of the room, the sand formed the shape of a female. “Yes, Mistress.”
“What is this?” Felip gasped.
“The Deep is a prison and who do you think constructed it?” She fumed. “I’ll give you a clue. It wasn’t the Family.”
“It was the First Pillar, Mistress,” the sand avatar added. Then it gestured to the shadow beasts around them. “Should the sentries apprehend the one called Felip?”
“Let me.” Rejuvenated, Bach stepped out of the darkness. His shirt looked torn and stained, but his skin appeared to be intact. He then punched Felip in the face.
“How?” Felip coughed up blood. “It takes hours to reanimate in here.”
“Agave, the avatar helped regenerate him sooner,” she informed him. “You’re okay?” Hurrying to Bach, she examined his chest with her hands and felt comforted to feel his heartbeat.
Bach nodded. “One thing though, Peeka…”Advancing to Felip, he struck him again, sending his cousin through the floor to the room beneath them.
Screaming, Felip fell to the level below.
Glancing down at Felip, she saw him lying motionlessly on his chest.
“This ends now.” Bach lunged forward as if to go after him.
“No.” She stopped him.
“I told you,” Felip called out as he forced a laugh. “Wisteria, you can never hurt me. You’ll never do it.”
“Bach, we should go.” She noticed the beacon on her arm was fading. “Agave will lead through us the threshold, but we need to leave before the beacon goes.”
“Thank you.” Felip groaned.
“You’re not coming.” Squatting down by the hole in the floor, she whispered, “You’re going to be here alone—all alone. You’re going to have to figure out how to deal with your hatred toward Bach and whatever you thought you felt about me until you’re dead.”
“But I will never die,” Felip retorted. “You will be long gone and I will still be here and eventually, I will find a way out.”
“Agave, tell him.” She shook her head.
“You will die in here eventually. The sentries will torment you over and over until your time comes,” Agave, the avatar explained.
“And only Agave knows how long that will be,” Wisteria added solemnly.
“Wisteria, you would leave me here to be tortured?” Felip rose, wiping the blood from his lips.
“No, you will be safe as long as you never leave this mansion,” she backed away from the whole.
“I will find a way out,” Felip swore. “This is not over.”
She smiled weakly. “No, you won’t and you’ll never see me or Bach again.”
“But I am certain we will be all you think about.” Bach walked away.
“Goodbye Felip.” Wisteria went with Bach. “Agave, make sure he doesn’t leave this place.”
They followed the black sand avatar out.
Immediately, the hole in between Wisteria and Felip sealed up as did the doors and windows in the room below.
“Hold him there until we’re gone. If after that, he wants to leave, let him,” Wisteria instructed Agave. While she moved through the dark building into the darker night, she heard Felip’s screams.
“Wisteria! Wisteria!” he shouted in the distance.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A targ in her bed
“It is over.” Bach wrapped one arm around Wisteria. “You are home.”
Hours after Wisteria and Bach escaped the Deep and returned to the Hall of Ages, the pair journeyed to Smythe with Garfield, Robinia and Enric. They arrived in Norton a few feet away from the first gate, leading into the Isle of Smythe.
Biters shuffled toward them.
“Stop.” Bach pointed at them.
The fleshers stopped, but continued to growl at the humans, desperately hungry.
“Yeah.” She felt apprehensive about returning to the island.
When she’d left Smythe, biters were swarming and she’d no clue what was left of the community.
“This is your home? This was where all humanity started?” Robinia scanned the decaying town in a mixture of confusion and horror. “I thought Earth would be better? What happened?”
“Nero.” Wisteria exhaled.
“D’cara.” Robinia gasped. “How?”
“It is would take over a quarter of a million words to even begin to explain it.” Enric marched forward.
Robinia studied the biters. “Mistress—Wisteria, you were supposed to bring us back inside Smythe. Why are we outside?”
“We can’t land inside without figuring out how bad things are.” Wisteria grimaced at the rusted metal gate.
“I will check it out. Enric keep the infected away.” Bach leapt over the gate.
“Those sick people, they have the Nero plague?” Robinia wandered over to the biters. “They look so grey.” Reaching out, she attempted to touch the rotting flesh eater.
“What are you doing?” Wisteria pulled her back. “If it bites you, you’ll be infected.”
“Isn’t Enric holding it back? I’m fine?” Robinia laughed.
“Come on.” Wisteria dragged the younger girl back to the group.
Bach jumped back down in front of them. “It’s—fine in there. Almost the same as it was the last time we were here?” He seemed puzzled.
“Are you sure?” Wisteria asked.
A door beside the rusted gate opened and Piers peered out. “What’s your name?”
“Wisteria Oluwamodupe Kuti.”
“This way.” Piers gestured for her to
enter.
Getting inside, two more armed guards had rifles trained on her and Garfield.
“Um, Garfield Simon or...” He mumbled the other name.
“Yeah whatever your majesty.” Piers shook his head. “Wisteria, who’s this? You’ve got a sister we didn’t know about?”
“Tell them your name, Robinia,” Wisteria asked.
“Oh, you want to see if I am a Thayn or not. I am Robinia Zyla of the First Pillar. It is a pleasure to meet you,” She held out her hand
Piers glanced at the small girl and shook his head. “Where did you get this one?”
“Her name is not ‘this one’,” Enric retorted.
The gates on the other side of the bridge opened. Two SUVs emerged and moved gradually toward them.
“Where are Steven and Hailey?” Piers asked.
“They didn’t make it.” Wisteria bit at her lip. “They—”
“Dead,” Garfield interjected.
Piers nodded and sighed. “I’m glad at least you’re back. Your mother has been mental with you gone. Even Coles hasn’t been able to control her.”
Wisteria rushed up to him. “What did you say?”
“Your mother, she—” Piers started to explain.
“Coles you idiot,” Garfield hollered.
“Who is Coles?” Robinia enquired.
“Bloody hell, Piers how long does it take to get that gate closed?” Major Coles alighted from the SUV and slammed the door closed. “Hello Wisteria.”
“Dad?” Wisteria didn’t move as he advanced. Reaching out, she touched his arm to make sure he was real. “The biters, they killed you!”
“Hey, it’ll take more than a bunch of flesh eaters to keep me down.” Coles smiled down at her.
“How?” she asked.
“When we got separated, I out ran the biters, but by the time I got back to the house, you were gone. Are you okay?” He stroked her hair.
“Thank God.” Diving into his arms, she held him tight.
“It wasn’t easy, but we got the biters out with a little help from Jason,” Coles replied as he patted her on the back. “Come on, let’s get you all home.” He ushered Wisteria to the car.
“I’m touched you care,” Garfield called out.
Coles scowled at Garfield. “Bach, get in here. The rest, over there.” He pointed to the other SUV.
Bach got in beside her, while Coles got in the front.
“Your father likes me,” Bach whispered. “He has not insulted me yet.”
“I still don’t believe he’s alive or that you’re here.” This felt surreal. She leaned on his shoulder. “You don’t know how much I love you Bach of the Third Pillar.”
Intertwining his fingers, he kissed the top of her head.
*****
Wisteria and Bach walked up the gate of her house.
Her mother burst out and hugged her. “Baby, are you hurt? Why aren’t you in quarantine?” Her mother inspected Wisteria’s body.
“I won’t be staying long, so Coles’ waved quarantine—but I’ll be giving blood samples every couple of hours,” Wisteria replied.
“You’re leaving with him?” She signaled at Bach.
“I have to.” Wisteria smiled at him. “I love him.”
“You love him.” Her mother’s cold stare was fixed on him.
“It’s more than that. We need to talk.” She led her mother back inside. “Bach, come on.”
He followed them into the living room.
“Thank you for bringing her back.” Her mother nodded to him as he stood by the door.
“Actually, she brought me back,” he answered. “She saved my life.”
“She’s stronger than she looks.” Her mother touched Wisteria’s cheek, then walked across the room and took a seat. “The people in Jarthan are going to need that if you’re going to lead them.”
“You know?” Wisteria grimaced as she sat next to her mother.
“I’ve always known once you figured out who you were, you’d leave and I didn’t want that,” she stated coldly.
“But you thought I was too unstable to do it,” Wisteria said.
“I’m sorry I said that.” Her mother bit her lip in a way that reminded Bach of Wisteria. “I panicked because you’re strong headed, like your father. His people warned him he might be killed if he came to Earth looking for Datura, but he came anyway. He was so soft-hearted like you, not like me.”
“Soft-hearted as in weak?” Bach shook his head. “No, she is not.”
“Yes, she is soft-headed, but not weak. That’s why she’s going back to Jarthan with those people.” Lara glared angrily at her. “Like Hemlock, once you’ve made up your mind about something, like helping the Sleepwalkers, you’ll do it. I can’t blame you for wanting to go, not after everything I’ve done. You must hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. That’s why I came back. Come with me.” Wisteria placed her hand on her mother’s.
Bach was shocked. “What?”
“Baby.” Her mother’s eyes turned red. “I want to go with you, but—”
“I need you to be with me. I can’t go back there alone and I won’t be able to come back,” pleased Wisteria.
“I can’t leave,” her mother sighed.
“Why?” Wisteria asked sadly.
“I have a husband and two sons. I can’t abandon them,” her mother explained.
“No, they’ll come too.” Wisteria smiled.
“David has a kid and another one on the way.” Her mother shook her head. “And Coles is all that’s keeping this town together. I can’t pull him away from the Isle of Smythe anymore than I can make you stay. If he doesn’t go, I can’t separate Beck from him. Beck needs his father.”
“But I need you.” Tears rolled down Wisteria’s cheeks.
“You have Bach and he’ll be there for you.” Her mother glanced at Bach. “Right?”
He wasn’t sure he heard her right. “Yes.”
“Baby, you never fit in here or even in Lagos. You never tried to because deep down you sensed this wasn’t where you were supposed to be.” She wiped Wisteria’s tears with her sleeve. “Make sure you look after yourself.”
“Mom, please—” she pleaded.
Bach left the two women and quietly closed the door. He’d felt saddened all of the sudden and wished his relationship with his mother had been different.
“She’s back?” David came in through the front door followed by Amanda.
Bach nodded and pointed to the door. “She is in there.”
“Thanks for bringing her back.” David walked up to Bach.
“How is she?” Amanda approached. It was obvious she was pregnant. “Can I see her?”
“She isn’t hurt,” Bach replied. “But she and her mother are talking.”
“Wait here Mandy,” David ordered. “You okay man?”
“Me?” Bach felt surprised. David never showed any interest in him before. “Why does it matter if I am okay?”
“Because you’re my sister’s boyfriend for life, aren’t you?” Patting him on the shoulder, David hurried inside.
“Hi.” Amanda smiled.
They both waited for a moment in silence.
“Are you here to stay now?” Amanda spoke up.
Just then, Garfield came in. “Bach, the—” He glanced at Amanda. “I’ll wait in the kitchen.” He marched past them.
*****
Four days later, Wisteria stood with Bach, watching the sunrise over Oleander’s grave. This was the first time Bach had been there. Neither of them had any words to say.
Lluc, Malcolm, Jason, Frieda and Enric stood a few feet away. A few minutes ago, Jason had said a few words and then a short prayer. In the distance, her mother, Coles, Garfield, David and Amanda were also watching.
Now the couple stood in silence, Wisteria gripped Bach’s hand.
“You should have dragged Felip out of the Deep and executed him.” Enric finally broke the silence. “You deserve that much.”
“Everyone deserves forgiveness,” Jason replied. “But more importantly, everyone deserves to give it too.”
“Forgiveness?” Enric seethed.
“He’s right Enric. Dy’obeths killed hundreds of thousands of people because we helped Coia. We deserve to be in the Deep.” Bach shook his head.
“That was different. You were possessed,” Enric defended.
“But Jason resisted,” Bach noted. “I should have been stronger and—”
“We all should have.” Lluc squeezed his shoulder.
“Rest in peace, Peeka.” Malcolm shook his head and walked off.
One by one, the Famila and humans departed until Lluc and Garfield remained with the Wisteria and Bach.
“What are you going to do with Oleander’s body?” Lluc asked. “As after today, you will not return to her.”
“We are not moving her,” Bach stated unemotionally.
“We don’t want to disturb her,” Wisteria explained softly. “Her grandmother and uncles are with her to keep her company.”
“We will,” Lluc promised.
“You have decided to stay then?” Bach realized. “You’re not returning to our Realm?”
“I need to do what is best for my bloodline.” Lluc added. “Here, I can protect them and they will not be seen as mongrels. Over there, they will still be targeted by some.”
“But things will be different right?” Garfield interjected. “Now that we’ve saved the Family, they should accept humans are their equals one day.”
“Things will get better, but centuries of hatred will not be erased by a single act,” Lluc responded.
“Surely, they aren’t that closed minded,” Garfield exclaimed.
“And your people were different?” Bach remarked.
“It was never that bad here,” Garfield replied.
“Your people enslaved their own. For centuries after the effects of that slavery lingered until Nero wiped out populations of your people,” Lluc noted.
“No, at least not in England. We moved past that. Right?” Garfield turned to Wisteria as if he wanted her to back him up.
She couldn’t. “This isn’t a social science debate. The Family is pretty messed up and so are we.”
