by Leyton, Bisi
As she headed toward Coles’s SUV, Bach stopped her. “Everyone is safe, so we need to go now,” he informed her.
“What’s wrong?” She felt panicked again. Were they in trouble again?
Resting his hand on her shoulder, he smiled. “Nothing is wrong.” Bach looked pale and definitely in need of a lot of rest. “I came back to take you away from here. You have no reason to remain.”
“Bach, you’re not making any sense!”
“I want you to leave the Isle of Smythe and come with me. There is nothing left for you here.”
“That’s impossible.”
“No, I have three hundred days to teach you how to pass as a Thayn. When I return home after the Great Walk, you will be perfect at acting like one. None of my people will question you or me being together and perhaps we could find a way to take you back to the Jade Ocean.”
Her eyes widened as she realized the gravity of what he was saying. “I can’t leave with you! My mother died today, Bach. She’s dead. I’ve got to find a way to tell David, and you want me leave with you and be a slave? How can you ask me that?”
“I cannot see any other way.”
“Any other way for what? I thought you’d want to stay here. Coles said you’d be fine here.”
“These people are evil,” he stated emphatically while reaching toward her. “They tried to kill me. Nothing that man could ever say would make me trust him or remain here. You need to leave with me now.”
“Bach, no.” She jerked her arm away before he could touch her. “I’m so grateful you saved my life again and you even saved Smythe.” She tried to smile but the pain of losing her mother was beginning to sink in. “But I can’t leave now even though my life…my life has been destroyed.”
“So why stay?”
She saw that his lips were moving and words were coming out, but what he was saying made no sense to her. “My brother’s here. I cannot abandon David now.”
He paused while breathing heavily. “Fine, he can come too, but I will have to renew him.”
“Renew my brother? You’re just thinking about yourself and what you want.” Why didn’t I realize before just how strange this boy really was?
Bach wanted to keep her with him because it would make him happy and not because it was what she needed or what her brother needed. And right now, dealing with his needs was the lowest thing on her agenda.
She needed to find David. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I need to bury my mother.”
“Wisteria—let me try to explain it better.”
“I said, I’m not going anywhere with you!”
“Hey guys?” Garfield opened the door of Cole’s car. “What’s up? A lover’s quarrel?”
“Garfield!” Relieved to see her friend, she hugged him. “What are you doing here?”
“I should ask you the same question,” Garfield replied. “I sounded the alarm and saved everyone, but got grabbed by Coles.”
“You did what?” she asked.
“I figured the more people who got to safety the better,” Garfield explained.
“Thank you.” Wisteria hugged him again.
“Wisteria,” Bach called sternly.
“I told you I’m not going anywhere with you,” she snapped.
“Let me explain it again?” Gently, Bach placed his hand on her shoulder. “This is the only way.”
“You need to stay away from me, Bach,” Seething, she spun around and got into the car, slamming the door shut. How could he insist she run off with him after everything that had happened? And do what? Be like Piper, fawning over him and acting like he’s a god? What was wrong with him?
“Are you okay?” Confused, Garfield looked at her and then over at Bach.
Covering her face with her hands, she tried not to scream and cry at the same time.
“Garfield, step aside.” Bach reached for the car door.
Garfield muttered something and the two guys exchanged harsh words.
Wisteria couldn’t really hear anything through the vehicle’s window. When she looked again, Bach was gone.
Garfield got in beside her. “He told me about your mother.”
“What am I going to do?” Wisteria burst into tears.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
No one could see him because he was well-hidden in the clock tower. Even if someone on the ground looked directly at the window they wouldn’t see him. The room was too dark and too far away for human eyes to see into.
Wisteria looked like a Thayn, Bach thought as he watched her weeks later, hurrying into her home, followed by Garfield. Her expression was blank and lifeless. He couldn’t comprehend why she’d chosen to remain on the Isle of Smythe when she looked so unhappy.
This was the tenth time he had come back to the Isle of Smythe since the day she was almost taken by Red Phoenix. The aim each time was to convince her to leave with him, but he never spoke to her and ended up watching her instead.
Perhaps he was being unreasonable. After all, he had three brothers and he loved them. Was asking a human to part with a brother any different? Bach wasn’t sure, since she was only human. He stood, watching the quiet streets of the Isle of Smythe, unsure of what to do next.
The sun started to rise. “So you still have not decided what you are going to do?” Enric said when he arrived in the tower. “I am getting tired of your pointless journeys.”
“I thought about renewing her. If I did that, she would have no choice, but to come with me.” He had decided against it, as he still didn’t want humans around him. Wisteria was the exception—the only exception.
“A free Terran would never be allowed in Jarthan and even less at home,” Enric replied. “You will eventually have to leave her behind or remain on Terra until she dies. I would suggest the first option. Otherwise, the empirics may come after you.”
“Do you ever think about Piper? She served you for almost two years.”
Enric shrugged. “I had a bird that died as a child once. I think about her like that sometimes.”
“Your nighthawk Tak-Tak? You hated that bird.”
“I did not hate it; she was just irritating.”
“The bird or Piper?”
“Both,” Enric replied. “At least Tak-Tak could be easily trained. I am disappointed I allowed Felip to manhandle her and set her to do the things that she did. I hope with the new Thayn your brother has lent to me that things will be better.”
They finally left unseen and unheard over the walls of the island. They raced through the empty streets of Norton, past the abandoned houses, heading out of the county, toward Hammond Village.
Bach had fully regenerated so this journey would be over in a few hours.
“Are you going back tomorrow?” Enric asked as they ran.
“No, this was the last time.”
“You have said that for the last ten days.”
As they reached the den in Hammond Village, the piron net around the fence parted as they entered the grounds. Inside the mansion, they made their way underground.
He wasn’t prepared to return home, as he hadn’t decided whether or not he wanted to complete the Great Walk early. There was unfinished business for him on Terra. So, once he’d regenerated in Jarthan, he returned herealone, with Enric visiting occasionally. Bach remained alone, undisturbed until he felt ready to rejoin the Family. Entering the underground mansion he was startled to see two figures waiting for him.
As he entered the room, the figures moved toward him slowly. Their green eyes were fixed on him.
“Hello brother.” Yordi, Bach’s twenty-two year old brother and Sen-Son of the third house stood regally in the center of the room.
The other person was Lluc, who stood furthest away and from his troubled expression, Bach could tell they’d been discussing him.
“Welcome brothers,” Bach greeted.
“Enric, can you please leave us?” Yordi ordered.
“Of course, Prime.” Enric departed
&
nbsp; “Our father demanded you return home but you have not. Why?” Lluc inquired.
Bach hadn’t spoken to Lluc since they fought. Mainly because Bach couldn’t admit how hurt he was about Wisteria. That would only prove to his older brother that the human girl had contaminated his mind, proving he was weak. “You cannot keep on interrupting my Great Walk. It somewhat defeats the purpose of finding oneself. I do not have to go home until I have completed my days here.”
“What reason do you have to stay?” Lluc asked.
“Maybe I do not want people questioning my honor or my place when I return.”
“But things are different if the humans have obsidian crystal,” Lluc said. “And with Red Phoenix back, this must be left to the empirics.”
“If you have come to convince me to return, then you have wasted a journey.” Bach crossed his arms over his chest.
“We are here because we need to talk to you about something important,” Yordi announced. “Lluc has explained the real reason you cannot leave that island.”
“Lluc discussed this with you?” Bach glared accusingly at the middle child.
“I had to,” Lluc maintained. “You were acting like you were possessed.”
“What is going on here is between me and Lluc. I will not discuss her with you!”
Yordi burst out laughing. “Bach, I would not travel here to discuss something as trivial as a Thayn. You are here to learn and have fun. You would not be the first of us to get carried away,” Yordi sneered at Lluc. “You underestimate Bach.”
Lluc remained indignant. “No, Prime. This matter is serious—”
“Lluc, he is not like you. Terrans have no influence over him,” the Prime teased.
“Qwaynide!” Lluc swore.
“So why are you here?” Bach asked.
“Felip,” Yordi answered.
“Our cousin?” Bach stated.
“Cousin?” Yordi remarked with venom in his voice. “Do not call him that. The ungrateful d’cara, he is at the top of every empiric’s black list.”
“Felip never brought the obsidian crystal you gave him to our home,” Lluc explained. “We do not know where he has gone with it.”
“What would he want with that much obsidian crystal? It is useless,” Bach pointed out. “Anyone who journeys with it will die.”
“We know that Bach, but he took it for a reason. Lluc and I will be looking into it at home,” Yordi stated categorically. “The Sen does not want Felip’s actions to be known outside the Third Pillar. He will send an investigator, an empiric, to that island to find out why and how they were able to make the obsidian crystal.”
“If you are handling this then why are you here?” Bach noticed several Thayns moving in the darkness. They were Yordi’s Thayns as he travelled with a large contingent . “That is no reason to interrupt my Great Walk. You all need to leave.”
“You almost sound like you are not happy to see us?” Yordi looked disturbed by Bach’s statement and his green eyes turned darker.
“No Prime.” Bach was happy to see his brothers, but he wanted his brothers gone before they learned he’d bonded with the human and how strongly felt about her. “I am just tired.”
Yordi nodded. “They offered to let you live among them, knowing you are not one of them. We must use that to our advantage.”
Bach was puzzled and did not like the feeling he was getting. “What do you want from me?”
“For you to return back to the Isle of Smythe,” the Prime said.
“Yordi, we did not agree to this. The Terrans only want him on the island for their own agenda. Sending him back to the Terrans is madness,” Lluc protested. “Bach, you will not go back there.”
“I am the Prime, little brother, and you cannot dictate to me. You have to remember your place.” Yordi sneered at Lluc. “I do not need to consult with you when deciding what is best for my younger brothers.”
Lluc’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t speak.
“I am the Prime,” Yordi reminded Lluc. “Remember that. And it would be better for Bach to finish the Great Walk instead of coming home early because our papa said so. Then, everyone will know he is a man.”
“You do not understand,” Lluc maintained.
“Vadda,” Yordi bellowed and the floors of the apartment shook. “Lluc? Speak one more time. Just once more, and we will see how understanding I can be.”
Lluc backed away from Yordi and no one spoke for a while.
“Lluc, if I do not understand then please explain,” Yordi grumbled. “What is the worst thing that could happen with him there? The empirics will be with him, so what will be the problem?”
Lluc grimaced, but didn’t say a word.
Then it dawned on Bach that only Lluc knew what happened to him during his time on Terran, years before. About Wisteria and the Mosroc bonding Bach shared with her. He wondered now why Lluc hid this from everyone.
“Return to them. The empiric will join you soon. You are to make sure that Terrans do not reject who we send,” Yordi decreed.
“So you expect me to spend the remainder of my time among those people?” Bach had mixed emotions about returning the island. Even with Coles’s apology, he couldn’t trust them. And with Wisteria’s rejection, he wasn’t sure he wanted to go back. It hurt too much.
“I know as part of this rite of passage you must choose your own way.” Yordi’s tone became more subdued. “But the Sen needs to send someone he trusts. We do not want to get other Houses involved”.
“I do not believe that for a moment. And even if that were true, this is not just a problem of the Third Pillar. If the Terrans are trying to enter our realm, then that is everyone’s concern. Therefore, the Family should be informed,” Bach replied.
“I agree with Bach,” Lluc finally spoke up. “Tell the Family and let the Seven decide on the best course of action.”
“You are behaving like women,” Yordi snarled at Lluc.
“My concern is for my brother. Let him come home, where he will be safe.”
“Are you implying I do not care about Bach’s welfare? How dare you make such an accusation against me, your Prime?” Yordi fumed. “We do not know who helped Felip from the other Houses. We cannot just let anyone get involved.”
“Exactly, we do not know. So we cannot send him back to those animals,” Lluc persisted.
“Enough,” Bach shouted. “This is my decision!”
The room fell silent again, while the two brothers glared at each other.
“I wish we could just renew them all?” Yordi muttered.
“Start renewing them all and the Terrans may do something drastic like harm themselves and we will not get our answers,” Lluc commented. “For some reason, they do not see the renewal as a gift.”
“They are quite stupid.” Yordi chuckled. “Bach, what are you going to do?”
“I will return.” Bach nodded.
“Do not do this!” Lluc implored.
“It is settled.” Yordi grinned. “Girl, bring sandwine, I am thirsty again,” Yordi barked at Nular who stood in the shadows. “Now!”
Nular glanced at her liege briefly and left the room.
Lluc walked up to Bach and whispered. “We both know why you are returning there. If something happens between you and the Terran, blood will be shed over it.”
* * * * *
The next day, Wisteria and David stood side by side on the hill behind Saint Luke’s chapel. Then they inched their way back under an oak tree as it started to rain.
Garfield walked over to get them under his umbrella. He grimaced when he noticed Amanda, standing next to Wisteria’s brother, holding his hand.
Mumbling something to the pretty blond haired girl, David kissed her.
Seeing that Amanda was there for her brother made Wisteria glad. “Thanks for coming. I know this must’ve been hard for you.” She hugged Garfield.
“Weddings and funerals, that’s what friends do, right?” Garfield replied. “And it’s yo
ur mother. Of course I’d be here.”
It was two weeks since she last spoke to her mother and two weeks since Bach vanished again. At least he wasn’t dead.
David had found some red flowers for the event.
Wisteria hadn’t bothered. At first she considered bringing some bean vine her mother liked, but realized her mother only grew the wisteria plant as protection from Bach and not because she loved it. Wisteria hadn’t any idea what her mother really liked or any clue as to who Lara Kuti or Demi was, aside from being a chronic liar.
“This might be more fitting.” Walking over to her, Coles gave her a yellow rose.
Forcing a small smile, she took it from him.
“You almost look happy that my mother’s here,” Wisteria remarked
“That’s because I am happy.” Coles’s face broke into a smile.
“But she lied to you too and to everybody. Aren’t you furious?”
“And you haven’t told your brother what happened. That makes you a liar too.”
Glancing at her brother, she nodded because she was afraid to tell him the reason Red Phoenix had come to the island was because she led them here. They were on the island and their mother was shot because of her. Telling him would just scare him and she wanted to protect him. No, maybe she was just ashamed of herself?
“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God…” Jason Webb, the vicar of Saint Luke’s, read aloud to the small crowd.
“We’re going to have more than enough time to fight with Major Coles… or can we call you dad?” David taunted.
The boy’s remark caught Wisteria off guard and she chuckled.
The smirk on Coles’s face disappeared for moment. “I dare you.”
The church doors opened and Lara Kuti slowly hobbled out on a cane, having made it clear to everyone she fully intended to walk up here unaided. She slowly advanced and carefully made her way up the small incline to where the rest of the wedding party stood.
“Your mum looks so beautiful,” Amanda said to David.
