Kingdom Come

by Nicol, Andy

  “Give it to your sister. I don’t need it anymore.”

  He hesitantly took it with shaking fingers and stopped walking long enough to hold it with both hands and smile. “A crow.”

  “So she can still be close to her brother —”

  I was cut off by the call of that exact bird. I looked up to see Lock circling above us. He dropped down to the ground quickly and started rolling around in the snow before getting up to look at us. He cawed and hopped up to Soul’s shoulder, blinking, then tilting his little head.

  I petted his neck and he stuck his black beak out. “We won’t be here much longer, little bird.”

  Soul nodded and scratched the bird’s head. Lock leaned into Soul’s cheek and then crowed again and flew off to the northwest.

  “You don’t think he knows…” I hesitantly asked.

  “Not possible…” Soul tried to tell himself.

  I know these birds are smart, but I don’t think he knows where a place is by name. Maybe humans aren’t the only ones that’ve evolved…

  Twenty-One

  Soul held the stuffed animal tightly. He sighed and looked at me, seemingly for reassurance. I touched his cheek with a frozen hand and he closed his eyes, nodding as if he knew what I was thinking. Smiling softly, I rubbed his cheek and then shoved my hand into my pocket and followed him to a door. He muttered to himself as he kneaded the toy, then finally built up the courage to knock. After a few moments, he violently shook his head and whipped around, trying to rush past me. I quickly stepped in front of him and crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow.

  “S-scared…”

  I could feel my expression soften and I sighed. “I know, but this is important.”

  The door opened and he slowly turned around, hunching over slightly, like a wounded puppy. The bird was still held tightly in both hands as he looked curiously at the woman who opened the door. His lip shook and I put my hand on his shoulder, making him jump slightly. The woman looked tired, but when she examined Soul’s features, her hand shot to her mouth and she gasped, having to grab the door frame for support.

  “A-Absolom…?”

  He bit his lip and offered a nervous smile. “Y-you were … right…” he told her quietly.

  “We thought you were dead. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! It’s my fault! I should have never said that you couldn’t come home — it’s been seven years, boy!”

  I nearly had to laugh at the range of emotions running over the woman’s face, but I stopped myself as she roughly pulled him into a hug and held him there with a hand on the back of his neck.

  “We saw you in the tournament… Tina didn’t seem to register that it was you. They didn’t call you by your first name either.”

  He debated something in his head and then stuttered, “N-not Absolom… K9?”

  I stepped forward as she released him. He put his head down, looking a little bit sick.

  “Absolom? Are you okay? Talk to me…” she begged.

  He looked sad and tried to swallow his nerves as he struggled to speak. His voice cracked and he looked like he was ready to have a breakdown again. “C-can’t — don’t s-speak … K9!” He cried out my name and rubbed the side of his head as he closed his eyes and bit his lip, breaths coming in heaves.

  “Soul … it’s okay, just breathe.”

  He nodded and tried to steady himself, still whimpering.

  “Mrs. Ravin, my name is Benji…”

  “Yes, I know, my daughter is a fan — why won’t he talk to me?”

  I looked down, thinking about how to explain it. He started to wring his hands.

  “Trying!” his voice cracked again.

  “When he was twenty-two, he was in a battle against —”

  “Those two men, what were they called? Jekyll and Hyde?”

  I nodded. “That … bloodbath left him with brain damage. He has a hard time pronouncing what he means to say sometimes.”

  “I thought he died that day…”

  Soul held the stuffed animal to his face and nodded. His mother, who was a thin and fragile woman, gently touched his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, his tears gently spilling over her skin.

  “We missed you, Absolom…”

  He shook his head. “Not Absolom…”

  “He’s changed his name,” I told her. “He has too much history associated with that name. He prefers Soul.”

  She looked nervous for a moment, but her aged face softened and she even laughed. “Tina used to call him that; she couldn’t say his full name. Come inside, would you? It’s freezing.”

  As we hesitantly followed her, his mother closed the door behind us and then held him at arm’s length.

  “My little boy…” She started to cry as she shakily touched his cheek, moving his hair back to see the scar down his face. Her voice caught as she sobbed, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. He just kept staring at the floor and kneading his bird.

  “A — Soul … I never should have said what I did.”

  He shook his head. “B-but he was wrong… The boy was wrong and you were right. Never should have fought because he lost the fight.” He looked back up at his mother and she pursed her lips as tears fell.

  “I love you so much. We thought … we thought you were dead.”

  Soul shook his head.

  “Why didn’t you come home? Why didn’t you come see your sister, to let her know you were okay? She watched all of your battles. We both did.”

  Soul looked at me with sad eyes, sadder now more than ever.

  “T-told him … told him he couldn’t come home! Told him he wasn’t … ‘Not my son, not my boy. You leave, you never come back. You can’t ever see her again.’ Told him you didn’t love him! Told him he was nothing to love!” Soul cried out and quickly bit his lip to stop himself from falling apart.

  It didn’t work and I had to try as hard as I could not to jump in. And I didn’t, not until he brushed past and tried to open the door. I roughly grabbed his jacket and hauled him back, causing him to stumble. He looked at me as though I had just refused his dying wish. His expression changed a second later and he started to tug at his hair. Both he and his mother were falling apart at the seams, faces stained with tears and hair sticking to their foreheads.

  His shoulders shook and he started to zone out.

  “Soul, Soul! Hey, it’s okay… You’re okay now.”

  “B-but … not — not welcome here … not anymore.” He grabbed my wrists, placing my hands on his cheeks.

  “Yes, you are. I was awful to you, and if you left again it would be my kingdom come,” his mother said.

  After meeting his mother, I had a feeling that letting him leave again would be my kingdom come.

  He turned to look at her and she gently touched his hair again.

  “My little boy isn’t little anymore.”

  Soul nodded and inhaled, calming down a bit.

  “I really wish you had come home… Where did you go?”

  He shrugged. “Home.”

  She looked at me.

  “An abandoned apartment building,” I explained.

  “We lived there before he left. You weren’t alone, right? Tell me you had someone … anyone?” She looked at me again and I slowly shook my head.

  “M-met K9 a month ago…” he stated quietly.

  “That’s nearly seven years of being alone, boy!” she interrupted, smacking him on the shoulder.

  He jumped away and grabbed my hand. I struggled to hide my laughter, and he scowled at me. She sighed and hugged him again. He closed his eyes and smiled back softly.

  “S-seen the battle?” he asked her.

  She wiped her face and nodded proudly.

  “Every second.” She winked at me and I immediately looked away, pretending not to have seen. My cheeks burned but I tried to ignore it. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t let me fade away into the background as she now directed her full attention to me.

  “You are a far better warrior than I knew.” Her featu
res seemed to soften. “I’ve seen you before; his little sister, Tina, is a huge fan. She knows all about you. You’re very good. Keep him in line, won’t you?”

  “I’ll try, but lately it’s been the other way around,” I admitted.

  She tilted her head, looking very much like an older and more feminine version of Soul. “That’s odd,” she said, looking at Soul. “He was always an unruly child. Danny needed to look after him. How is he? Do you still talk?”

  I grimaced as Soul tried not to twitch his cheek.

  “Well … they don’t…” I sighed and thought a moment.

  “Traitor … his fault,” Soul grunted.

  I nodded, as did his mother.

  “I always knew that boy was going to be bad news.”

  I watched the woman shake her head as she motioned for us to follow her into the backyard. Soul had to duck under decorations and ribbons hanging from the ceiling as we followed his mother back into the cold.

  “Tina, I’m making hot chocolate. Come inside, we have company.”

  A small voice shouted back, “Okay, mama!”

  I looked around the small yard. There were snow angels and snowmen all over the place. You could tell a child played there. I had to admire her dedication; the snow had only been on the ground for an hour or so.

  “T-Tina?” Soul’s soft voice asked as a tiny girl jumped out from behind a snowman.

  She stopped and stared at him and he offered a nervous smile. The next thing I knew, snow was flying into my face and he was lying on the ground with his little sister sitting on top of his chest and hugging him tightly.

  “I knew you would come back! I knew it! I missed you so much, Soul!”

  He laughed as he sat up and pushed her back enough to look at her. If she was only five when he left, she had to be about eleven or twelve now … but she was so small! She was so small for her age, “Tiny Tina” seemed like almost a cruel nickname. Soul happily patted her head and stood up, keeping her in his arms. She leaned into his shoulder and started to play with his hair.

  “E-everyone said you were dead. I was scared that it was true … but I saw you on TV! I saw you save Benji from those mean guys! And — and at the battle … I don’t like them but you beat them!”

  She was so happy to see her brother, until she spoke again. “Soul? Why were you gone for so long? I waited for you to come home every day.”

  He looked down and I watched the smile slip from his face. His sister put a tiny hand on either side of his face and pouted.

  “You have a new scar.”

  He nodded sadly and she traced it down his neck.

  “You look different,” she concluded.

  Grimacing, he slid the back door open, stepping back into the warmth. The temperature change was enough to shoot a pain through my ears and cheeks as I closed it behind me and followed him over to the kitchen table.

  “I don’t really recognize you,” she told him again. “Why won’t you talk to me? It’s been so long!”

  He closed his eyes and a small smile took over his face. “Sometimes,” he started softly, “people change.”

  His mother was watching from the counter, looking star-struck. I walked over to her and stood quietly beside her.

  “He was her hero,” she told me. “He would always have to look out for her because she was so small. Her sight has always been impaired and she stumbles a lot, so he would carry her around on his shoulders.”

  “He doesn’t really talk about her, though. I understand that he didn’t think he would ever see her again,” I replied.

  “Thank you for forcing him to come back … if not for me, then at least for Tina.”

  “Don’t thank me. He needs her; she seems very loving and he needs that.”

  “How long have you been looking after him?”

  I thought for a moment. “It’s been a little over a month.”

  She chuckled and handed me a cup of tea. “A lot must have happened then. He really does care for you, you know. He was never one to throw his affection around willy-nilly.”

  I brushed away her comment with a light laugh, then followed her to the table. The four of us sat down. Tina made herself comfortable on Soul’s lap.

  “You look different. You were shorter and … spikier before.” Tina put her hands in Soul’s hair and gave her best attempt at untangling it.

  “I’ve tried that, kiddo. We’re going to need a brush and two bottles of conditioner in order to straighten that out,” I said.

  She looked at me, startled. Her black hair framed her perfectly white skin — even paler than Soul’s — and her eyes widened. “Y-you…!”

  I smiled and took a sip of tea.

  Once she stopped staring, she looked back at Soul, slapping both his cheeks and pressing her forehead to his. “Why didn’t you tell me she was with you?!”

  He stared back in shock and a grin tugged at my cheeks.

  “You are amazing! I’ve seen all of your work!”

  She said it as though I was some sort of artist, which was laughable at best.

  “I’ve been working with your brother lately —”

  “Oh, I know! I saw the tournament!”

  She struggled to control her emotions but eventually calmed down and looked back to Soul, braiding a piece of the front of his hair. “Do you really…?” She looked at us expectantly, nudging her head in my direction.

  He tilted his head and looked at me, both of our cheeks turning pink. He looked down for a moment and I could feel my heart beat in my throat. Then a smile pulled at his cheeks and he nodded. I calmed down again and looked at my tea as I grinned.

  “That is so cute,” she whispered, drawing out the “cute” for far longer than she needed to. Her eyes were practically bulging out of her head as she bit her lip, grinning. After a moment she calmed down again and stared at her brother. “Why do you look so different? And why won’t you talk to me? Mama doesn’t tell me stories like you did. She doesn’t know the warriors and she won’t do voices…”

  There was a look of pain on his face. He wouldn’t be able to tell stories anymore. He took a minute to put words together, mouthing a few, then shaking his head.

  “Hair got longer, joined too many fights, legs got longer, and seen all new sights.” He mumbled as he tilted his head and petted her hair again. “C-can’t … speak well anymore. Scars … don’t go away, barely fade. Don’t … don’t know how to look or dress. I’m no princess.” He smiled and poked her nose.

  My friend had very pointed features, but his sister looked much more delicate with her very round nose and small bones. Like a life-size china doll.

  “G-got hurt… Can’t talk.” He looked at me, then debated something again. “Trying… It’s hard. D-don’t know what to — how to… Don’t know.” He sighed and shrugged. “Best I can. Remember the stories … only … can’t tell them… Little Tina, C-Crow is sorry. So, so sorry…”

  My brow was set in a worried fashion and I watched him bite his lip. Of all the people this could happen to, it happens to someone who truly doesn’t deserve it.

  “You’re my brother. You were gone for a really long time. I missed you so much.” She hugged him again, little arms barely reaching fully around his neck. “Don’t say sorry.”

  He laughed despite the tears in his eyes and hugged her back. His smile was still so innocent, and the world hadn’t seen it enough. I shook my head and looked back at my tea, swirling the mug in my hand and sighing.

  “K-K9 got this…” He handed the stuffed bird to her and she held it out in front of her, examining it.

  I chose that moment to speak up again. “His name is Corbin. I got him when I was your age. There’s a legend that says crows were the advisors to the gods and to native tribes. Look for him if you get worried or lonely.”

  She hopped off his lap, walked around the table, and threw her arms around me.

  “Secretly, I think it kind of looks like him,” she whispered to me.

  I
grinned and nodded. “I’ve got to agree with you on that one!”

  She stared at her new friend as she walked back over to Soul. His bright green eyes followed her and I turned to their mother. “I have to ask, where do the green eyes come from?”

  “I’ve wondered that for years; his father had brown eyes like me.”

  I talked with his mother for a while as Tina told Soul all about her life. It was nice until my pager started to go off. Getting to my feet, I clicked the button to answer the message. It wasn’t exactly a pager as much as a walkie-talkie I could turn off, which was nice because the alarm sounded like a siren.

  I left the room quickly and picked it up.

  “Ben, we got a problem!”

  “Dan? What’s going on? Why are you so out of breath?”

  “Someone went through your room! Soul’s office was trashed and his tech was torched. We’re trying to put it out, but we have no idea what’s going on!”

  “I’m on my way back.”

  I clicked the button and burst back into the other room. “Soul, I don’t want to drag you away, but the base is out of control. We’ve got to go.”

  I grabbed my jacket off the chair and ran out the door. I wasn’t going to wait for Soul. He needed time to say a proper goodbye. A moment later, however, he was at my side, dodging people and buildings.

  Once we got to the gate, I cursed under my breath and pushed past security upon seeing the smoke still hanging in the air. Soul moved as fast as he could, pushing me to the side in order to get to his office. There were people standing around talking about the damage. It was chaos. It seemed that Jekyll and Hyde had been in the arena all day, but I knew that Dr. Frankenstein — Viktor — was still behind it. I wondered who he manipulated into doing his dirty work this time.

  Groaning, I clutched my stomach as I stood in the doorway. I really did have to start hitting the treadmill. Soul was desperately attempting to recover some of his tech, but the entire room was scorched. After regaining some of my breath, I stood up and walked into the room.

  “No! L-lost … everything!” Soul hollered as he picked up a speaker.

  I sidestepped to the left just seconds before it hit the wall beside me, just like when we met, only this time the speaker smashed into about five pieces. Grunting slightly as a piece hit my arm, I brushed away some dirt, then looked back up at a very angry warrior.