Clara and Ezra

by Lindsey Richardson

  “Ahna, your brother is dead because of the work he did for Stefan. Those men he worked with turned him into something he was not. A monster, a killer, the very things you never wanted him to be. You’re our only connection to his allies now,” I explained.

  “W-what are you suggesting?”

  “Help us. You can lure them out of the shadows. Convince them you want to join their cause. Lead them to you, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

  Her eyes wandered. She would say no if I did not reel her in quickly.

  I placed my hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently, making eye contact with her.

  Firmly, I said, “More people will die. Please, you’re our only hope.”

  She gulped and glanced to the left. Did her baby sleep nearby? Was I really asking this woman to risk her life, to risk leaving her child parentless?

  I could feel Lukas closer to me now. I imagined his eyes on me and the scowl on his face. Though I pushed for this, he easily forgot I wanted this no more than he did. If there was another way I would have suggested it, but this was it.

  “I will… help in any way I can. It’s the least I can do,” Ahna whispered.

  “Expect to see us again. Your bravery will not be forgotten. You’re doing the right thing,” I said, releasing her.

  I gestured to Lukas to head for the front door. He stepped outside without hesitation, but I glanced back once more at Ahna.

  “Kade would be proud,” I whispered to her.

  She offered a faint smile, and with that I left. I hoped my words brought her some comfort, though I did not know whether they were true or not. Kade had gotten involved with powerful people. While he might have been raised as an assassin, the ability to kill had always been there. He could have walked away. He could have given up his life instead of taking others. This was not the case. Now he was dead after being responsible for an unknown amount of murders. Had it been worth it in the end?

  My heels touched the sand again, and I let out a sigh. Perhaps we would finally move in the right direction.

  I followed Lukas to our horse. For my first day as an official Watchkeeper I felt I had done something valuable, something memorable. I had Ahna’s trust, and with her I was certain we could finally lure out Stefan’s allies. Or maybe even Stefan himself.

  Lukas halted suddenly, and I stopped myself before running into his back.

  Someone shouted nearby, but the crash of the waves made it difficult to hear. Perhaps it was the children playing or a fisherman who had gotten lucky. It was enough to make Lukas hesitate, and the shouting did not stop.

  A man ran toward us, waving his arms and shouting.

  “Murder! There’s been another murder!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

  I grabbed onto Lukas’s arm. I gripped onto it like my life depended on his strength in this moment. Another murder? In less than a day’s time? My heart froze. I didn’t want to believe my ears, but the man continued raving about the attack.

  He reached us and stopped, panting. Sweat covered his entire face.

  “We are with the Council. Where was the attack?” Lukas asked firmly, sounding more confident than afraid.

  “You mean you don’t know? They said it happened right outside the palace!”

  I couldn’t move. This could not be happening. The man kept talking, but his words were gibberish to me. My hearing failed me. My vision blurred, and I feared I might be sick.

  Another Watcher on a horse approached us, and us they caught up to where we stood I recognized it was Everly. The same one who had been at the last murder scene. Surely she could clear up the confusion.

  She remained on her horse and looked directly at Lukas.

  “We need you at the palace immediately,” she said with gritted teeth.

  Without warning Lukas grabbed me and lifted me up on our horse. He mounted on after me and pulled on the reigns.

  The man and the beach slowly dissolved into the distance as Lukas followed Everly’s lead. I could see the outlines of the palace in the distance, and it disgusted me. I thought back to when I first arrived, the morning Father had died. I thought about Declan’s bloodshot and swollen eyes. Were we doomed to meet with him again like that?

  It felt like an eternity before we arrived in front of the palace. A part of me didn’t want to know what awaited us inside. Watchers remained on post outside, but I feared what we had yet to face.

  Lukas dismounted and held out his hand for me. I jumped down without hesitation. As much as I dreaded seeing what waited inside I had to know. Nina was locked away, but her arrest had not stopped the murders. Did we have a serial killer on our hands?

  Everly lead the way, and I followed behind Lukas, partially grateful for him being taller than me. perhaps he could block whatever we were about to witness, even if only for the slightest moment. I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood.

  The front doors opened for us. The palace was quiet like a tomb. It was like a bad dream, a repeat of a tragedy I had already experienced.

  Death lives here… I thought, holding my breath.

  26

  Intrusion

  Lukas dared to ask the question I did not want the answer to. All the while I held my breath, hoping we had been misinformed. Hoping that the locals were under as much stress as us, and that they had been wrong. Something about this was wrong.

  “There’s been another m-murder?” Lukas asked. His voice shook this time.

  I grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly. I wanted to place my hands over my ears. I did not want to hear whatever name was about to come out of Everly’s mouth.

  “There was an attack on Ezra Stavrakis,” she replied.

  No…

  I tasted blood in my mouth again. Everly was wrong. They were all terribly mistaken. Ezra could not be dead. Even though I had heard his name, my own hear must have failed me.

  I felt light headed.

  Lukas grabbed my arm and tugged me, forcing me to follow him and Everly. My legs were not my own anymore. They belonged to Lukas, following him even as he helped me ascend the staircase. He waited on me, never allowing more than a step or two to separate us. He continually glanced back at me, asking me questions, but I had stopped listening after Everly mentioned Ezra’s name.

  Everything was murmured now. The closer we got to the final step the more my body shut down.

  Wake up, wake up! This is just a bad dream. I thought to myself, but the stairs felt real. Lukas’s hand was warm and sweaty. My heart throbbing against my chest was no illusion. No matter how many times I squeezed my eyes, I kept opening them to the same thing. Lukas and I were about to walk into a crime scene that struck home for the second time.

  We reached the top of the staircase, and Everly turned to lead us in the direction of Ezra’s room. I wanted to turn back. I could imagine his room being like Father’s: empty, lifeless, collecting dust.

  Lukas persisted and continued forward, only ever stopping to ensure I was behind him. Our hands remained intertwined. He remained the only reason I had made it this far, the only reason I would make it into the room. Whether it destroyed me or not, I knew I’d have to see Ezra myself to ever believe it. I’d have to be the one to see his cold, lifeless body.

  We arrived in front of Ezra’s room. The door remained ajar, and I let go of Lukas’s hand. He continued into the room without me. He was so brave, walking in there without needing me for comfort. He was used to this line of work, though I reminded myself murders were not common amongst the islands.

  I stood inches away from the door, listening to soft whispers inside. I could not make out the voices, though I assumed other councilors were present. I did not know if I had what it took to walk in and see him. It was different than when Father had died. He had already been taken away from his room, his wounds had already been covered. The attack on Ezra was recent enough that it had the locals panicking.

  “Clara?”

  It was Lukas. He peeked his head out of the doorway and
looked at me. I expected him to say something, anything, but instead he continued looking at me. He expected something from me. How bad was it? Would I see the amount of bloodshed I had seen at Vincent’s home? Could it be worse?

  He held out his hand, and I stared at it. Biting down on my lip, I took his hand and wobbled into the room with him. My legs shook, but I was immediately greeted by familiar faces. The entire Council was present in the room, and they did well to conceal the bed where I assumed Ezra lay.

  Claire turned around and ran to me, embracing me and burying her head into my shoulder. I looked over her head, trying to catch a glimpse of the bed. Claire released me, and my feet seemed to have a mind of their own. I advanced to the end, feeling more out of my own body with each step closer.

  The others moved aside, allowing a clear entrance for me. I could see Ezra’s body, and when I was close enough he looked at me, offering a weak but painful smile.

  “Thank Circe…” I mumbled.

  I knelt down by the end, squeezing his hand gently. Ezra’s chest and right arm were covered in bandages. Blood stains showed through the bandages, and several stains appeared on the bedsheets. His glasses were broken and crooked. He looked the worst I had ever seen him.

  But he was alive.

  I lowered my head and cried. I cried for having been led to believe murder had struck my home again. I cried for the minutes I had spent imagining Ezra’s body void of life. I cried, knowing people like Ahna and Vincent’s family would never experience this. They, like me and Claire, had lost someone they loved.

  “He sustained numerous wounds from a dagger. He’s lucky to be alive,” Claire said.

  I raised my head, wiping my cheeks.

  “Who did this?” I asked. The grief I felt moments ago quickly bled over into anger. Anger for anyone who would dare walk into the palace again with the intention to take a life.

  “Ezra was able to provide a rough description of the woman. The Watchers are searching the area for any sign of her. But… we don’t have much to work with,” Claire said.

  “Our primary focus was to ensure Ezra’s safety first,” Gemma added in.

  I did not know the depth of Ezra’s wounds. Judging from the blood stains, I could only assume someone had cut deep into his skin. He had not said anything yet, and I could only imagine the severity of his pain. We gathered around him like he was lying on his death bed.

  “How… bad is it?”

  “His wounds are deep. He will need time and rest to heal. Zachariah will keep close surveillance on him,” Gemma replied.

  It was not the doctor who needed to keep the closest of surveillance on him. Someone had attacked yet another Council member. These murders and threats had gone too far. How many more amongst us would be threatened or killed before we stopped this madness?

  Lukas cleared his throat, stepping closer to the bed.

  “How did this happen again?” he asked, wincing.

  Gemma shook her head. “From what Ezra was able to tell us, someone attacked him while he was downstairs. We don’t know how this woman gained entrance into the palace without being detected but the Watchers. Whatever way she found in must have also helped with her escape.”

  I frowned. A secret passage perhaps? Nina was not the only one to have escaped this palace free of her crimes. Elias too might have had used of a secret passage. Either of them could have done it and kept it hidden over the years.

  I looked and Keanu, studying him. They said it had been a woman who attacked Ezra, one who had not been caught by the guards. Had his affairs led to the consequence I had feared the most?

  “Someone has to answer for this…” I said, forming my hands into fists.

  More guilty than Keanu was my own mother, who remained locked away in the dungeon. She, more than Keanu, had questions that needed answering. I could tackle his actions later, but my time with Nina remained limited.

  Without warning, I stood up and rushed out of the room. My fists tightened as I advanced toward the staircase. The one person, the only person connecting us to Stefan and possibly Elias, was inside the palace.

  Nina had gotten lucky. She still awaited trial by the Council, who would find her guilty of several crimes. I no longer had the patience for ‘procedure’ anymore. She had answers, and whether she wanted to give them or not, I was no longer willing to give her the benefit of doubt.

  She would answer to me, even if I had to force the words out of her. If anyone could do it, it was me.

  There would be no more secrets in our family.

  27

  The Betrayer & The Betrayed

  The Watchers allowed me in the dungeon without questioning my purpose. I entered through the door, listening to the footsteps above me. No doubt the councilors would fear my next actions. I could not blame them. I was in fear of what I would do. How far would i go for the answers I needed to save lives? To save my sister, my lover, and everyone on this island from a doomed fate?

  The dungeon wreaked and remained poorly lit, as it had been from my previous visit. I remembered Ren’s body. I remembering finding him here only to discover he would go to the grave with his secrets. The white rose he had threatened me with still haunted my memories.

  I scanned the cells, most of which were empty. I supposed the Watchers had been recently preoccupied with the killer rather than arresting locals for drunken disturbances or domestic violence.

  I stopped in front of a cell, the same one that had held Ren captive. Nina sat in the corner of the cell with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her hair was the dirtiest I had ever seen it, and her dress was no better off. She looked like an animal behind bars. It was time I found out if she was feral.

  “Mother!”

  She ignored me, remaining silent. I grabbed the bars of the cell and called out again.

  “Answer me! Do you find amusement in this? Are you a killer now? More of a monster than Isaak?” I asked, raising my voice.

  She raised her head and chuckled.

  “Look at what Jhase has done to our family. You’ve arrested your own mother. The one who took care of you when he didn’t give a damn,” she said.

  “You and both know that’s a lie. You destroyed this family the day you walked out on Father. This is your fault!” I yelled.

  She stood up. She wobbled over to the bars, though she looked as though she might faint at any moment. Sweat and dirt covered her face and neck. All the features she had once depended on —beauty, confidence, intimidation—died in this very cell. She could no longer hide behind the mask she had made for herself.

  “You betrayed me, Clara,” she said, spitting in my face.

  I groaned and wiped the spit off my cheek. I glared at her, having half a mind to demand her release and trial immediately. I wanted her sentence to be more than what Isaak had received. I wanted her to be held responsible for every drop of blood on her hands.

  “People are dying, Mother. Have you no sympathy?” I asked, making the bar closest to where she stood.

  She shrugged. “People have and always will die. It is a part of life. We both know the Council has no evidence. You are looking for a scapegoat, and you threw me to the wolves at them first opportunity that came your way.”

  “I don’t need evidence of the blood you’ve spilled to keep you locked up,” I said.

  “You speak of thing you know nothing of. How dare you take me from my home and back to this place! You have no idea how this pains me,” she replied bitterly.

  I leaned my head against the bars. “Then please… tell me. Tell me everything. Don’t you at least owe me that?”

  “You can’t handle the truth, child. Your father couldn’t and he lied to Claire because he knew it would destroy her as well.”

  I took a step back. I could hear footsteps coming down the stairs, and I panicked. This was the only alone time I had with Nina since leaving Rajoor for Ren’s trial. This might be my las time one on one with her. Instead of giving me answers she had manage
d to derail the conversation.

  I had failed Claire. I had failed Ezra. I had failed everyone on this island. We were doomed to meet the same fate Vincent, Father and Ren had met. I could not bear it.

  In a whisper, I said, “Last chance. Answer me, and I will help you. Did you kill my father?”

  She smirked. The footsteps sounded closer now, and I could hear Claire’s voice calling out for me. Nina would never fall for my bluff. She knew I could not help her now with the Council’s interest in her recent actions. It did not stop me from pushing, believing if I could gain single reaction from her I would have the answer I needed.

  “Tell me!” I hissed, hitting the bar closest to her face.

  She stumbled back, losing balance and falling on the floor. She rolled in the dirt, laughing and murmuring to herself.

  “Have you gone mad? Damn you, answer me!” I yelled again.

  “Clara!”

  It was Declan’s voice this time calling out to me. I turned my head, noticing Declan, Claire, and Lukas as they approached me. They were cautious, as if I might turn on them as well. Claire’s face was entirely pale. What was the issue? I had not harmed Nina, and if anything she seemed to have gained more enjoyment out of this than me.

  Claire held out her hand. “Come with us, sister.”

  I shook my head.

  “I am not asking,” she said firmly.

  I glanced back at Nina, who remained on the floor. She watched me, remaining completely silent. I did not want her to see me surrender to Claire’s authority. Even though Claire was y leader, she was also my sister. She was someone I needed on my side now more than ever. She knew, as well as the others, that I was here asking the questions that demanded answers. It was either I asked them or they never be spoken aloud.