“Don’t apologize. It was my fault.”
Silence; Leid curled into bed with me, laying her head against my chest.
“I saw Lakash’s family today,” I said. “Their faces still haunt me.”
She said nothing.
“Is this what it feels like?” I asked. “The guilt; I can’t take it. It feels like my heart is being wrapped in barbed wire.”
“It hurts,” she whispered. “It’s supposed to. It’s the only way that we can learn. Change.”
“Marry me.”
She looked up, stunned. “What?”
“I want to marry you. Stay here with me, in Sanctum.”
Leid searched my eyes for any disingenuity, but found none. I was serious. She’d dragged me through fire and over spikes to make me a better man. In many ways, I owed her my life. Without her I’d still be a junkie derelict, unfit for anything.
And then she started to cry. Not exactly the response I was hoping for.
“You don’t want to?” I asked, crestfallen.
“No,” she said, shaking her head, hiding her face. “It’s not that. I… I want to. Qaira, I want to be with you more than anything but…but I can’t.”
I reached for her, and then my radio buzzed. I glanced at it, but dismissed the call. This was more important.
It kept ringing.
“Get it,” Leid said, wiping her face.
I reached for my crutches, but then she motioned for me to stop and retrieved it herself. When she tossed it to me, I pressed the receiver button. “Go ahead.”
“Qaira, where are you?”
It was my brother. He sounded panicked.
“At home.”
“We have visitors. They’re at the northern spire.”
“I don’t want to talk to anyone. Send them away.”
“They’re not taking no for an answer. They claim they’re from something called the Court of Enigmus, and they’re asking for you. You need to get down here. They don’t look right. One of them… looks like an angel.”
I looked at Leid, and she only hung her head. Suddenly her sadness made sense. She knew this was going to happen. Lucifer had called her lot and now they were here to take her away.
But I’d promised that I wouldn’t let her go that easily, and I always kept my promises.
“I’ll be down in a minute.”
I severed the call and grabbed my crutches, struggling to my feet. “Stay here,” I told her. “Hide if you have to.”
“Qaira, whatever you’re planning, you can’t—”
“I’m not letting them take you away. They’ll have to kill me before that happens.”
“They will kill you.”
“Let me talk to them first. They asked for me, not you.”
She sank to my bed. “Be careful.”
I nodded, heading out.
***
All eyes were on me the moment I’d appeared in the foyer. That was because everyone had spent two full minutes listening to the sound of my crutches from the elevator.
Ara stood at the foot of the stairs, staring at our guests. Three of our guards were backed against the wall, their guns scattered at the scholars’ feet. Disarmed, but not slain. They weren’t here to kill.
There were two of them, clad in black coats, a glowing red sigil adorning their breasts. It was like they had set fire to their clothes, but the flames had been contained to only one place. I didn’t believe in magic, but this was really challenging that belief.
Neither of them said a thing, staring placidly.
“Hi,” I said.
The angel scholar stepped forward. At first glance I could have sworn it was Yahweh, but he looked a little older. A little meaner. His cold, blue gaze started at my crutches and slowly made its way to my face. “Regent Qaira Eltruan?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Ixiah Telei, scholar of the Court of Enigmus.” He nodded to his partner. “This is Ziranel Throm, also a scholar.”
Ziranel was not angel-borne—pale skinned with hair as black as Leid’s, cut unevenly to his jaw, and eyes the color of fire. From what I could tell, their society of scholars was a mosaic of alien races. Aliens-turned-Vel’Haru.
“You’re Yahweh’s brother.”
“I am,” said Ixiah, stone faced. “If you know that, then you must know why we’re here.”
“I have an idea, yes.”
“Should we continue with formalities, or would you care to hand Leid over and spare us all the time?”
“Leid is not my property, so I can’t just hand her over. She’s already told me that she doesn’t want to go with you.”
Ixiah smiled, and it was scary. The smile was warm, inviting, but it was accompanied by the look of a sociopath. Clearly he was nothing like Yahweh, and there was little chance of talking him out of what he’d come here to do.
“Do you know who we are, Regent?” That question was a threat.
My lip curled. “Do you know who I am?”
Ziranel stepped forward, leaning into his partner. “Stop fooling around. We’ll find her ourselves.”
“I haven’t given you permission to enter my home,” I said.
Ziranel grinned, his sharp canines gleaming under fluorescence. “We don’t need permission. A perk of being at the top of the food-chain. You’re guilty of contract violation, but we’ll let you live if you step aside.”
Ara looked at me, his expression relaying that I should step aside. Instead, I pulled out my gun. The scholars seemed amused.
Ixiah scoffed. “Really?”
“You can’t tell me that a bullet between your eyes wouldn’t sting,” I chided.
“Qaira, please,” begged Ara.
“Aim your gun at them, Commandant. That’s an order.”
With a wince, my brother did as I’d commanded.
Ziranel and Ixiah looked between us, laughing softly. Namah had been right, but Leid was nothing like these assholes. Now I knew why she was so frightened, and I would never forgive myself if I let these savages take her away.
“Leid is staying here,” I said, the look in my eyes daring them to take another step. “Kindly take your leave.”
“Let me explain what’s going to happen,” Ixiah began, climbing the first step. “You are going to think about pulling that trigger, but before your brain can even send a message to your finger, I’ll have already snapped your neck.”
“Talk is cheap, white. Show me what you’ve got.”
I pulled the trigger, but he was gone. A fraction of a second later I was against the wall, his fingers curled around my neck. We were nose-to-nose.
“Believe me now?” he whispered.
I narrowed my eyes. Ixiah’s head didn’t explode, but he’d felt something. Whatever it was, it surprised him, and he released me with a gasp.
And then a blur hit him and he was thrown across the foyer, landing headfirst into a pillar. His collision left a giant crack in the stone.
My brother dropped his gun and backed away, unable to believe his eyes. That blow should have killed anyone. Anyone but a scholar, and now Ara knew.
The blur had been Leid.
She shielded me, snarling. “Stay back.”
Ixiah got to his feet, wiping away the blood that trickled from a nasty gash across his forehead. He sneered. “Your plaything has a smart mouth.”
His partner took a step forward, but Leid held out a hand. “Zira, don’t.”
Ziranel froze.
They were afraid of her. Why were two guardians afraid of one?
“Leid, you can’t stay here,” reasoned Ixiah. “Calenus has ordered that you return. If you don’t come with us, we’ll return with him.”
Her hand fell limp at her side. She looked at the ground.
No.
“Promise not to hurt Qaira or his brother.”
“We didn’t want to hurt them,” said Ziranel. “They wouldn’t step aside.”
He reached out to her, and, reluctantly, she descended th
e stairs.
“Wait,” I breathed, grabbing her arm. She pulled away. “Leid, don’t go.”
She looked over her shoulder, smiling through tears. “I’ll never forget you.”
I watched, paralyzed, as Ixiah and Ziranel guided her toward the exit. I would never see her again, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I’d never felt so powerless in my entire life. What would happen to her? What kind of punishment did scholars serve for violating a contract? Were they marching Leid to her death?
As they opened the door, I shouted, “I’ll surrender to the angels!”
All three of them froze, looking back at me. Leid was shocked, the others confused.
“I’ll let the Ark into The Atrium. They can have it. They can have everything,” I said. When neither of them responded, I rasped, “What else do you want? What else can I give you?”
“Leid is not for sale,” Ixiah said, but the fire in his eyes was gone. “And orders are orders. As far as I can tell, bargaining with your surrender is pointless, considering you’ve already lost.”
“If you take her, I will make their colonization insufferable. We will attack the angels at every opportunity, whittling them away. How many are left after our battle? How many have died already? I can promise that your brother’s life will be a miserable one. They may have won access to my world, but the war is far from over.”
Something changed on Ixiah’s face. He and Ziranel shared a look. Their hesitation had sparked a cinder of hope.
“If you let her stay, I will invite the angels into our world. Their colonization will be peaceful. Safe. Sanctum will not attack them.”
Ziranel glared at Ixiah, realizing that he was considering my offer. “We don’t have the power to decide that. A scholar has never left our court.”
“Leid is trouble, Zira. She’s an exception.”
“Calenus will not like this.”
“I will deal with him.”
He stepped back, shocked. “So, you’re doing it?”
Ixiah said nothing, gazing at me. There was no cruelty on his face. He looked like Yahweh more than ever. “You will give the angels peace, Regent?”
“I am a man of my word, scholar.”
He released Leid’s arm, nudging her forward. “Consider the contract voided and Scholar Leid Koseling excommunicated from Exo’daius. I will return to the Ark with the news. I suggest you schedule a meeting with Commander Raith in the near future to negotiate terms of a settlement.”
Ziranel released Leid as well, but with reluctance. Leid had said that scholars were neutral; loyal to no world except their own. Twice now I’d seen evidence against that claim. Ixiah was not an angel anymore, but he was willing to save them. And, judging by Ziranel’s disquieted demeanor, that decision would come with a heavy price.
But it was neither my business nor my problem. Leid was here to stay; that was all I cared about.
The scholars vacated the foyer, leaving Leid at the door. She looked up at me, stunned, unable to believe that I had just negotiated for her freedom. My brother and his men regrouped, heading for the elevator. Ara looked back and nodded before he slipped away, his expression alluding to an entire bottle of Cardinal in his near-future.
And then Leid and I were alone, me at the top of the steps, her at the bottom. We stared at each other, silent, overwhelmed by thoughts of what next. Nine months ago she had come to my world with the task of making sure it stayed in my possession, and I had just given it away, all for her. There’d been no pain or shame in that decision, either.
Because Leid Koseling was worth more than anything I had. Anything I could give.
I had absolutely no idea what the future held for me, or for Sanctum, but none of that mattered now because she would be in it.
O
FAREWELL
Yahweh Telei—;
LUCIFER WAS COUGHING SO HARD THAT HE ALMOST RETCHED. Ixiah had announced that Qaira was letting the angels into The Atrium while he was sipping tea.
I couldn’t blame him for his shock—I hardly believed it myself.
“He agreed to an Archaean settlement so long as we let him keep Leid.”
“Keep Leid?” Lucifer repeated, still coughing.
Ixiah nodded. “It’s a double-win. You get your world and the Court of Enigmus gets some peace and quiet.”
“Calenus agreed to that?”
Ixiah hesitated. “He will.”
Lucifer looked questioningly at him, but said nothing else. He knew better than to pry at Vel’Haru affairs. We all did.
“What exactly is Qaira Eltruan?” asked Ixiah.
Lucifer tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
“He did something to me; with his mind. He made my thoughts fuzzy.”
My father looked at me.
“Qaira has the ability of what I like to call brain apoptosis,” I explained. “He releases high energy radiation, triggered by thought, which… well, can make people’s heads explode.”
“My head didn’t explode. I just got confused.”
“You’re Vel’Haru. It must affect you differently. Usually it’s fatal.”
Ixiah reclined in his seat, rubbing his chin. “Interesting.”
“I suppose that’s one word for it,” muttered Lucifer. “I don’t know if I can trust a settlement. This all seems completely unlike him.”
“He sounded sincere,” said Ixiah, “but if there’s any trouble, let me know.”
“What happens next?”
“He should contact you shortly. What you do from there is not my concern, but I imagine you two will meet and negotiate.”
Lucifer nodded. “Thank you, Ixiah. You don’t know how much this means to me. To us.”
“I do, and that’s why I did it.” He stood. “The Court is expecting me. Zira’s already briefing them. Yahweh, could you walk me out?”
Me? “Uh, yes, sure.”
Lucifer bid us both goodbye as we stepped onto the bridge, and then we were alone. We walked side-by-side toward the port, silent, awkward, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.
“How’s mother?” he asked, finally.
“Not so good.”
“Worse?”
I nodded. “I haven’t seen her for two years, but word is that she’s on a regimen of antipsychotics.”
Ixiah looked away, sadly. “Two years?”
“It’s hard,” I whispered. “It’s hard to see her.”
Because seeing her meant that I had to see him. And I saw him once a day already.
It was never a huge scene, only an indifferent nod to each other, but every time I saw him I thought about what had happened; what had happened before Lucifer had taken me under his wing. And I was sure that Ixiah’s memories of our father were even worse.
In a sense it was his fault that Ixiah had left. Yes, there had been a negotiation, but Calenus would have never placed my brother on the table if he hadn’t wanted to leave already. Like Lucifer to me, Calenus had saved him from years of abuse and neglect.
And now he was something else, something special. Ixiah looked the same, but spoke and carried himself with the sharp intellect of a scholar.
A scholar. It was still so hard to believe that he was one of them. It seemed like yesterday that he was flunking school and getting into fights, disappearing for days and having guards drag him home, shivering and emaciated. But so much had happened since he left, and he felt that, too.
“I never told you this,” he began, hesitating. “I’m sorry that I left you. With them. I wasn’t given much of a choice, but…”
“It’s fine,” I assured him, trying to smile. “It all worked out in the end for both of us.”
“It did,” he said, smiling as well, gazing out through the glass hall as we traversed it. “This is all so incredible.”
I said nothing, letting him marvel. We left the hall and arrived at the port. Soldiers and civilians passed us by, nodding, but none of them recognized Ixiah. Not anymore. They had no idea
that he’d just saved us all. And they never would.
Lucifer had arranged a craft that would take him to Crylle. He would find a portal there and return to Exo’daius. I didn’t know when I’d see him again. Maybe never.
“Namah will be very upset that he didn’t get to see you,” I noted as he headed up the ramp.
Ixiah laughed. “Where is he?”
“At Crylle’s hospital. You should stop in and visit him or he’ll mope around for weeks.”
“I might.”
Once upon a time Namah and Ixiah had been school mates. Best friends. More than that, even. Yet another thing my father hated about his oldest son—his indiscrimination of love.
We didn’t say farewell as he boarded the craft, only looked at each other as the doors slid shut. It was bad luck to say goodbye, at least for us. A goodbye affirmed the chance that we might never meet again.
The craft left the dock, floating slowly from the hangar. I watched until it descended out of sight, fading in the darkness. I smiled through sadness.
Qaira and Lucifer were going to negotiate. The war had ended without any more blood. Things had taken a turn for the better overnight.
As I left the hangar and ventured through Nostra—the eastern civilian sector, I wondered if Qaira would ever forgive me. I wondered if we would find a place on The Atrium that felt like home. I still remembered Felor, even now.
And then I wondered if this was really the happily ever after that everyone was hoping for.
III
LAID TO REST
THE MINUTES TICKED BY AS RAITH AND I SAT IN Eroqam’s conference room. Neither of us had said a thing so far. We were supposed to be discussing the angel settlement, but all we did was stare daggers at each other.
My crutches rested on the table beside me. One of them shifted, about to fall, and I steadied it. Lucifer scratched at the bandage on his handless arm. We’d done this to each other—all this damage, only to end up here. It was funny and infuriating all at once.
Lucifer’s eyes slid to the clock on the wall, and he sighed. “Are you going to say anything?”
“You first.”
“You’re the one who invited me down here.”
The Antithesis- The Complete Pentalogy Page 48
