Dance of Life: The Belief Chronicles: Book One (Chronicles of a Planet's End)

by Tatiana Beller

  TJ56823

  Journal 1

  Tristan was in pain. There were probably more broken bones than he thought. He should have gone to a doctor, but doctors asked questions, and he didn't want to end up in jail. Tristan laid in the back seat of the car, watching the sky for what felt like hours. Nausea filled him. His mind wandered to Agandana, his very own fish woman, because thinking about her made nausea and the pain more manageable. Tristan hadn't spent this much time with anyone in years. His original intention had been to follow Emily to seek revenge. Instead, the revenge had been played on him.

  Traveling with Geoffrey and Emily was like being stuck in the middle of chick flick that lasted days. It was an exceptional kind of torture. They were worthy of a soap opera. Emily and Geoffrey obviously liked each other, and there was a distance between them. Something had happened in Mexico City. What could Geoffrey have done to upset Emily? He had no idea. Emily's attitude towards him after the attack had also changed. It wasn't too hard to figure out what it was. She said she knew about his violence, but she hadn't seen it in action. She disapproved as if she was any different.

  As they moved down the road closer to their destination, Tristan decided he was done playing the third wheel. He would get the crystal, take it to the address, alone or with the company, figure out how to get rid of Emily, and disappear forever. Maybe the order should change. He could try and kill her and then deliver the crystal on his own. He heard their chatter in the front seat. It was giving him a worse headache than he already had.

  He didn’t want to spend one more second with them. The question is how to even get Emily alone with him. She was also dangerous. It was a good thing that he didn’t find her attractive. Tristan could barely understand what Geoffrey saw in her. If sex with her was death, then she needed to die before he got any insane ideas. He got an idea and smiled. Once the decision was made, he fell asleep.

  Two hours later, he woke up in agony. The car stopped. The heat in the car was unbearable. He sat up with difficulties and looked around. He was in another city, parked in front of a hotel. He stepped out and had to grab on to the roof of the car to steady himself. They had left him asleep in the car. The bastards. He stepped into the cool lobby of the hotel, grateful to see some lemonade and glasses on a table nearby. He served himself something to drink, taking two painkillers at the same time.

  Geoffrey and Emily were checking into the hotel. Tristan walked up to them.

  “Did you check me in as well, or should I do that?” Tristan asked.

  Geoffrey handed him a key card with a number.

  Tristan took it and went up to the room. The cold shower helped to manage the pain. As he studied his damaged face in the mirror, he figured he must have a concussion. His face looked terrible since the bruises were now fully developed. His eye was still swollen shut. He felt his head and could feel several bumps. The bruises on his chest and back were a dark purple color.

  He put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He needed to investigate this town some more. In a couple of days, he would have the crystal in his hands. Once that happened, then he had to get rid of Emily and get rid of the crystal. In his room, he saw a book of tourist activities in Merida. He looked through it curiously. The more he thought about his idea, the more perfect it seemed. It would feel like a ritual sacrifice. It was a way to end this profoundly stupid journey.

  Now he had to make peace with Geoffrey and Emily. He needed to get Emily to trust him. That was the most important thing. He suspected Geoffrey had not said anything about the spiral. That was the answer. With this in mind, he headed to the lobby in hopes of finding them.

  EB26392

  Journal 1

  Emily left Geoffrey alone in the room and went to wander the hotel. She had no idea how long they would be there, but she wanted to make the most of her time. It wasn’t as if she was participating in their transactions. The situation with Geoffrey was tense. He broke a promise in the hotel in Mexico City. While she knew that witnessing Tristan’s violence affected Geoffrey, it was still not okay to try and trick her. Of course, ignorance was not her happy place. She intended to find out what Geoffrey and Tristan were doing. When she did, she would demand to be included. But for now, she was in a beautiful hotel, in a beautiful Mexican city, and she had every intention of enjoying herself.

  Tristan was in the lobby. He waved at her, and she approached him with hesitation. He smiled, and it looked like an agonizing experience. Emily felt a rush of satisfaction, watching the pain.

  “What do you need, Tristan?” She said.

  “Please don’t be so angry. I fucked up. I know I fucked up. You don’t have to remind me.” He said.

  She studied him for a moment. He looked pitiful, but she wasn’t ready to let it go. “Tristan, you tried to do who knows what to those women. You hit one of them. I knew you were not a good man, and I know your type. You see women as objects. I even imagined that there was violence in your past. After all, you already tried to kill me once. I understand why you are angry with me. I just didn’t think… There was a part of me that hoped you were different, not because I want you to be a good man, but because Tom was a good man.”

  “You are no better,” he replied.

  “True,” she said. “The difference between you and I is that when I realized that I could hurt someone or even worse, kill them, I backed off. I swore never to hurt anyone ever again, and I am fighting to make sure I keep my own promise. You enjoy it.”

  “I learned my lesson. Look at me. I am a mess. As a result of my own stupidity, I lost…” Tristan started to speak and stopped.

  “What did you lose?” She asked.

  He took her hand and led her to a quiet corner in the garden outside the hotel. He sat down on a bench and motioned her to sit with him. She sat down and waited.

  “Promise me you won’t say anything,” he said. “I don’t know who else I could share this with anyway. No one would believe me.”

  “I promise. What is this about?”

  “This is why we are here. When we were with the Sentinels, they gave me a crystal. They told me I needed to deliver it to a woman here. I don’t know why I am supposed to deliver it there. Of course, I thought I could find its uses, and I could make some cash off of it. It didn’t work that way. The moment I thought about it, the nasty bastards made my head almost explode. It hurt more than the pain I feel now. I was promised some cash, but I have no idea how much. I don’t want to be poor, Emily. I know it sounds weird. Everyone has different ambitions, but I just never wanted to be one of those middle-class dads with two kids and a minivan. I wanted more. This could be the key to that life.” He said excitedly.

  “Where is it? Can I see it?” She asked.

  “That’s the problem,” he said. “It was stolen. Geoffrey knows the best thief in the world, and I trust that he will get it back for me.”

  “I wonder what it does,” she said.

  “I do too. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

  “When will the thief deliver?” Emily asked.

  “Maybe in a day or two,” he replied.

  Emily looked at the beautifully manicured lawn. She wondered why Tristan trusted her with the information. As if lightning struck, Emily was suddenly sick of the whole situation. She hated spying and trying to understand Geoffrey. It was as if her patience ran out all at once. She wanted to be free of this mess. She hated being near a man whom she loved, and who mostly wanted her to be an executioner. Tristan was a monster, no matter what he said. Still, he had trusted her when Geoffrey had not. She wanted to go swimming. The town begged to be explored. She’d seen the things to visit nearby. She wanted all of it. For one evening, she wanted to stop being Emily Brown, and just be a regular tourist visiting a beautiful town.

  As if reading her mind, Tristan said, “Maybe we could go explore. If we have to wait here for several days, it would be great to go to eat at nice restaurants and see some of the nearby pyramids. I even saw that there were some wate
rholes called cenotes, where we could go swimming.”

  Emily weighed the options. Geoffrey was going to panic, but that was normal Geoffrey. She needed fun. Everything with Geoffrey was about death and the end of the world. On the other hand, Tristan wouldn’t get into trouble if she was with him. Oddly, if he was with her, she could guarantee no other woman would get hurt. Of course, she could be the victim. What did she have to lose? Geoffrey wouldn’t let her, or worse, he would insist on coming along with them. He would lecture about the history of each place until she felt like throwing herself at Tristan and begging him to end her life.

  Hanging out with Tristan was the better option. It was fun in Tanzania until he decided to kill things. Hopefully, he could control his instinct long enough for Emily to survive. He was oddly charming. This was why he was able to get away with his level of depravity. She could keep women safe if she was with him. If he tried anything on her, he would die. It wouldn’t even be her choice exactly.

  Having made up her mind, she said, “Where shall we go first?”

  “Do you have to check in with your guard dog?” Tristan asked mockingly.

  She ignored him and headed out of the hotel.

  Chapter 14

  EB26392

  Journal 1

  They sat facing a lovely courtyard at a restaurant, having fantastic food, and lots of alcohol. Emily was aware Tristan had turned on the charm, but she was not going to second guess. The Machiavellian planning was on hold for the evening. It would only get her into a dark place, and she was sick of being in a dark place. Night had fallen hours before. At any moment, she figured they would be kicked out of the restaurant and sent back to the hotel.

  When they finally stepped out into the tropical night, the alcohol hit, and Emily had a hard time holding her balance and didn't care about anything. She thought Tristan was a terrible person, and because of this, he was the only person she could trust to be with, in a drunken state. She wasn't sure what that said about her, and she didn't want to read too much into it. Tristan got out his phone and got an app related car to get them.

  As they waited on the curb, Emily saw another couple next to them. The man was elegant and very delicate. He was speaking in English with an American accent. She had long curly hair and was dressed conservatively in a business suit and had a nonnative accent to her English. They seemed like an odd couple. The woman kept her back turned. The man looked in her direction and smiled. Emily smiled back. Tristan didn't notice anything because he was busy focusing on his phone. Emily was holding on to his arm, trying to regain her balance.

  “James, honey, it is time to go,” the woman said.

  The valet had brought their car. The couple walked in their direction. The man bumped into Emily pretty hard. She stumbled backward as he hit her. He apologized and held out his hand to balance her.

  Tristan snapped out of his revelry and scolded the man, “Hey, watch what you are doing!”

  The woman got into the car, and the man closed the door. The man walked to the driver’s seat and got into the car.

  As they were driving away, Tristan called out, "Hey, wait for a second, that was the woman from Mexico City who stole the crystal."

  Tristan let her go to chase after the car. Emily felt pain shoot into her side and felt herself folding down to the floor. Everything happened in seconds. She saw Tristan turn towards her as she hit the ground. Then she felt no more.

  TJ56823

  Journal 1

  Tristan saw Emily collapse as the car pulled out of the parking lot. It was a moral dilemma. Should he chase after the woman and get the crystal back? Or should he return to Emily? Playing the hero to a woman he wanted dead was absurd. He chased after the car, but it disappeared within a block. When he returned to the restaurant, there was a circle surrounding Emily, including their ride back to the hotel. He couldn’t believe Emily would be that drunk. She was drunk without a doubt. To collapse like that was unexpected. Tristan expected Emily to be sitting laughing in the middle of the crowd.

  When he finally approached the circle around her, he saw that she was unconscious with a growing circle of red spreading around her side. It made no sense at all. How could she have gotten hurt? Then he remembered through his own alcohol riddled brain that the man called James bumped into her. He stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do. A large Mexican man was tending to her. He was ripping her shirt and trying to find something to stem the bleeding. It looked like napkins from the restaurant. He was barking orders in Spanish, and people were following the commands.

  “Drew, will she be okay?” The most beautiful woman Tristan had ever seen spoke to the man.

  "I don't know, Cassie. I texted Geoffrey. Hopefully, he gets here soon. We need to get her to the hospital." The man said.

  Tristan took a step back. If Geoffrey arrived, the assumption would be that he did it. Geoffrey would kill him. He heard a voice behind him.

  “Tristan?” The boy he’d seen at the Sentinel planet was standing there.

  “Darcy?” Tristan asked.

  The man, Drew, looked up at Tristan. “Did you do this?”

  Tristan immediately replied, “No, I tried to chase down the person who did it. It was a blond man with thinning hair and glasses.”

  “James Watson. The Order is here. Damn.” Drew replied. “Why isn’t Geoffrey with you? He should have never left her alone.”

  "As hard as it might be to believe, Geoffrey can be overbearing and a tad boring at times," Tristan said as he felt someone move him out of the way. He turned and saw Geoffrey kneel next to Drew.

  “We need to get her to a hospital,” Geoffrey said. “Goliath, help me move her.”

  Goliath? Tristan felt like he was in some absurd cloak and dagger television show. That was the most ridiculous nickname in the world. Fitting. The man was scary in an overly athletic sort of way. Still, what kind of people use code names like that in real life.

  Drew or Goliath, whatever his name was, picked up Emily as if she were a rag doll. Geoffrey looked around and spotted Tristan. Geoffrey was furious. Tristan started to run, hoping he could make himself scarce. Instead of attacking, he looked around some more.

  “Where’s Scout?” Geoffrey asked.

  “She didn’t want to come to dinner tonight. She was nervous about tomorrow. Sam stayed with her.” The woman named Cassie replied.

  “Sam?” Tristan began.

  Geoffrey interrupted, “She should not be alone with Sam right now. Not while he has the –“

  “Darcy and I will get back to them,” she said.

  Geoffrey followed Drew to the car with Emily. The woman and the boy walked away. Tristan stood there, staring at the bloodstain on the floor.

  “Are you coming?” Geoffrey called out.

  Tristan nodded and followed. The driver of the car he'd asked for said a few choice words, got into the car, and left. Tristan got into the front seat next to Drew. Geoffrey sat in the back, holding Emily very close. It almost felt as if he was getting intimate with her. Embarrassed, Tristan turned his attention to the driver.

  “Who are these people?” Tristan asked Drew. “What is the Order?”

  Drew looked through his rearview mirror at Geoffrey. Geoffrey nodded. Tristan noted that dynamic for some future where it could be useful. Geoffrey was further up in the hierarchies.

  "They oppose interplanetary travel on principle. The Order believes it will destroy the human race. As long as there have been gatekeepers, there has been the Order. They got more powerful in the last twenty years. As an organized effort to really do something about climate change and the possible destruction of the planet took form, they became more active. They like chaos, destruction, and more. The group is vicious. They will kill anyone who is connected to the gates, or who have actually traveled through the gates." Drew answered.

  “Why do they want my little crystal?” Tristan asked.

  “That is a question for Geoffrey. I have no idea what the crystal does.” Drew answer
ed.

  "Geoffrey?" Tristan turned around to get an answer from him and saw he was not paying attention at all. If anything, the connection between Emily and Geoffrey was stronger. There was even a little glow, almost like a small like of fire, between then. Something strange was happening in the back seat of the car. Tristan stared, unable to take his eyes off of them. Geoffrey looked more and more ill, as Emily regained some color to her face. She was still unconscious. The fire went away, and Geoffrey leaned back against the seat, exhausted. As the brief streetlights shined through the window, Geoffrey looked almost skeletal. His hands were trembling as he held Emily hard against him. Geoffrey's eyes did not leave Emily's face. Tristan saw Drew look through the rearview mirror and speed up the car.

  “Are you okay, Geoffrey?” Tristan asked.

  “Leave him alone,” Drew answered.

  Tristan turned towards Drew, “What’s happening?”