by HR Moore
* * * * *
Marcus' resolve was impressive. The look in his eye reminded Austin of his father, Tobias, and it filled him with pride. He knew now that Marcus had it in him to enter the family business. If he was happy to blackmail his own father, then only the Gods knew what else he was capable of.
However, it was important, now that Marcus had found his teeth, to keep him on side. Austin had to bring Marcus firmly under his wing. Amber would have to start taking orders from him; she wouldn't like that, but Marcus had to see incremental benefits, or there was a danger he would defect. And, much as it pained him, Anita would have to be set free. He could deal with her later, after he'd managed to drive a wedge between her and Marcus. He was confident that wouldn't be too difficult, not now that Marcus had shown his true colors.
'Alright, consider her freed. You can take her home if you'd like.'
* * * * *
Marcus froze, holding his breath. Was he dreaming, or had that really been so easy?
Austin laughed. 'Son, I'm proud of the way you've dealt with this. You've leveraged a piece of delicate information to your advantage; I couldn't have done it better myself. Only…does Alexander really know about the affair?'
'He knows there was one, but he doesn't know who it was with. I said I would only tell him if he needed to know.'
'But you know who it was with?'
'I guess we'll never know now, will we,' said Marcus, smugly, turning for the door. 'Come on, I need you to call off your dogs.'
Austin chuckled, getting up from his desk.
They made their way to the dungeon, Marcus still not totally convinced he wasn't dreaming. A part of him worried that Austin was playing some cruel joke and was about to change his mind. They reached the desk where Amber was talking to one of her guards and Marcus said, 'Amber, please come with me. We're setting Anita free.'
Amber sniggered, clearly about to rebuke him. But she looked up and saw Austin, a smile playing about his lips, waiting with interest to see what she would do next. Amber narrowed her eyes, face setting in fury.
'Of course,' she replied, through gritted teeth. Marcus was trying to keep his expression even, but couldn't totally hide his amazement. Who would've thought that blackmailing his father would have such positive effects?
He followed Amber to the cell and watched while she uncuffed Anita's hands and feet. Anita looked worried, unsure what was going on, whether torture was to follow.
'Dad's letting you go,' said Marcus, in a gentle voice, helping her to her feet. But as she tried to put weight on her legs, they gave way. She would've fallen if Marcus hadn't scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the room.
He didn't stop for a second on the way to his car, still concerned that something could be done to stop him. Anita said nothing, resting her head limply on his chest.
Marcus placed her on the back seat, being as careful of her broken ribs and bruised flesh as he could. He sat opposite her, taking her hand as his driver set off towards Anita's home.
* * * * *
Anita said nothing for the whole journey, her energy not responding as she would have expected to freedom. She was still empty and drained, and although she knew she should be thankful to Marcus for getting her out, she felt nothing.
They arrived at Cordelia's and Marcus picked Anita up again, pushed the gate open, and walked to the back door. It was ajar as usual, and he didn't stop before making his way inside, calling for Cordelia.
'Hello?' he said urgently. 'Cordelia? Are you here? I need your help.'
Cordelia came rushing out of the sitting room, where she and Cleo had been talking by the fire. 'By the Gods,' she said, seeing the state of Anita. 'What have they done to you?'
Cleo burst into tears at the sight of her best friend.
'Bring her in here,' said Cordelia. 'Cleo, clear the sofa so Marcus can put her down.'
Cleo did as she was told and Marcus placed Anita on the sofa, then knelt on the floor and took her hand protectively.
Cordelia rushed to the kitchen to get a glass of water and a sponge. They needed to hydrate her, and Anita wouldn't be able to sit up and drink normally in her current state.
Anita was aware of the activity around her, but still felt detached. Her energy had deserted her; it was even an effort to breathe. She lay motionless and let them fret.
She knew she'd be alright; the wounds would heal with time and the emotional scars would fade. Right now though, that didn't seem to matter, and she wallowed in her stupidity. She should have realized what Helena was up to. She deserved to be locked up given her foolish, reckless actions. She deserved the pain. She wished everyone would stop fussing and leave her alone.
* * * * *
After Cordelia had fed her some sugary water, Anita drifted off to sleep. Marcus, Cordelia and Cleo discussed what to do next. They'd been debating it for some time when Cordelia put her foot down.
'It's simple,' she said, shutting down any further conversation on the matter. 'She will stay here and will be looked after by me until she is better. There will be very few visitors in that time, and even you two can't be here all hours. She needs to rest, recuperate physically and spiritually, and come to terms with what has happened to her. She cannot do that with people around her twenty-four seven. Do I make myself clear?'
Cleo and Marcus wanted to argue, but Cordelia's body language told them not to. They nodded their silent agreement.
'Good, I'm glad. Now, thank you for your concern but I will take it from here. Come back tomorrow, and if Anita wants to see you, I will let you in. If not, you'll have to wait until she's ready.'
They were gearing up to argue again, and fixed them with a look that made them think twice.
'Okay,' said Cleo, turning to Marcus. 'Come on. I'm sure you've got some recuperating to do too, and there's nothing more we can do for Anita at the moment. Cordelia has it under control.'
'Alright,' he said in a strained voice, 'but I'll be back early tomorrow to see her.'
'As I said, that's fine, but I will only let you in if she wants to see you too.'
Cleo took Marcus' arm and gently but firmly steered him out of the house. 'See you tomorrow Cordelia. Let us know if there's anything at all we can do.'
* * * * *
Marcus and Cleo said goodbye when they reached the gate, Marcus climbing back into his car, Cleo resisting the temptation to ask for a blow by blow account of what had happened. Marcus slumped in the back seat, looking tired and drawn, and Cleo watched as the car pulled away. This couldn't have been easy for him either, Cleo thought, as she made her way to the temples to tell Alexander what she knew.
* * * * *
Alexander rushed to Cordelia's as soon as he heard. He couldn't quite believe that Marcus' plan had worked, but was relieved that it had. Cordelia, surprised to see a second Descendant on her doorstep, had reluctantly let him in, but only after he agreed that under no circumstances would he do anything to wake her. Cordelia left them alone, satisfied that Alexander would keep his word.
He entered the sitting room and took in Anita's battered body, lying lifeless on the sofa. Her energy was so low that it was barely recognizable. He walked slowly, silently to her side, crouching by her head, delicately moving a strand of hair off her swollen face. There were no tingles now, no excitement at his touch, but her energy lifted a little at the contact, or at least, he told himself that's what it was.
He sat by her side for an hour, not moving a muscle, willing her energy to start to recover, but it stayed where it was, with no movement at all. Eventually, he got up, brushed his lips lightly against her forehead, and left, thanking Cordelia and saying he would be back in the morning to see how she was.
As he was leaving, he paused, turning back to Cordelia. 'Her energy is dangerously low. We have to do this at her pace. Don't let Marcus force her into doing anything more quickly than she wants to; she's going to need time.'
Cordelia nodded. 'Goodnight Alexander. I will no doubt see
you tomorrow.'
* * * * *
The following morning, Anita woke and sat bolt upright, the pain hitting her like an express train. She hadn't been able to feel it the night before, but now it was…her mind went fuzzy, she worried she would faint. She froze, waiting for the pain to abate a little before gingerly swinging her legs to the floor.
She stood, carefully, testing that her legs would take her weight before fully committing. Another shot of pain stabbed through her chest, but this time she was expecting it, which somehow made it more bearable. She hobbled to the door and made for the stairs, but Cordelia heard her footsteps and headed her off before she could reach them.
'Good morning,' said Cordelia, appearing from the kitchen. 'I'm glad you feel well enough to walk, but what exactly do you think you're doing?'
'I'm going to my bedroom,' Anita said weakly. It was taking all her energy and concentration to make it to the stairs.
'May I ask why, when you have everything you need down here?'
'I want to be alone,' she said, now tackling the stairs, one painful upward step at a time.
'Alright. I'll bring you breakfast; you need to eat.'
Anita didn't answer. She knew it would be futile to argue and was more concerned with reaching the top of the stairs by herself than with Cordelia bringing her food. She reached the top and paused, waiting for the worst of the pain to ease before pressing on towards her room. Luckily, given the size of the cottage, this didn't present too much more of a challenge.
She reached her bed and lay carefully on top of the covers; it was too much effort to crawl under them. She curled up, bringing her knees to her chest, and cried.
Anita stayed in her room, refusing to see anyone but Cordelia for a full week. She fluctuated between sobbing uncontrollably and staring blankly into space for the first two days, the sobbing doing nothing to help the pain in her ribs.
When she slept, she had flashbacks of Amber torturing her, Austin's cruel face looming in the back of her consciousness. When she was awake, she was consumed by her stupidity at not seeing through Helena and her guilt at having lied to Marcus. She didn't love him, not yet anyway, and Amber had been right, she had been manipulating him.
She heard Marcus and Cleo downstairs demanding to see her, but Cordelia sent them away day after day, saying they had to do this at Anita's pace; they couldn't force her to do things she didn't want to do.
Alexander's visits were different. Instead of demanding to see her, he asked if she wanted visitors. He asked questions about what she was eating and if she seemed to be getting her energy back. Anita's energy was coming back, slowly, but it was nowhere near its normal level.
She heard Alexander explain to Cordelia that it would take a while for her to recover. She was a Body and currently unable to exercise, the thing that would normally lift her spirits. He suggested to Cordelia that she encourage Anita to meditate instead, to help with her psychological healing.
Cordelia was careful to talk to visitors at the bottom of the stairs, so Anita could hear what was said. Anita could decide for herself what she wanted to do and not do. Taking Alexander's advice, she began to mediate after a few days. It did help clear her mind, her anger at herself fading, becoming less consuming.
After a week in her room, Anita ventured out, heading downstairs, to the kitchen. The pain in her ribs had mellowed, the cuts and bruises starting to heal, and the swelling in her face was gone. She made herself a sandwich and took it to the sitting room, where she sat down by the fire.
As she finished, the first whole meal she'd eaten since she'd been set free, there was a knock on the door. She heard Cleo's voice searching for Cordelia.
'Cleo,' Anita called, her voice cracking as she spoke.
Cleo heard her and came rushing in, embracing her. 'Ouch,' said Anita, Cleo a little overzealous with the pressure of her hug.
'Sorry, but I'm so happy to see you up and about. I've been so worried about you, we all have: Marcus, Alexander, Bass, Cordelia, Elistair, everyone. How are you feeling?'
'I've been better, obviously, but I'm getting there. My energy is picking up. That's been the worst thing…I haven't had the will to get out of bed. Until this morning, I was either totally empty, or full of anger and loathing. For some reason, today I woke up and felt a bit better.
'It's really good to see you. Thank you for all your help. It must have been terrifying trying to get out of the archives.'
Cleo laughed. 'Probably not as terrifying as being tied up and tortured,' she said, then, realizing what she'd said, quickly followed it with, 'Sorry, didn't mean to bring that up like that.'
Anita smiled. 'It's alright. That is what happened after all. Anyway, what have I missed?' she asked, changing the subject. 'Fill me in on all the gossip.'
'Well, to be honest, everything pales into insignificance next to what happened to you, but Marcus and Alexander seem to have made up. Or, at least they can tolerate spending time together, so that's good, I suppose.
'A couple of council kids had a party and trashed their dad's three hundred year old energy meter; it was a particularly fine piece apparently. Austin and Amber have gone to Kingdom and everyone's speculating as to why…sorry…didn't mean to bring them up again.' She paused. 'To be honest, I'm more concerned with how you're doing and if there's anything I can do to help?'
Anita averted her gaze, blinking away the first prick of tears. 'Not right now. I need to work out what to do about Marcus and Alexander, but I can't face them yet. You could come for a walk with me though? I'm dying to get out of the house.'
Cleo jumped at the offer. 'Maybe I'll be able to keep up with you now,' she said, helping Anita to her feet.
CHAPTER 16
Anita spent the next couple of weeks building her strength both physically and mentally. She went for long walks with Cleo and spent hours meditating in the garden. However, she refused to see either Marcus or Alexander until she was feeling more like herself and had had time to decide what to do.
She'd told Cleo everything; how Helena had approached her, asking for help, and that Helena had known about Anita's parents all along. Cleo deserved to know.
Anita had expected Cleo to react badly, to tell her that she was stupid to have gone along with someone as dubious as Helena without really knowing what she was getting herself into, but she didn't. Cleo had said she understood. She'd said Anita was the kind of person who needed to act, especially if everyone else was shying away from action. Helena had offered her a way to do that, so it wasn't surprising that Anita had taken the bait.
Cleo said if it had been her, she wouldn't have turned Helena down the first time. She would've bitten off Helena's right arm to have found out information about her parents. Cleo assuaged Anita's worries, saying everyone made mistakes, that nobody's perfect, and that as far as ruses went, Helena's was pretty believable. Cleo told her not to be so hard on herself.
After a couple of weeks, Anita started to feel more like herself again and decided she was ready to start letting people back into her life. The time was fading her scars, and Anita was starting to forgive herself. She turned her attention to what she should do about Marcus and Alexander.
They both still came to visit every morning, having settled into a routine of who arrived when, so as to avoid being there together. Cordelia turned them away every time without fail, saying that Anita would let them know when she was ready to see them. She'd had a couple of near misses, where they'd altered their visiting time for whatever reason.
Anita had had to duck behind a tree on one occasion, to make sure that Alexander didn't see her. Of course he would have known she was there, but he'd respected her wishes, continuing into the house to see Cordelia as normal. He'd returned, again without stopping, a couple of minutes later.
After a great deal of consideration, Anita decided to see Marcus first; she was supposed to be his girlfriend after all. He'd also been the one to rescue her, and although he didn't know it, she'd deceived him. She
owed him a lot.
The following morning, Anita sat in the garden at Marcus' normal visiting time, on a bench near her usual yoga spot. She sensed him before she saw him and steeled herself as the sound of his footsteps disappeared onto the grass.
As he rounded the corner of the cottage, he saw Anita and stopped dead, blinking a couple of times, mouth falling open. When he was sure it was really her, he flew across the lawn to where she sat and dropped to his knees in front of her. He hugged her, pulling her head to his shoulder.
'Anita, thank the Gods you're alright. I'm so, so sorry. How are you?' he garbled into her hair, his energy disbelieving and full of guilt.
She pulled back and smiled at him, running her hand down the side of his face. 'Marcus, this wasn't your fault. It was mine. I should've respected that you took me to a place of great importance to your family and should've known not to pry.
'I'm so grateful that you showed me the picture; if anyone should be sorry, it should be me.' Tears of shame and regret welled up in Anita's eyes, bursting free, trickling down her pale cheeks.
Marcus looked aghast. 'Dad locked you up and tortured you when you'd done nothing wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for.' He moved to sit next to her, pulling her into his arms, softly stroking her hair, willing her to come to her senses. 'Anita, please don't blame yourself. Dad's reaction was crazy. It was unforgiveable. I'm just happy you're still able to stand the sight of me.'
His kindness caused the tears to flow vigorously and she pulled herself closer to his chest, Marcus wrapping his arms more tightly around her. He bowed his head forward, kissing the top of her head, his warmth radiating through her.
The tears finally stopped and Marcus helped Anita up, taking her inside. He made them a pot of tea and they sat on the old, worn sofa next to the fire. Anita cuddled into him and Marcus gently stroked her hair.
