DARK FAÏZ Book 3: Dawn never keeps its promises

by Sandra L. Kiss

  His tone was a bit sharp and I began to regret bringing it up. He was obviously still angry with them and it was largely my fault. Was he going to be angry with us for the rest of his life for what he felt was betrayal? In any case, it wasn't the time to bring up this very difficult subject again.

  Outside, the storm was raging, the wind was howling. The road was hardly usable in this heavy rain. Suddenly, I recognized Kimberose's voice with her title "I'm sorry" that was playing on Faïz's playlist. I pinched my lips, touched that this song also meant something to him.

  “The way she says it, you could forgive her anything," he said, referring to the singer's lyrics.

  His words ended up in a melancholy, painful for me to hear.

  I walked through the door with Faïz behind me. Finally, sheltered from the storm, I stared at my guest with an ironic smile. He stared at me with curiosity. His wet hair and messier than usual took nothing away from his natural charm. He was still as handsome as ever without even trying to be.

  "You... it's nice to look at you. I think you're very handsome," I murmured as I blushed.

  What an idiot! All of a sudden I felt like one of those cheesy women who had their mouths open when they first saw him. A sneering gleam came through his eyes. He buried his hands in his pockets, tilting his head slightly to the side.

  "Next to you, I look so ordinary."

  His gaze went through me. I would have liked, at that very moment, for him to hold me in his arms.

  "I didn't know you'd have company."

  I recognized Elijah's voice from across the living room. He promptly interrupted this moment of complicity. I quickly dropped off my things in the entrance hall with an embarrassed pout.

  "I'm happy to see you too," I declared, warning him with a steady gaze so that he would remain as courteous as possible with my guest.

  My friend, receptive, then made a monstrous effort to take a polite tone.

  "Georgia and I left tapas and nachos for dinner, but I can make some more if I need to."

  "No, don't bother. I'm not staying," Faïz said, raising a hand in front of him.

  "Stay," I asked him almost desperately. "At least until the storm has died down."

  Elijah expressed his disagreement with a grunt, but I didn't take it up. In front of my expecting gaze, Faïz seemed suddenly disoriented. He nodded and stammered:

  "OK, fine."

  "So, what are we gonna do about the nachos?" Elijah got impatient.

  Relieved by the answer, I relaxed. My attention immediately returned to my friend.

  "Don't worry, Eli, Lexy's not coming back here tonight. I'll take care of dinner. Thanks."

  As I headed to my room to change, Faïz decided to go upstairs to see Georgia. It was a chance for me to spend some time with Elijah and to have a conversation again.

  When I reappeared in the living room, my friend was busy in the kitchen tidying up the clean dishes. I walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek before I took some tapas from the dish. He gave me a radiant smile, so infectious that I felt good right away.

  "It's so good to see you again," I confided to him without taking my eyes off him.

  "Come on, Zoe. You know I'll always be here for you and Georgia. I'm not planning on leaving town."

  My smile faded, I looked down.

  "Yet you should. L.A.'s not so safe anymore. The government will announce lockdown measures in the next few hours for the next few days. They'll refer to the risk of an epidemic as the reason, although that's not all it's really about. This time it's becoming very serious, both nationally and internationally."

  Elijah suddenly became particularly worried.

  "The real threat to Mankind are viruses. They decimate everything in their path. Hopefully, in the end, we'll find out that it was really just a seasonal flu."

  "An influenza pandemic requires very specific action. This is a new virus against which the population has little or no defense."

  "What about the army gathered by the Maestro? Can your Leviathans and Sylphs do anything about it? It's time to show they're not charlatans as Condor claims."

  I looked up at the sky and took some tapas again.

  "Does your Condor have a plan to get us out of this?" I said, ironic.

  An anxious expression darkens his face.

  "Yes, still the same, but I don't approve it! He's a charlatan too."

  I asked him with my eyes, curious to hear his opinion on the subject. As he was about to open his mouth, the sound of footsteps on the stairs interrupted him.

  Arriving at the bottom, Faïz came towards me, his features serious and impeccable. A towel rested on his shoulders.

  "Georgia's waiting for you," he said.

  Concerned, I turned my head to Elijah who immediately guessed my thoughts.

  "Yes, I'm staying the night. I don't have the courage to sleep outside in this storm. See you tomorrow, I'm going to bed."

  Elijah greeted us with a wave of his hand while forcing himself to keep a measured attitude towards his rival and then left.

  Alone in the room, Faïz looking at me from head to toe, a slight grin on the corners of his lips.

  "What?" I exclaimed, suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

  "I think it's the first time I've seen you in your pajamas," he said without losing his smile.

  "Perhaps you thought you'd find me in an evening dress, Mr. Mattew?"

  A frank and clear laugh escaped from him.

  "Not either! I really like it when you tie up your hair like that."

  "That's Georgia's hair tie," I replied, amused.

  "I recognized this big flower with its red pistil in the middle. She loves that one."

  He approached me and his warm, soft hand gently caressed my cheek. At that moment I forced my brain to function normally. Breathlessly, I could barely gather all my thoughts together. His eyes scanned my lips before they twisted into mine.

  "Hurry up and go see Georgia," he murmured almost authoritatively. "I'm hungry like a wolf."

  His two-way words brought him an irresistible smile again. My throat tightened, I could hardly breathe and it was with a monstrous effort that I managed to get myself off of his attractive hold.

  In the silent room, all I could hear were the pages of the book turning. Elijah, at Georgia's side, seemed just as calm and, without saying a word, observed the images of the story before his eyes. I knocked on the door twice to let them know I was there. Georgia was startled.

  "What are you looking at?" I asked in a low voice so as not to disturb this peaceful moment.

  "We were reading the valiant little tailor by the Brothers Grimm," replied Elijah, who stood up with difficulty and closed the book.

  "You were reading?" I repeated, astonished.

  Indeed, I hadn't heard anyone read a story.

  "Tonight's reading was by Condor."

  My friend sighed before muttering:

  "Besides, it wasn't glorious. I do voices much better than him! Right, Princess?"

  "You're the best, Uncle Eli," my daughter said, actively nodding.

  "I must be dreaming," I whispered as I looked up at the sky.

  Georgia smiled without daring to contradict her faithful companion, waiting for the gentle hug that he hastened to give her before heading for the bedroom door.

  "I'm here in case something goes wrong with the bad guy," Elijah whispered as he came up to me.

  With a smile on my face, I followed him with my eyes until he disappeared from the room. He had a terrible temper, but he cherished me and my daughter more than anything else. Nothing could take away from the immense affection I felt for him.

  "How was your day?" I asked quietly as I brought the blankets to Georgia's face.

  "Good, Uncle Eli said that school's over and the ghost war with the superheroes is on. Mom, isn't the magic of the world going to end? The angels will win."

  I let out a deep sigh and knelt down beside her bed, caressing her face.

  "Uncle Eli
has his own way of romanticizing stories."

  A sad glow crossed her face.

  "Mom, the bad guy is the fire-breathing dragon. I always see him in my dreams. He's the one to be afraid of."

  The Maestro was capable of many things and the image of this animal suited him perfectly. The words of Nostradamus about the third Antichrist capable of spitting fire came to my mind.

  "Don't worry, you're safe here with us."

  I gently dropped a kiss on her cheek.

  "You like him, Faïz. Me too," she said. "He takes me to the park and we eat ice cream. Plus, he makes me breakfast without ever burning my toast."

  She paused and hesitated to continue, then she whispered again:

  "You're smiling a little bit more now. I don't hear you crying at night anymore."

  I felt the emotion overwhelm me. That was all my daughter needed: a smiling mother. She had been so patient. I was so angry at myself for resigning my role as a mother so many times. Yet it was so easy to make her happy. I took her in my arms and apologized again, tightening my embrace.

  "Yes, it's true. I like him," I always whispered against her.

  After wishing her a good night, and before I walked through her door, I turned to her one last time.

  "It was nice of you to let Uncle Eli talk about Condor without contradicting him tonight. You're really nice to him."

  "Condor's a much better story reader, but you can't say it."

  My blood froze and my smile slowly faded. I turned off the light in the room, disturbed by her last words. Did she mean it as a joke? Or was she also suffering from hallucinations? My daughter had always had a lot of imagination. She was only five years old, there was no reason to get alarmed either. I decided to join Faïz who was waiting for me downstairs, and prayed that Georgia wouldn't dream that night of the Maestro or Pavel, the man she saw as a dragon, just like Nostradamus.

  FAÏZ

  Lost in his thoughts, he stood by the living room windows. Outside, the rain was still pouring as hard as ever, while the wind was crashing against the windows, making them vibrate slightly. The young man could see neither the raging and threatening ocean in the distance, nor the silhouette staring at him in the darkness, in the middle of the stairs. His mind was far away, thousands of miles from here, on Eros, and more precisely on this beach where the Banshee had come to predict the tragic end of this war against evil. It was close by now. Zoe would soon find out the truth. She had already lost a lot, but would she survive these new events that would undoubtedly change her life forever? She'll never forgive you, the young man whispered to himself.

  "Who won't forgive you?"

  A crystalline and melodious voice right next to him brought him back to the present moment. As he lowered his eyes to Zoe, he felt he was losing his balance. Faïz restrained a grimace in front of this woman who was doing him as much good as harm, but he couldn't live without her. He twisted his eyes into hers, always as surprised by the absolute depth they radiated. Her pupils, like emeralds, haunted him even today in his own dreams, or rather in his own nightmares.

  "Faïz?" now the young woman said, worried, arms crossed, desperately waiting for an answer from him.

  "Come," he said in a low voice, reaching out his hands.

  Taken aback, Zoe hesitated for a brief moment before being caught up by this captivating tension, producing an overwhelming sensation on her. She yielded to this desire that she couldn't control, just like her thoughts, which became incoherent and completely out of her control in front of this man whose personality stood out from the common man. When her hands grazed the palms of Faïz, he inflated his lungs. Many different emotions mixed in him at that moment. Nothing was sweeter in his eyes except his daughter's kisses.

  "What's wrong?" Zoe insisted in a voice that faded at the end of her question.

  "How could there be anything wrong?" murmured the young man. "Near you, the darkness no longer exists."

  Listening to her words full of sincerity, Zoe captured, for a moment, an imperceptible sorrow. She bent down to give him a brief kiss on the lips, but returned immediately to kiss him this time in a more insistent way. Faïz's warm and gentle hand passed gently under Zoe's sweater. He grazed her back and then his fingers drew her spine. The smell of the young woman seeped into his veins. The warmth of her body against his was no longer enough for him. The panicky fear of losing her never left him, he needed proof that she still loved him. She had to give herself to him as she had on that first night together. The young man knew how much it meant to her. He wanted her heart, but he also wanted her unconditional love.

  He detached himself to contemplate her for a moment. The hot flashes had tinted her cheeks. He caressed her lip with his thumb, his eyes filled with desire. The muscles of his body, still glued to hers, were contracted without him being able to relax them.

  "You never left my thoughts," Faïz confessed to her in a painful voice. "If you only knew..."

  Zoe put her finger over his mouth to stop him from continuing.

  "I know. Now I know."

  "Let me wake up every morning by your side," he begged.

  She moved a little further away from him and grabbed the hand of the dark brown haired man and brought it to her cheek. He saw that anger, resentment and hatred had deserted her eyes, giving way to the greater tenderness she felt for him. Zoe nodded and added:

  "That's a good thing. I want you to be the first thing I see in the morning when I open my eyes."

  With her hand in his, she then invited Faïz to follow her to her room.

  10-RAY

  Sitting around the table, in the living room of his house, Ray waited impatiently that David finishes his conversation on the telephone with inspector Barthey.

  "Your coffee is going to get cold," Asarys told him while changing the water in the vase before putting the roses back in.

  She inspired the scent of her bouquet on the kitchen counter.

  "They're beautiful," said the young woman with a smile to her lover.

  "Unfortunately, they will eventually wither."

  His remark was meant to be natural, but the sharp, melancholy look that accompanied it was less so. Asarys pinched her lip, saddened to see the state of the man she passionately loved deteriorating a little more each day. Faïz's return had plunged him into a sad despair without her understanding the cause of his sudden change of mood.

  Ray continued to stare at David, who was still talking on the phone, in the veranda made of wood and bricks, a little further away. From here, he couldn't pick up a single scrap of his conversation and that annoyed him to the core.

  "Why does he need to confine himself there to talk?" grumbled the young man.

  "Maybe because it wouldn't be very polite to be on the phone at the table!" replied Asarys in a sour voice.

  She put on her jacket and quickly grabbed a donut off the table. Ray stopped her by putting his arm around her waist and forced her to sit on his lap. The latter contemplated her thin face that ended in a pointed chin and then looked into her shady blue eyes. Her great natural charm was still with her even after all these years.

  "I'm sorry," Ray apologized.

  Asarys looked at him for a moment before placing a hand on his cheek, and asked:

  "What's the big deal?"

  "Just one problem... hard to solve."

  The young woman changed her face and looked at him with astonishment. Realizing that he wouldn't tell her anything more, she replied dryly while freeing herself from his grip:

  "Faïz will be here any minute! I have to go pick up Zoe in Elora."

  Ray's features broke on his face.

  "What's he coming to do in our house?" he exclaimed in rage.

  Asarys couldn't help answering maliciously:

  "I'm the one who asked him to stop by to sort out this... difficult problem."

  Before the young man could reply, she had already gone through the large living room and slammed the door behind her.

  David arrived
a few moments later and sat at the table, trying to be as natural as possible.

  "What did Barthey say?" immediately questioned Ray without being polite.

  His friend swallowed and wanted to save time by taking a long sip of his coffee. Ray, impatient, clenched his jaw, his eyes threatening.

  "They finished analyzing Victoria's collection of paintings."

  "And? Did they find the Maestro's tomb?" asked his friend, eager to know more.

  "Yes!"

  Ray opened his mouth, but closed it instantly. The muscles in his face collapsed and for a few seconds, time stood still around him. A thousand and one things went through his mind. He brought his hands to his face and nervously massaged his forehead.

  "This is it," he murmured. "We finally have the location of the damn tomb!"

  David nodded before lowering his eyes to avoid meeting his friend's gaze. He would have liked to celebrate the news, but his heart wasn't at it. Invisible hands seemed to strangle him... Faïz's hands.

  Suddenly, the entrance bell ringed.

  "Are you expecting someone?" David asked, frowning.

  "Ten minutes ago I would have told you no, but Asarys invited the wolf into the sheepfold without asking me."

  "Faïz?" David panicked.

  Ray walked nonchalantly towards the front door and answered with a raised voice:

  "Yes. Good thing my rage desperately needs a physical outlet right now."

  Dressed in cream-colored sweatpants and a black T-shirt, Faïz entered the house with a sweaty face. Outside, the wind was still blowing strongly before calming down for a few seconds. He removed his earphones from his ears and contemplated, for a brief moment, the home of his host. The architecture and design of the house created a beautiful contrast. The living room and the open kitchen opened onto a beautiful summer garden. The veranda, on the back, with its large windows, gave the room a superb light. The decoration was oriented towards aesthetics and pure lines, both sober and trendy.

  "You'd better save your energy instead of doing your morning jog in this weather," Ray said dryly to his interlocutor.