DARK FAÏZ Book 3: Dawn never keeps its promises

by Sandra L. Kiss

  "OK," Lexy began hesitantly. "Martinez will be stepping down at the end of the month. Barthey has offered David to take over. I think he's going to accept Karl's proposal."

  "I'm happy for David," said Asarys. "He'll make a great agent. He's been working with information services and law enforcement for so long."

  "It's true," I confessed, "But why would Stephen leave his functions? Because of what Pavel did to him?"

  "No," Lexy was acerbic, "It's because of Faïz. Your man has put pressure on the government once again. The Leviathans won't cooperate with the authorities if Martinez takes the lead. He thinks he's too unstable."

  I opened my mouth, then closed it again immediately, shocked by these revelations.

  "Mattew has a lot more power than we thought," said Asarys quietly, "Poor Martinez."

  My friend was right: Faïz had a devastating and upsetting effect on the lives of the people who crossed his path. An effect that could be negative as well as positive, and Stephen had just paid the price.

  "By the way, where's the whole team?" Lexy asked.

  "In the mangrove," replied Asarys, who focused again on her book. "He's scouting the place for tomorrow."

  "Have you heard from Ray?"

  My question was a natural one. I hadn't seen my friend once on her phone today. She looked up at me, upset, "Just short texts. He told me not to worry, but nothing more. I think he's so... weird. It's not like him to leave me like this, without a single call."

  The crack in her voice upset me.

  "I'm sure he just wants to protect you. It'll all be back to normal in a few days."

  "Zoe's right. He's probably pretty busy right now. Ray's crazy about you. He can't wait to get back to you. You can finally get him that awful present you bought him yesterday."

  These comforting and ironic words seemed to have an effect. A glimmer of hope crossed her eyes. Asarys straightened up and swallowed her gloom, recharged to the brim.

  "The jacket I found yesterday is a bit flashy, I admit, but it's a souvenir from here. Zoe, you'll see it when he puts it on. I want Ray to be the first one to open his present."

  "I doubt he'll ever wear it," Lexy laughed as she finished her fruit salad. "I really don't know what got into you."

  Asarys started out with a long chime of laughter and added:

  "Me neither. So, what now? What's on the schedule?"

  FAÏZ

  Barthey went into the bedroom and ran into Faïz, sitting on a chair in the middle of the room. His eyelids closed, a concentrated fold marked his forehead.

  "Hi," Karl treaded carefully.

  The inspector threw a quick glance at the two officers accompanying him and then cleared his throat:

  "Leave us, please."

  Once alone, Barthey addressed the young man who had opened his eyes and stared at him seriously.

  "The second team and I arrived very early this morning. We put the armored tank in a safe place. Where are the girls?"

  Faïz looked away, gnashing his teeth.

  "Downstairs, they're having breakfast."

  "Do you want me to send someone to get them ready?"

  The young man raised his finger in the air and waved it gently, looking for words:

  "Give them a little more time. These last few hours together are precious, even if Zoe doesn't know it yet."

  Upset, the inspector tried, despite the hoarseness in his voice, to take the most appropriate tone possible.

  "Will you need a weapon inside the cave?"

  Faïz's jaw tightened. He rose sharply from his seat and his gaze fixed beyond the terrace which windows were wide open.

  "No, no weapons. That's not how it works."

  The latter sighed and ran his hands over his face before turning back to Barthey who was watching him with calm and compassion.

  "I, too, would have liked things to end differently," the inspector confided, trying to comfort the man whose facial features betrayed anguish and pain.

  "I got used to them, Karl. They don't deserve that."

  "I know."

  "What about Zoe? Do you think she'll be able to forgive me?"

  After a few seconds of a long silence, the shadow of a smile appeared on Barthey's lips. He nodded and answered:

  "Of course. She'll understand and she'll forgive you."

  Something broke inside the young man, because even if the inspector's words sounded true, his eyes had just betrayed him.

  16

  The three rowboats, driven by fishermen from the village of Boquilla, sailed along the mangrove. Behind us, Barthey's team's boat, with a few members of the American government and Leviathans on board, was following us closely. The large chest, where Pavel's body was lying, was on it. In front of us, another rowboat was carrying a dozen or so Colombian soldiers, who had been dispatched to the site to ensure our protection. The mission was considered high risk.

  "Don't empty the whole bottle!" Lexy got annoyed.

  Asarys spread a large dose of mosquito repellent on her arms as to not worry about them. She then gave the spray to our friend, who quickly did the same. Faïz was on the same boat as the three of us, but he was in the back of the boat. I put his more than distant attitude towards me since this morning on the enormous responsibility that weighed on his shoulders.

  "The place is also nicknamed the canal of love," Asarys declared doubtful. "Apart from roots, trees and the swamp, I see nothing dazzling."

  The boat let itself be carried along the water and to the rhythm of nature's beats. The mangrove swarmed with all the life that populated it and stood like a rampart against the waves.

  "I find this wild place fascinating," I replied, looking around me. "The marine ecosystem of this place is very rich in plants."

  "I have no opinion," said Lexy. "My stomach is completely knotted."

  My friend had hardly eaten anything for lunch. She had barely taken advantage of the last few hours she had spent at the patio pool. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was beating down hard and I hoped she would have enough strength and energy to make it through the evening.

  "This will all be over soon. We will finally live a normal life after this," I tried to reassure her.

  "A normal life?" laughed Asarys. "Come on, Zoe, come back down to Earth and look at that chest behind us with Barthey."

  "Do you think Pavel's eyes are open in there?" Lexy wondered.

  Asarys quivered.

  "I don't even want to know. Just thinking about him gives me goosebumps. He was so monstrous and terrifying."

  "It was Athanasius who was terrifying," corrected Lexy. "He was just a puppet."

  "Suffering and pain can lead us to do anything, even to sell our soul to the Devil."

  The note of sadness in my voice was perceptible. Suddenly, our rowboat stopped. Faïz walked past my friends and me and jumped into the one right in front of us.

  "What's going on?" Lexy whispered. "Zoe, what are they saying?"

  I listened to the conversation. The fishermen refused to continue this way. The soldiers were trying to calm the situation between Faïz and these men, obviously too terrified to approach the Maestro's sanctuary.

  "They don't want to go any further," I explained to my two acolytes. "The myths and legends of the country tell nothing good about what happens in the cave and its surroundings."

  "Great!" Lexy said, exasperated. "And?"

  "We'll go on without them. The military and the others will spread out over the two boats. The fishermen will return to the village in one boat."

  The soldiers pushed a curtain of heavy foliage and we left the main mangrove path. Our boat was swallowed in a long, dark tunnel formed by the vegetation. My anxiety grew as we went deeper into the charged atmosphere of this wild place.

  "You can wait outside," I said to the girls, who also seemed to be feeling insecure.

  After all, we didn't have to all go together. Lexy shook her head vigorously and took a deep breath, "We're coming with you!"

&nb
sp; Threatening trees, which covered the entrance of the cave, seemed to keep guard. Only a few rays of sunlight shone down upon it. Indeed, no surrounding animal nor any song of birds came to disturb the lair of this kingdom. It was almost frighteningly quiet. The girls and I got out of the rowboat to wait at the entrance of the dark cave, while Faïz, Goareb, and two other Leviathans were busy lowering the chest from the boat.

  "You and your men wait here," Faïz ordered Barthey.

  "At the slightest problem, send the signal," the inspector reminded him.

  Karl looked up at me and the girls. Remorse and guilt were suddenly written all over his face. Why was he so afraid for us? A strange feeling went through my guts. A warning signal rang in my head. When Faïz joined us with his men and the members of the army, I hurried to question him:

  "Did you get a good grid over the whole area yesterday?"

  He turned his eyes away from mine and glanced at Goareb. He walked past us to leave us alone.

  "The place is safe, but the path to the tomb is a bit winding. Be very careful where you step, and hold on to the wall. We're going to light the torches, because it's dark inside."

  "OK," I said, relieved.

  "Vamos!" an impatient soldier stood outside the cave entrance.

  Faïz came to help the group carry the box that seemed to be heavy. Then, with the exception of Barthey and his group, we rushed into the cave.

  The impenetrable darkness made it barely possible to distinguish the path in front of us. Fortunately, the torches guided our steps, even if we crawled more than we walked, as the muddy ground was slippery. The cool, damp atmosphere made the air almost unbreathable.

  "The walls are full of water," Asarys complained, turning to me. "Are you sure this cave isn't going to collapse on us?"

  "Faïz would never have let us enter this place if he had had the slightest doubt," I replied in a whisper.

  "Yes, you're right."

  My friend continued to walk, taking care to watch where she placed her feet. I then turned towards Lexy, who was following me closely. She covered her nose with her arm.

  "How do you manage to breathe in here?" she asked me as a reproach.

  I shrugged my shoulders, "You get used to it after a while."

  The group in front of us was already far away. We hurried to join them before we lost sight of them. The cave had a strong smell, and the mud and dampness didn't help. Dull sounds were coming from the depths of the earth as we went deeper and deeper into this disturbing place. The military would often turn around to make sure we were there. Faïz, leading the group, didn't slow down.

  "I feel like we're getting closer," Asarys said, "The floor is less slippery and the walls seem stronger."

  "I hope you're right," grunted Lexy, "We've been walking for quite a while now. The cave is so narrow that I'm starting to get claustrophobic."

  We arrived in a large circular room, lit by large spotlights already installed inside.

  "Place the box on the altar."

  One of the soldiers translated Faïz's words. The group obeyed immediately. Intrigued by the appearance of the room, I began to go through it. The high, curved ceiling was in the shape of an arch, while the floor was covered with a good number of fairly short inscriptions written in a language I didn't know.

  "This place was dedicated to extremely common rites," explained Faïz who had joined me.

  At the other end of the room, my two friends were perplexed as they looked at a bench made of stone that was probably used for sitting or sleeping.

  "The methods of sacrifices were very varied in ancient civilizations," I said to supplement his information.

  I put my hands on the wall. The surface, perfectly flat and polished, created a mirror effect.

  "How can you be sure that the place, after this, won't be desecrated and the tomb won't be robbed?" I asked.

  Faïz turned his face towards the center of the room, where the chest was enthroned, and looked up just above it.

  "Do you see those big metal curtains that are attached to the ceiling and surround the burial chamber? They are stronger than titanium, less weak than diamond and harder than gold. It's the strongest material on Earth. Once we lower these grids with the help of the ropes and plant them directly into the ground, no one will be able to raise them again."

  "But let's suppose..."

  "Zoe, even if someone did, the only thing left inside the tomb would be Pavel's remains. The Maestro, for his part, is leaving today for the kingdom of darkness, well accompanied."

  My gaze was drawn to two engravings, drawn in stone, above the chest.

  "How about this? What's that? Looks like two heads of... wolfs."

  "It's Gurt and Meriden. Remember, Zoe, what the Callis says. Those two dogs, or wolves if you prefer, are here to take Athanasius back. They close the gates of hell and make sure he stays there."

  "But you've always told me that not everything in the legend of the traveler is to be taken literally. This sculpture must have been there to stage the ritual back then."

  Faïz's eyes suddenly darkened. He turned pale and seemed to look for words. The moment he opened his mouth, Goareb called him from a little further.

  "We're ready! Everything's set."

  In the cave, the sound of our voices resounded with a very pronounced echo. Faïz nodded without bothering to look in the direction of his partner, and raised his hand as if to ask to wait a few more minutes.

  "Zoe," stammered Faïz.

  I squinted at his sudden distress, "What's going on? You're scaring me."

  "How much do you love me?" he whispered.

  I swallowed. My pulse began to race, "You know it," I had to save time.

  In the distance, I heard Goareb ask Asarys and Lexy to come and watch the tomb for a few moments.

  "Can we talk about this later? I have to go meet the girls."

  As I walked away from him, I felt his hand close around my wrist. He pulled me back with force against his chest, then blocked me against the wall.

  "Forgive me," he begged with a voice full of torment.

  "Stop it! Let go of me!" I started to panic while struggling, "Let go of me, Faïz."

  Then he raised one arm in the air and shouted:

  "Close the gates!"

  My vision suddenly blurred, I choked, "NO... what are you doing? They're still near the box. What are you doing?"

  He pressed his forehead against mine and closed his eyelids as tightly as possible.

  "Asarys and Lexy stay with Athanasius," said Faïz in a barely audible voice.

  "Damn it! I have no idea what you're talking about."

  I raised my voice. I demanded an explanation. The soldiers, with the help of the Leviathans, grabbed the ropes that were attached to the metal curtain, "NO!" I shouted, "Lexy, Asarys, get out of there."

  When the girls heard my call, they looked up from the tomb. They looked in my direction, and their faces twisted in panic when they saw me struggling in Faïz's arms. They ran towards me, but the curtain came down in a huge crash, trapping them inside the vaulted hall.

  His muscles contracted against my body, I felt Faïz silently fighting against himself. I took his face in my hands, forcing him to look me in the eyes.

  "Let them go. Don't do this to me. I beg you, don't betray me."

  "We have to get out of here," he grunted desperately.

  Lexy and Asarys were yelling my name. Their screams tore my heart out. I banged the back of my head against the wall behind me so violently I could crack my skull open, as the pain inside my body was unbearable.

  "I want to die," I cried out in the middle of my sobs.

  Hysterical, I struggled all over the place. Faïz pulled me away from the wall to avoid further injury. His arms still imprisoned me. The faces of my friends were drowned in their tears. They were standing against each other, not understanding the situation.

  "Let me talk to them. I want to talk to them," I insisted.

  "OK, but I'm go
ing with you."

  Faïz took me to the gate, taking care to keep me close to him.

  "Zoe," mumbled Asarys, with a hoarse voice. "Why are we stuck in here? Tell them to let us out."

  "I'm going to do everything I can to..."

  "It's your duty to stay by the tomb," Faïz cut me off.

  He plunged his distraught eyes into mine and continued:

  "Gurt and Meriden must stay here and go with the Maestro."

  "They aren't Gurt and Meriden!" I barked as I looked at him.

  "They have no past, Zoe. They were created solely to protect you. Have you ever seen a member of their family? Have you ever celebrated with them their birthday?"

  "So what's the big deal? It... it doesn't mean anything!" I exclaimed.

  "Ask them what their parents look like or the names of the schools they attended before college."

  My gaze fell on my friends. The bile in my throat was burning me.

  "Tell him!" I burst out clutching my fingers to the curtain. "Tell him anything. Tell him a date."

  Lexy started thinking. She was holding her face in her hands. Desperation suddenly read in Asarys's eyes, as if she had suddenly realized something.

  "I don't remember. I'm sorry, Zoe," she blew. "I don't see anything before we met."

  Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She seemed to be apologizing for the situation, determined to stay there.

  "You have to let them go," intervened Faïz.

  "Since when?"

  He didn't understand my question.

  "How long have you known about this?" I was seething with rage.

  He nervously scratched the top of his head, uncomfortable.

  "A few weeks before we left for Eros," he confessed.

  "Who else knew about this?"

  "It doesn't matter."

  "It matters to me!" I roared.

  "Everybody," he replied with a clenched jaw.

  Asarys fell heavily on her knees. She had just grasped the reasons for the change of behavior of the man she loved since Faïz had returned to Los Angeles. Lexy, stunned by this revelation, managed to crouch close to her.