I entered the room and Mr. Belvedere followed behind me. He shut the door and locked it-- like that’d stop me. The room was massive and there was so much gold and silver everywhere you’d need sunglasses just to enjoy it. Glued around the room were glowing red beacons of C4. A remote detonator was clenched in Eden’s hand as he sat sloppily hunched over a throne with one of his legs resting on the armrest-- what a dick.
Chapter Twenty: Yesterday Till Forever
“Elyssa,” Eden said, “so good to see you. Please, won’t you take a seat?”
There was only one problem; besides the fact that the last thing I was going to do was sit, there wasn’t a chair in the room besides the throne he sat on.
“Good to see you too, ED. I guess you got tired of sounding like Daffy Duck and took care of that embarrassing lisp.”
My words didn’t even pierce his skin.
“We all have our obstacles to overcome.” He said.
“You sure are playing it cool for a man with a big bounty on his head.”
“Ah, I see. I suppose Oblivion Girl; the bounty hunter who crumbles cities into dust is going to collect on the reward? You always did enjoy playing dress up, but the time for games is over sister.”
“Speaking of dress up, what’s with Edward Scissorsleeves you got over there?” I asked as I pointed at Mr. Belvedere.
“Him? He’s just my walking shadow. Harmless to those who stay behaved.”
“Well then, tell your slave boy if he doesn’t quit eyeballing me, his sleeves won’t be the only thing with cuts in them.”
All that accomplished was putting a smile on Mr. Belvedere’s face-- fucking masochist.
“You know it’s going to take more then your shadow to stop me from killing you, right?” I asked.
Eden took his leg off the armrest and made eye contact with me for the first time.
“That’s why I bought a little insurance.” He replied.
“I wouldn’t really call C4 insurance, but whatever false sense of safety works best for you.”
My blade reflected the ceiling light into Eden’s eyes as I slowly slid it out from my side holster.
“It’s something better than C4.” He said. “Take a look.”
A bright light appeared behind me as Eden clicked on a projector. The image was from one of the many hidden security camera’s placed around the castle. I watched as Atticus and Alita were led out of a room by a group of well-armed men. Their faces were bruised, bloody and beaten.
“If you kill me, they die. However, if you come with me, you all live. It’s a win, win.”
“What if I agree and decide to kill you later?” I asked.
“I don’t think that will be a option because even when your friends think they are safe, I’ll have one of my spies close by their side. Isn’t that right, Jophie?”
I had to admit, that briefly took my breath away. Jophie emerged from the shadows like the angel of darkness himself. I’m surprised I didn't smell his god-awful cologne a mile away. His eyes kept to the ground as he walked out. His vibe wasn’t the same as I remembered it. He seemed different. Like his personality had vanished. I always knew the guy had his hands in shit, I just didn’t know it so happened to be my brothers.
“So, do we have a deal?”
I looked away and allowed my hair to cover my face.
***
Atticus and Alita were dragged into a holding cell while the group of soldiers beat the crap out of them. Call it payback for killing over thirty of their closest friends. The bastards didn’t even go easier on Alita. As the boys started a third round on them, a voice came over their headsets. The goons smiled down at both of them.
“Guess it’s time to see the boss.”
***
Jophie was long gone when Mr. Belvedere opened the door behind me. Eden smiled and stood up. The grin on his face was that of a man with no soul.
Behind me, a pack of his super soldiers walked in dragging Atticus and Alita gagged and bound behind them. The soldiers tossed them down on the ground as Eden walked up to them.
“So good to see the whole family is here minus one.” He bent down to Alita’s level and looked her face to face.
“Don’t worry my dear, Kial won’t be forgotten.” He said as he stroked her hair. Alita’s eyes said it all as the soldiers held her down in place. Eden then turned and looked to Atticus, “And either will the lovely bar maiden of Mnemosyne.” Atticus stayed lifeless as he thought of all the ways he’d like to kill Eden.
“But for now,” Eden added as he walked my way, “let’s focus on Essa. Shall we?” He reached out his hand and one of his soldiers planted a pistol in it. He walked up in front of me and pointed the gun at my stomach.
“Say goodbye, Oblivion Girl.”
Atticus and Alita watched in horror as that bastard shot me. The sting of the hot bullet made me see red when I closed my eyes. I still wasn’t use to the sensation. I flew back in what felt like slow motion before hitting the cold marble ground. I wished it were carpeted so my blood could stain as a final ‘Fuck you’ to Eden. Oh well, maybe someone will slip and break an arm.
My vision went blurry as I heard Alita scream out my name-- such a silly girl. Atticus struggled with his restraints but couldn’t budge-- I’d miss him most of all. Eden tossed the smoking pistol back to the soldier and ordered them to drag Atticus and Alita away to the trucks to be sent back to the ghost town.
As they exited the room Eden blew the C4 and Atticus and Alita watched as the ceiling collapsed on top of me. Dirty and debris was all I felt as my body was consumed into the darkness. Alita became hysterical, tears running down her cheeks. The goons knocked her unconscious as they tossed her limp body into the truck.
“Essa.” Atticus whispered to himself as the truck drove away into the night. By now the whole castle had crumbled leaving nothing but a crater. It seemed as though Garden Grave had buried one last body.
Chapter Twenty-One: End Of An Era
I woke up to the vibration of the truck as it sped across the rocky terrain. My brain felt like a bowling ball being swung back and forth inside my head with every little move. The cold wind put goosebumps on my bare arms and I had hoped that it was all a dream. My eyes wondered over to Atticus who sat across from me. His eyes were hidden in the shadow. Essa was dead and it was just the two of us now.
The memory was so fresh in my mind I couldn’t stop replaying it. I’m sure Atticus felt ten times worse. He was supposed to be her guardian. I hope he snaps out of it soon. I needed him now more than ever if I was going to get us out of this alive.
With my good eye, I scanned around the truck. Lucky for us, there were only two guards riding in the back with us and even they looked half asleep-- this was going to a piece of cake, I hoped. I sat up on the bench and tried to rub my eye. My hands were still bound but at least they had cut the rope around my feet. I stretched them out slowly and scratched my leg with my boot.
“How long was I out?” I asked Atticus. He didn’t reply. I looked over at the guards who gave me a look to shut the hell up. I looked out the back of the truck and saw we were climbing down a hill. Must be about an hour before they drop us off in town. The only problem was we didn’t know what they planned to do with us after that and it wasn’t like I could ask these jerks without getting another blow to the head.
With my swollen fingers I gripped the rope tied around my wrists. It was wet; probably soaked with my own blood. I tried picking at it with my fingernails but the knot was too tight. I’d need something sharp to get out of this one. I made a mental note to bring more knives next time and started to rub the rope against the semi-sharp sheet metal of the truck. The noise from the rope was lower than that of the truck but I was getting nowhere fast. When my arms gave out, I took a break and tried to calm my mind. They won’t kill us like Essa, I kept telling myself. I remembered I had promise Kial I’d be back soon. I wanted to keep tha
t promise.
I saw something fall behind Atticus out of the corner of my eye. I looked down and saw part of the rope that bound his hands together. I’d have to ask him someday to teach me how he did that. Even though his hands were free, he kept them hidden behind his back as he tucked his feet on top of the fallen rope. He looked up at me but his eyes were icy and colorless, glazed over like a dead mans. Tears fell down his cheek but his face remained calm.
The road turned from rocky to smooth and I knew that we’d be approaching town any minute. Soon there’d be dead bodies and I didn’t know if we were going to be included in that. The truck stopped and as the driver and passenger walked around the outside of the vehicle, two gunshots went off. The men sprinted towards the back of the truck and cautiously peeked inside. The trunk was dark and eerily quiet.
Atticus and I were tucked up against the tailgate holding our breath. The two dead soldiers lay next to us. Atticus had one of their helmets in his hand and tossed it towards the front of the trunk. The trigger-happy soldiers opened fire where it fell, the barrels of their guns hung over the tailgate. Atticus jumped up and spun the barrels across at the soldier and had them shoot each other in the chest. He grabbed a knife from the side pouch of one of the dead officers and sliced my rope.
I rubbed my scabbed wrists as I helped Atticus gather all the weapons. I picked up the last weapon and heard a branch break not far from us. Like an assassin, Atticus swung his newly acquired rifle around at the source of the noise. Jophie stepped into the moonlight with his hands up but Atticus didn’t lower his rifle. Jophie cautiously walked up to us and stopped a good distance away.
“Where’s Essa?” Jophie asked. Atticus didn't say a thing.
“She’s… she’s dead.” I said. The words felt sour in my mouth. It was the first time anyone had said it out loud.
“Where have you been, exactly?” Atticus asked as he took a few more steps closer to Jophie.
“I don't know if you recall, but your little group left me and my men in a pretty big hole. It kinda took awhile to get out there.” Jophie turned his gaze onto me. “And what the hell do you mean, ‘She’s dead’!?!?”
***
We built a fire in hopes that it would allow us time to calm down. Jophie made tea as we told him the story.
When we had reached the end, I gulped down the rest of my now cold tea and poured some more into my cup.
“What are we suppose to do now?” I asked.
“We go back and kill Eden.” Atticus said.
“That’s all fine and dandy,” Jophie said, “but you know as well as I that Eden’s far away by now. He’ll find another rock to hide under until he’s ready to strike again.”
“So what do you suggest we do?” Atticus asked. “Go back home and pretend this never happened?”
“No, but we have to be smart about this. We can’t just go in guns blazing and get ourselves killed.”
“We should kill Eden,” I chimed in.
“That’s what I’m sayin-“ Atticus said before I cut him off.
“-But I want to do it right. I want go home and train and when we all are ready, we’ll all go after Eden together and kill him… for Essa.”
Atticus and Jophie paused for moment and looked at each other.
“What do you think?” Jophie asked Atticus.
Atticus looked over at me and shook his head. “Do what you want. I don’t have time to wait around.”
That’s when I remembered what Eden had whispered to us. He threatened Kial and Ayla.
“Oh yeah?!” I yelled back at Atticus. “Do you have time in your precious schedule to protect Ayla?”
I stood up and walked closer to him.
“I don’t know if you remember or not, but that son of a bitch threatened her. Are you willing to lose her as well?”
Atticus didn’t look up from the amber fire that danced on his face.
“I can’t do it.” He replied. “I can’t just let him run away. Not when he’s taken so much from me.”
“That’s why I’m begging you, please train me or at least take me to someone who can!”
Atticus looked up from the fire.
***
We ran the gas tank dry and reached Pete’s mountain cabin at sunrise. The sky was clear and the wind still. I went up to the front door thinking maybe he didn’t hear the truck.
“Pete, you home?” I called. “We’re back. Pete?”
I stepped onto the porch and saw the door was open. I heard no reply inside as Atticus and Jophie walked up and silently pushed me aside. With his bow and arrow out, Jophie looked over to Atticus who had out his rifle. They nodded to each other and rushed inside.
In the cabin, a deer was in the kitchen, nibbling at the food left out on the counter. Atticus went towards Pete’s bedroom while Jophie and I checked the guest room.
Atticus swung open the door, paused and put down his weapon.
“You guys.” Atticus called to us.
“Is he here?” I called back. Atticus didn’t reply.
Jophie and I walked over to him, but Atticus put me in his arms before I could reach the bedroom.
“You don’t want to see it, hun. You don’t want to see it.”
Wrapped up in his arms, my body froze. Every time I thought I’d cried all my tears away, more seemed to show up. I put my arms around his waist and dug my face into his jacket. He smelled nice, like a lotus flower.
***
Later that day the three of us cleaned up the cabin. I did the dirty dishes while Atticus swept and Jophie did the laundry. I didn’t mind the extra work-- anything to help keep my mind busy.
That night Jophie wrapped Pete’s body up in a decorative blanket and we cremated him outback on a small bonfire. Jophie said a few words but I wasn’t really listening. I kept waiting for Essa to pop out of the back door and call us names. The air felt chillier than before and as I looked around the forest, glowing animal eyes stared back at me. Without warning, snowflakes fluttered down from the sky and I could feel them melt down the back of my neck. I miss the way things were.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Misty Mountains
The next morning I was awoken by the smell of someone cooking. I opened my bedroom door and was shocked to see Atticus up and already dressed for the day.
“You cook breakfast?” I asked.
“Need to keep your strength up.” He replied. “Your training starts today.”
He turned and dumped a few delicious looking flapjacks on a plate. It threw me off guard.
“Training huh? Know where I can find a good teacher?”
“I might know someone interested.”
I smiled and cut into the breakfast.
“Uh, Atticus.”
“Yeah?”
“Why are there carrots in these?”
***
After breakfast Atticus showed me down a path that led from the cabin to the river. There, near the river covered in snow, was an old obstacle course that Essa use to trained on with Pete.
“How did you find this?” I asked.
“Essa showed me it the morning we left. She explained some of the weirder things he’d have her train to do. I figure with Jophie’s help, you’ll be up to speed in no time.”
“When do we start?”
“Now.” Said Jophie walking down the path with a shovel in his hand. “Once you’re done shoveling all the snow off the course, we’ll begin.”
“But the course is two hundred feet long.”
“Well then,” Atticus added, “you better get started.”
By sunset I’d finished the course. My hands were bleeding with blisters from the shovel. Feeling in no mood but to fall asleep on my bed, I walked into the kitchen smelling of stew and bread.
The next morning Jophie woke me up by sneaking into my room and splashing a bucket of ice-cold water over me. I instantly shot up like a firework and swung my fist at him, missing by a mile.
>
“WHY’D YOU DO THAT!?!?”
“Why’d you let me?” Jophie replied.
I swung the soaked covers off and planted my feet on the wet wooden floor. I lost my balance and found myself flat on the floor.
After a long hot shower, I met Atticus at the obstacle course.
“Here you go.” He said tossing me a knife. “Flip it around in you hand like you’re about to stab the ground.”
“Like this?”
“Good. Now grip it tight.”
I squeezed the knife as hard as I could until my blisters reminded me they hadn’t gone healed so quickly.
“I can’t,” I said, “my blisters.”
“That’s the point.” He said. “You need to teach your body to forget the pain. Whether it’s a blister or a bullet wound, your body needs to learn that survival is more important than pain. Clear your mind and numb your pain.”
“And what’s the benefit to that?”
With a short tree branch in his hand, Atticus charged at me. He was quick and I could keep up for most of the moves until he knocked the knife out of my hand, tripped my feet and pressed his stick against my throat.
“Staying alive.” He replied.
***
The next few days were like that. Jophie would find different ways of dumping freezing cold water on me in the morning while Atticus would put rocks in my shoes and make me swing a knife around in the afternoon.
Than one day I woke up extra early and had a bucket of freezing cold snow water waiting for Jophie. I stuffed my bed with extra sheets and pillows, letting him think I was fast asleep. I hid behind the door and as he snuck inside I caught him off guard and completely soaked him. Pieces of ice not fully melted came crashing down over his head. We both had a good laugh until my laughter turned to screams as he chased me around the cabin with his bucket of water.
Later that week I re-shoveled out the obstacle course keeping my blisters fresh. Over the past few weeks I became increasingly good as Atticus taught me moves he’d seen Essa use. Most of them were tricks and illusions, but some were genuine tactics similar to that of fencing.
Atticus had upgraded from the old tree branch to a dulled knife after I sliced the branch in half during a brawl. I got good enough to the point where I didn’t even have to look at his knife to know where he was going to attack from; his eyes gave himself away. He taught me to be aware of my surroundings, to use them to my advantage. I flung snow in his face and charged him. Taking a defensive approach, he protected his chest while I slide low to the ground, knocking him off his feet. By the time he hit the ground, not only had my knife pressed against him, but turned his knife against himself as well. He let out a small half smile and said, “Good,” as I pulled him off the ground.