"He won't leave the Keep without a Council," Calliope muttered. "Alexander's still out."
"We haven't heard from him in a while."
"Yeah, well." Calliope looked up at Lucius, her eyes red from exhaustion, the blacks under her eyes hauntingly alarming. "Where are you off to?"
"Scotland."
"Scotland?"
"Got a hit on our friend," Lucius said, draining the remainder of his drink. "Can't say I'm surprised he'd be there. A lot of rain in Scotland."
"And you're sure he has the key?"
"One of them has it," Lucius said, putting his mug in the sink and throwing his bag over one shoulder. "It wouldn't hurt to ask."
Calliope nodded and got up to hug Lucius good bye. She held him long and hard.
"Get some sleep, Cali," Lucius whispered. "A lot's hanging on you now."
"I miss the days you were doing recruitments."
Lucius held her at arm's length and smiled. "I think I did pretty well with Rick's quartet, don't you?"
"The new one worries me."
Lucius nodded and turned to leave. "Don't wait too long before heading back home," he stopped to say. "I'd rather have you there when Herneith finds out."
#
"Sleep does wonders for the soul, don't you agree?"
Ethan sat quietly on a couch at a quiet corner of the library. He had woken up a couple of hours before and had been led directly to the library after dinner, his guide a cheerful blonde with a pixie cut who seemed a lot more excited about his being there than he himself was. Her name was Sylvia, an air elemental she had told him, as if he understood exactly what that was supposed to mean. Steven had disappeared altogether, and Ethan wondered if he would be able to find the man after this meeting was over.
He watched the old man pour himself a drink and slowly make his way to an adjacent seat. The library was almost empty, one or two robed figures sitting in quiet corners, their heads buried in various texts. The Keep's library seemed to have it all, from the leather bound to the papyrus, all stacked in an orderly fashion waiting to be read and studied. Ethan couldn't remember the last time he had seen so many, or a similar variety for that matter.
"I've always found a good night's sleep to be quite the charger," Alexius was saying, sipping from his cup.
"Yeah, well, I'm hoping to get a lot of that now," Ethan replied, his attention shifting between the old man and his surroundings, his eyes taking everything in. "That lady I met, she's the one running this place?"
Alexius smiled. "She is," he said.
"No offence, but she doesn't seem like the leading type."
"Looks can be deceiving," Alexius replied. "Herneith has been Queen of the Keep for almost two hundred years since her brother died."
"Two hundred years?"
"Age is not what it seems when it comes to elementals."
"How old are you?"
Alexius chuckled. "Let's just say I've lived long enough."
Ethan sighed and sat back in his couch, eyeing the man thoughtfully. "I thought I was going to get answers."
"You will," Alexius said, putting his cup down. "As soon as you ask the right questions."
"Listen, old man, I'm not very big on riddles."
"Yes, it does seem like patience isn't your greatest trait."
Ethan nodded and slapped his knees, standing up to straighten his clothes. "Well, alright then," he said. "Since this isn't a prison, and I'm obviously not going to get anything from you, how about someone show me where the door is and I'll find my own way back home."
Alexius eyed Ethan with a smile. He had a pretty good idea what he was dealing with. He had seen the likes of Ethan before, Lucius himself being a hot head at first before he took on his role with eagerness. The Order needed people like Ethan, confident individuals who, with a little guidance, could make all the difference. With the Renegades rounding elementals up and killing those who didn't join them, quality mattered a lot more to the Order than quantity. Especially since quantity wasn't much of an option anymore.
Alexius stood up and walked to a nearby bookshelf, scanning the titles carefully, his fingers running across the leather binding as if feeling for the names rather than reading from them. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled the book out from its place, brought it back to the table in front of Ethan and set it down softly.
"How's your Egyptology?" he asked Ethan.
Ethan looked at the old man and shrugged. "I know the basics, I guess."
Ethan sat down slowly and ran his hand across the books cover, the leather embroidered with letters of a foreign language. He remembered seeing hieroglyphs while researching an article before, but these looked nothing like it.
"Then you must have heard of Pharaohs."
"Now you're just insulting me," Ethan smirked. "I work for a cultural magazine, or at least I used to before all this."
Alexius chuckled again. "Very well, Mr. Cultural Magazine. Before the Old Kingdom and the early dynastic period, there existed two kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt, each with its own set of kings."
"Right," Ethan nodded, opening the book and trying to make sense of the symbols and pictures that stared back up at him from the pages. "King Narmer united the two kingdoms into one."
Alexius smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, he did. First king of Egypt, double crown and everything. Originally, he ruled Upper Egypt, came from a long line of kings, or so is believed. Very little is known about anything before Narmer united the two kingdoms and began the first Dynasty, but history has a funny way of being told when very few people can keep a record of it all.
"Have you ever wondered why pharaohs were considered Gods?"
Ethan looked up from the pages and frowned. "Metaphorical?"
"Let's just say Narmer had a lot more in his arsenal than just soldiers and tactics," Alexius said. "Narmer had abilities. He could do things no one had ever thought possible. He could control the elements around him with the flick of a hand. The winds bent at his command, the earth shook whenever he desired, water bowed at his feet in waves and fire was tamed by his touch. We call him the First, the Egyptians called him God."
"He was an elemental?"
"He was more than that," Alexius smiled. The old man stood up and walked over to pour himself another cup of tea. His robes fluttered across the wooden floor, whispering as he moved, his feet not making a sound. "Elementals, as we know them today, as we've known them for centuries, control a single element. As an elemental, you can either control earth, fire, wind or water, never more than one. Narmer controlled them all."
Ethan tried to process the information he was hearing, his instincts already throwing up the red flags of scepticism. "You'll have to forgive me, but I find that hard to believe."
"Of course you do," Alexius said. "Then again, I doubt you would have believed any of it if you hadn't seen it first-hand."
"So I'm supposed to believe that a king came along, out of nowhere, who could control all four elements of nature, and with his powers was able to unite Egypt?"
Alexius frowned slightly and looked up at the skylight. "I suppose you're right," he mocked. "The theories of aliens from distant galaxies make a lot more sense."
Ethan smiled. "It's just that your theory lacks proof."
"Now you're just being na?ve," Alexius said, sitting back down in his seat. "You have an entire castle filled with spectacular people who can do things just two days ago you would have thought impossible." He paused and looked at Ethan. "I never said Narmer came out of nowhere. We just don't have a clue where. Is he an anomaly, the one and only of his kind? I can't answer that, and no one can. What I do know for sure is that all of us can trace our roots back to him and his children. If you have the patience to do it, of course."
Ethan was still sceptical, but didn't voice it. He had no idea how much of what the man was saying was true, and how much was just fairy tales they all told themselves to get through the day. Ethan found it hard to believe anything the ol
d librarian was saying, but had to admit that much of the past two days was hardly believable in its own right. He knew he'd probably end up in a padded room if he so much as muttered a word about anything he had witnessed, and the Alexius's history lesson was only making things worse.
"How can any of this be a secret?" Ethan finally asked. "How is there no evidence of all this?"
"Like I said before," Alexius smiled. "History has a funny way of being told when only a handful is able to tell it. There was no internet back then, big cultural magazines, or books for that matter. What we know is what we were told, passed down from one generation to the next, changed to suit the needs of the time. It was easier to hide things, keep secrets, make people disappear. We know only what was etched in stone, and were told only what the Gods of the time wanted us to know."
"And how do I know what you're saying is true?"
"You can always ask our Queen," Alexius said. "Confirm it with her."
"Why her?"
Alexius smiled a mischievous grin that was almost childlike. "She was one of the five children of Narmer."
#
Sebastian was all smiles as he walked down the empty hallway of the twentieth floor. He was having a good day. The recent reports he had been receiving were enough to keep his spirits high, content with the rate of the past days' successes. Sure, his team had lost a few good prospects, but they were still ahead of the competition, and that was all that mattered. Now all that was left was to tie up a few loose ends.
He made his way to his office, where he knew Sarah was waiting. The woman was an asset he knew he couldn't afford to lose, but lately her performance had been less than satisfying. Losing Surage was a blow to the cause that Rakel had made clear could not happen again. Sebastian wondered just how many more mistakes it would take before he would have to make an example of her.
Sarah stood up as soon as Sebastian walked in, head low and eyes to the ground as he brushed past her and sat behind his desk. There were reports lined up to one side, waiting to be approved, and he grimaced at the thought of having to go through them all. Hiding who they were and what they were doing was starting to become a hassle.
"How many?" he asked as he started attacking the pile of paper, not looking up at the woman in front of him.
"Thirteen, so far," Sarah answered. "Wagner's list has proven spot on so far."
"That's not the number I'm asking for," Sebastian waved.
Sarah hesitated. She hated being the person who had to deliver the news to Sebastian. "Four," she finally said, her voice low.
"I didn't hear that."
Sarah cleared her throat. "Four," she repeated.
"Are they dead?"
Sarah looked down and thought of how best to answer the question without getting killed in the process.
"I'm waiting," Sebastian said, looking up at her.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Two got away, and the other two were intercepted by the Order," Sarah explained quickly, closing her eyes and waiting for the man to break out into rage.
Sebastian kept his cool, though, much to her surprise. "How many more names on the list?" he asked. She could see the corners of eyes twitch, and she knew how hard it was for him to control the anger he must have been feeling.
"Ten more," Sarah answered.
Sebastian nodded. "Send everyone out," he said, his attention returning to the reports. "I want them all within the next forty eight hours."
"There might be a small problem with that."
Sebastian got him from his seat and was across his desk in a flash, grabbing Sarah by the neck as he slammed her against a wall. He brought his face within inches of hers, eyes burning with fury, the smile on his face haunting.
"Don't you think you've been responsible for enough problems?" he hissed at her.
Sarah tried to breathe but couldn't, the iron clasp on her neck suffocating her. She almost pushed her way out, but decided against it, knowing it would only push him over the edge. Then he really would kill her.
Then, just as suddenly as he had erupted in front of her, he calmed down and loosened his grip. "You're lucky Rakel values your importance more than I do."
Sarah fell to her knees, coughing, angry at how weak she looked, her face burning red.
"What's the problem, then, girl?" Sebastian spat as he crossed back around his desk and sat down.
Sarah tried to say something, choked and coughed, and slowly got back up to her feet. "Two of the names on the list, Michael Mitchell and Brian O'Connor."
"What about them?"
"They're related to other members in the Order, specifically to Rick's quartet."
Sebastian smiled. "Isn't that something?"
"What do you suggest we do with them?" Sarah asked, rubbing her neck and wincing at the pain. "They're not exactly the best recruits."
"No, they aren't," Sebastian whispered, the wheels in his head turning. "I'm sure Rick and his Merry Men will be headed their way."
"Maybe we should ignore them," Sarah suggested. "Concentrate on the other eight?"
"Maybe you should keep your opinions to yourself," Sebastian shot at her.
He didn't like the idea of giving the Order a chance to grow in ranks, especially since they already had home advantage. He wondered if maybe this was something Rakel should know about, and then decided against it. Rakel had put him in charge after all, and making decisions like these was definitely in his job description.
"Any news on the Order's Council?"
Sarah shook her head. "The only one active so far has been Calliope, and we haven't spotted her since New York. The Fifth has also disappeared."
"He's not with his Quartet?"
"No," Sarah shook her head. "I don't think he even knows what he is. They must have moved him."
Sebastian grunted. "Everyone's hiding behind the walls of the Keep." He fell silent for a moment, and then said, "Get me the eight names left on that list. I'll handle the other two."
Sarah turned to leave.
"How's Alicia?" Sebastian called after her, stopping her retreat.
"Silk's been with her since day one," Sarah said. "She's got her convinced that the Order were the ones who attacked her and kidnapped her boyfriend."
"Good," Sebastian smiled. "Double her training time. I want to flush out the Fifth."
Sarah nodded, was about to say something, then left.
#
Brian O'Connor cursed the Gods.
He had been waiting for his mother to fall asleep for almost an hour. When she was finally gone, snoring up a storm, he left his room to clean up the mess she always left around her. He emptied out her ashtray and threw away the empty wine bottle before he carried her limp body to her bed. Waiting to see if she would wake up, and satisfied that she was out for the rest of the night, he walked back to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Brian turned on the faucet and watched the water rush out onto the plates and cups in the sink. He closed his eyes, concentrated and felt the familiar surge of energy build up inside him. His eyes glowed softly as he pushed the streams of water around the sink, the torrents rushing across the dishes, cleaning them effortlessly. Lately, this had been the only way he could practice without alerting his mother, and although he craved for more time to use his powers, he knew he had to be careful.
Finishing the dishes, he cleared up the rest of the kitchen, tied the garbage bags and carried them out of the small trailer he now called home. He straggled across the dirt path leading out onto the main road and flung the bags into the dumpster, scaring the cats that had been feasting inside. He watched the felines race into the surrounding bushes, captivated by the grace of their escape and oblivious to the figure sitting motionless on a motorcycle a dozen trailers down.
From the comfort of the shadows, Leah O'Connor watched her little brother and smiled.
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