Without his brother's diplomatic tendencies, Jacob found his thoughts drifting into dark places. He missed Isor. The base felt like a lonely place without him. As brothers, they had constantly shared their ideas about research, weapons and technology. For the first time in many years, Jacob felt completely alone. He realised now that Isor had been his best friend, not just his brother.
It had been Isor who had acted as mediator when Jacob had fought with his father. Without Isor's stabilising influence, the relationship between Jacob and Roy had quickly deteriorated. Small differences had grown unchecked. Jacob blamed Roy for Isor's death, but Roy wouldn't accept responsibility for what he had done. They had come to an impasse, each losing trust in the other. After weeks of constant arguing, Jacob had come to realise that things would never be the same again.
Roy's slow, deliberate planning had become a source of constant contention between them. Jacob had taken to avoiding his father. He wanted to spend his days doing something more constructive than arguing about whose mistakes had led to Isor's death. Many weeks had passed but the future of the Kamari was no clearer than it had ever been. Roy's plans led nowhere. New reports brought nothing but the same information that Jacob had already seen a dozen times. An increasing sense of frustration tainted his thoughts. He leant back in his chair, rubbing one hand across his face. Data still scrolled across his console, but he found his mind wandering again.
His thoughts drifted back to a time when he had walked through Walstone Forest with his brother. It was many years ago, when they had both been teenagers. Isor had always been the brains of the family, even back then, but Jacob had been the driven one. Without Jacob, Isor's plans may never have come to fruition. Without Isor's sharp intellect, Jacob might never have been able to find the right path to follow. Together they had been unstoppable. Jacob smiled at the memory of what they had once been. Thanks to their father's incompetence, he would never be able to work with his brother again. He would have to figure out a way to complete his plans on his own.
The memories became more vivid, Walstone Forest forming around him. Dark shadows covered wet roots as tall trees towered above him. Rain hammered down on the canopy above.
'Our father is weak,' Isor said, as he strolled ahead on the wet forest path.
Leaves covered the ground but his brother's boots didn't seem to disturb them as he walked. Jacob didn't remember when Isor had said those words, or whether he had said them at all, but the memory didn't seem out of place. Isor was facing away from him, walking deeper into the forest. It was Isor as he used to be, before they had both been drawn into their father's organisation. His innocence hadn't yet been erased by the endless politics and war. His voice was young and full of life. It was difficult to remember such a time without feeling the loss of what had once been. Jacob followed in his brother's footsteps, inhaling the sweet scents of the forest.
'He always was the weakest part of us,' Isor said.
Jacob nodded, but there was something not quite right about his brother's voice. Had it ever been so soft and so kind? It was from a long time ago. Did it matter if the memory had become sweeter than reality? It was good to hear Isor's voice again. Jacob let the thought slip away, falling to the ground like an autumn leaf.
'Wait for me,' he said, jogging along the path to catch up with his brother. Isor walked at a leisurely pace, but he maintained his distance, stepping easily between the tangled roots that covered the forest floor. He was heading deeper into the forest, where the paths were narrow and winding and the branches hung low overhead.
The forest had always been a magical place. Their mother had often told the brothers the story of how the subterranean hydroponics had taken fifty years to complete. Before that there had been hardly any trees in the Orange Zone. Jacob had found it hard to believe that so many trees had grown in just a few short decades. A forest normally took hundreds of years to reach maturity. Walstone Forest had matured much faster. The tallest of the trees looked as though they had always been there, and the heart of the forest felt ancient. Jacob knew the guilds had had something to do with it. They had accelerated the tree's natural growth cycles, providing the best quality nutrients, while enhancing the natural sunlight with additional ultraviolet lighting arrays. The guilds were the masters of their field, and the result of their work was nothing short of stunning. Walstone Forest was a beautiful place at any time of year.
Jacob heard a branch crack behind him. When he turned around, he saw Isor standing to his left, lost in the shadow of overhanging branches. His hands rested by his sides rather than being tucked into his pockets as they often were.
'Our father failed us,' Isor said.
'Why are you saying that?' Jacob said. When he received no response, he stood in silence, rubbing one hand across the back of his neck. He couldn't remember the pain being there before, but now it was more persistent. It moved up the back of his neck and made it difficult to think.
'We would have been great together,' Isor said.
'Yes.'
'He will fail us again.'
'Isor?' Jacob said, his hands suddenly shaking by his sides. 'Why did you have to die? I wasn't ready. We had such great plans together.'
Isor didn't respond.
Jacob balled his fists and strode over to where Isor was standing. His brother faded away, tumbling to the ground as nothing more than falling leaves. Jacob kicked the leaves across the ground. He turned full circle, his eyes accusing every tree of hiding his brother, but Isor was gone.