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(KAINNAN)
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JUST A FEW MINUTES had passed for Aaron and no one had quite registered yet that something was wrong when Caleb came back. Aaron saw the breath return to him, thawing his frozen state, returning movement to his body. Relieved he started rapidly scanning the room, assessing the location of every potential threat; who they may need to face now to get out. But before he could do more than that, Caleb took a huge shuddering breath and collapsed.
Everyone stared at the man, immobile on the floor, for long moments. He had fallen awkwardly and from any position it was clear there was something not quite right about the angle at which he was lying. It was the line of blood seeping slowly through his shirt however, that made Aaron understand Caleb had failed. The disappointment was so strong, making his heart leap into his throat, that he barely registered one of Demetra’s assistants addressing him.
“What’s wrong with him?” the woman asked again.
Frantically pulling himself together, Aaron glanced quickly at Demetra. She had her eyes shut but her chest was moving up and down as she breathed peacefully. “I don’t know,” he answered, trying to modulate his voice, keep all emotion from it. “This is most unusual. He has been in good health.”
Demetra stirred at that and opened her eyes, fixing them on Aaron. “I had the strangest dream,” she said slowly. She glanced down at Caleb’s body. “What happened?”
“He just collapsed Majesty,” one of her attendants replied.
“You,” she was looking at Aaron again. He thought he saw malice in her eyes this time. “Who are you? You are familiar to me...”
For the first time in months, since embarking on his mission to deal with the four rulers of his land, Aaron found himself at a loss for words. He was completely thrown by Caleb’s failure and the responsibility he bore for it. All he could think was that everything was going to end right then and there, because a chance to get this close to Demetra might never come again. They had missed it. But how he had got Caleb so wrong?
Demetra was waiting for his answer.
“I... I...” he began then a voice interrupted him. To his shock, it was the man that had followed them from the safe house.
“He is my cousin, Your Majesty. I asked him to bring his boss to you because I know how powerful mesmerism is. I’ve seen many people healed by it.”
“Nico, you vouch for this man?” Demetra asked. It was hard to tell from her voice whether she was buying it or not.
“Yes, I do,” the man named Nico replied sincerely. “But I don’t know what’s happened to him...perhaps he has a pre-existing condition of some kind.”
The red stain was growing rapidly, putting the lie to Nico’s last comment. With one quick movement, the man threw a huge white table-cloth over Caleb’s still body and continued, “I am sorry to have wasted your time Majesty. We will remove him for you so you may see the next healer.”
He threw Aaron a glance and the priest obeyed quickly, hurrying to Caleb. They lifted his body awkwardly between them and followed an assistant across the room to one of the exits. Glancing back, Aaron saw one of Demetra’s men already wiping up the red blood-stain on her floor.
Once out of the room, they entered a long narrow corridor with many doors opening off it. Nico, in front, kept up a good pace and when Aaron started to speak he shook his head quickly, indicating the need for silence. He seemed nervous — perhaps fearing discovery — so Aaron held his tongue through the many winding corridors. After several minutes they crossed a wide open concrete slab, exited the complex through huge steel doors and started traversing several city streets. The few people they passed glanced furtively at them, at Caleb’s limp, bloody body, and hurried on by without a word.
Eventually they entered an empty, tree-filled park where Nico sighed deeply and said, “This will do.” Gratefully they both laid Caleb’s dead weight carefully down onto the grass and sank onto the lush green carpet to rest.
Nico spoke first. “You are Aaron, Priest of Pietas, commissioned by King Wilhelm to use four human beings to kill his four depraved children.” His tone was flat and his gaze neutral but fixed steadily on Aaron.
“Who are you?” Aaron asked coolly.
“I am Nico Vi Wheelan. I am Demetra’s assistant cook and I have been poisoning her for six months now.”
Shocked, Aaron did a double-take. “You take a big risk telling me that!”
“Not really. I know who you are and I know what you’re doing. I’ve had you checked out thoroughly.”
“Why are you trying to kill Demetra — if indeed you are?”
“I don’t need to tell you why. You know what she has done to our land and our people.”
Aaron said nothing to that, studying Nico carefully, unsure whether to believe him. But Nico looked back with a clear, innocent gaze.
“If you have been poisoning her for six months why is she still alive?”
Nico sighed. “I don’t know actually. I have been using small doses but they are cumulative. She should be worse than she is. Maybe what they say is true — only one from Earth can actually kill her. Or perhaps some of the treatments she has been getting have been keeping her alive. I may need to increase the dose. What happened to him?” he nodded at Caleb.
Aaron studied him for a few more seconds then made his mind up abruptly. “Long story, but he made the wrong choices. Come on, let’s get him to a resting place.”
They lifted him awkwardly up again and Aaron led the way this time. At the gate to the safe house, he paused for long moments to prepare himself. Nico waited in silence beside him, watching him curiously. When Aaron nodded at him, they lifted Caleb’s lifeless body once more and carried him in.
Katerina was sitting on the balcony enjoying the feel of the late afternoon sun on her skin when she heard the two men in the garden. She collected Noah and Alice on her way downstairs and met the men at the door. It only took seconds to work out it was not Caleb and Aaron; it was Aaron and someone else and Caleb was the limp body between them.
Alice found her voice first, “Is he dead?”
”Yes. I’m afraid so.”
“What happened?” Katerina asked in horror.
“Let’s get him inside first,” Aaron put a hand on her arm. He didn’t remove it until she nodded silently.
Inside the safe house, they placed Caleb in a closed room and gathered in the lounge. They sat near each other as if for comfort — Alice, Noah and Katerina. Nico placed himself opposite them and waited as Aaron paced before them all.
“Who is he?” Katerina asked abruptly, staring at Nico. “And what happened to Caleb?”
“This is Nico, he helped me get away. Caleb made the wrong choices. Beyond that, I don’t know what happened.”
“You didn’t tell us this could happen,” Noah spoke for the first time. There was unrestrained fury in his voice.
“I wasn’t sure...I hoped...”
“How dare you?!” Noah spat through clenched teeth. “You had no right to keep this from us!”
“This is so important, what you’re doing...”
“You had no right! How dare you put my sister in such danger!”
“If I had told you...”
“What? We wouldn’t have done it?”
“Noah,” Alice said, a hand on her brother’s arm to calm him. But he rose to his feet and shook it off.
“You’re darn right we wouldn’t be doing this if we knew everything. So how about you tell us right now, what happened to Caleb?” he yelled.
”I’ve already told you all I know,” Aaron replied. His voice was calm but his body tense. “Caleb made the wrong choice and somehow got himself killed.”
“And that could have happened to Alice...”
“Your sister chose to do it and so did Caleb.”
“Well that’s it, we’re done. No more choosing,” Noah declared. His voice was defiant, daring Aaron to object. “No more! You find a way to get us home. We’re done sacrificing ourselves for your land.”
“Noah...”
“We’re out!” he cut Aaron off, facing him with arms folded, gorgeous in his fury, immobile in his rage.
The silence was poignant as the two men glared at each other. Nico moved uncomfortably as if he would speak, but it was Katerina who broke the silence. “No, I’m still in,” she said. “I’ll do it.” She saw the betrayal stiffen Noah’s body but kept going anyway, ignoring him. “I know the risks but I’ll do it.”
Noah turned slowly towards her and it was not betrayal she saw there but hurt. They looked at each other for long moments and she said softly, just for him, “Someone’s got to do it.”
Noah took one step towards her and she tensed, anticipating his response. But a new, feminine voice from the door interrupted them all, asking clearly, “Do what?”
It was a slender, dark-haired woman with an aristocratic face, dressed in combats and smiling meaningfully at Aaron. Katerina caught the joyful look Aaron gave the woman in return and instantly knew — this was his woman. It was Alice alone who noticed the unease that flickered across Nico’s face at the new arrival.
“Eva! You’re here!” Aaron exclaimed.
“Yes, I needed to come.”
“It’s time?” the surprise was evident in Aaron’s voice.
“Yes, it’s time.”
“But Demetra is still alive. Our man failed.”
This time the surprise was in Eva’s voice, “He did? But...I’m certain it’s time! Father told me.”
“What’s going on?” Nico interrupted.
“Yes, time for what?” Katerina asked.
“Eva has come because Demetra should be dead.”
“But she is not,” Eva continued. “So why would Father send me here now?”
“Father?” Alice asked this time. She had been sitting silently through all the talk.
“God,” Eva replied simply. She walked towards Noah, eyeing him curiously. “You’re a bold man, aren’t you?” she asked. Noah made no response. “You are giving my Aaron a hard time. But he needs you, you are key to this succeeding. Please reconsider your decision.”
She turned to Katerina. “And you. You have power to make people fall in love with you. You must be very, very careful who you choose to love or it will be the ruin of this mission.”
Shocked, Katerina looked at Aaron to see if the woman was serious. He answered her unspoken question with, “Eva has the ability to see things as they are. We learned a long time ago to trust this gift.”
“Look, can someone please explain,” Alice interjected again, “why Nico’s here, who Eva is and why she’s here and why Caleb is dead? And what we’re doing next?”
“Allow me,” Nico offered. “I work for a man named Riga. He pays me a lot of money to slip poison into Demetra’s food whenever I’m working for her.”
“Riga Black?” Eva asked sharply.
“Yes. You know him?”
“You could say that. He’s my cousin — our fathers were brothers.”
Katerina did not miss the look that passed quickly between Eva and Aaron. There was some story there, but neither Eva nor Aaron elaborated.
Eva’s only explanation for her arrival was the one she had already given — Father had bid her to come now. Katerina asked the question. “Eva, what did you think it was time for?”
Aaron answered for her, “Eva has a part to play in rebuilding Cereise when Demetra dies.”
“What sort of part?”
“Her mother and Demetra’s mother, Elanor, were cousins. Eva will claim rulership when Demetra is dead and we will be able to rebuild Cereise.”
“You’re related to her?”
Eva nodded. “But I’m not the only one,” she glanced at Nico. “His boss, Riga, is also. I need to be ready to move immediately before any of my cousins do.”
They all looked at Nico, waiting for a response, but he just shrugged. “It’s nothing to do with me. I’m just being paid to help speed her demise.”
Aaron sighed, “We need to re-think that. Try again somehow.”
That silenced their arguments, prompting them to talk about Caleb and what could have happened. But there was no way for anyone to actually know, so they had to leave it alone. Only Noah was silent through this discussion, his face impassive, unreadable. Katerina caught him watching her a few times and imagined he was angry with her for offering to keep helping Aaron. Or perhaps he was considering Eva’s comment that she could make people fall in love with her. The very thought made her blush and she leaned forward to hide her red face behind her long hair. It added to the unease she was feeling about Nico’s presence. But now was not the time to bring it up — for Aaron was talking about disposing of Caleb’s body.
They all said their goodbyes first, one by one.
Katerina murmured to him, “If only I could rewind your brain and see what happened,” before kissing him farewell on the forehead.
Remembering how hard her time back home had been and thinking of Jacob, Alice touched Caleb’s face gently and whispered, “I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you Caleb. I guess you did your best.”
Noah stared at Caleb for a long time feeling tears threatening. The boy’s death was affecting him more than he could explain and he did not know what to say to him. Eventually he squeezed Caleb’s hand hard and moved away.
When they were ready, Aaron explained that he would put a fluid into Caleb’s system that would speed up the disintegration process several thousand-fold, then his remains would be sealed into a container and buried. They all waited in the lounge while he administered the fluid alone. He returned twenty minutes later with a small blue and gold container. The sight of it was incredibly sobering and they each sat in silence, holding back emotion, until eventually Alice burst into tears followed quickly by Katerina.
They buried the container in the backyard, though Aaron told them he would retrieve it for them to take home when they were done. Noah opened his mouth to say something at that but thought better of it and held his peace instead.
During the evening they talked of nothing in particular because what to do next was the elephant in the room that no one wanted to address. No one was particularly hungry but they ate to occupy themselves. Nico hung around too and Katerina started wondering why, watching him surreptitiously.
They had barely finished eating and were re-settling in the lounge, the mood solemn, when the front door burst open and Karim’s passionate voice reached them from the hallway. “She’s dead! It worked!” The man bounded into the room, eyes flashing in his dark face. “Demetra’s dead!”
“Are you sure?” Aaron asked, rising to his feet, amazed.
“Yes! I talked to one of her guards. We must hurry, it’ll be announced soon. And I hear some of her cousins are in town. We need to get Eva to Suzu Tower now!”
“You knew Eva was coming?”
“I saw her arrive earlier...There’s no time to waste. We have twenty, maybe thirty minutes to get there.”
His urgency was contagious. At a nod from Aaron they got to their feet immediately. But it was then that the reason for Nico’s continued presence became evident. He reached the door first, in several rapid strides, and from the folds of his shirt, tucked into the curve of his lower back, drew two guns. The guns were on Karim and Noah, his gaze on Aaron as he declared, “You’re not going anywhere.”
“What are you doing?” Aaron demanded.
“I didn’t tell you the full details of my employment. I was hired to kill Demetra. I was also hired to ensure none of my employer’s cousins could claim the throne. That right will be his and his alone.”
“Riga paid you to come here?” There was shock in Aaron’s voice.
Eva was stepping around Aaron and walking towards Nico. “Do you understand who your employer is and what he’s like?” she asked.
Nico scowled and turned one of his guns on her. Aaron warned, “Eva...”
She smiled back at him reassuringly and continued, “Nico, your employer is a cold-blooded murderer himself — of men, women and children. Perhaps he might not have told you he was formerly one of Demetra’s main killers?” Nico made no response, though he shifted his weight awkwardly.
Unperturbed, Eva took another step forward. “He will be a far worse ruler than Demetra ever was. He is cruel in ways she hasn’t even imagined. Do you have people in this land you love?” Nico stayed silent, but Eva carried on as if he had acquiesced. “When you have done this, you will be expendable to him. But it is not his way to kill off his servants. No, what he will do is kill off those you love, and some of those killings he will make you watch. This is designed to break your spirit, to leave you with nothing, so you will have no options left but to serve him forever. And if you even think of revenge he will kill more people you love. And if you don’t bow to him and take oaths to serve him, then eventually he will kill you. This is the man you are obeying, the one you would put on the throne.”
Still Nico said nothing. But some of the color had drained from his face.
“He will take this land you love and ruin it. He will kill anyone who gets in his way. He will not hesitate to torture and maim and ruin.” She paused a moment to assess the impact of her words on the man, then continued, “But I; I will serve the people and I will free the people.” She said it with passion and Nico fixed his gaze on her even more intently, to look for the truth in her words. She stared back, her eyes clear and innocent and took another step towards him so they were a mere breath apart, like lovers. The gun was pressing gently into her chest now.
It felt like an hour as Nico weighed up her words. “He will kill me if I help you,” he said suddenly.
“We can protect you,” Aaron interjected.
“Like you protected him?” he waved the second gun at the container holding Caleb’s remains.
“He made his choices and we could do nothing about that. But we can protect you.”
“The only way I will be safe is if Riga is dead.”
“That can be arranged,” Karim offered.
“No! We are not cold-blooded killers! Justice will come to him. It is not far off.” Eva leaned in close to look Nico right in the eyes. The gun pushed in deep, straight into her ribcage. “We will keep you safe — you can trust us. I see life in your future, not death.”
They stared at each other for long, long moments. No one else dared move for fear of startling Nico, triggering the gun to go off into Eva. Katerina could see the moisture beading on Aaron’s brow, the sweat of fear, and understood how much he loved this woman. The silence drew out as Nico studied Eva. Then eventually he nodded once. “Yes. I will help you — but you must keep my family safe until Riga is dead.”
Eva took a step back, looked at Aaron and smiled. “Alright, we have a deal.”
Nico nodded again and lowered the guns. “I will come with you. I know where Riga is and where he will approach from. Let’s get you there first.”
From somewhere in the distance, at that moment a series of bells began chiming. “That’s it, her death is being announced,” Aaron exclaimed. “We have to go now!”
