by Rae Else
They snuck towards its huge, arched entrance. The far wall of the room was a single sheet of glass. Soft lamplight illuminated the space. On the left-hand side, Theon sat on a sofa, his arms behind his head looking as if he was dozing. El stared in surprise. Theon was on guard duty. Hopefully this would make their task of speaking to Janos easier.
She noticed a pair of long legs and bare feet stretched out on the white sofa beside Theon. Peering around the corner, she saw Janos’ reclining form. He was propped up on the corner sofa, looking very holiday-esque in beige shorts, a pale shirt and a pair of shades. He wasn’t clean-shaven anymore and the stubble added to his laidback look.
Anxiety prickled over El as she realised something wasn’t right. Janos wasn’t sleeping. He looked like he’d collapsed, with his head resting against the wall. Trails of dried blood marked his face, cotton wool poking out from beneath the dark frames he wore. The metallic odour of blood tinged the air and alcohol rose from Janos’ pores.
In her shock, El let the fire disperse, but Luke’s stream of water remained ahead of them.
El moved towards Janos.
Theon jolted up. ‘El … Luke?’
El knelt beside Janos. Her hands trembled as she reached for the sunglasses and pulled them off. Wads of cotton wool, caked with dried puss and blood, secured with tape, rested across his eyes. Janos’ expression was slack. He was unconscious.
‘What are you doing here?’ Theon said, now standing. ‘Yia Yia will be furious.’
El gaped up at him. ‘Why did she do this?’
‘Taking a graeae’s eyes is the only way to stop them from phasing out of this time. The only way to hold them.’
Panic started to take hold. How would Janos be able to check on Dan? She touched Janos’ hand and then his cheek, but he was out cold.
Theon picked up a half-empty bottle of vodka from the coffee table. ‘We’re keeping him comfortable.’
Her eyes ran over Janos again. He had always seemed so otherworldly. Now he appeared fragile … human.
Luke spoke up, ‘We have to talk to him, Theon. El had a dream. About Dan. He was being tortured. Janos and El have a connection. What if it was really happening? What if El saw what Janos couldn’t?’
Footfalls resounded from the corridor and everyone turned to see who was coming.
Talus glowered at El as soon as he entered the room. ‘How dare you disobey a direct command from your head of line!’ He marched over to her, about to take hold of her.
Luke pushed him back. ‘Touch her and I’ll break your arm.’
‘Tal,’ Theon said. ‘El had a dream about her friend, Dan. He was being tortured. Is it possible because of the connection between her and Janos, that she saw the future?’
‘No,’ Talus replied. ‘It’s far more likely to be your own emotions, El, affecting your dreams.’ He looked pointedly between her and Luke. ‘If I remember correctly, you two did have a rather good night last night. From what I know of your timeline, Dan might be playing on your mind. Perhaps you’re feeling conflicted?’
She glared at Talus. Now her graeae guard had taken it upon himself to interpret her psyche. ‘I knew you graeae were pervs,’ she said.
Theon chuckled.
‘Anyway, I’m not asking for your opinion. I’ve never had a dream like this before. It felt as if I was there. I need to know that Dan’s okay. I’ll leave the island if I have to—’
‘Hang on,’ Theon said gently. ‘Tal, couldn’t you—’
‘No,’ Talus said.
‘Talus has empousa blood,’ Theon said. ‘He could heal Janos just to check that Dan’s okay.’
‘No,’ Talus said again. ‘It’s against Yia Yia’s orders—’
‘Please Talus,’ El said. ‘If Dan doesn’t get proof against the Waseem then, as one of the new Triad, you’ll be presiding over a corrupt Order. Is that what you want?’
Talus frowned.
‘Janos had to turn on his fellow Triad members to stay alive,’ El said, pressing her point. ‘If Dan doesn’t get proof, then the Waseem’s corruption will remain hidden. You could end up with more graeae in the Triad who have corrupt agendas. Is that the future you want?’
Talus sighed, finally drawing out two vials of blood from his trouser pocket.
El removed the tape and cotton wool from Janos’ eyes. She grimaced at the exposed, shredded flesh that stuck to the wool, thick with blood.
Talus guided the vial to Janos’ mouth, El pushing his head back to help the liquid go down.
Slowly Janos’ ragged flesh knitted together. The congealed discharge and blood still stained his face, but the sunken sockets bulged as his eyeballs began to regrow. El was reminded of the movement of Luke’s eyes as she’d watched him sleep. Janos’ closed lids started to spasm. Finally, his slate grey eyes snapped open.
‘It’s okay,’ El said. ‘You’re okay.’
Janos blinked in confusion. His puzzled expression fell to El. ‘What are you doing here?’
She wanted to apologise for what had happened to him, for not coming earlier to check on him, but concentrated on the matter at hand.
‘Because of the connection between you and me, I think I saw some of the future: I saw Dan being tortured. I think he’s in trouble. You need to check on him.’
Janos frowned. ‘You shouldn’t be here. Helena explicitly forbade it—’
‘I don’t care that Yia Yia forbid it,’ El said. ‘Look what she did to you…’ She grimaced at his bloodstained face.
‘I always knew that she’d take my eyes,’ Janos said. ‘It’s the only way to hold a graeae captive, to prevent them from leaving this time—’
‘Told you,’ Theon chimed in.
‘But—’
‘By coming here and restoring my vision, you may have ruined our chances of getting Helena’s help. You need to go. She is not known for giving second chances.’
El’s expression fell. Even Janos thought she had been wrong to come here. He didn’t think her vision had been real. ‘Just check on Dan! If everything’s fine, I’ll go.’
Talus sighed but nodded to Janos. ‘Very well, check on him, nothing else. If you try anything, Yia Yia will hear of it, understand?’
Janos nodded and almost immediately his eyes became opaque. El watched, praying that he’d come back with good news. Each second seemed to stretch out, lengthening and distorting. She stood with bated breath. She’d feel stupid if she’d caused all this fuss for nothing, but at least it would mean that Dan was safe. Let him be safe, she prayed.
Janos’ white eyes soon dimmed and his attention was back.
‘I don’t understand.’ His voice quavered. He looked up at them, his eyes desperate, but regained his composure as his gaze alighted on Talus. ‘El’s right. Dan and the others are sailing towards capture. If they attempt to act as planned, they’ll be caught.’
El wanted to bolt to the boat. She’d been right. She knew it. She felt nauseated, picturing Dan’s blistered arms and the pain twisting his features.
‘I suppose,’ Talus said, ‘you’re wanting to keep your eyes now and go free? Go off and guide them?’
‘No,’ Janos said. ‘Helena would never pardon me for leaving, even if I did come back with proof of the Waseem corruption. But you—’
‘Absolutely not,’ Talus started.
‘If you want the proof, it is the only way,’ Janos said. ‘Leave tonight and you’ll intercept Dan and the others at Kea. Tomorrow, at six o’clock in the marina. Dan has met up with Uma Waseem who will help you get onto the Waseem’s island. You can already see the alternative timeline if you focus on El. I do not understand why, but she is visible in the villa with Dan. For proof to be attained, it seems she must go too.’
Talus clenched his fist as if he was about to punch Janos. El noticed that his hands were once more solid: he was entirely in the present. She wondered if it was anger that affected him this way, bringing him into the moment completely.
Talus turned to Theon.
‘Watch him.’ His eyes grew white. When his vision returned to them all, his face was pale but determined. ‘Very well. If we’re doing this, El, I want to make it plain to you that there will be consequences. As Janos says, Yia Yia doesn’t give second chances.’
El stared at his grave expression. What choice did she have? Dan was in danger. There was only one choice. She nodded.
‘We’ll leave now,’ Talus declared. ‘Theon remove his eyes again.’
‘Can’t you—’ El said.
‘No,’ Talus said. ‘Out, Theon, understand?’
As Theon nodded, Luke and El hurried after Talus. Before the lift doors closed, a scream pierced the corridor. As the ragged cry tore at El, it wasn’t Janos she pictured, but Dan. The lift descended, the blood-curdling scream still echoing in her ears. It didn’t seem to belong to the present but to have escaped the future, one that, whatever happened, she must stop.
- Chapter Seventeen -
Island Hopping
Something hummed, vibrating all around El. As she grew aware, she realised the walls around her were shaking. The last of her drowsiness fell away and she remembered where she was: out at sea. The yacht’s engine droned, pulsating through the vessel. She magnified her hearing and listened to the rush of water as the boat sped through the ocean.
Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes. They’d left Carras Island quickly last night. Alex and Zoe had both been in their cabins but had come up on deck when the boat started to move off. They’d soon been clued up on everything that had happened.
Both Talus and Luke had stayed up to sail the boat through the night while everyone else had retired to sleep. It turned out that Talus could abstain from resting indefinitely as long as he phased out from the present enough. So as not to attract attention, they weren’t using any elemental powers to sail. Without the aid of elemental manipulation, the boat required two crew, Luke had volunteered to stay up to help too.
Rolling out of bed, El pulled on her shorts and T-shirt before going to the well-stocked ensuite. Freshened up, she decided to go upstairs and take over so that Luke could get some rest. Not that she knew the first thing about sailing. Luckily Talus was the commanding type: she was sure he would be more than happy to boss her about.
Up on deck the bright expanse of sky and sea made her momentarily dizzy. At first she thought there was only ocean surrounding them, but as she looked around, she spotted an island some way off. She edged over to the railing to get a better look. The yacht took them closer to the island. Its cliffs were dressed in foliage, more luscious than Carras Island. As the boat sailed nearer the slopes became visible, angular houses dotting the landscape. The simple white walls looked idyllic as the sun beat down upon them. El wondered about the people inside; families, soon to be up and going about their routine: making breakfast, going to work, taking care of their children. Her imagination painted the dwellings with vibrancy.
A lump rose in her throat and a pang of worry filled her. Dan was her family. If anything happened to him, she would lose someone else she loved. She clutched the necklace that he’d given her. Would she get the chance to thank him? She hadn’t even got to say goodbye when they’d parted. What if…
‘Morning,’ Luke said from behind her. He put his arms around her and leaned on the railing, looking out.
‘Morning.’ She felt his breath against her cheek. The sting of the sea clung to his skin. Planting a kiss on the side of his face, she turned around to find his lips.
He drew back. ‘El … I can’t believe I’m going to say this, and I’ll hate myself if I muck this up, but I need to be honest with you.’
She waited, wondering at his seriousness.
‘You saw the way those guys acted around you last night – Laius and the other serpents. This upper sphere of powerful lines is all about status and power.’
El nodded, wondering where he was going with this.
‘My family’s no different. My dad wants me to get with you because of your family connection with the Carrases and because of your potential power in the future. If he had a family tie with Helena Carras, his influence would increase—’
El’s heart lurched. ‘That’s why you kissed me?’
Luke’s expression fell. ‘God, no … I kissed you because I like you, because I’ve liked you since the first day we met.’
She smiled, reassured. Her fingers played with the dip in his collarbone, remembering how her gaze had hovered there last night during dinner. Heat rose to her cheeks at the feel of his skin.
He was still looking at her earnestly though, his mind occupied by something. She stayed quiet, wanting him to voice whatever it was.
He sighed. ‘I can’t believe I was like them. That I was like Laius or Christoph or—’
‘You were never like them—’
‘I was,’ he argued. ‘I wanted to be in the Order.’ He moved away from her, leaning on the railings and rubbed a hand over his brow.
El stood beside him, wishing there was something she could do to stop his troubled thoughts.
‘I didn’t tell you,’ he continued, ‘when I went to see my brother, Josh, my dad was there too.’
El frowned, wondering momentarily why he hadn’t told her, but silently willed him to go on.
‘When I found out that my mum had been working with the rebels, I assumed that that meant my dad was the bad guy. But things aren’t that simple.
‘He told me and Josh that he and Mum were kind of on the same page. He’d been trying to affect change from within the Order.’ He frowned. ‘But it didn’t happen quickly enough, not for Mum. When some nymphs they knew got into trouble with the Order, she went to the Opposition to help stop their executions – that’s how she died.’
El stroked his arm, looking at him intently.
‘My dad protected all of us: me and my brothers and sister, by bringing us up traditionally, not informing us of the inequality of the Order. He still believes that the way to change the Order is from within it. And the idea that he might get Helena Carras’ help to do so has given him new hope.’ He glanced down the boat, adding, ‘Wait a minute.’ He took a look up on the top deck before coming down. ‘Talus is still mostly phased out: this is as good a moment as we’re ever going to get for this.’ He fixed his bright eyes on her. His voice was hushed. ‘I told you, I want to be honest with you, and I don’t agree with my dad.
‘Did you see on Carras Island, all the waiting staff were nymphs: less powerful arete?’ She nodded and he continued. ‘The Order see arete without manipulation as lesser. For instance, my brother Josh, an arachnid. Under the current system, he will never be treated equally to us.
‘I get that our allegiance with Helena Carras is necessary presently. But we don’t know what Janos’ endgame is. If he’s like my dad, he might be looking to change things from within the system too. But I want you to know that that’s not enough for me. Like my mum, I want to see real change and when the time comes, I want to have the courage to fight for what’s right.’
She looked out at the glimmering sea, thinking things through. They needed this allegiance with the Carrases. Janos and the Opposition’s goals were unclear, but there would come a time when she, Luke and anyone else who wanted to make a real difference would have to stand opposed to the Carrases … and the Laukases … to the Order as a whole.
She met his gaze once more. ‘I agree. When the time is right, we’ll find our own way.’
He smiled and kissed her before going below deck. El joined Talus, finding that Zoe was already up and had taken over Luke’s role. Both Talus and Zoe were proficient in what needed doing and managed silently most of the time. Occasionally Talus barked an order to wind a winch or adjust their heading. By sailing through the night and keeping the motors running, they had made good time.
El would have preferred to have had tasks to keep her busy too, to distract her from her growing dread. She was horribly aware that if anything went wrong, if they got delayed, they wouldn’t interce
pt Dan. Whenever her thoughts drifted, the memory of Dan’s screaming and his blistering skin was instantly before her.
It wasn’t until late morning that Alex finally emerged from his cabin. El was surprised that he was so late to get up since he was usually an early riser. But when he joined them, he wasn’t alone. Eirene was standing beside him.
‘What the hell?’ Talus demanded from his post at the steering wheel.
El gawped at Eirene too.
‘Last night,’ Alex explained, ‘when we realised that the boat was moving, I came up to see what was happening—’
‘You failed to mention there was a stowaway,’ Talus said.
‘When Alex told me you were leaving,’ Eirene said, ‘I decided to stay.’
El frowned, still not following. Where had Eirene been last night? The whole boat had been unoccupied, except for Alex and Zoe’s cabins. El gawked. Alex and Eirene had been in his cabin. Together.
Talus shook his head, turning pale. ‘You’ve made things ten times more complicated. You were due to compete in the tournaments today, Eirene. Do you think Yia Yia will forgive you for running away like this?’
‘I took the opportunity when the boat started moving,’ Eirene said. ‘It seemed like the right thing. Stay on board instead of dying for Yia Yia’s greed and our relatives’ amusement!’
Talus had moved closer to Eirene and solidified entirely. ‘It’s always been tit-for-tat with Yia Yia. Do you think she won’t find a way to punish you in your absence?’ Talus’ face was becoming blotchy with anger. ‘Theon’s still there!’ He moved over to the railings and seemed to collect himself as he added in a quieter tone, ‘your parents and grandfather…’
Eirene cast her eyes down. ‘Talus, I know … I was … selfish.’
Alex took Eirene’s hand. ‘We’re here now. It can’t be changed. Talus – Eirene and I will take a turn at steering.’
Soon Alex and Eirene had taken over, while Talus opted to phase out. El reckoned he was checking on Yia Yia and what would happen in their absence. As Talus dispersed, El sat wondering about his outburst. Ordinarily so contained, it was bizarre to witness such heightened emotion from him.