by Andre Pisco
"I have some people to investigate the catacombs' libraries. Some manuscripts have not yet been read. They may contain important information. More than that I still don’t know. Stay here two, or three more days and if we don’t find out anything, go to Lyuna as indicated, understood?" Eva said, in a tone that sounded more like an order than a request.
"Yes, but..." Alec began, hesitating, not knowing if he should talk about it, "is it possible to increase our strength with our own blood?"
"Boy, how do you know that?" Eve asked, upset, spilling some more of the wine on the white tablecloth.
"We saw a woman doing it. It seemed to be important in Christopher's army. None of us had heard of anything like that.”
"Shit. They are already at that point. We had notion Christopher was experimenting, but we never thought he would go that far. There were rumors of it, but neither did I think they would come true." She said. She drank what little she had left before continuing, "It is said that anyone beyond human goodness can feed on its own rot to gain power. Just as you young people react to your emotions. There were rumors of an increase of 200-300 points when feeding on the darkness, but no one has ever seen it, so the rumor simply died. For today we are here. It's best for everyone to process the news. The plan remains,”
The young people accepted. After all, her plan matched what most people wanted, except for Lucy who became ill when she heard the name of the city once more. They finished the dessert and with it went the conversation too. Eva informed them that they would have access to all the information and that they had at their disposal a wide range of employees available at any time. She left the table and Lomi followed, leaving only Molly and the group of young men.
"How about a battle?" She said, her eyes on Lucy.
"It's not the time for that," was the answer.
"I think the boys would like it, right?" Molly insisted, teasing her. She stood up and snapped her fingers. Wind strands erupted from her fingertips, joining and working together to shape a weapon. United bursts, created wires, moving at high speed, kept the sword in a state between the solid and the nonexistent.
"I'm curious," James said, tossing wood into the fire.
"James! Don’t feed this. We are not here to get into trouble. We better go back to the rooms and rest," Alec said and looked at Molly with tenderness.
"Since it was you, I accept. We'll see you at dinner. Someone will call you from your room.” Molly said, burst out laughing, winked, and turned away. She walked to the door where Eva and Lomi had gone and left the group stunned.
The young group returned to their rooms. They were exhausted and their bodies were under pressure. Swollen feet of inexperience in wearing such shoes, sweat trickling down their bodies from the heat in the dining room, and even crackling bones as they fell on their beds.
"Thank you for defending me, James," Neil told him.
"Now that Max is not here, I have to defend someone, right? Don’t think this makes us friends. We're just a team," James replied. He peered out the window, unable to see more than just the shape of the incandescent buildings being sheltered by the sun.
"I think it's the most I'll get from you. Thanks anyway." Neil replied, "I'm going to rest for a while." He said and unbuttoned the suit. He closed his eyes and put his hands on the blue silk underneath him.
James didn’t answer. He closed the window and covered it with the curtains. He removed the suit, used it to wipe the moisture from his back and also lay on his bed.
Chapter XXV
Neil woke hours later, as the sun was setting. The rays of the sun, which had previously provided a welcoming air to the room, had been replaced by cold, colorless spaces. He had not yet risen when his belly growled, demanding to be fed and subdued by twisting his stomach. He got up, careful not to make any noise, putting his feet on the ground like a feather that landed without anyone noticing. He shrugged, closed the suit, and left the room. As soon as he left the narrow corridor where the rooms were, he could see the moon above the city, cut in half by one of the beams that held the roof, and yet it’s solitary light illuminated the nooks and crannies of the city. Neil felt accompanied by the presence of the moon. Like it was an old friend who came back to see him and pat him on the back before leaving.
He was interrupted by someone in one of the side rooms, who raised her voice, irritated by something. Frustration in her voice, Neil knew there was saliva to be expelled even without seeing. Looked around. There was no one near him except for the shadows of the sculptures that on the wall resembled people who stopped there for a moment's conversation. He took a deep breath, shoulders out, and leaned against the half-open door. He peeked inside and saw Eva talking to someone. The other person was on the other side of the door and he was unable to figure out who it was. Even the voice was unknown to him. They had a raspy voice as if he’d smoked all his life, and never cared for the consequences. The kind of person who got everyone's attention when they open their mouth, but only does it if necessary.
"But why? She deserves to know!" Eva said, her voice growing fainter, almost a cry of despair.
"No. It's not time. She is still too young." The man replied, "It's an order."
"What if he catches her? How do you think she’s going to react when she finds out we're hiding the truth from her?" Eva insisted. Whatever it was, she didn’t give up, using her hands to express her displeasure with the situation.
"We'll have to take the chance. Lucy can never know that Christopher is her grandfather. We need to know if part of him lives in her if she also has all that power yet to be revealed. You know what to do, don’t you?" He asked, his voice even more serious than before. He took two steps forward and Neil could see his profile; muscled, jaw-jumped, glasses and a black cape, plus a single tattoo, a dragon with two red stripes on top, centimeters below the sleeve of the t-shirt.
"But... What if she really has more power than she thinks she has?" Eva questioned him. Her voice trembled as she looked down, she seemed to know the answer to the question, but still needed to hear it.
"Then you know what will have to be done. I don’t care if you do it or you get someone to do it, but we can’t risk another accident. Lyuna has already been too harmed by this. You know what happened after Christopher rebelled. We almost didn’t survive. No one would exchange food or materials with us. We can’t go back." The man said, this time his voice also carrying the pain of a past that had painted his memories in red.
"She's just a girl..." Eva replied. It was not the same person Neil had seen at lunchtime. The tough-faced facade looked like a mask that had fallen as it crashed into reality.
"She's almost 20 years old. With 20 you already called the attention of the royal guard of your city."
"Don’t speak of my city. It was because of me that he destroyed it. I didn’t forget what I saw there. From the mountains of fire and the sea of gray." Eva said, and Neil could swear tears were streaming down her face, or it might just be his imagination, "I'll handle everything. You better leave now before she sees you."
"You're right. Treat them well, especially Lucian. It could be important. We've got people looking for the remaining spirit animals."
The man snapped his fingers and disappeared. There was no glow, no smoke, nothing. Evaporated without leaving a trace. Behind him was Eva, wiping her wet face with the sleeve of her dress, sighing into the air. She sat down in a chair and pulled out a book from a shelf. She was about to start reading when Neil tapped his knee on the door and opened it enough for her to get up.
"Is anyone there?" She asked. The voice had returned to normal.
"Ah... it's me. I heard someone here and came to see if it was any of my friends... Sorry." Neil said, his heart almost jumping out and sweat dripping down his neck from behind.
"Did you hear what was said?" She asked and approached him.
"I... ah. No. When I got here, there was no one else here.” Neil replied, swallowing, and yawning after talking.
"Are you sure?" She asked, this time putting one of the sharp nails under his chin. She pressed his skin until he pulled away.
"Yes, I swear. I didn’t hear anything," he replied, making a huge effort not to fall into her hands. Her eyes held bloodlust and she didn’t seem to have to think twice if she had to eliminate him.
"It is ugly to try to listen to the conversations of others. Have they ever taught you that, boy?” Eva asked him. The voice was not as serious as it was at first, but not as emotional as it was in the conversation with the man.
"I apologize. I better get back to my room. They must all still be asleep..." Neil said and had already turned his back when he heard her voice again. He stopped, his hands trembling in his pockets, and without changing his position he begged him to repeat.
"Someone will come and call you for dinner here. Don’t delay," she said, going back inside and closing the door. The echo spread to the end of the corridor where it broke down on the wall and canceled.
Neil was still a little lost with everything that had happened. He went to the door of his room, reached out to take the cold handle, before turning it, moved away. He went back and knocked on the door to Lucy's room. There was no answer. He waited a few minutes and then hit again, this time with a closed fist.
"Yes, yes, I’m coming." Lucy's muffled voice reached his ears.
"I’ll wait." Neil said, "It's important."
Lucy wore an evening gown, a semi-transparent pink, with a round neckline and black stripes at the corners, which was hanging from the door and looked at herself in the mirror. She smoothed her hair, wiped a wet finger under her eyes so he would not notice that she had just woken up, and opened the door. On the other side, an unusual Neil was waiting for her. His belly moved up and down at a non-normal rhythm, his breath was panting, his eyes open, his eyes glancing left and right as if he sensed or was afraid someone was spying on him.
"Come in. What's wrong, Neil? "Lucy asked, covering herself a bit more, and sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I... I don’t know if I should have come here," Neil replied. He let his head fall into his hands, and for a moment, he didn’t put it back up.
"Neil... Some reason brought you here. Now you better break it down," she told him, leaning against his shoulder. Her soft skin touched his. His cheeks grew color and fear was replaced by a sense of peace and the need to overcome adversity.
"Do you remember the conversation at lunch? Of Eva speaking of the man? Christopher?" Neil began looking her in the eye, "There's something about him that you don’t know..." He paused, increasing the dramatic effect and making Lucy more and more curious.
"Say it, Neil! Is it so serious?" Lucy asked exaltedly, getting up from the bed and looking at him.
"A few minutes ago... I heard a conversation between Eva and a man... They said that Cristopher is your grandfather and..." Neil was going to continue but Lucy interrupted him without thinking twice.
"What?? Are you sure about what you heard? My parents told me the story several times, but it was just to scare me. I've never been told anything like it. My grandfather died before I was born. You must be mistaken. They knew you were listening and were just messing with you" Lucy replied, her upper lip trembling, and speaking faster than usual.
"Lucy, does Eva seem like someone who would do that? I know what I heard. The man, he... he told her that if they discovered that you have part of your grandfather's power in you, you would be slaughtered! You have to get out of here. It does not matter whether you have it or not. We can’t risk it." Neil said, concern creeping up his throat and molding the desperation in his voice.
"I'm not going anywhere! I have none of it. He left me nothing and in 19 years I never felt the slightest desire to commit any crime. I'm nothing like him! Lucy shouted at him, as angry as she was sad to have something so serious hidden for so long, "I ... I will show you that I am different from him, that I can help, that I want to help!", accentuating the word I want.
"I can’t force you, you know, but I can’t help but think it would be best. But if that's what you want, I'll be by your side. Lyuna is your city, isn’t it? I noticed how you felt when Eva said it. Do you think that's why they want you to go there? Can you control yourself?" Neil asked. The moonlight slid through the curtains and its shadow was reflected in the wall.
"You mean my parents are involved?" Lucy asked. She took a deep breath and sat down next to him again.
"I don’t think it's your parents. The man I saw seemed to be from there. Muscled and had a tattoo of a dragon with two stripes ...”
"Red? Shit," Lucy said, interrupting him again, "Oh, sorry. I know who that is! But you can’t be serious! He would not. My parents have been friends of his family for decades." Lucy confessed, even more dismayed. She had a downcast look. She couldn’t open her eyes more than halfway, and Neil could feel her heart beating louder as she leaned against him. He took her hand, taking the opportunity to slide his finger gently. His thick fingers pulled her docile skin and she let out a sigh of relief as if the world couldn’t touch her there, daring to live in that moment forever.
"Know him?? Who is he?" Neil asked him, his voice low.
"He is one of the most important soldiers of the royal guard. His name is Philip, and he's one of the candidates to one day be the general. We played a lot when we were kids, but then we went away. He became too focused on fighting, on blood, on the desire to want more. I still can’t believe it's him, he can’t! He would not go that far," Lucy said, looking Neil in the eyes, about to burst into a mournful cry, "He used to lift me up and turn with me in his hands when I was a child when I was about 3 years old and he was 6 or 7."
"Lucy..." Neil started saying, and hugged her tightly, feeling the relief of her chest touching his, as did her warm breath in his ear, "You're not alone. Be it here, in Lyuna or anywhere.”
"You don’t have to endure my pain or my fears. You have yours to worry about. I'm fine," she said and forced a smile through some tears that ran down her face.
Neil smiled, "For a princess, you are not good at getting help from others." He said, and this time she put her head against his chest, "You have a whole team at your disposal, and above that you have me. I'm not going anywhere. Promise."
Lucy didn’t answer. She curled up even more deeply into him, the throbbing of Neil's heart, cradling her like a baby being allowed to swing. His fingers lingered between the pink strands of her hair, massaging her temple and telling her that everything would be all right. The voices of the people outside diminished and served only as background noise, as did the light breeze that crashed against the glass window. The only scent in Lucy's room came from her mango-flavored perfume that Neil loved so much. Both Neil and Lucy took the opportunity to savor the comfort of each other.
They kept clinging to each other for a long time, until someone knocked on the door, warning them that dinner was ready. A thin voice, almost strident, that left some discomfort in Neil’s ear.
"Ah Neil, please tell none of this to others? I want to talk to my parents before I tell them." Lucy asked him, getting up and going to the table where she had some make-up.
"Yes, but you know you cannot keep a secret about being a princess. Once you get there they will find out."
"I'll tell them on the way there. Let's keep it that way. It's for the best." She finished. She took some of the brushes and hid the dark circles and pink cheeks beneath a layer of skin-colored powder.
"I'd better get going before they find out I was here. It's better if we avoid questions, don’t you think?" Neil asked her, getting up and adjusting his clothes.
"You're right. I had not even thought about it," she replied. Neil stood by the door when she called him by his name, "You know, your father would be proud of you. What did you get here for?" She said, ending with a sincere smile.
"I ... I thank you, Lucy. I hope that someday I can hear those words coming from his mouth." Neil said before opening the door.
"You will," Lu
cy replied. The door closed and the room went silent again.
Neil went back into the hall. The wind hit the roof sometimes, to the point that it seemed that it would shatter at any moment. The shadow that once fell over half the long corridor was now the owner of the whole floor. His hands would reach anywhere and lower the temperature to the point where Neil had to rub his arms to feel snug. He walked to his room and was about to enter when Alec left his room. He kept the same lunch clothes, though his hair was a mess as if a tornado had passed. His eyes were half-closed, he paused to yawn, and his own fingertips on his left cheek.
"Is everything okay?" Alec asked.
"Yes. Yes. I went for a walk. I couldn’t sleep." Neil replied. It hurt inside him that he couldn’t tell him the truth, but he was not going to betray Lucy. He couldn’t do it, much less after everything he'd told Max.
"You look a little dejected. Maybe it's just my impression," Alec commented. He rubbed his eyes and sat down as they talked.
"I'm just tired. If I rest tonight and tomorrow I’ll be like new." Neil answered him and struggled to smile, "Truth be told, I never thought we'd make it. I'm still a bit surprised by all this. Look where we are, this is practically a castle," he said, looking around.
"I always told you, to give up does not get us anywhere. But, you know, it's not over yet. I don’t think that Christopher will leave us alone." Alec said and leaned against the bathroom door.
"So we better prepare for what comes next. When the year began no doubt I didn’t think I would do it. Nothing like this has ever happened, not in Drexus."
"Not in Drexus? You mean this has already happened somewhere else?" Alec asked. He untied himself and approached Neil. The friend was about to answer him when Lucian opened the door and joined them.
"Am I interrupting something?" He asked in a hoarse voice.
"Yes, Neil was saying that what happened in Drexus has already happened elsewhere." Alec told him, "Go on, Neil."