The Deian War: Vermillion's Apostles

by Thomas Trehearn

  After they reached the top, Lupus walked Calla back to her home and with a gentle kiss, bid her goodnight. They would not see each other until the weekstart, because she was due to see a friend from the Academy the next day, but they were eager for that day to be over so they could be together again. There was an air between them now that seemed to erase entirely the rift that Raina had tried to create, and although it seemed to an outsider that their relationship was little more than a single pendulum’s swing in a year, they both knew they were now permanently grounded together.

  With what seemed like an achievement to Lupus, finally overcoming his and her own hesitations, he felt like nothing could bring him down. When he went for his run, he knew no tiredness and no weakness like he did the day before when it seemed all was lost with Calla. As he did his exercise, he thought about the pattern of his emotional and physical states. He could only conclude that there must be a definitive, inextricable link between the strength of his heart and the might of his body.

  At the end of his run he returned home and was equally surprised as he was curious to see a black, gleaming Enforcers car outside his house. He slowed his run gradually to a walk as he approached his door and decided that in order to avoid seeming guilty of anything, because he knew that the car could mean only one thing, he avoided any unusual gait or behaviour.

  He reached his door and scanned his palm to open it. As soon as it allowed him access to his sanctuary, he heard a voice behind him. It was one that, despite the presence of the car, he did not expect to be directed at him. He had done nothing wrong.

  “Sir?” an authoritative man called behind him.

  Lupus turned to see two Cygnus law-enforcers exit their vehicle and approach him. It was incredibly rare for such men to be heard of, let alone seen in public, due to the apparently non-existent crime rate. Their interest in him was perplexing. Lupus could see neighbours in the street peering through their windows to look. For better or worse, Lupus had to deal with this as privately as he could.

  Giving them his full attention, he spoke with genuine confusion in his voice.

  “Can I help you, enforcer?”

  The second man looked to the first, who nodded, then back to Lupus.

  “I think it’s better if we come inside,” he said.

  “I do not know what this is about, enforcers, but I suppose it is more appropriately dealt with in the confidence of my own home. Follow me in; once the door closes you will not be able to breach my home, even with a battering ram,” Lupus answered, trying to give his voice as much honest conviction as he could. The warning in his tone, that this was his sanctuary they were entering, did not escape the Enforcers as they went in after him.

  IT FELT LIKE a home invasion to Lupus. Never before had he allowed such people into his own abode. In fact, until yesterday, no-one had been inside with him bar Calla and the estate agent that had sold him it. He immediately scrutinised the enforcers, even more than they appeared to be doing to both him and his home.

  They were in the hallway when the first man asked if there was a comfortable room where they could talk. He said this with a genial tone, but Lupus could not take anything he said as less than threatening and indicative of power with the appearance they chose to have. They were both dressed in black suits with long tan coats hugging them close. Their white shirts contrasted nicely with the outfit, giving them a distracting sense of balance. They seemed to give off an air of lethality and kindness together, which Lupus thought was certainly on purpose.

  He took them into his living room where they sat on his larger seat, the same that he and Calla had used only last night. He chose the single chair, which he normally used for relaxation, but now it served to brace him for a serious conversation. Whatever the issue was, it was going to ambush him regardless and he wanted to at least be sitting with some comfort when it was broken to him.

  “Mr….Lupus, is it?” the second man asked.

  Lupus nodded.

  “Nothing else?”

  He shook his head. “I have no family to speak of. I dropped my family’s name in the hope of carving my own legacy.”

  “How is it that you have no family?”

  Lupus squinted at the intrusive question. He had an answer, but no desire to give it. “Whatever the issue is here, I hardly feel that’s relevant. Of course, should I be proven wrong in our conversation, I’ll tell you what I can” he smiled politely, the politician in him coming out to play.

  The first man answered him. “Very well…I am Enforcer Draco,” he said. Then he gestured to his colleague. “This is my associate, Junior Enforcer Varro.”

  Lupus affirmed his understanding with another nod.

  “We understand that you have personal connections to a Calla Vaylian?” Varro asked, but it was really just a statement.

  Lupus raised an eyebrow at the introduction to the topic of their interest. “I do. What is this about?” he replied, now curtly and without his former diplomacy.

  “Were you with Ms. Vaylian last night?” It was Varro again, ignorant of Lupus’ tone.

  “Yes, I was. I have not been with her today, before you ask that obvious question,” Lupus said, his patience already wearing thin.

  Before Varro could continue with the pointless vagaries, Draco intervened.

  “Mr. Lupus, if you have been honest with us it would come as a surprise to you, then, to hear that she is missing”.

  If, at that moment, Lupus tried to comprehend how the news made him feel, he would fail miserably. His facial reaction, on the other hand, spoke volumes of the way the words struck him like a volley of thunderbolts.

  “W-what...Missing?” he stammered.

  “Yes, Mr. Lupus” Draco confirmed. “It appears that sometime between her arrival back at home last night, after you two spent considerable time together, a return that her family do confirm and now, she has disappeared.”

  “That’s not possible” he denied outright.

  Now Varro spoke again. “I’m afraid it is, sir. From what her family have told us, she had no reason to leave without notice. For now, we believe she was kidnapped. We have several suspects, but we are here to tell you that you are, as of the moment, one of them.”

  Lupus’ desire to cry out at the accusation rivalled with the chaos raging inside his head as he desperately tried to come to terms with the situation. For several long moments, he said nothing, trying to work out how such a thing could happen and why he, of all people, was suspected. Could Raina have told the Enforcers it was him?

  “Mr. Lupus?” Draco asked. “Did you hear my associate? You are a suspect in Ms. Vaylian’s disappearance.” He said it gently, as if to ease him out of shock, but the charge in his voice remained.

  Despite wanting to succumb to the numbing sensation crawling around his spirit, the Enforcer’s reiteration snapped Lupus out of his trance and back to the room.

  “Yes, I did” he snarled. “It’s outrageous! Her family know me, her parents think highly of me. Surely they know it cannot be me?” he replied, a hint of building pain and anger in his voice.

  “We have spoken to the Vaylians, yes, but they cannot decide the innocence or guilt of a person; that is our domain,” Draco told him.

  Lupus considered that a fair point, despite his feelings of hostility towards these men. Then a better thought occurred to him. “What…what about her friend, Michael? She was supposed to see him today. Is he missing also?” Lupus inquired.

  “He is not. We learnt of their plans to meet when we spoke to Mr and Mrs Vaylian. We have already talked to Michael; it seems he and Calla Vaylian never met. It is only because she was several hours late, something we are assured is not of her character, that he contacted her parents and together they learnt of her disappearance,” Draco explained.

  “Are you seriously telling me that there is no other explanation than a kidnapping or murder that you so tacitly place upon me?” Lupus replied, his voice getting louder as he went on.

  “We hav
e accused you of neither of those, Mr. Lupus. It would be prudent of you to remember that we have never claimed you as the only suspect. We are of course investigating Michael’s story as well.” Varro answered.

  “His story?” Lupus was exasperated. “You barely even know mine…”

  “On the contrary, we know more than you think. We know that you went running today; how long it took, where you went, which route you chose. What we don’t know is what you did before then-“ Varro began.

  “Though, we also know Ms. Vaylian was still at home when you left this morning.” Draco confessed, giving Varro a look that said he was stepping out of line.

  What Varro said made their accusation nonsense. The fact wouldn’t escape even a moron’s notice.

  “Then how can you possibly think I am a suspect?” Lupus asked, incredulous at the Enforcer’s process of thinking.

  “Because it is patently clear that someone is lying, or there is a level of involvement we have yet to see,” Varro informed. “The individual responsible may not have acted alone”.

  Lupus was tired of playing games. “Did Raina Vaylian have anything to do with my becoming a suspect?” he dared to ask, knowing that it implied a conflict between him and Calla’s sister.

  The Enforcers looked at each other, furrowing their brows as if hiding something from him. Varro shrugged at Draco, the situation out of his depth. Draco sighed in reply; Lupus, being in a unique relation with Calla Vaylian, had a right to know what they did.

  “Raina Vaylian is also missing” Draco said heavily, as if admitting a sin to a local Priestman of the dead religions.

  “You didn’t think it relevant to tell me that sooner?” Lupus replied in disbelief.

  Varro was evidently resistant to his challenging tone. “Either way, Mr. Lupus, you are a suspect and we will be in contact with you regularly as this investigation continues. We will determine your innocence or guilt soon enough. Be sure though Sir, we are flawless in our work. If you are innocent, you have nothing to be afraid of. If you are guilty, there is nowhere you can hide that we won’t find you.”

  Despite the promise that these men were capable of finding the truth, it worried Lupus that they openly admitted to their absolute power. Was there a level of extremity, a law system without bounds that created the, perhaps only superficial, peace on Gothica?

  “Don’t waste your time trying to find who is guilty. You should spend your time finding Calla instead,” Lupus told them.

  Varro and Draco stood in practiced unison and the latter looked pensive, as if sincerely trying to find a delicate way to put his next statement.

  “Like Varro suggested, Mr. Lupus, we are very good at finding people. That is, if they are capable of being found,” Varro nodded in agreement. “It is time we take our leave. If you have any evidence, report it to the Enforcer station. Until then, we bid you good day.”

  Lupus swiftly showed them out, but politely in a way not to suggest he was trying to rid himself of their presence through guilt rather than discomfort and pain.

  Once they were gone, he was lost. Why had this happened? Where had she gone? Who would take her? A thousand questions streamed through his mind as he sank onto his stairs, determined to find an answer in his head.

  FAR LATER THAT night, Arcadius, a Black Guardian Legionnaire from the 617th Legion, walked down the central hall of the Senate House alone. In the shadows of the corridor only his pale face was visible, the black of his armour and hair blending into the darkness. The Senators he passed were startled by his sudden appearance, but he had no interest in stopping. He carried news with him that would be of great interest to his commander. He found the winding staircase to the gallery where he knew his superior would be and ascended in haste.

  The legionnaire found his target sitting in a viewing box overlooking the Great Auditorium. Down below, a debate was raging between the Senate and members of the 18th, 45nd and 112th legions. The latter were desperately trying to educate the humans as to the true dangers of the Phantoms and the coming war. Despite hours of evidence, anecdotes and tales of battle, the Senate still could not understand what they needed to do and nor could they accept how soon they needed to act.

  For a moment, Arcadius stood and watched the scene, marvelling at how intense the voices below were becoming. In fairness, he realised, if he were in the Senate’s position, he would be as unprepared as they were for this paralysing time of revelation.

  Remembering his task, he presented himself forward to the legionnaires sitting closest to the balcony overhanging into the Auditorium.

  “Commander,” he began, addressing the quiet but formidable Guardian near to him. “I carry with me news that must be heard.”

  Sabre, Commander of the 617th Legion, turned to regard him.

  “What is it, Arcadius?” he asked with a hint of impatience. Arcadius could tell he wanted to pay more attention to the discussion below than to him. “You know not to interrupt me unless it cannot be ignored, so be sure of your conviction.”

  “I am certain, Commander,” Arcadius replied.

  “Then speak, legionnaire,” Olympus insisted, the second in command to Sabre. He was taller than Sabre, but shared the same dark looks and chiselled features of his counterpart, though his eyes were immediately more severe and a stranger could tell he rarely smiled.

  Now Arcadius directed his voice to the both of them. “It is the Lion, Sires; we have found him, but he is in grave danger. He will take his form imminently, I suspect, but not safely” Arcadius replied, his words grave but confident.

  The command structure of the 617th, ten men in total when the lesser officers were included, who had overheard the conversation stood in unison as Sabre spoke the words they were all thinking.

  “At this time, the Lion could be a danger to others, not just himself”. Shaking his head in concern and worry, Sabre knew it was time for them to leave the Senate House. The other legions could handle the humans for now. “He has no knowledge that we are here, yet we know where he is. We must bring ourselves to him, lest we lose the only Apostle we have found. Lead us on, Arcadius.”

  LUPUS STRODE THROUGH the streets of Cygnus on his way to the Academy at dawn, just as usual. It wasn’t that he was able to put the news of Calla aside and get on with his normal routine; it was quite the opposite. He wanted answers to his questions and he would endeavour to find them here.

  Having his own suspicions of who could know about Calla’s disappearance, he burst into the Academy not with violence, but with determination and wrath in his steps. The main body of students were either turning up for classes, or were already waiting in the courtyards and common rooms for them to start. Lupus was focussed and speared through the masses of people, eventually finding his target.

  “Floyd!” he yelled. His voice was so loud that it drowned out the amalgamated commotion of his surrounding audience, bringing the attention of everyone to him, though he sought only the audience of one person.

  The young man he was shouting at turned from his group of peers at the call and sneered at Lupus. “Well, if it isn’t the Outsider! What can we do for you?” the boy - for none could regard him a real man – named Floyd replied.

  By now Lupus stood face to face with him, holding back a tide of anger at this upstart wretch who had taunted and harassed Calla before he came to the Academy and put an end to it. Being the baseless crap that he was, Floyd didn’t give up preying on Calla easily. Even Lupus couldn’t believe Floyd was responsible for her disappearance, but he didn’t know where else to start.

  “Where is she, Floyd? What did you do to her?”

  Floyd gave him a bemused look and turned to his left and right at his friends, who were equally nonplussed. A light bulb seemed to flash in his head and he seized the opportunity to aggravate Lupus further.

  “Oh…do you mean your clingy damsel? You should know, you must have gotten used to her smell by now. Can’t you catch her scent? I always found it rather…unique.”

 
Lupus could not control the anger in his voice. “Tell me what you know about her disappearance, now”. People around them had gathered to form a watchful crowd, already murmuring about who would throw the first punch. It wasn’t a hard known fact that Lupus and Floyd hated each other quite mutually.

  “Perhaps she got tired of you? Came to her senses? I should go home; maybe she’s there waiting for me instead,” Floyd suggested, his peers laughing. He was so occupied with his evil, ignorant jibes that he never saw the fist coming.

  With a thunderous crack, Floyd was sent flying backwards, pitched off his feet with a blow that Lupus put all his strength and rage behind. Several metres later, the boy crashed to the ground and the crowd fell silent.

  Near the outermost courtyard, a group of figures dressed in black melted into the shadows of the columns supporting the covered walkways around the main buildings. They were watching the scene with intense curiosity, yet made no attempt to intervene.

  “Commander,” Arcadius whispered. “Should we not stop him before it gets worse?”

  Next to him, Sabre thought for a moment. The Lion could kill his opponent if he did take form, but the Senate were failing utterly to pay enough heed to the legionnaires. Perhaps if the public was convinced about them, things would move more quickly. It was worth the risk.

  “No…” he replied. “This has to happen.”

  LUPUS STOOD HIS ground as Floyd’s peers yelled at him, trying to scare him back with their pathetic show of ire.

  “What the hell are you doing?!?” one screamed with all the fury of an early teen.

  “Back off, he knows why that happened,” Lupus replied calmly, his now soft voice more ominous than his first strike against Floyd. He turned his attention to the floored boy, continuing his reply, “Or at least, you should. You spent years pestering Calla, shadowing her every movement like a perverse stalker. You plagued her day after day; all of you did. Is it really coincidence that as soon as we’re bonded, she’s taken away from me? She told me stories, but I never dreamed that even you could be so low to kidnap and hide her from me…”