Epilogue

by Etzoli

  The suspicious look didn’t disappear. Even though I’d long since abandoned the idea that he had any authority over me, I still felt like cowering under his gaze. He had a withering glare—one I’d inherited, and put to good use many times over the years, with servants and capitives alike.

  I wasn’t going to back down though. Not this time. “Can I get back to it, then? We’re wasting time here.”

  There, his eyes widened. I’d gotten him to react for real, back to the dad I knew. “You will speak to me with respect, young man.”

  “If you say so,” I said mildly. I reached forward with my foot and flicked the power strip back on. The monitors clicked to life, one by one, each lighting up the room a little more as they warmed up.

  “This is serious, Carl. Your friend is missing. If you know anything, you need to tell me. I’m trying to help you.”

  “I don’t. Sorry.” I didn’t give him a second glance. I was trying to set up automation for the scanner I’d been using all morning to check sites for security holes, anything to give me more information to work with.

  He sighed. “If you’re trying to protect someone, I understand that. But your loyalty’s in the wrong place here. It will be much worse if you don’t come forward now.”

  Loyalty? That gave me some pause. He was going to bring up loyalty ? Loyalty was what I lived for now. I had an obligation to avenge my friend. My loyalty was to my comrades, my guild, the people of my city. I knew what loyalty really meant.

  A lack of loyalty was what started this whole mess. Betrayal.

  That was the word. Betrayal. Matt’s betrayal.

  I was having a confrontation with the wrong man. My father wasn’t important. Matt was the key to everything. Matt knowingly sent Blake to his death. He’d lied to us, to the people closest to him in the entire world.

  Matt and I had to come to a reckoning. Today.

  I accessed my remote server and set it up to run the automation script I’d just finished writing. It was in the cloud, away from my house so the police or my father couldn’t get to it. Once the cloud machine was rolling, I loaded a script on my desktop I’d written a long time ago, just in case. I’d never actually expected to use it.

  In minutes, my hard drives would be zeroed out. My machine was getting completely nuked.

  No turning back now.

  I grabbed my laptop and stuffed it into my bag.

  “What are you doing?”

  In all honesty, I’d half-forgotten my father was still in the room.

  “I’ve gotta head out.” I slung the bag over my shoulder. It was already packed with a change of clothes, and other basic necessities. I’d packed it right after we’d got back, in the thought I might be able to take it across. Nothing made it across the first time around, but who knew what we might find now?

  “Carl, sit back down. We’re not done here.” Dad stood up, but I was already moving out the door, speeding up as I went. I wasn’t sure if he might try to physically restrain me, so I wasn’t going to give him the chance. I made a break for it.

  He followed me down the stairs, thumping on each step. I was about to open the front door when it occurred to me.

  The police had already been here. What if they were watching the house?

  I needed another exit. I turned and ran for the back door out into the garden.

  “Carl, if you leave, I can’t protect you anymore! Please!” He sounded desperate, but I was already bursting through the door. It slammed behind me as I sprinted across the lawn. Could I still climb a fence?

  I was about to find out.

  I leapt. My hand grasped the top of the solid wood, and I slammed hard into the wall. Was I still able to move? Yes, I could still move. The bag didn’t seem as heavy as it did two days ago. Maybe I was stronger now—or maybe it was just adrenaline. Either way, I managed to clamber into the neighbor’s yard.

  I hoisted myself over the top and rolled into a bush on the opposite side. I crashed onto the lawn, breathing heavily.

  The back door to my house opened. I heard shouting, but it brushed over me like the wind. For one glorious, beautiful moment, I felt free again. Another lawn, another fence, and I was back on the streets I’d spent all day wandering yesterday.

  Except this time, I had a mission.

  Site: SFFHaven.net - Your Sci-Fi / Fantasy Home

  Board: Fantasy General → Tip of My Tongue

  Topic: Anyone else remember Cyraveil?

  ReynirCellman (Newbie) [10/03/10]

  Does anyone else remember Cyraveil? Send me a PM, we need to talk.

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  Re: Cyraveil [10/04/10]

  How do I know I can trust you?

  Chapter 11 — Matt

  “What took you so long? I have Westin’s address, and school’s out today.”

  “Thought I might snoop Carl’s computer.”

  “And?”

  “Nothin’. Kid’s got it locked up tight. We’d need an expert.”

  “Given his father’s occupation, I doubt we’d ever get into it. Did he ever come home?”

  “Never showed. I watched that front door all day and night.”

  “Well, start driving. Chief wants an update in person before we head out again.”

  “Kid’s gotta come home sometime.”

  “I’d rather follow the solid suspect than a murky one we can’t find.”

  A day off. I’d forgotten what they were like. Days off weren’t exactly common on the other side. There was always way too much to do. I never got a chance to just cool off for a day. Now, I was eager to enjoy some actual rest and relaxation—but my anxiety wasn’t about to give up the high ground. We had a three day weekend, which I should have been looking forward to, but after Jen’s apparent breakdown the night before, I was really worried about my Friday afternoon.

  She’d come home from Sara’s and locked herself in her room for the night, not giving more than a single word to me or Mom. By the time I woke up Friday morning, she was already gone, headed out to God-knew-where. I called her cell phone from the house phone, but got an “out of range” message. I assumed she’d turned it off.

  I knew she could take care of herself. I wasn’t really worried about her physically. But mentally? Emotionally? She was obviously unstable. I couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen to her, or to anyone around her.

  There wasn’t anything I could do, as much as it pained me. I had to believe in her for now, because whatever had happened last night, whatever happened at Sara’s house, I couldn’t see any way it wouldn’t come up on our date today. I had to get ready for that.

  I was going on a date today. A first date with a girl I’d had a crush on for years and years. Apprehensive was a pretty good word for how I felt.

  So, of course, when Sara knocked on our front door, I pulled it open just a little too eagerly.

  “Uhh, hi,” she said, small fist frozen in midair.

  “Hi.” I smiled, hoping it would break the ice a bit. To my relief, she smiled in return, although hers was a bit more guarded. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I just chalked it up to her own nervousness. I definitely felt nervous, why wouldn’t she? “Want to head out?”

  “Sure.”

  Sara followed me to the garage, and moments later, I was backing down the driveway, the truck positively purring as we rumbled away. Or so I wanted to believe; in reality, it probably sounded as terrible as ever.

  “So, you hungry?” I asked, as I pulled out onto the main road.

  She rolled down her window and let her hand dangle out in the wind. “What’s on the menu?”

  “I was thinking pizza.” I caught a wince out of the corner of my eye. “What, not a pizza fan?”

  “No, I love pizza. It’s just… we had it last night, actually.”

  “Oh. Okay.” I had to wonder again what happened last night, but it wasn’t the right time to ask. “Well, ar
e you in the mood for anything?”

  “…No, not really.”

  “All right then.” I was trying to stay cheerful. She really wasn’t giving me much to work with for conversation. Meanwhile, my mind raced through topics I’d usually bring up in a situation like this, where I wanted to impress or flatter a girl. Stuff I was used to talking about.

  It didn’t help one bit. I gave up and landed on nothing.

  “Where are we heading?” Sara asked, breaking the awkward silence.

  “Well, after food, I hadn’t really decided. Want to go see a movie?”

  “Actually, would it be cool if we spent some time outside? I’ve really been feeling cooped up. Maybe a walk in the park?”

  I felt a chill roll down my spine, as if I somehow already exactly what she was about to say next. I couldn’t see any way around it though. It was inevitable, unless I wanted to just call the whole thing off now.

  “Sure. Sounds good.”

  “Cool. Ever been to Cyraveil Park?”

  The chill became solid ice, and yet I kept talking like it was perfectly normal. “A couple times, I think.”

  “Shall we?”

  ***

  Why on earth did I actually agree to this?

  A fifteen minute drive later, and we were at the edge of the forest, driving down that same fateful route I’d taken Tuesday night. At least the conversation had gotten lighter after that; some good-natured teasing and talking about movies, and we were actually starting to bond. I was surprised to learn she was an avid cook too, same as me. I took that as a real success, something great we had in common.

  Fate, of course, had no intention of letting us enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

  I don’t actually believe in fate and destiny. I hate the idea of not being in control of my own life. Even if plenty gets chalked up to luck, at least I can make choices and steer my own free will. But that Friday, of all the days in my life, was the closest I came to believing the universe really had it out for me.

  Our conversation took a bit of a lull while we enjoyed sharing a park bench in the sun. We were still way out on the edge of the forest, where the trees and foliage weren’t so thick. I decided I might as well get at least one answer out of Sara, to calm the fears still bubbling away in the recesses of my brain.

  “So, and tell me if I’m breaking a rule or something here, but weren’t you and Jen supposed to hang out today?” I asked, trying to stay casual.

  Sara watched a leaf twirl down from a nearby tree. Her dark, thoughtful eyes tracked it all the way to the ground before she finally answered. “Yeah. Jen called me this morning though, said she had something important to do. Nothing to worry about, just something.”

  Which, of course, only made me more worried. Jen breaking her routine, missing spending time with her best friend, was definitely something to worry about. Sleep clearly hadn’t done anything to help the pain from the night before.

  She wasn’t getting better.

  “Didn’t have a fight or anything, did you?” I asked, acting like it was a joke—though I actually hoped that was the real answer from last night. A fight between Jen and Sara wasn’t unheard of. That was something we could solve.

  “Nope.” Sara stood up, stretching out her arms. She yawned—which I found strangely adorable—then pointed at a trail peeking out between two trees, one leading much deeper into the forest. “That looks like it could be fun.”

  I disagreed wholeheartedly, but I shrugged. “Lead the way.”

  ***

  “So you’re saying you’ve never watched a single episode?”

  “I’m not really a TV guy.”

  “Oh man. I’m bringing over all the DVDs then. You’ll love it.” She shook her head in mock disgust. “Not one episode. Horrible.”

  “That sounds nice. Let’s make a whole day of it. I’ll cook up something special.”

  “Mmmm.” Sara licked her lips exaggeratedly. I laughed. She grinned back—then promptly tripped over a tree root.

  In an instant, I closed on her, sweeping one arm under her chest and gently catching her. She never came close to falling down.

  I felt my heartbeat quicken. The thick forest seemed to surround us, like we were the only two people around for miles. All I could hear was the birds chirping and the wind rustling through the leaves, and all I could see was Sara’s face as she twisted in my grip, eyes wide. I could feel her body moving as she took sudden, deep breaths, still in the midst of reacting to falling.

  I didn’t want the moment to end, me holding her like that, but I felt like I was already overstepping. I helped her up and let go, stepping back to let her catch her breath.

  As she relaxed again, she smiled. “That was your moment, Matt.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Shouldn’t’ve let go.” She turned away. I cursed under my breath. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll get another.” She steadied herself, then continued walking, heading deeper into the forest.

  Maybe I would’ve gotten that moment, too, if it weren’t for what I spotted between the trees. I’d turned to look away for just a second. I wasn’t familiar with this area of the woods, and I wanted to get my bearings, figure out where we were. When I looked back toward Sara, I saw her.

  She flitted through the trees ahead, clad in a green jacket and dark pants. She wore a hood that mostly concealed it, but some of her dark brown hair still spilled out onto her clothes. Over her shoulder was a strung longbow, and on her back was a quiver of arrows. Her face, which turned to meet mine for only an instant, was clearly my sister’s.

  Jen’s eyes widened. I’m sure mine did too. I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t call out to her, not with Sara so near. What was Jen doing out here? Where did she get a bow? Questions were exploding in my head like fireworks. I had to do something before Sara spotted her.

  A single nod. I tried to put as much meaning and emphasis behind it as I could. I wanted to tell Jen I accepted this. Give her some kind of comfort. To my relief, after the briefest hesitation, Jen returned my nod.

  A second later, she disappeared into the woods once again, as thoroughly and silently as only an elven-trained huntress could.

  I stared after the spot where she’d vanished, hoping she’d come back home someday, but not really sure if she ever truly would. Hoping that we’d actually talk again, like we used to.

  “You saw her too, didn’t you?” asked Sara.

  Any hopes of returning to our date were dashed. I sighed. I didn’t see any point in denying it anymore. “Yes.”

  “She’s kind of crazy to be out here hunting, isn’t she?” Sara spoke so calmly, so benignly, that I was completely stunned. “…Sorry to spring this on you, but yeah, I know.”

  How was I supposed to respond to that ? “Jen told you?” I hadn’t meant to sound so accusatory, but there it was. I was angry.

  “Don’t you dare get on her case,” she snapped. “She was going to crack if she didn’t talk to somebody.”

  “She still might,” I murmured.

  “What?”

  “She came home a wreck last night,” I said. My eyes narrowed slightly. If we were going to have this conversation, I was going to get answers. Whatever might shed light on Jen’s condition, so I could actually get her some help.

  “Oh…” Sara’s eyes shimmered slightly. “I don’t know what happened. We were fine, right up ‘til dinner. Then Jen… snapped? I don’t know, really. She got super defensive and twitchy during dinner, then ran out the back door when we were done. She seemed like she might attack someone.”

  I paused, trying to consider exactly what to say next. “How much did she tell you?” I asked slowly.

  “A lot, but I’m guessing that with seven years behind you guys, there’s no way she could have told me everything.” She spoke so matter-of-fact. I was seriously unsettled. Her voice fell as she went on. “She told me that only three of you came back, too.”

  A complex mixture of emotions was springing forth, betra
yal and rage and fear and a whole host of others I couldn’t name. I had to force them away for now. Sara knew. I had to deal with that now. There was nothing to do to take it back. It was time to get more information. Whatever she knew, she knew, and I would figure out where to go from here.

  “Did she say what she went through?”

  “Lived with Sylves for six years, completely cut off from people, got into a huge war, only found you guys again way later. Is that about right?”

  I nodded. “Mostly. But Jen went through a lot worse stuff than we did.”

  “Like what?” she asked. She was direct, which was one of those traits I’d always liked about her. No beating around the bush. Straight to the point. I decided to tell her the rest. She already knew more than enough to damn us; better she know everything so she knew what to look out for. Maybe she could help Jen where I couldn’t do anything.

  “She was captured,” I answered. My voice caught as I tried to continue. I swallowed a few times, clearing my throat. Even now, way after the fact, it was still painful for me to describe, even though it hadn’t happened to me. “She was tortured. Forced to fight, I think. I’ve never gotten the whole story.”

  “Oh God…” Sara’s face fell. “So she has… what? PTSD, I guess?”

  “I think so. That’s probably the best way to describe it. What she went through was… well, horrible. I think it’s preventing her from remembering how to live in the real world again.”

  Sara shook her head. “It’s not just that. Unless I got mixed up, she was the only one of you who could do stuff. Like, magic and stuff. Right?”

  I nodded. I wasn’t quite sure where she was going with this.

  “So yeah. Consider that. Not only did she get shoved back into the real world, she’s seriously traumatized and she lost all her support systems. Her power. Plus, she’s gotta deal with losing hundreds of years off her lifespan.”

  “She what?” That last sentence was news to me.

  “Oh.” Sara looked uncomfortable. “…I didn’t realize she hadn’t told you.”

  “Can you explain? Please?” I had to know.

  She shifted in place, glancing away. “Jen told me she had a ritual she did every day, just like the Sylves. She said it restored her, that she could really feel it.” Her face twisted into a sad smile. “She probably could’ve lived to be three hundred or more.”