Untold Deception

by William Staikos

  The queen’s children came running out of the palace doors with servants in their wake. The children clung to their mother in the center of the square. I felt a wave of sharp resentment rise inside of me. Why did they get to have their mom?

  “You are hereby exiled from Faslow forever! I will watch from the rooftops to make sure you leave. Everyone! Walk along with them to make sure they go to the train station, but do not touch them or harm them.”

  They all did as I ordered, and the process was carried out in an eerie silence. A giant circle formed around the queen, looking almost like a nostalgic eye. No one dared to hurt them. As the eye made its way through the streets, I flew from rooftop to another to make sure she left. When they arrived at the train station, not even the journalists dared talk to the queen. It was the perfect punishment.

  The queen boarded the train, which immediately began to hiss its engines. The royal guardsmen chose not to follow her. I sat on a nearby rooftop and retracted my shimmering black angel wings. Even if the queen tried to sneak back in, everyone would recognize her face.

  A deafening cheer erupted when the train began to leave. I saw a man tilt a girl back and kiss her during the celebration. Mr. Finch arrived and had to lean his body in a desperate attempt to make it to the rooftop.

  “Hey chicken, what are you up to?” I asked smiling.

  “I should never have told you that story. You asshole.”

  We both watched the train fade into the night.

  “Was it enough?” I asked.

  “It was plenty. You did well, Salan.”

  “I want to meet Sanoj now. Care to join me?”

  When Mr. Finch and I walked back to the Red Skins home, I heard several cheers. Kiongozi ran up and hugged me hard enough to crack my ribs.

  Kiongozi cried, “I get to see my wife again because of you! Thank you Salan!”

  The other two operatives were in the room as well. I disentangled myself from Kiongozi to talk to them.

  “So you’re both OK. I’m glad you two held your ground. All I could do was listen to your fighting. I wish I could have helped.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Salan. We did our job, and you did yours,” said Sara.

  I saw Smith out of the corner of my eye. He approached me.

  Smith patted my back, “Good job, kid. Maybe Faslow can start healing itself now.”

  “Hey, yarn chaser! When they write a book about ya, make sure to say I was yer inspiration,” said Haiba.

  “It won’t be the first time someone fabricated history,” said Mr. Finch.

  I heard the voices of people cheering outside. Soldiers could go home!

  “You should stay here. I’m sure they will throw ya a good party, Salan. I’ll even give ya drank like when you were 16,” said Haiba.

  “Wait: you gave a drink to a minor?” asked Mr. Finch.

  “He’s more of a man than me,” replied Haiba.

  “I think my wife will flip out when I see her,” said Kiongozi as he ran out of the room.

  “I’ll be in Atral. I’m not staying here. I made a promise to a friend I’d be right back when this was over,” I raised an eyebrow. “You guys wanna come with me to Atral?”

  “If there’s free booze, I’m in!” said Haiba, who slapped me on the back.

  “Well then, let’s go to Atral,” said Mr. Finch.

  We all left for the train station. Passing through the metal door, I noticed a dozen or more guards groaning near the exit.

  “Hey Sara, how many guards did you get?” asked Clora competitively.

  “I got seven, and only Caltrons could reach my side. I didn’t even get to fight an Abundan,” replied Sara with feigned disappointment.

  “I fought one, but I think he was just Class 4,” replied Clora.

  We pushed some of the bodies out of the way. None of them were dead, just unconscious or hurt. I raised my hood as we entered the streets.

  “Why are you doing that?” asked Mr. Finch.

  “Oh, force of habit, I guess.”

  “Put the hood down. You deserve to be happy.”

  I complied but felt odd doing so. Not having to hide, I walked through the alleyways to the train station. I approached the crowd from the alleys, a little kid was holding onto her mother’s hand. Her face was smeared with dirt. She wore a leather dress and was jumping up and down when she saw me.

  “Mommy look! Its Salan!”

  Her mother embraced me. This random Felis, someone I never knew, was praising me. It felt weird.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much. I didn’t have any food left for my daughter, and she’s been sick for a while, and I can’t afford the medicine. Thank you!”

  The scene attracted attention, and soon the entire crowd started whispering my name. But it wasn’t like before; it wasn’t the whispers of trash rustling in the gutter. It was the whispers of people meeting a god.

  It was too much. I felt unworthy. People began to press towards me and, from out of nowhere, journalists started crowding in for a story. Some of the royal guards that had protected the queen were now helping me, moving the people back.

  “Salan! Do you have anything to say for the Royal News Network?” one reporter shouted.

  Many reporters followed suit. To be honest, the attention felt nice, but it still made me feel like an outsider. I used my aura to fly to the top of a nearby building. Some people reached their hands up to praise me. Their unwavering gaze made me uncomfortable. I glanced at the horizon, and I remembered something important. My house was about 15 minutes from the town square. Thinking about home, I flew to my house. The crowd all cheered as I took off.

  People were following in the direction I was heading, so I flew faster. Flapping my black aura wings, I tried to catch remnants of the past.

  “Wait up!” cried Mr. Finch.

  I ignored Mr. Finch. What had happened to my home? Was my mother more than a maid? That’s all I cared about at this moment. I wanted to say goodbye one last time. When I arrived at my house, I thought that I had gotten lost. But I was wrong; I was at the right place. But all that was left was a pile of rubble.

  21- Goodbye Innocence

  “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”

  ― Abraham Lincoln

  I scrambled on my hands and knees to find something. Anything. I ripped through pieces of charred debris. Nothing remained. I shouldn’t have had such high expectations. Looking up, I saw a half-broken well and an old worn out fire pit. The rest was just ash. I couldn’t help but cry. I didn’t want to especially not while people gathered around.

  When people started to encircle me, it brought me back to one of the worst days of my life. I ran fast into the forest. I didn’t want to be seen like this.

  For ten minutes, I bolted as fast as possible. It felt like déjà vu. In the middle of the green forest, I sat there crying, kneeling, and feeling as if I could mourn my mother.

  Suddenly, I heard a noise moving towards me. It slowly started to approach from the bushes. It hopped closer to me, and I saw that it was a Macrovinae. The animal reached its hand out towards me. I reached out to its hand; my fingertips almost touched the Macrovinae, then it got scared off from people approaching. It quickly dashed away. The Macrovinae disappeared through trees; I saw its figure through the moonlight. Standing up I wiped the tears from my eyes and climbed the tree closest to me. I went back to my house of rubble. Reporters and others were gathered by the house. I flew past them. I saw the group of my friends that helped me in this operation and dropped down.

  “Let’s go to the train station,” I said to Mr. Finch.

  “I should have told you about the house. The queen ordered it to be burned to the ground once you escaped,” replied Mr. Finch.

  I shook my head, “It’s fine.”

  The guards prevented people from getting in our way. Some of them were royal guards and others were regular. We all made it to the train station.

&nb
sp; “Clear out the train. All I want is this group of people on it,” I ordered.

  They cleared out the train at the station. A notorious royal guard was aboard. I noticed his face. He had black marks all over his golden armor. It was the man who cut off my arm – the man who spoke at the trial. It was General Andrew. He walked faster into the crowd, away from me. I grabbed him with my aura.

  “Hold onto this one,” I said.

  Some of the royal guards hesitated but eventually did as I instructed.

  Others held the crowd back. “How could you do this to me? You are my friends; does loyalty mean nothing to you!” shouted General Andrew.

  “You were responsible for the unfair trial of my mother.” I judgingly looked down on him.

  “So what? That’s what a soldier does. I was following Queen Mammon’s orders. I was doing my job,” he argued.

  Mr. Finch moved into my line of sight. “Salan, don’t bother.”

  “I know," I muttered. “From now on, you will are a retired officer. You are relieved of your duty.” I approached the guards, “Escort this man to a train, and make sure he never comes back.”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  I ignored him. The members of my group followed me. The guards stayed behind and stopped people from entering the train. The doors shut and we began our trip back to Atral, spending the whole train ride chatting. Through the windows, I saw soldiers cheering when we got to Faslow’s borders.

  Eventually, the train stopped for border inspection. A blue officer walked onto the train. It was the same as before. I put my hood up and pretended to pray.

  “Prays to Mendaxia,” I joked.

  We couldn’t help but laugh. After the laughter died down, the officer smiled and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to make a mistake in my job.”

  “I thought you were supposed to leave for your shift,” I said.

  “The night shift officer called in sick.”

  He didn’t bother checking for anyone’s identification or even ask numbers. Before he left, I walked up and grabbed his shoulder. I wanted to mess with him.

  “You said some racist comments to my friends crossing over. About the Minyades and the Felis.”

  I shot out my aura, and the border patrol officer looked like I just gave him a death sentence. He started to sweat.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. That was so the royal guards didn’t...” started the officer.

  I understood his sincerity. He didn’t seem like an overall bad guy – just a man doing his job.

  “Relax, I’m just messing with you,” I said.

  “Thank you,” he stuttered and quickly walking off the train.

  When the doors shut and the train continued forward, Mr. Finch laughed the loudest of all of us.

  “I think he’s going to have to change his underwear,” he said.

  We continued chatting the night away. Eventually, we arrived at the train station. Reporters and a crowd of people were there. Sanoj was waiting. As soon as the doors opened, Sanoj jumped on me.

  “I told you I’d be back,” I whispered. Sanoj was whimpering. “Relax I’m here,” I reassured her.

  It was 4 a.m., and I was tired. However, I didn’t want to sleep. I felt if I slept, I’d be back in the woods alone with one arm. Thinking this was all just a hallucination. Suddenly, Seraculus tackled me so hard that I almost fell over again.

  “Relax, I’m back,” I replied.

  Minyades and some other Humans cheered. Even some Mendaxia believers cheered me. Tora was also there, and when he walked up to me, I stopped holding onto Seraculus for a moment.

  “A 19-year-old boy stopping the second Great War. Maybe this will bring peace for the Felis. Though that will take some time.”

  “I hope so.”

  We spent the night partying at Tora’s mansion, cracking jokes and listening to the radio of what was to come. It was mostly celebrating Faslow’s change of heart. A crowd outside of Tora’s house grew larger than ever before. I slept for an hour to rejuvenate for the party. I dreamed of Cassiella. I still had a promise to keep so I woke up at 5 am and everyone was in the kitchen.

  “I can’t stay here,” I said.

  “Why not?” asked Seraculus.

  “I still have a promise to keep.”

  I could tell by the faces that everyone had been filled in on what happened to me.

  “Is it for Cassiella?” asked Seraculus.

  “Yes. I still have to build that place for her.”

  “Why don’t you stay here? We can pay for an orphanage,” said Tora.

  “It’s not like I don’t want you to. I promised I’d work as a free agent Abundan for her and that’s what I’m going to do. Whether she’s here or not doesn’t change my promise.”

  “Of course,” Tora said.

  “You’ll occasionally visit, right?” asked Seraculus.

  “Yes, I will. I need to take a trip to a different first-world country, a fresh start.” I said.

  “Kleta, is not a bad choice to live. The merchant country has a bunch of diversity and even a better economy than ours,” said Tora.

  “When are ya leaving?’ asked Haiba.

  “I think I’ve earned sometime here. So, I’ll stay for two more days. Then I’ll leave for Kleta. Also, no one must know I am going there.”

  “Why?” asked Mr. Finch

  “Those reporters will follow me till the day I die. I don’t want a title where people cheer for me due to my bloodlines. I want to earn that title through being an abundan. I feel like I’m more useful as a free agent anyway.”

  “I’m guessing you will stay as Jonas Lenos then?” asked Tora.

  “Yes, from now on that’s my name. Make me a Felis on the description instead though. I’ll keep the contact lens. Also, I need Sanoj to be allowed rights into that country. She should get a collar to indicate for people not to attack her. After these two days are gone, I will leave.”

  “Do you have to go so soon?” asked Kiongozi and his wife Wajibu from the doorway.

  They both ran up and hugged me.

  “It’s nice to see you guys again,” I said hugging back.

  Haiba stumbled over, “Since you’re of age here,” Haiba handed me a drink. “Now is a good time to get drunk.”

  “Why not,” I said smiling. Taking a swig of whiskey, it burned my throat, and I ended up coughing from the taste. “Your booze tastes awful.”

  “Lightweight,” Haiba joked.

  “And you’re definitely a heavyweight,” I snapped back rubbing his protruding gut.

  “How dare you! You know I’m pregnant,” slurred Haiba.

  “Let me pour you a glass of wine Jonas,” he winked.

  He filled my glass with red wine. The liquid almost overflowed the glass as he handed it to me.

  “Does it taste good?” I asked.

  “It’s been aged for 50 years,” smirked Tora.

  “So, it’s gone bad?”

  “No Salan, that makes alcohol smoother. Wine is grapes that have gone bad,” explained Tora.

  I took a sip, and it tasted much better than Haiba’s whiskey. Tora stood up on the table. Everyone crowded around. Seraculus stood right beside me.

  “To the best man in the room, Salan! He saved countless lives today, and we shall never forget what he’s done for us. Cheers!” Tora raised his glass.

  We all raised our glasses with him and drank. Seraculus drank all her wine, so I did the same. It turns out you don’t have to drink the whole glass on a cheers.

  “I raised you two well,” Haiba said putting his arms around Seraculus and me.

  With everything going on, I didn’t’ notice how Seraculus was dressed. I still wore ragged clothes from my nap. Everyone was dressed up except Haiba and I. Seraculus wore a slim black dress with high heels.

  “Elizabeth, do you have any suits I could wear? I should clean myself up,” I whispered.

  “I’ll come upstairs and help you,” she said,
standing up from the couch.

  Elizabeth led me right into Tora’s room. There she handed me the pants and belt.

  “Go change, and I’ll help you with the rest,” she said. I went into the adjacent washroom and put on my clothes. Then she helped me with the tie.

  As she fitted me into the suit she spoke, “Don’t tell my daughter I said this, but she has a huge crush on you. Remember that we will always welcome you with open arms in our family,”

  “I know she does but...”

  “But you don’t want her to because you feel like you’re cheating on Cassiella?” She read my mind.

  “How did you know?”

  She smirked, “I’m a mother, that’s how.”

  Looking in the mirror, I was impressed with how I looked. The suit fit well. Elizabeth tied the back of my hair into a ponytail.

  “I look weird with that,” I complained.

  “It looks good on you. Trust me.”

  I was about to head downstairs, when Elizabeth said one last thing, “If you are going to leave soon and not come back, have some fun. I’m sure Seraculus won’t mind.”

  For a moment it was like I was talking to my mother.

  I smirked, “Why not.”

  When I walked downstairs, everyone looked at me as Elizabeth followed behind.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Are you ready for the lantern festival?” asked Tora breaking the silence.

  “Why are we holding lanterns outside?” I questioned.

  “We throw them up in the air,” Seraculus explained.

  “Sounds interesting, sure,” I said.

  We all went outside where everyone stood out of their houses, celebrating the cancelation of another Great War. They all had lanterns ready to throw up. The woods below us were damp, but I still was concerned.

  “Won’t this start a fire?”

  “It rained while you slept. Plus, we’re going to throw it into a clearing. We have firefighters ready just in case,” Tora explained.

  I set up the round lamp with Seraculus. We put the light inside. Everyone looked at me. There was a crowd of people waiting to let go of their lamps outside Tora’s doorstep.

  “You’re first King Salan, go on,” ushered Seraculus.

  I let mine go up in the air, and then everyone followed suit. There must have been a hundred of them going up into the moonlit sky. The lantern light was shimmering off the black and gold leaves. Musicians played a cheerful tune. The view was breathtaking.