“Defiant to the end,” Remus said coolly. “I promise, Jacob Hunter, that I will take great care to ensure you witness every ounce of flesh ripped from her…”
He never finished, because instead of words spewing from his mouth, a yelp of pain came out instead. Movement over his shoulder caught my eye, and I saw Archer’s head just behind Remus’, his hand holding the hilt of a knife that was still slowly driving itself into Remus’ shoulder, centimeter by slow centimeter. The god-man dropped me, his bellows of rage and pain frighteningly loud, but when I hit the ground, the spike of pain that shot up my damaged leg this time convinced me I’d never walk on it again.
“Go, Jacob!” Archer yelled as he hung on to Remus. “Find Diana!”
I backed away slowly but as quickly as my leg would let me, absorbing his words with a thought, realizing that I had a second chance. If only I could get my hands on the orbs, I could still complete the mission. But I hadn’t a clue where they were, nor was I able to locate Artie as I threw my head left and right, searching for anything that would help me.
Movement redirected my attention back to Remus, who had finally recovered and shook his body in an attempt to dislodge Archer. But my old SEAL buddy was too smart to simply let Remus shake him free so that he was forced into close combat with such a being. Instead, he let go of his knife and dropped to the ground. He drew his pistol in the same motion, and while Remus spun around in a pathetic attempt to catch Archer as he fell, my friend kicked out with both feet, sending his body sliding backward and beneath Remus’ legs. He lifted his pistol simultaneously and started firing, racking Remus’ body with round after round. Remus flinched from each one, and then he stumbled from harder hits that had clearly come from either Helena or Cuyler.
Archer rose to his feet and continued firing, but it wasn’t long before all his pistol could produce were a series of clicking sounds, the obvious indicator that he was out of ammo. He searched his body for additional magazine but he came up short.
He spun around and started to run in my direction, his face angrily directed at me. “What are you doing, Jacob?! Find…”
Like Remus earlier, he never finished, but unlike earlier, Archer wasn’t attacked by an individual who couldn’t possibly inflict permanent harm. He was hit by Remus, who had shrugged off what few bullets had come his way from our snipers, and closed the distance between he and Archer in a blur. I was then forced to watch as Remus’s enormous hand wrapped itself around the back of Archer’s neck, but instead of simply snapping it, Remus lifted Archer off the ground, took one of his legs in his other hand, and used both the power of gravity and his own strength to thrust Archer downward, back first, into his uplifted knee.
I heard the audible crack of Archer’s spine snapping in two easily, but it wasn’t until Remus hurled my friend a hundred feet away and out of sight that I realized he had to be dead. Worst of all, Archer had just died for nothing, succeeding at little more than forestalling my own death by a handful of seconds.
I tried to yell, to let out all the pain and sorrow I had built up from the events of the day, week, month, year, and half decade of my life, but before I could even open my mouth, someone else was already screaming. I turned my head, and so did Remus, and we both saw Artie, standing there as helpless as a child, tears streaming down her face as she stared in the direction of where Archer must have landed.
Remus turned his head to me and offered me a vile smile before he walked calmly toward my sister. I tried to rise to my feet but my broken leg was completely useless, and I fell to the ground again, hard. There was nothing left that could help me. To my left, Brewster was just now rising to her feet but she seemed dazed and delirious as she stumbled into the area. Titus too seemed awake and present, but he was only just sitting up, holding his head in both hands as he tried to regain his senses.
By the time I looked back at my sister, Remus was only steps away. Weaponless and without an ally to call on, I pulled myself forward with my arms, fighting through waves of pain that came from my leg, doing everything I could to reach her in time. I didn’t know what I would do when I got there, but I had to try.
***
My mind was still trying to accept what had happened to Paul. It had only happened a second ago, but it was already like a nearly forgotten, distant memory that couldn’t possibly have happened. Remus had practically snapped him in half and thrown him like he was a doll. Even if I could believe it, I didn’t think Remus would allow me to remember it for long as I found myself staring up into his face that I knew was still handsome beyond measure despite the rage I felt toward him and the wounds he’d recently incurred.
“Ah…” he started silkily. “Diana Hunter. We meet at last.”
He was close now, only a few arm spans away, and I felt myself wanting to cry as he approached. It wasn’t only because of Paul’s brutal demise; it was the world. Not just the world I currently lived in, but the world now, before, and always. It was all hopeless. If Remus was an accurate representation of the entire precursor society who had come before us, and with how equally despicable and evil many of those from the future could be, I no longer saw any hope for the human race.
What was the point?
“You…” I said, my head bobbing slightly as I stood in a daze, refusing to actually cry. “You killed him.”
He cocked his head to the side. “But he was trying to kill me, young Hunter.”
I frowned. “He was my friend.”
Remus looked at me sympathetically now. “What kind of friend cheats on the woman who loves him?”
“I… I forgave him.” I couldn’t really think of anything else to say.
“You forgave him?” He sneered. “How pathetic. How…”
“How human!” I retorted, reaching out with both hands so that I could shove him away, but hitting him was about as effective as hitting a brick wall. “That’s just one of the countless things that make us human, you… you piece of shit! We forgive! We learn to accept mistakes and offer second, third, fourth chances! Whatever it takes as long as the person is willing to change!”
“How… quaint,” Remus said. “Such a caring individual. Perhaps I could learn something from you. I could certainly use a more placid and… attractive version of your brother.”
I sniffed back more tears, realizing what Remus was trying to do. He’d used Jacob once because of his ability to use the orbs, but had disposed of my brother when he’d found Romulus, suspecting that Jacob would be too much trouble to keep alive. Obviously, he had been right, but now he had another Hunter standing right before him. A Hunter who wouldn’t give him an ounce of trouble because this Hunter was weak. Just another useless girl. A noncombatant who couldn’t even shoot at the feet of an oncoming enemy. Someone he could bend to his will, but wouldn’t fight back like Agrippina. Someone he could use and abuse for all eternity if he was willing to try.
I looked past Remus and saw Jacob crawling toward us, dragging his broken leg behind him. He wasn’t far, just a few dozen meters or so, but he was weaponless, injured, and weak. He couldn’t help me, but at least he had an excuse. I had no excuse for being unable to help myself. For being pathetic. Useless.
But I wasn’t useless. Not anymore. Never again. I had my weapons and I knew how to wield them now, but even though I could use them now, I didn’t immediately try. I didn’t know if it was because I suspected Remus would see through my ruse or because I knew I’d be too slow to do anything.
So I simply stood there.
Even when Remus held out a finger to lift my chin, making clear skin contact, I did nothing.
But then, off to my left, I saw a trio of individuals emerging from a building with a shattered door, and I realized that I’d hesitated simply because I’d wanted to see John one last time. I wanted to see his handsome, idiotic face again, and while I would have cut off my feet right now just to see him smile his stupid smile one last time as well, I knew I couldn’t ask for everything.
Just seei
ng him alive was all I needed.
Now I just needed to keep him alive.
I frowned and felt fear well up inside my chest almost uncontrollably. As realization of what I intended to do set in, I became aware that I’d never before been more afraid in my entire life. But nor had I had ever had such a purpose. While my life had been personally fulfilling, it had all been meaningless. What I did now, however, would alter the fate of the world forever, so I did everything I could to beat back my fear, force it to relinquish its hold over me.
I only managed to accomplish all this by looking back at Jacob and forcing myself to smile.
“I’m sorry, Jacob,” I called out to him. “So sorry.”
“Artie…” he yelled through gritted teeth. “No!”
But I didn’t listen. Not really. Not in any meaningful way. I heard the words but ignored the context completely. We had Remus exactly where we wanted him. He was touching a Hunter. And that was all we’d ever needed to accomplish today.
I closed my eyes and tried to think of anywhere but here, and then…
***
…they were gone.
She was gone.
“No!” I yelled again, my hand outstretched before me, but it was too late. It was far too late. I found myself collapsing onto the dirty street, barely noticing the pavement smack me in the face. I didn’t even care that Remus had disappeared along with her. It wasn’t supposed to have happened this way. Diana was never supposed to have been the one to sacrifice herself. It should have been me. Me. Not her. She wasn’t even supposed to be here. But she’d insisted. She’d had to go and get herself involved. She couldn’t have just left well enough alone. It was so like her.
Reluctantly, I pulled myself up and eyed the spot Diana had just shared with Remus, praying for her to reappear, knowing there was still a chance that she could come back at any second without Remus. He hadn’t been acting belligerent toward her when they’d disappeared so there was still the chance that she’d successfully tricked him and could come back healthy and safe, but when she didn’t after another second passed, I started to lose hope. When two seconds passed, I’d all but given up. Once five seconds had elapsed, I felt tears begin to fall.
She was gone.
Just then a hand fell in front of my face, and I half expected it to be Remus, having somehow returned, offering me momentary aid just so his later treachery would be all the sweeter, but when I looked up, I saw Merlin instead. I smacked his hand away angrily, his face being the last I wanted to see right now.
“Where were you?!” I yelled at him. “Why didn’t you help? Why weren’t you here? You could have… could have…”
“What help could I have given you, Jacob? Compared to them, I am no more powerful than you are. I could have gotten lucky, provided you another body to throw at them, but I could not risk getting involved. I…”
“…Still have your fucking role to play, yeah I get it.” I paused then glared at him, tears still actively flowing. “Go to Hell, Merlin. Leave me alone. Just let me grieve in peace.”
“I am sorry for what happened, Jacob,” he said sadly. “I truly am. But from where I stand, I am in the presence of a hero. You won, Jacob. Remus is gone. Romulus lives. And you have your reward.”
“What rew…” He held up another bag that clearly held another pair of orbs.
I was amazed at how little I cared at the moment.
“The means for you to go home, Jacob. But first, I must ask that you return Romulus and I home immediately.”
“Yeah?” I asked, my head pounding as I shifted myself into a sitting position, trying to will the pain away. I looked away from Merlin for a moment and saw more of my friends coming to, but the image that stood out was of Santino standing there, staring at the spot where Artie had disappeared from, transfixed on its emptiness. I looked away as quickly as I could, unable to bear any more heartache, and looked back at Merlin. “Just like that? No celebration? No feast? No magic show? Just… I need a ride home, please.”
“If you please.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head slowly. “What about Artie, Merlin? What are the chances that she’s still alive?”
“I can’t say,” he answered honestly, straightening his back. “Were she still alive, I would suspect Remus to have coerced her to return, but as of yet, he has not. That is not to say that he could not coerce her to return to another time or place, but it is also possible that your sister escaped his presence but has found herself elsewhere and lost. I have no way of knowing, Jacob. But you should have faith that you will see her again.”
“Faith…” I scoffed. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever have faith in anything ever again.”
“I cannot help you with that, Jacob, but I’m sure someone can. Now, my ride, please.
I thought about telling him to go to hell again, but realized the futility of such a thing. Grudgingly, I took Merlin’s hand and rose to my feet, accepting a walking stick he just happened to have at the moment. I glanced around me, noticing for the first time that all of my friends had recovered in one form or another from the battle. Wang was helping support Bordeaux as they cleared the house, Santino too distracted to offer much help, while Stryker looked unconscious as Titus and Brewster presided over him, the latter even holding a hand on his shoulder in the closest thing to comfort I’d ever seen one offer the other.
I hoped he’d be all right.
The only ones still missing were Gaius and Marcus, but I hadn’t seen them anywhere since the fighting had begun, and had to assume they’d played some unseen role in the battle elsewhere.
“Come, Jacob.” Merlin said as he led me toward the broken scaffolding, and where I remembered Romulus had ended up after Remus had thrown him. Along the way I noticed my lost pistol and leaned down to pick it up before Merlin and I found Romulus half buried in rubble, and the older man moved quickly to ascertain whether or not he was still alive. I had no doubt that he was, so I paid him no attention, moving instead to inspect another body that I saw only a few steps away. I hobbled around a few broken pieces of timber and found a pair of shapely, bare legs half buried beneath a pile of wood and concrete that could have only belonged to Agrippina.
I let out a breath. It seemed an ignoble and undramatic way for such an antagonist to die, but I certainly couldn’t argue with the end result. She’d been a pain in my ass for far too long, the sole reason for all of this. She…
Just then I heard a cough from exactly where Agrippina was buried. I hurried around another piece of wood and peaked at Agrippina’s body, noticing that the debris had left a cozy little cavern for her to hide in. Without another thought, I gripped her beneath her knees and yanked her out, anger fueling the maneuver, and found her alive and barely bruised.
Now that was more like Agrippina.
I couldn’t think of anything to say to her as I stared down at her. Nor could she, apparently, as she ignored me and looked away in what I assumed was what passed for embarrassment. I glanced over at Merlin and saw him already looking at me. He then waved me over and I threw up a hand in acknowledgment. I then shifted that hand around so that I could point a threatening finger at Agrippina.
“You stay here,” I ordered. “I’m still not finished with you.”
It took her a second, but then she nodded, shell shocked.
I returned to Merlin and found him holding a hand on Romulus’ thick and heavy brow. I could see now that the young man was breathing heavily, his body battered and bruised from his fight with Remus, the dozens of bullets that had impacted his skin, and his crash into the venue platform. He didn’t look nearly so imposing anymore as he laid there practically naked and half covered in rubble.
“Come, Jacob,” Merlin said as he placed his hand on Romulus’ shoulder. “Let us go.”
I sighed and did as I was told, retrieving the orbs from Merlin’s bag, taking his hand in my own, and setting my mind, but it was difficult to think of anything but the misery and frustration I felt at having
achieved so much, but at the cost of far more. Archer’s death was one I hadn’t expected to hurt as much as it did, but I could handle his loss. I’d lost friends and fellow warriors before, and while the sense of emptiness when thinking of better times with those individuals never vanished, it had always been imperative to move on and keep fighting. As was the case with Archer.
But not with family. Not with my sister. Not with Artie. Her loss I could never accept, would never accept, especially not when it had been my fault, when I’d been too weak and underprepared to protect her. I would never forgive myself for allowing her into this situation to begin with.
“Jacob…” The voice was Merlin’s.
I nodded at him absentmindedly, paying him little attention, but his use of my name had the desired effect. I could mourn for Artie later, but now I still had work to do. With as clear a head as I could manage, I thought of Rome as I’d seen it when I’d been manipulated against my will to aid a megalomaniac hell bent on world domination and revenge. The world came into my mind almost immediately, and I knew that I was either getting better at this whole process, or perhaps I was simply more innately in tune with traveling to this point in history because I’d traveled there before.
I’d probably never know, but even though my eyes were still closed, after only a picosecond of time elapsing, I knew we were already there. Heat faded from my face, wind died down all around me, perspiration suddenly filled the air, and a sense that it was now dark outside pervaded my senses. I opened my eyes and sighed, taking in the peaceful area around me that was completely devoid of evidence that suggested mankind had ever existed. All around me was a wide open vista that was little more than a swamp with sporadic tree coverage, nothing to see except the natural beauty of the world, nothing to remind me of the plague that was mankind.
Interrupting my serenity, however, was the sound of men running, armor clanking. I sighed again, unable to care what they intended to do, and didn’t even bother to look. A swish of motion beside me reminded me of Merlin’s presence, and I watched as he stood quickly and held up both of his hands, the motion only slightly difficult to track in the darkness.
All Roads Lead to Rome (The Praetorian Series Book 4) Page 45