by Matt Gross
Khayin saw it in her face--she didn't want to continue. He put a little more pressure on her throat. “Speak, bitch. I want to hear it all.”
Her tears started to run freely once again. Khayin's face flushed with a ferocity that he had forgotten he was capable of. “I...I...tore out her heart.”
Khayin pulled the blade away and replaced it with his hand. Her neck was so small that one of his hands almost wrapped neatly around it. He squeezed. Khayin cut off both the circulation and air to her brain. He watched as her eyes began to bulge. Then he stopped. He leaned in a little closer.
“Bring her back.” The edge was gone. His tone was almost pleading.
Brianna's expression changed. She no longer gasped for air and Khayin could see a bit of her confidence seep back. “Fuck you.” And she spat in his face.
Khayin still held her by the throat. He raised the dagger and cut out her left eye. She screamed that nearly shattered the windows, and Khayin got close to her ear. “Bring her back,” he repeated with more vigor.
“You will kill me regardless, or she will, so fuck you,” she said defiantly.
Khayin strained to control himself. His muscles tensed. His naked flesh was slick with sweat and blood. He was stressed near his breaking point. Remembering his family and their tragic deaths with Kira lying dead behind him was almost too much to contain. His breathing became more rapid. He looked behind him at Kira's form. He took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose.
“I will let you live.” He couldn't believe his own words and he knew Kira would hate him for it. “Bring her back and I'll let you have your life. You have my word.”
“Your word doesn't mean shit to me.”
“You don't know me, so I'll let that slide. You bring her back and I'll let you go. I won't pursue you. I can't guarantee she won't, but I'll discourage her for as long as I can.” He let go of her throat and pulled the dagger away. “Deal?”
He offered her his hand to seal the deal. She looked at it with her remaining eye and struggled to get away from his grip. He moved one leg enough for her to free her hand. She took his hand and shook it firmly.
“You have a deal, Khayin. After tonight I never want to see you two again.” She gave his hand a quick squeeze before letting go.
“The feeling's mutual.” Khayin got up. “Is there anyone else here I need to worry about?”
“No, there are a few doctors and scientists, and maybe a handful of security, but I doubt they heard anything. If they had they'd be up here by now.”
Brianna stood up and retrieved Kira's heart. She walked over to her sister's body and knelt beside it, turning Kira over onto her back and placing the heart into the open cavity in her chest. Brie's face looked as if it were in conflict with many emotions. She put her hands, palms down, on Kira's body.
“This is going to take a few moments and she will need a minute or two to fully recover when I'm done. I'll use that time to leave.” She explained.
Khayin glared at her. “I will track you down and do things to you that will leave you begging for me to end your life if you screw me over.”
Brianna only nodded. She closed her eye and began to hum. The hum then turned into a song. The melody was captivating and her voice was mesmerizing. How can a voice so lovely and a woman so beautiful be so utterly evil? Brie started to glow a pale yellow and the light engulfed Kira as well. Kira's body started to rise, hovering about a foot from the floor. Khayin watched as Kira's wounds started to knit close. The massive hole in her chest grew new flesh and soon looked as if nothing had happened.
The whole process took several minutes. Khayin found Chief Rantz and stripped him of his clothes, getting dressed in them himself. They didn't quite fit, but it beat walking around in the nude. He walked over to Codex to check on her as well. She was breathing, but Khayin noticed that she looked different somehow, like he recognized her face in a different way. He was studying her and trying to figure it out when he heard a gasp for air. Kira's chest began to rise and fall. Brianna slowly brought her body back to the floor. The glow that surrounded the sisters dissipated, and Brie stopped singing, opening her eye.
“It is done,” she panted. She looked exhausted. “May I...”
“Go,” Khayin said, cutting her off.
Brianna didn't waste any time. She got up quickly and ran out of the office.
Khayin knelt down next to Kira and held her. He sat watching her until her eyes fluttered open. For what seemed like several minutes they just gazed into each other’s eyes. A warm smile spread across Kira's face and Khayin smiled back. He didn't want to fight his feelings any longer. He supported the back of her head with his hand, brushing her cheek with his other. He leaned in close until he could feel the heat of her breath. She whimpered, and their lips met. Khayin felt her tremble. It was tender at first. He pulled her closer. She reached up and ran her hand through his hair. He let out a soft moan and Kira replied in kind. Their lips parted, the kiss deepened and the two of them got lost in the moment.
“OMG, OMG, OMG, I'm so proud of you two!” Codex exclaimed, and the moment was broken.
Chapter 39 The Uniform
Kira, still in Khayin's arms, glared at Codex, but the beaming smile on Codex's face melted away any animosity. Khayin was still gazing at her and Kira soon forgot that Codex was even there. She pulled him in close for another kiss, not ready to let him go, when Codex interrupted again.
“Not that I don't want a front row seat to your smoochfest, but I'm still strapped to a table and are you two sure there is no one else in the building?” Codex asked sounding a little annoyed.
“Yes, of course.” Khayin replied.
He helped Kira up into a sitting position and then stood up. He walked to the table and cut the restraints on Codex's feet and wrists. She slid off the table and wrapped Khayin into a deep hug. There were tears running down her face. Kira didn’t want to interrupt their reunion, so she began a search of the room with her eyes.
“So tell me what happened,” Codex said.
“My plan worked, kinda,” Khayin replied with a half grin.
“What do you mean?” Codex asked. Kira looked at Khayin as well. She had been wondering the same thing.
“You said nothing about a plan, other than turning yourself in.” Kira said.
“I had a feeling they were going to try and kill me with that dagger,” he explained. Kira started to feel her blood begin to boil. “And I thought they might have you do it.” He nodded toward Kira. “That's why I didn't say anything, I wanted your reaction to be authentic.”
“What?!” She was pissed, and her eyes and tattoos flared. “You made me go through that on purpose.”
“Well...” He started. Kira began to march toward him. “Your sister and Eve had to buy it, so there was no room for error. And I had a pretty good idea that the dagger wouldn't kill me and if I would have told you that, your act may not have been totally genuine.” His eyes were pleading. “I'm sorry.”
“Wait a minute! You had an 'idea' that the dagger wouldn't kill you?” Codex finally piped in.
“Well...I know it's enspelled to kill gods, but other than that there really isn't anything remarkable about it, other than the fact that it's old. I figured since I'm not a god...” he didn't finish the sentence.
Kira decided to check the lobby--she needed to clear her head. She didn't want to be angry at Khayin. She knew they had both been in an impossible position. Kira didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, so she proceeded to the elevator and stairs. The door to the stairs was locked from her side so that no one would be able to enter the lobby or office without a key. She pressed the button for the elevator and nothing happened. There was no power. She returned to the office and took account of all the fallen. She couldn't find her sister.
“What about the 'kinda' part?” Kira heard Codex ask.
“Um, Khayin?” Her eyes darted around the room. Her heart began to beat a little faster and her breath became shallow.
“What's up?” Khayin replied.
“Where's Brianna?”
“Kira,” Khayin began.
“We've got to find her. She's too dangerous. She could sneak up behind us. Is she in here somewhere? If she is, why didn't she attack?” Her head snapped back and forth erratically. “Khayin, where is she?” Her voice was panicked.
“Kira,” he stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You were dead.”
“I was? I mean...I was.” She looked at him. There was a tenderness in his eyes. She liked that; it calmed her a bit. “Where is she?”
“Kira, you were dead. Think about that a moment.”
I was dead? I was fighting. I had a magic battle with Eve. Then there was a sharp pain in my back and I felt something burst through my chest. A hand. A hand that held a...heart. Shit! My heart. That bitch! She killed me.
“That bitch killed me,” she finally spoke. Khayin's eyes turned sad. He pulled her close and embraced her. “Khayin, where is she?” He didn't answer. “She brought me back didn't she?” Khayin still said nothing. “And in exchange for my life, you let her keep hers.” Kira could feel him nod his answer. She backed away, and he let her. “How could you?” A single tear rolled down her tattooed cheek.
“Wouldn't you have done the same?” he asked.
She hated her sister, but she couldn't honestly say that she'd let Khayin remain dead if she could use her sister the same way he did. She hit him in the upper arm and hugged him hard.
“Thank you for bringing me back. I know it must've been hard.”
“The decision to bring you back wasn't hard. It was letting her live. She didn't do it out of the kindness of her heart. I don't think she has one.” She looked at his face. “It took some convincing.”
“What'd you do?”
“I took one of her eyes.” He smiled. “That was the 'kinda' part. I didn't mean for you to die. I was hoping I would've come back faster. In the past, a slice to the throat didn't take as long. I'm guessing the magic in the dagger made it take longer. I'm sorry.”
The warm feelings came back and her heart was aflutter. She gave him one more tight squeeze and let go. Khayin and Kira walked over to Codex, who was now bent low, examining Eve's face.
“You alright?” Kira asked.
“Tao?” Codex responded.
“Eve, actually. But yes, we knew her as Tao.” Kira squatted next to Codex and placed a hand on her shoulder. Codex did nothing to acknowledge it.
“I'm so sorry, Kira. If I would have known...”
“How could you have?”
“It got you killed and almost Khayin.” She turned to look at Kira, tears streaming down her face. “That was probably the closest he has ever gotten to an actual death. How...”
“Brianna and Eve threatened to kill you and Khayin said he'd rather take a chance with his own life than to lose you.” She saw a smile on Codex's tear streaked face.
“I don't deserve him as a friend.” Codex hugged Kira. “You’d better take good care of him.”
****
The three of them searched the office thoroughly, looking for any artifacts that Eve may have had. The only thing of use was an old piece of parchment with latitude and longitude coordinates on it. Khayin pocketed it. The three of them decided to stick together and searched the rest of the building. The entire second floor was Eve's office. The first floor held several offices, two of which were Joshua Dorne's and Chief Lawrence Rantz's. Neither of them had anything of significance.
They stopped in the main lobby of the Nueden building. Codex looked at Khayin and shook her head.
“What?” he asked.
“Your clothes. Where are yours?” She stood with one hand on her hip and she kept looking him up and down.
“Long story.” Khayin replied.
“Yeah, that won't do.” She pointed at him swirling her index finger around in the air. “Go see Penelope at Penelope's Attic. It's here in Chicago. Tell her Codex sent you.”
“I don't have any chips on me.” Khayin argued.
“Tell her I sent you.” She smiled.
“OK. But what about my weapons? I think they may be here in the building, but I have no idea where.”
“I'm going to stay and search the rest of this place. If I find them, I'll hold'em for you,” she said.
“You're going to search on your own? What if...”
“I'll be fine. They got the drop on me because Tao and I were...well, anyway if I had been alert to such an attack, let's just say that things would have gone down drastically different.”
“Fair enough.” Khayin walked over to her and gently grasped her arms. “We need to talk.”
Codex looked up at him with big saucer eyes. A warm smile slowly spread from cheek to cheek. Her eyes started to well up, but no tears escaped.
“I know, Papa Bear. I have so much to tell you.”
****
The air got so thick you could cut it with a knife. Codex stared at her father and for the first time in a very long time her 'father' stared back. There were tears in his eyes and he drew her in for a hug. The embrace was deep and full of love. She could feel his body shake as he wept. He let it all out. She wept as well, and the two just held each other for several long minutes.
“How can you...?” Khayin asked in a barely audible whisper.
Codex was overwhelmed. She hadn’t planned this and it wasn't the way she'd wanted him to find out. “I know.”
“You were...”
“I know.”
He pulled away, but still held her. He looked deep into her eyes. “Why now? It's been thousands of years.”
“I know.” She wiped her tear-filled eyes. “I only recently found out myself.” She looked around. Kira was standing just behind Khayin and she looked uncomfortable. “Not here, Papa Bear. I don't want to have this conversation in the lobby of Nueden.”
They both took a step back. “And I'm really having a rough time taking you seriously in that getup.” She chuckled, and he cracked a smile. “Let me clean up here, before the authorities show up.” She looked over to Kira. “Besides, I think Kira needs your attention right now. We'll talk tomorrow.”
“I've got no way of getting to you.”
“There is a hotel called He Bers down the street. I'll book a room under my real name.” She smiled warmly. Adelaide was overjoyed. All she wanted to do was to spend as much time as possible with him, but she needed to investigate the Nueden building before anyone else got there.
Khayin closed the gap between them and kissed her forehead. “I've missed you. Even though this curse blocked you and your mother from me, there's always been a hole in me I could never fill.” He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but nothing came out.
She gave him one last hug. “I love you, Daddy.” And tears started to flow once again.
Epilogue
The sign above the building was large and bright. Millennium sat upon it staring down at them. Several glass doors provided entry and they entered through one of them to be greeted by a live band. There was a guitar, drums, and a piano, as well as brass and wind instruments. Khayin walked up to a desk-like counter and talked to the man behind it. Kira wandered the lobby. Bright tubular lights highlighted the desks and displays. Pictures behind glass hung uniformly along the walls.
Khayin looked back to Kira and caught her eye. He didn't say anything, but gestured toward the food and beverage vendors. Kira nodded and Khayin got in line. There was a spiral staircase off to the side of the large lobby, also decorated in the same lights. It all seemed so surreal. Kira was in awe.
After a few minutes Khayin met her by one of the many framed pictures. She caught his gaze and she smiled. They walked down a long wide hallway. There were several numbered doors along the way and they entered a door marked seven.
The room was cr
owded. The smell of butter and salt wafted through the air and the lights were low. The live music playing in the main lobby, she noticed, was being filtered throughout the whole building. She didn't know what to expect, but the excitement she saw on Khayin's face made whatever was going to happen worthwhile.
They made their way to the middle row in the middle of the room. Kira was holding Khayin's hand. Her hands were sweating and she hoped Khayin wouldn't notice. She looked at him. He was facing forward and one of his knees bounced nervously. She gave his hand a squeeze. He looked at her and he was beaming like a child.
Kira leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. She shifted in her seat and rested her head on his shoulder. The lights went out and the screen in front of them lit up, but she didn't see what was going on. Her attention was on Khayin. The screen went black and Kira watched the show in front of her as blue words appeared. He had given her a pair of artifice glasses so she could read the language:
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M.R. Gross hails from the magical land of Warren, Michigan. He lives with his wife and daughter. When he is not writing he is playing games and drinking craft beer or a glass of whiskey.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
I hope you enjoyed the story!
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