Delta shakes her head, ‘we don’t share the same gift, no. But I do share my gift with my brother, River. He managed to escape when I was rescued by Eli’s niece.’
‘I share my gift with my sister, Hani. She was, unfortunately taken by The Rebuplique’s Weapons Elites. I was searching for her before I, too, was captured,’ Malik averts his eyes, filled with grief to the ground, as he recounts his sister’s capture.
‘Do you also share your gift?’ Delta asks Ari.
Ari nods, feeling guilty about leaving her sister back in The Underground Headquarters. ‘I have a sister, Kaley.’
They sit together quietly for a few minutes before Ari asks Delta, ‘what do you mean you were rescued by Eli’s niece? I didn’t know he had any family left. Well.. apart from the brains of his parents’
Delta shudders as she recalls meeting Eli’s parents for the first time. ‘He has a niece. The daughter of his sister Nora. She, like everyone that came before her in their weird and twisted Elite family, is betrothed to him.’
Ari looks to Mei-Ling who sits on the bench with her sister, slightly away from the two people they had imprisoned in the dirt, wondering why she had never mentioned Eli’s niece to her before. Mei-Ling catches Ari’s eye before turning away, an emotion – perhaps guilt painting her face.
‘She visits him every few months,’ Malik explains, ‘but if you ask me, I think she has been using us as a distraction.’
‘A distraction, how?’ Ari asks, confused.
‘Well, we think she is not too keen on the idea of marrying her uncle,’ Delta says. ‘Not that I blame her, even if it keeps money and power in the family.’ Delta sits up, crossing her legs in front of her, ‘so tell us, Arielle, of your grand plan for escape.’
Chapter TWENTY-ONE
After revealing her plan to the freed prisoners, Delta and Malik, and to the Earth-powered sisters, they all immediately get to work on their various assigned duties.
Whilst Ari works to distract Eli, with her fake attempts at healing him, all the while trying to tap back into that dark power she only recently discovered, the others work on a contraption that will help move them across the rough seas back to the mainland. Having being buried underground for months; Delta needs to gain her connection back to the water, and practices manipulating the waves for hours everyday. Malik assists the other girls who have being using their abilities to manipulate the earth and growing foliage, to construct and break down various sized trees, using his ability to influence the wind, to move the large trunks with ease.
Despite having the ability to control the growth of assorted plants and vegetables, it still takes days and weeks. Ai-Ling forces her energy into the seedlings buried in the earth, straining with all her might to urge them to grow fast and big and strong.
Mei-Ling attends to her master regularly, also trying to keep him distracted whilst the others continue to construct their escape raft.
Although Ari has been ‘healing’ him, his health continues to deteriorate and he is now more bed-bound than able to move about in his floating chair.
One morning, some months since the arrival of Ari, Mei-Ling enters the chambers of The Founding Families last living heir; breakfast floating in front of her on the hover-platter. Ari sits in her usual position, on a royal blue velvet pouf, beside Eli, who lies, eyes closed, on his king-size bed. Without a word, as Ari continues to concentrate on her task, hands hovering inches from the frail body before her, Mei-Ling sets the platter of pastries, fruits and juice on the bed-side table. Ari opens one eye, trying to look at Mei-Ling, to give her a sign of her camaraderie but Mei-Ling avoids her gaze before leaving the room, the door closing with a silent click.
Confused as to what had just happened, Ari looks back towards the door, hands now in her lap.
Could Mei-Ling be having second thoughts about their escape plan?
Maybe she is just worrying it might not work.
Ari sighs, hoping that is all it was, before Eli slowly rouses, gazing up at The Healer.
‘Is our session already over?’ he asks disappointed, voice cracking with frailty.
As Ari peers down at the man in front of her, now half the size of what he was when they had first met, a lump forms in her throat, as she feels guilty about what she was doing to him.
But he captured her and the others and if he had his way he would also have her sister. Guilt now buried, Ari nods before standing, and straightening out the petticoat of her black and white uniform.
‘I am afraid it is over for today.’
Eli closes his eyes and smiles slightly, ‘very well. Same time tomorrow I suppose.’
Ari agrees before she makes for the door but then Eli says, ‘my niece will be visiting tomorrow, actually. So we may need to reschedule.’
‘Oh,’ Ari stops dead in her tracks at the first mention of Eli’s remaining living relative.
Opening his eyes slowly, Eli continues, ‘yes, she is bringing me a special gift. A surprise she says. I do hope it is a body or two for my parents to inhabit. I have been feeling a little lonely since they left their decaying bodies behind.’
At no sign of stopping the conversation, Ari returns to the pouf, hoping to maybe get some more information about Eli and The Palace that may assist in the prisoners’ escape.
‘My niece and I are the only living heirs of The Founding Family. Well that is a lie actually. I mean, yes, we are the last of the Bancroft line, but then there is my pesky cousin – the one who calls himself Chancellor.’
Ari leans forward, listening intently as Eli says with a sneer, ‘Chancellor Chvostek. He thinks he has power not that he is the leader of The Republique. But he has no power. Power only belongs to us – The Founding Family. We are the ones who founded The Elites. We are the ones who established this New World Order, where those who had power, money and fame thrived after the Old War, and those who had little to contribute to the New World, were treated as the refuse that they are.’
Ari raises her eyebrows at this remark but says nothing, as Eli talks on.
‘Without my family stepping in to sort out the anarchy that started to spread with the Nuclear war, the world as it is today would not exist. It would instead be a world of chaos, where everyone must fight for their own survival and soon enough the human race would have ceased to exist.’
‘So you’re saying your family saved the human race?’ Ari cannot believe that Eli really believe he has done humans, like her, a favour by coming to power, and appointing certain individuals supremacy over others. She is bewildered to think that he, possibly like every other Elite and Sub-Elite trying to Ascend to Elite status, believe in this nonsense he is sprouting that by living with this class-system, the world is a better place.
‘Why of course,’ Eli says, turning his face towards Ari. ‘My dear parents, Eleanor and Maximillian, they were the true pioneers. They single-handedly saved us all.’
‘And what happened to your cousin?’ Ari asks, remembering back to the torn section of the family tree tapestry hanging in the hall above them.
Eli snickers as he recalls the animosity of their two families. ‘They did not believe The Founding Family’s power should have gone down our family line but instead down the Bogdan and Chvostek families. Can you believe that utter nonsense?’
Before Ari could answer, Eli resumes his speech, ‘and so they attempted to assassinate my dear parents. They did not succeed of course; but my parents found out and their whole family was sentenced to Capital Punishment. Andre begged for his life, like the coward he is, agreeing to leave the City of Secrets, in exile, whilst the rest of family faced the firing squad. And then years later, the sniveling weasel ends up in The Republique, vying for the power he has always craved.’
Recalling the dream she had of The Chancellor slaying her friends and sister, Ari shudders at the thought of someone more power hungry and irrational than the man before her.
Eli sighs, and waves Ari away with the dismissal of a hand, ‘I am tired n
ow. You may leave.’
As Ari wanders the marble foyer to the glass-paned double doors and out to the manicured gardens, her head swims with this new information she was not expecting to hear. Chancellor Chvostek had been crowing about making the World a better place after vying for the power he has craved for years.
And now he has it - and who knows what he is going to do with it.
Chapter TWENTY-TWO
As Ari makes her way across the gardens to the southern entrance of the Palace, she stops dead in her tracks.
A blonde woman with purple spectacles stands near the glass double doors, face turned towards the frail man in his floating chair.
Julie Emdur, The Underground Colonel’s media advisor.
She was his niece.
Before Ari could duck and hide, Eli turns his gaze on her and waves her over.
‘My dear Arielle,’ he says, ‘I would like you to meet my niece, Julie Bancroft.’
Ari looks to the blonde woman, realising she had been sold out by the woman she had greeted the first night she arrived at the resistance headquarters. Did the others know she was a traitor? That she was a part of The Founding Family and betrothed to her own uncle?
Smirking at Ari, Julie extends a hand, ‘oh but dearest Eli, we have already met.’
Eli chortles, ‘of course you have, how could I forget. I did send you to the resistance underground to meet these very precious Healers and bring them to me, after all.’
Starting to panic as to the reason Julie was here with a surprise for Eli, Ari hopes that her sister is still underground and safe with the assassins.
‘Tell me of your surprise, dear love,’ Eli asks his niece.
Ari notices Julie suppress a shudder before faking a smile and answering, ‘if we head down to the basement, you will see.’
Clasping his hands together in glee, Eli follows his niece down to the basement, ushering Ari along with them.
◆◆◆
As they arrive at the silver sliding doors of the basement, Mei-Ling meets them at the entrance. The doors slide open and Ari’s worst fear is realised as she sees her sister imprisoned in the blue beam, to the centre of the room.
Eli floats towards her, circling the beam in his chair, eyeing her like a prized horse. He turns back towards his niece, beaming, ‘my collection of Healers is complete!’
Julie nods, ‘that’s right. And I have an idea of the whereabouts of the other Mages.’
‘Oh ho,’ Eli raises an eyebrow in anticipation of hearing the location of the others he wishes to collect.
‘Your cousin has them,’ she explains. ‘Last I heard they were in the possession of The Republique’s Weapons Industry but then Andre and his forces stormed the place, stealing the weapons including the mages they had imprisoned.’
As she and Eli talked, Ari slowly makes her way towards her sister, locked in the paralysing beam. Heart breaking, Ari wants to hold her sister and apologise for failing her.
How could she have let this happen?
She falls to her knees at the feet of her sister as tears fall silently making a small puddle on the cold white floor. Mei-Ling approaches her from behind, and lays a hand softly on her shoulder.
◆◆◆
Kaley watches the scene unfolding before her, wanting to scream and shout, and tell her sister everything is going to be okay. She wishes she could tell her sister that this was a part of her plan all along. A plan she had come up with Xavier and Guy to infiltrate the Palace and rescue her sister. Her heart shatters into a million pieces at the sight of Ari falling to the floor with the look of hopelessness and guilt on her face.
Almost two months ago, after she and the two assassins had figured out that there was a traitor in their midst, they tailed Julie from The Underground headquarters through The Abandoned Caves and above ground to a nearby small town of Sub-Elites and common slaves.
The town, known as Everdell, lies northwest of the caves and The Republique, and was one of the few to continue to thrive after The Old War and nuclear fallout, with the trade of various items made by the commoners. Such items include textiles of silk, powders and tints compounded into the make-ups and paints used by The Elites to keep themselves looking young.
Xavier, Guy and Kaley had tracked her into the town but soon lost her trail. Xavier’s informant, Lars, a small man with uneven limbs - a result of the continuing sequelae of the nuclear war - who runs a bed and breakfast in Everdell, advised them that Julie had indeed ventured through the town and last he had heard had moved on to The City of Syn, where she planned to blow the million of bullion she recently came into. She had picked up a couple of male suitors at the town tavern before heading out of town and making her way further north.
The two assassins and the Healer made their way back to The Underground where they could reconvene and plan their next move. Despite having renewed hope they might finally find Arielle, their hearts sank further day by day, at the never-ending absence of news of their fellow assassins, Justin and Maude.
Colonel Duff had been deploying sentries above ground for any clues as to their whereabouts, but they would either return without news or did not return at all.
One day a sentry returns with new information on the threat brewing to the East. He tells The Colonel of an army amassing, with weapons of ballistic missiles, tanks from the Old World revamped for the current climate, and thousands of people enslaved in the re-opened uranium mines.
Others reported of hearing rumours of people being rounded up from the surrounding ghettos, and being taken into camps where they were subject to torture and used in experimentation.
After finally getting the approval from The Colonel, Xavier, Guy and Kaley set out for The City of Syn, in pursuit of the traitor who kidnapped their friend.
◆◆◆
The City of Syn was unlike any place Kaley had ever seen before. The skycrapers are rounded and soaring into the sky. Adjoining them are multiple skywalks – bridges enclosed in glass, allowing the citizens to walk amongst the clouds. Bright screens sit atop almost every building, flashing lights of rainbow colours with various images of Elites promoting the activities of The City, ranging from gambling, to parties, to brothels. The streets are teeming with Elites and Sub-Elites from The City itself and surrounding towns and cities, a sure contrast the oft deserted streets of The Republique.
Keeping their identities concealed behind black cloaks and masks, the three newcomers walk along the busy streets, heading for The Casino.
Kaley is overwhelmed by the sights, smells and sounds – struggling to block it out as she keeps her head down and follows with assassins in front. Women dance in the street, bodies hardly covered, with dresses of gold and silver threads, draped over their skin. Elite men and women ogle the women, who most definitely were enslaved by The City’s people.
Further ahead, a man walks on all fours, a leash tied around his neck, held by a fat man in a green and yellow checked peacoat, vest and brown slacks. He laughs and his squinty eyes almost close, his fish-like mouth stretches tight across his painted face, as he forces the man to act like an animal in the street.
Before Kaley could think about running and hiding from the horrific sights of The City, they come across The Casino. Going over their plan one last time, they shed their cloaks and masks, and emerge like butterflies from their cocoons, dazzling all as they enter the gaudy building.
Chapter TWENTY-THREE
‘Welcome! Welcome!’
A stout man, a Sub-Elite, greets the two assassins and the Healer, his face painted almost a ghostly white, cheeks a swirl of pink, and moustache a pale grey. His pinstripe suit of white and red, matches his top hat. He holds a gold pocket-watch in one hand and walking stick in the other and bows as the three newcomers cross the threshold.
Dressed in a turquoise blue and green sequin covered gown and white silk gloves to her elbows, Kaley is escorted on either arm by Xavier and Guy. Her blonde hair is set in ringlets around her pale face, a silver c
irclet around her forehead, encrusted with tiny sparkling gemstones. Xavier wears a black and white coat and tails, Guy a suit of stark white, and matching top hat. Together they approach the bar at the far end.
Black drapes hang from the ceiling with heavy crystal chandeliers, casting shadows over the black walls and red velvet couches and poufs scattered amongst the craps, roulette and card tables, and various poker machines. Sprinkled around the furniture and machines are Elites and Sub-Elites, dressed in gowns and suits, appearing as if they are trying to outdo one other with as flamboyant an outfit as possible.
Leaning on the polished bar top, the assassins and the Healer look out to the crowd before them.
‘According to Lars,’ Xavier whispers to the others, ‘Julie has to be here. This place is her weakness, and she’s known to frequent it with numerous beaus, trying to avoid heading back home.’
‘Who doesn’t want to blow all their money and sleep around, instead of heading home?’ Guy asks, shrugging his shoulders as he takes a swig of his golden drink.
Kaley peers out into the faces of the crowd, scanning for the blonde woman who stole her sister away from her.
‘There!’ she exclaims, nudging Xavier to his left side, and gesturing with her head.
Following her line of vision, Xavier looks over to find Julie, dressed in a short silver dress, black fishnet stockings and jacket of pink and black feathers, huddled around a craps table with numerous men surrounding her. She cheers as she wins and drapes herself around one of the men. Xavier nods to Kaley and she starts to put her plan into action.
Stumbling forwards towards the craps table, Kaley staggers and loses her footing. She falls, landing onto her knees and palms. A male with a painted face and so much nip and tuck that his features are almost completely frozen, attends to her, helping her to her feet.
Elite Nation: Book One Page 11