by Leon Logos
“Fine, but you’re not leaving my sight,” Cackle reserved.
She sucked her teeth in annoyance, lying down on the floor. She propped her back on one available stack of hay.
The prospect of remaining here until the cessation of the imminent battle was disconcerting. She realized the possibility of never seeing the Aurelians again. Her true family. If Cackle really meant what he said about not sparing anybody, the farm was the last place she wanted to be tonight. Kyler was free from the cell; she had accomplished her goal. Now she wanted to retire to bed peacefully. Though, the main house was probably the least safest place to reside in during the siege. Depending on how committed Cackle and this army of his was, it was plausible that they would burn down the main house, along with everything else in the residence. She was getting disturbing flashbacks from the party back in Sequim, and the grievous aftermath of it.
In retrospect, everything had occurred so suddenly. Only the previous night had Cackle arrived, ruining her new life. She was now forced to be their accomplice, involuntarily as usual. In regard to alliance, she would’ve only cooperated with them in extracting Kyler and Desmos. But this invasion or battle had caught her off guard. Attacking the Aurelian residence was insanity. Kyler had called it a “fortress.” And this was an accurate description. What family had their own military?
She doubted the veracity of Cackle’s claim; that he and the brothers brought an army more formidable than the Aurelians. Was it the US Army? The Marine Corps? Maybe the Navy Seals. Of course, none of the foregoing was plausible. The only logical conclusion she could arrive at was that they hired mercenaries. But with what money? Gunther inexplicably possessed sufficient funds, but not enough to raise an army. Unless the brothers stole the money, which Agno specialized in. Credit card fraud was risky, but Agno occasionally resorted to it when they were low on money.
Kyler’s stomach grumbled loudly, grabbing her attention.
“Still hungry?” she asked.
“No,” Kyler replied flatly. It was an obvious lie.
“I wish I could get you more, but Desmos 2.0 won’t let me,” said Serenity scathingly. “You’re going to have to wait.”
“Just thirty minutes ago, I was dead,” Kyler said. “I can wait.”
“Now that you had a decent meal, you’re talking a hell of a lot more,” Cackle remarked loudly. “What happened to mute Kyler?”
This was a question she would like to know the answer to. But as she thought about it, taciturn Kyler had never left. Now that he had obtained the energy to do so, he was speaking more.
She had been ignored by him a considerable number of times in the past. Not out of spite or dislike, but out of absentmindedness. Although it was dubious, the youngest brother had plenty going on in his conundrum of a mind. She had always desired to know what. Just a single glimpse into his thoughts would suffice enough. She had to concede that Kyler wasn’t a machine. Despite the perpetual lack of display or expression, he had emotions. Just like any other human. Whether they were hazardous or wholesome emotions, he was feeling some sort of way behind his masquerade of apathy. Nothing could be deciphered through Kyler’s empty, stony blue eyes. But ironically, it felt as if he could read minds with his gaze. Along with the void, there was perspicacity and infiltration; infiltration into the recesses of one’s mind.
Two hours had now passed since their initial arrival. Kyler was sleeping softly on the haystacks, breathing lightly. She has drowsily reposed on a haystack herself, neither thinking nor looking at anything in particular. She laid her mind and body to rest, just waiting idly for the time to pass. Cackle was unusually quiet, still keeping an eye out for intruders. He sat by the door, staring outside without moving a muscle. He could’ve passed off as somebody asleep with their eyes open. Serenity didn’t know what time it was. Nor did she care. It was late at night; that was the extent of her knowledge concerning the time. She awaited daybreak patiently, letting an ant crawl around her hand twenty times before she discarded it out of boredom. Even the chickens were asleep, their interminable clucking finally on pause. Her head facing them, she contemplated cooking one of them for Kyler. Making a fire wouldn’t be too difficult. And she had cooked animals raw before; hunted animals.
Suddenly, without warning or any hint or indication, there was a BANG! The ground tremored robustly. Serenity wheeled around in alarm. She looked at Cackle, hoping he would have some idea what it was. It sounded like an explosion. It was distant but still strong enough for them to feel the vibrations that resulted. Cackle cursed under his breath five times.
“Already?!” he said, stunned. “They’re early! SHIT!”
“What are you talking about?” she asked quickly. “What was that?!”
“Stay here!” Cackle ordered.
“What? Where are you goi—”
“Stay here!” he repeated authoritatively, darting out of the barn suddenly. “And DON’T leave!”
It was clear he wouldn’t be back. For a while.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“What do you think that was?” she asked Kyler desperately, five minutes after Cackle had told her to stay put.
“An explosion,” said Kyler matter-of-factly. “Seems like this war he was talking about just started. It’s not a difficult inference to make.”
“He said ‘early,’” she nodded, comprehension suffusing in her face. “This thing was supposed to start tomorrow. Not tonight!”
“Well, maybe there was a change of plans,” Kyler said cogently.
“‘Element of surprise,’” Serenity repeated mockingly. “That idiot. The whole place is on lockdown! The Aurelians are expecting an attack and are ready for one! This isn’t going to end well for them.”
“Who’re you rooting for…?” Kyler asked randomly.
“This isn’t a game,” she reproached.
“I’m serious,” Kyler said, stony-faced, his tone stern. “It seems to me that you want the Aurelians to win. And for us to lose.”
“You’re wrong,” Serenity maintained. “I’m not rooting for either side. If you guys hadn’t come here, none of this would’ve ever happened. Both of us could’ve just lived on with our lives!”
“Not our fault that we expected you were being tortured and imprisoned in a dark pit,” said Kyler. “Instead, we find you living the life of a queen. What’s worse is you think you’re happy…”
“I am—was!” she urged. “Then you and Desmos had to show up and ruin everything. It hasn’t been the same for me since.”
Kyler didn’t respond, averting his eyes to the ceiling. She knew she was being petty and ungrateful. Desmos’s and Kyler’s intentions were noble. But she disapproved and censured it. She wished the others had just forgotten about her, disregarding her like trash like they were supposed to. Instead, Desmos and Kyler catalyzed the calamity that was ensuing as of now. Since they had went after her and got captured, it led to the other brothers to follow them. And she would’ve never expected them to bring an “army” with them. Their commitment to vanquishing the enemy was unyieldingly solid. Why couldn’t they have just launched a simple rescue mission? They had to devise a siege plan? She gritted her teeth, hammering her knuckles on the wall violently. Anger and pent up frustration were overwhelming her. Then, she remembered.
Her family. Alistair, Dorian, Sixto, Lily, Destiny, Lyla…they were all in danger. She ran to the door but skidded to a halt. There was still Kyler. He was too weak to be left alone and unattended to. It was a troublesome dilemma. Kyler looked at her, instantly recognizing that she wanted to leave.
“Cackle told you to stay,” he said.
“Would you care if I disobeyed him?” she asked, perplexed.
“Nope,” he said. “But his order was reasonable. You go out there, and you’ll most likely be hit in the crossfire. You have a death wish?”
“I don’t want to leave you alone,” she sighed. “I want to stay here. But I have to leave. I’m sorry!”
“I’m not worried abou
t myself,” Kyler said. “If you want to leave, you know I can’t stop you. Not in the condition I’m in.”
“I’ll be back,” she said adamantly. “That’s a promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Kyler advised. She ran up to him and left him Cackle’s knife. Cackle had forgotten to take it back. Though he didn’t need it. Not in a gunfight. Kyler held onto the knife securely, gazing up at her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had detected life and emotion within them. There was tenuous concern visible. Indistinct and subtle, but discernible.
“I’ll be back,” she repeated.
It was battle indeed. The battle was chaotic. She ran full speed away from the farm and back onto the residence property. Gunfire, raucous screams, yells, explosions, pervaded the air relentlessly. She heard the battle before witnessing it with her own eyes. Patches of the night sky were brightened red with flames; some of the roofs of the buildings were set ablaze. Black smoke was visible, billowing up into the sky. The ground tremored intermittently, knocking her off balance a couple of times. Her heart was pounding, racing restlessly. She knew she was being reckless, but there was no turning back now. The thought of a deceased Lily and Sixto pushed her forward.
As she neared the forefront of the battle where the intensity was at its peak, she cautiously slowed her pace. She encountered dead bodies lying in pools of blood as she edged through the periphery region of the property. She caught her first sight of the combatants.
Hiding behind a wall at an alleyway, she watched as Aurelian soldiers exchanged gunfire with their enemies. She presumed the men in all-black Kevlar with balaclava masks were the allies the brothers had recruited. They certainly looked like mercenaries. She wasn’t concerned about the outcome of the battle that was ensuing in front of her. As soon as the mercenaries had won, killing all the Aurelian soldiers, they proceeded onto another area; but right after, dousing the servants’ quarters with gasoline, setting the building on fire.
When the coast was clear, she proceeded. Her progress was frequently stagnated as skirmishes blocked her path every few minutes. She felt her hearing was deteriorating; one hour of hearing nothing but head-splitting, deafening gunshots and explosions was liable to render her deaf. Serenity yelped, diving for cover behind a tree as gunfire burst past her direction. She stayed hidden behind the tree for a full five minutes, contemplating staying there until the intensity of the battle abated. Fear had a considerable influence on both her conscience and intentions. She had never experienced warfare before. And here she was, venturing across a battlefield without any weapons or protection. One shot to the head, either inadvertent or intentional, and she was dead. Cackle was rational in ordering her to stay put. She was having reservations about leaving the barn and Kyler.
Serenity scrambled to her feet, advancing. She realized she hadn’t thought this through. Where would she go? Her current destination was the main house. But it was possible the enemy—the mercenaries— would be heading there as well. Serenity took cover again as a whole platoon of Aurelian soldiers trooped past the street, the commander screaming orders.
“THE ENEMIES INTEND TO TAKE OVER THE MAIN HOUSE, POSSIBLY TO EXECUTE THE COUNCIL!” he roared. “THEY’VE ALREADY BREACHED THE CITADEL!”
She had acquired her confirmation already. Her only hope was to get to the main house before the mercenaries could. The main house was probably the Aurelian’s main priority in defense. Half the military was likely at the main house by now. Would they grant her access?
The farther she traversed, the more she realized the Aurelians were losing the battle. She spotted twice as many Aurelian bodies than mercenaries. It was confounding to her; this was the Aurelians’ territory. They were strongest here, capable of defending to their maximum potential. The deadliest, most formidable Aurelians resided in the main residence. Yet here they were being beat? By common mercenaries? She still didn’t know for sure who the enemy was, and if they were really mercenaries.
At one point, she watched in horror as a large group of servants and employees were mowed down and slaughtered by the enemies in front of the Astronomy Tower. The mercenaries laughed humorously as they dropped the bodies simultaneously. In a matter of seconds, fifteen lives had been taken. She was hidden behind a wall.
War jeeps and tanks soon entered the picture, either being used as effectual weapons or being blown up by missile launchers. It seemed the mercenaries were just as equipped and stocked up; they had sufficient weapons as well. She witnessed two mercenaries wielding RPG-7s, blowing up an Aurelian tank and vehicle simultaneously. She was running into more mercenaries and Aurelians. She was able to eavesdrop surreptitiously on some of their conversations, gleaning insight on their strategies and the status of the battle. The majority of these conversations were in consensus that the residual bulk of the Aurelian forces had retreated to the main house, surrounding and guarding the courtyard with all their might. Essentially, the mercenaries had them cornered. The main house courtyard was the final defense. She knew for sure that she wouldn’t be able to get in now.
Serenity questioned in her head how the Aurelians were losing so abysmally. It must’ve been an ambush. The enemy must’ve charged them before the soldiers had time to react or defend. This siege was unquestionably planned out thoroughly; each contingency, strategy, factor, variable and outcome should’ve been discussed prior to the execution of the plan. The mercenaries were more prepared than the Aurelians. But how had they breached the perimeter without the sentries alerting anybody? She recalled the first initial explosion. Were the gates blown up?
An hour had passed since she first set out, and there was still a mile left to cross to the get to the main house. The outsoles of her shoes were coated in fresh blood, as the ground and walls were painted with it. She gagged and nearly vomited on several occasions, spotting decapitated heads and severed limbs here and there. A quarter of the whole expansive property was ablaze. Some of the places she could confirm were burning down were the art gallery, the servants’ quarters, the barracks, and even the infirmary. If not body parts, she saw corpses of scared, shocked men and women.
A plethora of mercenaries were packed together in the square, about half-a-mile from the courtyard leading to the main house.
“We’ve got them cowards trapped now!” they clamored.
Serenity took cover in the space between three random barrels and a wall, peering over them. She observed each and every one of the mercenaries. They were all in uniform: black Kevlar and the balaclava masks. At the center of the square were six unmasked men, huddled around each other. She presumed they were discussing strategies. She blinked, realizing that three of them were Aurelian soldiers. Then she gasped, confirming who they were: Garen, Agno, and Cackle. The three of them looked relatively unharmed, except for Agno whose forehead was wrapped in a bloody bandage. Nevertheless, Agno appeared healthy. All the brothers somehow were unscathed as well.
Her streak of remaining undetected was broken. Two mercenaries entering the square from the street to her left spotted her and hollered. One of them raised their rifle, prepared to shoot. But his partner stopped him.
“Wait! Let’s find out who she is first!” he urged.
Serenity stepped out of her hiding spot, hands in the air. One by one, the other mercenaries in the square took notice of her and raised their weapons. The buzz of conversation attenuated at her entrance. One of them ran up to her, patting her down to check for weapons. They found nothing of course. The two mercenaries that initially had spotted her approached her. The one that had almost shot her had his weapon raised.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
“I’m—it’s n-not what you—” she stuttered fearfully.
“OUT WITH IT, AURELIAN!” the mercenary shrieked, shooting near her feet.
She screamed, jumping in fright. She stumbled backwards, hitting the ground as she lost balance. The gunfire had alarmed the others. Thankfully, this included the brothers.
In an instant, two mercenaries pulled her to her feet and pushed her forward. Guns pointed at her back, they escorted her to the center of the square where the brothers were. She could make out Cackle’s furious, displeased face. If the mercenaries didn’t kill her, he would.
“What the HELL are you doing here?!” Cackle thundered. “I thought I told you to stay back! YOU NEVER LISTEN!”
“How on Earth did you manage to get here unharmed?” Agno asked her perplexedly, inspecting her up and down.
“You know this girl?” a stout man demanded.
He was about two heads shorter than Garen. His beard had gray patches, and one of his teeth was golden. It twinkled conspicuously in the night. The man emanated an aura that she found unwelcoming. She took a step back from him.
“She’s one of the individuals we were supposed to retrieve,” Garen explained. “I’m dumbfounded at her stupidity.”
“This is your sibling?” the man asked, appraising her. “Doesn’t look like much of a warrior to me. Or am I mistaken?”
“She’s the lousiest fighter you will ever see,” Agno snickered. “Which is why I’m in disbelief she had the balls to come here and manage to get here without being killed. I don’t see a scratch on her body.”
“I told her dumb ass to stay back—” Cackle seethed.
“Okay, shut up!” she snapped. “You know how hard it was to make it here alive?! I’ve been terrified of being shot for the past hour!”
“Don’t expect sympathy from any of us,” Garen said sternly. “You’re the one that decided to be the idiot. Now you’re stuck in this war zone.”
“Whatever,” she muttered. “It looks like you guys are winning by a landslide anyway. You realize how many innocent people you’ve been—”
“What side are you on?” the man demanded suddenly.
“Who are you?” she asked exasperatedly.
“Did they not introduce me?” the man scoffed. “Viktor Vankoza.”