"Ayame Min, Minister of the Armed Forces. I will be your eyes and your ears on the island during the mission."
Her strong handshake surprised me and almost made me cry a little. I turned to Lexy, who was shaking her aching knuckles, looking at me with big eyes and rosy cheekbones. Despite the darkness and helped by the light of the headlights of these large metallic bubbles, I managed to distinguish the graceful features of the young minister, who appeared to be in her thirties. Her little black eyes on her cold complexion seemed to pierce us. Fortunately, her thin, upturned nose broke the strict look that her dark, short bobbed hair gave her.
"The trip must have seemed long," said the Prime Minister, clapping his hands. "We will escort you to your inn. Dinner awaits you there."
The place was obviously subjected to daily, meticulous cleaning. Until now, the idea of combining the term 'inn' and 'luxury' was unthinkable for me. However, it had to be admitted, this charming and modern complex was a building with entirely ecological architecture. It was Howard, one of the inn's staff, who was responsible for showing us around. This man, with a massive physique and a wide neck, seemed proud to show—for the first time to tourists—this gleaming complex with many facilities—with modern and innovative standards, of course. I couldn't say what impressed me most during our visit, the marble corridors with an authentic mosaic floor, or the view with a splendid panorama from the roof. The stars seemed to rain on the city in the distance, as well as on the whole island. It was the first time I saw such a clear night and breathed such pure air. On that open roof, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Zoe?" Asarys said softly. "We are expected to have dinner."
I then noticed that there were only my two friends, Howard, and me left on the huge terrace.
"Where are the others?" I asked, scanning my surroundings.
Lexy slowly approached me and whispered in my ear,
"They left for a videoconference with the leaders of the two governments."
"Ah, yes… Uh… I forgot the shooting of our documentary."
We left without delay in the direction of the refectory. Despite the serene air on my face, I was bubbling inwardly to be once again sidelined from the mission.
Sitting on the balcony of our dormitory, which was reserved for women, I had been staring at the imposing mountain in the distance for a while. Meanwhile, Lexy had fun jumping and moving around the room. Asarys, sitting in one of the armchairs next to me, tried to ignore her, as if what her friend was doing didn't deserve her attention.
"We aren't going to eat vegetarian all the time during our stay here!" complained Asarys, furious.
"I thought the dinner was excellent."
"Me, too," added Lexy while continuing her leaps. "We mustn't forget that everything is thought to preserve the biodiversity of the island, as well as its ecosystem."
"Ecology is annoying after a while!" snapped Asarys. "A slice of steak from time to time won't decimate Eros, and put your damn bracelet back on, Lexy! Your kid jumps will end up driving me crazy."
"Fortunately, not all human beings think like you," retorted Lexy, irritated by her comments. "At least respect everyone's lifestyle and culture. I think we have a lot to learn from this country. Everything is healthy here."
Asarys raised her hands to the sky with a mocking sneer.
"Healthy? Damn it, Lexy, do you hear yourself? I remind you that a damn dead woman runs the streets to stumble at passersby that she comes across! We aren't in paradise, but hell."
At the same time, two small knocks sounded on the door. Asarys jumped up and rushed to the door, surely hoping to see Ray one last time today. The disappointment could be read on her face when she returned to the terrace moments later.
"It's for you," she said sullenly.
Curious and impatient to ask my many questions to William, I strolled across the room.
"Faïz?" I said, surprised, after half-opening the door.
"He's still in the conference room. The meeting is likely to end late," he said slowly, looking harder and harder.
Although his tone was calm and his posture flawless, his face betrayed a certain annoyance when he realized that it wasn't him that I'd expected.
"What's going on?" I asked to end this coldness between us.
His closed look finally softened.
"Tomorrow and the following days, we will have to get up early to find the ruby. But before that, we will have to explore every square centimeter of this island to know it by heart."
"All right. I'll warn the girls."
"Meet at the entrance of the inn tomorrow at dawn."
When I was about to close the door, Faïz blocked it with his foot. His mood suddenly changed. Now I could read a certain fear on his face.
"I'm next door if…there is the slightest problem, the slightest danger. Call me. Okay?"
"No!" I said in an almost inaudible voice, both tinged with sadness and haunted with anger. "I'd rather die."
Faïz turned pale upon hearing these words, and a desperate pain could be read in his eyes. Before succumbing and going back on my words, I closed the door.
FAÏZ
Gazing into space, Faïz remembered the painful words he had said to Zoe in his loft and regretted each of his words. It had taken him a long time to weave this fragile bond and to admit the feelings he felt for her. Now those days were over.
"Hey, is everything all right?" Ray asked him, sitting in the conference room next to him.
"Yes," Faïz lied, straightening up in his seat. "I'm exhausted. We have been here for hours. It won't be long before day breaks."
The room, now transformed into a real headquarters, was teeming with people. A group of American commandos, made up of ten men led by Malika, captain of this corps, had just joined Barthey's team. Much information was being exchanged between the current government of Eros and that of the United States. Faïz, silent, turned his head towards William, who spoke with David by webcam. His need to hate him was stronger than anything. Indeed, the jealousy that the young man maintained towards him filled the immense void in his chest.
"Here's a map of the island."
Drowned in his discomfort and busy with dark ideas, Faïz hadn't seen Inspector Barthey come to him. He took the map and began to analyze it.
"The best thing would be to make groups for expeditions. I think it would be more effective," the inspector suggested.
Suddenly, a strange gleam crossed Faïz's eye. He tapped his fingers on the table, thinking for a few seconds, then, satisfied with his idea, turned his gaze again to William.
"Groups?" he said while staring at William. "It's a good idea. I'll take care of it…if you give me the green light."
"You got it! In an hour, I need the list in my hands."
It was now impossible for Faïz to hide an emerging smile at the corner of his lips.
5
Every day that passed on the island made me forget the routine I was used to. At the end of the day, after our excursions, we followed an intensive training in martial arts as a combat sport to teach us how to defend ourselves. Malika's drastic lessons were tiring for everyone. Only Faïz, Barthey, and William were exempt from this activity, which put our patience and our skill to the test. The day hikes were almost a moment of relaxation, compared to what awaited us each evening. Excursions across the island were a real lesson in life.
Indeed, here, the consumer world had no place in society. The Kobolds fed on their crops or on fishing. The import was minimal and was done only in collaboration with Japan and China. Hunting was formally prohibited with the threat of being imprisoned, which meant being deported to an island in the Indian Ocean. The country's wealth came from exporting its products around the world, as well as advice given to the largest multinational companies.
The population was largely aeronautical engineers, architects in the construction of green buildings, or agents in renewable developments. Strengthened by the economy, the inhabitants nevertheless l
ived simply, putting everyone in one and the same hut with a single universal salary. Basic necessities and medical care were free. It was impossible that a Kobold should die of hunger or thirst. Equality between men was at the heart of the system.
Although the country remained completely self-sufficient, people seemed delighted to see us and to speak to us. We were, without a doubt, their local attraction of the moment. The population, direct descendants of the Taira and the Minamoto, two families at war in the last quarter of the eleventh century in Japan, had come to exile on this island, followed by a few hundred samurai, in order to live there in peace and find respite from the war they had fled. The borders of Eros since then had become insurmountable for any human being wanting to settle there, tourism being completely forbidden. Preserving this place was one of their priorities.
I was surprised to find that there were no isolated villages on the island, which was about thirty thousand square meters with an average of twenty-two thousand inhabitants. A single large city was concentrated in the center of the country, serving as the capital. Nearby was amazing flora, including more than eighty percent of plant species that were endemic. This luxuriant wilderness was the master of Eros, and traversed every inch of the earth. The exploitation of basements or the massive felling of trees wasn't tolerated, the island thus preserved an intact heritage.
"You aren't American, are you?" my guide, Zerkô, said without even bothering to turn around.
With his scythe in hand, the man cleared the way in order to create a path for us through the jungle, which we had been traversing for quite some time.
"French," I replied, hoping that our guide wouldn't ask me more questions, but in vain.
"Your thing, there? This report you have to shoot… Is it really necessary to explore these remote places on the island? Very few people dare to venture around here, you know! In addition, the fog makes things complicated. You may not see much with your little box."
He paused and then turned to Faïz, who was following him just behind. The man then pointed to the camera that he was holding in his hand. Annoyed, Faïz silently examined his little notebook in his other hand, ignoring our guide, but Zerkô was eager to know more. I could not say if our guide truly believed the story of a documentary on ecology. The ageless man wasn't very tall, but his sturdy build made him look like he could break someone in half just by touching him. His long gray hair fell to his boots and almost touched the ground.
"Sir? Perhaps there is a subject that you would particularly like to address?"
"Is that so? And which one?" replied Faïz dryly.
"I don't… I don't know," stammered the man, immediately looking away.
"So let's continue!"
Before Zerkô did so, Faïz examined his notebook again and marked some annotations on it. At that moment I felt a little twinge in the heart for our cicerone. Suddenly, my thoughts went to William and Lexy who'd had to change guides, like us, following a sudden withdrawal. It was William who had the delicate task of finding and recruiting replacements for the rest of our stay. Our first guide, Hanoura, had been with us for the first two weeks. I was going to miss his assertive and passionate character, especially with this new scout whom I found too boorish for my taste.
"I'm tired!" I exclaimed as I sat on one of the big rocks that ran along the river.
Faïz, in front of me, didn't bother to raise his head from his notebook. With a sigh, I turned my gaze to Zerkô, located a little further on. He had rolled up his pants to his knees and was trying to clumsily fish for lunch with his large hands. Although the water only reached his calf, the current was no less calm. He won't succeed! I confided to myself. The clumsiness shown by this brave man gave him an almost fragile side under his imposing stature. Turning again to Faïz, I saw an insolent sneer at the corner of his lips, as if he were openly mocking my thoughts.
"Our guide is sorely lacking training."
"Why do you hate him? You haven't even bothered to try to chat with him since we were introduced to him."
"William chose this guy well!" declared Faïz, his voice filled with reproaches. "Even a one-legged man would do better than him. I could almost believe William chose him on purpose."
"It's true that with Hanoura, you had no trouble socializing. You must certainly be disappointed that our former companion dropped us like that! You seemed to get along so well."
My words, tinged with a touch of jealousy, immediately made Faïz's smile disappear. We thus challenged each other for a few moments.
"Zoe," he said calmly, "you would feel sorry for this dear Hannibal Lecter if I asked him to stop his cannibalism bullshit."
"No!" I replied, trying to be offended.
Faïz tilted his head slightly to the side while giving me a dazzling smile, which immediately made me lose my cool. This moment of tenderness between us didn't last long, because a moment later he again had a serious look. Suddenly, he bent down to retrieve a stick that was drifting on the stream.
"To tell you the truth, I don't trust him."
"Why?"
"Just look at him!"
"Yes, he's a little soft, I admit, but we have met people who are much more harmful than this man. Either way, you don't trust anything or anyone."
Faïz, concentrating, clenched his jaw and looked away. Then he got up unexpectedly and threw the stick forcefully. Like an arrow, it pierced the body of a long and large fish located several meters from us. A red streak colored the crystal-clear waters.
"Okay, it's time for lunch!" exclaimed Faïz dryly.
In the distance, Zerkô, visibly in shock, congratulated him, both thumbs up for this great catch.
I stopped dead, as we had been walking for more than two hours in this fascinating forest. Crossing someone on these paths was rare. Indeed, the Kobolds rarely ventured this far. Before me, a spectacle of trees of different shapes and unique hues rose in a flowery meadow. A hundred people were gathered in this oasis of calm and greenery. They carried large baskets filled with a multitude of leaves that had just been harvested. At that moment, I looked up above me, attracted by the song of the birds, which waved their wings with the thousand and one colors. Then I advanced at the same time as Faïz to the middle of this haven of peace. Zerkô, at the head, slowed down, then turned to us.
"Citizens must participate in the picking of pineapple leaves on the island. We have set up a performance system so that everyone participates in this task at least once or twice a year."
"Does the collection aim to feed the population?" I asked, intrigued.
"No, the fibers are extracted from the leaves, which will then be transformed into textiles to make our clothes. It's an ancestral process, like strips of dried seaweed that we use to make vegan leather."
"These processes are real innovations, when you know how the treatment of leather is one of the most polluting sources in the world," declared Faïz, visibly very attentive to the explanations of our guide.
He put a hand to his chin, looking around him, then asked Zerkô,
"Can we talk to a few people here? The subject is very interesting and deserves to be explored."
Zerkô seemed to hesitate a few seconds before finally giving in.
"Only if you don't disturb the work of the harvest. Night will fall soon, we should hurry."
Our guide turned and walked away without adding anything more. I rolled my eyes again. The thick fog prevented the sun's rays from penetrating this heavy layer. Hell, how does he have any idea of what time it can be? With this fog, I lost all my bearings over time.
"Zoe?" murmured Faïz next to me. "Try to interview a few Kobolds. There is bound to be one that will end up putting us in the ruby's direction."
I nodded, but without much conviction. The people of Eros liked to talk about everything except the mysteries of their island. As soon as we got closer to the subject of the Kushisake stone, the faces closed suddenly, and no more sound came out of their mouths. This legend was taboo, and we were made to
understand it.
I put my backpack down by my feet and then my hand slowly brushed against the eucalyptus bark in front of me. The diameter and height of the tree were impressive. The colorful patterns that permeated it made me think of painting.
"They are nicknamed the rainbow eucalyptus, because of their bark, which regenerate over the seasons and which leave these amazing variations of colors," a young woman explained to me. She had gray, icy eyes, and wore a red bandana around her head.
She placed her basket full of pineapple leaves at the base of the tree. Immediately she was joined by another woman, who looked exactly like her.
"I'm Xia," the young woman with the red bandana introduced herself. "And here is my twin sister, Xian."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Zoe. We come from the west coast of the United States," I said, pointing to Faïz, who was then in the middle of a conversation with a Kobold further away.
"Yes, we know!" Xian replied, glancing quickly at her sister. "News travels very quickly on the island."
Despite a warm smile on her face, her gaze remained cold.
"This is the first time that we have welcomed tourists," added her sister with real enthusiasm, excited to meet new people. "Do you like Eros?"
"Oh… Yes, very much. All these resources, these plants, and this profusion of unusual species… It almost seems unreal."
The two sisters laughed when they heard these words. It was at this point that the challenge of our mission caught up with me and my smile faded.
"Our report takes us a lot of time," I told them, trying to take a tone as detached as possible to explain my sudden change of mood.
"Well, if you have any questions or need any information, we will be happy to help," exclaimed Xia, visibly happy to feel useful.
Without waiting, I decided to seize this opportunity and began to ask them my well-targeted questions while directing the interview where I wanted to go, namely: the legend of Kushisake.
DARK FAÏZ Book 2: Nothing will ever be the same again Page 5