by J. Armand
“It’s the key to a friend’s freedom,” I answered, then whispered to Gianni. “You can’t do this. You don’t need to. It could take centuries. The world could end before they regain their strength. We already beat them. We could just take the sword.”
“It is my honor, little one. I send many to their death when they do not deserve this. It was not these people, but my action here puts them in danger. I will make sure nothing bother them.”
“Then I’m staying too. I can help rebuild the place. It’s perfect.”
The lightning spirit walked up and presented the Muramasa to me with a bow. I kept my eye on him, still hesitant to give my full trust, and levitated it from his hands to my side.
“This is not for you, little one,” Gianni continued. “I will be the stubborn one this time. You belong where it is beautiful like you. This place is all death.”
“Am I going to see you again?” My happiness, which had persisted through battle, was now decaying.
“Yes!” Gianluca removed his armor and spoke with his lips inching closer to mine. “I want to see this beautiful face many times. I am always close as your shadow and will come to be with you when I can.”
Our lips finally met as we held each other in bittersweet bliss. It was every bit as magical as the first time. I already knew I was going to miss Gianluca, even though he hadn’t left yet. He had opened my eyes, and my heart, to a world I had been numb to.
“Go now. I return you to Earth, but I see you soon.” He spoke of leaving, but wouldn’t let go either. “Soon” was an ambiguous term for someone who was two thousand years old and who inhabited a place where time didn’t exist. My worry was that the years would slip away without him realizing, but I trusted him. For once, I trusted somebody again. “I want to see what you build when I visit. Make it nice for me.”
“I will. I promise.”
The shadows swallowed me and carried me along a gentle current back to Earth. I felt his hand hold mine one last time in the darkness.
---
“You look like shit.”
“You smell like shit.” Noah was right, I did smell bad… again. My expensive white outfit was ripped up and turned to charcoal, and hung from my body. “What do you want, kid?”
“This is about what you want.” He hadn’t even turned around from his spot on the floor in the shambles of his room or he might have seen what I was holding. I tossed the Muramasa at the back of his head. He caught it without looking. “I know how much it hurts you to say thank you, and it doesn’t look like you can take much more of a beating, so I’ll just cut to the chase and tell you you’re welcome.”
He still didn’t speak. While he stared at the sword in his hands I looked behind him. The little urn with Vivi’s ashes, which had fallen to the floor during Hyun’s attack, was cracked. It was a miracle any of it was left when most of the building around it was gone. There was a pile of ashes that Noah had been trying to gather up to place in another vessel.
He turned back around and sat with the Muramasa on his lap.
“How’d you do it?” he asked.
“Gianni… I mean Gianluca and I made a truce with their leader. We didn’t give her much choice, but it worked out for all of us in the end.”
“You’re a lot stronger now. I almost thought it was someone important walking in here by the aura until I smelled you.”
“Funny.”
“I taught you well.”
“I wouldn’t go ahead and take all the credit, but you were – are – a good teacher.”
“I’m only taking credit for the good things. The rest is your own fault.” We stayed in silence for a minute. I didn’t know what to say, or actually how to say it.
“Noah… if you need help – not help, but-”
“You’ve done enough, kid. Now get lost before I wonder just how immortal you are.”
Typical Noah. That was the best I’d get from him, but I was glad I could help.
“Dorian,” he called back to me as I went to fly off. “Don’t think this makes us even on those sunglasses.”
Epilogue
Ah, Manhattan. How do I always wind up getting drawn back here? Maybe it was me, but something about the city that night didn’t seem as… dark. Not that Manhattan was ever without its shining skyline, but maybe the real source of light was that I could look people in the face again without fear. Or maybe everything just seemed so much less hopeless after fighting a dragon. Either way, I had a goal in mind. It was a simple goal, but it was mine, and not someone leading me around on a leash telling me what to do and how to think.
I turned on to West 138th Street with the Outsiders’ old building in sight. It was condemned now; there were boards across the windows and doors, and a notice marking it for demolition. I was hoping someone would have returned, but was equally interested in something else inside. I went around back to find a less conspicuous spot to break in. There was another notice on the back door that I almost disregarded, but it was written out in colorful crayon.
“Em O Em’s relocated to 500 West 140th Street!”
“Em O Em’s”? This, I’ve got to see. I headed up to the address, not sure what I’d find. A sign above a storefront clearly indicated my destination.
“Em O Em’s Open for Business!”
It looked like a restaurant or maybe a hotel.
“Hello and welcome!” A girl’s jovial voice greeted me at the door.
“Emily?” I wasn’t sure if what I was seeing was real. Emily, who was dressed very nicely in a full-length skirt with a blouse and cardigan and a ribbon in her hair, was standing behind the front desk of an inn.
“Oh! Dorian! It’s so nice to see you again. Mr. Octavio said you would be visiting.” She came out from behind the desk and hugged me as though we had known each other forever. The inn was very well decorated. It wasn’t lavish or over the top, but charming and comfortable with a lot of cushions, carpeting, and paintings arranged like a home. Plenty of people were crowded into the building, but I couldn’t really tell who were guests and who worked there.
“Octavio’s okay? What is this place?” I asked.
“It’s a bed and breakfast!” she exclaimed with overwhelming joy. “Isn’t it great? We provide cheap housing and food for the local people, and those that don’t have any money can stay here by working. No questions asked! We take in all kinds.”
“This is amazing, Emily. How did you get the building?”
“Mr. Octavio had tons of money just sitting around in coffee jars. I convinced him we could put it to good use and he said I could have it if he could keep the cans. There are two churches nearby that help out a lot too, and we hold Bible study for them on Thursdays.”
“Yeah, that sounds like him.” After a closer look I was able to tell who was supernatural and who wasn’t. It was so odd to see so many of both kinds working and living together, but it was heartwarming to watch. “Where is he?”
“He could be back at the old apartment. He said he wanted to get some things before they tear the place down, but he should be back soon.”
“Do all these people know what you and the Outsiders are?” I whispered. “The humans, I mean.”
“I don’t know. They never asked. I don’t think it matters though, does it?”
“No. I guess not.” I smiled.
A face peeked out from one of the rooms down the first hall to our left.
“Hi, Emilia.” I waved and breathed a sigh of relief seeing her stand there. That slippery old coot managed to save her life yet again. She gave me a wave back and came to tug on Emily’s hand to pull her away.
“Can it be story time now?” she asked Emily. Now I got what the name of the place was for, Emily, Octavio, Emilia. Em O Em also spelled out “mom,” which fit the inn’s homey appeal.
“Okay, sweetie pie. Go pick out a book and I’ll be right in.”
I felt like I should tell Emily about William. It wasn’t going to be easy.
“Emily, it
’s about, ah, William.” I strained to find the right words.
“He’s passed on. I know. I saw it happen.”
“You did?” I was a bit anxious about what her perspective would be.
“I wasn’t there, but I saw it in my head. It’s something Mr. Octavio is teaching me.”
“That’s cool.” I checked to see who was listening. She was being so frank with so many people around. “I did everything I could.”
“I know.” She didn’t seem sad, but also wasn’t stoic. She was already at peace with it. “Only the Lord can truly save him. You tried your best and that’s what counts. You always do.”
“You barely know me, but I’m glad you think that.”
“I heard how you saved the city years ago, and again this time. You saved me too. It really opened my eyes. I’ve learned to be stronger and turn a negative into a positive. The Lord doesn’t test us so we’ll give up. He tests us to make us better people.”
“You’re definitely doing a lot of good here. I’m really happy for you. You’re a survivor and an inspiration.”
“I’m just good at following directions, that’s all. You told me what to do.”
“It’s time to make your own directions. It’s your life now, undead or not, so enjoy it. Your choices are what will make you a good person, not what you are.”
“Yeah, you’re right! Are you going to be staying with us? I hope you will. I’m teaching Emilia how to bake for the guests, but it’s a tad difficult to motivate her when we can’t taste it ourselves.”
“Emmy! Stories!” Emilia screamed from her room.
“Inside voices,” Emily replied in a loud whisper.
“Sure, I’d love to stay. And I’m sure I can find some way to help out around here. I think I want to go visit with Octavio while you read.”
“That’s great news! I’ll see you when you get back.”
I left the warmth of the bed and breakfast and returned to the Outsiders’ old haunt. There was no sign of Octavio inside, but that was no surprise. Knowing him he was probably out scavenging for cans somewhere. I checked his makeshift office, but most everything was already cleared out. On the floor beside his desk was the sepia photo of him as a human. I picked it up and stood there looking at it in the light of a broken window. It was a grim vision into what could have happened to me if I went through with the procedure of erasing my bad memories.
What happened to you, Octavio? What did you want to forget so badly that you were desperate enough to erase those memories and turn yourself into what you are today?
I put the photo on the desk and left to go up to the roof. The night sky was just clear enough that I could see a few stars alongside the moon, so I lay on my back to enjoy the view. And when I closed my eyes, I smiled as I felt my shadow embrace me.
~J. Armand~