Expecting everyone to have rushed to the scene of the explosion, he did his best to put distance between it. Still carrying Seles, he contacted Ixnes with a mental command. Her quick response, almost as if she had been waiting took him by surprise.
“Child, what news do you bring?”
“Bad news. Seles has caused an explosion in the facility, and I am pretty sure at least the man that triggered her powers is dead. I could not wait around to check for survivors.”
“Understood, I shall have James prepare an immediate extraction for you.”
“Wait, I don’t think that is best. I don’t want to just whisk her away into a wormhole, which makes even adults uncomfortable in the state she is in. Plus, there is something you need to know about her powers.”
“What is it child?”
“She isn’t a Demolitionist. Well, not intentionally. I have never heard of anything like it, but I am positive after witnessing the fallout firsthand.”
“What are you trying to say? If she is not a Demolitionist, or intentionally as you say, what is she?”
“She seems to be able to convert things into antimatter.”
There is a gasp on the line, followed by a brief pause. “I should know better than to ask you, but how can you be so sure?”
“That was not just an explosion, it was an annihilation. I don’t think she creates the antimatter, she simply converts gases around her. I do not know if she can affect other states of matter, but the reason it seems like she is so powerful is because even such a small area of annihilation creates an absurd energy response. Take it from a demolitions expert. For now I will take her with me and talk to her. I will contact you later.”
“Please keep me informed.”
“Will do.”
Ending the call, he looks around to make sure no one is watching and sprints, clearing the high wall. Moving quickly away, but as inconspicuously as possible, which was difficult with an upset child who looked nothing like him clutched to his chest, he disappears into the bustle of people who were running to see what could have possibly happened at the orphanage. Nearby where Anaar made his call, a man on the other side of the wall makes a call of his own.
“The girl has activated again, it is definitely her. I am going to presume Jean failed and is dead. There is another operative, I could not see his face, but he is definitely American. The girl is with him. I am having people tail them now as best they can.”
From the other end of the line, a melodic male voice responds. “Watch them for now. See where they go, and we can set up an ambush later.”
“There is something else, I only heard half of the conversation from the man, but he said something interesting. It may be nothing, but if it is true…”
“What is it?”
“He said the girl is not a Demolitionist, but instead wields the power to create antimatter.”
“Change of plans, if there is even a chance his analysis is correct that girl may be the most valuable commodity on the planet. Do whatever you need to secure her. Kill the man, and make sure to knock her out. I do not want her using her powers, she obviously cannot control them.”
“I understand, I will have a rendezvous with my men and converge on them in a location that is secure.”
“Do not fail me. We cannot let the Americans have her. The French, Italians, and Germans have all been trying to win her over but have been unsuccessful. I trust you know what failure means for you.”
“I will not fail. He is one man. Though he may have obtained her trust for now, there is no way he can stop my team.”
Ending the call, the man gives orders to his men, letting them know what the plan is, and what the stakes are. He assured them he would be negotiating a much higher price for their services now that the value of the girl had increased exponentially. This sparked a fervor into them which made each one more determined than the last to outperform one another. Watching, waiting, they stalked after Anaar as he disappeared into the bustling crowd.
When Anaar felt they had gotten far enough away from the scene, he put Seles down, bringing her to a restaurant to sit for a moment. As she sat, her tears were still somehow flowing, but she did not seem quite as upset. Peering at her with nothing but concern, he questioned the girl about what had happened.
“Seles, do you know what happened back there?”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t want to go with the bad man and-”
Throwing his hands up to quiet her down since she was screaming and attracting attention, he immediately calls the waitress over to order them some food, allowing Seles to get whatever she liked. Once the order was placed and the waitress had left, he tried talking to her again, speaking in a low soft tone.
“Seles, I am going to need you to keep your voice down and talk like me. Can you do that? Just above a whisper.”
Nodding her head, “Okay.”
“You said the man was a bad man. What did you mean by that?”
“He was like all the others, but even worse. When they come, even if they try to be nice to me, I know they are bad.”
Anaar’s eyes grew wide as he really studied the small girl for the first time. “Seles, do you get this feeling from everyone you meet?”
Shaking her head, she responds quietly, “No. Most of the people in the sad place aren’t bad people.”
“Why did you come with me then?”
“Because you are different from everyone else. They are bad, but you aren’t like them. You saved me from the bad man.”
“Seles, do you understand that what happened, it is because you made it happen?”
“I don’t mean to! It is just like mama and papa! I didn’t mean to! I was just so mad they wouldn’t let me-”
He gives her another look, placing his finger to his lips. “I’ll tell you what. We will eat, and then I will take you somewhere safe ok? I won’t let the bad people get you. We can talk about this all later. Is that okay with you?”
She nods her head, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Luckily for him, their food came quickly, so they were able to eat and leave without needing to talk much more. He recognized it was a mistake trying to talk to the girl in public, because she likely would not be able to keep her emotions in check, which would only cause a scene. He sent a message to Ixnes letting her know they would return to his hotel for a while so he can talk to her in private, then he would prepare her for the journey through the wormhole.
After paying the bill, he made sure Seles did not need to use the restroom, which it turns out she did, and then they left the restaurant where she took his hand as they walked. Having Hobb set a course for the hotel, he realized just how far away from it they were. He was not sure how much time he would have to extract her, if she was even willing, before the orphanage realized she was missing, but he could only hope the dead body and destruction bought him some time.
As he was walking with her, she began asking him questions, mainly small talk, but engaged nonetheless. He was not sure how he had managed to not only save the girl from killing herself, but also gotten her to come with him of her own accord without even trying. From the sounds of what little he had learned, it seemed he had the other operatives to thank for his own success. It was when he thought of the other operatives that something hit him. That immense feeling of wrongness.
Making a detour in a completely different direction of the hotel, he continued walking until he found an area that was much less populated and had some back alleys. Walking through them, he looked around nervously, quickening his pace before finally stopping. In the middle of a wide-open alleyway, he bent down to Seles, whispering something in her ear. When she nodded, indicating her understanding, he gave her a loving pat on the head and continued walking slowly through the alleyway. It was not long before what he had anticipated occurred. A voice rang out, in accented English, indicating they knew something about him.
“Leave the girl there so we can take her. I thank you for the wonderful insight about
her abilities, you just made me much more money. There is no point in resisting, so just put your hands in the air and walk away. Any sudden movements and you die.”
Shit, I was sloppy. I have been really off my game this entire mission. Why did I not account for the man having backup? Given how forceful he was, he was surely going to take Seles no matter the cost if he had to. There is no way he would be able to pull that off alone. Having a conversation, even if it was one-sided, I gave away valuable intel to whomever this is. I need to fix this mess…
Giving Seles a slight look, he releases her hand and gives her a nod. She quickly runs into the corner and curls up into a ball, covering her eyes and ears like he told her. When the men see this, they laugh as Anaar gives a calm look of defiance.
“You really want to die so bad? You think you can take all of us? You are stupid because at least the girl could have shielded you. Now you are an easy target.”
In their confidence, many men with guns appear, aimed at Anaar. When he takes a count, he finds seven total. Steeling himself, he speaks back to the men.
“The idea that I was walking out of here alive was never something you planned on holding to anyway. There is no way you would just let me walk away unharmed.”
One man steps forward with his gun pointed, silencer on the tip. “Well, at least you were smart enough to figure that one out. We will be taking the girl now.” Changing to French, “Come now little miss, let’s go now.”
When Seles refuses to move, still crouching tightly curled into her corner, all the men point their guns at Anaar. The leader then walks directly up to Anaar, the gun almost touching his head.
“Tell her to come to me.”
Raising his hands in the air, “Seles, make sure your ears are plugged and don’t open your eyes until I tell you!”
She tightens her position just as a number of bullets hail upon Anaar. Clearly professionals, they all knew enough to have silencers to not attract attention. What they did not expect was the hail of bullets would be rendered completely ineffective by the blue dome covering him. When they realized they were dealing with a Defender, they thought to almost immediately change tactics by threatening to shoot Seles, but found the same swirling blue energy covering her as well. Not unprepared to deal with a Quintessence, they did not expect a Defender who could render their attacks completely ineffective in multiple locations.
With the men at an impasse for a moment, Anaar had a flash of Phavian, first when he found him beaten in the warehouse, and again in the hospital. It was then that something in him simply snapped, and when the first man screamed, all the others suddenly became on high alert. When they saw what had happened to their comrade, they began shooting again to no avail.
One by one, the men fell, each more gruesome than the last. Severed limbs abounded, and many sought to flee, but it was no use. The almost invisible threads of water simply made short work of the seven men who thought they were in a position of power. Finally, there was a scream a bit farther off as a puma made of water dragged the lookout back into the alley, finishing his screaming before he could alert passersby.
Running over to Seles, whispering softly to keep her eyes closed, Anaar picked her up, shifting his face into its aqueous form and he exited the alley from the other side, making his way into the city toward his hotel. Confident he was not being followed anymore, he put Seles down, taking hold of her hand as they made their way toward the hotel. With his hood up, he chose not to use public transit so as to make sure he left no traces. After a bit of a journey, they finally had arrived back at his hotel. He took off his hoodie and put it on Seles before entering so the cameras could not pick her up as they headed back to his room.
Sitting the girl down in his room, thinking it was a good call to pick up the sweets for her, he offered her a pastry before talking to her.
“Seles, I’m sorry. I did not want you to be apart of any of that. I guess you must think I am bad too.”
Munching on the flaky croissant coated in sugars, “No. Bad people don’t help other people. You have been taking care of me.”
“But I had to do bad things in order to protect you. Do you understand what that means? That makes me a bad person. I understand if you do not want to be with me anymore, but I don’t think it is safe for you at the orphanage.”
“If I can’t be with you, who is going to take care of me?”
“Well, I have somewhere you can go, somewhere safe, but it is far away from here. In order to get there, you will need to go through something that isn’t very fun. I promise it will be over quick though. Is that okay?”
Nodding her head, “As long as you come with me.”
“Don’t worry, where we are going is my home. I will definitely be going with you.”
“Will more bad people come after me?”
When faced with the question, Anaar found himself in quite a dilemma. He absolutely abhorred lying, even if it was for someone’s benefit, but he also had no experience with children. He was not sure if lying to Seles would be the right thing to do, because even if she did not understand, she had the right to know. Making up his mind, he takes a deep breath.
“Yes. You are very special Seles. When people are very special, others want what they have. Because of that, bad people will always come after you. That is why I want to take you to the safest place I know.”
“And you said you will be there if the bad people come?”
“That is much more complicated, but I promise I won’t just leave you.”
She holds up her pinky expectantly, “Promise?”
Hooking his pinky in hers with a smile, “I promise.”
With the matter settled, he sent James his coordinates and the room number just in case, as that level of precision could be quite difficult when inside a building. As he waited for James to arrive, he did his best to explain what it was like going through a wormhole to the small girl, but he knew she would simply have to experience it for herself.
When James had finally arrived, he gathered Seles up and made sure she knew that James was going to take them to the safe place. When he called the front desk to let them know he was checking out and leaving the key in the room, they agreed and then he felt everything was set. Grabbing up his bags with all his new attire, James eyes him suspiciously, causing Anaar to simply shrug.
“What? I got pushed into this last minute.”
Sighing with a shake of his head, James opens the portal to take them back to Sophangence. At Anaar’s request, though James was not exactly comfortable with it, he made the wormhole big enough so he could walk through it together, hand in hand with Seles. When they came out on the other side, the girl had still taken a tumble, but Anaar was there to catch her.
After grabbing the girl and recovering, Anaar realized they were in Ixnes’ home. Checking his Vizer, he forgot he would be going backwards in time, and it was only just after 7am. Even with it being early in the morning, it did not stop Ixnes from looking stunning. It still amazed him how she seemed to always be perfectly groomed and styled at any time of the day. Though rare, she was wearing a patterned dress, no doubt hoping it would be more comforting to Seles.
Once Seles had finally recovered, she looked around, not completely understanding the splendor of the setting in which she stood, but aware enough to realize she was in no ordinary place. Upon seeing Ixnes, Seles immediately cowered behind Anaar, clutching his leg as if her life depended on it. This was exactly the opposite reaction Ixnes had expected, and though she hid it well, she was deeply offended.
“Child, I thought you were going to talk to the young one about the situation.”
Appraising Ixnes with what felt like new eyes, he spoke firmly in response. “I did, however I think you may be the problem.”
Placing her hand to her chest in affront, “Me? Why would I be a problem?”
Kneeling down so he was roughly eye level with Seles, “Do you want to tell me what is wrong?”
“She feels like
the others.”
“Seles, I know this is hard, but I want you to think very carefully about what I am going to ask you next. You said she feels like the others. Can you tell if the others felt worse or better than her?”
“They felt much worse, but she isn’t you.” Pointing to James, “He feels closer to you, but still like them.”
Nodding, he looks back to an expectant Ixnes, not sure how to proceed.
“Well child, what is it?”
“On top of her ability to convert things into antimatter, she seems to have a synesthetic ability to sense roughly what she attributes to good and evil. I believe. I do not think it is as simplistic as that, we know nothing ever is, but one thing is certain, she understands you have gotten your hands dirty.”
Straightening her dress, “That is most… inconvenient.”
“Actually, it is quite convenient. It is probably what has kept her out of the hands of others for so long. It also confirms my suspicions, but we can talk about that later.” Turning back to Seles, “You have been so brave Seles. I want you to continue to trust your instincts. It may be hard to understand, but they are not so easy to classify. It is in this case, I want you to do something for me. I know you do not feel the best about these people, but for me, can you stay here with them and be a good girl? This is like my mother, and though she may have some bad, most grownups, especially those her age do.”
Ixnes begins to protest, but Anaar shoots her a quick quieting glance, one he had never even dared to think of before. Understanding immediately, she silences herself and lets the two continue.
“You said you wouldn’t leave me.”
“I won’t. We made a promise. But I cannot protect you like she can. I will be here often to see you, but you will live with her. I need you to be just as strong and brave as you have been, and be a good girl. Also, I need you to try your best to stay calm. You remember what happened at the orphanage?”
Nodding silently, she looks up at him with teary eyes. “I don’t want that to happen again.”
Apotheosis (Song of Sophangence Book 3) Page 7