The Esoteric Design

by A. R. Crebs

  “They changed?”

  “Yeah. I mean, Troy acted fine, but Gavin kept his distance. I don’t know why. I figured that maybe I had done something wrong. But, every time we happened to be together alone, Gavin would pick up right where we had left off. I think he, too, was scared. We both agreed to keep our distance. I followed our rule more than he did. There were a few times he tried to bring our relationship, or whatever you want to call it, to light in public. I always refused, though. The older I got, the more I distanced myself from him. In our line of work, you have to worry about that other person. They could get dragged into the firefights. They could be held hostage by the enemy. Or I could have died, and he would have been devastated. I don’t think he would have been able to handle that.” Aria sniffled. “He would have blamed himself for it.”

  “Do you blame yourself?” Dovian asked.

  She stared at him, lost in thought. “Yeah, a little. I don’t know what I could have done to save him from Euclid, but I can’t help but think how different things would have been if I hadn’t pushed him away for so long.”

  “Even if you hadn’t pushed him away, you think he would have let you go to Ives alone?”

  Aria lowered her head, a ragged breath passing her lips. “No. He would have been there at my side…which means he would have died either way.” That was a terrible thought. Aria didn’t want to think that no matter what, Gavin was predestined to die the way he had.

  “You don’t know that. But you also can’t change it.” Slowly, Dovian placed his hand on Aria’s. “But you don’t have to be sad about it. Gavin may be gone in your terms, but he really isn’t. He’s still here. He’s still around.”

  “He…is?” Aria asked, her reddened eyes lifting to meet Dovian’s.

  “Have you been reading your book?” he asked her.

  “Um, yeah,” she said, feeling a bit thrown back by his question.

  “And what have you learned from it?”

  “Well, I know about the end when the judgment occurred. Those that had succeeded were carried off into Heaven. Those who failed…the ones who were supposed to go to Hell, were given a second chance. The angels came down,” she eyed Dovian anxiously, “which, I guess, is what you call the Second Fall, and they took charge of watching over the humans. They were supposed to make sure we remained innocent, but sin always strikes back, and the humans failed, giving into temptation once again. And since your race is no longer around…” she spoke carefully, unsure as to how to continue.

  “We failed,” he helped.

  “Unless the Golden Prophecy has yet to occur,” she added.

  “I’m surprised you know so much,” he said with interest.

  “I’ve read it some, even when I was a little girl. My parents both worked at the University. They used to take me to the church for educational purposes. Kind of like Gavin.” The woman’s expression fell, remembering the pilot.

  “Trust me, my dear. You don’t have to worry about him. Keep reading the book, you’ll find much more in there that will help you with that.” He patted her hand.

  Aria laughed timidly, a couple of tears finally dropping down her cheeks. She swiftly wiped them away with her sleeve. “I really hope you are right, Dovian.”

  “Of course I’m right.” Dovian sat upright, tugging on the front of his robes. Aria laughed again, this time a bit more genuinely. “I’m a Sorcēarian. I know what’s best.”

  “Oh? Is that so?” she asked, giggling as Dovian firmly nodded.

  Troy looked over his shoulder, hearing the sweet, foreign sound of Aria’s laughter. He gave the two a curious look, watching as Aria and Dovian traded jokes. He hadn’t seen her laugh like that since Gavin was around. The military man gave a look of disapproval before turning back around to face the television, ordering another brew.

  “And what about Troy?” Dovian asked, catching Troy’s stare from across the room.

  “What about him?” Aria asked in return, a bit sour.

  “You’ve known him a long time, correct?” He cleared his throat and returned his attention to the woman beside him.

  “Oh, yeah, since we were kids. My parents died in an accident when I was about nine.” She was quiet a moment. “His mother died when he was very young. His father raised him, but he was in the military as well and was killed in action when Troy was eleven. We were both then given to the army to be trained as soldiers. James was our instructor. He taught us everything we know. Once we were teenagers, we were assigned partners. He thought Troy was a good fit for me. Don’t know where he got that idea,” she scoffed mockingly. “But, we’ve been together ever since.”

  “It certainly has formed an unusual bond,” Dovian said humorously.

  “Yeah,” she agreed. “But, why all the questions? I feel like I’m being interrogated.” Self-consciously she wrapped her arms around herself, putting her feet on her chair and drawing her knees to her chest.

  “My apologies. I’m only trying to get to know my…partners a little bit better.” He straightened his posture.

  “So, what about you?” she asked, running a hand through her midnight hair.

  “Me? Oh no, I’m far too boring.” He waved at her dismissively.

  “Aw, come on! I just told you some of the most private things about me; it’s my turn to hear about you!” She relaxed in her chair once again.

  “No, no.” He shook his head. Aria narrowed her emerald eyes and he chuckled. “Okay. Just one question, though.”

  Her face fell. She had hundreds of questions for him. Slowly, her brain ticked between each one over and over again. Then, her eyes flickered with curiosity. Dovian immediately knew what she was going to ask, and his expression changed to one of dread.

  “Who’s I’Lanthe?” she asked.

  “Nope, not that one. Any question but that one,” he said, trying to hold an amused expression for her sake.

  “Oh, come on!” Aria protested.

  “All you need to know is that she was very close to me. That’s all,” he said quickly.

  “You were in love?” she asked, holding the tip of her tongue mischievously between her teeth.

  Dovian glared at her, his blue eyes baking into her skull. Aria shuddered.

  ‘Okay, wrong question to ask.’ She frowned.

  “You’re no fun, Dovian.” She folded her arms again. “Okay, fine. Tell me about that thing on your back.”

  “My apparatus?” He tried looking over his shoulder at his back.

  “Yeah. What’s its purpose?”

  “Well, this helps me keep my emotions under control.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” Aria said, smiling.

  “Why?”

  “Dovian, you’re an emotional landslide!” she blurted loudly. She quickly covered her mouth.

  “I am not!” he disagreed.

  “How many emotions have you gone through in the last hour?”

  Dovian feigned to ponder carefully on her question. “You want me to count? Let’s see. Boredom, anger, lust, sadness, amusement, contentment.” He listed the emotions on his fingertips, counting each one.

  “Excuse me?” Aria leaned toward him. “Did you just say lust?”

  Dovian lowered his head, smirking at her. His messy silver and gold hair gleamed under the faint light hanging over their table. His eyes suddenly became much brighter, the glow radiating off his eyelashes. There was the smoldering look again, the one that made Aria nervous. She was locked in her place, her heart pounding.

  “Did I?” he asked, baring his perfect teeth in a crooked smile.

  “Thought I heard you say it,” she said quietly.

  The large grin remained plastered on Dovian’s face, making her return a similar expression. Truthfully, Aria was quite beautiful when she wanted to show it. Sadly, she didn’t smile enough.

  “I don’t think I did,” he lied, his smile only growing in size.

  “You did!” Aria pointed at him, laughing.

  “It must be the
dark energies I released into my system earlier,” Dovian said amusedly. “This button back here controls my negative emotions. If I release it a little, I can be very useful in battle as it feeds into my rage. However, it does have its side effects.”

  “Oh? What kind of side effects?” she asked with peaked interest, using a playful tone.

  “It tends to leave me feeling rather dark. I tend to do irrational things. I don’t think clearly,” he said in a low tone. Slowly, he lifted his hood over his head. His eyes brightened once again, the light cascading over his cheek bones and tattoos.

  “And what happens if you press the other button?” she asked, unconsciously chewing on her lower lip. Boy, Dovian was in a strange mood.

  “It helps suppress my sinful nature. Keeps the balance,” he said, still hiding under the shadow of his hood.

  “So why not suppress it if you’re worried about your behavior?” she asked.

  Dovian watched her for a few moments. She stirred under his scrutiny. He kept his expression unreadable, the tight muscles in his chiseled jaw twitching slightly.

  “Because I’m having far too much fun watching you squirm.” He smirked.

  ‘What?’ She quickly sat back in her chair. Nervously, Aria played with her hair, pulling it behind her ears, revealing her long neck. She anxiously twirled her bangs around her finger.

  “I’m not squirming.” She shook her head.

  “Aria,” Dovian leaned forward, resting his hands in front of his face once again.

  “Yeah?” she asked quietly. It was suddenly hard for her to breathe. She felt like she had just gotten in trouble for something. Thirsty, she reached for the glass beside her, but it was empty. Her hands couldn’t keep still, playing with her hair, her necklace, and her own fingers.

  ‘Like a trap,’ she thought to herself.

  “Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit next to you, knowing all of your thoughts?” he asked in a deep tone.

  “What?” she gasped loudly. He was joking, right? He couldn’t read her thoughts.

  “Oh, my dear. I’m only fortunate you don’t know what I’m thinking right now.”

  ‘He can read my thoughts? There’s no way!’ Her mind began to panic. ‘Don’t think of anything. Think of nothing!’ she lectured herself.

  Dovian’s eyes thinned as he observed her like a predator.

  ‘Curse him and his amazing eyes!’ She outwardly grimaced, now aware of how much she talked to herself in her mind. If he could read her mind, then he knew how much she liked his tattoos, his lingering stares, and the deep tone of his voice as he spoke in Legacy—especially how he had said her name earlier in the foreign dialect. ‘Shit!’

  “It’s also quite amusing,” he murmured, his piercing stare never leaving her.

  His sleeves were down by his elbows, revealing the tight bodysuit underneath. Aria cringed again. The other night when he had checked on her, he was wearing only his skintight suit. Surely, her mind was reeling over his fit physique. Aria groaned, hiding behind her hands, listening to the rumble of Dovian’s laugh.

  “Why? Why would you tell me this?” Aria whimpered in embarrassment.

  “Because it’s funny,” he replied.

  “It’s funny to embarrass me?” She gaped at him.

  “Troy and Gavin are both right. You are quite cute when you get frazzled.”

  “Cute?!” she growled.

  “Don’t know why more men don’t throw themselves at you,” he said, enjoying the red tint on her face.

  “Like I said before, it’s dangerous. Plus, I’m too busy to meet new people,” she stammered as she quickly listed her excuses.

  “Well, that’s certainly a waste of flesh, isn’t it?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I can’t believe you just said that. Are you allowed to say that?” she asked incredulously.

  “I was born on this earth just as you were. I’m capable of the same sins.”

  “Yeah, but you’re special and holy and stuff.” She waved her hands at him, trying profusely to not get locked in his heated gaze.

  “I’m not Jesus,” he mused.

  Aria sagged in her chair. “Ha…” she said, lacking enthusiasm. “You had to throw that one in there, didn’t you?” He kept up his intense stare. “Please, stop that.”

  “Stop what?” he asked, slowly leaning closer to her, his hand sitting on her knee. Small electric prickles started surging, tickling her kneecap and thigh. He was desperately trying to seduce her.

  “Dovian!” she shouted loudly, her eyes enlarged.

  Leaning toward her, Dovian placed his mouth beside her ear. With warm breath, he whispered, “How about we discuss more of my apparatus and its horrible side effects upstairs in my room?”

  Aria stared at Dovian in disbelief. Was he serious? He couldn’t be serious. He had to be messing with her, playing a rather cruel joke. She swallowed thickly. Before she could answer, he rose and grabbed her hand. Roughly, he tugged her from her seat and led her through the dining area and up the staircase. Aria’s heart pounded in her chest. When was the last time she spent the night with a man? It had actually been far longer than she’d ever like to admit, and now Dovian knew thanks to her running brainwaves, which was horribly embarrassing.

  “W-what are you doing?” she stammered as she let him pull her toward his room.

  “You know all too well,” he said quickly as he unlocked the door and shoved her inside, holding her against a wall. The door slammed behind them. “And you’ve already answered me about fifty times in your head,” he whispered.

  Aria gasped. She felt like she was going to have a heart attack. Trembling, her knees threatened to give out as the Sorcēarian grabbed her wrists with one large hand, pinned her arms over her head and quickly descended upon her lips, kissing her.

  The loud cheers from the bar were unheard by the others in the hotel. Troy jumped to his feet, high-fiving his new friend.

  “Your bots know how to play a good game.” The bartender patted Troy on the back.

  “We got some of the best, that’s for sure! Hey, Aria!” Troy spun toward the table where he had last seen his partner. “We won….” He quickly deflated. Aria was gone, and so was Dovian.

  “They left a while ago,” the bartender said gruffly, washing the glasses at the bar.

  “Well, it’s been a long week. I’m sure she was exhausted,” Troy said.

  The bartender laughed. “She will be in the morning.”

  Troy gave him a strange look.

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he thought.

  “Well, it’s long after closing time,” the man said.

  Looking at his wrist, Troy groaned when he saw the time. “Didn’t realize it was so late,” he muttered. Giving the barman a pat on the shoulder he said, “Thanks for the beer.” Then he paid his tab.

  “No problem. Next time you’re down, we’ll catch one of Saray’s games.”

  “Sounds good!” Troy pointed at the man, smiling.

  Heading up the stairs with heavy footsteps, Troy looked over his shoulder once again at the table Dovian and Aria had previously occupied. He couldn’t shake the strange feeling he had. Something seemed off, and he wasn’t sure what it was.

  A loud noise alerted the man from his brooding thoughts–the sound of something heavy falling over. There seemed to be a couple of shouts following the sound, one of them female.

  ‘Aria!’ Troy recognized immediately. Panicked, he darted up the stairs and came to the middle of the hall. She sounded like she was in some sort of trouble. He halted beside her door, listening for the cries again.

  “Oh, my God!” Aria’s voice shouted, followed by her loud cackling laughter.

  Troy froze, feeling chills shudder down his spine. Slowly turning, he faced the closed door to the room where the sounds were coming from.

  ‘No way….’ Troy gaped open-mouthed at Dovian’s room, listening to the breathy sounds and laughter. Shocked, he remained in the center of the small hallw
ay, staring at the golden numbers. Maybe he had the numbers switched in his head. Maybe he just confused which room was hers. She was watching television. It was something shocking and possibly humorous.

  ‘No, you damned idiot,’ he cursed at himself. Then, there was a low voice. Sure enough, Dovian was in there with her.

  Troy suddenly felt sick and tired.

  ‘Who cares? Who cares if she’s in Dovian’s room? She’s an adult. She can do what she wants.’

  Troy ran his hands through his hair, and he quickly made his way to his own room. What Aria did was her business, not his. Besides, he always lectured her about getting out and meeting people. She was a hermit, and it was about time she had a little fun.

  Closing the door behind him and quickly dropping onto his back on the bed, Troy covered his face with his arm, trying to ignore the sharp pain of his nearing headache. He scoffed loudly in the silent room.

  “A little fun,” he said sarcastically.

  ‘I didn’t mean with him,’ Troy sourly thought.

  Now he understood the bartender’s little joke, and it still wasn’t funny.

  "The Kiss"

  Chapter 17

  The stone floor was ice-cold in Dovian’s cell. Cracks lined the walls, tiny streams of light twinkling from inside the surface as the spells kept the room intact and indestructible. Dovian sat underneath the small barred window, head hidden in his arms that rested on his knees. Outside, thunder rolled like a freight train, shaking his body. He listened quietly, waiting for the horn to blow, to signal the war that was about to begin. There was nothing he could do, nothing to save his people, nothing to protect her. His own friends and family had betrayed him, locking him up in the dark, dingy cell. Tiny splatters of raindrops pelted against the stone windowsill and onto his body.

  “Dovian?” a female voice alerted the man. It both surprised and pained him to hear her voice, a sweet melody in the darkness.

  He abruptly rose, rushing to the metal bars. The poles surged with energy, an unbreakable spell sealed him inside. Gently, he placed his hands over hers as she gripped the gate.

  “I’Lanthe,” he whispered to her.