This shocked the audience.
“For shame! You would call our city purposeless?”
“Indeed, it is time to abandon our holy purposelessness and find meaning! People of Degoskirke, search your souls and know the torch of truth burns within! That fire will rekindle the spirits of our flagging city and she will rise from the sea, stronger, and braver than ever before! I will not speak the name of our long-neglected mantle, for it is still too dangerous a thing,” The man paused, his attention caught on something in the audience. “Look! Beneficence has produced my underscore: The champions of Degoskirke stand at our sides still!”
The crowd turned and saw them.
Andy raised a hand. “Please, don’t stop for us; we’re here to listen,” he called out.
They stood for a while and listened to the debates. A sense of danger and terrible possibility had filled the air as the speakers struggled to find new definition after their tragedy. Andy watched the Pioneers win their first parcel before turning and moving on.
I don’t want to leave.
They continued along the streets before turning and bumping into a group of children with paint rollers, wearing buckets for helmets and pans for armor.
“Have you ever seen this?” Andy asked his friends.
Letty shook her head.
“The neighboring parcels compete with each other over the borders. They paint the lines on the streets and around the buildings, but it’s almost like a hockey game.”
“Does it ever end?” Dean asked.
“No, it doesn’t,” Andy replied. He wanted to stay and watch the wild children, more than that, he wanted to strap on a helmet, fight, and then nurse a bloody nose. He turned and led his group towards the mer.
They traveled over rooftops, the dome of the Sunken Temple growing as they approached.
“This is quite odd,” the mer said, looking down the side of the building to a seaweed filled street below. “The tide isn’t out. What’s going on here?”
Letty looked over the side and saw people astonished at the now dry street.
They approached the temple and were confronted by crowds standing on a plaza that had once been under water.
The mer fighters kept order and the people cheered as their champions came into sight.
They were ushered through the crowd, but they spotted Staza and Quill on the other side of the fighters.
“Let them through!” Letty insisted.
The fighters complied.
Quill spoke, “We just wanted to see you off; we have a long way home. Apparently Caspia survived Ziesqe’s attack. It should be safe for us to return. We’ll stay a few more nights before heading out.”
Staza brushed a tear away. “We’ll miss you. I’d tell you to come back and visit, but I’m not as confident as Quill about what we’ll find back home.”
“Hold on,” Letty said, rooting through her bag. She pulled out a handful of gold coins. “If you can’t stay in Caspia, come back to the surface—use the portal here. I mean it; we could be a family,” Letty said, grasping Staza’s hand and giving her the last of the gold, save the coins she needed for the portal.
Staza accepted the coins with a smile. Quill nodded sadly. Andy reached out and hugged them both. Soon everyone was embracing and saying their goodbyes.
Andy looked out onto the plaza, still overgrown with seaweed and barnacles.
Strange.
He had the urge to walk out to the center.
“Letty, guys, wait for a second,” he said, pushing his way into the crowd.
“Don’t get captured again! I’m not coming back for you a second time!” Dean yelled.
The people parted as Andy moved through them. He got his bearing and felt he had made it to the center of the plaza.
This is the kind of thing you better not get wrong.
Andy held out his palm and forced most of the Argument he had kept inside to appear. An orb manifested in a blink. It was far larger than Andy had expected, about half the size of the Cogito.
He placed the orb on the ground.
I hope this helps them.
Andy returned to his friends.
“So, you’re just going to leave your Argument here? What if you need it?” Letty asked.
“I’m keeping some for myself, and you?”
Letty held out her piece of Argument. “This is the one you gave me. I still have it. Maybe one day you can show me how you keep it inside, that looks useful.”
“Sure,” Andy said, waving to the sad and smiling faces alike, before turning up the stairs to the Temple.
At the top of the stairs, they were confronted by Ithmene and a dozen other mer beauties.
Ithmene looked hurt. “The flood retreats, and the city is saved. Caspian is now remembered only as the Usurper, but you leave us.”
Andy pushed past her.
“Will you at least tell us your name, your full name?”
Letty smirked. “He’s Lysander Vanavarre.”
Andy rounded on her, an annoyed look on his face.
“What?” Letty replied.
“They think they’re married to me—or Caspian, or maybe just the Voice of God,” Andy said.
Letty’s eyes widened.
Ithmene replied angrily, “We aren’t perfect, but we only want to see the ryle defeated—”
“Just leave—go live your lives,” Andy interrupted.
“You have no idea! Living only for ourselves was what made Degoskirke fail. We will be here, ready to aid you with the quest you spurn. Whether you return in this life or the next, whether you waste away your days as a slave on the surface, we will be here, praying that your heart grows strong again.”
Andy looked away resentfully, feeling his resolve to leave shrink further still.
“You know why we do this, boy?” an older maiden asked.
Andy didn’t reply.
“We do it because we can’t raise the Argument ourselves,” she said calmly, before stepping aside.
Andy, Letty, Emma, and Dean entered the temple. The maidens waited a time before following.
Andy felt movement on his shoulder and realized that Titus was still with him. He looked and saw that Blue was still with Letty.
Sometimes I forget they are there.
They entered a large rotunda, reminiscent of the domed eating hall in Caspia.
Andy watched as five gold coins were placed inside five pillars that encircled a round stage. Letty gave a sixth to a maiden and held out the seventh before tossing it into the circle. “Marble Hill Park!” she said, as the coin burst into a spray of gold.
A portal appeared.
Andy held out a hand for Titus.
“This is it,” Titus said.
“You know where to find us,” Blue added, bounding away. He stopped and looked over his shoulder, his ears folding.
Titus moved more slowly.
Andy looked back into the temple and saw Ithmene wiping her face. She met his eyes and turned away.
Andy felt hands on his shoulder.
Letty turned him around. He saw through the portal and recognized the skyline of the city through the trees of the park. It was nighttime there.
“Do you want to stay?” Letty asked.
“Don’t you?” Andy replied.
Dean and Emma stood in silence. Andy could see they were afraid of what might happen.
“I’m tired, Andy. I want to sleep in my own bed and see my parents again.”
He nodded, remembering the moment he found her in Caspia.
“Right,” Andy said conclusively, taking her hand and walking with her through the portal.
Once through to the other side, Emma and Dean celebrated. Dean fell to his knees and ran his hands through the grass. “We made it!” he yelled.
“I’m going to get a milkshake!” Emma screamed.
Letty laughed. “That sounds like a good idea. We should probably grab one before going home.”
Andy took a deep breath and taste
d the diesel in the air and the sea not far away. He heard the motors of ten thousand cars humming in the distance and a train grinding on its rails. The blinking lights of a commercial flight trailed across the starry sky.
Dean got to his feet, teary eyed, wiped his knees and then spoke, “For a second there, Andy, I thought you were going to stay.”
“Me too,” Emma added.
Andy shook his head, still not sure how he felt.
“Come on, let’s get that shake before we go home. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to regret our decisions, when we see our parents,” Letty said.
Andy followed along, but then looked back, trying to see the portal.
There’s nothing. It’s gone.
His stomach sank, and he felt his heart breaking, but Letty was there. She grasped his hand. “You know the way back,” she whispered.
Andy took a deep breath and followed along silently. The lights of cars and buses filled his vision, the smiling faces of the city and their raucous laughter swelling over the sidewalks.
“It’s Friday, Letty!” Emma said, turning on her cell. “We missed the whole week!” she exclaimed, enthused for the weekend.
“More than just one week, Em,” Dean added, looking at his own cell.
“Oh, God, just put the phones away,” Letty insisted. “Here’s the place.”
They stood in a line filled with people roughly their age. Andy watched his friends smile like he had never seen before.
Emma and Dean chatted, but it all felt hazy. Letty stared at him, and he stared back.
She feels it, too.
They ordered their shakes and decided to have burgers as well.
The smell of cooking onions and grilling meat mixed with the bubbly pop and crisp sweetness of the soda fountain. Andy took a sip and nearly cried. He saw Letty look his way, their receipt in her hand.
They took their trays of food to the patio and were lucky to find a seat that faced the street.
Letty spoke with Emma and Dean, but she glanced over at Andy, who was silent throughout the meal. Andy stared at the passing vehicles and the groups of pedestrians.
All different.
“Andy!” Dean repeated, throwing a French fry his way. “What are you going to tell your parents?”
Andy laughed and leaned back on the bench. “I’ll let them decide what happened.”
“That won’t work. Our parents will talk, and they’ll know we’re lying if we don’t get our stories straight.”
“Why not just tell the truth?” Andy asked.
Everyone stared like he was insane.
“Okay, fine. What’s your plan?” he asked.
Dean shook his head. “I don’t have one.”
Letty put her shake down. “Look, they already know about the people found at the optometrist’s office. Let’s just pretend that we got caught up with it. We’ll say the bad guys found out that we were investigating. They will believe Andy and I were there, and since you two are our friends,” Letty said, gesturing to Emma and Dean, “it won’t be hard to believe that you got caught up in it too.”
“So, we were investigating for over two weeks?” Dean asked.
“Well, then we got captured, but we just escaped tonight.”
“I’m not sure, Letty,” Emma said. “Who captured us, and where were we this whole time? Also, how did you get that scar? I’m sure Andy is covered in scratches too.”
“And the worst part is,” Andy interrupted, surprising everyone. “When they pick our story apart, we might find ourselves looking at ryle again. They’ll know about Ziesqe, since he owned the place, and then they’ll figure out what happened. Even if they don’t, our eyes will give us away.”
That thing—Chimerax—was right.
“Wait, why don’t we just say that we were afraid and ran away?” Emma asked.
“Let’s just say that we were living in abandoned apartments, or an empty warehouse,” Dean added.
“We have to pick one and stick with it,” Letty started. “There is an empty unit in my building. We’ll say we broke in there and stayed. If they ask us why, we’ll say because we were afraid after the abductions; we thought people were coming for us since three of us went to that optometrist.”
Dean shivered, remembering he had gone to the same optometrist.
“But why did we come back?” Dean asked.
“We got hungry, ran out of money, and felt like we would be safe now,” Emma said.
Letty nodded. “That’s it.”
Andy tapped his drink on the table. “Yeah, that’s as good as it gets.”
Letty took a deep, sad breath before standing and taking her tray to the trash can. “Let’s go.”
Since Emma’s place was the closest, they walked her home first.
“We wouldn’t have made it without you Em,” Letty said, hugging her friend.
“I just fired an arrow and designed some pants—”
“Stop,” Letty interrupted, “without that money, we wouldn’t have been able to get Dean on stage—and that arrow saved my life.”
Emma blushed before giving each of her friends a hug. She headed towards her home and looked back at her friends before knocking on the door. Andy, Letty, and Dean hid around the corner, watching.
“Emma!” a woman’s voice came from the door. “Where—! Wha—get in here this instant!”
She was pulled inside, and the door slammed behind her.
Letty laughed and then caught herself. “It’s not funny—that’ll be me in a minute.”
Letty and Andy turned on Dean. “Which way to your house?”
“Aw, come on,” he said plaintively, before sighing and turning to cross the street. “It’s not far, fifteen minutes maybe.”
They walked in silence for a while. The traffic was still heavy.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Dean, but I’m still amazed that you came,” Andy said.
“Preaching to the choir, pal. I’ll never understand it,” Dean said, his eyes wide with remembrance. “I threw up over the side of a cart,” he laughed, “I saw a girl chase a sphinx through the woods. I fought a giant centipede,” Dean cackled manically, “you remember that?”
“Yes,” Letty said, “I thought you wouldn’t fight, but you did.”
“I wasn’t there for that,” Andy said.
“No, that was when we were with the Elazene,” Letty replied.
“You’ll have to tell me some time,” Andy said.
“You shot that ryle,” Dean said twisting his face at the memory, “One shot and he fell. The purple blade didn’t do him any good,” Dean finished, trying to laugh. He suddenly stopped short and looked up at a tall building. “Damn.”
“You live here?” Letty asked. “This complex is beautiful.”
“Don’t spread it around,” Dean replied, turning to them.
“Thank you again, Dean,” Letty said.
“Kill me, they’re going to kill me, but, somehow, I’m not that afraid,” Dean muttered.
“Why? You already graduated high school, you just took off for a few days,” Andy said.
“What? You already graduated?” Letty blurted.
Dean rolled his eyes. “Great, now everyone will know. I was planning on fitting in at some point, and now they’ll all think I’m crazy for going voluntarily—and that’s not the issue, Andy, my parents killing me has nothing to do with missing school!”
Andy laughed as Dean yammered. “See you on Monday,” Andy said.
“You don’t know that!” Dean yelled, walking up to the glass doors.
“I’m not sure where we are,” Andy said, looking at a street sign.
“I know. We’re closer to my place than yours,” Letty replied, leading the way.
“How do you know my place?”
Letty looked away and wrung her hands. “I might have visited your parents while you were gone.”
“How were they?” Andy asked, cringing at the thought of his dad talking to her.
&n
bsp; I bet he told stories about me.
“They weren’t doing so well, but they’ll be happy now.”
Andy was silent.
“Why did you come after me?” Letty suddenly asked. “I was never nice to you. I was cruel even. I kept trying to figure out why. It still drives me crazy.”
They stood at a crosswalk.
Andy stared at the red light before answering, “I don’t know really. Maybe it was that day at the museum. We chased Titus, and I forgot who I was for a moment. At Ropt’s office, we spoke. Then I knew you weren’t a bad person.” He paused, remembering, “I broke in there and found your things. I knew they had you. I just—”
Letty took his hand.
He bit down on his cheeks. “I wasn’t going to let you disappear.”
He glanced and saw her wipe away a tear.
She pushed him away. “Don’t look.”
He laughed. “Sorry. What about you though, why did you come back for me?”
Letty rolled her eyes. “Oh God, isn’t it obvious?”
Andy looked at her confusedly.
“I just act like a bitch, Andy. I really hate it.” She looked away, “You were the only person to make me see that,” she said, taking his hand again and grasping it tightly.
Andy felt her stop and tug on his arm. “What—oh, we’re here,” he said, stopping short.
He looked up at the building to keep from meeting her stare.
She saw this and grinned. “Come here,” she said, grabbing him with both hands before kissing him firmly on the lips.
Andy’s head swam and he staggered but she only grabbed tighter. He let his hand brush across her cheek, feeling the scars there.
She finally let him go and raced to the door, red-faced.
She stopped to look back at him for a moment.
What the hell just happened?
She smiled before turning and going inside.
I think she just kissed me.
Andy stood in silence for a long while. People passed him on the sidewalk, before he tilted his head to the sky and screamed, “Yes!” He roared like Thrag and leaped into the air. “Yes!” He turned, high-fived a stranger, and ran the whole way home, laughing at the top of his lungs.
He stopped in front of his home and wiped his teary face before reaching out and grabbing the doorknob. He stood there for a terrible moment before finally opening the door. He stepped inside and saw his parents sitting around the table.
The Immortal of Degoskirke Page 28