Halcyon's Hero (Atramento Book 1)

by Nix Whittaker

  Harold cleared his throat and continued, “Gangs have always had a place in our society, and during the war they became powerful. It took a lot for the people to fight them off to the point where we could make a place like this. We are teetering. You at the bottom of the pile might not realise it, but we are. It wouldn’t take much for the gangs to regain power in this city and we would again be faced with civil war.”

  Hal could see he had scars. He would have only been a teenager when he fought in the wars. He would know what he talked about. She stood there and wondered if he would be willing to be a guinea pig for one of her atramentos.

  ___

  Edge: May 2086

  Natasha shouldered the strap of her bag and turned to her dad. He frowned and she feared if he regretted encouraging her to leave for the city.

  “You be safe.”

  She smiled. “Dad, I’m twenty, not four. I know how to look after myself.”

  He said, “The city is different.”

  Natasha raised an eyebrow. “When was the last time you were there for any significant length of time, dad?”

  He grumbled for a moment and eventually said, “Before the Shield was even up. I know, I know. But some things never change. You stick by Misha; he’ll look after you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’d think we were in the Middle-Ages and that I needed a man to look after me.”

  “Misha is different. He can actually look after you.”

  She said, “What are you saying, dad?”

  He huffed. “You know Ty. My brother’s friend?”

  Vaguely. She nodded her head to see if her father would add information so she could place him better.

  “Well, he trained Misha.”

  If she remembered correctly Ty was a fighter.

  “Ty is the one that used to box with Uncle?”

  He said, “He used to be a commander in the nation’s army before it collapsed. He saw Misha as his protégé. Misha knows things and since he knows people. He’ll keep you safe, so you stick by him.”

  Natasha leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I will.”

  The train slid into the station. She turned to look at it. When she looked back, her dad pulled her into a hug. “You find yourself a man. I want grandkids.”

  She laughed. Tears in her eyes. “There are over three million people in the city I’m sure I can find someone.”

  His brow furrowed. “Not a pansy. I want a strong man for you.”

  She was amused as she really couldn’t see herself with a dandy in any case. Not that one would look at her twice. She was too boyish for good looks.

  Natasha picked up her last bag and said, “I’ll try, dad. Now, you stay out of trouble yourself.” He snorted.

  She jumped on the train with her heart in her throat. She had been in the city only a few times and mostly for big events like funerals. Sitting down in her seat she looked out the window. The small village, Edge, had collected around the water plant. The station was made mostly from stone as they were out in the harsh elements of weather without the protection of the Weather Shield.

  It was a cobbled-together mess, but she would miss it.

  ___

  Whatinga: May 2086

  “So, are you ever going to teach us how to kill someone?”

  Lasso was a small kid for his age, probably because of malnutrition though he sure was a firecracker.

  “If you came here to learn how to hurt people, then I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place.”

  Lasso dramatically shrugged with his entire body. “Ah, heck, how am I supposed to put my old man in his place if I can’t beat him up?” Misha felt that ache in his chest when he heard these stories. It wasn’t like the kid was even looking for sympathy.

  “Are you living with your mother?”

  At least he wasn’t one of the thousands of foster kids that drifted through the city. His neighbourhood had its fair share of foster kids.

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, you should tell your mum you came to these classes so you could stop your dad.”

  Misha hoped it would wake her up that she was hurting her kids by staying with the loser, but he didn’t want to get the kid’s hopes up as adults could be selfish. Everyone had paused in their katas to listen.

  “What’s that supposed to do?” He grumbled.

  “I’m not sure. Putting your dad in his place isn’t your job. You just need to grow up into a proper human being.”

  It was what Henry wanted for the kids as well. There was supposed to be fun at the Centre, but also discipline so they could survive the real world.

  “Yeah and is that what you’re teaching?”

  He grinned at the boy; he was a bright one to figure it out so quickly.

  “Yes.”

  Misha turned when Lisa said behind him, “A man who doesn’t have to use violence to get what he wants is a good man. If he uses violence, he isn’t a good man.”

  “Thank you, Lisa.”

  It was the most philosophical thing he had ever heard from her. He realised she must have heard some of his lectures secondhand from her brother.

  Lasso had to add, “Then how am I going to be the hero?”

  He preened dramatically and tried to show off his muscles. Only he was more stick thin than muscled.

  One boy sneered. “Bulk up, mate.”

  Misha glared at the boy. Body issues were so easy to develop so he didn’t allow any kind of teasing personally aimed like that.

  He said in a firm and clear voice to make sure they all paid attention.

  “A hero is a man who is afraid.”

  Lasso wrinkled his nose. “Nah, man. That is just wrong.”

  Misha added the last part. “Afraid to run away. Stick by your mother and she will think you are the hero, no matter what.”

  He turned back to the class. “Violence is a last resort to help you escape from danger. What I teach is discipline. If you want something it will take effort and pain to achieve. If the goal is worthy, then it is worth both the effort and the pain.”

  One piped up wittingly. “It isn’t painful to go to school.”

  Some others snickered. Misha said calmly, “I think what you mean is that finishing school is a worthy goal. Okay, what if I said the school bus wasn’t working anymore and you had to walk to school even in the winter months? Would that be painful?”

  “Heck, yes. I almost lost a toe last year doing that messenger job for Jose.”

  Misha frowned at the boy’s mention of the gang he had worked for. He didn’t anymore, but he didn’t like it when they mentioned their old lifestyle amongst the other kids. He drew the others back to the point he wanted to make.

  “School would still be worth the pain and effort. You’re right. We should be grateful it’s as easy as it’s now. Some of you will find in a short time, it becomes more difficult to stay in school. Hopefully, I will teach you the discipline here that you can stick it out to the end.”

  Misha clapped his hands and said in a jovial voice, “Enough lollygagging, let us get back to what we really are here for. Torture. Terrible, terrible torture.”

  Everyone laughed as they returned to their lines and the katas interrupted by Lasso’s question.

  He finished the lesson and saw Lisa still waited and this time she had a young girl with her. Maybe seven or eight. He smiled at the girl and went to Lisa. Though, he really wanted to avoid her. He had a feeling she wanted to ask him something.

  Lisa placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “This is my cousin, Anne. She is living with us now. She has heard all about your class and she really wants to join.”

  The girl wrinkled her nose and asked, drawing his attention to her. “Do the boys always smell this bad?”

  He chuckled at the girl’s comment. “Pretty much. Why do you want to be part of the classes?”

  “I want to learn how to be strong, so no one will pick on me like my mom’s boyfriends.” Another battered soul for him to try to save. It
was cases like this that made him wake up in the morning and rush to the Centre.

  “I think I can do that.”

  Anne grinned at him. “What are those tattoos?”

  Misha placed his hand on his chest. “This one gives me strength so I can keep people like you safe.” He waved to his neck. “And this one lets me know when people are lying to me or if people are in danger.”

  “Cool.” She breathed out in awe.

  He went to touch her head, except she pulled away. The fear flickered in her eyes for a second, then she relaxed a little more when he didn’t react to her flinch.

  He asked, “Did you like your mom’s boyfriend?”

  Anne shook her head, her voice was soft and scared, “But some of them wanted to be my friend. I didn’t want that.”

  He let out a breath. Her instincts were clear. “Well, I hope one day you’ll like me enough to be my friend.”

  Sadly, enough most of the younger ones could avoid those kinds of predators if they only knew they existed. And knew the tricks they used to groom them. In this case, forewarned was certainly forearmed.

  She grinned at him; her mood flashed to happy in a mere moment.

  “No problem.”

  Maybe there was a chance after all for this girl to recover. She didn’t need to learn strength from him, she already had it in spades.

  He glanced at Lisa and he asked, “Is everything all right at home?”

  She said, “It means another mouth, but we will make do. She is blood.”

  He concurred as he understood.

  ___

  Misha opened his door after he heard someone knock. He frowned down at a boy who was dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. Though, it was too cold outside to wander around like that at this time of the night.

  A woman appeared next to the boy and he asked, “Ruth? What the heck are you doing here?”

  She placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “I need a place to crash. I had to give up my apartment to pay for the hospital bills.”

  That was typical of Ruth, to only visit when she wanted something.

  Misha gestured to her and asked, “Yours?”

  “No, he has leukemia.”

  He stared at the kid closely, about five or six. He hadn’t seen Ruth in five or six years. As he counted in his head he looked up with shock and she shook her head. She had clearly done the same mental math he had done.

  “He’s Nemo’s.”

  “While you were with me?”

  He growled at the thought. Nemo was a loser then and was probably still a loser. If she cheated on him with such a guy, he would need to go see the doctor to make sure he wasn’t a carrier for some disease.

  “No, I would never do that to you. That was the only thing you asked from me and when I knew I couldn’t keep that promise, I left. But not while we were together.”

  Ruth gave him those soulful eyes. She hadn’t changed much in the years since he had known her. She still had the straight brown hair cut as a bob. Her brown eyes always reminded him of a puppy and she certainly knew how to use them on him.

  He waved them inside. He offered them both something to drink. Ruth sat at the kitchen table and fussed with the boy until she shooed him off to the lounge area with a set of old baseball cards.

  “He’s in remission, except we don’t know how long that will last.”

  Misha stared at the boy. He could see Nemo in the boy. He wasn’t surprised Nemo was no longer in the picture, he was always a fair-weather friend. Ruth, despite her manipulative nature towards men was a good person and she had deserved better than to be used by Nemo. At least she was doing right by her son. With time she might grow out of her bad habits. Ruth stared at him with a soft nostalgic smile.

  “I like the new tattoos.”

  That made Misha stop. He made sandwiches for all of them. It was clear Ruth was without a few meals. He stared at the kid and said, “I think I know someone who could help.”

  ___

  Misha pressed the buzzer and looked to where he now knew the camera to be.

  “I thought I told you to stay away from here.”

  He was a little worried Halcyon wouldn’t allow him to come, even though she had offered an invitation.

  He pulled the kid into the view of the camera. He was swamped in one of Misha’s old coats and said one word he knew would melt her heart. “Leukemia.”

  There was a long minute of silence, then the gate opened. Ruth asked, “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yeah, she can help, well maybe. It will depend.” He guided them through the courtyard. Halcyon was already in the parlour.

  She glanced at the kid; he realised she stared at the kid’s aura. This was the part that had worried him. Ruth wouldn’t deal well if he had gotten her hopes up and then dashed them so easily.

  Misha let out a breath when Halcyon said, “I can do it. It will cost you.”

  Halcyon’s eyes turned to him and pierced him. He knew what she thought. She had told him to stay away. And yet, she had still offered the invitation. He understood what he was getting into when he had come here.

  “Anything.” He said.

  She eyed him for a long time.

  “Just so you know I’m going to make you pay.”

  He agreed; she probably was mad at him for risking himself by coming here. He would take it and it was only fair. No kid should have to pay to survive.

  Ruth wrapped her hands around her kid as she crouched next to him. “What is going on?”

  Halcyon stared at her and then back to Misha. “Girlfriend?”

  He winced and hoped Halcyon’s blunt nature wouldn’t offend Ruth. “No, an old friend.”

  He didn’t want to add that he had complicated feelings when it came to Ruth. She had left him after all. He knew she was right that they would have suffocated each other in the end.

  “Good. I wouldn’t want to make this awkward for you,” she knelt by the boy and said, “See this tattoo on my face, well you see it makes me better, not sick anymore. I’m going to put the same tattoo on you, and it will make you better. You will always be better.”

  Ruth asked, “What? Are you saying it will cure him? Forever.”

  Halcyon stared at her. “Yes. He will never have any illness ever again. You’ll never have to take him to another hospital.”

  Tears came to Ruth’s eyes. “How can I thank you?” These were the rare real tears. There was no doubt she loved her son.

  Halcyon waved it off with her fluid hands. “I told you, Misha will take care of it.”

  She picked up the boy and placed him on the chair. Clearly, she was adding to her atramentos. He wanted to know how they appeared. Would they be that vivid blue his were? Then, he realised her landscape on her chest was a lot different from his own and he stood there appreciating how she would sculpt the atramentos around what was there.

  Halcyon reassured the boy and even patted him on his arm before she turned back to her tools. “This is going to hurt I’m afraid.”

  The boy said in a steely voice, “I can handle pain.”

  Halcyon’s eyes turned dark. “I just bet you can.”

  That was why he brought him, he knew Halcyon would understand the pain and trials the kid had to endure just to be alive and breathing today. He ached to think of the scary ordeal and from what she had said, there had been no one there with her while she went through all that.

  Misha still didn’t know what had happened to her parents. He wasn’t even sure if they were alive. If his parents had still been alive, he knew with all of his soul they would have stayed with him through hell. Halcyon had gone through hell alone and that only made him realise how strong she was.

  Ruth came over to him. She twisted her hands together in a nervous habit. “Thank you, Misha.”

  He turned to her. He could see what she went through had aged her as well, the fine lines around eyes too old for her age.

  “You can’t tell anyone. They would hunt her down, you und
erstand that. Just say you got the tattoo as a celebration because he is in remission and just live your life.”

  He dreaded the day people thought Halcyon had the secret to eternal youth or ultimate power. Humans had destroyed their own world for selfish reasons and there was nothing to say that the human race had changed in any significant way over the last few decades.

  Ruth was trustworthy though and sometimes acted how bright she was. “I can do that.”

  Once the tattoo was done Halcyon said to Ruth, “He will throw up for a few days as his body gets rid of the rest of the cancer. It is the only time he will be that bad. The atramento will maintain his health from then and purge everything naturally.”

  She pressed some things into Ruth’s hand and said, “You need to go out the back entrance. Make sure no one follows you and don’t go back to anything you have known before. Make a new life for yourself.”

  Ruth opened her hand and saw Halcyon had placed some money in her hands. When she tried to give it back Halcyon only shook her head and closed her hand over the notes. “I have enemies and they will recognise the atramento, so you keep safe.”

  Ruth and her boy left. Halcyon started to clean up her gear. She didn’t look up from her work, her voice like steel though brittle.

  “You will be my bodyguard. I told you I had enemies and now you are part of it all. Get on the chair and I’ll give you the next atramento. You are no good to me if you die on me.”

  He smiled, she might be gruff, but he would make sure she wanted him around after this. Maybe forever. He went to the chair and heaved himself onto it. He took off his shirt and flicked it over one of the chairs by the window. “What are you giving me this time?”

  She already played with her things and said offhandedly, “Balance.”

  Honestly curious, he asked, “Internal or like real balance?”

  Though it didn’t really matter, he would take any atramento she was willing to give him.

  “I’m not sure yet though since the others have had a physical component, I’m thinking the real thing,” she turned to him and said, “I didn’t like it when you were away.”

  Misha searched her eyes. He wondered if she really meant it. Her emotions seemed to be buried so deep then he remembered she was always so crushingly honest; she wouldn’t lie about something like this.