by Jason Wilcox
“Dreams, huh?” Mauldrin went to his bed and sat at the edge of it, appearing uninterested in Tagen’s dream. “Look, we need to figure out how we’re going to get out of here, and since you saw the layout of the city, you need to tell me everything you know. I have to know how to get out of this place, in case James decides not to leave with us.”
Tagen gave his best scowl, frustrated that Mauldrin paid no attention to what he was telling him. The dream or vision really affected him, and opened emotions he had never felt before. He couldn’t get the brown-eyed woman’s face out of his mind.
“Are you going to finish telling me or not?” Mauldrin leaned forward from where he was sitting.
“Yes, yes. Don’t be impatient. It’s not like we’re leaving this room any time soon,” Tagen smarted off, annoyed with his master.
“Well then?” Mauldrin raised his eyebrows. “Tell me what the city is like. Did you see any ways of getting out of here?”
“I told you about the dome.” Tagen tapped his chin, and took a second before responding, just to annoy him. “The rest of the city was broken down homes and buildings, until we reached this one. Then we went in, got into some type of elevator, if you can call it that, and came way down here.”
“So we are in a basement or some type of sublevel,” Mauldrin spoke to himself. He looked at Tagen, which startled him. His master’s eyes seemed to be darker, and his skin slightly grayer. “Tell me more. I need to know more.”
“I have no more to tell.” Tagen let out a fake yawn, still doing his best to show his frustration that Mauldrin didn’t listen to him.
“Fine,” Mauldrin snapped. “We’ll have to figure it out later. And while I try to figure things out, you’ll just have to be stuck down here with me in this closed in room.” He flopped onto the bed and looked away from Tagen.
CHAPTER 15
Pushing off the bed, Caden stood up, frustrated with Tagen. In fact, it was more than just Tagen. He was mad about the situation. Tagen was right. They were being treated like prisoners. Caden hoped their treatment was only due to the General making sure Tagen was trustworthy.
Anger boiled in Caden. Not only from being locked up, but also from Tagen being difficult. On top of it, he wanted Bridget back. Ever since the SDS main office blew up, Caden’s whole world had flipped upside down. The cities he loved were ravaged and war torn. There was no democracy or order in his once beloved country. Matt instigated the over throwing of the country, and now he was dead. James was at least alive, but Caden still didn’t know if he could trust him. Caden just wanted to go home to Bridget’s arms, and have everything back to normal.
The feelings of hopelessness, anger, and sorrow flowed through him as they had when he was growing up with his abusive, alcoholic, adoptive father. Nothing ever felt right back then, and nothing felt right now. An empty darkness was building within him. But, just like when he was a child, he had to hold onto a plan, a plan of revenge. He had to find Domblin and the others that had brought this upon him.
Tagen grumbled something to his left. Not wanting to be near the dark soul, Caden headed for the restroom to wash his face and hands. He hadn’t taken a shower yet, because he thought he would’ve been able to leave by now and wanted to be ready for it.
“Don’t go too far,” Tagen mused as Caden walked away.
Clicking the light on, Caden scanned the small bathroom. Green tiles covered the wall, some of them gone or broken. The toilet had scratches on it and a black coloration crept up the cream porcelain from the floor.
Stepping in and closing the door, Caden looked into the mirror. The lights flickered a couple of times as he stood in shock. This was the first time he had been able to get a good look at what he had become. Black veins and spots covered a majority of the whiteness in his eyes. All of his veins were black and his skin was pale, but there was a hue to it that almost looked dark blue. The new clothes were loose on his slimmer, malnourished looking body. Even his lips were black around the edges and in the cracks.
“Bridget,” Caden said softly to himself in the mirror. “I’m grateful you won’t have to see me in this condition. There’s no way you would still want me. I’m horrifying.” He leaned on the counter. “It’s no wonder they locked me away and don’t trust me.”
Caden could feel his heart rate and breathing increase. Pulling his fist up, he let it fly and hit the mirror. Pieces of glass crashed down everywhere. Black blood ran off his hand and onto the shards of mirror.
“That won’t change anything,” Tagen appeared next to him in the bathroom, whispering with his hissing voice.
Caught off guard, Caden threw up his elbow, but Tagen dodged the attack without any effort. The blood dribbled across the sink and onto the floor.
“It sure felt good,” Caden said as he brought his hand back over the sink. “Who invited you in here anyhow?” he growled. The cuts were slowly starting to come together and heal, while the bleeding quickly subsided.
“You’re not going to make much of a master if you keep falling apart on me,” Tagen spoke quietly in the small bathroom. “Pull yourself together. The old Mauldrin I knew would’ve never acted like this.”
Black scar tissue grew over the cuts and completely healed. Caden rinsed off the rest of the dried blood. “What do you know of the old Mauldrin?” Caden looked at him for a moment and left the restroom.
“You still don’t believe that I know things from long ago, do you?” Tagen followed him out. “I can tell you all kinds of things, like where that sword actually came from that you keep hauling around.”
“Are you going to tell me again that Azgiel is still locked away and wants to kill me?” Caden said, mocking Tagen. He knew Azgiel was free; he had fought beside him when the dark souls attacked them in the woods. Tagen trying to convince Caden that Azgiel was still locked away was one of the very reasons why Caden didn’t trust Tagen.
“That’s true, he’s imprisoned in a cell of time,” Tagen squinted as he talked and tightened his jaw muscles.
“Then I don’t want to hear what you have to say,” Caden began, feeling lied to once again, “because I know you were there when you and those other dark souls attacked us. Azgiel tried to keep me safe as well as Kaz. In fact, I’m not even sure they lived through the attack you led.” Caden hadn’t thought about that day until now. He had almost forgotten it was Tagen that led the attack. “What did you do with him?” He reached back as if he was going to draw the sword. “Azgiel’s the one that gave me this sword and explained that it belongs to me.”
Tagen’s eyes grew wide and he coughed a couple of times. “I…” He licked his lips with his black tongue. Looking away, he began pacing, mumbling something under his breath. Finally, he stopped and looked at Caden. “You’re talking about when we caught you?”
“Yes, of course.” Wanting answers, Caden kept his hand by the sword.
“That human with you and Kaz, wasn’t Azgiel.” Tagen took another step closer to Caden. “Azgiel is much, much taller and broader. That little man looked nothing like Azgiel. And I mean nothing,” he waved his hands in the air as he talked.
“He said Domblin did that to him, that…that…he was put into that body.” Voices could be heard in the hallway, and Caden quieted down. “I know the body wasn’t Azgiel. The body belonged to a man named Steven, with whom I worked.”
Tagen’s eyes shifted and he chewed on his lip. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would Domblin bring him back…?” he spoke to himself. “But it does make sense that the human was so strong, and why he was with Kaz. Why didn’t I see it before? It was Azgiel!”
“So, what did you guys do with him after you caught me?” Caden lowered his arm away from the sword. “Did you kill him, or imprison him?”
“Neither,” Tagen swallowed. “After we got you, we didn’t care about the rest. We got out of there, happy to have gained our target.”
Not knowing if anything he was saying was true, Caden decided to try to end the conversation. “
I don’t know what to believe.” He knew in time he would more than likely find out the truth. “I think we need to focus more on ideas to get out of here, and maybe even rounding up supplies for when we do get out of here.”
Tagen’s eyes glanced up at the handle of the sword that stuck up over Caden’s shoulder. “Well, if you’re not going to believe me about what happened in your past,” Tagen began, “and how truly powerful you really were, you should at least take my advice, and hide that sword until we’re ready to leave this place.”
“And why would I do that?” Caden snapped while bringing his hand up to the strap that held the sword.
“That sword holds a lot of significance to a lot of people. These people took it once. What’s to prevent them from taking it again?” Tagen relaxed a little, not sounding or appearing as frustrated.
“You think hiding it in here will make it safer?” With a chuckle, Caden ran his fingers down the sheath’s well-worn strap. It was soft from so much use. “There’s nowhere in here I can hide it that they won’t be able to find it. I think I better keep it on me.”
“I have a place where they won’t find it.” A smug smile stretched over Tagen’s face and he walked to the bathroom door. Looking over at Caden, he tapped it a couple of times.
“Go on.” He wasn’t amused with the game Tagen was playing.
Placing his hand on the door, Tagen vanished. A moment later the top of the door, the wood divider between the front and back panels, popped off. Before it hit the floor, Tagen reappeared and caught it.
“It’s not going to fit in there,” Caden said as he walked over to the door.
“Trust me, it will fit.”
“Let’s see it then,” Caden said as he took the sword off, holding it by the sheath. He handed it over to Tagen, and Tagen dove back a couple of feet and hissed. His red eyes were blazing.
“Don’t touch me with that,” he snapped with claws outstretched. “Don’t you know it will kill me because of the curse you put on it? Why do you think we just left it in the dark matter cell with you? I was there when you put the curse on it.”
Images of the Witch responding the same way flooded Caden’s mind. He had forgotten about her telling him not to touch her with it.
“I’m sorry…I didn’t realize.” Caden retracted the sword and looked up at the top of the door. Taking it in both hands, he lifted it up and found that it slid in almost perfectly with a little maneuvering. It was a smidge wider, but Caden gave it an extra push, and it went right in. Cardboard that was used to help support the door, held the sword at the top.
Tagen, who was now standing next to Caden, disappeared. The board that popped out went up into the air on its own, or so it appeared. With a clunk, it was jammed back into the door. Once it was in, Caden could barely see a raised ridge in the middle of the door about a foot long where the handle was.
“It warped the door,” Caden said while pointing at the spot.
Reappearing next to him, Tagen chuckled. “No one will notice.”
More voices came from outside the room, and the hallway door opened. Both of them turned quickly to see James walk into the room, closing the door after entering. He had on regular clothing, pale khaki pants and a black shirt, instead of his armor. Caden moved away from the bathroom door, heading towards the dresser and leaning against it.
Stepping to the right, James peered towards the bathroom, looking down at the floor.
“James.” Caden smiled. “Nice to see you.”
Without looking up, James responded, “And what happened in there? Why is there glass all over the floor?” His fists were clenched, and his knuckles were white.
“Oh.” Caden had completely forgotten. “The mirror broke. I was going…”
“Why are you back!?” James cut him off. There was no friendliness in his words. His dark brown eyes moved up from the bathroom floor to look straight at Caden.
“What do you mean?” Caden asked. In the corner of his eye, he could still see Tagen. The dark soul hadn’t moved. He stood in place, appearing very relaxed, almost bored.
“You know exactly what I mean. I don’t believe what you told the General.” James took another step closer to him. “So why, after all of these years of hiding, did you finally decide to come back here? You should’ve stayed in the hole you were hiding in!”
Tagen chuckled and they both looked over at him. He just smiled.
“Why don’t you disappear for now and keep quiet,” Caden gave him a stern look with his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed.
“I thought you’d never ask.” Once Tagen said the last word, he was gone.
“Strange company you travel with now days,” James said.
“James.” Caden looked at him. “I think you have it all wrong. I was never hiding.” He wasn’t going to get in to a conversation about Tagen, at least not yet. Not with James acting the way he was acting.
“Then where have you been for the last two years while we’ve been fighting for the survival of this country.” James pointed his finger at Caden, almost poking him in the chest.
Shifting his weight, Caden looked around. News that his absence consisted of two years was a shocker. He had already explained the story once, and obviously James hadn’t believed him the first time, so he wasn’t sure how to explain it differently.
“You’re a liar!” James snapped.
Caden blinked a couple of times, shocked by James’s response. “I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You don’t have to.” James had a smirk on his face, which made the scars that ran down his cheek look even more jagged. “Your silence tells everything.”
“My silence is due to the fact I don’t think you’ll believe my story.” There was no leaning on the dresser any longer. Caden tightened his fists. He stood up and felt his heart pound. “You won’t believe the fact that I was somehow transported two years into the future. One moment, I was back two years ago killing dark souls and smashing some portal they travel through, and the next I’m here. But I already explained that to you.”
James just stared at him. His dark brown eyes were cold and harsh, the complete opposite of what they were when Caden had known him a couple of years ago. There was a ruggedness to him that intimidated Caden. He knew what James could do when he was angry; he wasn’t a person to mess around with.
Finally, James broke his stare and walked back over by the door. “Two years ago, you practically ordered me to leave, to get out of town. To get my wife, and get out.” He turned around and looked at Caden again. “You were wrong! We should’ve stopped everything while we had the chance. We should’ve stood up for what was right. We abandoned our nation when they needed us most, and if I knew that’s what you had wanted, I would’ve never listened to your orders!” His nose flared as he spoke, and Caden swore he could see fire in his eyes.
“I’m not sure if that would’ve changed anything…”
James cut him off, “She’s dead!” He was sharp with his words, which stopped Caden in his tracks.
Is he talking about Bridget? What do I say to that?
“She’s dead, Caden,” James was softer this time. His stare moved to the floor and he turned away, leaning against the wall. “My wife’s dead. She’s gone.”
Knowing how painful losing a wife was, Caden walked over to him. He could feel a lump in his throat as he reached out and placed a hand on James’s shoulder.
“I know how you feel…” Caden began, but was cut off as James spun around and hit him squarely in the face. The blow was so strong, it sent Caden flying backwards a foot or two, leaving him sprawled out on the floor. His arm smashed into the dresser breaking one of the drawers.
“You killed her!” James shouted while rubbing his fist after hitting Caden so hard. “If you hadn’t told us to run for it, she would’ve never died. This whole mess would’ve never happened, and you were the one with the information to do something about it. And you didn’t!” his fists clenched tighter as he yelled at C
aden. He even raised a foot like he was going to kick him, but didn’t.
Not wanting to fight, Caden stayed on the ground. He could see where he was responsible. The image of Matt in his hands the day the building blew up ran through his mind. Maybe that would’ve made a difference with Bridget’s life as well. Maybe, if he had killed his friend and taken down everyone in that building, just maybe everything would be different. His heart sank, and he couldn’t look James in the eyes.
Throughout his life, Caden had strived hard not to be like his adoptive father. The man had been so destructive and ruined everything in his life. And yet here he was. Matt had been right when he told Caden of his weaknesses, and because of those weaknesses, he caused more destruction than his father ever had, simply by being passive. He could’ve tried to prevent this.
Caden could feel his face start to heal from where a bruise had been developing after the punch. He found the healing process to hurt more compared to when he was hit.
“Look at you. You don’t even look human anymore,” James snapped while pointing at him. “I mean the real question is, are you really Caden, or are you some demon in his body like the others?” He narrowed his eyes staring at Caden. “How do I know you’re not some type of imposter? Because, if you are, it will be my face you see last.”
“It’s truly me.” What is this about the others having a demon in them? “They tried to turn me into a dark soul, but it didn’t work.”
“It didn’t?” James said rudely. He knelt down by Caden who was still lying on the floor. “I think the best thing for you to do, would be to take your demonic friend and both of you leave. Go back to your hiding place and don’t return.”