Origin of the Body

by H. R. Moore

  ‘Not a clue. I agree we haven’t got to the good stuff yet.’ The corners of Alexander’s mouth twitched triumphantly as he felt the change in Anita’s energy. He sat up so their torsos were in line, Anita facing one way and Alexander the other, Anita shivering as the sun dipped behind the horizon, although she couldn’t say if it was the cold or Alexander’s proximity that had caused it. ‘Do you think we should stay until we’ve found out what she wants us for?’

  Anita took a deep breath. ‘I don’t see why not. We don’t seem to be in any immediate danger,’ she smiled at him, ‘and being here does have its advantages. But let’s not speak to Helena about the diary until we’ve read it all. I don’t want to give anything away until we know what we’re dealing with.’

  *****

  Alexander and Anita eventually returned to the farm, and to their astonishment arrived to find a barn dance in full swing. Bails of straw had been placed roughly around the sides of the barn beneath which they had been held captive, a band had set up at one end, people enthusiastically swinging each other around the make-shift dance floor in the middle, and just outside, a barbeque was churning out a mountain of venison burgers, chicken and halloumi kebabs, and sweet potato chips. Anita recognised a few of the dancers from breakfast and lunch, who seemed to already have consumed a great deal of the dubious looking rum punch sitting on a trestle table just inside the barn door.

  Anita and Alexander made their way towards the side of the barn and were just about to sit down on a bail of straw when a couple came and grabbed their hands, pulling them to the dance floor. The band pounded out a manic pace, and the middle aged man who had grabbed Anita started energetically careering around the floor, just about taking her with him, narrowly avoiding the other dancers. Despite herself, Anita had a broad grin across her face; there was nothing she loved more than to dance, and before she knew it, she was twirling him just as vigorously. Alexander seemed to be having just as good a time with his, much younger, much more attractive partner, and a pang of irrational jealousy ripped through her. The music stopped, she thanked the man for the dance and made her way quickly to Alexander before he and the girl could start dancing again. The girl had left her hand resting unnecessarily on Alexander’s arm, so Anita took his hand when she reached them, pulling him towards her as the music started for the next song.

  ‘Dance?’ she suggested, her voice neutral, but her actions sending a very clear message to the girl, whoever she was. Alexander said nothing, choosing instead to pick Anita up and spin her around before placing her back on her feet and whirling them deftly around the floor. He was smiling inwardly at the jealousy he had read in Anita’s energy, as Anita silently scolded herself for being so ridiculous. She knew Alexander had no interest whatsoever in the other girl; she could read his energy for goodness sake, but she was very glad his hands were now firmly on her waist. They danced four consecutive songs in a row before pausing to help themselves to some of the shady looking punch. Anita was about to pull him back for more, when to her surprise, Anderson and Bas appeared in the doorway. Alexander felt Anita’s energy change and turned to see why, his energy reacting in a similarly uncertain way when he saw.

  ‘Anderson,’ he said, not even trying to hide his shock. ‘I didn’t realise you were a member.’

  Anderson looked a bit sheepish. ‘Yeah, have been for a while actually. Didn’t think this would be your bag though?’

  ‘It’s not. Long story.’

  ‘And you, Bas?’ asked Anita. ‘Are you a member too?’

  ‘Um…I…I’m not sure yet. Anderson introduced me to the concept. I like their goal; energy stability is for the good of everyone. But I asked dad about the Institution and he flipped. I’ve never seen him react so badly to anything. Ever. So I said I’d come along tonight and just see what it’s all about, but I’m not convinced it’s going to be for me.’

  This whole thing was getting crazier and crazier Anita thought, downing her punch. ‘Come on,’ she said to Bas. ‘You’re the only person I know who loves to dance as much as me and I think Alexander’s had enough.’ She took Bas’ hand and led him to the dance floor, feeling over the moon when Alexander’s energy reacted just as negatively to her dancing with Bas as hers had when he had danced with that other girl. Bas took the lead, confidently spinning and lifting her as they looped around the floor.

  By the time they had had enough, Alexander was dancing with Helena, which Anita was pleased to note she was not in the least bit emotional about. Bas left her by the punch, said he would see her later and made his way towards Anderson, who was beckoning him, clearly wanting to introduce him to someone or other. Anita took a seat on one of the bales, and watched the spectacle the other, now decidedly drunken, dancers were making.

  Almost immediately, a tall, finely built woman Anita didn’t recognise came and sat down next to her. She was strangely familiar, but Anita had no idea why. ‘You two make a great couple,’ she said in a drawling accent, her tone anything but sincere and her energy on the hostile side of neutral.

  ‘Bas and I aren’t a couple,’ she replied evenly, not elaborating further, feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

  ‘I wasn’t talking about you and Bas. I was talking about you and Alexander.’ Anita turned to look at the women but didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. The woman didn’t exactly seem to be friendly and clearly had some sort of ulterior motive, so she just kept quiet. ‘You’ve caused quite a commotion recently, lots of interest in who you really are,’ she said steadily, looking at the dancers rather than at Anita. It was like she wasn’t really that interested in having a conversation, yet clearly that was what she had come over for, so Anita cut to the chase.

  ‘I’m sorry, but do I know you?’ she asked, not unkindly.

  ‘You know of me,’ said the woman, finally turning her head to look at Anita. Anita met her eyes and her energy reacted at once, they were eyes she had come to know extremely well, eyes that also belonged to another. To Marcus.

  ‘Amelia,’ said Anita, guardedly, ‘it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a great deal about you.’

  ‘And I you. And yet here you are, with Alexander.’

  ‘Marcus and I broke up.’

  ‘Yesterday.’

  ‘Technically yesterday, but it’s been coming for quite a while.’ Amelia said nothing, her unwavering eyes seeming to penetrate Anita’s soul, reading all they could find there. Where Marcus’ eyes were always busy, flitting from here to there seeking entertainment, Amelia’s eyes were serious, old, wise, grounded. They were eyes that judged, taking no prisoners.

  When she had read all she could, she sat back against the barn wall, turning her gaze back to the dance floor. ‘He loves you. You do know that?’

  Anita wanted to get up, to leave, to tell her this was none of her business. They had only just met, for Gods’ sake, what right did she have to make this so purposefully awkward? She didn’t though. ‘He says he loves me, but he’s also said many things that frighten me. He’s changing as the days go by; Austin is moulding him into the kind of monster he wants for a son, the kind of person who thinks he can dictate who I can and cannot see, who trails my every move, who thinks it’s fine to demand rent from farmers when their crops are failing and they have nothing to give. You of all people should know why I did what I did.’

  ‘Really?’ she spat. ‘And pray tell me why is that?’

  This sudden change in approach took Anita off guard, but she decided honesty was the best policy. ‘Because from what others have told me, you left Austin for similar reasons.’

  ‘In small part you’re right, meaning in large part you’re wrong. At least I finally got to meet you,’ she said, standing up and leaving the barn, walking with the grace of a much younger person. Anita was pondering the conversation when Alexander came and sat down next to her, handing her another punch and feeling the confusion in her energy.

  ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, concerned. ‘What did she say?
’

  ‘Think she’s pretty pissed about me dumping Marcus, not to mention that there is something going on between me and you, and she said something cryptic about her relationship with Austin, something about them not really splitting up because of him turning into Tobias…’

  Alexander raised his eyebrows. ‘Well tonight has been eye opening if nothing else,’ he said, draining his glass. ‘Who would have thought the Institution was so well attended. I had no idea about Anderson.’

  ‘And I can’t believe Bas is here,’ said Anita, ‘especially against Alistair’s wishes; Bas never keeps things from him. And it seems likely that Alistair is the Alistair in the diary, meaning if he’s opposed, he’s frankly a bit of a hypocrite.’

  Chapter 3

  They woke the following morning, huddled together on a pile of straw, a raft of others strewn across the floor around them. The welcome smell of sizzling bacon wafted through the air, enticing the hung over group to their feet. If there had ever been any doubt that Alexander and Anita were a couple, it was now thoroughly dispelled, Bas and Anderson throwing a raised eyebrow at each other as they walked past. Anita couldn’t help but feel guilty, he was putting on a brave face, but Bas’ energy noticeably dropped as he passed. ‘He certainly likes you,’ Alexander commented, half-mocking, half-uncertain, before pulling her to her feet.

  ‘I know,’ was all she said in reply, pursuing the spectacular smells, that now included freshly baked bread, out of the barn. They ate greedily and drank several cups of tea, trying to quell the throbbing headaches the rum punch had left behind, then took themselves off to the copse of trees on top of the hill to continue with the diary, hoping today’s excerpts might shed more light than those the day before.

  ‘11th February, 1333.

  So much has happened since a year ago when I last wrote. But today, I again find myself with something to say, but not a soul to say it to, so again I turn to you in the forlorn hope that spilling my thoughts onto your pages might in some way help.

  The day after my last entry, I told my parents I was going to stay in Kingdom with Jeff. They went ballistic, calling me stupid and naïve first, and then trying to win me round with reasons why it’s so dangerous to collude with members of the Institution. Needless to say none of it worked, but they did agree not to run to Tobias, although they drew the line at letting me run their business in Kingdom - it would have always been a long shot, even if Jeff wasn’t in the equation. So they left me in Kingdom when they returned to Empire, and I haven’t seen them since. I know they’ve been in Kingdom, trading and lecturing, but they have never once tried to seek me out, so neither have I tried to speak with them.

  I moved in with Jeff and joined the Institution, which, to be honest is more of a social club than anything else. Yes, it has ideological undertones, and yes, we get together to discuss them, and yes, we try to gather support from powerful people, but other than that, all there is, is great deal of drinking and dancing and playing cards. I’ve never met the leadership, so I have no idea who they are, or if they’re really as dangerous as people make out, but they let us get on with what we want and don’t interfere with our affairs. There’s quite a large group of us now; me and Jeffrey, Alistair (a friend of Jeff’s from his time studying), Rose (a promising Mind from an influential Mind family), Helena, Celia (Helena’s cousin), Olivia (Rose’s cousin), and the two most surprising members, Peter (son of Christiana, the ruling Body Descendant) and Anthony (son of Philip, the ruling Sprit Descendant). Everyone knows the only reason they joined was because of their respective relationships with Olivia and Celia, and Helena has been working on Austin for as long as anyone can remember. He’s infatuated with her and she boasts she has him wrapped around her little finger, but he won’t join us for fear of what his father would do if he did. In truth, this is all we can be accused of, nothing illegal or dangerous as my parents made out, but instead, involving high profile people in conversations where we speak of the merits of more progressive ideologies. We talk of democracy, elections, true free trade, but we take no direct action to try and progress in that direction; we’re a debaucherous, ideological, drinking club, that is all.

  And I write, oh useless diary, because of late it’s got more debaucherous than ever before. Last night, we were in Monty’s back room, drinking and smoking and playing poker after dinner, when, as I was returning along the panelled corridor from the bathroom, I saw Jeffrey and Milly (Amelia’s new nickname) going into one of the bedrooms Monty’s keeps for when the owners come and stay. She had her back against the door, looking up at him suggestively, and Jeff had one hand on her stomach and one on the handle as he swung the door open and pushed her through. I didn’t say anything, nor did I do anything. It felt like an out of body experience, like a bad dream, so I floated numbly back to the room with everyone else and sat quietly trying to work out what I should do. Jeff can be like this, I’ve always known him to be an outrageous flirt, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before something like this happened…and for all I know, this isn’t the first time...

  Anyway, a few minutes later, the door flew open and one of the barmen told us some of Tobias’ men had just demanded entry to Monty’s to search the place. We fled out of the back exit and scattered, each of us taking a different route through Kingdom’s maze of streets to lose them. Peter and I ran together, he knows the streets far better than me, so I grabbed his hand and followed his weaves through this archway and that turning. We could hear boots behind us; some of the guards had been sent round the back, chasing after us when they saw us leave, so when he was sure we weren’t in view, he pulled me into a tiny passage between two streets and hid us behind a lip in the wall, pressing himself against me to make sure we were both fully out of view. The guards passed but we stayed where we were, just in case they came back the same way. The echoes of the guards’ boots fell away into silence, the blackness swallowing us so all that was left was Peter pressing up against me, his breath and mine deafening in the silence. I looked up and was surprised to find him looking absorbedly down at me, intensity there I had not seen from him before, nor indeed expected from a man who was usually so meek and mild. He crept his hand up to my neck, lowering his head down towards mine, but I pulled my eyes away, looking down at the floor and raising a hand to his chest to fully deter him. I looked back up to try and offer some kind of apology but he had already moved away, making for the other end of the dark passage and leaving me to walk the short distance back home alone.

  Jeff was already there when I arrived, I was pleased to see without the company of Milly. He said he had been returning from the bathroom when he’d heard the alarm and fled. I didn’t say I knew he was lying, I didn’t really see the point.

  18th August, 1334.

  My entries are becoming only annual events now, and I fear this entry is a dangerous one to write. I’ve started hiding the diary so it will never be accidently found.

  A few weeks after my last entry, Anthony and Celia became engaged, and the rest of us followed like a stack of falling dominos, first Peter and Olivia, then Rose and Alistair, then finally Jeff and I. Whereas for all of us, this had always been the likely conclusion, for Helena the story was quite different. I don’t know what she expected to happen between her and Austin, not with the influence Tobias has over his son, but she had apparently not been expecting the announcement of his engagement to Milly, the daughter of the most prominent of Mind Councillors. Helena appeared unaffected on the surface, but I knew the news was eating away at her inside and one night she finally admitted to me how devastated she really was. ‘We were together the night after it was announced,’ she said, ‘he told me he didn’t want to be with her, but that was what his life was; he didn’t have the luxury of choice. We both knew it was a lie, he’d made his choice, his choice just wasn’t me.’

  And after the marriages, the partying died down a bit, and recently, babies have started making an appearance; first Celia and Anthony’s son Alexander, then Aus
tin and Milly’s son Marcus. Helena was once again hit most hard, I know she still sees Austin, even to this day, and I think a part of her still expects him to one day choose her…

  Anyway, life seems to have somehow become more serious; Tobias’ guards can be found everywhere, he increases taxes almost by the month, any kind of relic research has been outlawed, and the other Descendants are, for some reason, notably absent. Christiana has moved permanently to her Empire residence and Philip is barely ever seen at all.

  So it was a surprise when Christiana summoned me to see her a couple of months ago. I had not a clue why, the only reason I could think was that as my God Mother she somehow wanted to intervene to restore my ruin of a relationship with her best friend, my mother. I didn’t tell the others where I was going, not even Jeff, our relationship deteriorates further almost daily, and headed to Christiana’s enormous, square manor house on the outskirts of Empire. To my surprise, Peter greeted me at the door, asking if I knew why we were there. I told him I had no idea and we went straight to see Christiana together.

  Unusually, Christiana had invited us to eat dinner with her in her suite, dishes of food already laid out on a dresser when we entered. We followed her lead and helped ourselves to roast lamb, crispy roast potatoes and an array of vegetables, before sitting at a small, round table, giving her quizzical looks between mouthfuls. ‘I’m sure you’re both wondering why you’re here,’ she started, letting out her breath quickly in a half laugh when she saw our faces, ‘so I’ll skip the chit chat and get straight to the point. As you are aware, Descendants have particular duties, especially to fulfil the oath we swear when we are crowned, that we will strive to send back the relic and free the world from the Gods. You will also be aware that the Descendants don’t exactly take this oath seriously, in fact, I am sure you will have interpreted certain recent events as a move in the other direction, to ensure we never fulfil our oaths, and I’m afraid you wouldn’t be wrong. Previously, I haven’t been too concerned about our lack of focus on what is supposed to be our primary objective. My mother, Patricia, the Body Descendant before me, was, what can only be described as a radical, as was Tobias’ father, which means we have both held views that up until now, I haven’t thought to question. However, there has been a niggle of doubt in me for years, and given Tobias’ recent actions, I’ve had cause to have a change of heart.’