by Quil Carter
“What if he wants to x-ray my head?”
“They’re still in there. The scientist said he didn’t want to remove them for fear they’d damage your head,” Julian explained. He got behind me and began to unwind the bandage that was wrapped over my injuries. The cold air felt good over the hot stitched wound, but the relief was short-lived when Julian began slicing the stitches out of my head. There were four sutures in two different areas. I remember having the exact same wounds when I’d woken up from the initial surgery.
The back of my head stung with pain as Julian dug the knife into my scalp. “I’m making this look like a normal wound, so if he asks why we didn’t walk to Skyfall we can feign further injuries. Perish saw the deacons too, Silas will believe it,” he said. “The injuries we’ve been putting on you are enough to make it believable, especially since they should’ve been healing for days.”
He let out a breath and stepped back. “Silas will never believe that you’d lie to protect me.” No shit, Julian. “He’ll will be in a state when you see him… but I know you can lie. Can you mask your heartbeat?”
“I’d been training since I was younger…” I said, grimacing under the pain stinging my head. “And with how I feel now, I believe I can.”
“Good.” Julian quickly wrapped the bandage on my head and let out a breath. “You’re all set… let’s go.”
We walked back out into the street and made our way north towards the park the legionary had directed us to. I could hear the plane rumbling nearby, the sounds echoing off of the tall buildings and making the usually muted city come alive. The sounds of the rain pouring down seemed to amplify the noises around us, and it didn’t help the nervous energy shared between me and Julian.
The two of us turned down a street and there we saw the Fisherking in the middle of what had once been a park, complete with a rusted children’s playground that the floodlights were illuminating. We walked towards it, but the two of us paused when we saw a figure burst out of the darkness and into the lit areas of the park, then proceeded to run towards us at full speed.
Then I realized I recognized the towering figure, not just the height of him but his run as well. Nero was barreling towards me with no indication that he was going to slow down, and once he got close enough and saw me with his own eyes, his lip tightened, his eyes welled, and he threw his arms around me and crushed me into his chest.
My air was pushed out of my lungs, but I managed to put my arms around him too. I let my brother squeeze me like a boa constrictor, and when I heard him sniff I patted his back.
“We thought you were dead,” Nero whimpered, his words said through sniffs and shuddered breathing. “Oh fuck, Eenie Meenie. I thought I’d never see you again. I love you, bro. I love you. Are you–” Nero pulled back and his blue and purple eyes rose and looked at the bandage on my head. “How bad are you hurt?” His hands were still on my shoulders, unable to physically let me go, and this led to him hugging me again.
“I got my head knocked around,” I said. “But…” I paused for a moment, debating whether I should tell him now. It wasn’t the time, we were standing in the beam of light, rain falling all around us in this dark and abandoned city, but Nero had been one of the most outspoken when it came to Silas altering my head. “But there was a good side effect from getting kidnapped.”
“Kid-kidnapped?” Nero let go of me a second time, his eyes wide and his face shocked. “You – you were…”
Then he looked over at Julian, and I saw in real time, all that relief turn into blistering rage.
“He saved me,” I said quickly as I put a hand on Nero’s arm. “He’s been staying here for six months and when they brought me here, he was watching. I owe my safety to him… they were going to ransom me.” I wanted to say more, but I heard the noise of boots slamming against the wet ground, and saw my sister run into the lights of the plane.
She slowed down when she saw me, a hand over her mouth. Ellis rarely cried, Nero cried more than she did, but her eyes were red and I knew if it wasn’t for the downpour happening around us, I’d see at least a single tear slide down her cheek.
Then she let out a sob and threw her arms around me. “You fucking dickbag!” she cried. “The next time you make me worry this much you better fucking be dead.” She pulled back, kissed my cheek, then hugged me again. “Fuck, I hate you so much!”
“Come on… let’s get the fuck out of here,” Nero said after Ellis let go of me. “Are there any other kidnappers in the city or are they dead? How many were there? Who were they?”
“He’s been hit in the head pretty bad…” Julian said beside me. “How about we get him home and I’ll tell you what happened.”
Nero glared at Julian, it was easy to tell from the look on his face that he was restraining himself from ripping Julian’s spine from his body. “You can fucking stay right where you are, asshole. You’re the fucking reason Elish… Elish…”
I chuckled, making both Nero and Ellis give me a bewildered look. “Elish what, brother?” The corner of my mouth rose in a half-smile. “The reason Elish became a mindless, submissive drone and Silas’s sex slave? Is that what you were going to say?”
My brother and sister both stared at me with blank looks so similar it was no question that they were twins. This made my half-smile break into one with teeth showing and I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s great to be back.”
Their eyes both widened, so wide their matching indigo irises made a complete orb around the whites – then, almost comically, their heads turned to each other, before slowly turning back to me.
“Elish…?” Ellis said slowly.
“Real… Elish?” Nero’s unsure voice followed his sister.
“Nothing like a well-aimed smack in the head to disable a couple implants, huh?” I said, then laughed and shook my head. There was no act being put on right now, I was genuinely happy in that moment. “Eleven years wasted but… I’m here.”
Both Nero and Ellis snatched me up into their arms again, their racing hearts beating against their chests with such force I was sure I could physically feel them.
“What happened?”
We were flying across the greywastes now, the city with its bright twinkling lights coming closer. Alegria was a beacon against the dark sky, the lights of Silas’s floor all on with the curtains open; however, my floor was dark, with only my bedroom light on. This meant Finn was most likely home. I wonder if he knew I was back yet? Ellis had mentioned that they’d radioed Silas the moment they spotted me.
“I went for a walk, my usual routine,” I explained. “Unfortunately, it was the fact that it was a routine that I believe caused my kidnapping.” I was going to make this as simple as possible. Julian had told me the best way to make a lie believable was to make it easy and straightforward. People who lie are usually inclined to make it complex and complicated, needlessly so. They do this because they think the more details they give, the more believable it is. But that just wasn’t true. Someone telling the truth is going to simply answer the question. They have no worries that it won’t be believed so they put no thought into their answer. A complicated explanation is not only unnecessary, but also difficult to remember. It’s easy to remember the truth, especially when it comes to an event in your life that is profound enough to remember, whereas a lie is a lie, and stored in a different part of your brain. It can be forgotten, and once on the subject, details could be twisted and storylines veered off course. So it was best to simplify it.
“Who was it?” Nero asked. We were all sitting in the back of the Fisherking now, the cockpit was closed so the legionary soldier flying us back couldn’t overhear what we were talking about.
“Greywasters,” Julian said in a bitter tone. “It’s something Silas needs to look into… it seems he might have a small group of rebels on his hands.”
Nero’s face darkened. “The fucking trash-eating immigrants. I bet it was them…”
“Possibly,” Julian said. I let
him do the talking and tried to force this conversation into my long-term memory. “It was three of them. They had Elish underground in the sewers. I saw them bring him in; I’d been living on another side of the city but the sounds of vehicles drew my attention. Couldn’t believe when I saw who it was…”
“And they’re dead? You’re sure they’re all dead?” Ellis pressed. Her hand was on the gun on her hip, her fingers stroking the leather holster. I knew both her and Nero were going to be itching to kill these rebel greywasters.
Julian nodded. “I’ve been patrolling the area every day since. The rain we’ve been having would’ve flushed them to the surface, but I’ve seen absolutely nothing besides the radanimals.”
Nero swore under his breath. “And the fucking rain would’ve washed away any evidence we could have to see if they have contacts in Skyfall.”
So that was why Julian said they were in the sewers. Very Smart. I made the right decision not to kill him.
“Unfortunately,” Julian said. “I’m just glad I got to him in time… they knocked him out with a pretty nasty blow to the head. He kept insisting he walk to Skyfall but in this weather and with his injuries…”
“Yeah, it’s been shitty out… making the family worry even more. Elish melts in the rain,” Nero said as he rubbed my shoulder. “Finn’s going to pass out when he sees you… poor little fucker has been out every day asking people if they’ve seen you. Finny rarely goes out but… he couldn’t just sit at home doing nothing. Sissy and I have been out patrolling the greywastes but Ceph and Keela have been going with him, just to make sure the little pixie stick is safe.”
I watched Julian out of the corner of my eye to see if his countenance would slip with the mention of Finn and his searching for me, but I was impressed when his expression remained steadfast and even.
“I want to see Silas first…” I said. This had both Nero and Ellis looking at me with surprise. “How’s… he been?”
Nero let out a breath and Ellis shifted around in her seat. “Not good,” Nero answered, Ellis nodded. “The only time he leaves his room is for his speeches. All of Skyfall is looking for you, Eenie Meenie. The news station is pretty much just cycling stories about you, no other news is being reported.”
Silas was that upset that I’d been taken? I suppose I had been the altered robot at that time, of course he would miss his little slave. There was little doubt in my mind that Silas wouldn’t have been reacting in such a way if I’d had my head fully intact. He’d hated me normal.
Which was something I was going to need to change. This was going to be my first test. The raised bed in my mental garden, the one that belonged to Silas, was now right in front of me, and it was my turn to start planting those little seeds. Tiny seeds that might seem meaningless now, but would prove to be an important base when it came to me keeping my mind intact.
“Well, it’s over now,” I said. I rose and looked out of the plane’s window, we’d just left the dead ocean and now below us was a carpet of twinkling lights separated in segments by grey stripes which were the roads.
I could even see the walls separating the districts now. Moros was to my far left, darker than the other districts and a shadow compared to them, and to my right, showing the vast differences in the social classes, Skyland stood in shining brilliance, glowing and alive where Moros stood decrepit and dead.
The plane took us to the god tower that was Alegria. My heart shuddered from the anticipation, forcing me to take in a deep breath, but I proved to my body that I was the one in charge, and used that inhale to calm my nerves and steady the pulse that kept attempting to spike.
I could do this.
I had to do this.
The plane landed with a thud, then the roaring engine waned and died, the vibrations that had been rattling the metal of the plane soon ceased and everything became still and quiet.
“Nero, will you take Julian to floor eighteen?” I asked. I knew that floor wasn’t currently in use, and from what I remember, it had sparse furnishings. It was good enough for now. “I need to speak with Silas alone.”
Nero and Ellis both didn’t appear to like this. “Are you… sure it’s a good idea to have Silas know your head’s back?” Nero asked nervously. He opened the sliding door and jumped out, and as I jumped out as well the legionary opened up the cockpit door but hovered beside the door frame looking awkward and out of place.
“Thank you,” I said to the man. “Your service to the family is appreciated. Take the rest of the night off and tomorrow as well. Within reason, why don’t you treat your friends or family to a meal at one of the finer restaurants on our dime.”
The man smiled politely and inclined his head. “Thank you, Prince Elish. All of Skyfall will be relieved that you’re okay. I’ve always wanted to go to that fancy ass restaurant on the west side of Skyland. I think I’ll take my boyfriend there.” He nodded at us, and after a few goodbyes to Nero and Ellis, walked to the stairwell and disappeared into the darkness.
I turned back to Nero and Ellis. “I can’t lie to him…” I said to them both. “If I try and lie and he finds out… he’ll put me under in a second. Not to mention… Julian wants to stay in Skyfall, and since he saved me, I’m going to allow it.”
“Are you sure?” Ellis gave Julian a glaring look. “He’s the one who started all of this bullshit. Give the word and Nero will throw him off of Alegria. He’ll be such a fine paste no one will even be able to identify him.”
Julian said nothing to his credit. He pretended he wasn’t listening and admired the rooftop garden that surrounded the barren circle where the planes were parked. The greywastes must’ve taught him when to keep his mouth shut. “I’ve made peace with that,” I said. Of course they both raised their eyebrows at this. They knew old Elish well. “I have enough problems on my plate and eleven years I need to get back. I’m going to pick my battles and this is a battle I’d rather do without.”
“Fair enough, I guess,” Nero said and shrugged one of his shoulders. “You’re the intelligence chimera, so we’ll take your word for it and assume you know what you’re doing. But just say the word and radhead here will learn to fly.” As he said this he slapped Julian’s shoulder, hard enough to make Julian wince.
“I know,” I said. I walked to the stairwell and opened up the metal door. “And now I’m smart enough to sniff out his lies. He makes one wrong move and he’ll be meeting one of the Gladiators.” And I meant that. Oh, did I ever mean that.
Several minutes later had me standing in front of the double oak doors that would lead me inside of Alegria. Julian had gone with Nero and Ellis to floor eighteen, leaving me alone with Silas like I’d requested.
I filled my lungs with another deep breath, held it, then slowly exhaled, and did my last mental preparations. I felt as if I was going into battle, and in a way, I was, but this battle wasn’t one that would be fought with swords and bloodshed… this was a mental battle that would be won with words, and a golden tongue.
I turned the door handle, gave myself one last moment of preparation, then opened the door and took a step in.
Silas was standing in the middle of the living room, and I will never forget his face. It was…
… It was the first sign I’d had for years that he actually did love me.
His eyes were enlarged and drowned in sorrow, his face coloured grey with dark circles around his eyes that made them so brilliant the green looked like tufts of emerald grass in the middle of a charcoal field. Even his stance was weighted in misery, his shoulders slumped, his hands grasped in front of his chest… hands that were covered in crescent-shaped scabs from where his fingernails had dug into them.
“Master…” I whispered. And just as Silas let out his first sob, his hand rising to his mouth and his eyes filling with tears, I sped towards him with his arms open. “Come here.”
Silas collapsed into my arms, the sobs freely falling from his lips. I held him close as his body shuddered, his legs struggling to ho
ld him up as the king broke down in front of me. The only time I had ever seen him in this much of a state… was when it had to do with Sky.
Never… ever… with me.
This gave me pause, two different sides inside of me were fighting, each evenly matched and wielding their weapons. One side was floored that he was this upset about me missing for two weeks, and deeply flattered. But the other…
The other side of me was excited about this reaction. This was perfect, absolutely perfect.
I was Silas’s weakness, and if I drew him close to me, I could analyze him, find out other weaknesses. I could slowly attach little strings to my king, and eventually he would become my puppet, not the other way around.
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. This wouldn’t only ring true for Julian, but for my greatest challenge as well.
If I cemented my and Silas’s relationship, if I became his rock, his strength… if I became the one standing beside him… just think of what I could do.
Not only would I never have to worry about him altering my brain… I would never have to worry about him hurting me, or Finn. I would be in my own positon of power, the man behind the scenes who controlled the king.
Oh, this was perfect. So perfect, that I felt like singing to the world.
Yes, this is what I would do. This was how I would take back my power, take back my life.
The true Elish Dekker was here.
And I was here to stay.
CHAPTER 51
“I’m okay,” I whispered to him as he unleashed his agony into my damp shoulder. “A bit bashed and bruised… but I’m okay. I’m home.”
Silas continued to cry, I rubbed his back and shushed him, holding him securely in my arms. It wasn’t until a solid five minutes had passed by, that I heard a weak, whimpery voice. “I’ve never been so scared,” Silas said weakly. “I was planning your funeral, golden boy.”