by Quil Carter
“Indeed,” Finn muttered. The blue ember brightened as he inhaled and slowly he walked to the end of the balcony and placed his hands on the railing. “Thank you for… not inviting him to stay in your apartment. I appreciate it.”
I followed behind him and looked out into the dark cityscape, the sparkling stars that were the lights of Skyfall twinkled and glowed until the night swallowed them up whole. I wondered to myself just how many people were looking right back up at me in this moment.
“I’d never let him stay in our apartment,” I said, my head shaking at the audacity of it. “You really need to understand, Finn, I’m not doing this because I forgive him. I’m doing this because I can’t live the way I’ve been living, not just for the past eleven years, but the past twenty-six. It’s not working for me, and you know what they say…the true definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Finn sighed, the flaring blue ember making his eyes sparkle like sapphires. “I understand, Elish,” he said in a despondent tone. “But you must realize… that even though I understand, it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I don’t trust Julian.”
“You don’t need to trust him. I don’t either,” I said. “I’m learning everything I can from him, then I’ll dispose of him afterwards.”
This caught his attention. He glanced at me sideways before saying, with the cigarette dangling from his lips. “What do you mean dispose of him?”
I smirked. “I’ll let your imagination answer that question. There are so many ways I could get rid of him once I’ve risen above the master of manipulation.” I dashed the cigarette over the edge, the light breeze from being up so high, sweeping the ash away as soon as it became airborne. “How would you like to do it?”
“Cover him in blood, string him up by his toes, and leave him for the ravers,” Finn said bitterly.
My head turned to him and an eyebrow rose. “What a colourful description for a boy I’d always known as… rather quite and polite.” I chuckled and shook my head. “He really brings out your teeth.”
“You bring out my teeth.”
My smirk disappeared, but Finn’s face only become more troubled. “I’ve been… taking care of your needs for over a decade, Elish. A decade of watching Silas…” He cut himself off, then flicked his half-finished cigarette off the balcony. “Excuse me, Master. My apologies.”
I sighed, annoyed at his prolonged pissed off attitude. “I already explained–”
Finn whirled around, his face angry and the tips of his ears flushed with red. “And I said I understand, I just don’t like it!” he cried. He put a hand over his mouth, as if that outburst had shocked even him, then glanced over his shoulder and shrunk towards the dark corners of the balcony.
What was with this sengil? I’d explained my position to him many times. He had to understand my position and just… and just fucking get over it already.
But even though a large part of me was pulling me towards Finn with the intention to smack him across the face, there was another voice that was louder, and it was telling me that this was a lot harder on Finn than I’d previously realized – and that telling him to get over it, wasn’t what was going to fix this.
If Finn was Silas… what would I do?
Finn wasn’t Silas, because I actually cared about Finn’s feelings. I could approach it the same though, the same way I’d handle a problem that had come from Silas.
The answer came to me, and it was a simple one.
When I approached him, he put up a hand in an attempt to stop my advance, but I kept walking towards him. “I’m sorry. I’m having trouble with this… please, don’t… don’t yell at me.”
I grabbed him and he gasped, most likely expecting a smack across the face, but that wasn’t what I had for him. Instead I pulled him towards me and kissed his lips, my hand sliding to the nape of his neck so I could hold him steady.
Finn’s lips tensed from shock, but then they softened and accepted me. I kissed him, deeply, until I felt his legs tremble, then slowly pulled away.
“No matter where I go with Julian…” I said to him. “It’s you that I’m coming home to. Remember that.”
When I drew myself away from Finn, I saw that the look on his face was that of stunned astonishment. I topped off my kiss with a coy wink, then turned and walked from him, a smirk now on my face.
But as I opened the sliding glass door, feeling accomplished and proud of myself, my brow furrowed.
Why did I just do that? That was… kind of a weird thing to do, and say, to your sengil.
Hm.
Suddenly behind me, there was a low boom. I turned around quickly, and saw in the distance a burst of flames rise up from one of the main roads in Skyland, the plume over twenty feet tall, before dissipating into the darkness. As I ran to the balcony’s railing, I was sure I could hear screams, ones that were soon swallowed up by the loud ringing of several car alarms.
“What the fuck was that?” Finn asked. He ran to my side and behind me the sliding glass door opened.
“I think it was… a bomb.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw my family entering the balcony with confused looks on their faces. When I turned back to the scene of this mysterious event, thick black smoke could be seen where the bonfire of flames had once been. “Silas, there’s no crown buildings where that bomb went off. It’s blocks away from the Skyland military base and the precinct…” Silas was glaring ahead, the expression on his face lethal, and behind him Garrett, Ellis, and Nero were all on their remote phones.
“It doesn’t matter where it hit, my love,” Silas said, his tone had already descended to the River of Styx. He was enraged in that moment, the anger radiating off of him so potent in his aura it was practically visible to the naked eye. “What matters is some parasite has the audacity to bomb my city…” His jaw set. “As they had the audacity to kidnap my property.”
Kidnap… I looked back down to the billowing toxic smoke, and our view on the tallest building in Skyfall had us seeing the black creep through the streets like outstretched tentacles. He thinks this was caused by the greywasters who kidnapped me… but no greywasters kidnapped me.
That being said…
I swallowed.
Nero just reported to us that they did find greywasters… and subsequently… massacred them.
Well, things may have just gotten interesting. I can certainly take advantage of a bit of controlled chaos.
“They’re about to learn what happens when you fuck with the royal family,” I said acerbically. I nodded Julian over who had been lingering near the entrance with Perish, the younger chimeras behind him with their faces pressed up against the windows. Ceph, Apollo, and Artemis were all on the balcony however, showing the family in their own subtle way that they considered themselves old enough to be included.
“Has this happened before?” Julian asked.
Silas’s glaring eyes didn’t leave the smoking street. “Not for many years,” he said quietly. “We’d been enjoying a long stretch of peace, but apparently that time has now passed.” Silas turned around and stalked towards the sliding glass door, and once they saw he was approaching, Perish and the little ones leapt out of the way to give him a wide berth.
I followed behind him and Julian and Finn trailed me. We all walked into the living room, but before Silas could say anything more, Ellis and Nero were inside and putting on their shoes. “Emergency vehicles are arriving on the scene now,” Ellis said. “We’re going to our apartments to get our uniforms on, then we’ll be heading down to the scene.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a wise thing to do, considering a bomb had just gone off, but Silas nodded to them. “Tell the thiens to sweep the area. I want all the buildings checked before you arrive. I want a block in all directions cordoned off this instant and I want to know what kind of bomb we’re dealing with.”
My brother and sister both nodded, and were soon gone.
This would be a go
od time to offer some support. Silas was in a state of anger and it was my job to calm him down and keep the king collected. I walked over to where he was glaring out the window and rested a hand on his shoulder. “The residents have only had normal convicts for years now,” I said. “Just think of the draw we’ll have when we deliver them terrorists and kidnappers this time.”
“Yes, it has been about eighteen years, hasn’t it? Nineteen?”
My body stiffened as he said this and my heart went cold. He was talking about Cristo, that shit-sucking little maniac was speaking of Cristo. I remained staring forward, not making eye contact with him through the reflection, but I could feel the heat of his eyes on mine.
Remain calm. This is just a test. You knew you’d be tested, relax and breathe it out.
Then, to my surprise, Silas’s glaring oculars dropped, as did his shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. He put his hand on top of the one I had on his shoulder. “My anger shouldn’t be directed at you… I apologize.” He turned from the window and while walking to the couches, told Kirrel to fix him a drink.
Well, that was… unexpected. I glanced over at Julian who was standing near the dining room table, and caught a slight nod to show me that he’d seen this too. My eyes tried to find Finn, but he was putting on a DVD for the children.
“I understand,” I said to Silas. I sat down opposite to him. “I’m only crushing your head with my bare hands in my imagination.”
I saw a small smile skim the surface of the murky expression. “Are you? Am I screaming?”
“Like a little girl.”
Silas laughed and shook his head. I smiled, although on the inside I was cheering a victory. “You know; it was only last month I was thinking how boring my life has gotten. Can you believe such a thing? I’ve watched the world fall into a cold war and travelled the world with my now-dead boyfriend, you’d think I’d be finished with adventures.” He put a cigarette between his lips and glanced over to where Jack was sitting with Valen, Rio, Felix, and Ludo. “Jack, love, come here with your lighter.”
Obediently Jack jumped to his feet, and ran to Silas with his hand in the pocket of his little suit. The boy pulled out a Zippo lighter with a spider web engraved on the side, and flicked the flint until a flame appeared.
Silas leaned down to the flame and lit his cigarette. “Thank you, love,” he said, then turned back to me. “I’ve lived in a chaos that would put normal chaos to shame, and yet–”
Behind us there was another booming explosion. Silas and I both shot to our feet and as we ran back onto the balcony, we saw a second explosion light up the night sky. This one…
“The bridge,” I whispered. It was the main bridge in and out of Skyland, leading to the factory towns that surrounded the island and the greywastes.
They’d bombed it.
“Elish, get our capes,” Silas said, his eyes reflecting the orange and red flames that the blast had shot up to the sky. “And call Foy at the SNN. We’re waking up Skyfall.” He swept past me, his gliding movements that of a man skating on ice. “If it’s a war these greywasters want… I’ll give it to them in spades.”
CHAPTER 54
“Three dead and five injured,” I said as I read the report that Ellis had delivered to me. I scanned over the names but I didn’t recognize any of them. “They did it at night which could’ve been for a number of reasons. Less of a chance of being found but… if they’d have done it during rush hour, or even during early morning deliveries, they would’ve had a higher kill count.”
“Which means their goal wasn’t to kill people,” Finn said. “They want the family’s attention.”
It was the next day after the evening blast that rocked the city. I’d already been down to the media room with Silas and the rest of my family to stand beside him as he threatened and called out the terrorists who had bombed our city. Apparently the first bomb had been a car bomb, planted underneath an unsuspecting office worker’s old civic, and the second had been exactly what we’d expected: three bombs detonated at the same time. This bridge bomb was going to cost the Crown at least three hundred thousand dollars to repair, and we’d already had an early morning traffic accident from the increase in traffic on our two smaller bridges.
Finn put my tea down in front of me and pushed my untouched sandwich and potato fries nearer. I was sitting on the couch with a troubled look on my face, waiting for Julian to knock on the door so I could speak with him privately.
I couldn’t tell Finn, even though the confession was on the tip of my tongue. Everyone around me was under the impression that this was retaliation for this phantom rebel group that had kidnapped me. When in reality… no such group existed.
Or at least I didn’t think they existed. For all I knew, our lie had accidently created us a whole new enemy.
But that being said, I didn’t view this as necessarily a bad thing. I was quite content with the knowledge that I’d managed to create a distraction and a source for some stress for Silas. If Silas was in a state, I could be the man who brought him out of that state, and therefor my currency with him would rise. I wanted to be that man that he came to, and it looked like I was on the right track.
“Eat something, Master Elish,” Finn said in a lightly chastising voice. “You get dreadful when your blood sugar is low.”
I shot him a quick glare. “No such things happen.” But I picked up a gravy-covered fry just to shut him up and ate it. “I’m going to have Sacario and the other scientists start catching black cars home… they usually walk but I don’t want any men connected to me to be out and about at this moment.” I ate another fry, deep in thought. “Or perhaps I shouldn’t change their routines at all. We have nothing to fear and we need to show these terrorists that we’re unfazed by their attack.” I nodded, liking this conclusion more. “Yes, that’s what I’ll tell them… but I’ll give them guns to carry around. Perhaps have Perish walk home with them. He has chimera hearing and I’m sure he’d be able to hear bombs.”
Finn sat down beside me, Dave weaving around both of our legs in hopes of being fed a piece of meat. Absentmindedly, I tore off a chunk and offered it to him. “This was definitely a way to make their presence known but…” But I don’t know who the fuck they actually are…
There was a knock on the door. Dave ran for my bedroom, the cat covering his bases since he hated it when the younger children were running around, too much activity for him, and Finn rose with a scowled look on his face.
I chuckled at the look. “I’m surprised you don’t start growling at the door when you know it’s him.” I picked up another fry and smiled at him. “It’s been better with him, admit it.” I offered him the fry.
Finn stared at it, in a way that seemed like I was offering him a hundred dollars instead. He took the fry from me carefully, and sighed. “You’ve been better with him…” he said dejectedly and walked to the door.
Was that really what he was getting from this? I’d been purposely treating him like gold to help his adjustment to Julian being back in our lives, and that bloody bastard was translating it to me acting this way because of Julian’s presence.
There was just no winning with this sengil.
Julian greeted Finn with a sunny hello, and me with a smile. “You’re looking quite handsome today,” he said, looking me up and down as Finn slaughtered his aura with the daggers coming from his eyes. “Did I tell you how much I love the short hair? I just can’t get over how fucking hot you are now.” He shook his head as he said this, but all I had for him as an eye roll.
I knew Finn wasn’t going to like what was coming next, but I’d previously warned him I had to speak to Julian alone. “Remember, Finn, don’t leave Alegria.”
Finn glanced at me before inhaling deeply. “I won’t,” he said quietly. “I was just going to catch a movie with Kirrel and Keela. Is two hours enough time or do you want to be rid of me longer?”
Julian snorted at this, he was hovering over my plate of food pick
ing at it like a buzzard. I ignored him and turned my attention back to Finn. “No, two hours is more than enough.” Then I paused, an idea popping into my head.
“Finn… while you’re out I want you to help me,” I began. “When you’re with Kirrel and Keela, urge them to talk about Nero and Silas. If they say anything you think would be of interest to me… I want to know.”
At first Finn just stared at me, then slowly I saw flickers of intrigue, and perhaps a bit of pride, come to his soft features. “You want me to… help you with… this?” he asked slowly.
“Yes,” I said. I stepped back and walked him to the door. “You’re the only person I trust, Finn, and you’re a quiet man who can slip in and out of a room without being noticed. You’re quite valuable to what I’m trying to accomplish actually.” I turned, Finn right behind me, and smiled. “Unless you have some moral dilemma being my little spy?”
“No, of course not.” Finn couldn’t shake his head fast enough. “I’m just…” His eyes flickered to the ground. “… surprised that’s all. I’ll find out whatever it is you want me to find out.”
My hand rose and I cupped his chin, then drew his lips to mine and kissed him. Right in front of Julian, I might add. “Right now, just find out what’s going on in my brothers’ lives, my sister, and Silas.” I said as I pulled away. “Find out something for me that I don’t know.”
Finn nodded, a glint in his eye that wasn’t there before. He really was quite easy to make happy. “I will…” he said. He slipped on his soft sole shoes and opened the door to the outside hallway. “I’ll be back in two hours.” And Finn was gone, the door slowly closing before latching.
Behind me there was a slow clap. “Bravo,” Julian said chuckling. “I couldn’t have done that better myself.”
“I’m not manipulating him,” I said curtly. I slid my plate of food away from him, but he followed it like a starved dog. “I’m trying to make him comfortable with you being around here.”
“By flirting with him?”
The look I gave Julian was so venomous, I was surprised the man wasn’t clutching his throat from the poison in it. “I am doing no such thing. The boy responds to it.”