Seal of Light

by N. A. K. Baldron

  “Yes,” Slava said. “And find out what level of security system he is using. The level of his technology will be our biggest concern.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Lance said. “We’ve broken security systems before, and we’ll do it again. I’m most concerned with taking out four or more guards without getting the police called.”

  “You promised the people would be unharmed,” Kandice said.

  “I promised we wouldn’t kill them,” Lance said. “But, it may come down to fighting. I’m considering tranquilizer options.”

  Kandice wasn’t reassured, but let it be. They needed to come up with a plan soon and getting hung up on details at that point wouldn’t help.

  Chapter Five

  Tuesday, September 6th

  When Kandice walked into the gym, Master Monroe was waiting for her at the front.

  “Get changed,” he said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  After Kandice chugged a protein shake, he sped her through stretches in silence. They ran for about five minutes to get their heart rate up before going into forms. He had her practice her kicks. When she did her front roundhouse, he pointed out a small flaw with her not rotating her hip through the kick. He made her do two hundred kicks to the chest, put her foot down, and then kick to the head, on each leg. Her legs were lead bricks by the time the workout was over.

  “Want to spar?” he mocked.

  “No, sir. I need to sit down and stretch for a minute.”

  “Your form is much better.”

  They sat down across from each other, and he pulled her arms forward to help her stretch deeper.

  “How are things going with school?” he asked. “You’ve not been coming in as often.”

  “I’ll be able to come in more.”

  “Good. What changed?”

  “I un-enrolled yesterday.”

  He let go of her arms and waited for her to sit up. “That’s not good,” he said. “You’ve been working to get into a good college ever since you started here. Why did you quit?”

  “Life is hectic right now.”

  There was no way to lie to him, he knew her too well. Un-enrolling had been such a relief, there had been no thoughts put towards what to tell others. In her mind, it wasn’t anyone's business, but she hoped direct answers would end any conversations about school.

  “Life is always hectic,” he said. “That’s why we stay focused on our goals and make schedules. If you need to cut down on your training that’s fine. We can push back your belt test a month or two, but school has to come first.”

  “I’m just not interested in school right now. Many kids take a semester off, or even a full year between high school and college. I’m burnt out and need a break.”

  “I know things have been rough with your parents dying, but you need to think of what they would want you to do.”

  “Why does everyone keep telling me that? Like I didn’t know them and know what they expected of me. It’s my life, and I’ll do what I want.”

  He stood up. “Training is done for today. I want you to leave and think about it. I don’t want to see you in here for the rest of the week. If you’re not in school, then spend the time thinking about what you will do. Monday, I want you to come back and tell me your plan.”

  Kandice took a deep breath to stay in control of her anger. She stood up and bowed. “Yes sir.”

  She didn’t bother to change, just rushed to the locker room and grabbed her things. Once in the parking lot, she screamed at the top of her lungs to no one in particular.

  This was the last straw for people telling her to think of her mom and dad, and what they would want. They died in her presence, one right in front of her. They were her parents for fuck sakes if anyone knew what they expected it was her. There was no way to forget their wishes, with each passing day the pain of their absence grew deeper.

  She took ten deep breaths and counted them out. One, in. One, out. Two, in…

  When her vision was clear, she put her helmet on and headed home. The wind blowing on her face felt like a volcano slapping her. There was a constant mix of sweat and tears in her eyes. The burning sensation made it difficult to concentrate on the road as she drove.

  After pulling in the garage, the door slammed behind her. Blake was standing in the kitchen and tried to talk to her, but she raised her hand. He understood and stopped. She was in no shape to talk. She slammed her bedroom door and flopped onto her bed, without kicking her shoes off.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Kandice tried to think of a good excuse for Master Monroe. Nothing came to mind. The truth was out, he needed to understand it was her choice.

  She sent Lance a text.

  Kandice: Can you talk? I need help.

  A minute later, Lance: Are you ok? What do you need?

  Kandice: It’s not an emergency. I’m fine, just need advice.

  Lance: Sure, Slava has some new information. He’ll be back around 3. Is then good?

  Kandice: Yes. See you then.

  The weight came off her shoulders. Lance had a way of calming her and offering logical ideas. Kandice walked back to the kitchen where Blake was drinking iced tea and eating a pizza.

  She sat at the bar. “Sorry. I wasn’t mad at you.”

  “I didn’t think you were. Aren’t you home early? School going bad?”

  “I dropped out.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “The people suck, and I’m too busy. It’s just for this semester while I work with Lance. I want them to train me to change so I can fight.”

  He took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. “That seems legit. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I'm meeting them at three. Slava has new information. Do you want to come?”

  “Of course," Blake said. "I’ve been researching online, but there’s nothing out there.”

  “I searched for over a year, and all I found was a single forum.”

  “Can you send me the link?” he asked.

  Kandice pulled out her phone and emailed it to Blake.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll check this out and see what I can find. Maybe the IP address will tell me more, like where the server is. Might be something.”

  “You’re good with computers. Do you think you could hack a security system?”

  “I don’t know if I could hack it,” he half mocked. “but it might be possible to disable it. I would just need to know who made the system, and who monitors it. You can find almost any schematic online. I’ve seen the blueprints for building a nuke.”

  Kandice laughed. “You should be the one in college.”

  “I’m like you, taking the semester off.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  At 3:00 PM, Kandice and Blake parked their mopeds on the street. Only one car was in the driveway. Kandice rang the doorbell, and Lance answered.

  “Hello, Blake,” he said. “Please, come in.” He stepped aside to welcome them in, then shook Blake’s hand. “Sorry about last time.”

  “It’s all good,” Blake said, and his demeanor relaxed.

  Lance waited until they were all seated in the living room before speaking. “Slava is still out, but he should be back any minute.”

  “Okay,” Kandice and Blake said together.

  Blake looked around the living room and stopped on the TV that wasn’t there the last time he was in the room. “That’s new.”

  “We needed it for surveillance,” Lance said. “We don’t watch much television. While I will go see a movie, Slava still views all American film as propaganda.”

  Kandice laughed, while Blake gave Lance an odd expression of disbelief. There was a customary bottle of vodka, and three glasses. Lance poured three small servings and offered two to Blake and Kandice. Lance downed his in one gulp, as usual, but both Blake and Kandice only took a sip before sitting their glasses down.

  “You needed advice?” Lance asked.

  “Yes,” Kandice said. “I’ve dropped out of school, an
d the news upset my Taekwondo instructor. I’m not allowed to go back until next week, and he wants a full explanation for why I dropped out. He’s not satisfied with my life being busy.”

  “I see,” Lance said.

  No one spoke while Lance looked off out the window. He hadn’t look so serious since the first time they had sat in that room together. It was hard to believe it had only been a few weeks since then. He was becoming a close and trusted friend. Fighting Aether Walkers must be one of those things that can’t help but unite people.

  After the silence grew into an awkward-tension, Blake spoke up. “Why not just tell him you’re helping me?”

  “What?” Kandice asked.

  “Just tell him I’m going through another rough patch. Since I had to quit when I went to the hospital, I think he would understand.”

  “I never thought of that.”

  “Why were you in the hospital?” Lance asked. “If it’s not rude to ask.”

  Kandice froze. Her heart raced in fear of the potential privacy invasion, to her knowledge Blake had never spoke of the hospital to anyone, including her. He seemed to think for a moment, then explained what happened. He told Lance the story of their mom's death, and the doctors hospitalizing him for fear he was a danger to himself. When he spoke about it, his emotionless tone surprised her. He was stating the facts of the events like they happened to someone else. Blake was different, he was becoming stronger and more confident, much like their father was before their mom died. This change gre every day since he discovered her ability to see the Aether Walkers. Regret filled her for not telling him sooner, protecting him had backfired, but this showed it wasn’t too late for him to get his life together.

  Lance let Blake finish talking before speaking. “I’m surprised they released you. Most of us who go into hospitals never come out. In Russia, they use the insane as test subjects for awful experiments.”

  “Aside from the pills, I was fine. I convinced myself it was a dream. I repeated the lie until I believed it, and then the doctors did, too.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re out,” Lance said.

  “Me too,” Kandice said, and gave Blake a hug.

  He blushed a little. “Sis, don’t get all soft on me.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  They sat around talking about Austin while they waited for Slava. Lance had done some sightseeing, but he wanted to find out what locals did. With all the work he and Slava did, he had to take breaks or he would burn out. Blake stayed in his room, so he wasn’t the best guide. But Kandice was able offer more activities for locals. They agreed to check them out together. Lance used the phrase ‘it’s a date’ which made her confused of their situation.

  Did he mean date like they would go, or date like a romantic date? It would be far too awkward to ask for clarification so it would just have to play out however it did.

  It was near 4:00 PM when Slava stumbled in. He had two large duffel bags on one arm and was bleeding from the other arm.

  Lance ran to the kitchen. “What happened?” he demanded.

  “There were more than I expected.” Slava said.

  Lance came out from around the bar holding a first-aid kit. He cut Slava’s shirt at the shoulder. Slava’s arm had a long gash from the middle of his biceps down to his elbow. Kandice could see the white of bone as Lance poured vodka into the wound. Slava hissed in pain, but didn’t scream out. Blake looked away towards Kandice.

  “Can I help?” Kandice asked.

  “Go around the corner. Next to the stairs is a bathroom,” Lance said. “Get me all the towels.”

  Kandice knew where the bathroom was and grabbed the hand towels hanging up, and the towels under the sink. When she came back, Lance was pouring a packet of white powder into Slava’s arm. He took a towel and dabbed at the arm to gather the excess blood from the wound. Blood was pooling on the carpet. Lance dabbed a hand towel in vodka, placed it against the wound. He swapped the towel for a fresh cloth and wrapped the wound up.

  “Hold this,” He told Kandice. “Keep pressure on the wound.”

  He took another bath towel and ran out of the house to assess the damage in the car. Kandice kept pressure on the wound, pushing her hands together with Slava’s arm between them. He winced in pain, but Kandice wouldn’t loosen her grip.

  This can’t be happening again!

  Lance opened the door. “Blake, upstairs bathroom. Bring me more towels and the bleach under the sink!”

  Blake didn’t move. Kandice looked behind her and saw he was staring out the window. “Blake!”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Upstairs. Get towels and bleach, under the sink.”

  “Okay.”

  His face was white as the towels, but he moved his feet and stumbled up the stairs. A few moments later, he was downstairs. Lance took the towels and pulled Blake with him out the door.

  Slava muttered in Russian. Kandice didn’t know what to do. This was only the second time someone had bled this bad in front of her. Taking him to the hospital was not an option to either Lance or Slava. It would be ok. It had to be ok. Her mind kept trying to go there, to be back in that place.

  Kandice stopped herself, refusing to lose control. The situation was in her control, she had to swallow the weakness trying to push through. Slava’s life was in her hands, and he needed her calm.

  Lance and Blake came back in after what seemed like hours, but was only minutes. Blake darted for the bathroom and vomited. Lance knelt next to her and took Slava’s arm from her.

  “Thank you,” he said. “I don’t know-”

  “It’s okay,” Kandice said. “What else can I do?”

  Lance paused for a moment before answering. “That room there.” He nodded towards her parent’s old room, next to the living room. “Inside is a wooden trunk. Inside that will be a black wooden box. I need it.”

  The trunk overflowed with crap, and it took a few moments of digging to find the black box. Everything inside the trunk was catching her interest, but she stayed focused and moved survival gear and electronics out of the way with care. The box was small, maybe half the size of a shoe-box and smelled amazing.

  After handing it to Lance, she took over applying pressure to Slava’s arm.

  “He lost a lot of blood,” Lance said. “I’m surprised he made it home.”

  Lance pulled out a silver metal sheet with symbols stamped all over it. Kandice had seen nothing like it before. The squiggles resembled artwork of a three-year-old. He opened the towels, then placed the metal on the skin and wrapped the bandage back up. It was already dripping with blood on the inside.

  “I need to check on Blake,” Kandice said.

  “Go,” Lance said. “We’ve done all we can.”

  Blake was resting his head on the toilet when Kandice turned the corner.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Been better,” he said.

  If his quick wit was there, then he would be ok, today had been a test for both of their nerves.

  “Can I get you anything?” she asked.

  “I wouldn’t say no to more vodka.”

  Kandice laughed and poured a good size helping into a glass. He finished it in several swallows before putting it down.

  “Burns so good,” he said.

  Kandice smiled. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m just going to sit here for a minute. Feel light headed.”

  Kandice left him alone in the bathroom and checked back in with Lance. Slava’s lay with his eyes closed, but he was muttering in Russian. Lance kept whispering to him in response.

  “What is he saying?” she asked.

  “Nonsense, it’s gibberish. I keep telling him he’ll be fine, just to hold on and think of my mother.”

  She sat down next to Lance and placed her arm around his shoulders. Lance kept a firm grip on Slava’s arm, but rested his head against her shoulder.

  Kandice and Blake waited with Lance as the hours moved by. They spok
e little and took turns keeping pressure on Slava’s arm. Every two hours, like clockwork, Lance would change the inner bandage and flip the silver sheet over.

  At 10 PM, Lance changed the bandage and removed the silver. “The wound is healing,” he said, as he wrapped a fresh bandage. “Can you help me move him into the bed?”

  They both helped lift Slava off teh sofa and through the door. They lowered him carfully onto the bed. Lance checked to make sure there was no blood running out and the bandage still looked white.

  “Thank you,” he said. “He needs sleep. He should be out for the whole night.”

  “Is there anything else we can do?” Kandice asked.

  “No. Thank you though. Both of you.”

  They sat back on the couch, and Lance poured a large glass of vodka for himself, but he didn’t drink it.

  “I think I’ll go to bed, too,” he said. “I’m tired, and I’ll need to check on him throughout the night.”

  “Of course,” Kandice said.

  They all stood up, and Lance walked Blake and Kandice to the door.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.” Kandice said.

  “Okay,” Lance said.

  “I’m sorry,” Blake said. “I hope he gets better soon.”

  “Thank you. I’m sure he’ll be fine in a couple days. The seal I put on him will cause his wound to heal fast.”

  Kandice gave Lance a hug, and then she and Blake left.

  When they got home, they both snuck upstairs and went to bed with only a brief good night to each other. Kandice laid on her bed naked, hoping that Slava would be okay. Losing someone close was the worst feeling in the world, Lance had already been through so much loss. He didn’t need to lose Slava too.

  Chapter Six

  Wednesday, September 7th

  Kandice sent Lance several texts throughout the day, but he told her nothing of substance. He wanted to stop by to see her later and Slava continued to heal. Vague responses were a pet peeve of hers, but this was worse because of their involvement in Slava's recovery. He was giving her the cold shoulder when he should have been leaning on them for support. After thinking through the night for the millionth time, there wasn’t anything that stood out to explain the silence. Blake and her supported him throughout the ordeal, he should be ok with updating them.