by Leyton, Bisi
“You really want me to say it?” Forcing a laugh, she ran her hands down the sides of his arms. “I remember when we were younger and you used to steal my clothes when we went swimming.”
“I—that was a while ago.” He smiled as images of them together flashed across his mind.
“And when we got older, we ran off to the moon desert for a month. Just you and me? Our fathers were furious.”
“Yes, you stranded me there and returned to the city with one of the Sen-Sons of the Second Pillar.”
“Like I said, I was young, but we had fun out there.” She made small circles on his chest with her soft fingers.
“That was the first time anyone kissed you.”
“Enric told me you feel you were not really bonded with Wisteria. That must be confusing for you.”
“A little,” he admitted, but he felt angrier more than anything. He still didn’t understand what had happened between him and Wisteria.
“Do you want her?”
“I need to go home.” Bach couldn’t want her, not when he had someone as stunning as Alba of the Third Pillar.
“I am glad you have realized that. I had secretly hoped you would. So come home with me. In time, it will be clearer how you feel.” Her finger rested on his lips.
“Alba, this is not—” Gently, he removed her fingers, but Alba simply rested her palm on his cheek.
“I can see you are still as drawn to me now as you were then. You are heating up just by my touch. Tell me I am alone in this?” Her rosy lips touched his.
As she kissed him, he felt his stomach turning and his heart racing. He was going to be sick, so he cocked his head back. “Later.” At that moment, he didn’t know how he felt about anything.
But instead of backing away, she planted her supple lips on his mouth again and passionately devoured his.
“Please, Alba, this is not going to happen.” Stepping back, he moved out of her reach.
“At least let me go with you as you search for the obsidian crystal?” Her eyes were fixed on an imaginary spot on the floor.
“You are in no condition to leave right now.”
A tear ran down her cheek and he felt like a monster.
He should’ve seen her attraction. “D’cara, Alba.” Wiping her tears away, he cradled her face in his hands. “I am sorry. I do not love you.” He walked out of the room.
The thing to do now was to focus on finding the obsidian crystal, and returning to Jarthan. After that, he’d sort out Alba, the pledge, and all that nonsense.
“Where is Benet?” Didan marched up to him as he came downstairs. “Both of you were supposed to be gone by now. What are you still doing here?”
“I was—”
“We cannot find him, Eminent.” Mina joined them.
“By the seven beards of seven elders, where is he?” Didan fumed.
“I will find him,” Bach promised. “And then we will be gone.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
After Coles left, Wisteria wiped the doors and windows with the toxic bean vine extract. The island’s siren went off, which signaled all residents to go to their bunkers.
“You can poison normal people too, with the amount of bean vine extract you’re putting everywhere,” Garfield pointed out as she smeared some on the door of the bunker.
“I’m not expecting anyone normal,” she replied when she was done.
“And no one abnormal? Not even Bach? Are you trying to kill him too?”
She shook her head. “That was the foolishness that got everyone into this mess.”
“And David--how’s he going to get in? And where is he?”
“I’ll hear him when he gets home. He’s probably with Poppy.” She washed her hands in a bowl of water. “I have to go and look for him.”
“No, Wisteria, you’ve got to stop putting yourself out there for him.” Garfield tried to hurry after her, but it caused him too much pain.
“He’s my family.”
“Yeah, and Owena was mine. You see what that caused. David’s a big boy and he knows the risks.”
“No one’s told him what’s really going on. He doesn’t understand that the Family is evil,” Wisteria realized. “They hate us.”
“Bach doesn’t hate you.”
“He wants what he wants. He has no more love for humans than the others. I just amused him for a time.” Seething, she moved back to the door.
“That’s harsh.”
“That’s the reality.” She unlocked the door. “Please lock yourselves in when I’m gone and do not open the door for anyone except me and David. And only if they tell you their real name.”
“And if he’s been renewed and turned into a sleepwalker?”
“In that case… don’t let him in.” Her heart skipped a beat and she left the bunker. When she was outside, she waited by the door until Garfield bolted it. Taking her sword, she headed to the kitchen by candlelight.
Once in the kitchen, she was stunned to see the back door was open. She swung the candle over to get a better look.
Felip stood in the doorway, dressed in his grey 1900s overcoat, his green eyes shimmering.
“Crap.” Dropping the candle, the light went out as she dove for the door.
Seconds later, the room was lit up by the intruder’s glowing left hand. “Hello, Wisteria. I am sorry I am not the Famila you want. Just the one you need,” Felip answered.
Darting out of the kitchen, she stopped as he appeared in front of her, blocking her path.
“You know running from me is pointless.” He took her by the arm and pushed her into the nearest seat. “And I am extremely offended you are not more grateful since the last time I saw you. After all, I did save your life.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked as calmly as she could.
“My friend asked about the human girl who distracted Bach so much.” Felip gestured behind her.
Benet strolled in, flipping his faycard between his fingers, which were also glowing blue.
“You were working with Felip?” Wisteria exclaimed. “You do know he tried to kill Bach? You can’t trust Felip.”
“Shut up, jaga. You think you have the right to question what I do?” Benet grabbed her by the neck.
Pulling at his hands, she screamed, “Don’t touch me.”
“Shut up, Terran.” Benet struck her in the face.
Lunging back at her attacker, she tried to hit him.
Benet was too fast and moved aside. Kicking her, he sent Wisteria careening into the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen.
“Ahh,” she cried as blood dripped down the side of her mouth.
“Are you okay?” Felip approached her, acting concerned.
“Stay away from me!” Wisteria screamed.
“You are hurting my feelings, Wisteria.” Felip feigned injury. “You should know I am the only reason he has not killed you.”
“Felip, Bach is not here and he’s not coming back for me. So, there’s nothing here for you.”
“Yeah, I heard about your little fight. And personally, I am glad. You can do much better than Bach.” Felip grinned.
“This is not a time for games, Felip,” Benet turned to him. “This cannot be the one we are looking for. Where is Lara?”
My mother? “Who?”
“I know you think I am an idiot, like Bach.” Felip laughed.
Benet slapped her again.
“Stop, Benet, we need to give her time to talk.”
“I can’t help you,” she pleaded.
Felip squatted a few inches away from her. Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped the blood from her mouth. “Benet has some impulse control issues. I promise he will not kill you, but he will really hurt you. I do not think you should pretend you do not have the answers to his questions. Where is your mother?”
“What do you want with her?”
“There are quite a few people back home that would pay handsomely for the last human to kill one of the Family.”
“Anybody? You call Coia of the Third Pillar, former Lady of Jarthan, anybody?” Benet practically screamed. “You—” Benet dove at her again, but Felip blocked him.
“In time,” Felip promised, and returned to her. “You see, he is so upset because the Lady of Jarthan was a power gate keeper for the entire Family. Her death made everyone angry, angry enough to release the Nero plague on the Terrans.”
“So your people did create this sickness?”
“No, I said the Family released the virus, but it was you Terrans that created it. Ironic, right? Your people wanted to kill us or be like us. I do not know why exactly and I do not care.”
“So you released the virus and killed billions of people because of one woman? That isn’t right.”
“Interestingly, I actually agree with you. It is overkill, but I doubt Bach would agree,” Felip continued.
“You’re wrong. Bach is not a monster.”
“What? Because he bonded with you? Interesting spots.” Felip poked at her uncovered shoulder. “He is the worst of us. He wanted to see Terra die personally because Coia of the Third Pillar was his mother.”
“His mother?” Wisteria whispered.
“And your mother murdered her,” Felip informed her. “Not many people know that she is Demi Akanbi, but we both know that she is.”
“You’re a liar, Felip, and you’re a bloody idiot,” she stated loudly.
“And you are wasting time,” Benet seethed. “Renew her, kill her, or I will.”
“You see, he is losing patience. Just give us your mother. I promise she will not suffer where she is going. She is unconscious, right?” Felip whispered to her and turned to Benet. “Relax, you do not need to get this upset. The woman is hidden in the house. Just look for her.”
“If you’re smart enough to find her,” Wisteria jeered, hoping to buy more time.
In a flash, Benet’s hands were squeezing her neck.
She struggled to breathe. What was she thinking?
“Enough, you disgusting, nauseating Terran. Even if I was mad enough to commune with a Terran, I would never pick one as ugly as you.” Benet tightened his grip.
Scratching at his hands, she tried to pry them loose, but nothing was working.
“Fine, renew her and get this over with,” Felip chuckled, sitting on the dining table.
“Finally.” Benet leered, released her, and took out his faycard. His card was the four of spades, and then it turned into a joker. “I think I am going to call you Nika.”
“You cannot renew me.” She hoped so anyway.
“Oh yeah, I can. As far as you are concerned, jaga, I am a god.” Benet’s card glowed and streaks of blue electricity emanated from the tips of his fingers. “What do you want more than anything in the world?”
The last time she'd been shown a faycard, she saw an illusion of her father. Now all she saw was the glowing light, but since Bach had let her see his faycard, she was now somehow immune to being renewed. Having gone through the Mosroc also meant any Famila who tried to renew her by force would lose their minds.
“What do you see?” Benet grinned.
“It is not working,” Felip pointed out. “She has seen a faycard.”
“You have really contaminated Bach,” Benet noted with a tome of disdain.
“But if you were a god, you would have known that, right?” she asked.
He banged her head against the cabinet behind her. “Open your mouth one more time and I will break your neck.”
“Use more power. Go raw,” Felip suggested. “You see, Wisteria, we use the Faycard because it is easier and somewhat less painful than renewing with raw power.”
“When I am done, you will wish Bach had not shown you the faycard.” Benet took off his dark gloves and grabbed the sides of her face. “Feel free to scream as loudly as you can.” The room lit up even brighter as he compressed her head.
“Ohh!” She clawed at him to let go.
“It is going to hurt more and you are going to wish you were dead.” Benet pressed his hands against her head.
All Wisteria could see and feel was red pain. Every nerve, every hair, every tooth ached. She kicked and punched, but seemed to hit nothing. Gradually, the pain reduced.
Benet let go and backed away from her. “Felip, something is wrong.” Benet stared down at his shaking hands. “I do not understand.”
“It is your mind. You are going insane,” Felip explained.
“Insane?” Benet stumbled back. “I— no...how?”
“I have never seen someone try to renew a Terran in Mosroc before.” Felip continued to chuckle. “Always wondered what it would look like.”
“You knew?” Wisteria turned to him.
“She has a Mosroc. Felip, you did not tell me? Why would you—do…?” Benet dropped to his knees. “I—you did this…” He glanced at Felip. “Why?”
“Because she is special and you are not. And you should not have been hitting her the way you were.” Felip scowled.
“A Terran?” Benet stared at him in confusion.
“Come on, let me help.” Felip lifted him and dumped him outside the back door.
Wisteria scrambled to her feet and tried to move away, but her back and head were sore. Pushing herself, she kept going, but was lifted off the ground and placed on a chair.
“I am not here to hurt you or you would be dead now. You believe me?” Felip said.
“Does it matter?”
“I am sorry that I let Benet get so carried away.” He placed his hands against the table on each side of her, effectively trapping her. “I should not have let him hurt you or call you those names.”
“Leave, and leave my mother behind.”
“Oh, I am not here for your mother, I just needed an excuse. Benet saw me in town and I did not know what to tell him.”
“So, my mother didn’t kill Cora?”
“The name is Coia and yes, your mother killed the hell out of her. I just do not care. Actually that is not true; I am impressed by that.”
“So, why are you here?”
“For you, to make sure you are okay.” He kissed her.
Startled at first, Wisteria dug her nails deep into his neck.
“D’cara,” Felip swore and staggered back. “You have bathed in strangle weed again. That explains why Benet turned so quickly.”
There was still a lot of the poison on her hands from earlier. While he tried to get his balance, she dove for her backpack and took out her pocketknife.
In seconds, he’d disarmed her. “Even as weakened as I am, you really cannot hurt me.” He was already sweating because of the poisonous bean vine entering his system. “Let us go. There is nothing left for you here and by tonight your beloved will be gone.”
“Bach? What are you planning to do to him?” She fought to break free.
“Me? Nothing personally. I have people for that now.” He placed a tiny black tile on the glass window.
It seemed to be a piece of mosaic tile, but Wisteria couldn’t be sure in the dim light. However, she was sure when the tile was growing rapidly and in seconds, the entire window was dark.
“Ever been through a threshold?” he asked. “That is how we journey to your realm from Jarthan. This is a special one made just for me. I was going to give it to Alba for a wedding gift. Do you think she will like it?”
There was no point in answering.
“Ah, I take it you have learned that Bach has been pledged to her. When I told her about your Mosroc, she was almost suicidal. I am certain she will find a way to make him come around or she will kill him. Either way, I am surprisingly fine with it.” He offered her his hand. “Come on. We need to go.”
She didn’t move.
“I will not hurt you, Wisteria.” Gently, he took her upper arm as the dark glass now turned white.
“D
on’t touch me.” Exhausted, she weakly smacked his hand away from her.
“You do not have any fight left in you and I do not want to fight you.”
“So go.”
“And if I do, when Alba gets here, she will kill you. Like Benet, she does not understand the role you play in all of this. That girl is not that smart.” He took her arm and tried to drag her up. “I promise nothing will happen to you as long as you are with me.”
She scratched at his hands, which was futile because he wore gloves. “You’re going to have to kill me.” Getting up, she punched at his face.
“Stop.” He shook her. “You are coming—”
Three darts shot into his neck, and then three more into his arm and chest, causing him to reel back.
“Over my dead body.” Wisteria’s mother appeared, propped against the door, armed with her dart-rifle. The rifle was one of the guns trackers used to shoot the infected, when they had to.
“Mummy,” Wisteria whispered.
“Stay down.” Her mother walked in, firing.
Wisteria was sure the darts her mother was firing at Felip were full of bean vine extract. Probably enough to kill him.
“Qwaynide.” Felip managed to dodge the next few darts. “Lara, are you going tell her about Coia?” He leapt through the black glass and vanished.
Immediately, the threshold disappeared after him.
“Baby…” Her mother dropped the rifle and fell to her knees.
Wisteria wanted to run to her, but there was one more Famila outside. Needing to secure the house first, she picked up the rifle and went outside. Benet was lying on the ground, mumbling to himself.
She nudged him, but the boy just crawled away on all fours, wailing. As she approached him, he sobbed and scurried out of the gate again, like some sort of animal. Hoping he was harmless, she turned to go back to her mother.
Just then, a threshold appeared on the rear window mirror of an unused car in front of the house. Felip stepped out and grabbed Benet.
Wisteria bolted back.
“Tell Didan, when you see him, that I am sending Benet back with a gift.” Felip winked and hauled the disturbed empiric through the threshold.
After locking the door, Wisteria hurried in and hugged her mother. “Thank God,” Wisteria gasped as she helped Lara into the nearest seat. “I can’t believe you’re awake.”