by Brian Carmen
For some unexplained reason the winged lion had something to do with Sabriel. Nia had never seen any images of a winged lion inside of Sabriel’s church. None of the stories Nia had heard mentioned the lion either. Putting the stone back into her pocket, Nia looked back at Claire and Victor.
“A month ago is when I was turned” Victor said as he began asking her about the group and what they were after.
“I don’t know why they waited for you to be turned. They seemed to be worried about something and it involves Helaina. I know we don’t know each other very well but I don’t want anything to happen to you” Claire said as she suggested Victor leave Nia before something bad happened to him.
“I’m not going to do that. Nia means more to me than you could imagine. I don’t know what you’re playing at but I think this will be the last time we talk” Victor said angrily as he broke free from her grasp and left.
Nia knew that he was going to search for her. She was thankful that Victor had enough sense to figure out Claire wasn’t completely innocent. Nia was going to have to talk with Claire; perhaps she could convince the little slut into divulging more information.
Claire swore while reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a cell phone that was black with silver lettering all over it. This was a special cell phone that would allow phone calls to be placed from within the city. Claire answered and turned it on speaker as she began getting dressed
“What is it?” she asked obviously frustrated as she listened to the man on the phone.
“We looked on the camera footage and noticed a brown and white cat running around. It’s obviously a Polong” the man said quickly as Claire listened.
“What did it find?” She asked as the man began describing how En had been looking at files on a computer.
If what Claire said to Victor was true than things were worse than she imagined. It wasn’t just random luck that she ran into Utaru. Someone thought that she was a threat and had intentionally arranged for an attempted assassination. Nia and Victor were not supposed to have survived the fight with Utaru. The new knowledge only made Nia angrier with Claire.
The man continued to describe what En did next. The cat made his way to the secret room in the basement. Claire asked if the Polong had been apprehended. The man began talking about its capture. Nia had heard enough however as she hopped down from the second floor while giving Claire a dirty look.
She was obviously taken off guard as she quickly hung up the phone and looked at Nia. Claire was intelligent enough to figure out that Nia had been spying on them. She finally had her dress on again however she didn’t appear to be happy. Claire didn’t seem to be afraid as she put her phone back into her purse.
“Speak of the devil” Claire said coldly as she straightened her dress out more. “You seem to enjoy voyeurism. You should know that we don‘t take kindly to such acts here in Loc Moines” Claire added with a smug smirk.
Nia moved quickly as she grabbed Claire by the neck and began giving her a taste of Utaru’s pain. Claire didn’t expect something like this and began screaming out in agony. Claire had the pain taken away after a couple of seconds. Nia knew from experience that it likely felt as though it were lasting for a lifetime.
Claire was breathing heavily as she struggled to regain her composure. She started to say something however Nia wasn’t listening. Nia threw Claire towards the ground and rounded on her. Claire knew more about what happened to Utaru. She now was responsible for taking En. Nia was going to get the truth out of her.
“Bitch where’s En?” Nia asked with pure venom in her voice as Claire looked up at her. “Who’s this En? Oh, I get it; that cat must be your Polong. I knew you were special when I first saw you. To think an Empath had that advance of ability. Not many could do what you‘ve just done” Claire said while she slowly got back to her feet.
Her voice was trembling slightly as Nia felt the immense fear inside of her. Claire was right to be terrified of the angry Volstir in front of her. Nia had every intention of finding En before making Claire suffer. Everything seemed to suggest that the Sanguine building was responsible for Utaru. Nia was going to force Claire to tell her everything that she knew.
“Don’t try to act so tough. You’re a coward inside and I can feel it. The pain you just felt was what you and your little friends did to my friend” Nia said coldly as she took another step towards Claire.
The blond woman tried to move away from Nia. Instead she fell onto the ground as she placed a hand in front of her. For a moment, Nia thought that Claire was trying to call someone. She realized that Claire was actually afraid and was pathetically trying to keep Nia back. Nia opened her mouth to reveal her sharp canine teeth so that Claire could be given an idea of what was going to happen to her.
“Please don’t hurt me. Please just listen to what I have to say” Claire pleaded as Nia felt her become more afraid with every step Nia took.
“Where did your men take En?” Nia asked again as she grabbed Claire’s arm.
She stared into Claire’s eyes with pure malice. Claire looked even more pathetic in contrast to how Nia looked. She tried saying something but the words were a jumbled mess. All of Claire’s inner strength was quickly fading from her. She had been raised as a Sanguine; this was probably the closest she had ever come to dying.
Nia hadn’t thought that Claire was serious earlier. The blond women really did trust Volstirs completely with her life. She was born in Loc Moines and had probably been taken care of. Claire couldn’t understand the life that Utaru had to endure. It would be impossible for her to understand that the only difference between herself and Utaru was; that she was born lucky. It made Nia sick to look at how cowardly Claire had suddenly become.
“Please don’t kill me!” Claire yelled as Nia realized that she wasn’t going to be able to get any answers from her.
Claire obviously wasn’t a ringleader. Nia however still felt no sympathy for the woman. It would be best to kill her and never had to see her face again. Something however moved in the shadows as another figure appeared. Standing next to the figure was a white Persian cat that looked meaner than most.
He was middle aged looking with long hair that matched his long neatly kept beard. Both were extremely black as the hair on his head was tied into a long ponytail. He was unusually pale and the oddest part about him was his eyes. They were bright gold with flecks of orange in them as though there was a fire constantly burning. Nia didn’t think they were natural as she looked at his clothes. He wore a simply grey suit and bowler hat that matched the grey cane he held in front of him.
“That’s enough Miss. Helaina” he said in a gentle tone as his white Polong moved between his legs. Not one strand of hair from the cat ended up on the man’s suit.
Suddenly, a few more people appeared wearing FBI battle uniforms. Each had a heavy looking rifle pointed directly at Nia and Claire. Both women looked at the men however Claire seemed to be trembling even more than before. Only one person could have conducted such a neat job at surrounding them.
“Thereon Solbid, nice to meet you” Nia said as she released Claire from her death grip. “I was told you were away” she added as Nia turned her attention towards him.
Her blood was boiling and would not go down so easily. Nia felt her paranoia begin to sweep through her mind. Everything that had happened couldn’t be a simple coincidence. Nia’s suspicions about Solbid were only heightened by his sudden arrival. She wondered if he had been in Loc Moines the entire time and if he had been watching her.
There were five guards surrounding both of the women. They were the council’s enforcers and were very dangerous. The mere presence of these black armored men was enough to keep law and order. The Volstirs referred to them as the Keepers.
They each carried large rifles that used special ammunition. The V-16’s were able to kill a Volstir with one shot. Nia looked at the bulletproof armor and black shiny boots that the Keepers all had. These particular Keepers had an e
ngraving on their armor that referred to their platoon. It was a large letter V with the Roman numeral for twelve next to it.
Nia knew that they were the twelfth platoon ordered to protect a council member. They were obviously very skilled since the numbers represented their position and current rank. These men were ranked twelve out of over two thousand platoons. Both Nia and Claire knew that they could easily kill them if they were ordered to.
Thereon Solbid however looked amused as though he could easily see what Nia was thinking. Two of his Keepers walked up and grabbed Claire by both of her arms. She began to cry out all sorts of things about being framed. None of the Keepers listened however as they continued to drag Claire away. Three of the Keepers stayed with their rifles pointed at Nia.
“I’m afraid I had to return from my trip earlier than expected. My Sanguine Luke informed me of a letter I had apparently sent you Miss. Helaina. On my return I was shocked to discover a break in at the Sanguine facility. There was also a secret room that had several empty cryo tubes” Solbid explained casually as though speaking with a child.
“Empty? “ Nia asked surprised as Solbid nodded. His Persian was now looking directly at her with a smug expression on his cat face.
“Yes, however the people responsible were kind enough to leave a video. It showed the capture of your Polong along with the removal of what were obviously Soulem. They seemed similar to the one you recently killed” Solbid said as he looked at one of the Keepers as they all lowered their weapons.
“Unfortunately it seems that you’ve walked in on a terrible plot. My security has been trying to get rid of them for a long time. The four men being executed next week have been proven to be the ones responsible for Miss. Utaru’s unfortunate fate. Regrettably it seems that Claire was a part of the plot” Solbid said as Nia watched the Keepers walk out of the church.
Now there were only three of them standing in the church. Nia watched as the white Persian cat started walking around her. Nia was unable to feel anything from the cat or Thereon Solbid. It made Nia feel very uneasy.
“There also appears to be others in the plot. Did you know that it has something to do with you? I’m curious about whether you have been able to contact your maker recently” Thereon Solbid asked as Nia shook her head.
“Unfortunate for her.; my colleague in Koi has informed me that she has recently gone missing” Solbid said in a tone that suggested he knew more.
“I think you have something to do with all of this” Nia said harshly as she tried to use her ability.
Solbid was old however and was very skilled at putting up a wall that was very effective at blocking Nia’s ability. It was why she was unable to feel anything from him. It must’ve taken many years to build such a wall. Nia continued trying to break through however it seemed impossible.
“If the four men are the ones responsible; then why not just execute them instead of making a show of it?” Nia asked as Solbid chuckled in response.
“Isn’t it obvious my child? I hope that whoever is working with them will attempt to render aid. Then I’ll be able to capture them all at once” He explained as he looked away from Nia at the image of Sabriel.
Nia looked at the window and noticed the light shining from outside. The colors seemed more vibrant than ever before. The image of Sabriel always made Nia feel nervous. Looking at an image of herself that was associated with such an important person.
“Necropolis has a different image of Saint Sabriel. It’s considered the oldest physical description of her. Did you know that she still looks surprisingly similar to you?” Solbid asked casually as he turned his attention back towards Nia.
“Have you ever been to Necropolis?” He asked as Nia shook her head slowly.
Necropolis was considered the oldest Volstir city. It was now vacant however it was still considered hallow ground. Sabriel was said to have lived there with the first family. Many Volstirs traveled on a holy pilgrimage every year. Nia had avoided it because of the rumored connection between her and Sabriel. She didn’t want to do anything that could add fuel to the fire.
“Well now that’s a pity. I think you would find it illuminating. Now I must apologies and take my leave but I hope you find your Polong soon. You should also attend the execution later this week. Before you ask, I shall inform you of the fate for Miss. Claire. We will conduct an investigation into her recent activities. Of course that will include the Sanguine facility.
“If Claire is determined to be guilty than she will be secretly executed. We will then erase all knowledge of her existence” Solbid explained as though he were telling Nia the current time.
Nia wondered why he was giving her this information so freely. It was strange that he would divulge such private information. Nia watched as Solbid’s cat started to ignore her and return to its master. Thereon opened his mouth making his next words explained his actions clearly.
“You should think about taking your progeny and going into hiding. Whoever is after you and your maker will likely strike soon. My people of course will help however they can. Until then you and anyone else who knows about Utaru and the other Soulem are forbidden to tell anyone else.
“It’s for the safety of all Volstir. We need to discover if someone is creating these monsters on purpose. If it is true than telling people would cause a panic and we must not have that” Solbid said before walking away with his Polong, leaving Nia speechless.
Olivia and En were both missing. The information she had received from Solbid had come with a high price tag. Nia would be allowed to look for them but would be executed if she spoke about the Soulem. She was also being targeted by some anonymous group.
Nia looked up at Sabriel’s image and did something she hadn’t done in over nine decades. She prayed to Sabriel for protection. It was not for herself but for the ones she cared about. The situation she was now facing was dangerous and Nia felt that she could use all the help she could get.
Chapter Thirteen: The Missing Friends
Nia left the church with a frown. People she cared greatly for had been taken by some unknown enemy. Nia decided to return to the pub and try to find Victor. Nia didn’t want to tell him that she had been spying on him however now was not the time for secrets.
En’s life could easily depend on quick action that Victor could provide. Nia also thought about enlisting the aid of Olivia’s Polong; Sheila. Perhaps she could be able to track En wherever he was being kept. Nia had learned a lot while hiding in Sabriel’s church however the price could cost her the ones she loved.
Solbid was still Nia’s suspect in everything that was happening. He could easily be the true culprit behind the creation of the Soulem. Nia also believed that the Soulems were still somewhere inside Loc Moines. Unfortunately, finding them would be like finding a double edged sword.
The thought alone provided worry for Nia since it would mean that there was an unknown enemy. If they were like Utaru then she wouldn’t be able to fight even if she wanted to. Nia thought about what would happen If they all came at her at once. The chances of her surviving would be very slim. Nia would have to find a way to fight the Soulem without having to get close to them.
‘The Broken Neck’ was almost completely empty when Nia arrived. The fights had ended an hour before and most of the patrons had gone home. Nia decided to head back over to E.V. and see if Victor was there. A horrible thought crossed her mind as she began to worry about Victor’s safety. She knew that the enemy was somewhere in Loc Moines which made Victor a possible target. Not wasting any time, Nia started running back to the shop.
When she arrived, Victor was inside talking with Ebony and Venus. Nia could feel tension in him as she stood in front of him. Grabbing his arm, Nia explained that they needed to talk in private. Ebony and Venus were the only other ones inside but neither one said anything.
It seemed that the two of them had gotten used to being left out. Ebony however looked more agitated than Venus as she knocked a table over and went u
pstairs. Nia did feel bad for constantly having to leave them behind. She promised to bring them in on everything when she was sure that everything was safe. She’d already lost too many people that she cared about.
Nia dragged Victor outside towards the back of the shop. A small courtyard surrounded by a stone wall provided some privacy. Releasing Victor, he immediately recovered himself while looking surprised. He hadn’t expected this to be the first thing Nia did when she came home. Nia looked at Victor however before she could say a word; she bopped him hard on the head. Something inside told her that she needed to punish Victor. Feeling more recovered; Nia decided that now was the time to tell Victor everything.
“There’s something I need to tell you. I was watching you in the church and I saw everything” Nia said as she waited for Victor’s reaction.
She had expected him to be angry or even surprised. The look on his face however was completely opposite. “Are you okay?” Nia asked as Victor shrugged and said with ease that he always thought that she was spying on him. He’d gotten quite used to Nia lurking in the shadows over the years.
Nia was now surprised since she hadn’t expected Victor to take such a nonchalant stance. She started to wonder if perhaps Nia spied on Victor too much. Something didn’t seem right whenever a grown man was alright with constantly being stalked. Nia hoped that she hadn’t screwed him up in the head throughout their years together.
“Well while we were in the church En was investigating the Sanguine building. He found several Soulem inside cryo tubes. Utaru and the other Soulem were in some computer file. I think Claire and Thereon Solbid are working together to make them.” Nia explained as Victor was surprised by this new revelation.
“I knew something wasn’t right. We should go to the Sanguine building and get her now” Victor said as he started making his way inside.