by Brian Carmen
For the second time in two hours someone grabbed his arm in order to prevent him from leaving. Nia would love to charge into the Sanguine building with guns blazing. It would only end in a big mess if they did do something like that. The biggest problem was that Claire was no longer around. Thereon Solbid had obviously wanted to get rid of any weak links that were in his organization.
“We can’t go there Victor. I was going to kill Slutty Mc Slutbag but Thereon arrived and took her away before I got the chance. He’s also forbidden us to tell anyone about the Soulem or we will be executed” Nia explained as Victor nodded that he understood.
It was obvious to both of them that they were in a bad situation. Nia still had more bad news to reveal to Victor. She hadn’t said anything before now because it was still hard for her to believe it. They had not only lost Claire but a furry friend as well. Nia frowned and took a deep breath; she had to tell Victor everything.
“En was taken along with all the Soulem. None of them are in the Sanguine building anymore. They’re all somewhere in Loc Moines and we have to find them. I also have a strong suspicion that Olivia is with them” Nia explained while leaving out who had told her about Olivia’s disappearance.
It seemed odd that Thereon would tell Nia that Olivia was missing. It probably would’ve been months before Nia really started to worry about her. Olivia was known for disappearing for months at a time without contacting anyone. It was quite an annoying habit of hers. Ebony however would’ve guessed something sooner because Olivia always kept in touch with her.
Victor was now up to speed on all the missing persons. Nia started to explain about everything that had happened after he left the church. The only thing she left out of course was the part about Olivia. Somewhere in Loc Moines was the answer and they were going to have looked around to find it.
“Claire said that all of this began after I was turned” Victor started as Nia nodded in agreement.
“I remember her saying that. I think they have someone that can see the future. That would explain why they think we’re going to end up shaking their world. I doubt they would be worried just because of a window” Nia said as they both began trying to think of what might happen into the future.
“Wouldn’t it be ironic if they’re the ones that end up creating whatever future they saw” Victor said with a laugh as they went back inside.
It was a possibility but Nia doubted it. Olivia had always said that the future was tricky. It was almost impossible to prevent a vision. There were too many things that could happen to ensure an event took place. The enemy could end up creating the future however it would probably happen without their interference.
Ebony and Venus were waiting for them but this time they weren’t alone. Lauren was with them and she seemed a bit upset. Apparently she had gotten into a fight with Edvin and now he was missing. Ebony also mentioned that Sheila was missing from the Polong Facility. Both Ebony and Venus were now looking at Nia seriously.
Nia became more worried as an idea crossed her mind. Someone was doing a fine job of putting distractions in her way. They were taking those that were close to Nia and her family. Edvin and Sheila’s disappearance wasn’t a coincidence. Things were bad and they would likely get worse the longer they wait.
The enemy was obviously planning on something big. They needed to ensure that Nia stayed out of their way while they acted. Nia wanted to tell her sisters what was really going on. They were already suspicious that both Victor and she knew what was going on.
Their hands were completely tied behind their backs. If they said anything about what they saw; than Thereon would have an excuse to execute them. Nia also didn’t want anything else to happen to her family. She already felt guilty about the people that were already being hurt by her actions.
Nia decided to try and fill them in. She left a few of the important details out. One of the details was that Olivia was also missing. Nia didn’t want to make Ebony worry if it wasn’t necessary. Hopefully they would be able to find all of them before it was too late.
Ebony and Venus were quick to join in the search. Lauren however refused to be a part of the search. She suggested that the others would likely show up if they just stayed put. Ebony called her lazy before pulling out a map of Loc Moines. They started looking at different areas on the map before deciding to split up.
Victor and Nia were going to look around some of the alleys. Ebony and Venus decided to talk with a friend of theirs. The guy worked on Loc Moines’ internal system and would have the most knowledge about hidden chambers. The city’s dome wasn’t entirely stone.
All of the lost cities had many hidden chambers. They were originally meant as hiding holes for the Volstir. If the humans ever became aware of the underground city than the entire population could disappear in an instant.
Nia and Victor didn’t think they were going to find anything. Unlike Lauren however they couldn’t just sit back and wait. Nia knew that even one Soulem was dangerous. If five of them struck all at once then the result could be disastrous. If they all continued searching the city then eventually they would be able to find something useful.
Nia could feel something was bothering Victor. She herself felt a bit conflicted because they were forced to keep secrets. Something else worried her than just the secrets and lies. Nia didn’t know how she would feel if Victor was worrying about Claire. Finally as they walked down their fifth alley she decided that she had to ask.
“If you have something to say about Claire” Nia began as Victor looked at her like she was insane.
“What would I have to say about Claire? I met her and we had sex. It’s not like I’m in love with her or anything. I was just thinking about what you said earlier about someone helping them with foresight. You don’t think it could be Olivia do you?” Victor confessed as Nia laughed.
“Olivia would die before helping people that were evil. It wouldn‘t make sense for Olivia to be working with them. I was thinking however that we should take Thereon Solbid’s advice. It may be a trap but we should watch the Execution Royal” Nia said as she felt a weight being lifted from Victor’s mind.
“Thereon said that they were the ones responsible for what happened to Utaru. The council will likely not say what they are being executed for. It’s pretty common so nobody would question it. They will say their names which will give us something to begin investigating” Nia explained as Victor nodded.
“Do you really think all of this has to do with some stupid idea that you’re the second Sabriel?” Victor asked as he added that it seemed silly.
Nia however frowned as she thought about the question for a moment. It didn’t make sense to her either. She knew however that it didn’t have to make sense to her. The enemy believed it to be true. They were going to constantly come after Nia until they were able to get whatever it was they wanted.
“Volstirs are naturally paranoid remember? We live forever and end up chasing phantom shadows that we think might be a threat. Even if it’s not true, the thought alone is enough to make some of them act. Someone with foresight was able to give them a reason to feel more threatened” Nia explained as Ebony and Venus ran up to her.
Nia hadn’t expected that the two of them would be able to find any useful information. The both of them seemed unusually excited about what they had learned. Ebony however refused to give them any more information unless they told them the truth. It took fifteen minutes of arguing before Nia was able to convince Ebony to just tell them what they learned. She wasn’t very happy however Nia promised that she would tell them everything soon.
“So we spoke with our friend Jason. He gave us a lot of information” Ebony said bitterly.
They found a bench to sit on as Ebony started telling them about what they had gathered. Nia found out that Jason had an ability to track others. It was one of the reasons why the council kept him around. Unfortunately he was unable to track any of the missing people they were looking for.
Venus
suggested that someone powerful was keeping them hidden. She then explained that there were three hundred secret chambers in Loc Moines. All of them were watched carefully by Keepers. Nia cursed as she thought about how difficult it would be to try and sneak into all of them. She couldn’t believe that there were over three hundred secret chambers in the city.
Jason volunteered to search the chambers for clues. Unfortunately he would need a few days to get the paperwork in order. Ebony cursed at what she called the stupid bureaucratic bull. Jason had also informed them of a strange rumor. People were already saying that Claire had been secretly executed.
“The funny thing is that apparently she was looking into one of the secret chambers. It was in the Sanguine Facility and had apparently been blocked off. Nobody inside the facility could open it. She also reported a month ago that some of the adult Sanguine had disappeared” Venus explained.
Nia suddenly felt terrible when Venus finished. Claire had really been innocent after all. Thereon must have believed that she was a threat. Nia looked at the twins and frowned as she worried for their safety. Claire was proof of what would happen if they discovered too much information.
“Were they able to get in?” Nia asked, despite already knowing the answer.
The way inside the chamber had to be something that En was able to notice since he had been able to get in. Ebony explained that there was a tiny hole to the left of the door. It was away from the cameras so nobody would’ve seen how to open it. All someone needed to do was stick a needle inside and the entrance would unlock.
The information Jason provided was both invaluable and disheartening at the same time. They now had more of an idea about what was going on. The only thing they were going to be able to do would be to wait. They couldn’t act until they had a more solid lead on where the prisoners were being kept.
Nia and Victor exchanged nervous glances with each other. Ebony suggested they go to the surface so Nia could tell them the truth. Nia however explained that she couldn’t tell them. This caused Ebony to start throwing a huge fit about being honest with family. Venus was looking at her and Victor more closely now.
Nia tried to explain but Ebony wasn’t listening. She began calling Nia names and demanding that she tell them everything. Ebony even threatened Nia with violence as she asked if Victor would like to have a black eye.
“Calm down Ebony, can’t you see what’s going on? Nia isn’t the type to keep secrets just because someone told her. She’s obviously being threatened and isn’t allowed to tell us anything. My guess is that it has something to do with that Soulem you killed. I would also guess with less confidence, that it involves Claire and the secret chambers.” Venus said casually as Ebony began looking between Nia and Venus.
“Wow she’s really smart!” Victor blurted out causing Venus to blush.
Nia however didn’t say a word however Venus was able to confirm that her guess was correct. Venus suggested that they wait at the shop. She also added that they keep Lauren out of the loop to avoid any more conflict. Nia walked beside Venus while trying to figure out if she should give her sister any more clues.
Venus was intelligent and had amazing deductive skills. Nia had never known Venus was this skilled before. Time had helped Ebony become physically stronger while Venus increased her mental strength. Nia figured it would be alright to let Venus in on more of the details.
“We haven’t heard from Olivia in about month. Not since all of this began” Nia said simply as Venus stopped walking.
Nia could easily see that she’d already put the puzzle piece in place. She nodded and continued walking. Venus seemed to understand that it was best not to let Ebony know. If anyone was going to tell Ebony, than Venus was the obvious choice.
“I’m sure Olivia will turn up sooner than later” Venus replied as they went back to the shop.
Lauren was no longer in the shop which came to nobody’s surprise. None of them bothered to worry about her as they tried to keep themselves busy. It would be hard to do nothing and just wait however it was all they could do. The next three days past by at a snail’s pace as the four cleaned the shop from top to bottom.
Lauren popped in for only a couple of hours at a time. She would shower and change and then quickly leave again. Often she would appear with a couple of guys at her side. Nia could sense that even though she pretended not to care about Edvin’s disappearance; inside it was starting to eat at her. Nia figured that Edvin had something to do with Lauren’s light.
The casual way that Lauren pretended everything was alright was starting to annoy everyone else. Nia was unable to keep silent as she grabbed Lauren by the arm and dragged her outside. None of the others noticed this however Lauren looked at Nia as though she had slapped her in the face.
“Don’t think you can treat me like Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Butch. I’m not desperate for your approval like they are” Lauren snapped as Nia brought her to the side of the shop.
Despite the futile search that was going on the city was becoming livelier. The return of Thereon seemed to have renewed some type of energy in the city. There were more Volstir and Polongs in Loc Moines than before. The crowd made Nia uneasy as she grabbed Lauren by the hair and pulled her somewhere private.
“Look little girl, I’m sick of your snobby act. I know you’re worried about Edvin” Nia snapped while Lauren tried to straighten her hair again.
The blond woman looked around nervously while pretending that Nia was crazy. Lauren obviously didn’t want to admit the truth. Nia however reminded her that she was an empath and could feel Lauren’s emotions. This irritated Lauren as Nia began to feel the air around the both of them drop in temperature. Lauren was an external that had ice like abilities.
Nia had never seen Lauren use her ability much. It was odd to feel a tingling in her fingers as the heat was taken away from them. Glaring at Lauren, the coldness began to dissipate from around them.
“It’s none of your business how I feel. Don’t pretend to be my big sister or something like that. I’m a big girl and can take care of myself” Lauren said coldly.
“Trust me, we can all see that. You don’t have to pretend so much; we’d like you more if you were honest” Nia began however the coldness had quickly increased; cutting her words off.
“I’m only here because Olivia asked me to come. I don’t want or need any of your fake sympathy. Worry about your progeny and yourself before I give you both something to worry about” Lauren snapped before walking away from Nia.
Nia shook the ice from her shoulder as she walked back inside the shop. She hadn’t known that Olivia had asked Lauren to come to Loc Moines. It was strange that her maker would keep something like that from the rest of them. For a moment, Nia remembered what Victor had suggested about Olivia helping the bad guys.
The thought was quickly put from her mind. Olivia did many things and was entitled to her secrets. Nia couldn’t doubt her maker after all the years they spent together. Lauren however seemed to have deeper issues than Nia had known. It was obvious that she felt like an outsider. Now it seemed that she really didn’t want to have anything to do with the rest of them.
Edvin needed to be found and Nia wanted to be the one to find him. She couldn’t explain why, but something felt wrong. Olivia had always said they were a family and that they needed to be there for one another. Perhaps she wanted Nia and the twins to finally accept Lauren for who she was. Looking down at a newspaper, Nia wished she had En around to talk with.
“So the Execution Royal is coming up. Venus thinks someone might use it as a distraction to kill you” Ebony said casually as Nia nodded.
The thought had crossed her mind several times. The problem was they didn’t have the ability to fight the Soulem. Victor had been using the free time to practice his telekinesis. He still wasn’t strong enough to try and fight off several Soulem at once. Ebony smiled as she mentioned that Nia had slipped up.
“Now I know someone is trying to kill you, thank y
ou” Ebony said with a smug expression.
Nia had been so distracted that she’d accidentally revealed something to Ebony. She wanted to kick Ebony for tricking her. Ebony however confessed that she and Venus had a secret to tell them. She explained that it was probably illegal however they both found their variation two. Nia was reminded of the work Ebony and Venus had been doing in the back of the shop.
“It’s pretty badass and will help kill some Soulems. You can thank us later” Ebony said as she brought Nia to the back of the shop.
Venus was already in the back as Ebony pulled out several guns. They were similar to the rifles the Keepers carried. Camden had been collecting older models for years and had given them to Ebony as a gift. Nia looked at the four rifles along with five pistols that were all modified.
Ebony explained that it had started out as a hobby but quickly turned into an obsession for both of the twins. The rifles looked similar to a human’s M16 however the inside of the barrel had red indentions. The pistols reminded Nia of M9’s however the barrel’s also had red indentions. The indention was slight and would only have been noticed by Volstir eyes.
Venus assured them that they were all capable of firing however they would need something special. A small mahogany box was pulled out and unlocked so that Nia could easily see its contents. Inside were several dozen bullets for the rifles and the pistols. They were unique since all of them were stained blood red.
“With these we can put a cap in those Soulem’s asses” Ebony said jubilantly from behind Nia.
Last year the twin had discovered that their blood when mixed with diesel fuel became extremely flammable. When added with a regular bullet it gave the tiny piece of metal the same effect as the sun. They had only tested it out once but it had been enough to confirm the power of the rounds. It was the most effective way in killing a Volstir.
“Venus was the one that figured out the Keepers used these Hellfyre bullets with their own weapons” Ebony explained as she began loading up the guns.