by Moira Murphy
Another man approached the table; he was wearing a patterned poncho made of wool. He had black hair down his back and dark tanned skin. He was in his mid-thirties, but his eyes told a different story.
“Palmer. Hello.” Mooney stood, welcoming him to the table. “These are our friends from…well, these are Cami’s friends; Tessa, Tucker, and Niko.” Palmer nodded a greeting and sat down to eat. “Palmer is another one of the creators of our cause.” Mooney continued. “He, Cami, and I brought it together soon after we realized that Nathayre would not be the sort of king we desired.”
“When did he become king?” Tessa asked.
“When did he meet Cami?” Niko interrupted.
“They met at a festival in the city, before Nathayre became king.” Mooney explicated.
“Me. I introduced them. It was me.” Palmer’s voice startled them. “I didn’t know who he’d become or what he’d do.” He cleared his throat, “But, it was me.”
Bindy placed a hand on his arm. “No one could know,” she said.
Mooney continued, “Nathayre was the leader of the Lavocs.”
“But I thought the Lavocs were just his… guards.“ Tessa asked.
“Lavocs are the Monarchy’s police. Whoever is reigning, they protect. But, Nathayre has poisoned it.” Mooney shook his head. “He and Cami met at the festival in the city, while he was still a Lavoc. And he just took a liking to her, immediately.”
“Why her?” Niko asked, already knowing the answer.
“She’s like you, like me. Human.” Palmer answered with his mouth full of food. “He wants humans to rule Wiklow. He thinks no one else is good enough.”
“How is it that he and you came to Wiklow?” Sully asked. “With the Wards?”
Palmer looked at Mooney who took the opportunity to answer for him, “Last generation’s Wards were not…” Mooney searched for the words, “Not complete.”
“What does that mean?” Tucker asked.
“There was a situation… an unfortunate event…” Mooney looked at Bindy, who knew where this conversation was headed and she was not thrilled to hear the story again. A human came through at Siegly Lake, and the Herapher guarding the portal found her. She was injured and instead of returning her to her world, he nursed her back to health… here.”
“And that’s bad?” asked Tessa.
“Well, not in and of itself, but the Ward’s purpose is to protect Wiklow from other worlds. I don’t think the Queen would have sent the Lavocs to do anything about it… but they… the Lavocs took it upon themselves to right,”he paused, “To right what they thought was wrong.”
“What did they do?” Niko asked, enveloped in the story.
“They hunted down the human within a few weeks… and although she had already returned to her world, the Herapher and the Crypsis were executed... by Crawford.”
“Leaving the portal open…” said Sully.
“Precisely.” Mooney affirmed.
“Why the Crypsis, too?” Tessa asked.
“As the two main guardians of the portal, the Herapher and the Crypsis were often together. And they both knew about the human.”
“They were friends,” Bindy added, angrily.
Palmer wanted to take eyes off Bindy, “So, myself and Nathayre were able to come through without anyone knowing.
“And without a full Ward, the next Queen was left without parts of her protection. Which gave Nathayre an option to elect himself King.” They all stared at Mooney and Palmer; they were taken back by the sad path this beautiful place had taken. Bindy looked uneasy, which made them uneasy, as she usually couldn’t stop talking. Sully was the first to connect the dots that were quieting her.
“The Crypsis was your…,” Sully said to her.
“Father.” She answered.
“Do you remember him?” Niko asked.
“Not really. I was barely two years old, but I have pictures of him, and my mother told me stories about him.” She reached into her dress pocket, revealing a partially crumpled picture of a man in his early 20’s. He looked proud and happy.
“Very handsome,” Tessa said as she leaned over the picture.
“I am sorry, Bindy, to bring up such a painful memory,” Mooney apologized.
“No, I’m sure he would have loved to be talked about.”
“I can assure you he would have,” Mooney smiled.
“Were you a Lavoc then?” Tuck asked.
“I’ve always been a Lavoc, since birth. It’s in my blood. But no, I was not working yet.”
Throughout the meal they learned that about two years prior, the queen suddenly and unexpectedly died at the young age of twenty. There was some speculation that it was no accident, but nothing was ever proven. She hadn’t picked a spouse yet, and therefore had no heir. She, being an only child to her already deceased parents, left no one to rule. There was a short period of mourning for the kind young, and gone-too-soon queen. But, quicker than expected, Nathayre elected himself King, with the entirety of the Lavocs behind him. Little did they or anyone know what the election would mean.
Soon after becoming King, Nathayre was keen to begin his ‘wholesome’ lineage. He attached himself to Cami, lavishing her with gifts and exotic treasures. He, however, realized that she was not something to be tamed. Her lust for adventure and discovery over powered any desire for a life of luxury and riches. He forced her into a sham of a marriage; he never let her leave the castle grounds, or quench her thirst for wander. But Cami, being Cami, escaped. With Mooney’s assistance she met Palmer in the Stone City and began searching for people interested in a revolution of Wiklow. Nathayre’s rage was quick and harsh. He directed Crawford to begin interrogations of Wiklow’s people. For many years, Crawford had been known for his ability to get answers from people through harsh means, mostly torture. He learned that Cami was able to travel through water back to her home. After reporting this to Nathayre, the water disappeared. Nathayre had hoarded it all to the Alerden Ocean and then built a great wall to keep people from it, without a care for the people who were dying of dehydration or the animals starving to death. He wanted Cami, and he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
“And that leads me to believe that he would be very interested in you,” Mooney pointed at Tessa. “You are the only other human female here.”
“Well, then she has to go home,” Tucker said, sternly. Tessa snuffed in reply,
“Yeah, right.” She laughed.
“I’m serious.”
“No, I’m not going back.” She shook her head.
“You are.”
“Why would I go back? My-my sister is here. She needs us.”
“We can find her,” Niko gently suggested. He didn’t say the words, but he was in agreement with Tucker.
“No! I finally feel like I know… who I am. Where I’m going. Like- like I’ve found my…” She didn’t want to say ‘destiny’. She knew that would make everyone laugh. But, it was the only word that seemed to fit.
“Purpose?” Sully offered.
“Yes!” Tessa shouted. “Purpose. I’m not leaving.”
“I kind of know what she means.” Sullivan directed the attention toward himself.
“You support her staying?” Tucker was furious.
“I’m just saying that I know how she feels,” Sullivan shrugged. “Look at me. I couldn’t even choose one major. It took me forever to pick a college. Nothing ever felt… right.” He pushed a green ball around his plate. “And now… I don’t know. I’m actually helping here. And it feels like it means something.”
There was silence, No one spoke. No one ate. No one moved.
“She could help.” Palmer said. After waiting for an objection that didn’t come, he continued. “We could use her to draw out the Nathayre.”
“Like bait? No.” Tucker shook his head.
“Not happening,” Niko agreed.
“Not what I meant,” Sully confirmed.
“I can do that!” Tessa urged.
/> “Are you crazy?” Niko asked. “You know what he wants from you, right?”
“It won’t get that far.” She shrugged.
“No. You are going home.” Tuck stood. “We are all going home.” He pushed his chair in, and put the pack on. “We are not getting involved in some… war!” He swatted Sullivan on the shoulder, telling him to follow.
“What about Cami?” Niko questioned. “We can’t leave her here.” The great room was silent for the second time. Tucker knew he couldn’t leave Cami behind. He felt guilt for going against everything in him that felt he should stay and fight. But, was it worth the chance at losing his family and friends?
“We are leaving.” Tucker continued toward the door. “Now.”
“Tucker!” Tessa stood up.
“Let him go.” Sully stopped her, “He needs to calm down.”
“He can’t leave by himself.” She threw her hands up.
“He won’t leave us all here… just give him a minute.” Sullivan patted the table next to his seat. “We all need to talk,” he said to the table. He looked at Mooney and smiled, “Could we take a break from… planning?” he asked.
“Yes. Yes.” Mooney tapped Palmer’s shoulder, “We’ll give you guys sometime… to relax.” He stood. “Bindy can show you where you can sleep for the night. We can regroup later.” He and Palmer quickly left the dining area, leaving the group.
“ Should I…?” Bindy pointed her thumb towards the door. Sullivan looked into her eyes, apologetically. He felt guilty asking her to leave, but he knew this was Tucker’s secret. “Alright. I’ll come back a little later to show you guys around.”
“I’m sorry,” Sullivan whispered as she stood.
“No. No. Don’t be worried. I’m fine.” She kissed his head. “Not all things must be shared.” And with that, she quietly slipped out.
“What’s going on?” Niko asked.
“What’s up, Sully?”
“It’s time you all knew about Benji.”
“Who is Benji?” Tessa sat back down at the table.
Chapter 12
In the summer before sophomore year, soon after Ms. Ramirez had started fostering Niko, Tuck started volunteering at the Big Brother/ Big Sister program. Years and years of watching his best friend bullied and abused by his terrible foster father, he wanted to make amends. He wanted to be the good male figure Niko always needed growing up. He wanted to be an influence for someone. No one knew of his volunteering on account of the fact that he was known at school for being heartless, and he wanted to keep it that way. Which is how he met Benji, his first and only ‘little brother’. Benji was ten; he had been in and out of juvenile detention since the age of seven. He had a pattern of running away from his foster homes. Like Niko, he had been in the foster system for as long as he could remember. His parents died when he was a baby, and he hadn’t been able to find his forever home.
When Tuck met him he was in a group home, getting beaten up by a group of criminal teenagers daily. He had a black eye the first time he met Tucker. He was small for his age, which only added to his aggression toward others. He felt he needed to prove himself. He wore his dark blue Yankees cap backwards, covering his black kinky hair. It took awhile, but through friendly ribbing, regular boxing lessons, and consistent visits, Benji became surprisingly attached to Tucker. He attended dinners at the Corrick household regularly, and Sully, too, became attached. Tucker encouraged him immensely to stay in the group home, no matter how hard it may be. He needed to work the system, and find a new foster home. And with his new found idol, Benji did it. A few months with Tucker’s encouragement, Benji got out of the group home. He was ecstatic, and though his new foster family wasn’t everything he had hoped for, it was better than being beaten up daily. He had his own room, and could see Tuck unscheduled and unsupervised.
Most Saturdays, despite Tucker’s aversion to non contact team sports, he would take Benji to local baseball games. Usually the stands were empty, which let the two of them get the best seats in the stadium, complete with free t-shirts from the t-shirt gun. Benji would gorge himself on five cent hot dogs and overly salted pretzels, while Tucker kept a score of how often their sad small town team lost. For every win, Tuck owed Benji a seat at a Yankees game. For months, Tuck owed nothing to Benji, but he didn’t lose hope. That was until April 7th, when the Riverport Pioneers won their first game by one point.
Benji was so excited when that last point went up on the scoreboard, Tuck thought he might puke up the six hot dogs he’d swallowed. Of course, Tuck had never planned on the Pioneers actually winning any games. They were known for being terrible. He researched how much a Yankee’s game would cost, and calculated how many boxing lessons he’d have to give before he could afford it. It was a lot more than he expected, but it was attainable. He planned that at the beginning of next season they’d be able to attend an away Yankees game. It wasn’t Wrigley Field, but it was enough. So, he put his head down and taught as much as he could at the local gym. Finally, in April of the next season, Tucker handed Benji an unmarked envelope with two Yankees game tickets in it. He was beyond ecstatic, his eyes bulged and his mouth gaped open. Benji was in shock, he’d never had anyone treat him as well as Tucker had been doing for a year.
The game was better than anything either of them could have imagined. Tucker could only afford one hot dog for each of them, but it was the best hot dog either of them had ever tasted. Tucker couldn’t take his eyes off the joy in Benji. With mustard dried to Benji’s upper lip and the rim of his Yankees cap soaked in sweat, the smile never left his face. Those were his heroes playing on that green grass, and his other hero was sitting to his left. It was the single greatest day of his life.
A year and a half after they met, on a perfectly rainy Sunday, Tucker drove to pick up Benji at the apartment he’d been to a hundred times. He waited outside, leaning against his blue Toyota Camry as he had a hundred times before. Twenty minutes later, Benji had still not come down. This was very unlike him, in all the time he’d known him, Benji was always eager to leave the apartment.
As Tucker climbed to the second floor of the building, the scent of liquor was strong. The hunter green front door with a green number six nailed to it was ajar. The living room was empty, but the stench was thicker. “Benji?” he called out. As he turned the corner into the dingy yellow kitchen, he noticed a blue sheet on the floor lit by the fluorescent lights. The Yankees hat that was permanently attached to Benji’s scalp lay near the fridge. Tucker sucked in sharply as he noticed the shape under the blue sheet.
Benji’s foster father beat him to death in a drunken rage on a Sunday morning. A Sunday like any other, a Sunday in July. An insignificant Sunday that no one would take notice of, but, Tucker would never forget.
Benji’s foster father, Garrett Bronson, was found passed out in the front seat of his truck a few hours later. It wasn’t until Niko mentioned reading the article that Tuck connected that Benji and Niko shared the same foster father. How fortunate that Niko had found his forever family, and how unfortunate for Benji. Tucker never let himself forget the blame he felt. After all, he was the one who convinced Benji to get back into a foster home. He’d never forgive himself. He’d never let anyone come to harm, at his hands again.
Chapter 13
Tucker sat outside in the left palm of the West Queen, looking out on the cracked canyon. He thought of Benji. The young boy had struggled with a temper, just like Tucker. Tucker thought he could benefit from an outlet for his aggression. He used boxing when he was a child for the very same thing. Tucker started boxing lessons with Benji within the first few months of their friendship. He loved it and it was extremely effective in Benji’s temperament. He never wanted to stop during the lessons, even when his arms were weak and sweat was dripping in his eyes. He would look up at Tuck and beg for more. Of course, Tucker would cave in every time, and fight through his own burning biceps.
“Hey.” Tessa sat down on the thumb of the queen.
<
br /> “Hey.” He spoke quietly.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“Sully told you,” he stated, blankly.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “Why didn’t you tell us?” He didn’t respond. Instead he took a swig of water from an almost empty water bottle. “Tuck?”
“It’s not something I’m proud of, ya know?” He bit his bottom lip.
“Why? You were doing something great.”
“The decisions I made…” he cleared his throat. “I made some bad decisions.”
“No, you didn’t.” She scooted closer. “The foster system, his case worker… Garrett… they failed him. Not you.”
“Don’t say his… name.” Tucker clenched his jaw. “He doesn’t…deserve to be spoken about. He doesn’t deserve to breathe.”
“Okay. I won’t, but—you’re right.” She squinted into the sunlight. “He doesn’t deserve to breathe. But, that’s just it… He doesn’t. Not you. You were trying to do a good thing.”
“But, I let that piece of—“ he seethed with anger.
“Stop. Stop.” Tessa put her hands on his. “You changed that boy’s life. You showed him… what a good man was. You showed him… what a father could and-- and should be.”
“But, I let that… monster… destroy everything!” He began to yell.
“You did nothing but good, Tuck.” She begged him to look in her eyes. He wouldn’t. She knew the more she talked, the more agitated he would become. She went silent, but kept her hands where they were. They looked out across to beyond the canyon. They saw a great giant wall in the distance; it must have been a mile high and miles long. Tuck imagined what its purpose was to distract himself from thoughts of Benji.
“We can’t let them win,” Tessa stated.
“Nathayre?”
“People like Nathayre… like Garrett.” She sucked in a breath. “We can’t let people like that win. The type of people that put themselves before anyone else— selfish, egotistical, uncompassionate…” She pushed her lips together, “We have to be everything they aren’t. We have to be the good we need.”