by Amber Flora
Cody was not convinced she wasn't the traitor. She had the makings of a crazy person. It was heartbreakingly obvious his mother had lost her way.
“Why are you asking me these questions? We both know we are not aligned when it pertains to the future of our people.”
They use to be. Bonnie and Deandra were once friends. Deandra trusted her in matters of Avonya. The two women had once done great things together for the community to bring the dreamwalkers together for a common goal. Now Bonnie wanted to absolve the council? None of it made sense.
“I’m just curious as to why a change of heart. What would make you abandon the very belief you fought so hard to uphold?”
“I lost my family, Dakota. I held your sister's limp body in arms. I never got to say goodbye to my husband. How could you not expect my views to change? I wait for the day you have your own family. How far would you go to protect them? Would your beliefs remain if it meant sacrificing them?”
Her strength was faltering as tears flowed from her eyes.
“You have not lost all of your family, Mother, but if you continue down this path I fear you will. You can wallow in your grief or you can make a difference in the world. You have the opportunity to ensure no other family endures what you have. Or you can despise everything and everyone who had the slightest hand in your sorrow. I know you blame me for not being there that day, but trust me when I say no one could hate me more than I hate myself for that mistake. I have learned to put my guilt to good use, can you say the same?”
Bonnie had to forgive herself. She could not have saved his sister. Sarah wasn’t the only one who died that day. Many others lost their lives to the Credo. She had to let go of the guilt she carried. It was the only way she would be able to move forward. Moving on didn’t mean she should forget them. It didn’t mean she loved them any less. He knew his father and sister wouldn’t want her to continue living in the past. They would want her to find peace.
“I am sorry I cannot be the mother you deserve. You are so much like your father that it aches to look at you sometimes. It may be too late for me, my son, but it’s not for you. Find your path. I do not blame you for not being there, that is not why we have grown apart. You still have hope, the light shines bright in your eyes. You are a constant reminder of all I lost that day. None of this is your fault. I am the one to blame for our distance. I will always love you, Dakota, you are my son. That will never change, but stop trying to save me. Understand that if I am to find my way I must do it alone. Fight if you must, believe in what you will, and know my heart is with you wherever you may go.”
Cody still wasn’t sure if his mother was the spy, but one thing he knew with certainty: No matter what happens next he could never give up on her.
The stage was set. If all went according to plan they would have their traitor in a matter of minutes. Ben had left clues throughout the day of his intent to withdraw a large amount of money from the council's vault. He felt sick to his stomach for even pretending he was going to steal from the council. It went against every fiber of his being. He couldn’t imagine how he would have been able to pull it off if the original plan were still in place. No matter how ridiculous the council's orders were at times he believed in what it did. He was after all the general of the dreamwalker army. It was his responsibility to uphold the law and carry out punishments, so it was fitting for him to be the one who caught the backstabber. Ben had done some horrible things in his long life. Speaking harshly to Deandra when she didn't return his affection was one of them, and of course who could forget the night he kissed an innocent Ashtyn and called her by her mother's name, but he would have never turned against his brothers and sisters. He rubbed the scar on his cheek and remembered how the Credo had tortured him endlessly to try to find the whereabouts of Deandra and Elias. Ben didn’t know where they were at the time, but even if he did he would have never given up their location — they would have had to kill him. Ben slowly made his way into the vault trying to prepare himself for the betrayal but nothing could prepare him for what he was about to see.
“Benjamin, what on Earth are you doing in the fault? I do not recall any recent transactions sanctioned by the council.”
Ben froze. This had to be mistake. They had the wrong person, but he still needed to be sure.
“I suppose the same could be asked of you. Is this where you go for solitude?” Ben prodded.
“I am afraid peace will not be finding either of us tonight, General. Please tell me why you were planning to steal money from your people.”
“Tell me why you sold your soul to devil!” Ben shot back.
“You know nothing, foolish boy. You could not begin to comprehend the events that have led us here.”
Ben blankly stared at the traitor. How could he have been so blind? There were no warning signs, no missteps that could have ever led Ben to this conclusion. Roger was working for Damon? The man who taught Deandra everything and stood by her side until her last day in Avonya had betrayed them? It didn’t make sense. Roger was the first to find Ashtyn after Deandra had died. He watched over her throughout the years, paid for schooling and sent Cody to protect her. When Ben himself wanted to turn his back on Ashtyn, Roger had been the one to help him keep his faith. He was the high priest. For more than five hundred years Roger had dedicated his life to their people. Why now? Why turn his back on everyone he fought so diligently to protect?
“Then try to explain it to me. Help me understand how the high priest could turn into a traitor.”
Roger sighed and took a step closer. Ben reached for his weapon but Roger held his hands up in defense.
“Everything I have done is for our people. Eight years ago Damon sent a vibrant to torture and kill me to retrieve Ashtyn's whereabouts. Luckily for me, the vibrant was greedy. All I had to do was offer her more money than Damon had and I was left virtually unharmed. She did of course manage to inflict some minor damage before we came to an agreement.”
Roger thought about that horrible day. It’s every dreamwalker’s nightmare to run across a living vibrant, and Roger was on her hit list. He didn’t know how he managed to persuade her to take his offer, but he certainly wasn’t going to question his good fortune.
“That doesn’t explain how you became Damon's spy.”
“As you can assume, Damon was not as happy as myself that a deal was struck. About a year ago he decided to take matters into his own hands. Damon had somehow managed to break into my quarters in the sanctuary and confront me. He wanted Ashtyn and was tired of waiting. After nearly killing me we too struck a deal. He swore to never allow Ser’ie to be unleashed. He said all he wanted was his queen. If I gave him Ashtyn he would leave the dreamwalkers alone.”
Ben was furious. Twice Roger had betrayed his people just to save his own hide. He wasn’t a leader, he was a sniveling little coward.
“So you gave up the girl to keep your miserable existence. How noble of you,” Ben spat.
“No! Didn’t you hear me? I did it for all of us. I loved the girl. You have no idea how difficult it was to hand over someone you had spent their entire life protecting. But I had always suspected that Ashtyn was an impure and given that she had no knowledge of our world or our people I could have never allowed her to lead us. I thought if Damon wanted her then he must not want to harm her. I could hand her over to him and she would be looked after. It was a win for everyone. We would never have to fear the wrath of Ser’ie and Ashtyn would find a place where she belonged.”
Ben thought about Ashtyn. The girl had gone through so much in her short life. He didn’t know how he would explain to her that she was handed over to Damon by the one person who swore to protect her.
“Damon tried to kill you twice! You believe she is better off with that monster? Did you honestly believe he would treat her with any more compassion than he showed you? How could you do that to an innocent girl? Deandra trusted you with her secret and you sold her daughter out to the highest bidder.”
&nb
sp; “I did it to protect us, even if I believed Ashtyn would be harmed how could I put the life of one girl above all else?”
Roger was weeping now, but Ben didn’t care. He felt no pity for the stranger standing before him.
“That still doesn't tell me why you continue to help him. If he has Ashtyn then the deal should be done. Why are you feeding him information?”
“Because of you and your group of misfits. You won't let it go. As long as Damon feels threatened he will try to stay one step ahead. He makes me feed him information. As long as no one hinders his plans we are safe.”
Had Roger gone senile? Did he truly believe he could do anything that would appease Damon enough to forget about the dreamwalkers?
“What is he planning for Ashtyn? If he didn’t want her to free Ser’ie then what does he want her for?”
“I don’t know. He would never allow his secrets to be divulged to me.”
“So you helped a man with no real knowledge of his intentions?”
Roger laughed mockingly.
“You are one to talk. Were you planning on taking a little vacation and needed some spending money or are you trying to pay off Damon for Ashtyn’s return?”
Ben smiled on the inside. The plan had worked. Roger didn’t know that they were setting him up. He thought Ben was there to try to bribe Damon.
“On the contrary, I did get what I came here for, but it wasn’t the money.”
Roger’s face turned to one of terror and then he quickly regained his composure.
“I’m sorry, Benjamin, but I cannot allow you to leave. You’re now a liability.”
Before Ben managed to blink, four dreamwalker soldiers appeared and surrounded him. Roger had managed to turn some of Ben’s own men against him. Who knows what lies he had told to get them to betray their general. For all he knew they probably thought he was the traitor. Ben reached for his sword. At the same time two of his men seized his arms, holding him in place. The other two appeared in front of him and forced him to his knees.
“Don’t do this. Roger is the one you should be subduing, not me,” Ben pleaded.
Roger looked at the men with sadness. “I told you he would say whatever he could to persuade you. He is lost, I’m afraid.”
Rotten bastard, Ben thought. He will kill him for the lies he’s told.
“Kill him, we cannot have him escaping and commanding the army,” Roger said without a hint of remorse.
The men looked at one another. Ben could sense they didn’t want to carry out the act. One of the men unsheathed his sword. Ben knew what he had to do. It was going to hurt like hell, but he was about out of options. Luckily it wasn’t the first time he had done it. Ben managed to push back with force on his left shoulder, using the weight of the man holding him to dislocate his own shoulder. This caused one of the guys to lose his hold. Once he did, Ben stayed low to the ground, swinging around and kicking out his leg. He knocked the other one down, holding him to the ground. Cody and Mac appeared just at the right time and surged forward, wrestling two of the men to the ground. Ben staggered as he tried to hold back the pain coursing through him from his self-inflicted wound. Unfortunately it made him appear to be the easier target and the soldier who was ready to slit his throat stepped forward. Ben stood tall, pushing back the pain, and managed to pull out his sword with his right hand. Their swords clashed as they anticipated each other's movement. Ben sidestepped and slashed the guy’s arm, but it wasn’t enough. The soldier lunged forward, causing Ben to momentarily lose his balance and shuffle backward. Ben caught himself and spun around, coming up behind his assailant.
Roger watched the men fighting and knew he had to escape quickly. He had not expected Cody and Mac to show up. The plan had changed and he had to get the hell out of dodge. He backed up toward the door, preparing to flash, when a hand landed on his shoulder. Roger didn’t want to turn around, he knew he was in some serious trouble.
“Hello, Roger, let’s go somewhere private and have a nice little chat about your involvement in my daughter’s capture.”
Algon seized Roger by the back of his robe and flashed out of the brawl.
Cody and Mac had managed to subdue three of their comrades while Ben fought off the last.
They watched how even with a dislocated soldier Ben fought with such ferocity. Cody was ready to step in when he saw Ben stumble backward, but before he could take a step Ben had managed to come up behind the guy and hold the sword to his throat, forcing him to the ground.
“I will not harm you, brothers. Roger has poisoned you with his lies. He is a traitor to our people. I came to here to capture him and make the high priest pay for his crimes. I will forget your attack on me and will not seek punishment if you confirm your allegiance to the council and your general.”
The men looked to one another, debating the truth. The man Mac had wrapped in a sleeper hold spoke.
“Forgive us, my lord, we were swayed by the high priest’s lies. You are our general, we should have come to you first.”
Ben nodded his approval and all the men were released from their holds.
“Go, and do not speak of this until I say. We must determine the depths of the high priest’s treachery before this is made public.”
The men nodded in unison and bowed to Ben before disappearing.
“Well, I don’t know about the lot of ya, but I need a pint,” Mac said, looking between Cody and Ben.
“We need to get to Roger,” Cody replied with a determined look.
“Aye, it just so happens we can do both. Algon is currently interrogating Roger at one of my father’s pubs,” Mac winked.
Ben laughed, putting his good arm over Mac’s shoulder.
“I could definitely go for a drink and a little torture, but would one of you mind putting my shoulder back in place first?”
The two friends stepped up. Cody held Ben the best he could as Mac went for his shoulder. A small smile crept over Mac’s face.
“Remember when I told ya that you would pay for what you did to Ashtyn?” Mac asked, sounding all too happy.
Ben’s face went white.
“Consider the debt paid,” Mac jerked Ben’s shoulder with all of his strength until they heard a loud pop and Ben fell to the ground in agony. Once Mac was confident that Ben had suffered enough for his inappropriate actions with Ashtyn, he helped the general back on his feet.
Gloria couldn’t believe what she was reading. An invitation had mysteriously appeared on her desk in the Archive. Normally she would just throw that sort of thing away without thinking twice about it. She wasn’t one for dressing up and going to lavish dreamwalker parties. She was the quiet type who preferred solitude over making small talk. Yet, when she looked at the emblem on the lavish red paper she knew immediately that this was no ordinary ball. Damon had invited Gloria to Ashtyn’s party— why she didn’t know. Had he stumbled upon their plan to rescue Ashtyn? The invitation listed in detail how she was to arrive to a particular location and wait there until someone arrived to pick her up. She was to be bound and blindfolded until her arrival at Damon’s estate. Only then would she be allowed to participate in the festivities. Gloria wanted to see her friend desperately and she knew if all went well that night that she would, but she also pondered that if things went awry this could be the last opportunity to see her face and tell Ashtyn how much she had changed her life.
Cody, Mac and Ben appeared in the bar ready to knock down a few pints and hopefully extract some useful information from their prisoner. Cody had taken notice of Mac’s argumentative state regarding Ashtyn's rescue. Even though he knew Mac would have demanded to be part of the action regardless of whom they were rescuing, he understood this particular rescue hit too close to home. When Ben went to get the details of Roger’s interrogation from Brian and Algon, Cody saw it as an opportunity to clear the air with his dear friend.
“Mac, I think we need to talk.”
Cody slid a beer over to him and took a seat.
&
nbsp; “Dakota, if you’re going to tell me one more time how I’m gonna sit this one I’m afraid I’m going to have no choice but to sock ya.”
Cody sighed, trying to maintain his composure.
“I think you need to know something. I’m afraid you have the wrong idea about Ashtyn and myself.”
“Oh, do I now? Exactly what should I be knowing about you and the lass?”
“Do you remember the night we all went bowling?”
Mac’s face went rigid and Cody feared if he didn’t get out his next words quickly, Mac might actually punch him.
“I do,” Mac said, practically growling the words.
“Ashtyn and I talked afterward. We agreed that there was nothing romantic between us. I care for her and I will always protect her, but I don’t love her the way you do and she doesn’t love me.”
Cody saw Mac’s shoulders relax a bit, which in turn allowed him to relax as well.
“Why are ya telling me this?”
“I know how much you love her and I think she cares for you as well. She wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger for her. I’m begging you, for her sake and so that you two might have a future together, don’t come with us on the mission.”
Mac stared at his friend for a long time, mostly in shock of his admission. He had no idea that Cody and Ashtyn had decided to just be friends. He wished someone had told him sooner, before she was taken. If he had known that Cody wasn't interested in Ashtyn he might have done things differently. He remembered the night at the bowling alley. He said some awful things to her that night, things he wished he could take back the moment they came out of his mouth, but he thought he was doing the right thing, not just for her but for Cody. He didn't want to be the reason his best friend didn’t get the girl. He had made so many mistakes when it came to Ashtyn. He wondered if he could ever repair all the damage he had done.