Testament

by Katie Ashley

  “Kellan, I’m your mother—”

  His eyes narrowed. “You are not a mother. A mother doesn’t leave her only child because of her own selfish political aspirations.” He jabbed his finger at her. “You abandoned me!”

  Maureen’s head shook wildly back and forth. “I would have never left you. I was taken from you. It’s all lies what you’ve been told—lies told to poison you against me.”

  “I won’t listen to this!” he stormed towards the door.

  To my utter shock, Maureen began singing a verse of an Irish lullaby. Kellan froze at the sound of her voice—his hand hovering over the doorknob. “Do you remember how I used to sing that to you?” she asked.

  Kellan didn’t say anything.

  “Until they separated us four years ago, we’d never been apart more than a day. Your father never stopped criticizing me for it, but I didn’t care. I’d always wanted a child, and I couldn’t bear to be away.”

  Emotion choked off her voice, and she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I need you to break through the past four years of lies and treachery to those fourteen years we had together, Kellan. I need you to remember how I was the one there when you were scared or had nightmares in the middle of the night. I took care of you when you were sick, and I kissed away the bruises. Whatever world you have with your father now can’t be like the one we had.”

  My breath hitched in my chest as I waited for his response.

  Without a word, he turned the doorknob and walked out the door.

  Maureen stood frozen like a statue, staring at the closed door. She didn’t cry, she didn’t move—I don’t think she even breathed. Tentatively, I went to her. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  Her body began trembling all over. “All these years I clung to the hope that when Kellan turned eighteen, he could inherit the money from my father’s estate and be financially independent. Then he’d be free of Richard, and in turn, we would be together again.” Sobs overcame her then. “If I’ve lost him to Richard, I’ve got nothing else to live for.”

  “Yes, you do. You have me and all the other Believers in the world. You’re our hope.” When Maureen appeared doubtful, I said, “You haven’t lost, Kellan. He’s just so overwhelmed and confused about me being a Believer, and then when you add reuniting with you—it’s just too much for him to process. He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

  She bobbed her head and then went over and sunk down in a chair. She buried her head in her hands and didn’t say anything else. I knew she needed her space, so I went to my bed and curled into a ball until they came to get us for dinner.

  There were three other prisoners that met us in the dining room. All males, I recognized some of their faces from being in Richard’s cabinet. I wondered what they did to piss him off. Once we were seated and the food set in front of us, I only picked at the bland chicken and broccoli on the tray. Each time I thought of Micah, my stomach churned. He was being kept in a different area from Maureen and me and the other high-ranking political prisoners.

  Maureen didn’t eat either. She just kept staring at her plate. I didn’t know what else to say to make her believe things would change. When they took us back to the room, we both retreated to our beds, desperate for sleep to give to refuge from our troubles.

  As soon as I feel asleep, I began to dream. I was struggling through a misty fog. I couldn’t make out the landmarks around me. Even though I was unsure where I was, peace enveloped me. The fog ended at a tunnel. When I went inside, two labs, a gold one and black one, raced towards me, barring their teeth. Instead of being afraid of the dogs, I knelt down and began to pet them. Kellan appeared and one of the dog’s went to him, nuzzling his legs and licking his face. And when I looked again, it wasn’t a dog—it was a beautiful girl, her hair covered with a Muslim khimar. I couldn’t see her face, but she wrapped her arms around Kellan and smiled. And then Micah was by my side. He glanced from me to Kellan and the girl and smiled. “Mazol Tov!” he called.

  I jolted awake. Glancing at the clock beside the bed, I realized it was only ten at night. Just as I rolled back over, I heard footsteps in the corridor.

  The door swung open, sending Maureen and I both shooting up in bed. “Take as long as you need, sir,” one of the guards said.

  I shielded my eyes from the glaring light from the hallway. When I made out the figure in the doorway, I gasped.

  It was Kellan.

  The guard closed the door, and we all stared at each other. He still hadn’t changed clothes, and he still appeared disheveled like before. “I want to know one thing,” he said to Maureen.

  She swung her legs over the bed and stood up. “Okay.”

  “When I was younger, did you take beatings for me from Father?”

  Her eyes widened. “How could you remember that?”

  “Whenever he wanted to go off on me, you would send me out of the room. The next time I saw you there would be bruises or cuts on your face and arms.”

  Maureen closed her eyes. “The higher he rose up the corporate ladder, the less time he had at home and the more he became enraged at the least little thing. I hoped after he stopped, you wouldn’t remember because you were too young. ” She opened her eyes and smiled sadly. “You were my blood, and I had to sacrifice to protect you.”

  As he finally saw everything as it truly was, tears glistened in Kellan’s eyes. “Mom, I—”

  Before he could finish, Maureen rushed to him, and they collapsed into each other’s arms. The scene brought tears to my eyes, and I let them drip freely down my cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. I never stopped loving you. Deep down, I never really believed what they all said,” Kellan said, his voice buried in his mother’s shoulder.

  Maureen stroked the top of his head like he was a child. “Shh, it doesn’t matter. None of that matters as long as you’re here with me.”

  Her words pierced my heart. They were same ones Micah had said to me the night before. I wondered where he was and if he was all right. And then I thought of Griff, and I wondered if he knew what had happened to me.

  When they finally pulled away, Kellan glanced sheepishly at me. “Guess you never thought you’d see me like this,” he said, wiping his eyes on his shirtsleeve.

  “I’m glad I did. It confirms what I thought about you all along.”

  He grinned impishly. “What that I was a crybaby mama’s boy?”

  I shook my head. “No, that you had a loving heart somewhere in side you.”

  He sighed. “If only I’d shown my true colors a little earlier, there might’ve been a chance for us, huh?”

  Maureen glanced between the two of us. “But I thought you two were a couple?”

  “Uh, well,” I said, staring down at the floor.

  “Let’s just say one of us feels more than the other does,” Kellan answered.

  “Ah, I see,” Maureen said, knowingly.

  An uncomfortable silence permeated the room. I cleared my throat. “So what happens now?”

  Kellan looked between his mom and me. “To be honest, I have no idea. This is all new territory for me.”

  “Wonderful,” I murmured.

  Maureen’s brows creased in worry. “There’s no safe place in your father’s world if he finds out you’ve been to see Cadence, least of all me.”

  “There’s really no safe place, period,” I said.

  Kellan appeared thoughtful. “Do you think it could be Roarke using the Abir to overthrow my father?”

  Maureen shook her head. “No, Roarke despises the Believer’s too much to join forces with them.”

  “Then who do you think the benefactor is that Father can’t identify?” Kellan asked.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Maureen said, “It’s me.”

  I gasped, and Kellan’s mouth fell open. “What?” he demanded.

  “I’m sorry if that shocks you, but many of the Abir had parents who were my supporters. Of course, they were much more dispensable to some of
my top advisors, so they were eliminated. They’re orphaned and underground because of me, and I feel a responsibility to them.”

  “But with your imprisonment, how do you possibly have any access to money? Not to mention, does my father know his money is going to fund rebellion?” Kellan questioned.

  “Have you forgotten the wealth I came from? Your father signed a pre-nup, and he has no access to that. Of course, my family connections helped him rise to where he is today.” At Kellan’s continued disbelief, she said, “Your Uncle Marcus is my liaison to the outside world.”

  Kellan shook his head. “This is unbelievable. First Cadence is a Believer, and now I find out my own mother is helping to support the Abir?”

  “Should it matter more that there’s a rebellion or that it’s led by believers?” Maureen questioned.

  “Hell yes, it matters that they’re Believers. It changes everything.”

  Before Maureen could ask, I questioned, “But why?”

  “If non-believers dispose of my father, at least they won’t try to reinstate religion.”

  I shook my head. “How can you stand here before me and say that?”

  He shrugged. “I can’t help the way I feel.”

  “You’re a prejudiced asshole!”

  “Cadence—” Maureen began.

  “I’m sorry it’s hard to accept since he’s your son and all, but he is a prejudiced asshole and hypocrite. He claims he loves me, yet he despises all Believers. How does that make any sense?”

  “Look, we’re not going to see eye to eye on belief right now, so can we just leave it alone and focus on getting out of here?” Maureen questioned.

  Kellan crossed his arms over his chest. “And just how do you see that working since you’re funding the Abir?”

  Maureen sighed. “Belief isn’t the evil you’ve been led to believe it is.”

  “Fabulous. Next you’ll tell me you’ve become one.”

  When Maureen didn’t reply, Kellan’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious!”

  “Prison changes you. And I’ve come to see things differently.”

  Kellan eased down on the bed. He furiously rubbed his eyes as if he was trying to wake up from a bad dream. “Are you all right?” I asked.

  He shot me an exasperated look. “Oh, I’m fine. I just spoke to my mother for the first time in four years and learned not only has she been funding the Abir who are trying to dispose of my father, but she’s also become the very thing I’ve been taught to despise. Oh, and let’s not forget the girl I’ve chosen to be my future wife doesn’t really love me, thinks I’m an arrogant, prejudiced asshole, and besides that, she’s been imprisoned for trying to overthrow my father. I’m just dandy, thank you.”

  Cocking my head at him, I snapped, “Well, you don’t have to be a smartass about it. We’re all dealing with something here.” Remembering that Maureen was standing there, I softened my tone. “I never said I didn’t love you.”

  “Oh really?” Kellan grumbled.

  I sighed. “I just said I loved Micah more.”

  Placing her hand on her Kellan’s arm, Maureen said, “For this to work, you’re going to have to put aside those feelings as well as your feelings about belief.”

  “Thanks for understanding, Mom,” he replied, sarcastically.

  She threw up her hands and turned to me. “I don’t know what else to say.”

  Kellan stood up. “All right, so let’s just suspend belief here for a moment. If we escape underground, what guarantee is there that the Abir won’t turn on us, or more importantly me?”

  “These are poor kids without a home, without families, without a country, really. All they have is their belief. They have no other option but to cooperate considering without me, they don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” Maureen replied.

  “And then what happens? We live like moles in an underground shit-hole hoping that things will change?”

  Maureen shook her head at him. “Where is the son I raised? My son would not be standing here worrying about being deprived of his excesses. He would be worrying about the plight of these people and how to make the world better.”

  Kellan narrowed his eyes. “Look, don’t give me shit right now about who I was or who I am. My whole world just turned upside down, okay?”

  “Change is coming, son. The Believers’ Rebellion might have been squelched, but it gave hope not just to Believers, but to others who want a change. So you can be a part of it, or you can find yourself here, imprisoned by the Abir, until I can get you out.”

  Without hesitation, I blurted, “I’m in.”

  “Yeah, that’s easy since being in with this plan gets you out of jail,” Kellan muttered.

  I smacked his arm. “No, asshole, that’s not the reason. I’m in because I want to stand up for something and make my parents proud.” I drew in a deep breath. “And my brother is part of the Abir.”

  While Kellan’s eyes widened in horror, Maureen patted my back. “You already make your parents very proud, Cadence, and I know your brother does, too.”

  We both turned to look at Kellan. He sighed. “Neither choice is really one I want to have to make. But when it comes down to it, I don’t want to stay one minute longer with someone like father.”

  I rolled my eyes. “So glad to have your support.”

  Maureen stepped in front of us. “Okay, let’s focus here for a minute on what we need to do.” She motioned for us to have a seat at the oak table in the middle of the room.

  “Um, aren’t you guys worried about the guards being suspicious?” I asked, as we gathered around the table.

  Kellan smirked at me. “Well, they’ll either think I’m down here interrogating you for information, or that we’re having a conjugal visit.”

  I smacked his arm again. “Dream on,” I muttered under my breath.

  “Don’t be worried, Cadence. Two of the guards are on my payroll.” At my surprise, Maureen said, “Well, they’re bribed to be on my payroll.”

  “I see.”

  “If that’s the case, why can’t we just bust out of here right now?” Kellan asked.

  “Because with everything going on, it’s too dangerous not to have a plan. I have to have at least a few hours to be able to get word to Marcus and a few others in the organization.” She eyed the clock. “Fortunately, Anthony, the head night guard, comes on at eleven, and he will be able to get word to Marcus that I’m escaping.”

  “And when is this escape?” I asked.

  “It has to be sometime in the early morning…it’s too much of a risk to wait much longer. Kellan, you will need to go back to the family quarters and act as if nothing has happened.”

  “I can do that.”

  I glanced at the two of them and sucked in a breath. “I do have one thing to ask of you.”

  “What’s that?” Maureen asked.

  “I want Micah freed with us.”

  Kellan practically growled beside me. “You have no right to act that way. He’s done nothing to you!” I cried.

  “Except steal my girl.”

  “I was never yours or his to be stolen,” I argued.

  Maureen interrupted our spat. “Of course we’ll take Micah with us.” Kellan threw her a traitorous look, and she shook her head at him.

  “Thank you.”

  Glancing at her watch, Maureen said, “We don’t have much time. The guards change shifts in just a little while. Kellan, you should head on back now. Come back at three am. That should be enough time to contact Marcus.”

  He nodded. “All right. I’ll see you back then.”

  How I managed to keep my sanity during the next few hours was beyond me. Maureen was able to have her discussion with Anthony and finalize our plan by throwing a full on fake fit, which only Anthony could handle in another room. The worst was that hour I was alone in the cell. I tried reading, I tried lying down, I tried anything but thinking about how I was about to break out of prison and escape underground.

&
nbsp; Nothing helped.

  When Maureen came back to the cell after midnight, she was beaming. “I got to talk to Marcus. Everything is in order.”

  “Thank God,” I said.

  But then we still had two hours of waiting until Kellan appeared and we left. I was beginning to wear a hole in the floor pacing back and forth when Maureen said, “Cadence, please.”

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  She gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be all right.”

  “I know. Deep down, I really know that. It just doesn’t seem to help right now, especially when any minute I’m afraid someone is gonna come busting in the door.”

  Just before three, the door creaked open. Anthony stepped aside, and Kellan appeared.

  “So, we’re really doing this, huh?” he asked, with a grin.

  Maureen nodded. She turned to me. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be, I guess,” I replied.

  She slipped a key into my hand and then something that looked like a pistol. “Whoa, what is this?” I asked.

  “It’s a taser. If anyone should come upon you, it’ll be much quieter to subdue them than a gun.”

  “I’ve never even used one before,” I protested. My mind could only imagine how in a klutzy moment I would end up tasing myself.

  “You’ll be fine. Hopefully, you won’t even have to use it.”

  “Let’s hope,” I grumbled.

  Maureen smiled encouragingly. “Micah is being held on the next floor down. Go get him and meet us at the grate outside the dining hall.”

  I started to the door and skidded to a stop. Mine and Laurel’s last conversation flashed before me, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t already thought of it. “We have to leave through the grate in the music room. Then we’ll bypass the ones which are being watched by the palace guards.”

  Maureen and Kellan exchanged a look. “All right, then. We’ll meet you at the music room grate,” Maureen said.

  “Okay.”

  When I stepped into the hall, it was empty except for Anthony. I hadn’t thought to ask what he would be doing to keep the other guards occupied. Since we were already in the basement, I could only wonder if where Micah was being kept was more like a dungeon. The stairway leading down to him was dimly lit, and I had to take each step one at a time.