Charles straightened, raising the Taser and aiming at the guard’s chest. As the guard opened his mouth to speak, Charles squeezed the trigger. He heard a spark, and his vision blurred. He held out his hands, attempting to balance against a sudden bout of vertigo.
Blinking, Charles attempted to make sense of his surroundings. The corridor was gone. He was inside a strange rounded covering, like a giant opaque plastic dome—taller than he could reach, and the guard was gone. Before him stood a tall, thin woman with board-straight blond hair, whose face was turned to the ceiling while her hands extended out like a cross. Then his eyes focused on a horrific sight. On either side of the stiff woman, Kaevin and Alora were stretched out on wooden tables, chained by their ankles and wrists. Unmoving. Dead. Their faces forever frozen with identical expressions of agony. Alora’s arms were covered in the raw, blistered evidence of her torture.
A sob escaped his lips. “No!” he screamed. “No! No! No!” In two steps he was bending over Alora, cupping her cheeks with his hands and wetting her face with his tears. “No! No! You promised you’d stay alive.” He choked the words out, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.
Why did I let her go on this mission? I knew something terrible would happen.
Despite his outcries, the albino woman stood motionless as a statue, but for her lips, which moved in silent muttering. Bitter anger welled inside him. He knew without a doubt this woman was implicit in Alora’s and Kaevin’s deaths.
“You know, I’ve always been taught not to hit a woman. But no one ever said anything about using a knife.” He drew a ceramic blade from his pocket, waiting for her response. Still she remained frozen. He lifted his blade. It’ll feel good to stab this monster in the heart. He thrust the blade at her, diverting at the last instant and crying out in frustration. I can’t kill her when she’s catatonic.
He stepped back, drew his knee up and kicked out. The bottom of his boot impacted her abdomen with a satisfying thunk. She folded, tumbling to the floor, making eye contact with him at last. The icy look in her cobalt gaze chilled him to the bottom of his spine.
*****
As Drakeon’s voice spoke the lethal order, Alleraen almost shrieked at his powerlessness. He might as well be back behind the iron gate for all the good he’d done. He’d had the opportunity to accomplish something worthwhile with his life, but he’d allowed his selfish rage to take control. Now two innocent children, who happened to also be soulmates and Stone Clan’s greatest hope of victory, would die because of his mistake.
Jireo threw himself against the impervious dome repeatedly until his skin tore. “I must reach Kaevin. I must reach him. Please, God. I must reach him.” His words turned into weeping.
Inside the fog, Empusa stretched her hands to her sides. Though sound didn’t penetrate from within, Kaevin and Alora could be seen crying out in pain.
Graely pounded at the protective shield with his sword. Again and again, like a mad man. Tears poured down Graely’s ravaged face as he watched his son die. Though his sword bounced off every time, he struck again. Over and over. Even when the children closed their eyes and lay still. Even when Morvaen put his hand on his shoulder and spoke his name.
Every clang of Graely’s sword stabbed Alleraen with guilt. Every teardrop flooded him with shame. He turned his head away from the dreadful sight.
“Look! It’s Charles!” Arista shouted, jumping and pointing inside the foggy dome.
“Who is that?” Alleraen asked no one in particular.
“Charles was Alora’s uncle.” Morvaen kept his eyes focused on the man inside the dome, who fell on Alora’s face, in obvious grief.
“I was her uncle, too.” I let my niece die out of my own bloodlust. I’ve become as much a monster as my brother.
Alleraen wept.
~ 20 ~
With tears blurring his eyes, Alleraen took up the assault on the foggy dome with his own blade. Every blow rebounded, jarring him to the bone, but he used the effort to drive his tears away and gain control of his emotions. Anger, he could deal with. He’d become adept at converting his sadness and grief to anger. Year after year during his confinement, he’d allowed his rage to grow and build and fester until it took on a life of its own. It became his lifeblood and motivation. He felt comfortable as he grasped that thread of anger and brought it back to life.
Apparently unaware of the outside surroundings, the man inside the dome pulled himself up from Alora and wiped his face on his sleeve. His face contorted with grief and rage, he reached inside his garment, removed a white blade and slashed toward Empusa, who remained in her killing trance, face upturned. At the last moment, the uncle deflected the blade. He ran his fingers through his short grey hair and opened his mouth in a silent scream of frustration. With an expression full of hatred and disgust, the uncle pulled his foot up and kicked Empusa in the gut.
Outside the dome, Alleraen joined the rest of the audience in an unbidden cheer, glad to see the uncle?
??s boot impact the evil woman’s stomach. He watched with immense satisfaction as she crumpled to the ground.
The dome disappeared.
Empusa rose to her feet, directing her fury at her attacker. Her fingers twitched as she pointed her open hands at Charles, who fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Then her mouth opened wide and her eyes rounded. She toppled forward like a conifer tree, Jireo’s blade protruding from her back.
Jireo fell over Kaevin, crying out his pain and anger. “No!” he screamed, his voice already hoarse from his earlier protests. His body quavered as he sobbed.
Calmly ignoring Empusa’s body, Arista moved around the platforms, removing the iron shackles from Kaevin’s and Alora’s wrists and ankles. Charles crawled to his feet, his grief written on his tear-streaked face.
“I’m so sorry, Charles. We were too late.” Graely ground out the words, as bitter tears poured from his eyes. “I should have listened when you argued against the plan.”
Charles turned, embracing Graely, and they wept, clinging together.
Alleraen jumped at a tug on his sleeve. Arista spoke with furrowed brows and authority in her voice. “You should move Alora beside Kaevin. They’re soulmates, and they should be together.”