Ancient Evil (The First Genocide Book 1) (21 page)

Before Hael could answer, the Emperor
attempted to enter his mind. Hael was so startled he did not instantly drop his
mental shield. The Emperor grunted and the diamond flared on his crown and he
readied to break through Hael’s shield. Hael dropped his mental shield before
the Emperor broke through with brute force. Having your shield breached by
force was excruciating. Before he lost consciousness he could detect the
Emperor’s troubled thought,
Very strong indeed.
Then he lost
consciousness as the Emperor rummaged through his thoughts and memories.

He jerked back to consciousness when the
Emperor withdrew.

Emperor Enki II:
I am impressed, Fa
Hael. Your dedication and loyalty are clear to see. There is a Legion that I
need you to lead. You leave in the morning.
The Emperor broadcast to all in
the semiformal tense, dropping most of his titles from his mental sending.

Emperor Enki II –> Hael:
Do not
disappoint me,
he added just for Hael.

Hael’s head was spinning; he had never
heard of a freshly graduated cadet being granted a Legion. The Emperor had also
addressed him as “Fa Hael,” indicating he now had a rank of Captain and that he
had jumped two ranks, which was also unheard of.

He could detect a faint mental susurration
from the courtiers as they mentally commented amongst themselves on this
unexpected turn of events. No doubt they were trying to detect if this meant
that the Emperor was leaning towards favoring the Enlightened.

In the declarative mode, Enki spoke again.

His Imperial Majesty, Eternal Emperor Enki
II, Supreme Ruler of City and Empire, Hero of the Rebellion and Scourge of the
Feral:
And now for your boon. What will you ask for as One? Will it be a
mate or a sexual plaything, or a fine home and pension for your parents? Maybe
a fine set of armor or a weapon. Tell me, what do you desire?

Hael had long ago decided that he was going
to secure his parents future if he was ever granted a boon, but that had
changed this morning. His brother Lucan could have secured his parents’ future
a year ago. He had not done so, and instead he had asked for a sword with Lens
on the pommel, similar to the Imperial Crown but orders of magnitude less
efficacious. Lucan’s argument was that the Lens would ensure he progressed
quickly through the ranks and could help their parents later. Likely, later would
continue to be later until their parents were no more.

Though it pained him to overlook his
parents, Hael knew what he needed to do.

“Your Holy Majesty is most generous, and for
my boon I request the ability to select my aide de camp, to assist me with the
command of the Legion.”

The Emperor’s face and mind briefly
broadcast puzzlement, followed quickly by understanding — he knew where this
was leading. His ministers had not plumbed the depths of Hael’s psyche and so
did not know why he was asking for such a small favor. The Emperor waited to
see how his ministers would react.

Eligos, who bore overall responsibility for
the Campaigns as Minister of Havoc, asked first.

Eligos:
Fa Hael, are you sure that is
all you want? Even without this boon, you would have some control over who
serves in your Legion; would you not prefer something else?

Vassago jumped in before Hael could reply.

Vassago:
If that is all the boy wants,
let him have it. If he wants to piss away a boon, so be it.

The Emperor looked at the two of them to
see if either objected to granting the boon. Eligos shrugged, Vassago waved his
hand.

His Imperial Majesty, Eternal Emperor Enki
II, Supreme Ruler of City and Empire, Hero of the Rebellion and Scourge of the
Feral:
Boon granted.

“My gratitude to you, Holy Majesty,
Ministers. I would like to select my younger brother Bral for my aide de camp.”

Vassago and Eligos both sent queries to
their assistants at the side of the hall. Vassago got an answer first.

Vassago:
Your Holy Majesty, this is most
unusual. It appears that this boy’s brother is still a cadet. He is not due to
graduate for another two years.
He paused and tilted his head; one of his
aides was communicating to him. He continued.
Furthermore, it appears that
he was expelled for cowardice, just this afternoon.

Eligos:
A boon is a boon, Vassago. As
Minister of Vocations you can have your ministry classify him as a trooper. I
will accept him into the Legions.

Vassago –> Enki II, Eligos, Hael:
I
do not like it, Your Holy Majesty, and I feel this boy is making fools of us.
Vassago did not broadcast his thought to the entire room, but sent it only to
the Emperor, Eligos and Hael. Including Hael in the communication was an
indirect threat.

Emperor Enki II –> Vassago, Eligos,
Hael:
We shall allow it. We know the reasons for the request, although we do
not approve of them. As Eligos said, a boon is a boon. Fa Hael, make sure this
does not come back to embarrass Us. Imperial embarrassment has been known to be
fatal. Understood?

“Your Eternal Majesty is most wise and
merciful. I will complete my brother’s education in the field. He and I will be
your loyal swords against the Feral. We will repay the Debt in this small way,”
Hael said.

Although he had secured his brother for
now, Hael had a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

At the back of the receiving chamber stood
the Marshals of the Academy. Their lips did not move, but they were deep in
conversation.

Donta –> Zabab:
I know what you are
thinking. It was not weakness.

Zabab –> Donta:
He could have left
here with a Lens, but instead he gets a half-trained, partially broken
aide-de-camp.
Zabab stroked the egg-sized ruby pommel of his sword, his own
personal Lens. Donta often wondered why Zabab was entitled to such a powerful
Lens. He could only assume that Zabab had once been much more highly placed
than Marshal of the Academy.

Eligos sent them a thought from where he
stood beside the Emperor’s dais.

Eligos –> Zabab, Donta:
What in the name
of the Emperor’s infinite navel was that all about? I dislike surprises.

Zabab responded privately to Eligos.

Zabab –> Eligos:
We were just talking
about that. I will let my esteemed colleague respond.

Donta –> Eligos, Zabab:
He can still
achieve what he needs to. After delivering a few victories he will be granted
additional boons. It may just take a little longer. His actions today confirm
to me that he was the correct choice. We will be able to play on his sense of
duty, believe me; I understand how he thinks. He would have only received a
minor Lens anyway.

Zabab continued to communicate with Eligos
privately.

Zabab –> Eligos:
I do not know why I
must abide the company of this animal. Dearest Eligos, every time he lectures
me I feel like popping his head like a pus-filled boil. Could another not take
this burden from my shoulders?

Eligos responded privately to Zabab.

Eligos –> Zabab:
You always were a
lazy one, weren’t you, Zabab? If you weren’t so enamored with your hobbies, you
could have been the one to shape the City’s destiny.

He then responded to Donta and included
Zabab.

Eligos –> Zabab, Donta:
I am glad you
understand how he thinks, because Zabab and I certainly don’t. Your people can
be perverse. We still feel a minor Lens would have been able to increase our
chances of success.

It was bad form for Eligos to acknowledge
that he and Zabab had been excluding Donta from part of the conversation, but
it showed that they did not care if they offended Donta. One more minor
humiliation he needed to bear. However, he did not need to bear it gracefully.

Donta –> Zabab, Eligos:
We could
always give him one of yours, most gracious Zabab. You must have something
stowed away that is less well-known than that sword you are fondling so fondly.

Zabab mentally shielded himself from
Donta’s sendings and stalked away.

Zabab –> Eligos:
Like a boil, I tell
you. One day he will push me too far.

The
Festival was winding down. By all accounts if had been wildly successful, but
the press said that every year, almost as if it was their civic duty. It was a
nice change to report on something positive in a world where disaster and
misery sold the news.

Finn looked out of his window; a fine, cold
mist soaked every exposed surface and reduced visibility to a few feet. It was
a perfect day for a walk.

He couldn’t remember ever being as tired as
he was at that particular moment. He reckoned he had slept for a total of five
or six hours in the last three days. Commandeering the mainframe had provided
the breakthrough he needed. If Blacksun ever found out that he had lost a month
of work for the entire company on his vanity project he would be in deep shit —
they would have grounds to remove him from his position as CEO. He could
pretend all he wanted that he was independent, but the truth was, they held the
purse strings. He was past worrying. It would all be over soon. More than
twenty years of searching, of striving, of just surviving were coming to
fruition and it would be sweet.

He rounded the corner and was approaching
the courtyard in front of the castle. Through a gap in the mist, he saw her
sitting on the wall, waiting for him. “Bex,” he breathed. He saw her stiffen
from thirty feet away. She had heard him.

She flowed to her feet and glided over to
him, until she was well within his personal space, about three feet away. She
just looked at him and said. “Oh Finn, what did they do to you?” Tears welled
in her eyes as she looked at him.

She stepped forward and squeezed him. The
pain was excruciating. She was strong and he was damaged. A tear flowed from
his remaining eye; he was wailing inside and not from the physical pain. He did
not want the embrace to end.

She released him. “Is there somewhere we
can talk? Somewhere private?” she said.

It took a moment for him to get the words
out. He took a deep breath and let it out shakily. “Yeah, yeah, of course. I
will take you to my place, we can talk there.”

He placed his eye to what looked like a
peep hole. A moment later the door swung open. It swung farther out than she
expected, then she saw why: it was one thick fucking door. It was a baby bank
vault door. It was a door to his safe, to his life. It was the key to his
security.

“Interesting door you have there, Finn,”
she said lightly, making a joke of it. “Paranoid much?”

“Work, unfortunately, requires it. The
shareholders insist on protecting the intellectual capital my company
generates. It was a compromise, as I wanted to work from home and they wanted
to keep our secrets safe. It does not really bother me and I don’t have many
visitors. It was this or a security detail and I prefer my own company …” He trailed
off as he noticed her raised eyebrow, then restarted. “Sorry, there’s not much
humor left in me.”

She looked away quickly to compose herself.
This was not the Finn she remembered; this was a shadow, a dark, black shadow
of the man-child she had known.

He brought her through to his kitchen and
offered her a chair at the table. The kitchen was a gleaming steel and stone
marvel of cleanliness and efficiency. He put on the kettle to make some tea.

“How, how …” she trailed off.

He removed his hat and painfully draped his
slicker over the back of a chair. He turned his scarred face to her. Among the
old scars, there was a series of newer, small scabs across his forehead. “How
do I keep so trim and fit? No? Hmm, how to I keep my youthful appearance? No,
that probably isn’t it. How can I possibly continue on like this? Is that it?”
His voice was a harsh wire brush against her nerves.

“I was actually wondering how you survived.
I remember what happened to you.”

“And I remember what didn’t happen to you.
I have to say, you’re looking well.”

“Don’t you dare think I got off easy, you
bastard. I was in hell for three years. I was a sport and an entertainment to
them. And then, then I was one of them. I have done things I never thought I
would, things I did not think anyone could.” Her voice was gaining strength and
volume as she spoke.

“Have you
seen
me, Bex?” he spat the
last word at her. He tilted his face to better show the ruined glory of the
left half.

“There are worse things than physical
scars, Finn. I have scars too, scars deep in my soul. I may look whole to you,
but inside, inside there’s not much left, not much left of the girl you thought
you knew.”

“That makes two of us,” he was about to say
more when the kettle started to whistle. It broke the mood. She rose and poured
the water into the teapot before he could get to his feet.

“Let’s start again. I am so sorry for being
bitter, Be ...” he stopped himself. “Rebecca. I have been living like an
outcast for so long. Seeing you, it brought it all back.” He took a few deep
breaths and focused his eye on a point in space over her left shoulder as he
composed himself. If he looked into her eyes he would be lost. Even if she had
been normal he would have been lost. “Tell me, what happened? Where did you go?
I have been looking for you since I was discharged from the hospital. Your
brother, David, he spent a fortune on private investigators, trying to find
some hint of what happened to you. Why didn’t you let us know?”

“I couldn’t. I can’t, I can’t be here. If
they knew you were alive … If they knew that I had spoken to you.” Her eyes
were starting to get a little wild. “I need to go, now.”

“Rebecca, wait. I know. I found out a
little about what you are. I probably know more than anyone who is not one of
you, but that’s still too little. You need to tell me —all of it.”

“What do you know? What do you think that
you know?”

“I know you are strong, strong as a
gorilla.”

“Well, maybe a small one,” she said.

“And damn near indestructible. I know you
heal when hurt and I know you feed on people.”

“How? How do you know?”

“I was there, I remember. If you are alive
and unharmed, I figure that you must be one of them.”

“How can you remember? No one remembers,
not consciously anyway. Dreams and psychosis, yes, but memories, no.”

“Just lucky, I guess.” The right side of
his face smiled, she did not look at the left.

“That’s the Finn I remember,” she said.
“I’ve missed you.”

“And I you. Can you stay for a bit? Tell
me, where have you been?”

“I can tell you a little. But I can’t stay
long. You have no idea what they will do –”

He interrupted her. “Oh, I think I have a
pretty good idea. I do have a couple of mirrors in this place, only a couple.”

A small smile flitted across her face, the
sun briefly shining through the clouds. Then the moment was gone and she
started to talk.

Leader –> Eve:
Eve, where is Baby?

Leader’s thoughts smashed into Eve’s
consciousness like a runaway train.

Eve –> Leader:
She is not here.

It was very difficult to lie when speaking
telepathically. Not impossible, just very difficult. If you wanted to hide
something it was easier to provide short, direct answers and not elaborate.
Leader was smart though; she had been living this life longer than Eve could
imagine. She needed to end the conversation quickly. Eve had no real incentive
to protect Baby, but she did not want to appear complicit.

Leader –> Eve:
Where is she, Eve? I
need to know, now. The boys have been telling me disturbing things about our
youngest sister and I need to know if they are true.

Eve –> Leader:
She went out, but she
did not say where she was going. She said she will be back soon.

Eve knew that Leader would be angry that
she had not been informed of Rebecca’s abandonment of the search for Charlotte.
She tried redirection.

Eve –> Leader:
Did you ask her where
she is?

Eve knew that if Leader could find Baby,
she would not be asking Eve. That meant that Baby had shielded herself. She had
shielded herself so tightly that Leader could not find or talk to her. Very
naughty. Until now Eve had not known that Baby was strong enough to elude
Leader. No one else in the coven could do that. Well, maybe Lewis. Lew the
enigma had been with them thirty years and she still knew little about him.

Leader cut off the contact as Eve had been
hoping. Leader did not want to discuss any possible shortfall of her own. The
more Leader left her alone, the better.

Donald had contacted Leader a few minutes
earlier to tell her that Baby had entered the subject’s house, again. This time
it appeared that she was staying for a chat. Leader was concerned; this was
very odd behavior. There was something going on here that she knew nothing
about. The unknown carried risk. She had dedicated her extremely long life to
reducing the risk of the unknown. That is how she ended up having such an
extended life. Knowledge was power and power was life.

It was intolerable that she was unaware of
something going on with one of her children. She let them think that they had
their little secrets and small freedoms. They were illusions. They had no
secrets from her, and they had no freedom that she had not granted, until now.
First Charlie disappeared without a trace. Then Baby had been derelict in the
search for Charlie. Now, Baby had visited the subject of their surveillance at
least twice, compromising their assignment. The fact that she did not know
about the assignment did not matter; their employer, Blacksun, would not care.
It put Leader in an embarrassing situation. Not that she was embarrassed, but she
was furious and her anger was quickly building into a rage.

Leader’s rage, once kindled, was fearsome
to behold and difficult to survive.

Finn was horrified.

Rebecca had been telling him about the
beasts who had kept her captive over the last twenty-one years. Well, that was
not strictly true; she had been a captive for three years and a member of their
coven for the remainder of the time. Finn was not only horrified by what they
had done to her but also by what she had done.

The words poured out of her mouth in a
rush. She had never been able to talk to someone outside the coven about the
brutality that she had endured. How they had played on her emotions and fears
like a finely tuned piano to extract a symphony of emotion. How they made her
love them, hate them, fear them and lust after them.

“They came to realize that I would not
break, so they made me one of them. Following the initiation my sense of being
part of the world started to fade. I know that sounds odd, but it is something
you do not really notice until it is gone. As the world opened to me in one way
following the initiation and it closed off in another, I felt removed from the
experience of living. I felt as if there were a barrier within me that prevented
me from feeling everything I could. My sight, hearing and sense of smell had
increased by an order of magnitude, I was stronger, faster and nearly
invulnerable, but I could not feel the thrill of living unless I was involved
in some sort of extreme activity. I craved danger, but little could endanger
me. Then they showed me how I could feel through others.”

“Feel through others? What do you mean?”

“We could feel the emotions of regular
people. We called them things like the Herd and Prey. Through others we could
feel that connection to the world again, we could feel the adrenaline rush of
risk and terror, the powerful throb of lust and, most deliciously, the warmth
of love and the pain of heartbreak. But it’s never enough to sit and watch from
the sidelines hoping to be near enough to pick up on these emotions randomly.
You get so much more out of the emotions if you are the focus of it. So we
cultivated targets from the Herd.”

“How?”

“You’d be surprised at how easy it is to
make someone fall in love with you …”

“Yes,” he said.

She looked at him with a question in her
eyes. “I was going to say, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to make someone
fall in love with you when you can feel what they are feeling.”

He flushed a little and said, “Um, yes, of
course. Sorry, please continue.”

“Okaaay. Anyway, we could make the Herd
feel love, hate, lust or terror. We could tell what emotion our actions
instilled and then use that to enhance and increase the emotion in our target.”

In spite of the horror of it all, Finn was
fascinated. He had found out bits and pieces about the covens over the years.
His research and experiments also shed some light on her and her brethren’s
capabilities. Nothing compared to having a fully cooperative member of the
coven in his kitchen explaining their lifestyle.

Finn was careful to hide both his horror
and fascination from Bex as she bared her soul. He wanted to know everything,
and he did not want to interrupt her or cause her to stop talking. He made the
appropriate murmurs of sympathy and even awkwardly reached out for her hand at
one point to urge her on.