Passion (6 page)

“You
can’t just go in there like that.”

I
glanced down at how I was dressed.  My tattered pants and a once white shirt
that was now grey.

“That’s
not what I mean.  For one thing my dad is probably here.”

“I’m
surprised he’s not barricaded himself in the governor’s mansion.”

“Well,
turns out it’s safer for him to be here.”

I
looked out at the large and imposing building.  Black and windowless, it seemed
like a bleak place to work in, never mind live.

“Anyway,
I’d rather not run into him.  The less I’m questioned the easier it’ll be.”  He
reached into the backseat and grabbed a few garments.  “You're going to have to
wear this.”

“What
is it?”

“A
Catcher’s uniform.” 

Without
thinking I pushed the garments off my lap and onto the car floor.  “What do you
want me to do with that?”

Amused,
he chuckled.  “I want you to wear it, silly.”  He reached down, gathered the
uniform and put it back in my lap.  You don’t want anyone to recognize you, do
you?”

With
disdainful fingers, I picked up the garment and looked at it.  “But this thing
is tiny.  I’ll never fit into it.”  Not that I wanted to.

“You’d
be surprised just how expandable it is.”

“Wow.
They really make you wear this thing?”

Again,
the air filled with the sound of his amused chuckle.  “Yeah, not exactly
fashionable, is it?”

Royal
blue, the shimmering uniform was made out of a fabric that was at once soft and
malleable, but super strong and resistant.  I stretched out the neckline and
was surprised by how much the fabric gave.

“Not
only will it help you remain unnoticed, but it’ll protect you.  Catching
Magical Ones can get nasty sometimes and you’d be amazed by how much torture
that suit can take.”

“Fine,
but where do you propose I squeeze into this thing.”

“I’m
afraid your only option is the backseat.”

“You're
kidding, right?”  I glanced over my shoulder at the cramped backseat.

“I
wish I were.  I can run into the building there and change while you do your
best to manage in here.”

“Great,”
I muttered as he opened the door.

Then
I thought of Torrid and knew I had to do whatever needed to be done.  Hopping
into the back seat, I shimmied out of my old pants and tore off my shirt.  As I
slipped into the Catcher’s uniform, I felt the strength of the fabric caress my
skin.

“Ready?”
Liam whispered.  He popped open the door and peered inside.

“Yeah,
but I feel ridiculous.”  Feeling more than just ridiculous, I stepped out of
the car.

Liam,
however, took my hand and twirled me around while his eyes appraised me. 
“Honey, you have nothing to feel ridiculous about.  You look hot.  I’ve never
seen the Catcher’s uniform look so good.”

I
glanced at him and had to admit he looked good too.  The royal blue that had
glistened to the point of looking tacky was now mat as it hugged his muscles. 
Flexible armor that was integrated into the uniform squared off his shoulders
and molded to his chest.

“You're
just like a warrior, Liam.  I’d never imagined you could be so…”

Laughing,
he echoed my sentiment.  “And I never thought I could find this uniform so
sexy.  How am I going to concentrate on the task ahead?”

“How
‘bout if I follow behind you.  That way you won’t be distracted by my curves.” 
I couldn’t help but laugh as the words sounded and I was instantly brought back
to all the times we’d teased each other and laughed.

Eager
to find Torrid, I was reluctant to admit to myself just how enjoyable it was
being with Liam again.

He
popped open the trunk and pulled out a large weapon that looked like a machine
gun.  “You’ll need one of these.”

“Need
as in to protect myself, or just for show?”

“Hopefully
it’ll just be for show.”  He glanced at the building and took a deep breath. 
“Let’s go.”

As
I followed him into the building I felt dwarfed and unsure.  Surfaces shined
and gleamed; the black floors, the charcoal walls and even the dark blue
ceilings.

In
sharp contrast to the ancient and dusty walls of the Coliseum, everything here
spoke of the advances in architecture, building materials and techniques.  But
the smell of death, of unhappiness… of torture filled the air just as it had in
the Coliseum.

The
first corridors we passed were empty and bare.  Not a soul walked about and not
a sound was heard.  Not even the sound of our own footsteps, encased in the
cushioned footwear that accompanied the uniform, could be heard.

After
a few more steps, I realized I couldn’t hear my breathing, or the pounding of
my heart, though I felt it thundering like never before.

We
were in a vacuum and I could almost feel the air being sucked out of my lungs.

I
swallowed my fear and uncertainty, but felt the first few droplets of sweat
form on my forehead despite the slight chill in the air.

“Hold
yourself straight,” Liam ordered as we approached two large metal doors.  “Look
like you belong and don’t avert anyone’s gaze.  If anyone looks at you, you
look right back at them, nod and move on.”  He turned to look at me.  “You got
that?”

Pulling
myself together, I straightened my shoulders, looked him in the eye, my gaze
steady and strong, nodded and walked past him.

“Perfect,”
he said as he regained the lead and opened the door.

In
sharp contrast to the vast and static corridors, the room we entered was alive
with activity.  Catchers, dressed exactly as we were, milled about, some
leading in Magical Ones, others engrossed in heated conversations and others
still preparing to go out on the chase.

The
few Magical Ones that were being led about appeared lifeless.  Their eyes were
glued to the floor, their backs rounded and the shoulders slumped in
resignation.

As
disgusted as I was by the sight, I kept my shoulder straight and strong, look
in the eyes of every Catcher I passed and carried on.  Liam chatted with a few
in passing.  When he came to a Catcher who had caught not one but two Magical
Ones, a young mother and her child, Liam patted him on the back and told him
what a good job he’d done.

I
gulped down a ball of rage as I saw the Catcher shove the child along,
separating him from his mother.  Though I managed to control myself at first, I
lost it when the child began to wail.  I stopped walking and immediately felt
Liam’s hand at my back, pushing me along.

We
emerged from the busy room through another set of double doors and were once
again a dark but glistening corridor.

“Don’t
even think of doing anything about what you see here.  This isn’t the time.”

“But
that was a child.”

“I
know, Kama.  I know.  Believe me, it kills me to see what’s happening here, but
there’s nothing we can do to stop it.  Not yet.  Not now.”

Inhaling
a long deep breath, I took in his words and knew he was right.  Making a scene
now would serve absolutely no purpose.

“And
I’ll warn you, what you just saw is nothing.  Please control yourself as we go
on, because, I promise you; it’s not going to get any easier.”

“I’ll
control myself,” I promised.  “Thanks for the warning.”

After
another endless corridor we came to a small, narrow door that was almost
impossible to see. The same charcoal as the walls, there was no window, no
hinges and no doorknob.

I
only learned it was a door when Liam put his hand to it and it silently opened.

“Don’t
gasp.  Don’t be shocked.  Don’t panic.  And for heaven’s sake, don’t faint.” 
Liam calmly entered the huge room.

Despite
his warning, I couldn’t control the gasp that rose to my throat and the tears
that sprung to my eyes. 

The
ceiling of the large circular room rose several hundred feet above us. The
first twenty feet were lined with three rows of Magical Ones, harnessed into
place, unable to move, unable to escape.  Above them were endless rooms of
small bottles, each housing a Magical One.

“This
is impossible,” I whispered.

“If
only that were true.”

I
kept my gaze hard and unmoved as I scanned my surroundings, but inside I was
falling apart.  I wanted to gag, to throw up, to scream.

This
was the true workings of Arcadia.  This was where the illusion of perfection
Pim Seer created was actually brought to light.  Before each Magical One was a
small bottle… the obvious threat of imprisonment a constant reminder of what
will happen if they don’t comply.

Several
Catchers stood on guard, watching the Magical Ones and ensuring they maintained
the illusion that was Arcadia.  Intent on their prisoners, no one paid
attention to us and we roamed free and undisturbed.

But
inside, I was disturbed beyond anything I could have imagined and in that
moment, I knew I belonged here.  I had to stay in Arcadia.  I had to team up
with Liam and rid Arcadia of all its ugly little secrets.

“They’re
all so miserable,” I muttered.  “What a bleak existence.”

“It’s
hard to swallow the fact that my father is behind all this.”

“Don’t
take it so hard, Liam.  I’m sure he had a lot of encouragement.  I mean, your
dad didn’t do this all on his own.  He had Sanz, remember?”

“Thanks
for trying to make me feel better, but I know what my father is.  It may have
taken a while for me to figure it out, but now that I know… well, I won’t
let him continue with the illusion he created.  If Arcadia
is ever to be truly perfect, it will be so for everyone.”

“I
think it’s great what you want to do, Liam, but you do know the incredible
battle you have ahead of you.  I mean, between what’s going on here and what I
saw at the Coliseum, there’s a lot of ugliness in Arcadia and there are a lot
of people who seem happy to have it that way.”

“Was
it really that bad… the Coliseum?”

“You
know the monsters you conjure up as a kid, or the monsters that invade you
dreams at night?  None of that compares to what really happens in the
Coliseum.  And it’s not just what happens in the arena, the ultimate moment of
torture for those prisoners, but it’s also the inhuman conditions in which all
those prisoners are kept.  They’re just barely kept alive in order to put on a
show for all those…”  I gazed at the Catchers who continued to guard over the
poor miserable Magical Ones.

“I
didn’t know it was this bad on this end either.  I’d been told about a few
Magical Ones who’d been hired to maintain my father’s illusion, but I had no
idea these were the conditions they were kept in.”  Liam gazed up at the
bottled djinns.  “Especially them.”

“Between
the djinns here and the Arcadian citizens at the Coliseum, we sure have our
work cut out for us.”

Liam
turned to me, his eyes wise, almost cunning.  “If things were so tough at the
Coliseum and you found yourself at the mercy of those dogs, how did you manage
to get free?”

“Part
magic, part paternity.”

“Come
again.”

“I
concentrated on what I really desired, though I didn’t really realize at the
time what I was doing.  Well, what I really desired was to see the Coliseum
disappear and, for a while, it did.”

“You
did that?”

I
heard the surprise and admiration in his voice.

“Yeah,
but only for that little while, then the Coliseum and all its ugliness
reappeared, but it reappeared and began to crumble, really crumble.  The
ceiling cracked open and began to fall apart.”

“And?”

I
leaned in closer to him.  “And that’s when my father came in and swept me off
to safety,” I whispered.

His
eyes shifted nervously around the large room, as though he feared the mere
mention of my father would send the Catchers into a frenzy.

“We
better get moving before someone gets suspicious or realizes who you are,” he
said.

Chapter 7

“
H
ow are we ever going to find Torrid among all
these djinns?  There are hundreds of bottles.”  I’d already noticed that he
wasn’t among the Magical Ones who were hard at work.

“I
don’t think they would have put him here with everyone else.  There’s a list on
the wall over there.  It’s meant to keep track of all the Magical Ones; the
ones who are bottled, the ones that are presently at work, and the ones on a
legitimate break.”

“They
get legitimate breaks?”

“Sanz
came to realize that if pushed for too long, the Magical Ones ended up losing
too much power, so he put them on a schedule; thirty six hours on then an hour
off.”

“How
generous,” I grunted.

“I’ll
go have a look at the list, see if I can’t find Torrid on there.”  With great
authority in his stride, he walked to the electronic pad on the wall and
scanned the list.”

“Can’t
you just punch in ‘Torrid’ and do a search?”

He
shook his head.  “If I do that, they’ll know I’m looking for Torrid.  It’s
better if I just do a visual scan.”

As
he scanned the list, I looked up at the wall filled with bottles.  Would they
really keep Torrid, a royal djinn, here among so many Magical Ones?

“Liam,”
I whispered.  “What if they’re not keeping Torrid here at all?  What if they
decided he’s too important to be kept with all the others?  What if they’re
keeping him somewhere else?”

Nodding
he continued to scan the list.  “That’s exactly the conclusion I’d just come
to.  He’s not on the list.  Not only is he not here, but they’ve not even
divulged that he’s in the building at all.”

“So
how do we go about finding him?”

“Let’s
get out of here.”  He led me out to the hall and stopped.  Scratching his head,
he looked at me.  “I’m afraid I don’t really know where to lead you from here. 
This building is huge and he could be anywhere.  For all I know they might be
keeping him in my father’s private office or they could have decided to chain
him up in the utility room down in the basement.”