Severing Sanguine: A Companion Book to The Fallocaust Series Book 2 (70 page)

But now there were too many words. So I started to do a trick I had learned, another alternate way they communicated. I took the letters that had a lot of multiples and started reducing them. Two N’s became one unless there was a remainder and then I let that one stay. I reduced the letters down and down until I only had a couple of each. Some I put together and then deleted altogether as well.

It made more sense that way. This way I could –

Then like it had suddenly burst into flames I dropped the notebook onto the ground and recoiled my hands. I gasped and let out a cry, before holding my hand up to my mouth.

It was right in front of me, the words starting to take shape on the notepad and inside my head. The horror seemed to drain the blood from my face, and in its place a pit started to form.

“What does it say?”
Barry asked.

“What does it say, Sami?”

“Sami, what does it say?”

“What – does – it – say?”

I let out another cry, before ripping the sheets off of my bed. I desperately started hanging the sheet across the window, pushing the fabric through the rusted nails sticking out of the mouldy pressboard. My arms were shaking, my entire body was trembling as the desperation pooled and boiled, adding to the horror and the pit now eating me inside out.

And as I tried to hang up the sheets, and then the blankets to block off my window, I once again glanced down at the notebook. Now seeing all of the other letters gone, all of my drawings and all of my work, only a single sentence remained.

‘We’re on to you, Sanguine.’

“We need to make this public, Elish,” Nero pleaded. Ceph was beside him nodding his head with his arms crossed over his chest. “No one has seen him, there’s been no trace. There’s only so deep we can go before everyone starts asking questions anyways. You fucking have Jack, Apollo, Artemis, Felix, and Rio looking out for him and they don’t even know he’s a chimera. This is ridiculous!”

Elish was standing beside the wall-to-wall window of his apartment, glazing upon the steel scaffolds of a distant skyscraper that was in the middle of being repaired. He said nothing back, only brought a cup of hot tea to his lips.

“Jack is already asking way too many questions…” Nero said angrily. “I can’t see why you think this shit is going to work, bro. You can’t hide Sanguine’s identity from the family and have us successfully find him. He’s hiding.”

“Or he’s dead,” Elish mumbled.

Suddenly Elish was pushed from behind, his tea cup spilling over his robe and his face smacking against the large window. A split second later Elish whirled around and backhanded Nero right across the face.

“I fucking killed Silas for abandoning Sanguine and I’ll fucking kill you too!” Nero roared. He took a step towards Elish but before his boot could touch the ground Ceph grabbed him and held him back.

Elish glared at him angrily, before ripping his tea-stained shirt off of his chest; the white buttons flying and landing with a plink onto the floor. “Save your weak threats, Nero. I couldn’t give a shit what the dumbest of all of us has to say. I have my orders and so do you.” He flung the shirt at Loren who was hiding in the shadows of the apartment and stalked into his bedroom.

“Yeah? Well I don’t give a flying fuck what your orders are,” Nero called back, shoving Ceph away as his fiancé tried to keep him from following Elish into the bedroom. Nero stalked over to it and kicked the door open wider. “I’m telling Jack, I’m telling all of them. It’s been two fucking months. He’s been missing without a trace for almost two months, Elish. We’ve combed Skyland, Eros, Nyx; we’ve even scanned Moros and Cypress. For all I fucking know he’s gone back into the greywastes.”

“Silas will be awake any day now.”

“Silas would’ve put Sanguine’s safety over him wanting the kid to remain anonymous to the family,” Nero snarled, his hand slamming against the door frame. The paintings on either side of him shook. “You’re only using Silas’s stupid fucking orders to put off finding Sanguine, because you want him dead. Just admit it, asshole. You want Sanguine fucking dead.”

Elish stalked past him, his fingers buttoning up a clean white button-down. “I will hear none of it. I have my orders, as do you.”

Nero’s face was hard, showing a crystal clear window into his emotions. He stood there shaking as Elish took a fresh cup of tea from an equally distressed-looking Loren.

Ceph could see the corner of Nero’s eyebrow twitch, and at this point he grabbed Loren by the shoulder and retreated into the shadows with the young sengil. He knew his fiancé well, and he knew that Nero’s top was about to blow off.

“He’s our brother and our search is a fucking joke,” Nero said. “We need more than just four chimeras asking around bars. Sanguine deserves better.”

“Sanguine will come home when he’s done acting like an idiot,” Elish said coldly. “When he decides to start acting like a chimera and not like a petulant teenager, he’ll come back wagging his tail.”

“This is so fucking stupid!” Nero yelled, there was another slam, this time the credenza beside Elish’s bedroom took the brunt of the brute chimera’s rage and, sure enough, as he slammed his hand down on it there was an audible
crack
. “Why is everyone expecting a kid who’s been locked up in a basement getting raped every fucking day to act like an adult? You’re the smart one,
King
Elish. Why am I the only one here that doesn’t expect him to be fine? Not to mention the lies Silas has filled his head with, and you trying to shove him into a relationship with Jack. It’s mind fucking everyone assumes that Sanguine is supposed to act okay. He isn’t fucking okay and he needs the family right now.”

Nero let out an angrily bellow as Elish waved him off before turning his back to him. The blond-chimera took another sip of his tea.

“It’s none of your concern, Nero. I’m planning an invasion in Irontowers since Sanguine’s suggestion has completely obliterated public opinion on the rebellion. I’m going to need you there to organize and launch it, you, Ellis, and Ceph. You’ll be leaving tonight for Cardinalhall.”

Elish turned around, and when Nero saw the sinister smirk plastered on his older brother’s face, his chest turned to ice.

“You’ll be bringing Jack along as well; actually… you will be bringing all of the chimeras currently searching for Sanguine. When the dog gets hungry, he’ll come home. I’m disbanding our search.”

The apartment fell into a dead silence; the only sound was Nero’s quickened breathing and the almost tangible sound of the air being sucked out of a room. For what seemed like an eternity no one moved, and no one spoke.

“You can’t do that,” Nero whispered, his deep voice shattering the void that seemed to have descended on all of them.

Elish’s purple eyes found Nero’s, and when they both made eye contact, Elish smiled thinly.

“I just did. Do you want me to stay it again? I know you’re rather slow.”

“Do you think Silas is going to be happy when he comes back and finds out
your
future king is missing?” Nero replied coldly, taking a step towards Elish.

At the comment Elish’s smile disappeared, but to Nero’s grim surprise the smirk did not. “There is only one future king, Nero. And you’re looking at him. Now get ready to depart for Cardinalhall. I’m tired of your whining over that red-eyed defect. The desperation to be the first one to stick your cock inside of him is tiresome and–”

Another push but this time Elish was ready. He quickly spun around and punched Nero right in the face.

With a bellowed roar Nero raised his own fist, and not holding back this time, he punched Elish as hard as he could.

Elish’s head snapped back, hitting the window with a hard crack that made the entire frame rattle and protest, then with a spray of blood and bone the blond chimera fell to the ground in a heap of white.

Nero’s shoulders heaved but as he looked down at his brother, he froze.

“Oh… shit…” Nero whispered. He glanced behind him and saw Ceph and Loren in the corner, staring at him with their eyes wide. Nero sucked in a breath and pursed his lips, before leaning down and checking Elish’s pulse.

“Yeah… I – I killed him,” Nero said in a thin voice. “I’m going to get fucking drowned for this…” The chimera turned back around, just as Loren made a mad dash for the door.

“Ceph!” Nero barked, but Ceph was already running after him. With a squeal and a scream Ceph grabbed the sengil and dragged him back into the apartment.

“Loren… Loren, we’re not going to hurt you,” Nero yelled, sprinting towards the shrieking sengil as he tried to smack and punch Ceph. “Look, you little fucker, I’m king now. I’m third-in-command and with Elish dead I’m king. Understand?”

“I’m loyal to Master Elish!” Loren yelled angrily. “And you just murdered him!”

Nero and Ceph both exchanged glances, their eyes seemingly having a conversation of their own. It took them both several moments before, with a nod, their gazes broke.

Ceph started dragging the screaming sengil to one of the backrooms and a moment later a door closed and locked. Though that did nothing but muffle the panicked sengil’s screams, he could still be heard through the thick doors.

“We’ll get Kinny to feed him… he’s your sengil right now anyways,” Ceph said as he walked over to Elish. A pool of blood was now soaking into the carpet, with several drying streams running down his pale face. “You’re going to be in shit when Elish wakes up, hunny.”

Nero wiped his face with his hands. He swore again and turned away from Elish, then let out a frustrated groan. “I wasn’t trying to fucking kill him. I was just… pissed.” He grabbed his phone, his brow starting to shine with sweat.

But then he paused. “If I’m king now…”

Ceph looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

“I can… do what I need to do to find Sanguine, can’t I?”

Ceph’s eyes narrowed and he cautiously nodded. “Technically yes…”

However when a wan smile started to creep onto Nero’s face, Ceph’s own expression darkened. “Nuuky, you could get in a lot of shit if…”

“I think I’m going to get praised and promoted,” Nero said, cutting Ceph off. “Silas loves Sanguine. This isn’t about following orders; this shit is solely because Elish is jealous of Sanguine.” As Nero said this he pulled out his remote phone, and ignoring the concerned and nervous expression on his fiancé’s face, he dialled a number and held it to his ear.

“Yeah, Zhou… meeting at six in my office. It’ll be an important one–”

Ceph shook his head and stepped away, still hearing Loren shouting and yelling from behind the locked door. Though he was willowy and slight the kid certainly had a set of lungs on him.

As Nero gave his orders Ceph nudged Elish’s side with his boot, and then, for no other reason than taking an opportunity – he kicked Elish in the head, twice.

“Okay, the meeting is scheduled… I love being king.” Nero chuckled. He seemed like he had just found cloud nine and he was on his way to paradise. This did nothing to dampen the nervousness that Ceph was feeling though; Nero had never been one to fully think things through. He was famous for being impulsive and ignoring the eventual ramifications of his actions.

It had gotten him encased in concrete on more than one occasion, and every time he was brought out of that claustrophobic hellhole he promised and swore that he would be obedient. But promises made after months in that constricting, maddening hell were soon forgotten, and the old Nero would resurface.

“He’s not that injured, Nero,” Ceph said. He wiped his brow and realized he had started to sweat. “Two days maybe… will you be able to find Sangy in time?”

Nero paused as if to consider this, then to Ceph’s horror he watched his fiancé walk up to Elish with a devious glint in his eye.

When Ceph saw Nero pull out his combat knife he swore and turned away, then the sound of a knife slashing skin filled his ears.

He closed his eyes and groaned, the irony smell of blood crawled up his nostrils. Usually a satisfying smell but today it brought nothing but nausea.

But there was nothing he could do. Even though it would be him suffering too when Nero was punished for this, he had to do what his Imperial Commander, his best friend, and his fiancé wanted.

So with a sigh Ceph turned around, seeing Nero wiping the blood off of his hands. He then looked down and saw Elish with a vertical slice down his chest, though no blood was leaking from his wounds, it was just a deep slice that showed in its crease a slight hint of white bone.

“I’m going to get into shit anyways, why not put it off and give myself some time to find Sangy?” Nero shrugged, getting on his phone again, though when he saw Ceph’s disapproving face he made a noise and roughly put his arm around his fiancé. “It’s fine, Cephy. I know I’ll get into shit, but I’m immortal. What’s important is finding Sanguine. Sanguine needs me, more than I don’t need a sound beating. Anyways.” Nero squeezed his partner to him and kissed his tense cheek. “I’m still pretty sure this is exactly what Silas would want me to do and if not… I’ll take my licks. He’ll be awake soon, possibly even before Elish wakes up.”

The look Ceph gave Nero made him chuckle, it was so sad and pathetic, like a puppy after you yelled at it for shitting on the carpet. The brute chimera kissed his partner again, his spirits not being dampened at all. It was an odd thing to see, especially with Elish lying in a pool of his own blood.

Nero got on his remote phone and pressed several buttons.

“Yes, Jacky-whacks!” Nero said cheerfully when the call connected. “Come over to me and Cephy’s apartment in an hour, we gotta talk to you about something. Bring Valen, alright?”

Nero’s smile faded though; he looked at Ceph. “Valen’s disappeared. Apparently Elish schooled him a couple weeks ago. Okay, Jack, bring yourself then.”

When Nero got off of the phone Ceph was already at the double oak doors, more than eager to get out of Elish’s apartment. Eventually one of them would have to move Elish to his bedroom, and after that dispatch the sengils to clean the mess and feed Loren now crying softly in the bedroom.

It was obvious and had been obvious since Elish had been killed that Ceph wasn’t feeling the energetic, happy vibe that Nero was freely broadcasting, but as Nero smiled at him and strutted over with a bounce in his step, Ceph smiled.

“Just be careful, hun,” Ceph said quietly. “I miss you when you’re gone, you know?”

“I’m immortal, puppy… whatever happens to me isn’t permanent. But Sanguine isn’t immortal. I gotta do what’s right since it’s obvious I’m the only person who fucking will. I let the kid down when he needed me the most; I’ll be fucked if I’ll let that happen again. Support me?”

There was no question that he would; he would support Nero no matter what he wanted. He had loved that man since he was a kid, at first as a goofy big brother, and now as the man he had received permission to marry.