14.
The Sundered Warrior
Naomi Darcouver gazed inside the door to the empty townhouse on 14 Eagle’s
Glenn Drive in Turtle Creek. After her husband had been whisked out to Bakersfield
last night on "urgent" business, she’d been left to pack up the house
herself along with two incompetent movers. Naomi and Edward's old cars had been
sold, Edward would gain access to a company car upon arrival, and as soon as
they were all snug and tucked into their new gigantic house in a gated Bakersfield
community, preparations for their dream life would be complete.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly, and to top it all off, her stepson
had run away. It almost seemed too good to be true. The demonic teenager had
been so intent on making her life a living hell, but now he was all gone. It had
knocked Edward a little off-kilter, but he'd get over it. She'd help him get over
it. And when all was said and done, they would live happily alone in their
spacious Californian house. She was going to fly out there tomorrow morning and
say goodbye to the state of Pennsylvania forever.
Naomi snickered as she thought back to Vance's room. The bloody knife and
bloodstained sheets she’d found shortly after Vance's disappearance had been easily
disposed of. She didn't know why he had apparently tried to kill himself and
then run away, but now she was the only one who knew about it in the entire
world.
Naomi had even made preparations for the unlikely possibility that Vance
might try to come back home. None of the neighbors knew where the Darcouvers
were going, and the local authorities had not been alerted. She also had the
real estate agent wrapped under her thumb. Naomi knew how to make men listen to
her – they were sinful if left to their own devices, so it was only right.
With everything taken care of, Naomi moved over to check the last moving
truck. Peeking out of a cardboard box near the edge of the truck bed was the
antique clock that Vance had brought home from the city a few nights ago. It
had 13 numbers tattooed on its face, but appeared to have stopped working.
Naomi moved closer, running her long, fake nails over its sides and
yanking it out of the box. She didn't understand why, but there was definitely something
unique that set it apart from all the other junk Vance had ever owned.
As Naomi picked up the clock, her phone vibrated. Placing the receiver
to her ear, she heard the person on the other line greet her.
"Why, hello there," Naomi replied with a smile. "How nice
of you to call and check in, Mr. Lee. Yes, the moving process is going
excellently, thanks to you. In fact, I just tied up the very last loose end."
*
"4th division Captain Azuka Ingram," the Seneschal
began, "along with the Knights who have accompanied her, have not reported
back to us in 24 hours. I need you to retrace their steps and see if you can
find them."
It was a new day, and Vance, Eden and Cliff stood in the Guild's command
dome with amply rested bodies and thoroughly refreshed minds. During the brief reprieve,
Vance and Eden had explored the Guild facilities while Cliff had given his
shotgun a badly-needed tune-up.
"They’re missing?" Cliff asked in disbelief. "How do you
know that?"
"An officer of the Petro police force said they entered a certain
district and never returned," Tao replied, "which leads me to believe
that the 4th division has run into some 'resistance.' I don't know whether they're
in danger or merely got sidetracked, but with the Dark Zodiacs on the move, and
the Belmarcian Tournament steadily approaching, we can't afford to have one of
our strongest Knights coming back late. We need to recall their entire group as
soon as possible."
"Wait a second." Vance stuck his hand up. "Why can't you
just call them or something?"
Tao smirked. "I imagine there's much we have yet to explain to
you, Vance. The simple answer is, instantaneous interdimensional communication is
impossible for us. We'd need a constant portal in two worlds for both parties
to communicate, and as I'm sure you've experienced, those holes in space are
difficult beasts to master."
Vance nodded slowly. "And the police there won't go and check it
out for you?"
The Seneschal gave Vance a firm smile. "Let's just say that
everything will go much smoother if three people I can trust handle the
searching."
"What sort of mission were they on?" Eden asked.
"Excellent question, Eden," Tao replied. "The 4th division
was deployed with orders from the Church to shut down the base of a large
organized crime syndicate known for contracting assassins and transporters out
to other criminal groups, including the Dark Zodiacs. Thanks to an informant,
we were notified of the base's location: below an upper-class housing district
in the dimension of Tartoch.
"After sending in some scouts, we discovered the upper-class
housing district was a front paid for by a wealthy benefactor of the contracting
group. Stealth would be key, so I left the matter in the hands of Captain Azuka
and some of the 4th division's finest Knights. However, since our communications
were compromised, I fear that perhaps other criminal groups may have learned that
one of their best suppliers of disposable agents was about to be shut down."
"Dammit," Cliff said, gritting his teeth. "We spread
ourselves too thin, at the worst of times."
"Perhaps," Tao continued solemnly. "The only possible reason
for this degree of sluggishness from Captain Azuka is that the group was held
up by an unexpected party –or imprisoned somehow.
Staunch supporters of the syndicate
may have sent their own backup troops to defend the underground base. Seeing that
it's your captain and mentor who's in danger here, Cliff, I’ll leave this
mission to you."
"I understand, sir." Cliff bowed.
"Seneschal," Eden spoke up suddenly. "Am I allowed to accompany
Cliff on this mission?"
"Eden!" Cliff shouted. "Didn't you just hear all
that?"
"Well, if you insist." The Seneschal’s eyes twinkled. "I’ve
already placed you and Vance under the temporary jurisdiction of the 4th
division. You’ve been granted general access to all the facilities in Elysiana,
as well as your own permanent rooms and accounts with the Guild. Since Captain
Azuka is not present at the moment, your orders will fall to the next person in
charge, which happens to be Vice-Captain Cliff Walden." Tao outstretched
his hand to Cliff with a wry grin.
"What?" Vance's eyes bugged out. "Hey, I don’t wanna–"
"Yeah, wait a minute here!" Cliff raised his voice. "Normally,
trainees need to pass a rigorous exam to become a Knight. Then, they're required
to serve at least one month in our training facility before participating
in official missions! And besides, there's no way they're ready for this! Our
loss at Despair should tell you that..."
The Seneschal turned his back to Cliff and began to walk out of the
room. "Yes, it does tell me one thing: all three of you need to try harder
– as a team. This is crucial."
"Wait, Seneschal, please!" Cliff shouted frantically.
"You can't be serious!"
"You are scheduled to leave in two hours," Tao called back.
"I'd make use of the time to prepare if I were you."
"But sir!" Unable to contain himself, Cliff ran after his
leader. Before the Seneschal could exit the other end of the dome, Cliff leaned
forward and whispered into his ear. "You're keeping something from me,
aren't you?"
Tao looked up at his soldier with crafty, aged eyes. "You have a
special mission to carry out, Cliff...one that will continue for long after you’ve
found Captain Azuka. For now, lead them. And for God’s sake, teach them."
*
Eden was the first to arrive at the group’s meeting point within the
Guild, clad in her green turtleneck and white skirt. She’d spent most of the
past two hours practicing psynergy, anxious to be more of an asset this time
around. As she waited for the other two to arrive, she looked down at her hands
and curled them into fists, channeling her aura once more.
She still didn't know what to make of the power, and therefore she
hadn't thought much about it. Her altercation with Van Kaen had made it clear
to her that there was something lurking inside her body, but it still felt
alien and frightening.
Eden felt psynergy rush through her arm, igniting her fist, and flexed
it to see what would happen. Her orange aura glowed softly, and she tried shifting
it around to different areas. The more she did it, the more natural it started
to feel.
"There you are, Eden." Cliff appeared beside her. "Ready
to leave?"
"Yep!" Eden smiled and waved. "I’ve been getting a lot
better at using my psynergy, so I’m sure I’ll be of more help this time around."
"I’m sure you will too," Cliff said warmly.
But Cliff looked scared out of his mind, and Eden no longer felt the
same safety as when he had first brought her to the Guild. Cliff was strong,
but she understood that many of the Dark Zodiacs were stronger. She could feel
his eyes on her now – warm, caring, passionate, but also laced with fear and
uncertainty. She could tell he cared about him, but she also knew he wouldn’t
be able to protect her from all the monsters in the world, despite how much he wanted
to. I need to keep strengthening myself.
"Oh, there you are." Suddenly, a gloomy voice cut in between
the two.
Cliff and Eden turned around to see Vance, inexplicably clad in blue
Guild pajamas and that ratty, bloodstained black jacket. Cliff smiled weakly
at the kid, masking his own displeasure.
Eden waved hello. "So, what'd you think of your room?"
"It was..." Vance started off enthusiastically, but quickly
got self-conscious and dropped his tone. "...interesting."
Cliff looked down to Vance, trying to keep a neutral face. "So...you’re
all ready to go?"
"You betcha." An aura of purple psynergy rose from his fists.
"I feel like I've gotten a little stronger."
"He means clothing-wise," Eden added with a wince.
"Huh?" Vance said. "What’s wrong with these? They’re
comfy and light. Perfect for some action!"
"And the jacket?" Cliff raised an eyebrow.
"My mother gave me this jacket," Vance answered sternly. "I’m
gonna keep wearing it until it falls apart."
"Of course," Cliff replied dryly. "Anyway, just remember
what happened on Despair. Don't let your ego get ahead of you this time."
Vance furrowed his brow. "My ego?! You're the one who's always
trying to order people around!"
"Because I'm your leader!" Cliff barked. "Weren't you listening
to the Seneschal? We need to work as a team, and that means following my directions.
No one's forcing you to go, Vance. If you don't like me, then you're free to
leave!"
Eden could feel the tension growing between the two men, so she stepped
in to break it. "We should get moving. Your captain might be in danger,
right, Cliff?"
"Yeah." Cliff pulled out the tunneler from his coat. "Boy
am I glad the Church lent us a few of these. Without them, the only way to pass
through dimensions is through limited, stationary gates built by the Church
themselves. It’d take so long for us to do anything without their technology."
"How does the Church make them?" Eden asked. "I mean,
how do they open gates up? With psynergy?"
"Uh...I’m not really sure," Cliff said, holding the machine
up and looking a little embarrassed. It looked like a crystalline soda gun. "They
basically rip holes in space and time. The keypad here lets you put in the ID of
any Church-sanctioned dimension, then the ID for the beacon near the area you
want to visit. I’ve never heard of any similar technology, and the Church only
lent us a few. The Dark Zodiacs must have stolen one somehow...otherwise there’s
no way they could be hopping around like they’ve been doing."
"Imagine how many different dimensions must be out there,"
Vance said to Eden. "The universe must be so huge. And we didn't even know
about it."
Eden looked at the boy in shock, surprised yet again at how quickly he’d
changed gears from his sullen demeanor. The pupils that seemed so alien and
cold before were now bathed in childlike curiosity.
He’s hiding himself, but the real him accidentally slips through
sometimes. The more Eden
thought about it, the sadder he seemed. What is he so afraid of?
Next: Rabbit & Tiger
