Chapter 13

"I say we kill her." Arquis replied. I answered back, "If we kill her and she's telling the truth we lose our only lead to finding out who's behind making these hidden archives." Arquis looked at me like he understood but disagreed with what I was saying. "I know you think you're doing what's best but she could be lying and we could lose her on the way back." I knew that he had a point but I also had one and I wasn't going to give up so easily. "I have an idea I can use this opportunity to see if she's lying or not with the soul searching ability." I said determined it was the best option. Arquis threw his arm forward as if telling me to get on with it. I concentrated on the target and saw more Archive Sanctums like the one Denvas had. I tried to pry into our targets life to get a better idea of who we were bringing back with us but was blocked out. Arquis asked, "Anything useful?" I told him that I saw more of the Archive Sanctums and tried to learn more about her before being cut off. Arquis seemed to be anxious. "She must be hiding something, I don't want to take the risk of getting killed just because you saw a few of those things scattered about." Arquis said roughly. I replied, "I get that we could lose both our target and the information, but we have to try and bring her back otherwise we don't know how much trouble we'll have to deal with later." Arquis sighed knowing that I was right and said, "Okay we'll take her but if she escapes from us and tries to run I'm killing her." I rubbed my head agitatedly. "Alright if she escapes we'll kill her, unless we can get her back." Arquis growled, "Whatever let's just get going!" We journeyed back to Claret the way we came from and it took us a few days to get back all the while it was an uncomfortable journey between Arquis's condescending glares and our victim's constant paranoia that one of us was going to take her life. After we finally got back we made our way into the Endgame Battlegrounds and found Renfro just getting out of the announcer's balcony then told him about what happened with Denvas and his army and then about what the target had said and he nodded raising a hand in a motion for us to follow him. We got down to The Final Archive and met face-to-face with Pirouette unsure of whether her loyalties lied with us or not. I didn't think feel like she would ever do something like making Archive Sanctums but these people were still strangers to him no matter how kind or understanding they seemed. Renfro went to talk with Pirouette alone and came back with her and said, "She has agreed to let us see her spirit in order to show her innocence in being part of the Archive Sanctums creation." We all gathered around in the room where I gained the soul searching ability, I was told that they nicknamed it the "God's Eye" room because anyone who went in saw every aspect of themselves and anyone else's life leaving nothing hidden. Pirouette was in the middle and allowed everyone to see her life completely. The ones who were experienced only saw what was needed to prove her innocence, I focused and was able to find the proof she was innocent but then I lost focus for a few seconds and found myself in a memory of her in her bedroom listening to her parents argue and then I saw the door swing open violently and felt Pirouette's fear as her mother took her away while her dad was chasing after them telling her mother to let her go. I left her memory and looked at her knowing that I knew nothing of what she had to go through and she looked back at me as if she knew what I saw and looked down sadly and I felt bad about having the soul searching ability because it was so personal and makes you feel bad for being able to know things you normally wouldn't unless they willingly told you. Everyone held their right arm over their heart and slightly bowed their heads down in respect and I copied them. After everyone was sure she was innocent they all left single file out of the room but I stayed behind and walked to where Pirouette was in the middle of the room and looked at her, she looked back and I gave her a hug and she hugged back and we stayed there for a few seconds and then we stopped and we smiled gently to each other and left. When I caught up to Renfro a few hours after resting he was talking to Arquis about the prisoner, "This definitely was something of value to us, I'm glad you took the risk of bringing the target here instead of just killing her." he said proud that Arquis and I decided which was the highest priority. Renfro saw me and caught me up on what he had learned from our prisoner. Her name was Twila and she was was part of another group of people that were out to destroy every soul searcher that would be sent to kill them. Renfro went to send warnings to all the soul searchers about what he found. Arquis and I stayed behind to guard the prisoner who was just sitting silently staring off into space. Arquis told me he had to go to the restroom and I told him I'd take guard while he was gone; he nodded and went off leaving me to my duties. It was silent for a few minutes then Twila spoke to me, "Thank you for sparing my life." she said respectfully to me. I said, "You're welcome." with no regard to her. I appreciated the sentiment but she was just a prisoner to me. The one that held my heart was gone and one day I would go back to her and be happy forever. Twila spoke again, "Why are you ignoring me? Just because I'm a prisoner doesn't mean I don't deserve respect." I answered back honestly, "The only ones that I care about anymore are my family and friends, but the one that I love is gone and so is my soul. I'm here, but only in the flesh and mind. The rest is never coming back until I die." She got quiet and said nothing more to me. Arquis came back and we went to see Renfro to see what came next. Renfro told us that he needed us to go and help defend some of the other End Game Battlegrounds. "What about the prisoner?" Arquis asked. Renfro looked at her and said, "Do what you think is necessary." with that he turned and walked away. Arquis looked towards me, "Don't tell me you want to keep her alive after this, it was risky having her taken here." he had just finished his sentence to hear me shoot her in the head mercilessly and then look at him. "Happy?" I asked. He looked at me with terror etched across his face. He followed me slowly towards the exit and we took off towards our first destination in the city of Vero.