Seventy-six

76

While they explore the house freely, Mason and I settle on the suspended terrace to admire the sea in all its glory, bathed in the early summer sun.

It will be yet another scorching summer. I can feel it in the dry breeze sweeping over the turbulent sea. The waves crash onto the cliff, creating a layer of seafoam that floats over the water very much like the clouds in the sky.

" It's more beautiful and peaceful than I remember," Mason heaves a satisfied sigh at my side and slides an arm over my shoulder. While everyone seems to be happy to roam around the house, hunting for God knows what, I take a moment to relish the serene and enchanting view.

The house has good bones, other than that there isn't much to look at.

"Why?" I ask belatedly, as something crashes inside the house drawing me out of my thoughts.

" Because you're here with me, and that makes it so much better," He turns sideways to look at me and I mirror his stance to face him.

" Honestly," I smirk up at him," Sometimes, I miss the old grumpy Mason," He laughs at that, wholeheartedly.

" I'll invite him to a nightcap once in a while. I wouldn't want you to miss anything," He pecks my lips just as everyone else pours onto the deck.

" It's time roll boys and girls," Graham announces and waves a hand in my direction, " Do your thing, mistress," He drawls the last word, looking cross-eyed, and as a result, Mason gives him a smack on the head.

" What did I tell you?" Mason bristles and Graham laughs.

" This will never get old," He darts inside the room facing the sea and Mason starts after him. Under different circumstances seeing two grown men behave like children might've given me pause, but as I watch Mason chase after Graham, I realise that there is always a silver lining. Just have to look hard enough to find it, on occasion.

" Those two are the worst when they are together," Aaron thumbs over his shoulder, wearing an amused look on his face.

" Apple," We've wasted enough time as it is with their shenanigans, and the clock is ticking. Sadly, not in our favour.

Apple appears in the middle of the decking, wearing a rather surprised look on his face, but that soon gets replaced by the same smile he has been wearing since we saw him last in the bunker.

" Mistress," He bows curtly and I can't help but find his behaviour so odd that I can't get used to it, no matter how much I try.

" We have a few questions. If you don't mind me asking," I begin as Graham and Mason step onto the decking, still pushing each other around like a bunch of five-year-olds. No, wait, that would be an insult to the five-year-old standing in front of me. 

" That's enough you two," Laira intervenes and kicks Graham in the shin hard enough to make him yelp.

" Not a word," Laira warns with a fierce look in her eyes when Graham prepares to protest.

" Mistress, you were saying," Apple steers back to the conversation that frankly is far more important than those two bickering.

" We would like to know how Bartholomew intends to strip Lily's powers?" Mason steps in and wedges himself between Laira and me.

Apple looks around at the faces present and nods. I wonder what he sees, but for now, we pertain to relevant information.

Apple brings his hand to his chest and closes his eyes at the same as his palm cups over his heart. A dim golden light begins to form in the palm of his hand and Just as he opens his eyes, he pulls his palm away holding a little marble of light no bigger than a pearl. I see a thread of light connecting the marble to his chest, as he opens the palm of his hand for everyone to see.

" When you are between life and death, the link between you and your powers will break, allowing the victor to claim his prize. Your power, in your case not only yours. It's a delicate process, and more often than not stripping a Daiō results in immediate death. It can be surrendered freely, but that would mean renouncing all the gifts that come with it. Be warned, no Daiō has ever done such a thing and it's an untested theory " Mason looks at me, an interesting gleam shining in his eyes. I know what he is thinking.

" You have yet to reach your full potential, mistress. It would be a dangerous task to undertake," Noted. I nod, and Mason shakes his head in disapproval. 

" How did my mother manage to control the Daiõ, and force them into servitude," A strange look settles on Apple's face at the mention of it.

" That has expired when your mother took her own life. Daiōs are no longer required to serve the humankind. If they do so, it is their choice," So my brother has been lying to them.

" Do the Daiō know?" I feel like I have to ask.

" It is not common knowledge. The terms were sealed when your mother became a fully fledged Er'Shala," Hold on. 

" Fully fledged?" I ask before he continues.

" Yes, mistress. Every Er'Shala has an appointed," He pauses for a moment trying to find the right word," Regent to serve when their cycle has ended. Your mother has served as a regent for the previous Er'Shalas until their time has expired," I look at Mason who frowns at Apple trying to make sense and piece it all together.

" What caused the division?" The conflict must've started somehow, it didn't just happen overnight.

" Soon after ascending, your mother had reached the end of her cycle. She entrusted the power over the Daiōs to one of her sisters," Mason clears his throat next to me, probably to keep himself from speaking," When she awakened from her long sleep, the sister refused to relinquish the power, and your mother did the unthinkable. Something, no other Daiō has dared to do since life was breathed into us. She killed her sister and took her power, and from there war broke out among the Daiōs. Sides were taken, and much blood was spilt. After a few decades of squabbling, your mother had managed to kill every ephemerae, except for one. Her only son, your brother. It's still unclear how he managed to evade your mother's wrath, but he orchestrated your mother's capture and handover to the most despicable human that existed at the time. Ifrim, your father," I can't help but grimace at the mention of his name. I've never met the man but frankly, I'm happy that I didn't get the chance to meet him.

" It was your mother's punishment for turning Daiō against Daiō. The seals were used to bind her to him, thus limiting her abilities. Ifrim held your mother under his boot for a total of fifteen years, fathering a total of nine girls. You were the last one, an infant when Ifrim stumbled upon the secluded tribe. He used the seals to squeeze every ounce of power from your mother and claim the tribe as his own, proclaiming himself their god. As you can imagine, that didn't sit well with the elders of the tribe. I believe that you have some knowledge of how the rest of the story went," He pauses to take a deep breath and steps forward.

" Mistress, your brother will do anything in his power to claim the power he believes is rightfully his. Do not allow it. Nothing good could come of it. His intentions are not pure. He will bring chaos to this world. Many will perish," I gathered as much from his little speech in Tilloch.

" Any ideas?" I hope that maybe just maybe, Apple might be able to give the answer I've been searching for.

He shakes his head, " There is only one way to end the bloodshed. He must die," Apple says firmly, there is no smile to accompany that line, only a veiled warning as to what will happen if I don't.

" I'm quite saddened I wasn't invited to the party," Eric's voice trickles through followed by the hallowed sound of his footsteps against the wood.

" You weren't in the quarter when we left. Feel free to sulk about it later, " Mason chimes in, just as Eric joins the fold.

Apple stares him down for a good minute, before turning his eyes back to me.

" I am at your service Mistress, should you further require my assistance," Apple curtly bows before disappearing from sight.

" A Manani," Eric hums, curiously staring at the spot Apple has been standing for the past twenty minutes," Curious creatures. An interesting mix between messengers, and Sarteri, minus the drawbacks," He adds pensively.

" Glad you've been reading," Mason counters with a pat on Eric's shoulder, " Where did you disappear?" He asks as everyone starts to get inside, and I notice that the lock is broken. I don't have the energy or the will to have a go at whoever decided that's a great idea to break into a house that we don't own.

I toe the mat in front of the door, and pick up the rusted key," You could have used a key," I Shout after them," Savages," I mumble under my breath, and pocket the key.

One of them groans seemingly exasperated for whatever reason. Since everyone has had their time to inspect the house, Eric is the one that falls behind looking around, to satisfy his curiosity.

Eventually, we all gather in the middle of the room and look at each other. I know what I have to do. The story has offered me more than I wanted, more than I needed. Unfortunately, I will still have to face my brother and put an end to him. There's not much of a choice there.

" Right," Graham rubs his hands together, " Who would like to go first? Share your thoughts," When everyone remains silent Graham steps forward, " Hi! My name is Graham, and I'd like to offer you my thoughts on this," We all give him odd looks.

" Graham, stop monkeying around. This is not an addicts meeting," Mason rolls his eyes and pushes Graham back in the line.

" Everyone, if you could just stop bickering for a second, that would be great" I grumble and rub my temples, feeling a migraine headed my way.

" Right. The main thing that we need to focus on is my brother. We can figure out the rest later," I sigh, knowing is not as simple as it looks or sounds but it's worth a try.

He is the one who's been stirring the pot so far. Without him, misleading the Daiō, spirits should calm down, hopefully, eventually. If I manage to defeat my brother by some miracle, it remains the issue of ascending to the status of Er' Shala. As fanciful as it sounds, I have a pretty vague idea that is far from it.

" What's the plan?" Graham asks, and every eye in the room is pinned on Mason and me.

" You'll be made aware of your part when the time is right. Until then, all you need to know is that you must be ready. You are already aware of the first step, and that is eliminating Shay. In the meantime, we will be heading back. While Lily and I secure the Sarteri, you make sure that we have everything ready to go," Mason gives the instruction and gives everyone a minute to think about it. When none have anything to add we make our way out. 

Thankfully, Eric has procured a car of his own, which Mason described aptly as a death trap. The car is rusted, missing various parts, and looks one trip away from turning into a pile of useless metal.

" If you are trying to get out of this by killing yourself, you're doing a fine job," Mason quips the moment we reach the cars parked behind the house.

Eric smirks and pats the hood of the car," It flies on the road," He boasts as Aaron, Laira and Graham pile inside the car.

" Really?" Aaron asks with mocking disbelief.

" I'll race you," Eric challenges and slips behind the driver's seat. Sighing, and rubbing the back of his neck, Mason looks at the two cars getting into position.

"I'm too old for this," He grumbles under his breath, just as the rumble of engines revving fills the air.

" You're not the only one," I drop my head on his shoulder to watch the two cars, sputter smoke and petrol fumes in the air.

We are drawing unnecessary attention.

" We should go," Mason curls his hand around mine and brings it to his lips.

" We should," I say with a sigh, and drag Mason with me inside the pocket. From there to the barracks is a short distance and I should be able to make it fairly quickly and without too many hiccups. Luckily, Lairas solution puts my brother and me on an even playing field. She did say that I would love it and hate it at the same time.

When we slip out of the pocket, we emerge just outside the barrack we share. The rumble of the engine rings in the distance while Aaron and Eric race to see which car is the crappiest.

" Ready?" Mason asks as he pulls me towards the barrack.

" I'll never be ready, Mase. But it needs to be done," I admit meekly and he nods in assent as we step over the threshold. The sun has passed its zenith, and now slowly sinking towards the horizon.

Not long, now. I know all there is to know about my origins, and sometimes I wish I wouldn't.

The sound of the sword scraping against the rubber-covered floor gets my attention.

I watch as Mason, studies the black and white swords with a pensive look on his face. Light and darkness in perfect harmony.

" It's time to bring in the little traitorous Sarteri," Mason says woefully. I love Shay and in his own way Mason did too, but for now, he is a threat. Letting him roam free is a risk we cannot take.

I don't say anything, and I make my way towards the door, just as the cars dash on the dirt road with Eric leading the charge. He will gloat about his victory for aeons, but it is something I can live with.

Looming behind me, Mason presses a kiss to the crown of my head and brings the sword in front of us. I wrap my hand around him on the hilt, and we both swing it. The bunker begins to materialise on the other side of the translucent wall, along with all the people trapped in it.

Louis and Carter step forward and begin to push the cage through the veil. It slowly emerges on our side, and once we can grab we pull it before the window closes on us. I don't know what would happen if it did, but I'm not curious to find out either.

The cage makes it through, just barely before Louis and Carter disappear. I catch a glimpse of them waving, with a sad smile on their lips. I wish they would be here with us, but they are needed elsewhere.

As soon as Aaron pulls to the side Laira slips out of the car and gets to work. Connecting the cage to electricity.

Once it's ready she gives the go, and heads inside her barrack just like everyone else to get ready.

Mason steps beside me, opens the door to the cage and steps inside just next to the door.

I grab the switch and hold my finger over the button. We've discussed this, the timing has to be perfect, otherwise, Shay will escape, alert my brother and then we will have to deal with a whole other mess.

When I nod, Mason makes the call and waits for the ball light to make an appearance. Looking at it from the outside is a different experience. It feels as if time slows down, and I finally see how Shay manipulates the electrical charges in the air to create a pathway to his destination.

As soon as the ball of light is fully formed, Mason steps back and slams the door to the cage closed, and I press the switch. The hum of electricity fills the air, just as Shay blinks into existence. 

It takes Shay less than a split second to realise that it's a trap. He tries to teleport and fails, the electrical current surrounding him acts like a shield that just loops around the cage and then spits him back inside the cage.

The little guy is relentless. He tries at least two dozen times, until he finally collapses to the floor, panting heavily. I've seen it happen before in Helej but at the time I didn't understand what Eagan and Lissete have done to trap him. Now I do.

Lowering on my heels, I drop the switch on the ground and try to look into Shay's eyes. I find that I can't. The guilt is eating me alive, and I hate that I had to resort to this.

Slow footsteps behind me draw my attention away from Shay, only to find Graham approaching.

Mason takes a step towards the cage and plants himself in front of the door blocking Shay from sight.

" Don't even think about it," Mason warns, just as Graham reaches us.

" I won't. I might act like a mad dog sometimes but I know that this is for a purpose. Just promise me you won't hurt him," I hear the plea in Graham's voice and I feel slightly hurt that he would even think I'd hurt Shay.

" I'm not going to touch Shay, " I rise to my feet and squeeze Graham's shoulder. It's the truth. I was angry with him for trying to kill me, but that's in the past.

He will be free to do whatever he likes once my brother is six feet underground.

" We are ready," Aaron joins us and stares at Shay with a pitiful eye, as he lays there on the floor panting.

" Don't die little guy. I'll be back for you as soon as I can," Graham says as we all turn on our heels and join Laira, and the others waiting for us.

Mason hands me the sword, and presses a kiss on my cheek," I'd wish you good luck but I know you won't need it," He whispers in my ear.

 I turn my head, so our lips are hairbreath from each other " Wish it anyway," I whisper against his lips.

" Good luck, Canim. I'll be waiting," He presses a tender kiss to my lips, just as I swing the sword.