The moment Evie walked outside, the bright sunlight hit her like she was an ant walking under a magnifying glass. It had turned into an unseasonably warm, late February day and the sun was near its zenith by the time she finally stumbled out of the keep. For several seconds, she couldn’t bear to open her eyes and just stood there, face buried in her upper arm. The walk back out through the keep hadn’t been close to long enough for her to sort out her thoughts – she felt like she could walk all the way back to Richmond and still be processing her emotions by the time she opened the front door to her old house – but there would be time for that later.
For now, she felt free, like the clouds that had disappeared from the sky had also thinned in her own mind and the sun blazing down on her shoulders was warming her from the insight out. She had come to Fort Washington to find out about her parents, yes, but also to find a place where she belonged. And while she still did not know who her father was or why her mother refused to say anything about him, she had learned more than she had ever dared to hope she would.
“Eva Victoria… Edson?”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about that – it was no wonder her mother hadn’t wanted to go around carrying that name. Tirelle Edson may have been a woman once, but to Evie and everyone she’d grown up with, she was more immortal memory than mortal person; more Lady [Vanquisher] than Auntie Tirelle. Evie giggled audibly at the thought.
However, above everything else, she was joining the army. Finally. She had dreamed for so long about fighting with the strongest warriors against the Virus, but her journey from Richmond had taught her that that was the dream of a child. She knew how much she had to learn and grow, but also that she was in the right place to do it. The new uniform the stewards had made sure she left with sat neatly folded in her bag and she had a unit to report to in the morning. Before, she had worried about finding a place to start here, but, despite everything that had gone wrong, she now had a uniform, a unit, and even a place in the barracks.
Once her eyes finally adjusted to the sunlight, Evie looked to her right, and saw, to her relief, that the gate guard from earlier had been replaced and a young woman now stood sentry. Evie looked at her and gave a small wave, and the woman’s spear clattered to the ground. Her eyes were wide open and face pale.
“It’s you…”
“Ah…”
Evie scratched the back of her head and looked around. The entire courtyard had gone silent the second she left the keep and they’d all been watching her stand there, obliviously staring into her armpit.
“It’s you, the Tier 2! Who are you? Where did you come from?”
The guard had walked up to her, minus the spear and was now extremely close, uncomfortably so. The rabid curiosity in the woman’s eyes made Evie shy away, disconcerted. The guard looked like she had just seen a hero walking down the middle of the street and Evie wasn’t sure how to handle it. She took a step back, putting some distance between herself and the overly eager woman.
“I’m... Eva Victoria, Evie…”
The guard didn’t let up, continuing to crowd Evie and now there were other onlookers drawing closer as well.
“That doesn’t explain anything! Are you related to one of the stewards? Or–”
“No, no, it’s not like that.”
Evie shook her head quickly, feeling her discomfort grow. She turned away from the guard, but the whispers around her intensified as she moved into the courtyard. She could feel eyes on her from all sides, as if she were something exotic and dangerous, a curiosity that no one could look away from. She bit her lip, and ducked her head, trying to break through the crowd.
“I guess this is why Darius panicked when I summoned Victoria in that hotel room in Richmond…”
She walked quickly down the path and randomly turned to her left. Stealing a glance behind her, she saw, to her dismay, that there were 15 or 20 people approaching her from every direction. They were everywhere, waving, hollering to get her attention. She broke into a jog, and spun around, barely in time to avoid running straight into one of the portable buildings that was set up to teach younger children. Turning around, she started looking for a new way to go, but the onlookers were closing in. The keep grounds were full of all sorts of people and the crowd was made up of messengers, merchants, craftspeople, and even a few soldiers.
“Are you here to fight for us?”
“Show us your hero!”
Evie gave a frazzled smile and half raised an arm, unsure what she was planning to do with it. She let it hang awkwardly for a moment before scratching the back of her head again, wincing as she pulled at the clump of knots that had built up over the last few days.
“This way.”
For a second, Evie thought she was hearing voices in her head again. She looked both directions, but couldn’t find its source. She felt close to panicking – it wasn’t that they looked like they meant her harm, it was just… she hardly knew what was going on and what she was doing and there were voices in her head and… She just wasn’t ready for people to treat her like she was some sort of hero.
“Can’t a girl just battle a beautiful knight and fire off a few cannons in the middle of the square without getting hounded every few steps?”
Okay perhaps not.
“Psssssssst. Above you!”
This time, Evie was sure the voice came into her brain the proper way through her ear canals. Her head shot up and she nearly cracked skulls with the woman dangling just a few feet above her head. The woman swayed precariously, her long, dark hair tumbling beneath her and whipping across Evie’s face. Raising her head back up towards the portable’s roof, she yelled at the pair of hands holding her legs.
“Hold me still! Daisuke you… Agh!”
The scene was so far beyond belief that Evie almost forgot her panic. That was, until, the woman’s hands finally grabbed hold of the back of Evie’s shirt, and, with a stunning amount of strength, yanked her off her feet.
“Got her! Go!”
Evie screamed as she felt herself yanked upwards with dizzying speed. Both she and the woman arced up and over the lip of the roof and landed in a heap on the tiles with a muted crash. The roof creaked beneath them, and for a terrifying second, Evie thought they were going to crash through it and give the children in the room below the fright of a lifetime. Thankfully, the roof held, and for a few seconds, they were out of sight from the crowd.
“Ow…”
Evie stood up slowly, holding the small of her back. That was going to hurt tomorrow… She looked over the edge of the roof and saw the crowd staring at her, mouths open.
“Keep moving!”
Her head swiveled as she felt a tug on her shoulder and saw the woman with the dark hair had already leapt to her feet and was trying to drag her away from the crowd to the other end of the roof. Beside her, a man with shorter hair, but similar features, was already running across the roof.
“You dumb or something?”
The woman shot her an exasperated look and ran after the man. Evie took one last look at the crowd of onlookers and then ran after them.
***
Seraphina slammed the door to the practice gym behind her, the sound reverberating through the empty space like a hammer blow. There were several soldiers and trainees in the room – a few of them turned her way upon hearing the crash of the door, but hurriedly looked away or went back to their training after seeing the look on her face. She could feel the heat rising in her chest, anger bubbling so fiercely that it threatened to spill over at any moment.
She yanked off her jacket, tossing it to the side and grabbed a wooden spear from a rack on the wall. She stood there, spear held in both hands like she didn’t have the faintest clue what to do with it, and tried to clear her mind. She took one step.
“No, Sergeant McIntyre, as I said, you will continue to train until you are ready to fight with us.”
Seraphina’s fists whitened on her spear, the soft squeak of the mat beneath her only fueling her rage.
“How do I get them to let me have my own handmaiden? None of the rest of us got to take staff onto the unit.”
She was supposed to be leading a unit against the Virus, proving herself on the battlefield – not locked up in the fort like a show animal, babysitting a bunch of brats.
“Look, you’re Stewardess McIntyre’s daughter, right? Can’t you help me out?”
Her thoughts whirred with growing agitation until she couldn’t stand it anymore. Taking a proper grip on her spear, she strode to the center of the room and spun it around her body with practiced ease. The weapon felt good in her hands – solid, dependable… unthinking. She planted her feet and began a form, thrusting and parrying with her spear, the point gliding through the air with increasing speed.
“Leave us Seraphina. Now.”
The movements weren’t enough. Her steps were too long, her balance was imprecise, her strikes were wild slashes that would have left her wide open to attack if she was fighting a real opponent of any skill. She was failing. Failing the fort, failing her father’s legacy, failing herself.
“You are a symbol of hope, the living legacy of your father, and of what we all fight for. Losing you in an avoidable confrontation... it's a risk we cannot afford.”
She pushed harder. Sweat poured down her face as her spear became a brown blur. She moved faster and faster, her muscles burning with the effort, but still, she wasn’t able to lose herself in the flow of combat. Her loss of focus finally did her in and she came down from a jump on the side of her foot, turning her ankle and stumbling to the mat. She stood up and tried to pick-up where she left off, but her leg screamed in pain and she immediately fell back to the ground.
With a roar, she rolled to her knees and drove the spear into the ground, hitting it with so much force that the wooden tip went straight through the mat and the haft broke in two. Her chest heaved as she stood there, breaths coming in ragged gasps as she stared at the broken weapon lodged in the floor. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. People could say what they would, but she had given so much, worked herself to the bone for years to live up to her family’s name. But it was never enough.
A desperate feeling passed through her, cutting down to her bones. It was never enough. Nothing was ever enough. There was so much weight, so much expectation, yet no matter how hard she worked, how much of herself she gave, it was never enough. She gritted her teeth, biting back the tears that threatened to spill. She didn’t cry. Not for herself. Not for anyone.
A soft, deliberate cough broke through her thoughts.
Seraphina’s head snapped up, her body instantly tensing as her eyes darted toward the source of the sound. She had thought the practice gym was empty except for her, the last few soldiers hurrying out and leaving her alone after she had stabbed her spear through the floor. Yet no more than a few feet away from her, but somehow evading her notice, was an elderly woman.
“Mrs. McLaughlin!”
Seraphina jolted in surprise and jumped to her feet, forgetting her injured ankle for a second until it flashed with pain and she fell back to the ground.
“Oh dear.”
The lady’s voice was just loud enough to reach Seraphina as if she had tossed it like a ball perfectly aimed to land in her lap. It was soft and serene – filled with a touch of concern as she looked down at Seraphina’s foot.
“Let me go get you a [Healer].”
“No, no, please don’t trouble yourself!”
Seraphina felt flustered, gritting her teeth as she tried again to get back to her feet. This time she managed to with the help of her broken spear as a crutch. She brushed back her sweaty hair and smoothed out her uniform with her free hand, trying in vain to look somewhat presentable. Mrs. McLaughlin walked up to her and eyed her up and down, slowly raising an eyebrow before chuckling softly.
“You know some may say it’s a sign of weakness, and not one of strength, to refuse aid when offered.”
“Please… I don’t want to trouble you Mrs. McLaughlin. I promise you, I’ll be fine.”
The former mayor continued to eye her inquisitively. For a second, it felt a little too much like one of her mother’s assessments and Seraphina felt her chest tighten again, but then the lady only smiled and gently patted her on the elbow.
“I won’t treat you like a child, sergeant. But perhaps you’d relent to an old woman’s concern and let me accompany you to the medical tent? It would be nice for once to not have to worry about someone purposefully walking slowly so I could keep up.”
She held up her own cane, a polished stick of dark wood that nearly went up to her sternum. Seraphina gave a short, dry laugh and nodded.
“I’d appreciate that.”
***
“Wow there, that was a close one.”
The woman in front of Evie looked like she was a second or two from vomiting on the ground. She was bent over double, huffing and puffing with hands on her knees while Evie and the man stood beside her. They hadn’t gone far, perhaps a mile from the keep, but they had quickly lost themselves in the city crowd as soon as they had left the keep grounds. Evie was just happy to not be the one out of breath this time – the woman was panting way too much after running just one mile for someone wearing a military uniform.
On closer inspection, both of her ‘saviors’ were close to Evie’s age, not more than a year or two older. They both had dark hair, dark eyes, and similar facial features, but their demeanors couldn’t have been more different. It was as if the sister, for they were clearly siblings, had taken all of their parents’ fiery traits and the brother all their mild traits. Her whole body was straight lines – sharp eyes, sharp nose, sharp cheeks, even jagged blonde highlights running through her hair – while he managed to take the same traits and make them somehow look calmer, rounder. He carried a loose, goofy grin and eyes that blinked slowly, inspecting Evie, but in such a casual way that it didn’t make her feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.
“Doesn’t seem like anyone here recognizes you yet. Guess news doesn’t spread that fast outside the keep.”
The man gave Evie a shrug as he helped his sister to stand-up fully. The woman sucked in a deep breath, leaning slightly on her brother’s shoulder and glaring at Evie as if daring her to say something.
“Exercise isn’t really my thing…”
“I’m starting to think that glare might be her base look…”
Evie just smiled at her and held out a hand.
“I’m Evie.”
The woman gave Evie a long look before slowly, almost reluctantly sticking out her own hand.
“Aoi. This is Daisuke, my twin…”
Aoi said the last two words almost begrudgingly, but both siblings took her hand and shook briefly. Evie stepped back, unsure of what to say next. She studied the twins for several seconds before opening her mouth.
“Thanks… for the help back there. I wasn’t expecting that crowd.”
“Oh, so that battle in the courtyard was part of your plan for a secret stealth entrance?”
Aoi looked at Evie, face blank for a second. The words were cold, biting, but despite the woman’s venomous glare, it felt almost like she spoke that way out of habit rather than due to any specific animosity directed toward Evie. She looked up at Aoi, not sure how to respond, and then, to her surprise, Aoi started laughing. The laughter was dry, but not cold or angry like Evie had expected and after a second, she started laughing too. As Aoi’s laughter died down, her glare lessened somewhat.
“C’mon, let’s find somewhere to sit down.”
Evie looked up at the sun, high in the sky, and felt her stomach rumble.
“Lunch maybe?”
She smiled, giving the two of them a hopeful look, but Aoi shook her head.
“Uh, we’re all out of money until our next paycheck…”
Daisuke looked pointedly at his sister.
“We?”
“Okay, I’m all out of money. It was a bit of a wild weekend.” Aoi’s face showed no hint of apology or embarrassment. “I was going to go back to the keep to get food there, but I don’t think that’s such a hot idea for you right now…”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Evie felt at her pocket where she still had the remainder of the money Darius had paid her on her birthday what felt like half a lifetime ago.
“My treat! You both did really help me out after all. Even if that was the strangest rescue I could ever have imagined…”
“Ah I knew you were my type of person!”
Aoi stuck a hand around Evie’s neck, ignoring her last muttered sentence, and dragged them both down the road. It was painful and awkward as the woman was at least 6 inches shorter than Evie, but thankfully, she let go after a few seconds.
“If you’re treating, I know just the place. Have you ever had ramen?
“Ramen?”
***
“Good as new, just like that. You know, back in my day you would have been hobbling around on that ankle for a week.”
Seraphina suppressed a sigh and gave Mrs. McLaughlin a patient look as the two of them meandered slowly through the keep’s grounds. It was quiet here, far from the main path – the well-groomed grass was hardly trodden and small trees rested alongside a small creek. Part of her felt agitated walking slowly through the seldom visited gardens with the older woman, but another part of her acknowledged that maybe the time out here wasn’t the worst thing for her right now.
“I can’t imagine that, ma’am. Every injury I’ve ever had has been healed up within a few hours. I can even heal myself, although I have to be in my hero’s form and it uses a ton of energy – wipes me out if I do it too often.”
“Remarkable. People are all so different nowadays. One never knows what to expect.”
Seraphina just nodded and they were both quiet for a few minutes. It had turned into quite a nice day and the sun felt warm and comfortable. The wind blew gently through the trees, making the ends of her hair bounce lightly on her forehead. She looked back and saw the look of exertion on Mrs. McLaughlin’s face so she pointed to a bench a few feet ahead of them.
“Would you like to sit down for a few minutes, ma’am?”
“Oh yes, thank you child, that would be wonderful.”
Once they were seated, Seraphina was surprised to see the former mayor sit back and kick her shoes off, letting her bare toes nestle into the soft grass. The lady gave a deep sigh of contentment before turning towards Seraphina.
“I can’t help but notice that something seems to be bothering you, Seraphina. Would you like to talk about it?”
“I…”
Seraphina didn’t know what to say. She hardly knew the woman and it felt wrong to burden a stranger with her problems. Yet… perhaps it was her grandmotherly nature, or just her generally kind demeanor, but she found herself wanting to open up to the woman.
“Do you… do you know–”
“Child, I think the whole city knows about your little fight in the courtyard by this point. Or are you talking about the fight you had inside the keep before that?”
Seraphina winced. She didn’t know what to say and closed and opened her mouth several times before Mrs. McLaughlin cut in again.
“Well, out with it then! We’re all getting old here watching your mouth move like a damn puppet’s.”
Mrs. McLaughlin pursed her lips, but Seraphina could see the glimmer in her eyes. It was so surprising to hear the stately woman scold her like that that she almost laughed. The odd levity helped to lighten her mood and ease her tongue.
“It’s so frustrating! My whole life has been about living up to this legacy… I’m literally the only kid any of The Ten had. And then I got this unique class and Tier 2 when I was 10. My whole life I’ve been told how much was expected of me, yet now I’m 20 and I still haven’t seen a Virus except from the top of the wall, never killed one with my bare hands. I’m hardly leveling – there’s only so much you can grow from fighting people weaker than you in safe environments or else we’d all be level 100…
“So when I met that girl today, I wanted her to be an enemy. I know how crazy it sounds, a Tier 2 fighting for them, but I didn’t care. And then it turns out she was just some stuck-up little brat from Richmond… Yet I had to watch my mother put an arm around her and my godfather brew her a cup of tea while I got sent out of the room like I’m a little girl again. Why is it so easy for the stewardess to be so kind to a complete stranger when she never treats her own daughter like that…”
Seraphina stopped talking and stared off into the distance, not meeting Mrs. McLaughlin’s eyes. She knew how bitter she sounded, how she probably sounded like the child she was so strenuously protesting she was not. But it still felt good to say that out loud with someone listening.
“Your mother… can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”
Seraphina turned her head to face Mrs. McLaughlin and her mouth dropped open. The lady’s eyes still had a mischievous twinkle in them as she continued.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never met a braver woman, a better woman, than Katrina McIntyre, but boy it wouldn’t hurt that woman to smile from time to time.”
Seraphina guffawed, eyes wide and mouth still open and Mrs. McLaughlin laughed, seeming to take pleasure from Seraphina’s amusement.
“I’ve seen how hard she is on you, on everyone, and the times do call for it, but we’ve been fighting for twenty years… This is life now. It’s a pretty terrible one if all one as bright as you can look forward to is growing up so you can fight the Virus.”
Seraphina’s mouth closed and she studied the lady contemplatively.
“I think I’d rather die fighting than have to live like this, watching my world slowly crumble around me.”
“But what kind of choice is that? Tell me this, what do you do for fun?”
“For… fun?”
“Like your hobbies! And if you say sparring, I swear to God I will pinch you. Hard.”
Seraphina shut her mouth. That had been exactly what she was going to say. It took her a long time, a lot longer than she would have liked, to respond and her words came out slowly when she did as if she was dragging them from the depths of her memory.
“I like to play basketball. And dance. And I like to play games. Cards, dominoes… My mother taught me to play a few types once and I remember having fun playing with her and Steward Park. They never went easy on me, but I remember the first time that I beat them… I think she was actually proud of me then… But it’s been a long time since we played.”
Mrs. McLaughlin shook out her hand that had been resting on Seraphina’s arm and Seraphina laughed, realizing the lady had actually been prepared to pinch her. Mrs. McLaughlin laughed as well, but when she spoke, her smile seemed a touch wistful.
“Why don’t you play anymore?”
“I guess playing games is something that children do. I don’t have time for it anymore.”
“That makes me sad.”
“I…”
Seraphina didn’t know what to say. The words had just come out of her mouth – and she didn’t feel that much loss when she said them – but seeing the look on Mrs. McLaughlin’s face, she felt as though she was missing something. Mrs. McLaughlin gave a weary smile and stood up.
“Sorry, child, I was trying to cheer you up, but it seems like I’ve made myself sad instead. Let us get going, I don’t want to keep you any longer.”
“Do you play Mrs. McLaughlin?”
The words tumbled out of Seraphina’s mouth so fast as she stood beside the former mayor that Seraphina almost didn’t believe she’d said them. Mrs. McLaughlin peered up at her curiously.
“I do… I play Spades with a group of my friends every Thursday night. Do you know that game?”
“I do.” Seraphina nodded. “My mother said it was my father’s favorite game – it was the first game she ever taught me.”
“Then why don’t you join us one week? If you can spare a night with us non-soldiers.”
“I’d love that, Mrs. McLaughlin. I think I really would.”
Mrs. McLaughlin smiled and the two of them started walking again in companionable silence. As they were reaching the edge of the clearing, Seraphina cleared her throat. For some reason, she felt as though the clearing represented a barrier with the rest of the world and once they crossed it, the quiet tranquility of the last hour would disappear.
“Can I ask you one more question, ma’am?”
“Of course.”
“When you were speaking a few minutes ago, you said ‘I swear to God’… I don’t remember the last time I heard anyone else do that. Do you still believe in a god? After all of this?”
This time it was impossible to miss the overwhelming sadness filling Mrs. McLaughlin’s face.
“What a strange question coming from someone who summons Joan of Arc of all people… I never lost my faith in God even after we lost everything child… Today, all you hear is people swearing by the names of The Ten like they weren’t ordinary people just like the rest of us.”
“But The Ten were… Are everything we can be, everything we aspire to be.”
“No… The Ten… You know, I knew all of them. They were great people, incredible people, but still just people all the same. They had scars, blemishes, and faults – some more than others. There’s a saying from my time: ‘Envy the land that has heroes, but pity the land that needs them.’ So before you go wanting to be a champion like Lord Gavin, or a martyr like your dad, remember that the world got on just fine without heroes for thousands of years, and maybe one day, it will again.”
***
“Did you really hit McIntyre with a cannon? Oh, I so wish I had seen that!”
Chopsticks held in one hand and soup spoon in the other, Aoi’s face was full of curiosity and excitement. She waved her arms around animatedly, splashing broth from the end of the noodles hanging from her chopsticks. Evie raised her head from her bowl – taking perhaps her first breath since the noodles had arrived three minutes ago – gave a single nod, and then buried her face back in her food as if someone was going to take it from her if she didn’t eat it fast enough. Daisuke, the only one eating with any measure of politeness, gave Evie a considering look.
“Bad move messing with that one… Do you remember when you put gum in her hair in Year Three, Aoi?”
“Hmph, the missing clump in her hair was noticeable far longer than the bruises she gave me were.”
“And the missing tooth?”
“It was a baby tooth.”
Aoi scowled and started to fold her arms before remembering that both of her hands were full and stopped.
Evie finally sat up and took a long, deep breath. She sat there for a few seconds, looking mournfully at her empty bowl before letting out a massive belch, evoking a smile from Aoi.
“Hated your food, I take it?”
“That was… Forget anything else, I would have come all the way to Washington just for this.”
The three of them were seated in the corner of a small restaurant, located in a narrow alley off the main road. It had taken them about 10 minutes to walk there from where they had run to and by the time they arrived, Evie had been famished. Perhaps it was only her extreme hunger that had convinced her to sit down in the patronless restaurant with just a single man standing behind the counter, but her suspicions had been allayed the second the aroma started wafting in from the kitchen.
“I take it you two don’t get along with her? McIntyre I mean.”
Evie looked back toward Aoi, letting her utensils clatter into her bowl.
“Me and the princess go way back, all the way back to Year One. She’s a spoiled, self-righteous brat, that one. You spoke to her, it ain’t that hard to notice.”
Daisuke gave a long-suffering sigh and held his hand to the side of his mouth facing his sister before talking in a whisper that was easily loud enough for all three of them to hear in the empty restaurant.
“Aoi thinks she’s McIntyre’s rival… She’s really not that bad.
“Daisuke, if a Virus sat down in this restaurant right now, you’d probably say it wasn’t that bad. Probably walk up and try to talk to it too…” When Daisuke didn’t seem the least bit put-out by this, Aoi rolled her eyes and continued speaking. “What happened between the two of you, anyway? There’s all sorts of rumors flying around.”
Evie’s face paled.
“What type of rumors?”
“Oh, you know, that you’re her long lost sister coming to challenge her birthright. That you’re a champion from Richmond coming to challenge Washington for fort supremacy. Or my personal favorite, that you're Lady Edson’s avenging ghost coming to punish the stewards.”
“Punish the stewards?! For what?”
“Seriously? Have you looked around?”
Now Evie’s face turned white and she glanced nervously at the proprietor.
“It doesn’t seem that bad.”
“If you’re in the army, sure. But if you’re not risking your life every day… The taxes are so high, and all the stewards use the money for is weapons and defense. That’s why we have all these beautiful ramparts, but the homes and businesses are all falling apart. Most people were fine with that at the beginning, but it’s been twenty years! Hard to keep saying ‘next year will be better’ forever.”
“Um… I guess?”
You don’t need to keep looking around like someone’s going to charge in here and get us! You’re really not from here?”
Evie blushed slightly, some color returning to her face.
“No… I am actually from Richmond.”
“And Richmond’s not like this?
“I… don’t think so. The council takes good care of us. When my mom got sick, they still provided for us even though I was still in school.”
Aoi’s face puckered and she looked like she was about to spit before thinking better of it.
“Lucky you. You’d have ended up on the streets here.”
“Aoi…” Daisuke put a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Enough.”
For a second, Aoi looked like she was going to argue, but then she relented, shrinking slightly in her chair and letting her brother take over.
“So what did bring you here?”
Evie took a deep breath and let it all slowly. She had told this story so many times that it felt like it was going stale in her own mind. She decided to give a shortened version, hoping the twins wouldn’t ask for more details.
“My mom and I got attacked by Virus last week. They killed her, but I awakened and managed to survive. She left me a letter telling me to come here and find the stewards.”
“I’m sorry.” Daisuke gave her a consoling look, the first time Evie had seen any negative emotion on his face. “Our parents died when we were little, so I can’t imagine what you’re going through.
“Thank you.”
Evie smiled, again put at ease by the man’s genuine openness and honesty.
“I was trying to find a way to meet with them when I got in an argument with the gate guard. McIntyre came out of the keep looking pissed. She saw us arguing and intervened.
“Ah… That may have been partially my fault.”
Aoi colored, looking somewhat abased. The embarrassment didn’t fit well on her face and quickly vanished.
“We almost had a full-blown fight of our own probably only a few minutes before that.”
Evie looked straight at Aoi for several seconds and then her face split into a grin.
“Boy is she going to be upset when the two of us both show up tomorrow.”
Aoi’s face lit up with glee.
“Oh the stewards asked you to join the unit as well? This is going to be so much fun!”
Both of them laughed, while Daisuke just shook his head. Evie stood up, feeling a bounce in her step.
“Anyone want another bowl?”
“Yes!”
“Definitely.”
Evie stood up and ordered a second helping for all three of them from the man at the counter. When she returned, both twins were looking at her, smiling.
“How did you two find me, anyway? No way you were on that roof by coincidence…”
Aoi gave her a knowing look.
“We have our ways… We’re not too shabby ourselves.” Aoi crossed her arms, looking pleased with herself. “And as soon as we heard about that fight we knew we had to meet you.”
Evie eyed both of them appraisingly.
“Also, how did you pull both of us onto the roof like that Daisuke? You have to be crazy strong!”
“Who, me?”
They all laughed and Evie didn’t pry. They had both been respectful of her secrets and she had a feeling she’d learn about there’s soon enough.
“Where are you staying tonight, Evie?”
Daisuke’s question caught her off guard.
“In the barracks, I guess. I think I have a bunk now that I’m officially enlisted.
“Why don’t you stay with us tonight? You can save the stress of figuring all that stuff out for another day, plus, maybe best to avoid McIntyre until tomorrow.
Evie only considered for a second before nodding rapidly with a big smile on her face.
“I’d love that. I really would.”
All three of them raised their water glasses and clinked them lightly as their next bowls of soup arrived.
***
“Do you think she knows?”
Eytan Kahlanick heard the voice behind him, but didn’t turn around. He peered out over the top-floor apartment’s balcony and took a swig from the bottle of beer in his hand. There were few lights illuminating the city at night – a torch burned above a major street here and there, but the city’s skyline was nothing like it once had been. The sky was cloudless and moonless and he could see hundreds, no thousands of stars twinkling above him, but it brought little comfort. He missed the city, the neon lights, the honking of horns, the bustle of people.
“Good evening, Katrina.”
Eytan turned and leaned against the railing to face the woman behind him. He let his drink dangle from his fingers, but did not offer her one. She would have said no, even if he had. Despite the late hour, she was still dressed in her perfectly tailored uniform. She had let her hair down, though, and it hung loosely around her shoulders.
“I half-expected you to be gone again. Run off before we ever got a chance to talk.”
“Is that what you think I do? Run off?”
Katrina sighed and walked over to stand next to Eytan against the railing, looking out at the city.
“In your own way, yes. I imagine it’s lonely out there by yourself all these years.”
“Lonely… I guess it is.” Eytan took another long sip of his drink. “I miss all of them, Katrina. Barney, Gavin, her most of all. But there’s nothing else I can do at this point. Just keep killing them until they eventually kill me.
“But you have a niece, Eytan! Surely that means something.”
Eytan felt the walls within him falter. Without them, the pain and anger roared through his blood until it was all he could do not to bend over clutching his chest like he was having a heart attack. He looked down at his weathered, calloused hands – hands that had killed so many Virus that they felt as though they should be stained black.
“I don’t know how it’s possible… Tirelle, she… How could she keep that secret? Why?”
“I don’t know, but that is something we have to find out.”
There was an austere edge to Katrina’s voice. She was always practical, always thinking forward. He couldn’t do that. The scars on his body were inconsequential in comparison to the marks cut into his soul. When Eytan didn’t respond, Katrina repeated her first question.
“Do you think she knows, Eytan?”
Still, he stayed silent for a long time, turning back around to look out over the city. When he finally spoke, his voice was a low whisper, barely audible over the wind.
“Deep in her heart? I think she does.”
“You could have said something.”
“There are some things a person can only learn on their own. Finding out that the mother she is mourning isn’t actually her mother? That’s not something I can just tell her.”
Katrina examined him carefully as if trying to figure out if he truly meant his words. Good luck to her – he hardly knew himself.
“Do you remember the first time you met Tirelle?”
The question took Eytan off guard and he almost dropped his bottle over the balcony. He gripped it tightly, feeling the glass crack slightly in his palm.
“Of course I do Katrina! How could I ever forget that? I don’t think anyone who ever laid eyes on that woman could forget meeting her. The way she shone… It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Nothing I’ve seen since.”
“And? Do you see the same thing in this girl? Does she shine? Is she truly Tirelle’s daughter?”
“You can’t expect that of her now! The Tirelle we both met was a seasoned warrior, this girl… She’s just a kid…”
Eytan’s voice trailed off. He looked over at Katrina who was smirking.
“Look at you, defending her already. I didn’t know you still had it in you anymore to care for another person.”
Eytan felt himself flush, though whether with anger or embarrassment he did not know. He looked away, reaching down into his pocket and feeling the cold metal inside. Absent-mindedly, his fingers traced the T engraved on the locket, feeling his skin run up and down the groove.
“She’s family, Katrina. In more ways than one.”
Katrina gave him a long look, before patting him on the shoulder and walking back toward the sliding door leading back into his apartment. Before she could leave, Eytan turned and called after her.
“What do you think this means? How could they have had a daughter? And she just turned 18… Could this be why youngsters are awakening again? Could there be…”
“We can only hope, Eytan. Gavin knows, we need it.”