Chapter Sixty-Nine: ‘Thy bonds in blood...’

With the helium tank in hand, Zeff entered the center courtyard where the rest of his family was waiting for him. They all stood together on the small bridge over the pool as rain continued to fall, filling in the silence with a kind of pattering static. His wife held Emiliana’s hand, who just looked pale as Zeff drew close. The other children stood nearby, but there was no one else around, as he had dismissed all of the family’s attendants for the remainder of the evening. Excepting, of course, the four reapers who were also present.

For Zeff, the reapers took on the appearance of overlarge bats--as big as hyenas and with similar faces but also bearing wings and glowing white eyes. They had a curious habit of hanging upside down just as normal bats might, only these ones didn’t need to hang from anything, so they simply floated there in midair.

Among the four reapers here, there was one each for Zeff, his wife Mariana, and Francisco. The last would be the one to resurrect Emiliana.

As Zeff reached out to her, pressing the transparent gas mask toward her face, Emiliana suddenly began to tremble. “Mama, Papa, please!” she said. “I can’t--! Please! Please don’t make me do this!” She was already on the verge of tears and trying to pull away, but her mother held her firm.

A part of him wanted to chastise the girl. She didn’t know how good she had it. Drowning was the original tradition, but having experienced it personally, Zeff decided to spare his own children that agony. He remembered his passing all too vividly. Panicked and terrible. In this very pool. Helium gas was nothing like that. Just as Francisco’s had been, Emiliana’s death would be peaceful and painless, like drifting off to sleep.

He wanted to tell her these things--things she already knew, had been told--but as he looked at her face, at the terrified expression of his baby girl, he found his heart slowly leaving him. He lowered the mask.

Everyone looked at him, the same silent question being asked. It was his own reaper who posed it.

‘Zeff, what are you doing?’ said Axiolis.

“We will wait a bit longer,” said Zeff. He patted Emiliana on the head.

His wife did not look pleased. “Zeff,” was all she said, and Zeff knew she would have said more if the children weren’t present. Fortunately for her, Axiolis was more than happy to fill in.

‘You shouldn’t delay without good reason,’ the reaper said. ‘You’re not doing the girl any favors by postponing things.’

Zeff chose to ignore him and instead eyed the reaper meant for Emiliana. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

‘No hurry,’ said the other reaper. ‘I’m plenty patient.’ This one’s name was Chergoa.

Zeff gave a grateful nod.

Marcos stepped up next to his sister. “Hey, if Emy doesn’t want her reaper, then I’ll take it.”

Zeff exhaled an amused breath. “No, Marcos. Emiliana will still be receiving her reaper. Just not tonight.”

The relief on Emiliana’s face seemed to lessen at that, but she nodded all the same. “Thank you, Papa...”

“Francisco, see that everyone gets ready for bed,” said Mariana.

“Yes, enma’am.”

After returning indoors, they parted ways with their children. The long corridor with ribbed arches in the ceiling gave them plenty of time to speak as they walked toward the Main House’s master bedroom, all four of the reapers following.

“You do know that it is not because she is merely scared, don’t you?” said Mariana.

“Yes,” said Zeff.

“She’s not like her sisters. Gema and Ramira are both tomboys, but Emiliana is about as girly as girls come.”

Zeff threw his wife an odd look--curious and amused by the way she put it.

“She wants to marry young and live quietly as a mother,” Mariana went on. “She wants a different kind of life for herself--one without all the commotion that the name Elroy brings with it.”

He took a deep breath. “I know.”

“Then why are you humoring her? It would be better to just get it over with and disillusion her now.”

“Because I am wondering if that is necessary.”

They arrived at their room, and Zeff entered first while Mariana stopped in the doorway. “What are you saying?”

Zeff looked to Chergoa. “I know this is not what you bargained for, but would you allow Emiliana to live quietly if she were your servant?”

Chergoa unfurled her black wings. ‘Uh. I suppose I could do that. But what do you think, Axiolis? You’re the one who recruited me into this Vanguard business.’

All eyes turned to Axiolis, and for a while, the reaper just stared at Zeff. ‘Frankly, I’m not pleased by the idea. Nor will the General be.’

“The General is not Emiliana’s father,” said Zeff. “And neither are you.”

‘Yes,’ said Axiolis, ‘but I think the argument here is that you would be taking a reaper away from the Vanguard for personal reasons.’

“Chergoa has not joined the Vanguard yet,” said Zeff.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

‘That may not matter.’

‘Is it necessary for her to have a reaper at all?’ asked Chergoa. ‘If she is only going to live quietly, then why even bother with all this?’

‘Because she is an Elroy,’ said Axiolis in Zeff’s stead. ‘Even if she changes her name and moves far away from here, trouble might still find her one day.’

‘Ah. So I would be her backup plan, then.’

“I would ask you to prepare her,” said Zeff. “If she is forced to fight, I want her capable of protecting herself.”

‘I can do that,’ said Chergoa.

‘And what does the Lady Elroy think of this?’ asked Axiolis. ‘Do you agree with your husband?’

“I think the heart of a teenager is fickle and uncertain,” said Mariana. “She may desire a quiet life now, but what will she want in five years? Or ten?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t want us to decide for her.”

“We decided for Francisco,” she said.

His expression darkened. “We also decided for Gema.”

Mariana’s face tightened, eyes narrowing a moment before looking away. “Gema made her own choices.”

“Only after we took away the one she wanted.”

The woman shook her head and sat down on their bed. “When did you become so indulgent?” she said, still not looking at him. “I thought I married a Rainlord.”

‘Rain isn’t always cold,’ said Axiolis, and Zeff was a bit surprised to find the reaper defending him.

So was Mariana, apparently. “I thought you were on my side.”

‘As a Vanguardian, I am. But as this man’s reaper, and as someone who considers your family my own, I do find your husband’s words convincing.’

Mariana sighed. “All this, because you can’t bear to see your daughter a bit frightened.”

Zeff merely folded his arms.

“Oh, very well,” Mariana conceded. “If that is your decision, then I will stand by you.”

“Thank you,” said Zeff.

‘So when would you like to perform the ceremony, then?’ asked Chergoa.

“Tomorrow night,” said Zeff. “That should allow more than enough time to explain the change in plans to her.”

‘Okay. I’ll just haunt your neighborhood in the meantime.’

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

David descended the long steps into the underbelly of the sterile white prison. As far as dungeons went, it didn’t quite have the same medieval menace to it that he’d had in mind, but he supposed the eerie calm and cleanliness offered a different kind of discomfort.

Two guardsmen escorted him in silence, and he soon arrived in front of the designated cell with a transparent wall and a speaker box in the center. David hit the button on the right side to let his voice carry through. “Hello, Luther.”

Luther sat up and tilted his head. “David. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me down here.”

“Oh, you will be getting plenty of attention soon enough.”

“Ah. Am I to be executed, then? Given a farce trial, perhaps?”

“A trial, yes, but not for your execution. I’m told the prosecution will be seeking life imprisonment.”

“Life imprisonment. Ha. That is an execution, too. Instead of a needle or a chair or an axe, it is simply a box and patience. In a way, it is much crueler--killing someone with time. Boring a person to death, taken literally.”

“Shall I tell the prosecution you feel that way?”

Luther scowled and turned away.

“I thought not,” said David.

“Why are you here?” said Luther. “To gloat?”

“Well...” David grinned. “Yes. That is exactly why I am here.”

“Ugh.” Luther shook his head in disgust. “I suppose this is what I get for acting so impulsively. I thought I saw a golden opportunity to eliminate all rivals. I should have known better.”

“Indeed. It almost makes one wonder how you could be so foolhardy.”

Luther stared at him for a long moment. “Oh, you liar. You did come down here for another reason.”

“Did I?”

“You came to observe my mood,” said Luther.

David smirked. “I am interested in your mood, am I? Dear brother, perhaps I should find you a larger cell. Your ego must be taking up so much room in this one.”

“Heh, I would not refuse the offer.” He stood and approached the clear wall, inspecting David’s face more closely. “But no, you are most certainly here to see how miserable I am. Because if I am not miserable, then you would begin to wonder why that is.”

“I would wonder that, yes. Are you miserable, then? Is there anything I can do to make you more so?”

“Knowing you, I am sure there is.” Luther pulled away and walked toward the other end of his cell. “What of our esteemed sister? She has not graced me with her presence.”

“I’m certain she will visit you eventually, but she has been rather busy of late. Cleaning up your mess, you understand.” There was a pause, and David almost expected Luther to crack some misogynistic joke about cleaning, but instead, the man merely asked a different question.

“And what about Meriwether?”

“What about him?” said David.

“He has yet to visit me, but if what you say is true about my stay of execution, then it would seem he has at least kept his promise to me.”

Briefly, David wasn’t sure what promise he was talking about, but then he remembered how Meri had managed to invoke Luther’s surrender. “Meri is a man of his word,” was all David said.

“I suppose I can no longer call him a fool.”

“Not without being the bigger fool, no.” As David expected, Luther was still unaware that their previous encounter had been a series of wild accidents. David was more than content with not correcting him.

Luther sat back down. “So what is your verdict, then? Am I hiding something?”

David was almost certain that he was. But instead of answering, he asked, “Are you not curious about your wife or your children?”

Luther paused. “Are they dead?”

“No, of course not.”

“Damn.”

David squinted. “You hate them that much? Why?”

“Ask me that again after you have been married for seventeen years.”

David could almost understand the man’s hatred for his wife; that woman was a relentless ladder-climber, and to Luther, she probably embodied everything he despised about nobility. But still. “Your wife is one thing, but you even resent your own children?”

“I resent all insufferable nuisances.”

David felt his irritation flare up, becoming true anger for a moment, and he couldn’t keep himself from glowering.

“Oh, does that bother you?” said Luther. “Hmm. That is right, isn’t it? You were always the affectionate uncle.”

David breathed and wiped his expression clean again. “At least I can take solace in the fact that you are no longer part of their lives.”

“On that, we can agree.”

“There is hope for us yet.”

That made Luther laugh outright, longer and more loudly than David had perhaps ever heard from him. Admittedly, that wasn’t saying much, but it was surprising just the same. When Luther’s voice settled again, a small period of silence elapsed. And Luther looked suddenly hollow, as if that laugh had gouged a hole into him. “I genuinely wanted to trust you, you know. You were the only one I liked.”

David had nothing for him. Four dead brothers. Countless innocent lives lost at the hands of Abolish. For this man here, David could hold no pity.

“Why did you have to side with Helen?” said Luther. “When I think of what you and I could have built, I feel like weeping for this country.”

David couldn’t even bring himself to humor the man. “You are mad.”

And there it was again, that look in Luther’s eyes. The cold, flat stare. After a moment, however, it was gone once more. “Enough,” he said. “Let us continue our game. Am I hiding something, or am I not?”

“Of course you are,” said David.

“Correct. Would you like to know what it is?”

“Sure.”

“Wonderful. Then I will give you a hint. If you give me something first, of course.”

“Well, I have two candy bars on me. I am willing to part with half of one, but only if you promise to tell the truth.”

“That is not quite what I had in mind,” said Luther.

“Well, okay. I’ll give you a whole bar--but only if you really promise to tell the truth.”

“I wonder if you will still be so funny once you figure it out.”

“I hope so,” said David. “I like to think that an unbreaking sense of humor is the pinnacle of human integrity. Or at least useful for annoying one’s opponents.”

“I want a television,” said Luther.

David almost said no immediately. The most dangerous thing about Luther was his political mind, so granting him access to a news source would be a mistake. But after debating it in his head a little more, David decided that he could work around that problem. With a deliberate bit of reluctance, he said, “I can do that.”

Luther eyed him a moment, probably skeptical of how easy that was. “Television first. And a written agreement of exchange.”

“Of course. I will speak to your lawyer and have everything sorted.”