Chapter Twelve
Alliances
Paulus ruffles through the bag Antonia packed for them. Two communicators, a pistol, and some war rations. No water. This sparks his frustration, at first, but it's quickly transformed into the empathy he feels for her. A tendency to lose poise under pressure is no doubt the reason for her lapse in judgment. That was what always made Varius reluctant to promote Antonia. But recently, that had all changed since his son seized power. She was on the fast-track, until yesterday. Paulus always had his suspicions she was wanted for more than just her prowess in engineering, which is outstanding, but it's the way Brutalius looked at her, talked to her. Paulus despises his cousin, but not just for his interests in Antonia. He almost hates him as much as he does his brother, Furious. Growing up he always felt out of place. He never got along with the other two, and their rivalry was to no interest to him. He's always had this compassionate, honorable side to his nature that is non-existent in his family.
He looks at his girlfriend. My Bronze Goddess, he thinks to himself as he admires her beauty. Her smooth dark olive skin shimmers in the sunlight that peeks through the trees of the forest. Her glossy black hair falls to her shoulders in soft coils and twists. He longs to see her beautiful face but at the moment, she is looking down at her feet, embarrassed she forgot the most important of necessities. "It's going to be fine, my love, we'll find water, all these trees have to drink something." His cheerful laugh doesn't do much to lighten her mood. As he goes in to comfort her, they both perk up to the sound of an engine roaring, getting increasingly louder in the distance.
Paulus runs and kneels down beside his motorcycle hidden at the entrance to the woods. He pointed it toward the open land just in case they had to make a hasty escape. Antonia joins him and they listen. She points out at a familiar black military vehicle that's fast approaching their area. Paulus murmurs as he puts his hand on Antonia's back, persuading her to sink to the ground with him, "It's a Corsair patrol. Lay low, maybe they won't see us." He grabs the pistol from the backpack, chambers a round into the barrel and continues to instruct her. "Take one of the communicators, we'll need to stay in touch if we get separated." She looks up at him, fear and disbelief reflecting in her dark eyes. "I'm not going to leave you, Antonia," he reassures her, "It's just in case."
The truck is now only meters from their position and Paulus readies himself for a fight. He watches it race past them and he notices the two occupants aren't wearing the typical Corsair uniforms. Within moments, the engine goes quiet, and it's obvious the visitors have stopped at the forest. "We need to go check this out," he nods toward Antonia as he holds the pistol up, rising to his feet and moving toward the direction of the truck. He spots a teenage girl taking a long drink from a shiny canteen. Paulus grimaces at the sight, his fierce thirst eating away at his patience.
He decides it's worth the risk and steps out, aiming his gun at the young girl. "Apollo!" The girl screams when she spots her assailant. She drops the canteen, and runs for the other side of the vehicle. Paulus' heart sinks as he sees the clear liquid gushing out of the bottle onto the ground. He decides to give chase, but stops dead in his tracks when he meets what's on the other side of the truck.
~
"The gun won't work." Apollo scoffs at the Corsair officer standing before him, "Go ahead and try it." The man doesn't move. He just stares at the frosty, frozen blades shimmering in the boy's hands. Paulus cautiously addresses his young challenger, "Who are you? I know you're not Corsair." Apollo can't help but jeer as he walks toward Paulus. "No, definitely not that." Standing directly in front of him, Apollo lets the end of the gun barrel press into his chest, as he places the crossed edges of his swords against either side of the young Corsair's neck, ready to decapitate him. "We're Alcazarians, and we're not going with you. You'll die first."
Click.
The silence that comes after the gun's hammer finds its mark is almost enough to make Paulus' heart seize, even before Apollo goes in for the kill, which he does. The icy blades begin to slice into the man's flesh when a girl's voice, not Grace's, shrieks through Apollo's mind, making him stop his advance.
"Stop! Please! We're just looking for water! It's my fault! It's all my fault! Please don't hurt him!"
Apollo stares down Paulus, looking for any signs of treachery. He barely notices the panicking young woman now at his feet when the man begins to spill the truth, "She's right, but it's not her fault. We are just looking for water. We're running from the Corsair as well. We saw your truck and thought you were them. We're not looking for a fight." Paulus drops the gun on the ground, and holds his up his hands, "We are unarmed. I am a Corsair defector, and my name is Paulus Kaine. My friend and I are accused of treason. I'll tell you anything else you want to know."
Apollo releases his weapons from the man's neck and they instantly dissipate in a chilly mist. Paulus can only gawk with bewilderment as he tries to rub away the blood and pain from the two crimson slashes around his throat. "We're not running from anyone," Apollo's remarks as he hands the man a canteen of water. Paulus takes the container and immediately passes it to Antonia. She drinks graciously from the bottle, holding on to it tightly with both hands as if it was going to be taken away from her any moment. Grace joins Apollo, wrapping both of her arms around his right elbow. Paulus wants to question the couple further, but he also doesn't want the situation to deteriorate so his chooses his words carefully, "Maybe we can help each other. I.."
"We don't need your help."
Apollo cuts him off, and Paulus alters his approach, "Look, we both want to see Brutalius fall. I think you want that as much as I do, am I wrong?" Apollo has to react honestly, but he keeps his distance, "Yeah, you may be right, but I still don't see what you have to offer us. You have no food, no water, and no weapons." Antonia speaks up, offering the only thing they do have, "But we have information, both Paulus and I served under Brutalius and his father. We have intimate knowledge of the Corsair Territory. We know where they store their provisions, their arms, and where they hold the Alcazarian prisoners. We can get access, Paulus is part of the..." Paulus places his hand on Antonia's shoulder, interrupting her, "See, I'm sure we can aid one another. You know who we are, and I think I know who you are, we could form an alliance of sorts."
Apollo doesn't like where this is headed. It seems obvious to him Paulus is hiding something, and he doesn't feel obligated to give the man anything. He recalls the information ARIES gave him about the Kaines and quickly uses it to his advantage, "You said your name is Paulus Kaine? Like as in Varius and Vitus Kaine? Brutalius Kaine? He spits out the last two words as his voice takes on a threatening tone. "You're a pathetic spy and I should probably kill you. I don't need to know anything about the Corsair that I'm not already aware of. Your weapons are disabled as you undoubtedly saw. We don't need anything from you." Turning around, he heads back toward the black truck with Grace by his side. They suddenly stop, and the air turns dead cold around them as Apollo's heart freezes from the words that come from behind.
"What about Nathan Lex and his boy? I know where they are being held. Brutalius plans to execute them tomorrow."
Apollo just stands with his back to Paulus; Grace glances back and then looks to Apollo as if she's waiting on him to decide what to do. Paulus speaks up, "I knew that would change your mind. I know who you are now, Apollo Lex. You are the Nephilim."
Before Apollo can turn to address Paulus, Grace utters, "The what?" Paulus doesn't hesitate to explain, obviously aware of the girl's lack of knowledge about her companion. He goes into detail about how in the last years of the government, there was a top secret project to create a genetically enhanced male and female, the Pairing, and they would produce a child called the Nephilim. That child's genes would unlock in such ways that he or she would possess considerable abilities. He also explains that everything the Corsair learned about the project, including names, was hacked from the files in the computers at the Acropolis.
"We know that Oriah Lex and Sabrina Jon were the Pairing, but it was believed they didn't have any children together. I can see now, that assessment was wrong. It's truly amazing what you can do, Apollo."
Paulus' remark leaves everyone in silence. Only Grace moves as she puts her arms around Apollo, pulling him to her. In their embrace, he can sense her feelings for him grow stronger now than ever. He breaks the somber mood by conceding to Paulus' offer, "Okay so if we're going to work together, we need to come up with a plan."
Paulus immediately comes back with a suggestion that leaves Apollo with doubts. Not just for what it entails, but for how fast he seemed to come up with it. "I figured tomorrow I could parade you two into Corsair Territory as captured escapees. Once you free the Alcazarians, I'll have something waiting in store for my cousin that will solve all our problems."
Apollo reluctantly agrees and they decide to make camp for the night. But he also tells himself that he needs to come up with a contingency plan because at some point, he'll have to break off this little agreement. If anyone was going to kill Brutalius, it was going to be him. That night, he lies there with Grace asleep in his arms. Her sweet scent has the fragrant smell of soap, lightly mingled with her sweat that tingles his senses. He savors the feeling while he holds her, feeling her heartbeat against his. He decides in that moment then that he never wants to be without her.
After a while, waves of emotion begin to wash over him as he replays the events of the last few days in his mind. None of it felt real. Strangely remembering how he used to think so much about hating himself, now he feels completely lost. It literately didn't feel like him who killed those people today. He felt numb. Reacting to things before even thinking about them seems to be a reoccurring theme. The numbness returns, spreading over him as the images flash in his head. He has no idea how, much less why he did all those things, but it makes him instinctively think of his father, and how, in some way, he is still with him. He tries to reach across the land but it's returned with only emptiness.