Chapter Twenty-one
I look out the window of my study at the gathering crowds around the ceremonial square. It's been nearly three hours now and Apollo still hasn't come back, making me a bit nervous. Then I get a thought from Nathan, informing me two Corsair trucks have approached the front gate and Seth Jon is demanding entrance. I instruct Nathan to let them in and make my way to greet them outside.
As soon as I'm out front, the trucks pull up. I stop for a moment to take in the scenery. Seth is the first out, walking quickly around to the other side. He opens the door, helping Julia. That's followed by Luna and Paulus, exiting from the other truck. I resume my walk towards them, "Welcome!" Julia smiles at me with her arms open but Seth barely acknowledges my presence, "Oriah! It's good to see you well, my dear." I reach down to hug her and she kisses my cheek, "It's good to see you too, Julia."
"Where's the boy?" Seth looks around, waiting for an answer. "He will join us soon enough. I hope Petra is doing well?" My reply gives him a look of confusion, followed quickly by one of suspicion, "Yes, she had some things to attend to back at home." In an attempt to move things along, I remind my guests of the festivities, "Come to the square, there are plenty of refreshments and entertainment for everyone." I send out a thought to Nathan to meet me there, to take over their arrangements. We finally meet up and I gladly pawn them off on him. I need to find out where Apollo is.
Sabrina's absence should have hinted at me what was going on, but the thought didn't actually occur until I saw them together. As they approach from the road that leads to her house, I notice Sabrina has her arm around his shoulder. She spots me first and motions for Apollo. When we reach one another, Sabrina initiates the conversation, "Apollo has something to tell you, but hear him out before you say anything, okay?"
"Alright," I anxiously reply and wait for my son to begin but Sabrina has to prod him along. When he finally begins to speak, he says it as if it was all planned out, "I understand why you want me to follow in your footsteps. And everything you did, you did for me, and for the sake of Alcazar. But I have to make my own way, my own choices. I'm going to go back with Seth, to the Oculus."
Apollo stared at his feet the entire time, but now he raises his head and looks directly at me, "You told me yesterday I could do whatever I wanted, as long as I always did the right thing. Well, I feel this is the right thing. We both know what might happen soon and I want to be ready."
I want to counter his argument with things like loyalty and trust, but I know I have earned neither. Then Apollo's voice fills my head, you trust me, right? And the look in his eyes reflect his notion. I reluctantly have to nod in agreement.
The ceremony is finally set to begin and I have taken my place at the seat in the center of the square, with Nathan standing by my side. The new class of students are seated directly in front of us, divided into the two main areas of study, agriculture and engineering. They are all dressed in white ceremonial regalia.
Then I spot our Corsair guests, seated in the first row behind the students. It's not hard to spot their black fatigues in contrast with everyone else. I notice Julia and Luna talking between one another. I can feel their happiness. Seth's mood however, is darker and much more reserved. Sadly, Paulus feels mostly confused and empty. Sabrina and Solomon are in the Acropolis assisting Apollo with last-minute preparations. I hope the news of his departure for Corsair Territory doesn't give the people of Alcazar any misguided feels, like something that will make them feel insecure with his future leadership. That's the main reason I believe leaving is a mistake. However, I'm afraid I share that idea alone.
Then suddenly, my attention cuts to a bloodcurdling scream that pierces above the chatter of the crowd. A distraught woman then rushes down the main aisle, towards me. Nathan quickly grabs her, trying to calm her down but she continues going hysterical. The woman's speech is mostly incoherent, but I can still get a sense of what is troubling her.
Images of four men dragging away two children flash in my head. Then the feelings of tremendous loss permeates through and I realize it's her children who were taken. I search through her mind for any clue, but find no reason that leads me to who the men might be. Then I detect what sounds like a enormous engine, accompanied by a whistle that resembles a strong wind. Finally the noise gradually diminishes until there is only the woman's sobs amid the silence.
I reach out to her and convey my thoughts, assuring that her children will be returned safely. In an instant, I retrieve all information I need about them, things like their names, appearances, and personalities. In moments, I also gain a bearing on their whereabouts. It becomes dreadfully clear they have been taken by the same people Brutalius ran to.
I instruct Nathan to take the woman inside as Seth appears from the gathering crowd that surrounds us, "What going on?" He demands and I reply to him in a way I know only he'll understand, "I'm afraid that unfortunate circumstance we talked about earlier has made an unexpected appearance."
I barely see Sabrina's face when another deafening rumble grows around us. This time it is a Corsair motorcycle and I see the wild-looking, heir-apparent complete with his orange and black hair, dismount in a panic. He immediately runs to Seth, "She's gone!" And Seth counters, "Who? Petra?" Furious shakes his head, "No! Grace, they've taken her!" The sound of the girl's name instantly heightens Apollo's attention. As Seth tries to shake some composure into Furious, the boy races toward them, shoving Furious to the ground, "What do you mean they've taken her! Who has her?"
"Marcus sold her, man! He sold her to the stinking Brits!" Seth interjects, "Marcus? Where is he now, Furious?" Furious only stares at Seth with a look that tells him all he needs to know.
Marcus is dead.
"We've got to go find her!" Apollo yells and a smile streaks across Furious' face, "I was hoping you would say that. Let's go!" Apollo doesn't say anything else to anyone, he just joins his Corsair counterpart. Then Seth throws something toward them, "Here, take one of the trucks." As Furious snatches the keys from the air, Sabrina grabs Apollo in an attempt to keep him here, keep him safe. It doesn't work because Apollo pulls away from her, "I'm sorry but I have to do this!"
Sabrina screams as she falls into the arms of her father. I can hear Seth consoling her and I can only turn away. My loneliness painfully reminds me of my own mother. Then suddenly, the conversation Apollo and I had earlier occurs to me. I immediately walk over to Julia, bend down and whisper in her ear, "We need to talk. Who is Amy Lexington?"
The expression that flashes across Julia's face portrays shock from my question, but it also reveals she knows exactly what I'm referring to. She quickly informs Seth that she and Luna will remain in Alcazar for a while. Her reason was rather convincing, she hadn't seen the Acropolis in quite a while and she wanted to visit an old friend. Seth didn't protest, he just insisted, to me anyway, that my whole life solely depended on Julia's well-being.
So as soon as he and Paulus are on their way back to Corsair Territory, I instruct Nathan to disperse the crowd and assure them again that they are safe. I also tell him to remind the distraught mother her children will return, safe and sound. Then I send another thought out, this time to Luna, telling her to take Furious' bike and catch up with Apollo. As she scrambles away, I look at Julia, "Now I need to know all you can tell me, our lives probably depend on it."
She nods but doesn't say a word. She just directs me through the Acropolis until we are in the Porticus Acropoli, at the center garden. It's a place I can never bring myself to visit, my mother's final resting place. Julia gazes toward the sky and speaks out loud and it's immediately clear she isn't talking to me, "I am going to tell him the truth now. I hope you can forgive me."
Julia turns and takes my hands into hers. I stare into her eyes and hang on every moment. I also think how easily it could be to just pry into her thoughts and get what I need. But I also know she went through the same Program my mother did, and she could block me out just as easily. I've had that happen enough to me lately and I'm tired of learning that lesson. Not to mention, I really can't afford to lose anything else.
It's only minutes before Julia speaks again, but it feels like years. And when her words reach out, they claw me, like cruel, icy fingers. I can't even begin to comprehend what it all might mean for the idea is literately inscrutable in my mind. But somewhere deep down, a small spark of betrayal ignites in my heart and it's flames engulf it, burning everything I am and everything I've become. It mocks everything I did to my wife, my son, even myself. What Julia says to me implies that I have been foolishly wrong about everything this entire time.
"Oriah, your mother didn't die that day in battle, she betrayed us."
END OF PART TWO