Aegeus' Story Page 2

  “We can’t let that happen,” Vyker said.

  “I don’t understand. Why hasn’t the Order handed it over yet? If they are working so closely with the Valdicians, why haven’t the corrupt members simply given it to them?”

  “It’s been lost,” Galadriel said. “The Chosen must find it.”

  “It must be found,” Vyker said. “It must remain safe until all of the pieces can be fully restored. If we allow the Valdicians to take hold of it, all will be lost.”

  “I will not let that happen,” Aegeus said. “You have my promise. I will not fail you. I have been raising up an army and we have planned our mission. With your help we will be able to avenge the lost, restore the strength of the Universe, and return the Valdicians to exile. We will stop Ryan, end the corruption, and restore the Order. Together, we can protect all of existence.”

  ****

  The Kingdom was dark and silent by the time that Aegeus walked back into his home. It was filled with the rich, spicy smells of his favorite meal and his heart swelled. He had taken only a few steps into the house when Ellora walked out of the kitchen and into the room.

  “Hello, my love,” she said, coming toward him.

  Aegeus reached out and took his wife into his arms, cradling her close to him and kissing her. He breathed in the scent of her. She was a combination of the sweet smell of her favorite soap, the salty warmth of her skin, and the lingering aroma of the food that she was cooking for him. He loved that smell and wanted to bring as much of it into him as he could so that he could hold onto the memory, keep it safe and close so that he could always reach inside of him to remember it when he needed to feel close to her.

  “Where have you been?” she asked.

  “I had Order duties to fulfill,” he told her.

  It wasn’t a lie. What he was doing had everything to do with the Order. He was devoted to the group and what it truly represented, and just as he had told Vyker and Galadriel, he was determined to bring it back to what it was before the corruption took over. But he knew that he couldn’t tell her everything. Not yet. She didn’t even know about the war room that he was building up in the hidden lounge beneath their home. He had to protect her from everything that he could. Though he wished that he was able to open up to her and tell her everything that he was going through, he couldn’t risk her safety or the safety of their young sons by telling her. One day he would be able to. He would be able to tell her everything once it all fell into place.

  “Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes,” she said, accepting without question that he wasn’t able to tell her where he was or what he had been doing.

  “Where are the boys?”

  “They are both asleep,” she said. “They had a hard day of playing.”

  Aegeus laughed and kissed her again before heading toward the bedroom that his young sons shared. Both boys were lying in their beds, their positions mirroring each other. He crouched down at the side of Maxim’s bed and ran his hand over his older son’s thick hair. It was getting longer now, and the curve of his face was just starting to lose the full baby softness. He was still so young, yet Aegeus could already see the start of him growing up. It was a heart-wrenching realization, and yet he was also so proud of his son.

  He leaned down to kiss Maxim and moved over to Kyven. His younger son was still so little. His long eyelashes rested against his cheeks and his little pink lips were slightly parted as he slept deeply, unaware of anything happening in the world around him that should make him feel threatened or afraid.

  As he looked at the younger of his sons, Aegeus’ mind went to Icelyn. Casimir’s granddaughter was slightly younger than Kyven, and already she was so important. She represented so much. He thought of his friend and felt a wave of both sadness and energy, compelled to keep going even though he faced tremendous danger and uncertainty ahead of him. They had already been going for so long, so many years had passed and they still hadn’t been able to bring this to a close. It had only gotten worse, but they were getting close now. They had more of what they needed and more people willing to stand behind them. He knew that soon they would be truly ready to do what he had promised to do. Until then, he had to trust that Casimir would be safe where he was.

  Aegeus shivered against the cold in the room around him. The chill of the metal around his wrists was so intense he felt as though it were burning his skin. He knew that Ryan was testing him, putting him through all this just to see what he could withstand. It only showed the extent of the man’s madness and how much more intense he was about the experiments than his family was before him. Even when they started so long ago they didn’t treat the creatures that they chose with this level of disregard and cruelty.

  He felt like he was slipping away like he was disappearing into what Ryan was doing to him. But he was fighting back. Every moment he was fighting back. He couldn’t let it happen. He couldn’t allow Ryan to get that far into him. Aegeus focused in on the cold. He let it remind him of what Casimir was going through, to focus in on his friend’s daily suffering so that he would be able to withstand this. He knew that he had to be strong like Casimir, courageous enough to face this the way that his dear friend faced his exile. The thought of this hurt Aegeus as well. He knew that Casimir trusted him, he relied on him. He trusted that Aegeus was going to be there for him at the appointed time and he wasn’t, and now Aegeus didn’t know where he was or what might have happened to him.

  Aegeus dragged himself out of the thoughts and forced himself back into concentrating purely on the feeling of what was around him. He couldn’t let himself get lost in those thoughts. He had to think back. He had to remind himself why.

  Chapter Three

  Three years ago…

  “You’re sure that he’s going to be safe here?”

  Mhavrych didn’t turn to look at him, but Aegeus could see him nod. They continued to run, moving as fast as they possibly could through the darkness of the Kingdom. If they were seen, if any member of the Order caught even a glimpse of them, they would all be dead. He still didn’t know who had told the Panel that Casimir was involved in activities that would be considered a betrayal of the Order. The design of the trial had been so that whoever it was would be fully protected, his identity concealed so that there could be no retaliation. The fire that burned within Aegeus’ chest and made his heart pound heavily, painfully within him told him that this was, in fact, a smart choice by the Panel. If he knew who had handed Casimir up to them and put them into this position, he didn’t know if he would be able to control himself from seeking the most aggressive and brutal of vengeance he could.

  The only saving grace was Casimir’s bravery and his unending, unwavering trust in Aegeus. He had gone into the trial without fear. He had faced the Panel and had remained unshakable. Though Aegeus had not been able to be a part of this particular trial, he had been present at others and knew the extreme to which the members of the Panel would go to get the information that they wanted from those who stood before them. Their goal wasn’t just to find out what they wanted to know. In most situations by the time that someone was called up in front of the Panel, the elder members already knew everything. They had no questions left. Instead, they brought the accused forward purely for the purposes of confronting them, of forcing them to admit by their own accord all that they had done and to accept not just the impact that their actions had on the Order, but the consequences that they deserved.

  Casimir did not relent. He told them nothing and he admitted to less. They had always known that their clandestine meetings were dangerous and became even more so with each passing one. Every time that they came together to discuss all that they knew and to plan the next phase of their plan, they were putting themselves at greater risk. They knew that there could be a time when someone uncovered what they were doing and that they could be brought in front of the Panel. If that happened, they would be facing certain death. The only chance that any of them had to be saved was to agree to cooperate
with the Panel and hand over the others. If they provided enough information and agreed to help the Order bring the others in for trial and punishment, they had a chance that the elders would have mercy on them.

  Even that promise did nothing to sway Casimir. Though he knew that he was facing certain execution, he refused to betray Aegeus or Athan. The Panel knew nothing of what either of the others were doing, but if they knew that it was Aegeus who was leading the rebellion, offering him up would have not only earned Casimir his life, but may have won him favor with the Panel. He could have been brought into their fold and offered privileges and spoils not known to the other members of the Order. Yet he stayed loyal and strong. He faced his trial without hesitation and was sentenced to death.

  It was only by a twist of the hierarchy, an ancient rule that dictated who carried out executions, that he was spared. For it was Aegeus who was brought forward as the Selected, the one who would be responsible for doing the Panel’s bidding. He was tasked with not only killing and disposing of Casimir but also with devising a cover story that would ensure his family didn’t know what actually happened to him.

  As far as the Panel knew, Aegeus had killed Casimir and then told his family that he had drowned in the great lake. In truth, Aegeus had gone to Vyker and Galadriel, asking for their help to protect Casimir. Mhavrych had offered to bring him to a place that he knew where the Order would have no way to reach him. He would be protected from the Panel, but he would be in exile, isolated from everyone and everything, kept in stark conditions without some of the most basic of comforts. Casimir had agreed without hesitation and now they were crossing through the Kingdom, cloaked in darkness, not even hazarding lightstick or a torch for fear the shimmer of the light would draw the attention of those who might mean them harm. Aegeus wanted to trust Mhavrych, but it was difficult to put total trust and reliance in someone so young, someone who didn’t know all that had happened and the true risks that they were facing.

  “I assure you, he will be safe,” Mhavrych said. “The Order won’t know how to get to this place. Even if they knew exactly where he was, they still would have no way of following the path to get to him. The only reason that you will be able to get there is because I am going to show you.

  It was only a short time later that Aegeus left his friend in the ice and snow, looking forward to the day when he would be able to free him and ensure that he never had to go back.

  Aegeus hung forward from the wall, the chains the only thing that supported him. He had given up struggling against them for that day. He was getting no closer to freeing himself and the harder he thrashed, the more he exhausted himself. There was a rumbling within him, a warning that soon they would be back. He didn’t know how long he had been in Ryan’s clutches or even how many days he had spent in this particular cell. The light was kept from him, dosed out only in the smallest amounts and just occasionally so that he was kept completely off-balance, never knowing when night had come and the day had passed. His body stayed awake until it couldn’t any longer and then it collapsed, sleeping as though nearly dead until it either woke or was awoken. It was the latter that came far more often.

  The sound of footsteps or the heavy slamming of the cell door, or the violent dig of a boot into his ribs would rouse him from his sleep and he would be dragged into whatever else Ryan had planned for him.

  He had been moved several times since the first day that Ryan had captured him, but he was always hooded. The creatures that helped Ryan, the Valdicians who were only shells of what the mighty beings used to be but were growing in their power again, would come into where he was being kept and wrestle him away from his shackles and into submission again before yanking a black hood so thick he could barely breathe over his head. This kept him from seeing anything beyond the small space where he was kept.

  He tried to pay attention to where they brought him. He focused in on every twist and turn, trying to remember how they wove him through the buildings. He tried to count the steps. 100-101-102. He felt for the air that touched him, trying to tell when it changed enough that he might be outside. No matter how hard he tried, though, it was difficult to orient himself and he feared that even if he was able to escape, he wouldn’t be able to follow back through the path that they had led him down and find a way out.

  Chapter Four

  Seven months before capture…

  “Are you sure this is the tree that I was standing under when you first saw me?” Ellora asked, resting her hands on the bark of the large fruit tree she was standing beneath and glancing back at Aegeus.

  He smiled at her and nodded, walking toward her.

  “I will never forget that moment,” he said. “This is the exact tree and that is where you were standing.”

  “Reaching up for a piece of fruit,” she said.

  She mimicked the gesture, though there was no fruit left in the branches.

  “Yes,” Aegeus said, stepping up behind her so that he could wrap his arms around her. “And I helped you.”

  “And you keep helping me,” she said. “Every day. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “I would never be able to survive without you.” He took her hands and started guiding her through the orchard toward the sound of water trickling in the distance. “Which is why things didn’t stop between us after we picked the fruit,” he said.

  They walked along until they reached the bank of the river where they had married years before. Aegeus released her hands and kissed her, grasping his shirt and pulling it off over his head as their lips parted. He undressed quickly and stepped down into the water. It rushed around him with a bracing chill and he longed for the warmth of Ellora’s body to soothe him. Moments later his desire was met when she stepped down into the water with him and pressed her lush body against his. He felt every inch of her sweet, naked body against his, taking the edge away from the cold.

  The arousal in his mind and body flowed through him like the water and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly so that she could feel the pressure of his rapidly hardening erection against her belly. She pressed against it, the softness of her skin stimulating him so his body responded even more. He said nothing to her as he guided her toward the side of the bank and rested her back against a large boulder. They didn’t need words. There was too much between them to need explanation or questions.

  Aegeus kissed his wife with all the passion that he held within himself, wanting to give all of himself to her the way that he strove to with every moment that he spent with her. He sought to worship her, to meld with her so that they elevated one another beyond anything that they were able to achieve on their own. She offered herself to him lavishly, wrapping her legs around him to cradle him close to her as he sank into her. Ellora’s wet, eager body welcomed him and Aegeus moaned at the luscious feeling. It was more amazing, more impactful than even the first time that they had come together.

  He knew her now. Making love to her was familiar and passionate and fueled by love much more intense after so many years of growing and loving. It was a love that wasn’t perfect. They had gone through difficult times before and even times when he felt that there were cracks forming between them. But those cracks were always repaired. Just as when a bone was broken and was stronger when it was healed, the repaired cracks were always there. But that was something that Aegeus appreciated and embraced. Each one of those healed breaks were reminders of their strength and what they had persevered through and still remained so much in love and tightly bonded together. They chose each other every day and he knew deep in his heart that he would continue to choose her for the rest of his life.

  Six months before capture…

  Aegeus scrambled to his feet, reaching out for the man rushing into the room, wanting to stabilize him. His face was high with color and sweat glided down his cheeks. His body shook so hard that Aegeus worried he was going to collapse.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I have more inform
ation about Nyx 23.”

  Hearing mention of the mysterious group of humans that had built a complex and impressive settlement outside of the Kingdom was still somewhat unnerving to Aegeus. There were many in the Kingdom now who had started to doubt that they had ever existed, or believed that they had long since left to return to Earth. Aegeus knew the truth. He knew why the group that had for many years been in close cooperation with the Mikana had simply disappeared and none were ever able to find their settlement again. It had been his father who had arranged for that to happen. When he was just a child he learned that his father had joined with the peaceful, gentle Irisa to protect the people who lived within the settlement and had fallen victim to a grisly curse. They hid the settlement, cloaking it in a deep reflection of the open land around it so that anyone who was looking for it but was not completely positive exactly where it was located would not be able to find it. They hid them to guard them, to prevent any from harming them while the few select members of the Order who knew about it tried to figure out what happened to them.

  That was a precious, closely hidden secret. Not even the Order knew about it. His father had made it extremely clear to him that what he knew of Nyx 23 was to remain within the close circle that his father had formed or approved of and that he was to keep it from any who asked. Though he didn’t fully understand why when he was younger, the older he got and the more he learned, the clearer this importance became. This left him feeling torn. His position within the Order had always been of the utmost importance to him. He admired the old Order and the original intention of the group. He was proud to serve them and to follow in the footsteps of his father and his father before him. It was thoughts of that original intention, the foundation of the Order when it was first devised, that kept Aegeus going on this path when he felt the hints of guilt that often came when he considered his secretiveness and the fractures within the Order.