26. Blue
26
BLUE
A nd they say every man has just fifteen minutes of fame! Girard calls out, thrilled with himself.
I turn from the huge screen of the television on which Trae had projected the video to the man beside me. Stunned, I try to process what I just saw. If I had any questions about the sanity of the man with whom I ve aligned myself, they re wiped out. Antoine Girard is insane. Gone mad with his obsession, his single purpose of over twenty-five years.
He will dismember Councilor Augustus. I have no doubt of that. But will he do more? Will he kill him?
Champagne! Girard calls out and someone pops a cork. Glasses are poured and Girard hands me one.
I take it absently, watch him drink his. From beyond him and through the tall floor to ceiling windows that bracket the front door, I watch a procession of black vans with tinted windows make their way to the guest house. There are so many that they make me think of marching ants.
Girard turns and watches too, sipping his champagne.
Who are they? I ask as the vans come to a stop, blocking the road leading to the house. The doors of the first few open, two men climbing out of the front, and four from the back of each van.
My soldiers, Girard says, that manic pitch to his voice gone, this one grave and serious.
I notice the coda tattooed on the neck of one of the men when he enters.
That video. I ask, turning to him. Did you play it for all of The Society to see? Is that what Trae sent out earlier?
He nods, smiling proudly as he swallows the last of his champagne. An email blast, isn t that what you called it, Trae? He looks at me. I don t bother much about technology.
Yes, sir, Trae answers.
Every member of the Society, here and across the world, will see it, I am sure. What is the count up to? he asks Trae who checks the laptop.
18,042 and counting.
In the span of a few minutes. News like this travels fast. I do wonder how many will tune in for the live show. He turns back to me. I should have sold tickets. Oh well, too late now. He looks to the man who poured the champagne and as I take them all in, I realize I m the only woman here. Get me something stronger, Girard demands.
One of the soldiers from the first van to unload walks up to him.
Sir, everyone is accounted for.
Well done, Clyde. Ines?
Clyde checks something on his phone and I glance at the screen to see a dot moving along a map. Three minutes away, sir.
Excellent.
Won t the Councilor s men be coming for you? I ask Girard.
He looks down at me like he s confused. You are a na?ve little thing, aren t you? Clyde, explain to my young friend where the Councilor s men are, will you?
Those who remained loyal have been detained. We attempted not to cause too much harm, but it was impossible. The deserters have been, he clears his throat. Dealt with.
Cowards, Girard says with distaste and takes the whiskey from the man offering it to him.
Those who came to our side are being branded with the coda now. After taking their pledge, of course.
Branded? I ask, shocked, unable to help myself.
Tattoos take time. Besides, this way I ll recognize them. I wouldn t want to make the mistake of trusting one of them, of course. Those who change sides so quickly, well, they ll do it again. Mercenaries. Now, now. Don t make that face, Blue. They were all given a choice.
What choice, defect or die?
He chuckles, wraps his hand around the nape of my neck like Zeke often does except that he squeezes a little too tightly before letting go. In all honesty, and if I am anything it is honest, I suppose so.
My father was at the house, I say.
I know. Two birds one stone. What a gift. He, too, stole from me. He tilts his head to the side. And worse still is what he stole from your sister. From you. He will be punished, Blue, have no doubt.
I keep my mouth shut. I think of Zeke. It feels like an eternity since he kissed me goodbye on that plane. Does he even know we didn t take off? Did Dex wake up and alert him? The crew or air traffic control would have rung some alarm, wouldn t they?
Will he come for me? Would he know where I am? And how can I expect him to come after I betrayed him. Dex knows what I did and I m sure he ll tell Zeke. If Zeke s smart, he ll wash his hands of me. This is his chance.
My heart sinks with the thought.
Can I have my phone? I ask Girard. Maybe he tried to contact me. Maybe I can call him. At least tell him I m okay and that I m sorry I betrayed him.
In a minute, Girard says when commotion at the front door draws our attention.
Two guards head up the stairs to the open door. Between them is Ines. She s walking freely, they re not holding onto her. She s dressed in a floor-length blood-red dress. A gown for a ball except it won t be a ball she s attending.
Girard stiffens beside me, and I glance at him. His eyes are locked on her. I can t read what s inside them.
Ines stops just inside the door. She looks very much like she did when she knelt before the Councilor, her face stone. She glances at me but doesn t pay me any attention. It s Girard she s interested in.
He sets his drink aside, takes a step toward her and holds out his hand, palm up, and I understand something. And this thing, it gives me hope.
His vendetta, it isn t revenge for the hand he lost, the future that was forever changed. It is for her. Maybe more for her than anything else.
The woman I saw earlier suddenly vanishes and a deep, guttural sob escapes her that sounds like it was years in the making. She crosses to him and doesn t take his offered hand but instead presses her body to his, melting against him, her face buried against his chest, her arms tucked between them.
She looks like a child. Like a wounded child.
Antoine appears stunned. What was he expecting, I wonder? It takes him a full minute to wrap his arms around her. I step away. I don t belong here. He s careful with her, gentle when he lays his hand at the bare skin of her back, the lashes of earlier bright, angry welts crisscrossing her skin, blood dried in places where skin broke.
It feels wrong to watch them, but I can t drag my gaze away as the two stand in their strange embrace, her sobbing, the sounds she s making coming from somewhere so deep inside her that they wrack her body and steal her breath.
Antoine has closed his eyes and the expression on his face is serene. It s like the man of a few minutes ago, the one in that video, has vanished. This one, he s something else, standing here, holding this woman. His beloved.
Another disturbance at the door interrupts the reunited lovers. Antoine opens his eyes and pulls her possessively to his side. She s so small beside him and I think about all those years she lived at the mercy of the Councilor, he too twice her size. What s become of her sanity over the last twenty-five years.
Antoine glares at the man entering but bends to speak to Ines, only Ines. His whole demeaner is different with her. Gone is the predator. In its place is a fierce protector.
I don t know what she says to him, but he nods and straightens. I notice she keeps her back to the man at the door.
Antoine shifts his gaze to me, looking me over. This won t do. Ines, you have something more appropriate? Red, of course.
Ines glances at me. I m sure I can find something, she says, her tone elegant, like the Society lady she is, even with her smeared makeup, her tear-stained eyes.
Good. Blue, you ll go with Ines. She will prepare you.
Prepare me for what? I ask, although I know.
The ceremony, of course. He shakes his head. It s like you haven t heard a word I ve said.
I want my phone.
It s rude to make demands. Polite to ask.
Fine. Can I have my phone please?
Not yet.
I open my mouth to protest but he gestures to a soldier and four of them step toward Ines and me.
Ines moves ahead of the men toward one of the vehicles. I watch how the soldiers in this war camp part to make way for her. I know they ll make me if I don t go, and I know I m not getting my phone back for whatever reason. It s not like I m going to call in for backup. For someone to come help me escape. The best I can do right now is go along with Ines. Pissing Antoine off won t get me anywhere but maybe a place at the chopping block.
I follow the men and, on my way, I pass someone I recognize from the charity dinner at IVI what feels like an eternity ago. He s not a soldier, though.
Councilor Hildebrand, Antoine says to the man. I was hoping you d come. A nudge from a soldier urges me toward the waiting van. I assume it is to bless this occasion, Antoine continues. You ll have a front row seat, of course.