23. Chapter 22
23
Chapter 22
Julen
Julen and Souzie approached a booth at the back of a bar called Caligon’s Cacademon, a reference to the imaginary creatures in Caligon’s dark forest. Dacias sat waiting for them.
Julen’s eyes lingered on the monsters painted on the walls. He thought back to his favorite childhood book, Creatures of Caligon . Each chapter featured a different, mangy monster with a story that had some moral for small children. Go to sleep, or the Multimurus will snatch you away in the night! Julen had to laugh to himself. Even the children’s fables in Lapistra were gruesome.
There couldn’t be a better place for a clandestine meeting to discuss Julen’s escape than this dingy, dark bar. The tapster was notoriously crabby and the bar was a bit out of the way from the beaten path.
Julen couldn’t wait to see Dacias. After reconciling, they limited their contact for fear of Dacias’s awful brother finding out about their renewed relationship.
That left Julen to spiral in his thoughts at the castle. In seven nights, Julen would have to marry Glacia. He had to get out of Lapistra as soon as possible.
He knew the timing of all this would be suspicious, and he kicked himself for having that conversation with his mother, but he had to push those thoughts from his mind. Haligran would hardly pay heed to Lauta’s suspicions. As long as Haligran believed it, the plan would work.
Julen caught sight of Dacias. He wore a burlap vest, completely unbuttoned. Even in the dark bar, Julen’s mouth watered at the sight of his muscular curves. He couldn’t wait to be with him. He had missed him so much.
Julen unsnapped the top few buttons of his jerkin to expose a little more skin as he approached.
Souzie murmured under her breath, “Why don’t you just take it all off, you little slut?”
“So help me, I will strangle you if he hears any of this, Souzie,” Julen replied through a plastered smile.
“Mmm, who knew you’d be so rough, baby?” Souzie shifted from a whisper to a quiet drawl as she addressed Dacias. “Kitty Cat, darling. It’s been ages.”
Dacias snapped out of his thoughts and rose to his feet. “Lady Souzie. Or should I call you Lady Schemer?”
“Call me what you will; just don’t treat me like a lady.” She winked and kissed both of his cheeks.
Souzie sat on the inner side of the bench against the wall, and Julen sat next to Dacias. He wrapped his arms around Julen and pulled him tight for a kiss. “I missed you.”
Julen pressed his forehead to his. “I missed you so much.”
Souzie cleared her throat. “Should you two be sitting like that? Is your brother still determined to ruin this relationship?”
Dacias spoke in hushed tones. “Klorin has him distracted tonight. He knows we need to plan, so he promised to keep Ferrean as far away from here as possible.”
Souzie nodded. “Very well. So, has Julen clued you in on any of this?”
Dacias confirmed in a hushed tone that he was aware of the high-level plan but none of the specifics.
Souzie nodded again. “All right, so hear me out. I’ve thought about this a lot, so let me get it all out before you ask questions.” She continued. “The Morab Rebels - the fighters still loyal to the king Haligran deposed. Once upon a time, they were a real nuisance for your father. Most have been captured or defected to Rugiria, but he still rails about them in almost every stupid speech he gives.”
After his father’s ascent to the throne, a faction of Morab loyalists refused to recognize his rule. Monuments to Haligran were vandalized, and twice, the rebels attempted to assassinate him. “By the heart of Morab!” was their rallying cry.
“By the heart of Morab.” Julen’s voice was distant as he thought back to the failed assassination attempts.
“Precisely,” Souzie mused.
Dacias smirked and leaned in. “Rugirean forces nicknamed them the Rebel Hearts. A number of them defected to Rugiria.”
Souzie grinned and cocked a brow. “Exactly. They may not be active now, but they still exist, and Haligran knows they exist.”
Julen didn’t understand. “Do the rebels have something to do with your plan?” he asked.
“It’s been two years since Lapistra has heard any rumblings of the Rebel Hearts.” She looked at Julen and released a devious smirk. “I think it might be high time they make an appearance. And what better way to do so than by murdering the son of their nemesis?”
Julen’s mouth fell open. She’s a genius.
Dacias inhaled and asked in a whisper. “How?”
Souzie folded her hands together on the table, and her devilish smirk still stretched across her face. “I have a close friend at a mortuary whose uncle served on Morab’s council and was sent to Vinculux four years ago. We grew close over the years, and I knew he would be a willing accomplice.”
“Mortuary?” Julen couldn’t quite put it all together.
“I told him to let me know when a certain kind of person just happened to make their way to the mortuary. He let me know yesterday afternoon that a twenty-year-old male had arrived. He’s already performed the requisite tasks of burial preservation. What he added to the process was the removal of the man’s heart and about ten volumes of blood. The heart is currently being stored in an isocanther to ensure it remains fresh, but the efficacy of the isocanther’s power is limited to two days. So…”
“By the heart of Morab…” Dacias chewed over the words.
Souzie nodded. “What better way for the Rebel Hearts to make their grand re-debut than by cutting out the heart of Haligran’s son? We leave the heart on your pillow and use the ten volumes of blood to mark the wall behind your bed with their beloved mantra.”
Julen took it all in, completely in awe that his friend thought of the idea and had the supplies ready and waiting.
Julen tried to contain himself. “Souzie. You’re diabolical.”
She nodded. “With the isocanther working its magic, the heart will seem fresh. We’ll make it look like the rebels murdered you in the night and then took your body. It will play right into your father’s paranoid narrative,” Souzie explained.
Dacias narrowed his eyes. “Why wouldn’t they just leave the body? Do you think his father would be suspicious that his body just disappeared?”
Souzie smiled. “You think like a spy, Kitty Cat. We’ll also leave a letter telling Haligran he must step down as king if he wants Julen’s remains for the sacred burial ritual. He would never do that, which explains why the body is gone.”
Dacias shook his head. “By the Mother Planet. You could be in charge of the Rugirean Secret Services. ”
Souzie batted her eyes with faux bashfulness. “Who? Little ol’ me? I’ve been waiting to use these skills for years.”
Julen took a deep breath. His mind reeled. This could work. His body pulsed with a mix of excitement and trepidation. It was a ghastly plan, and he couldn’t begin to imagine how his parents would react.
Dacias must have sensed Julen’s racing thoughts because he asked, “How are you, Julen? Are you all right with this?”
Julen blinked, snapping himself out of his ruminations. “It’s so gruesome. ”
Souzie took hold of his hand. “They put you in this position. You tried to speak with your mother, but she wouldn’t hear anything. You’re allowed to live on your terms.”
Julen thought about this for a moment. Souzie was right. Julen needed to live life on his terms, and he wanted nothing more than to get out of Lapistra and be with Dacias.
“You’re right. You said the isocanther will last for?”
Souzie bit her lower lip, then said, “Two nights…”
Julen’s eyes widened. “For Vexora’s sake…”
“So, this has to happen tomorrow?” Dacias asked.
Souzie nodded. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know when my contact will get another heart of a young man.” She turned to Julen. “You also don’t have much time before the wedding.”
Despite how fast this was moving, Julen knew the timing was perfect. It had to happen quickly, and they had what they needed. It had to be tomorrow.
“Very well. Tomorrow.” He thought for a moment longer. “How will I get out of Lapistra? If I leave through the tunnel, I’ll need a UIN.”
“If we time it right, we can get you out through the forest. Border Patrol switches at midnight, and there’s a small gap before the new shift takes over,” Souzie noted.
Julen’s mind spun with the logistics. It all felt so sudden. “Holy Vexora.” He took a deep breath then nodded. “I can do this. I need to find a place to stay. I’ll come here and stay at a boarding house for some time. I could ask Mindel for a job, or maybe he knows a place that needs—”
Dacias interrupted, “I want you with me. Klorin has a contact in Border Patrol, and he’ll have a UIN for you by tomorrow. It won’t be valid, but it will look official. Ferrean is a dick, so you can’t stay with me, but there’s a little town right by the festival we went to. They have a boarding house, and you can stay there until I can speak with the authorities. I’m confident they’ll see you as an asset against Haligran. The tricky part will be convincing them that you are truly renouncing your homeland, but I will vouch for you. My father is also a former general and has a lot of sway. After that, they’ll provide you with a new identity and an official UIN to match.”
Oh. Yes, that’s a plan. Julen looked at Dacias, a warm feeling expanding in his chest. “You want…you want me to come…”
Dacias quickly added. “That is if you are comfortable divulging information. We could always have you use the fake UIN and hope for the best if you’d prefer not to do that.”
Julen blinked a few times before Dacias added, “That is if you want to come to Rugiria. I should have asked you before I did all of this. Sorry, I got carried—”
Julen stopped his rambling by planting a kiss on Dacias’s lip. “I love the plan. I love the idea of being in Rugiria with you.” Julen brushed his fingers along Dacias’s cheek and whispered, “I love you.”
Souzie chuckled and shook her head. “You two. I can’t handle how adorable you are.” She slid to the edge of the bench and stood. “I’m going to get a drink. When I come back, we’ll discuss the plan for tomorrow.”
She walked off, and Julen looked at Dacias. “I love you so much. I’m the luckiest boy on Vexora.”
Dacias tugged him even closer, wrapping his arms around Julen’s body. “My Julen.”