Chapter 47 - Re
Mack
If I could, I’d switch off all the screens, pretending what we’re witnessing is not happening. It’s all a bad dream.
But I can’t ignore the loud stares on my back, anxiously waiting for me to confirm their fears aren’t real, and the cameras I strategically placed outside the building are simply malfunctioning.
My sister’s hand threatens to push me to my knees when she rushes beside me, climbing on my right shoulder while screaming and crying for us both because I’m too shocked even to shed a tear.
A small group of people, led by Roden Breith, advances towards the main entrance, ignoring the popping sounds and sparks released by the barriers.
Roden’s face is the same as Tabitha showed us many times, so that we wouldn’t forget it.
The top of his walking cane twinkles like a small beam of light; his dark, long coat lined with dense fur clashes with the overall aspect of the strangers behind him, all battered and tired, some of them helping others to stay upright.
Next to him walks a woman, tall and slender but visibly curved as if crushed under guilt and hopelessness.
"Miss Popplewish," Lucretia whispers behind me, but her voice soon dies under Merya’s bellows as Galen and Kris try to pull her away, as far from the screen as possible.
One of Roden’s arms is stretched to his side, his fingers curled around Jyn’s neck. He’s tilting Jyn’s head left and right as if playing with a human-size doll, keeping his body lifted a few inches off the ground.
“Let me go!” Merya roars as someone grunts behind me.
I have just enough time to check what’s causing the turmoil, Kris bending over, bracing his middle, before Merya shoves me away and whacks the speaker button with her fist.
“You coward piece of shit! Stop hiding behind innocent people.”
Roden’s miniature reproduction snaps his head towards one of the cameras and grins. At the same time, Evelyn Popplewish addresses the group behind her, intimating one of them in particular to stay where they are, with her fingers splayed in the air.
“That’s Tydell,” July exclaims, too close to Merya, who is still operating the speaker, waking the curiosity of the man who, like Roden, brings his attention to one of the cameras, performing a clumsy bow.
“Ah, there she is, my beloved daughter.” He raises his cane towards the camera, tipping its top as if saluting us; the hand holding Jyn steady in the air.
“The challenges a father has to accept for his offspring, and be the better person—even when his child partners up with Horigean scum.” Roden’s voice roars in the room, taking us all by surprise.
“But—our family is reunited at last. Me, you…and our little pet—dearest Kristyon. Why don’t you come out to meet me? There is no point in delaying what is inevitably going to happen. Or making me waste more of this succulent soul.”
Roden’s teeth flash white and sharp as he grins and opens his hand. Jyn’s body hits the ground with a thump so loud it echoes through the speakers.
Petrified, I watch my sister collapse to the floor, her mouth opening and closing with no sound as though she’s already screamed all her pain.
“Mack,” someone shouts in my ear and shakes me until the sudden fog that’s blurring my vision lifts.
A pair of concerned burnt orange eyes with bright purple rims stare into mine, turning the dirt on their owner’s face, the light honey locks of hair grazing her cheeks, into a focal point I can concentrate on to claim back my lucidity.
“You need to take your sister out of here,” Lucretia orders me, her eyes blinking like a countdown at the end of which I’m sure she won’t think twice before slapping me.
“We all need to leave,” Galen echoes her, hissing and crouching by Merya to pick her up.
“Why don’t we make a deal?” Roden’s voice thunders, and we all look at each other.
“July and Kris, in exchange for your stupid talking bear—Libera won’t need his peaches and pears anymore anyway…
Then my Harvesters and I will go away seeking a new start somewhere else.
You can even keep Galen—although I can’t promise he’ll still be able even to think once I’ve stripped his soul of all his powers.
I’m done playing with that sentimental puppet, even though I found it so entertaining shaping his love for July.
Such a malleable soul.” Roden sighs dramatically.
“Liar!” The sound of a wounded animal escapes Galen’s mouth as he momentarily loses his balance and uses one hand to stay upright.
“Do not trust him.” Feeble but fighting its way to us, Jyn’s voice makes Merya’s head shoot up.
We all dash to the screens. The wave of relief caused by Jyn’s voice soon fades away when I zoom in on the screen.
He wriggles on the ground, scrambling on his hands and feet as far as possible from Roden, who is sauntering after him, spinning his cane.
Taking advantage of our distraction, Merya sprints for the door. “I’m taking him away from there—”
But Tabitha is waiting behind it, fully geared up in her combat black suit. She is flanked by two special soldiers wearing helmets. They’re usually stationed beyond the Fields, and recognisable only by the red letter H sewn on their right shoulders.
“Nobody,” she says, her eyes sweeping the room and stopping on Merya, “goes out there without my permission.”
“You’re just going to let him die? After all he’s done for you, for the cause?” I can’t see my sister’s face, but her voice speaks more than hundreds of her brooding looks.
Confident like the leader that had trained us, not the sweet female presence that had many times lulled me to sleep, Tabitha blocks the entrance. “Jyn knew the risk and agreed to be responsible for all of you in my short absence.”
“He’s your friend,” Merya snaps, turning towards us as if seeking backup.
“And my second in command.” Without hesitation, Tabitha pushes the door wide open, forcing Merya out of the way and marches towards the control panel.
Her fingers don’t falter when she switches the speaker on, and with the other hand, adjusts the camera on Evelyn Popplewish.
“Roden Breith, you’re not welcome here. Abandon this ground immediately, or we will use our firepower against you and your people, no matter their true intentions.”
Her last words linger in the air, her gaze on Evelyn, who is seemingly arguing with Roden, but too quietly for my devices to capture the sound.
I mentally note the technical defect, if only to quiet my mind and my heart, which have been hammering for too long.
Roden’s roaring laugh resounds so violently that Tabitha stumbles away with a grunt.
“Clearly, you’ve missed the updates on my late achievements. Let me give you a small taste. It’s not perfect yet, but see for yourself.”
We all remain in silence, not knowing what to look for, including Merya, supervised by the two soldiers.
Until Galen takes his head into his hands and dashes for the exit. “Let me out, now! He’s trying to take control of me—again.”
Without flinching, Tabitha raises one hand towards one of the soldiers, who nods, stomps towards Galen in his heavy boots, and knocks him out with a single blow to his jaw.
Then sighs with relief, “That was like punching Roden in the face. I wanted to do that for such a long time.” The soldier chortles inside the helmet.
“Professor Skell?” Lucretia and July exclaim at the same time, both rushing for Galen, unconscious on the floor.
“Nice to see you both alive and breathing,” Nikrah replies with his usual unbothered tone, taking off the helmet and placing it under his arm.
If Nikrah Skell is in the room with us, the other person behind him can only be Lily Drestall. And that explains where Tabitha has been this past few hours, guiding the happy couple safely inside.
“Did you really need to do that? Removing him from the room would have worked just as well,” Lily pushes past Nikrah, eventually revealing her face.
Her hair is in disarray, and her face is pale, tired despite her poised gait when she approaches the centre of the room. She studies our faces one by one, pausing on those who are most surprised by her presence.
“Nice to see you two are no longer bickering over sexy Galen,” she addresses July and Lucretia with one of her rare smiles, but her face drops. “I’m sorry, I heard what Roden said about him. That was a low blow.”
“Yeah, well, we will make time to give him back what he deserves.” Tabitha opens the door wider.
Timid light pours in from the top of the stairs, casting a deep shadow on one side of her face as she flattens against the wall, averting her eyes from us as she adds, “Nik and Lily agreed to take you to The Mother.”
“Wait—what?” Merya snaps. “That’s insane. It’ll take us days to get there via tunnels.”
Tabitha glances at my sister sideways, still avoiding the rest of us. “You are not going. Only July, Galen and the young Harvester.” She nods at Lucretia.
“No…” July and Kris’ voices melt as they both lunge towards Tabs.
Peeling her back from the door, Tabitha raises a hand, but July ignores it.
“You can’t separate us now. I’ve only begun to understand what happened to us. I won’t let you—” Her head turns towards Galen, still unconscious on the floor after Nik’s right hook, as if her words could hurt him even now he can’t hear her.
“What then?” Tabitha barks, fully turning to face her.
“Roden will magically stop going after you two and let you live happily ever after? Do you think he will drop his plan of turning every single Horigean into a perfect soulless puppet for the love of his daughter? Open your eyes, dear, the longer you and Kris are together the more fucked up our future looks like. Horigeans and Harvesters alike, we’re all doomed if what you’ve taken from Kris ends up in Roden’s hands. ”
Her words hurt. Not only July. They struck all of us for different reasons. I can see it in Lucretia’s orange eyes, even if she’s only understanding half of it, in Kris’ hands curling into fists.
Merya notices as well. She sighs bitterly and laughs, “But you’d rather send the Harvesters away and let us deal with Roden…”
Her lips twitch as she glances at the monitor over her back. “I get it now. When did you decide it was safe to reveal our coordinates to Evelyn Popplewish? She was supposed only to be an intermediary between us and Galen.”
I’m about to open my mouth to convince my sister that her theory is rubbish when I notice Tabitha’s shoulders drop as she exhales.
“When things started turning for the worst, that was the only way to make sure she could help us.” Her voice remains strong despite her body seemingly shrinking under Merya’s judgemental glare.
“You figured out that I only have a kernel left,” Kristyon addresses Tabs, helping her with the words she can’t seem to voice.
“We don’t know what would happen if July completes the harvest, what Roden can achieve if he manages to take full control of her mind—and your soul.
You’ve seen what he’s done to Galen,” Tabitha quickly points at him.
“Imagine the power he will hold if he succeeds at merging your souls in one vessel…”
In response to Tabitha’s revelation, July steps closer to Kris, taking his hand in hers, when a sudden pop from the control panel takes us all by surprise. We all dash for it, gingerly avoiding Galen’s body, but I don’t need to see what caused it.
“Someone’s touched my fences,” I state.
“No,” Lucretia replies, bent over the main monitor, “Roden is forcing his people against them to take down the barrier.”