Chapter 10 #2
While I wasn’t certain he bought his own bullshit, I sensed he was searching for if I felt the same. I didn’t. “How many are here?”
“Over one hundred. Every member fought their way through devastation, starvation, and ungodly tragedies. We are a family. We’ve taken care of each other and will continue to do so after you’re gone.”
“You have many dangers around you.”
His smile was knowing. “Yes, you’re right. You’ve come for Star because her presence in the land of Eden will be the final piece of the puzzle needed for the Resistance to rise from the very depths of hell. Together, you can overthrow the Freedom Society. Hope will be fully restored.”
I laughed bitterly, which as of late was the only way I’d felt anything.
Once the anger had subsided, an emptiness had prevented me from doing my job as programmed.
Only anger had been instilled deep inside, fury for the loss of what had once been while denying there could ever be any thought of safety or prosperity again.
“I’m here because I was tasked to bring Star to a secure location. She is privy to information we need. I am nothing more than a soldier required to do my duty.” A favor for saving my life, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Your mission is far more important that you’ve been told and unfortunately, I’m not allowed to provide every detail.
The fertile land bordered by Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron supply environmental hope as well.
The only waters untainted by toxins. Did you know the long harsh winters with heavy snowfall act as a barrier to enemies?
Centuries before the Great War, the area was coined as being the perfect haven in times of battle.
The timber there has begun to recover, the lush greenery allowing for the resurgence of wildlife and even fish. ”
“If it’s so fertile, then why haven’t you brought your group to the area?”
“Because she had to be protected until the time was right. Until she was of age. If discovered alive before the time of uprising, the Hunters would stop at nothing to end her life. You are likely aware her existence, once considered a myth, has become a vendetta stuck in the mind of the king. He will stop at nothing to ensure he isn’t attacked again. The prophecy was very clear.”
He’d heard about my foolish effort to assassinate the king months before.
The prophecy. I’d heard such garbage from the day I’d been brought to the healing campus.
I’d only known I’d been allowed to heal.
Only after I’d been strong enough had John provided a few details of my mission, including stories about Eden.
While he was correct in how protected the area was, how beautiful in a world where every other location was nothing but barren rubble, I was still questioning what the fuck I was doing here.
Peter lifted something from the file, slowly bringing it to me.
“This picture was taken on the day you turned seven. Just before the collapse. Your father had already been made aware of the drone strikes hitting several military bases throughout the world.” As he handed me the photograph, I recoiled at first.
“The past is gone. My father is dead. So are my mother and sister.”
“Yes, I know. Take the picture, Phoenix. It will ground you and remind the boy inside why this fight is so important. Your father never intended for this to happen. He was betrayed more than once, but by the time he realized his true enemy, it was too late.”
I glared at the smiling faces, feeling nothing but contempt and anger. Yet there was something in the eyes of my father that lent itself to remembering all that he’d taught me. Kindness above all and that democracy was a gift not to be taken lightly.
“Tell me about Star.”
Peter laughed. “A strong-willed woman with great potential. However, she will need the right person by her side. That person is you.”
With the picture still in my hand, Peter was right in that certain memories came to the surface, most of which were too painful to experience ever again.
“The Revelator will share more once you arrive in Eden.”
“The Revelator. You know of him.”
“Yes, you know him as John. He is a great disciple, a truly holy man. He will guide you both once you return. Know that what you’re doing will be challenged every step of the way. When you’re both ready, you will head to where the king and his court live.”
“Who is he to you?”
I sensed he was debating sharing the information. “My brother.”
With bombs creating tidal waves claiming hundreds of miles of shorelines, and seismic faults from subsequent earthquakes breaking off huge chunks of land, many of which had been reclaimed by the oceans, every domed city was inland.
Chicago was protected and served by Lake Michigan. The irony of one water serving both good and evil hadn’t been lost on surviving scholars and in truth, had likely been planned. The feasibility of creating an area akin to what people thought of as Eden was plausible.
“It is imperative Star arrives in Eden unharmed. You will have supplies ready for your journey and I wish you Godspeed. You should settle your differences with Star before you leave. You will need all your strength for the trip and not in your bickering.” His smile was genuine, the man far too wise for his own good.
“You should provide the same recommendation to Star. She has a mind of her own.”
He squeezed my arm. “Yes, but she will need your counsel whether she chooses to believe so or not. Her quarters are on the floor below. Room thirty-two. Spend some time with her. Come to an understanding at minimum. You will learn to trust each other because you must.”
There was a twinkle in the old man’s eyes as if he already figured out we’d engaged in raw sin.
While I used the term loosely, given as of yet sex hadn’t been ruled out as so many other pleasures had been out of necessity, satisfying carnal desires was generally frowned upon.
Why? Because it could lead to complications no one needed at this point.
I’d heard that the great king was pushing for babies, but the problem was the Pavilla virus had been a natural sterilizer.
Even if people hadn’t been directly affected, either showing signs or succumbing to the lesser form of the illness, the dangerous infection had settled in water that even boiling hadn’t eliminated, food that had been sealed, and even in the air we breathed while topside.
In other words, humanity as a whole was fucked.
While that should create a more amorous atmosphere without the worry about unwanted pregnancies, the opposite had been true. The thought of intimacy had fallen below scrounging for food and other supplies.
“What is expected of Star?”
“Not just of Star but of the man who stands by her side. Fertility will return throughout the world.” Peter was so certain what he was telling me was accurate. He moved to a box on the other side of the room, carefully opening it and retrieving an object. As I’d seen before, his hand was shaking.
When he turned, he studied me carefully before walking close once again.
“I don’t need to tell you that what you will face will be dangerous and will test all that you are as not only a man but as a Verndari.
This is why the program was so vital to our survivors and I wish I could provide you a clear path of how to achieve success, but only you along with the men serving you faithfully can provide what’s needed to successfully pass the first test.”
“Test?”
“Yes, Rage. This is a test of strength and endurance as required by the gods. There will be others.”
“Like killing the king and freeing the people.”
He took my hand into his, placing the object and curling my fingers around it.
“What you seek will eventually become necessary, but not at first. Your greatest challenge will be to suppress the rage for which you were named. Only then can you achieve the success you desire. Not because you are the greatest warrior, but because you’ve become a great leader. ”
There was both sincerity and a challenge in his eyes. “I was tested in Zenith and I failed.”
As he cocked his head, his eyes lit up. “One man will never become the salvation that’s needed, but with an entire flock willing to stand in front of him anything is possible.” He backed away, lifting his head high.
When I opened my fingers, it took a few seconds to realize what I was looking at. “A flash drive.” I hadn’t seen one since I was a child. There were no computers left working that I knew of. Whatever was on the memory stick might stay there forever.
“Yes. You will find answers for both of you. However, not until you reach your destination.”
Our destination. Eden. “Star will continue resisting.”
“She will see the light. Her dreams will guide her. But after that, you must place your trust in each other. If you do not, you will both perish.”
What I couldn’t understand was my continued desire for her. Her caustic mouth alone should prevent me from longing to come without ten feet of her. But here I was, my dick still aching while my testicles felt like inflated balloons.
With nothing left to discuss, I headed to the door, yet I had one last question. “Who am I to Star other than her bodyguard?”
“Ask yourself a question, Phoenix. Why do you bear a mark on your other thigh?”
“What?” I tipped my head to study him, a cold chill coursing through me.
“The red crescent moon. Star is marked as well. Ask yourself why. Your attraction is ordained and approved by the gods.”
Approved by the gods. I fisted my hand, uncertain how to react to the bombshell he’d just dropped.