24. Blue
24
BLUE
I sit beside Antoine in the back of one of the SUVs as we drive back to Councilor Augustus s property. It s the last place I want to be.
Antoine isn t nearly as relaxed as he s trying to make me believe. I guess I get it. He s silent for the first part of the drive and I steal glimpses of him when I think he s not looking. When he unpins the sleeve of his jacket, I can t help it that my gaze goes there, and I watch openly as he scratches the stump where his hand should be.
He clears his throat and I look up to find him watching me. I m embarrassed and mutter an apology, feeling my face burn as I shift my gaze over his shoulder.
He holds it up as if saying go on, get a good long look.
Never seen someone without a hand before?
I shift my gaze to his hazel eyes and a flash of the photo I d seen of him in his youth comes to mind. He d been laughing. There had been joy in his eyes then. I don t want to feel sorry for this man, he s ruthless. Possibly as ruthless as the Councilor. The Hoxton brothers should be enough evidence of that. But there s a part of me that does feel his pain to some extent. Maybe it s for all he lost. Maybe it s because I saw Councilor Augustus, the man who sentenced him to his archaic punishment, in his domestic brutality.
No, I finally say.
Well, get your fill.
I don t need to. I turn away. I m sorry I stared. I didn t mean to.
I m not sure what was worse, the actual pain when the ax came down or the knowledge of what was coming. How quickly it was coming.
I turn to him again. He s not quite looking at me though. All I can think is how human he sounds in this moment. How vulnerable.
I d just watched Ines being branded. They d had to hold me back when he did it. When she and I both knew what he d do to her. And when she screamed, Christ. He shakes his head. I ll never forget it. He pauses as if hearing her again now. They were ready for me. He d planned it all. And over her screams I swear I heard it, the sizzling of skin. Did you know you can hear that? I mean, it s meat after all.
Nausea turns my stomach at the thought of all of that.
He must have been planning it for years. His pupils focus on me again. Loverboy tell you much about The Society?
A little. I don t want to know more. It sounds awful.
It s not, but some people are I suppose. Like anywhere. Now, The Tribunal, that s one place you never want to end up. Their methods are Medieval. Whippings. Brandings. Dismemberment. Execution in rare cases.
Can they do that? I mean, they re not above the law.
He snorts at that. They are the law. You have no idea how many men of power in your world are members of The Society. The Councilors, The Tribunal, they can do whatever the hell they please. Ever been to London?
It s a strange, abrupt jump of topics and I shake my head.
Well, the block is on display at the Tower Museum. Did you know that?
I didn t.
You should see it.
No thanks. I turn away.
A replica was made for The Tribunal during the 100 th anniversary commemorating the birth of IVI. It s displayed prominently in the gardens at the Boston chapter. Well, prominently maybe isn t the right word. Anyone brought to stand before the judges sees it prominently. Nothing like a chopping block to instill terror, huh? He laughs. I don t. Anyway, they ve never used it for heads. Just a few hands. I can tell you the fear you feel is a whole other fear than anything else when you re being dragged out there, when you know there is no escaping your fate, however unfair. That s pretty awful. Until the ax comes down. An extended silence follows before he turns to me. Which do you think would be worse?
I wouldn t know.
Well, aren t you lucky? I don t answer but he s not really expecting me to. I m not even sure why we re having this conversation. Councilor Augustus stole my entire life that day. I intend to steal his tonight.
We turn onto the Councilor s property. I notice the other SUVs aren t with us, only the one we re riding in and one other.
Where are the others? I ask.
It would be rude to bring an army. That will come later.
If he sees me, I start, glancing at the house I left only too recently.
You re under my protection. As long as this contains what you say it contains, that is. He holds up the flash drive. If it doesn t, well, you may want to run to the Councilor to beg his protection.
It does. It has all the files. And I d never go to that monster for anything.
He makes a surprise expression then nods approvingly. When we come to the smaller guest house, the soldiers sitting in the front seats climb out to open our doors. I notice the coda inked into the neck of one and the back of the other s hand. I glance over my shoulder at the main house. The guest house is visible from there and when Antoine sees me looking, he gives a little wave.
What are you doing? I ask, turning my face away.
Saying hello to my host. I m sure he s watching.
What? I ask, panicked. Fuck. This wasn t part of the deal.
Antoine gestures to the front door with his chin, that casual smile gone. I told you, as long as what I need is on this flash drive, you ll be fine. Go on in, Blue.
I don t have much choice, so I enter the house.
Inside is a great room that s two stories high. It s styled differently than the main house, more of a luxurious mountain cabin with wide logs for walls. Along the second story is a catwalk and books line shelf upon shelf of where the second floor would be. The kitchen takes up the whole of one wall with restaurant quality appliances and a long oak counter with six stools set before it. A heavy dining table inlaid with turquoise seats a dozen and the furnishings in the living area are of a similar style, everything oversized and beautiful. One wall is made entirely of glass and overlooks a beautiful, wild garden. Outside is a fire pit and several chairs circling it as well as another large dining table. At the center of the patio, it looks like a dais has been built. The wood is newer than the rest of the deck and it strikes me. I m not sure why. It s wide enough for just a few people and there s something like a boulder on it that s covered under a tarp. A garden tool leans against it on the opposite side so all I see is the long handle.
A man who was seated on one of the couches in the living room stands and comes to us, looking me over with eyebrows raised. He s smiling, though, and doesn t have the coda anywhere that I can see at least.
Trae, this is Blue. Blue, Trae.
Trae nods and looks at Antoine. You have it?
Antoine digs the flash drive out of his pocket and hands it over. Trae takes it and moves to the dining table where he boots up a laptop and plugs the flash drive in.
What did he do to her? Antoine finally asks. He doesn t have to say her name for me to know he means Ines.
I swallow at the memory of the woman kneeling, stripping, being lashed while I and at least one guard watched her pain. Her humiliation.
He whipped her, I say, looking at the side of Antoine s face, watching his jaw clench, seeing his hands fist. He got angry at her and demanded her tears. When she wouldn t react to him, he slapped her so hard she fell over and still, when she straightened and got back into position, she still wouldn t give him anything but silence.
What did he do at that? he asks, voice hoarse.
I hesitate to tell him.
He turns to look at me. What did he do when she wouldn t give him her tears? What did he take in their stead? he asks, voice hard.
Blood, I say plainly.
Antoine doesn t speak.
She s strong, I tell him, touching his arm. He looks at it and appears almost confused. Feeling like I made a mistake I pull it away. I clear my throat. She s stronger than I would have been, I think.
He nods. Survivors only survive if they re strong. We learn to adapt.
That s true. I think I ve been adapting all my life.
What happened next? How did you get out?
He was getting ready to hit me, the Councilor. He had his arm raised and I closed my eyes. His soldier made sure I couldn t move. Zeke came in just in time. I have to smile at this part. Ines laughed at him. He was so angry, he was fuming, spitting. And she just put on her robe and laughed at him.
He nods with a proud smile.
Did you love her? I ask, purely out of curiosity because there are layers to this man. He is ruthless and single minded, but that s not all.
He studies me.
It s all here, Trae says, saving Antoine from answering.
Antoine moves behind Trae to look at the screen. He smiles a calculated, relishing smile. You ve done well, Blue, he says, still scanning what is on the screen. Send the blast.
Do you want me to redact any names?
No.
Are you sure?
Antoine doesn t answer. He simply looks at Trae who blanches, nods. I ll do it now.
Come, Blue.
He walks to the sliding door and opens it, steps out onto the patio. He walks straight to the dais, and I follow a few steps behind.
I paid an arm and a leg, pardon the expression, to borrow it. Not to mention shipping. He whistles. Everyone s an extortionist these days. Insurance alone was over five grand. IVI does not want their property damaged, he says, stepping up to it, taking hold of the long handle of what I thought was a garden tool and lifting it away, handing it to someone who is standing ready so he can remove the covering on what I assumed was a boulder.
My throat goes dry when I see what it truly is.
Antoine s smile widens. I haven t seen this in over twenty-five years, yet it s exactly as I dream it each night. He looks down at the block of wood, the replica he mentioned, I guess. He touches it. Caresses it. The action sends a shiver down my spine. My own blood infuses it. He looks up at me. I said come, Blue.
I shake my head, take a step backward only to walk into one of his men who somehow got outside, got behind me and I didn t notice.
Did I make a mistake coming to this man? Thinking him the lesser of two evils?
I said come, Antoine says, holding the giant ax and looking for all the world like the executioner himself, all he needs is a cloak.
I don t want to.
Don t be a baby.
I—
He gestures to the man behind me who grips my arm and marches me toward the dais, up onto it. I push against him but just like the Councilor s man, I m no match.
Kneel, Antoine says.
I look down at the block, then up at him and shake my head.
Don t make me make you. Kneel.
Why?
Because I said so.
He gestures to the man at my back who sets his hands on my shoulders. I struggle but he s too strong. He forces me to my knees and keeps his hands on my shoulders as the other man reaches for my right arm, grips it and drags it across the block.
I scream. I scream as I feel the smooth wood, see the dark blotches that stain it. No heads, just hands, he d said. It s no comfort.
Antoine leans toward me. Shh. Not yet. We don t want the Councilor to come just yet. I want everything perfectly in place for my old friend.
I gave you what you wanted. I did what I said I d do.
He smiles a strange, almost unhinged sort of smile that makes me think of Ines s laugh, how mad it had sounded.
Do you feel what I felt? How fucking terrified I was. Do you understand now all that man stole from me?
I look up at him, his eyes are narrowed, their shine not natural, not normal.
Unhinged.
There s that word again. This man is unhinged. He s barely keeping it together.
Do you? he barks.
I nod animatedly. I do. I understand his terror because right now, I am terrified. I m terrified of him.
We had an agreement. You promised.
He leans toward me. And you delivered. As such, you have nothing to fear from me.
My chest hurts with the thudding of my heart. His words and face and the way he s holding that ax don t line up.
Release her, he says, straightening. The man who has my arm lets it go and I pull it back, cradling it.
Sir, Trae calls, making Girard turn. You re on.
He smiles wide and if I didn t know better, I d say he looked happy. He gestures to the man at my back who hauls me to my feet.
Girard takes a deep breath in, raises the ax over his head with an immense strength considering he is one-armed, one-handed. He brings it down onto the block so hard, he lodges the blade in the wood, making me scream as I watch in horror.
He turns to me, wipes the sweat from his forehead.
An eye for an eye. A hand for a hand. Come, Blue, I don t want to miss a second!