31. Emory Blake
31
EMORY BLAKE
“ T he situation has become dire. The longer we wait, the more time Diesel has to kill innocent civilians. Their blood will be on our hands!” a deep voice shouted from the back of the crowd.
“ Our hands? What about the police? Why aren’t they doing anything?” someone else chimed in.
“They are too busy dealing with the mess in the Federation of Setas. Those faulty illegal potions made it all too easy for them to hunt down those buying and selling.”
The voices were beginning to meld together as Emory stood off to the side, breathing in the smoke from his pipe.
“Yeah, right! I’m sure it has more to do with the fact that Diesel has the police in his back pocket.”
“I don't see anyone doing anything to stop him, including us!”
Emory sighed heavily, stepping forward into the middle of the crowd.
His heavy boots shook the ground, commanding everyone’s attention. “That’s enough.”
All eyes were on Emory now.
“What good does it do to fight amongst each other? The fighting is out there. Unity is the only way we'll prevail. Remember why we gather and the world we're trying to protect.” The room remained quiet as Emory paused. “You are right, though. It is time to take action. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for. Diesel might have an army behind him, but his erratic actions make him vulnerable. If we take him down, everything else crumbles.”
Someone in the far back of the room stood up. “So what do you suggest we do?”
“We find his heart, and we break it.”
Everyone in the room looked around at each other in confusion. It was commonly thought among the masses that Diesel didn't have a heart.
But Emory knew better.
Everyone has a weakness. There's always something that a person is willing to die for…
Emory knew the key to ending all of this; Diesel’s wife. But the problem was, no one knew where she’d disappeared to.
His thoughts were interrupted by someone else entering the private conference. He turned and found himself pleasantly surprised.
“Lea,” he sighed as the heaviness in his chest dissipated.
Her name had the opposite effect on her, however. Emory couldn't even begin to describe the devastation he felt at her having such an aversion to who she was.
From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he could tell that she was something special…something beyond anything he had ever seen before. He never could quite put his finger on it, but somehow he knew, even from the start, this woman was going to change the world.
“I got your message. What did you want to see me for?” Her eyes shifted to the crowd of people watching her.
She hadn't earned their trust yet. The only reason she wasn't being thrown out right now was because he wouldn’t allow it.
Emory motioned her over to him. “Follow me.”
Her brows furrowed slightly in confusion, but she followed him out to another area—one she had to recognize. It was the room she’d woken up in after her fight with Diesel.
“Come. Sit.” It was rare to see Lea wearing something other than her Potionist robes. Emory couldn't help but find himself distracted by how good she looked in everyday clothing.
The soft, pale rose color of her dress worked in perfect tandem with the glow beneath her skin.
Due to the many experiments Emory had undergone throughout his time being imprisoned by Diesel’s organization, his vision didn't work the same way it used to. Sometimes he could only see flashes of light and shadows. At other times there were even colors and distinct shapes he could make out.
For a long time, he had thought he was blind. It had taken him a long while, but eventually, he learned to work with his new senses.
Her hands slid delicately down the backs of her thighs, holding down her dress as she sat down on the couch in front of him.
Emory’s mouth went dry, but his words still came out cool and collected. “I have something for you, if you'll indulge me.”
“Well, I'm already here, so I might as well.”
He couldn't tell if she was joking or not.
She was so different now from when he’d first met her. There was this shroud of anger and darkness that constantly loomed over her now. It weighed down her soul.
I don't really think the key to taking down Diesel lies with his wife… I think the key is Lea. Not by destroying him, but by being better than him…
He knew he couldn’t tell the rebels that, they wouldn’t believe it—and neither would she. No, he had to do something else…something that would remind her of the person that still lives inside her beneath all that anger and need for revenge.
Emory shut his eyes, holding his hands out in front of him, one with the palm directed up and the other one hovering right above with his palm facing down.
Bring forth what I see.
Strands of his hair began to float, as if gravity no longer affected it.
Then his face warmed like the sun was beating down on it, despite them being inside and at night.
Emory could see the vision clearly in his head… The mint plant. The one thing that had offered her some semblance of hope in her darkest hours. He knew that plant well.
Suddenly, there was a weight in his hand.
He opened his eyes and looked down to see a small potted mint plant nestled in his hand.
Lea jumped off the couch and looked on in astonishment. “How did you do that?”
“One of the more favorable side-effects from the experiments they did on me.” Emory then extended his arms, handing the plant over to her.
“What's it for?”
His heart was heavy in his chest, wondering if she even remembered anymore. “Sometimes all we need is a shred of hope.”
She continued to look puzzled until she ran her fingers over one of the leaves, catching the scent of mint.
Realization seemed to hit her like a comet.
Her eyes went wide and filled with tears.
She slowly covered her mouth with her shaking hand. “After all this time, you still remembered.”
“Watching you have hope from something so small gave me hope as well. That's part of what's kept me going for so long.” Emory placed his hands under hers, cupping the plant.
She looked up into his eyes, and for a moment, Emory saw the woman he’d met in prison seventeen years ago.
“She's still in there,” he whispered, a tender smile dawning on his face.
She didn't have to ask what he meant by it. “Why do you care so much about bringing her back?”
“Because I miss having hope. Don't you?”
Her lips pressed into a tight line before she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his chest.
“The world needs you, Lea… I need you.”