Chapter 26 #4
Richmond steps closer to my father, lowering his gun.
He stands right above his corpse, analyzing the results of his actions.
Frightened about what he will suddenly do next, I place my hand on Henry’s shoulder, seeking his comfort.
My grip tightens as Richmond turns to face us. I hold in a breath with anticipation.
“I knew you would have picked him,” Richmond says matter-of-factly, gesturing to Henry. “Love triumphs all. Am I right?” He kneels by my father, sighing with disappointment. “Should have known you would be useless to me.”
With Richmond distracted, I know this is my moment to stop him—to strike him while his defenses are low.
I watch as one of his men quietly approaches him from behind, a heavy stone in hand, and swings it against the back of Richmond’s head, just as I asked him to do.
Richmond collapses onto the ground, his body falling beside my father’s.
I know he isn’t dead, as I see his chest still rising and falling. But he’s unconscious.
I jump upon feeling a hand on my shoulder, turning me around. And I am quickly pulled into an embrace smelling of sweat, mint, and cedarwood—an embrace that feels like home.
I run my hand across the matted curls in Henry’s hair, tears falling down my cheeks. I could have easily lost him forever. Being in the comfort of his arms, I close my eyes, allowing myself to finally feel at ease knowing we are safe, and I’ve stopped the vision from coming true.
I can feel Henry press his lips to the top of my head.
“You didn’t hesitate to save me,” he whispers.
I pull away, gazing into his eyes, as I cup his left cheek. “You are my family, Henry. Not him.”
Glancing over his shoulder, I see the lackey who released Henry from his binds remains a foot behind us, uncertain what to do after I told him to free Henry.
No longer needing their assistance, I command all the lackeys and soldiers to leave—to forget everything they witnessed here.
A massive weight is lifted from my chest once they are all gone.
This is nearly over.
Taking Henry’s hand in mine, we walk toward the bodies, considering what to do with them, especially with the man who’s alive and still dangerous—a man who can still hurt people, destroy civilizations, and be the source of endless chaos.
As long as I’m still the Eudaemon, bound to powerful artifacts, he will never relent in his quest. He will continue to threaten the people I care about until he gets what he wants.
Flashes of images scour my mind, seeing Henry and Grandad bound, gagged, and beaten.
Anger and resentment boil inside me, staring down at the unconscious man with a sense of hatred I didn’t know I could possess.
Henry tugs at our entwined hands, pulling my attention toward him. “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asks, gesturing to my free hand.
What was once my free hand.
I glance down to see it’s firmly gripping the hilt of the dagger.
I must have reached for it in my anger-infused haze.
My gaze shifts between the dagger and Richmond, pondering if he should be my first and only victim of this artifact.
But then a strange, unfamiliar voice calls into my head, assuring me that I’m better than to treat Richmond as he would treat me.
And that voice is right.
I stooped to his level once, and that choice will haunt me forever. There are ways to handle him that wouldn’t involve sacrificing my humanity, although the last thing Richmond needs to be shown is empathy.
“I have something better in mind,” I say, putting the dagger back, wedged in between my back and the waistline of my skirt.
Inspecting his body, I kick Richmond’s leg to make sure he is still unconscious. When I’m met with a static response, I kneel to his body and proceed to compel him now that he is unable to protect himself against me.
“First,” I say, watching his chest rise and fall.
“I will compel him to lose his memory, erasing not only what occurred here, but also the artifacts and his whole work of operations. Gone. Then, I’ll compel him to flee the country, go somewhere far like America, and never set foot back into the United Kingdom, ever again. ”
“And your father?” Henry asks. “What should we do with his body?”
“That’s easy,” I reply. “I’ll make Richmond bury it somewhere on the castle grounds.” I glare down at Richmond’s peaceful face. “It’ll be his penance for killing him in the first place.”
I take a moment to send out the commands, and once Richmond is handled for good, I tug on Henry’s hand and glance at him with a relieved smile.
“Job done?”
I nod. “Richmond will no longer be a problem for us—or anyone at all.”
I dare to take one last look at my father, mixed emotions rising through me as I fix my eyes on his lifeless face.
Even after everything he’s done to me, after proving countless times the kind of man he truly is, his death instills a twinge of sadness lingering in my heart—not out of remorse, but for a reason I’m not able to determine just yet.
Knowing it’s time for us to leave, as a joyous reunion is waiting for us back at the cottage, I take one final look at him.
At least I can console myself with the thought that he and my mother are finally reunited.
“Goodbye, Father.”