The Mariposa

Chapter 27

Elyas

As soon as I discovered the corpse, I flew in the direction Maeve had went. It wasn't until I was halfway there I questioned why. I had no answer.

I hesitated upon reaching where she was in a room. Slowly I turned the knob and found her standing, paralyzed, staring at yet another skeleton on the bed.

"I found one in the west living quarters too..." I said quietly.

She nearly jumped out of her skin, apparently not having heard me come in, which spoke worlds of how far removed she must've been from reality.

Settling her hand over her heaving chest, she let out a deep breath. "There's a note on the bed. I haven't read it yet... Will you-"

I didn't give her the chance to finish, heading to the bed to look. I slowly reached over to grab the note, hesitating like the skeleton would suddenly reanimate and scold me for snooping.

The paper had hasty handwriting, panicked and filled with grammar and spelling mistakes. Whatever they were saying, it was obvious just at a glance that it was an emergency.

"We need to get out of here. We have to abandon this mission... this suicide mission. They... SHE knows. We're all good as dead if we stay here."

I read the words out loud, my voice the shakiest it's ever been. When Maeve looked at me, she looked as frightened as I felt.

"Start checking rooms. I want to know how many corpses lie in these halls."

Once again, we split up, checking rooms. The news wasn't good. Every fourth room had a corpse. The further we went, the more blood was on the walls. There were large chunks taken out of the walls, scratches, debris and bones scattered across the halls.

I almost vomited when I entered one room to see only a body with no head to account for it.

Sufficiently disturbed, the two of us met back in the main lobby. Maeve was violently trembling, and I slowly stepped towards her, placing a hand on her arm. She wrenched away, looking into my eyes.

"What the hell are we dealing with?!"

"We're dealing with a revolution gone terribly wrong," Kalon's voice suddenly interjected, from the north hallway.

We turned towards her, waiting for her to expand on that. She didn't look nearly as shaken as we did, but it was there. Just more concealed.

"I went into their storage lockers. There were a lot of notes. From what I can gather, they were holding secret meetings. Mariposa who learned the truth and were attempting to overthrow the corruption at the top."

"The higher ups discovered what they were planning and put a stop to it... to all of them..." I continued.

"And abandoned this place and acted like it never happened to future Mariposa," Maeve finished. Her nails were digging into her arms.

"Maeve, you're looking at our future if we continue down this path. Maybe we were meant to find this. So we can stop while we have the chance," Kalon pleaded.

Maeve let out a disbelieving, bitter laugh. "What choice do we even have at this point, Kalon? They're going to find us eventually. We're too far gone. We have to fight."

I was silent, an idea blooming in my mind like an embryo in a mother's womb. It was just a start, and it was dangerously underdeveloped. It was better than nothing though.

"What do you think the Mariposa you worked with would do if they could see what we found here, Maeve?" I asked, trying to keep the hope in my voice tempered. It was far too early for it.

Maeve seemed surprised at the question, her arms slowly dropping as she considered the question. "I... I really don't know."

I tilted my head. "What did you feel the first time you started to see the truth? What did you think?"

Before Maeve could answer, Kalon interjected. "I'll make them pay," she said coldly.

I nodded. "It's not a guarantee... But what if the Mariposa see this carnage... See what past members were willing to be put through, what they learned. There's a chance it could be enough to bring their numbers to our side."

Both Kalon and Maeve's faces reflected the feelings I felt inside. Intense conflict between utter defeat and a sliver of hope.

Kalon looked me in the eyes, smiling ever so slightly. My eyes widened at the sight, never believing I would see it from her so genuinely. "I see why you're the son of a queen," she said, with...

Was that respect in her tone??

Maeve chuckled slightly. "It's still a suicide mission, don't get me wrong. The odds are still not in our favor in the slightest. But now it's a suicide mission with a loose plan."

I tilted my head, smiling. "Which is? I never really mentioned a plan."

"We wait. If the Mariposa are bound to find us... We let them find us," Maeve said simply.

"We lure them inside the building... Inside the rooms..." Kalon continued.

"And HOPEFULLY, the rest of the plan works itself out," I finished, grinning.

At that moment, we heard the sound of a strong current of wind right outside the headquarters' doors. I gulped.

"Not yet, it's too soon!" I yelled.

Maeve slowly flew towards a boarded window, peeking through. She let out a loud laugh, shaking her head. "That sliver of hope is now a piece. You two won't believe who is at the door."

I flew towards Maeve, shoving her out of the way. Staring back at me was the Veralian we had talked to after the fire. Standing behind him was hundreds of Veralians. Their numbers were definitely much smaller, halved even, but that was still around 250 people outside waiting for me. And to add to that... They were strong.

In stature. Having made it through the storm, I recognized now these were the physically fittest of the Veralians we had rescued. In willpower. They stood outside expectantly, not bent over and heaving, desperate for warmth like the three of us had. Sure, there was ice hanging off of their skin as well. They were torn up quite a bit from the hail. However, it didn't shake them like it did us three.

I grinned, my chest filling with a sense of pride. This was the type of army every king dreamed of commanding. Unable to help myself, I swung open the door, hovering before them.

"Congratulations. You valiant Veralians have proven yourself mightier than much of Arcelia's finest soldiers. You've survived battle, you've flown in the middle of a storm, and you are prepared to fly right into the middle of yet another storm. From this day forward, you are not slaves, you are not victims. You are not Veralians. You are Victors. Inside is a ruin of an attempted revolution within the Mariposa. Their own kind were slaughtered and abandoned. The current Mariposa know nothing of the monstrous events that happened here."

"We will be the ones to open their eyes. If we are successful, we have already won as we will fight side by side to get to the true enemy. If we fail... We will do it together. Putting up as much of a fight as we can against their forces. The hope is small. But I know for all of you... It is the most hope you have ever seen."

"Let's show them what a true warrior is. Are you with me?!"

Immediately they roared back at me with deafening yells, flapping their wings in unison, blowing me back.

I laughed, leaning against the wall. I looked beside me to see Maeve and Kalon had come out to join me. There was a single tear in Maeve's eyes.

"If I die... at least I will do it with my family," she said only loudly enough to reach mine and Kalon's ears.