The Eden Projects (Book I)

Chapter 45. Expectations.

To say that Ace was underprepared for what was to come was a gross understatement. In fact, anything other than the short sentence "Ace was doomed" would have been just that. He was doomed, and he knew it. From the moment his feet left the grated flooring of the old guard tower and his wings took up their slack. Ace was doomed. All he could hope for was to make it out with a little more than his body intact. His pride would have to be swallowed.

He had messed up.

That, he could admit only because he had been caught in it.

Fog knew it too. But there was little he could do. "Stay cool, tell the truth. Or lie tactfully. Either way I'll be here for it." He was older, and this made him a special sort of someone who Ace listened to.

Ace's eyes were fixed in a thousand yard stare, taking in the world below. "I know. If Zero is out there, that means that whatever Maliver had been trying to do, he must have succeeded in right? This isn't a game with matching pieces anymore. If Kasper is the King. Then Zero is the Queen. I should have seen this coming." His wings beat at his back. "Damn it- I messed up."

Fog was silent.

"He knows about Kasper. He knows I'm with them now. Unless he's stupid, anyone could see what we're doing." Ace felt a welling sense of terror growing. He had stepped on the tigers throat, begging for its kindness when he released. All of his attempts at drawing things out to award them all a little more time had done nothing. Maliver owned the clock, and he had set it long before Ace ever found out about it. Was this his goal all along? Six years in the making? To force my hand? Things were happening too fast, the game was over. Am I ignorant for thinking he ever considered me an equal, maybe this was never about me and my games. He had to pick a side.

As they made their approach Ace looked to Fog who flew at his side. He nodded once, it was an approving "you can do this." He felt everything except approval. Red dots shot up at them again and Ace grew nervous. They could shoot. They could shoot and this would all be over. They didn't, and the two were allowed to land just outside the gate. He looked up at the guards. "Open up!" He shouted. The guards didn't respond. "I need to speak with Maliver. Now!" Again he shouted shielding his eyes. "It's urgent!"

The gate peeled away slowly. As it cleared, the dark silhouette of someone came into view. When the gate revealed his face, everything in Ace reeled with a righteous anger.

"Now this is a surprise." The familiar voice picked away at Ace. "I was just on my way to come get you myself."

"Caius-" Ace lurched forward. The word snapping from his mouth like a whip and a hundred thousand days spent wondering what happened to him all made sense. Fog threw out an arm, stopping him. "I should have known you would be here you filthy traitor."

Caius brimmed with his addict smile, he hadn't changed a bit. "It's good to see you too. Come on in, I'll take you to him."

For a moment Ace lingered, and with a gentle push from Fog, he followed. "I see they gave you your wings back." Ace eyed the places where his pinion feathers had been. Red synthetic feathers stood in their place.

"Don't act so surprised. At one point, they imped for you too." He fanned them slightly.

Caius, was Ace's singular regret. The one person he EVER regretted giving wings to. The one mistake he had thought he'd done away with. He had been blind in his past when it came to his friends. Now all that stood between them was unspoken anger and an understanding that one had used the other for their own selfish goals, and Ace was not that person.

"So how's your old man getting on?" Caius charmed.

"You would know." Ace bit back. Old wounds healed slow, and his calm resolve was crumbling. He had been made vulnerable. He was raw, whatever mind game Maliver had set into motion with Caius was working.