THE HUNTMAN

Chapter 14 : Nate

Gaston Gaston had an urgent mission during our meeting so he was absent. In order to be able to pick up where we left off, I invited him to come to dinner. Thrifty as he is, he will undoubtedly come.
When I arrive home, Tate is up like a Swiss cuckoo. He paces, talks to himself and smokes a joint that stinks all over the room. He rushes at me to inform me that he's calling a last-minute meeting of the Seven this evening. He subsequently declares that it is a Unicorn alert and everyone in the house knows that when Tate gives the name of creatures to the mission it means that the emergency is absolute.
A good slap in the face would calm him down and relax me, but my hands are sweaty from the twelve kilometers on foot between the Four Seasons and the house that I sprinted through.
I'm breathing with difficulty, a glass of water would do me a lot of good, I'm suffering from severe dehydration, I've forgotten to drink all day. I often forgot to drink when I was a teenager for example, during the adoption period at the orphanage or during skills exams, I sometimes didn't drink for two days.
I catch Jochen's attention, a glass of cold water in the face and that's it. It's a strange feeling to see him again with his black hair captivated by his phone. Nostalgia is a sad emotion that I try to escape like the plague, but he forces me to show it by behaving like the teenager he was.
"It's your couch that's going to pay for this drink from me. I was hot, you're doing me a favor. Was it good with my father?"
" He was away, he had work, he's coming to eat at home this evening."
"You didn't dare? What time do I reserve a table at the restaurant?"
" No one is leaving, we are having a Unicorn meeting. Like a very powerful and very rare magical unicorn, a superb white, red and yellow unicorn. She smells of apples and blood, she's a superb unicorn, wonderful unicorn."
He didn't just take cannabis to express himself like that, is he on speed or cocaine? All that's missing is the pocket watch and the little glasses on the tip of his nose for him to become a character in a children's story. I would have asked Otker but he has his head leaning on the toilet and his headphones over his ears.
" Have they been like this for a long time?"
" I picked up Otker at the police station for drunkenness on a public highway around four p.m. and Tate came home an hour ago muttering gibberish."
" Great," I sigh, "where is Maelan?"
" Not there, he won't come back for a few days. Clovis sleeps and Polde walks Oliver to the edge of the cliff."
Not surprisingly, these are their favorite activities. What did you do today ?
" I met Casey, it was boring as hell as I expected. He spent his time talking to me about the religion of heaven when I told him that my wife died. I wanted to be shot so I wouldn't have to listen to all the Catholics' nonsense about death."
" Maelan is a believer, and avoids saying these things around him."
Jochen puts his phone in a bowl of rice, he seasons the roast chicken and puts it in the oven before asking me to get some potatoes and pieces of thigh. I go down to get the food then cook with my brother. Tate goes to wake Clovis, Polde returns from a walk and Gaston knocks on the door.
The warm and welcoming atmosphere, with a large table carefully set and decorated with beautiful tablecloths and flickering candles. My brothers gather around this table, sharing not only a delicious meal, but also deep and meaningful conversations. Tate and Otker tell us that they were sucked by fairies while Polde complains about his legs. I bring back a bottle of soda and a jug of water then I sit down next to Jochen.
"Am I the only one wondering who the guy with the dimple in his chin is?" Yawns Clovis half asleep on his plate, "he scares the shit out of me."
" Gaston Gaston, I am Jochen's father."
Coke bubbles fizz on my tongue as Tate adds coffee to soda. I open my eyes wide and clear my throat when he thinks of a way to start.
"April and Calli are both alive. My best friend and my sister are alive."
" Don't bullshit, I was arrested for the murder of my wife, Calli is dead."
" She's alive, she's fine, I saw her earlier but we don't care. April is alive and Blake's prisoner, I want to find my best friend so we're going..."
He runs to the sink to vomit then wipes his mouth.
"Having to save the princess, Blake could do her so much harm. Why don't any of you seem shocked?"
" Jochen told us three days ago when he practiced for his testimony." Reveals Polde scratching Oliver's head. "How do you expect us to save April when Blake is the most evil hunter in the entire kingdom."
I agree with Tate, we must save the princess but our enemy enters into a means of pressure, Ruby. She and Soléne convinced me to help the future queen but losing my sister is a price I don't want to pay. The others have nothing to lose, but I do.
" We have to prevent a wedding, we just need the date and everything will go smoothly."
"And who do you think will be at this wedding? Blake is the CEO of a hitman and mercenary firm, don't you think that opposing their union would be a good idea with all these disastrous guests?" Screams Otker, "I will kill them all to see her again but it is an extremely dangerous mission, practically suicide."
I need to go running to think of a plan to save my sister and the princess. April's forgiveness will be beneficial for me, I have a lot of trouble breathing when I go down to the cellar. Remorse is eating away at me, I want to go out and let off steam through the forest, run until I can no longer move. I apologize to Gaston and clear the table. I wash the dishes while they make some kind of plan to run like heroes to the wedding ceremony when a plate breaks in my hands.
" We won't do anything in a hurry, we need to have eyes on the inside and I won't ask Ruby to do it."
"I can help you, Casey... he's going to officiate the wedding, he'll be able to help us get into the house. Are you sure you want to fight Blake? We could help you, it will be a way to make amends for having abandoned Jochen."
"If it's for me, I'd like to have my say."
" Jochen, please." Beg Otker and Tate, "it's April, you were developing feelings for her before you left to marry my sister. Please, for me, for us."
Jochen, since I have known him, has been the most thoughtful and rational of us all. He does not make decisions in haste, he often cuts us off in our spending or our choices. He will put an end to their savior delusions. They love April with a sincere love but she is dead. If it isn't already, Blake will soon destroy it. She may come back from the world of the dead but he is the hunter of monsters. A monster sent to destroy other monsters and villains on the same level as him.
" Clovis, do you want to risk your life for a girl you only fucked once?"
" I... no. April is a nice person but it was just a one night stand. She introduced me to a part of sex that I had not known but many could have done."
"I won't ask Polde, since he won't be able to fight. But you will need someone to decide between you, two for and two against, one absent and one neutral. Nate, your vote matters the most. So do we save April or not?"
This time, it's a glass that I can't resist the tension I'm exerting. Me ? It's up to me to determine whether or not we're going to save April. It is up to me to choose between life or death. The choice is up to me, my stomach squirms, my stomach squeals, I can't split. My hand is bleeding, the porcelain has cut my skin, and I'm shaking.
" I need to think, I'm going to my room."
" You have a pale complexion, you don't lose that much blood." Mr. Gaston comments cheerfully.
" Indecision has this effect on him." Jochen replies as I return to the comfort of my bed. "You have until tomorrow!" He said through the floor.
I disinfect my hand which I bandage, there must be a mirror in this cursed cellar, I spill entire drawers on the floor. There seems to be none in the room, so I begin to examine every corner, an object that reflects us. Not in the shelves, not in the cupboard, the cutting table is black with blood, the sink, there is a mirror above it. The blood and bits of fat made the mirror as opaque as the paint on the walls. I turn on the tap, soak a cloth and polish the ice until I can see my silhouette through it. A ditty in a dead language and I see Ruby eating eggs in a kitchen.
" Ruby ?"
"Nate," she chokes, walking towards me, "you're very blurry."
" You're not at Blake's, you're sublime. Where are you ?"
" I have days off, I'm out, I'm safe. Why are you calling me ?"
" I need to choose between you and..."
" Oh, speak less loudly." She whispers to me as she goes into another room. "I'm the tiebreaker and I can't sacrifice you for her."
" It's dangerous, you're not the only ones who want the princess, if you want the princess, you're going to have to fight with more people than you think."
" What are you talking about ?"
"The realm of the dead wants her, Blake wants her, and you want her. You will have to fight, the main thing is not to worry about the damage and what you leave behind. Fight for her, you can make her become herself again." She said softly, fight for her, she is your light.
" What ? I do not hear anything."
" She's your queen of hearts, you little bastard."
My queen of hearts? His last words before the call ends are "she's your queen of hearts" followed by a small insult. I crouch down in front of the sink and swing my head from side to side. Ruby is the only reason I refused to fight for April. Ruby is also the reason why I will fight for the princess. I have to tell the boys my decision before they go crazy. We're going to help April, the orphans against death and against the bounty hunter. The mission will be complicated but not impossible. I tap the ceiling with the broom handle and the boys come out.
" Your decision ?"
" Sorry Jochen, we're going to save your ex."
As Tate and Otker jump for joy, Jochen bangs his head against the doorframe.
"You're going to get us killed."
" Highly possible."