The Sadian Chronicles: Book 2: From Mercury To Venus

Chapter Thirteen: The Right Decision

"What is this place?" Fanta asked as Collen led her into a small narrow dwelling.

"Let's just call it a safe house," he said, not really giving her a straight answer.

Fanta was skeptical of his explanation, but she was too tired to contradict him. She looked around to see what looked like a regular living room. There was a small sofa and with a throw rug in front of it. The walls were a bit worn, and the light beige paint was peeling a bit. She suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of exhaustion come over her.

Collen noticed this right away. "You can rest in the bedroom. It's right through there."

"Thank you, Collen," she said. She went into the bedroom to get some much-needed rest. She had no trouble falling asleep. Almost immediately after her head hit the pillow was she off to dreamland, but her nap didn't last long.

She woke several hours later to the sound of voices behind her door. She crawled out of bed and slowly made it to her feet. She walked to the door as the voices got louder. She became suspicious when she recognized the voice of the man Collen was conversing with.

She emerged from the bedroom a bit disheveled, and her steps a bit rocky. She looked up at the man and immediately recognized him. She slowly yet unsteadily walked towards him.

"Hello, Dusk," she said and snatched the cigar from his mouth. She dropped it to the floor and stomped on it to put out its flame. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you," he said and lit another cigar.

She looked livid as she turned to Collen for answers. "What is he doing here?"

"Mister Mason has also been recruited for this mission," Collen said. "At your father's request."

"No way, Collen," Fanta said, throwing up her arms. "I'm not going anywhere with him."

"It's not up for discussion," Collen said, pointing a finger at Fanta. "My main concern is keeping you alive. If anything happened to you your father would kill me, so please just quiet down. I'll explain everything."

"Are you ordering me to shut up?" Fanta fired at him. Her pupils became small, only showing a hint of a red tint. Collen seemed to be trembling in his skin and backed up a few steps. "Forget it, Collen," she continued.

"You don't tell me exactly why he's here, and I'll walk out that door." She pointed a finger at the exit as beads of sweat formed on his brow.

"You can't do that," Collen said in a cracked voice. He remembered his promise and mustered up the courage to stand up to her. "I made a promise to keep you safe, and I intend to keep it."

"Then tell me what's going on," she demanded.

Collen said nothing while Dusk only puffed on his cigar.

"That's it," she said and waved a hand. "I'm out of here."

She stomped off towards the door but only just reached it when Collen yelled out. "Wait!"

"Give me one good reason," she said with her hand on the doorknob. She didn't look back. She thought that if she did she wouldn't be able to leave.

"Roland Faigon's research," Collen said. "The lab explosion seven years ago. You remember."

Fanta looked back at him wanting to rip his throat out. "Is that what this is about?" she fumed. "You want to talk about the worst day of my life."

"I don't mean to upset you, but there are certain things we need to know."

"What do you mean... we?" she asked. "I refuse to get sucked into your little game."

She was almost to the door when Collen called her back. "Miss Faigon, the council has requested your involvement. With your father's whereabouts a mystery and your mother's demise, you're the only hope of learning about what your parents were working on before the... ah... incident."

"Is that what you call it? My mother died that day... right before my eyes. You have no idea what that was like."

"Fanta, calm down," Dusk said, putting out his cigar. She looked over at him at that moment. "You know, ya don't have to go, not a place for a woman anyway."

"Oh, really," Fanta said. She walked back over to Collen. "Fine. I'll come, but we do things my way."

"That's fine with me if it means we find that hidden chamber. Do you know where it is?"

"I think so, at least the area it's supposed to be." Collen's eye lit up. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Collen said. "But until then you'll have to stay here... both of you."

Fanta looked over at Dusk, who was smirking. There was only one bedroom in the safe house. "Sounds cozy, doesn't it, Fanta?" Dusk said still smirking at her.

"Sure, if you like that lumpy old couch," she said and walked back towards the bedroom. She walked in and locked the door behind her. There she was pulled into another crazy situation she'd rather have no part of, but something told her she made the right decision.