Arc One: Awakening

Chapter 42: Help Us

"The atmosphere there is curious," Esther mused, lounging into the comfy sofa cushions. "There is a sense of both community and divide, like the people there aren't sure which side they need to be on. They rely on industry for their livelihoods, but it's also draining them of any kind of freedom. Each day is a test of their survival."

"Sounds as though the struggle is ingrained in them," Lilith said. "But the woman who enlisted your help was unlike the others?"

"Penelope? Yes, she doesn't agree with the severe regulations the other industry heads impose on their workers. She's losing the battle, but she's not one to surrender. Frankly, it won't be long before they start looking at what they can take from her territory. I only hope when that time comes, her district rallies around her."

One leg crossed over the other, Lilith's foot bounced as she mulled over Esther's judgement of the home of industry. They veered towards anarchy, and from experience, that chaos only escalated into bloodshed and carnage. The working citizens of Delorem possessed no magic and no advantage over their governing rulers as the mages had during the war on Solgarde; they had guns and weapons, but so did the ruling families. "I'm sure your presence there gave her hope."

"She needs more than hope," Esther said, snagging one of the crispy biscuits from the plate on the coffee table between them. "They all will. The tension there was just like before the purge. It's going to kick off, there's no doubt about that, and when it does, I can't see it ending without a lot of blood."

"Does Bartholomew know?"

The crunch of the wafer treat slowed as Esther chewed and gulped it down, scraping some time to weigh her response. Should she tell Lilith what she had seen, the gargantuan monster he created and the pain he inflicted for the sake of protecting the gateways? "He's aware of the situation," she answered decidedly.

"He won't leave them," Lilith assured her. "He practically ran to your aid as soon as he heard of the trouble you were in, and he'll do what he can to ensure the people of Delorem remain safe."

I'm not so certain, Esther thought, the image of the Wrath plastered in her mind alongside the intense scar forming on Penelope's wrist. "You're right," she said.

From the balcony overlooking the nerve centre of the laboratory, Alek traded a glance with Esther, her natural confidence tarnished and her uncertainties silently conversing with his questioning glimpse. She had discovered something of the eccentric professor that disturbed her, and whether she decided to tell him or not what transpired on Delorem, Alek trusted her instincts.

Oscar wriggled on the sturdy railing beside him, legs swinging aimlessly and his tired eyes far away.

"Hey," Alek whispered as Esther continued her stories. "Are you doing okay? Esther won't mind if you wanted to rest."

Oscar faced his worry with a smile too broad and stretched to be anything other than false and picked at the dry skin flaking on his fingertips. Alek's reassuring touch persuaded him to stop. "I'm all right," he said. "It's just taking a bit to get used to being here again. The lab was a mess when we left, but Professor Spark and Professor Bevan have cleaned it up nicely."

"That lie may work on anyone else, but not me. What's going on?"

A nauseating, sticky clump pulsated in the back of Oscar's mouth, threatening another sob. Blood flecked his fingers where he'd bitten his nails down, and his stomach somersaulted with every anxious thought. "I keep thinking about what would have happened to me if Angelica didn't make that sacrifice," he confessed under his breath, almost ashamed to admit it. "I was lucky that the Phoenix clan took me in, but... but I couldn't help wondering if I'd ever see home. If I'd ever see you, and Esther, and my parents. It's stupid, but I began to contemplate what I would do if I was stuck there."