Defying Equilibrium

Chapter 10: Hope is distant, enemies never are

Dare offered to walk her home, but she refused. Sansu had decided to go into town, and so Liana then walked home alone. She had the strangest feeling of being watched as she did. It felt as though someone was following her, but every time she turned around, there was no one there.

Oscar and Dare had been careless. That was in definite violation of Ahmed's second rule, the rule of Attention. The rule stated always be on your guard, never be careless, and never turn your back on an opponent. They had disobeyed all three points of that rule. They should have been paying attention to what they saw, who they saw. They should have realised that they were being followed, but they didn't.

They thought that they would be safe in the city, but the city is in fact the most dangerous place of all. It is easy for a pursuer to hide in a crowd.

Ahmed had warned them that they might be followed. They followed you once, he had said, and the one who followed you did not return. They will try again until they find you. Oscar and Dare listened, but they didn't think. They looked out for themselves, and watched behind their backs. But if you're only looking over your shoulder, sometimes you can't see what's right in front of your eyes.

Liana spun around. She could definitely hear footsteps now, but where were they coming from? She couldn't see anyone following her. They must be disappearing into the shadows every time she looked. Her heart began to pound with fear. What would anyone want with her? She didn't have any money.

The footsteps were getting louder, and closer, and seemed to be coming from all directions. She panicked, and began to run. She was almost home, she could make it...

A shadow fell upon her, and she screamed. Or tried to, because the masked figure forced her into silence by hitting her on the head with something hard. As her vision faded and she slipped into unconsciousness, she whispered two words.

"Bad things..."

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"What do you mean, missing?" Dare had opened his front door to a worried, anxious and panicked Sansu, at about 2 o'clock in the morning. He had dragged himself out of bed when he heard the loud banging of Sansu outside.

She glared at him. "What the hell do you think I mean?! Missing, gone, disappeared!" She looked like she'd been crying. "I can't find her anywhere!"

Dare sighed and ushered her inside. "I'm sure she's around somewhere, Sansu. She can't have gone far. It's not in her nature to run off."

As she crossed through the doorway into the house and began to shrug off her coat, she handed something to Dare. It was a folded piece of paper, and she muttered something about it being pinned to the front gate, but Dare wasn't listening. He was too busy gasping at the symbol at the top of the page.

It was a shield, hexagonal shaped like the ones the Militia used, but that wasn't all. Crossed in front of it were two swords, identical to the ones that Ahmed owned, the ones that were used by Swordsmen. Just the symbol itself could be considered treason.

Sansu kept talking, but Dare had tuned out, concentrating intently on the page. He unfolded it, and held it to the window so that he could read from the moonlight. The words were written in black ink, in shaky, almost illegible handwriting. It was written as if it were a story or fairytale, and it read:

Once upon a time, there were two young boys. Foolish and arrogant, they were. They thought that they could do whatever they wanted, and that the world they lived in would let them. They were wrong, of course. No one in this world controls their own fate, and those foolish enough to question the undeniable Rule, the one rule that all must obey, The Rule of Equilibrium, will find themselves paying the price. Or rather, someone will pay the price for them.

I have her. She is an enchanting young lady, I'll give you that much. Not very talkative, but pleasant company nonetheless. But let me make myself clear, do not misconstrue: If you do not do as you are told, she will die. Mark my words.

The letter was signed simply with the letter Y.

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Liana woke up to a blinding light. No lamp or flame could produce a light so bright, so unbearably bright. It was unnatural.

The light began to dim, and she could now see around the room. It was completely bare, no furniture or windows, and only one small door, that seemed extremely far away. Her vision was unclear, but she could tell that she was all alone, save for the girl sitting in the corner.

The girl had long black hair that hung in soft waves around her, framing her pale face like a halo. She seemed to glow with a luminescence that could not have been human, and her ice blue eyes were both soft and piercing. The long midnight blue dress that she wore was faded and torn, and it hung off her like rags. Her expression was one of only sadness.

The girl looked up, as if sensing Liana's gaze. Liana tried to speak but found that she couldn't, not a word. The girl shook her head, as if to tell Liana that she didn't need to say anything at all. That she understood. She stood up and walked over to Liana, but neither her footsteps or the rustling of her clothing made a sound. She seemed to walk on air.

When she came closer, Liana tried to stand too, but she did not have the strength. The girl sank to her knees in front of Liana, silent as night.

"Where am I?" Liana whispered, finding that she once again had the ability to speak. "What is happening? Who are you?"

The girl smiled, a sad smile. She spoke an answer, but no sound came from her mouth. It was as if she was just mouthing the words, or there was a pane of glass between them. The girl seemed incapable of making a sound.

Tears rolled in a steady stream down Liana's face, and she tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand, to no avail. The girl's expression was sympathetic, and her presence was silently comforting. The girl was mouthing more words, but Liana still could not hear. She was so scared, she wanted to go home. Where was she, and who was this girl? Liana kept crying.

The girl raised her hand up, as if reaching to touch her, and comfort her. Liana was grateful for the small gesture, maybe this girl was suffering the same fate she was. She raised her hand to meet the girl's, but when their hands touched she gasped.

Her hand had passed right through the girl's. The girl was incorporeal, and Liana's eyes widened in shock and sudden fear. She jerked her hand away, suddenly even more frightened of this girl. If she even was a girl, not some otherworldly spectre. The girl's sympathetic smile fell and she stared at the floor.

The blinding white light flared up again, and Liana tried to shield her eyes. She realised that the light was not coming from any lam or flame, it seemed to be coming from the girl herself, as if she was lit up from the inside. The light grew brighter and brighter until Liana could bear it no more.

Is this what madness is? She wondered.