The Golden Bond

Chapter 32

"Sir, I understand what you mean... no, please listen to me! No, I can't leave her there!" William shouted into his phone. He was completely baffled. Hours went by and he was still arguing with both Masters about how they should proceed.

Meanwhile, Stefano was extinguishing an international fire. The members of the Masters' Council were furious and no one could understand why a dead Lux agent was on the front page of a national daily newspaper together with a Sofia Jacobs. Huge persecutions were about to begin inside the whole organisation. Breaking the rules was unacceptable, simply unacceptable. The data centre was supposed to be destroyed but it was still standing. It was still quietly purring under the surface of historical Rome, getting ready for its grand launch. According to the available information it was supposed to happen in just two days.

Then there was William. He was being pulled in two directions – the Club which he was supposed to serve and Sofia who needed him existentially and whom he needed too. He felt her desperation despite the distance between them. Feelings rose in him like waves that would suddenly come and go. Sometimes they mixed with anger, sometimes with absolute exhaustion but there was still a little strength, too. The strength to survive all this depended on one solid hope alone– that he would come to find her. She was calling his name in her mind over and over again and he could hear it. He heard everything as if she was sitting right next to him. It was probably due to the bond which for some uncertain reason became stronger and stronger. Only later did William realise that it was probably because of the kiss. He could feel it too when their lips joined for the first time... as if some colourful ribbons began to plait themselves around each other. He'd never seen anything like that before, not even during his training. Nevertheless, his trained vision quickly realised that it must be materialised energy, threads created between them which now made a two-way flow of information possible. It didn't matter where the two of them were. He tried to take advantage of this fact and at least to send Sofia a little bit of strength and hope. Unfortunately, it seemed like most of his attempts were hitting some kind of a wall. As if it was once again proved correct that a charismagician was unable to use their skills towards a person to whom they are tied with a golden bond. This finding drove him towards her even more. He must save her – she was totally innocent. All this had happened to her because of him and the Code commanded him to protect those that are weak.

"William, don't forget she's been accused of murder. Stefano claims that they've got her fingerprints on the weapon with which Victor was shot. Moreover, she apparently can't remember anything. This isn't about protecting the weak now, this is about simple justice. Whilst we don't know what really happened, we can't just pull her out of there. Especially when there's such a big commotion surrounding her." The Master was uncompromising and William was desperate.

"But Master! She didn't do it, I know that!" he shouted helplessly into his phone.

The Master refused to argue with him. He gave him clear orders to return home immediately and leave all of it to a lawyer.

"Don't you dare go to see her, the police already know you stayed in the hotel with fake documents. As soon as they findout your true identity, your career at the Club is over. You know that don't you William?" There was a clear threat in the Master's voice.

William knew he couldn't reveal his identity otherwise he could put everyone around him at risk. All his life he'd been like a shadow and until now it had never been a problem for him. This situation was different though. He had no intention of giving up. "Sir, Stefano says that he's got his man in the police department. The meeting will be unofficial, probably at night. I just have to tell her she mustn't be afraid or give up, that we'll handle it." He paused for a short while and then used the best trump card he had. "You surely understand that we have to keep her safe, she has the Gift. If the Umbra agents get hold of her, we would have a serious problem and I'm sure the Masters' Council doesn't want that, do they? Moreover, I forgot to tell you that it was her who actually found Victor. She had a vision and I captured it. If it wasn't for her, we might still be searching for him now." And if everything had been different, he might still be alive... William thought and again felt a pain in his chest. This time, it wasn't because of charismagic or the bond. This time, he just felt simple human grief.