This one's a doozy. Just warning you! I hope no one gets confused. It jumps POV a lot.
I awoke to the hushed tones of men whispering. My first instinct was to open my eyes and scope out my surroundings, but experience told me to feign sleep for a while longer. I was lying on a damp stone floor, the air around me cold and smelling of earth. I knew where I was, in a cell in the basement of the Rakshana's headquarters. I had been there only once before, but not as a prisoner. I had visited my mentor shortly after his brothel incident.
My head felt heavy and my muscles were throbbing with the desire to move. I felt a tightness in my right shoulder, where the bullet had grazed me. The bullet. The memories of that evening came flying back. Simon Middleton flanked by two grunt men. Gemma falling unconscious in his arms. He took her away from me.
Anger seeped through my every vein, compromising my fake sleep. I struggled to remain dormant, thought every inch of me wanted only one thing - to find and strangle Simon Middleton.
The whispers grew clearer as the ringing in my ears stopped. I could hear everything they were saying. There were two men, presumably the same ones that captured me.
"How much longer do you reckon we'll have to wait here?"
"Mr. Middleton said he would send someone down for this one. When they arrive, he said we could leave."
"I wonder who's coming for him. You don't suppose they're going to kill him, do you? I'd rather stick around for that."
My stomach turned with fear. I didn't want to die until I at least knew Gemma was safe.
"Nah, they're not going to kill him yet. The Grand Master is making his way to London. He gives the final word."
"Where'd the girl go? She was a pretty little thing. We don't get many ladies here anymore."
"Mr. Middleton took her all the way upstairs I believe. It's his club up there, you know. I suppose she's tied up in a room somewhere."
The men laugh. "Perfectly appropriate though. The lady gets finer jailing, and this one has no way of getting to her through all those gentlemen. Not like he'd ever get past us."
My heart sank, for I knew he was right. No better security than a popular and exclusive gentleman's club. My blood boiled at the notion that Simon had Gemma tied up in a room, probably with the intentions of ruining her…
I sat up with a jolt. Gemma was very much in danger and I was quite incapacitated. The men looked at me curiously.
"About time you woke up," the bald man says. I didn't respond. "You know, you've got a mighty bit of fight in you," the man says, rubbing his stomach. "I think you cracked one of my ribs."
Another man appeared through the door and gestured to the bald man. The two of them left, leaving me with the other man. He stared down his long nose at me.
"How did you find me?" I asked quietly, certain I wasn't going to like the answer. The man grins.
"Let's just say you made a mistake thinking you had any loyalty left among our numbers, little Kartik."
My mouth dropped open in recognition. He chuckled. "Ah yes, you remember me? I tutored you in mathematics when you were just a wee lad, isn't that right? You had a lot of potential, my boy. Pity you had to go sour on us."
To see the man that had once patted me on the back and told me I was gifted smiling with such malice at the prospect of my death nearly broke my heart. I felt numb, drowned in the hopelessness of the moment. To think that these men that had been like my family clamored to turn me in for a bit of wealth...though I suppose they believed me to have done the same to them, denying them access to the realms in order to save Gemma.
The bald man returned. "Tie him up," he said, gesturing to me.
"What?" I protested. "I'm already behind bars!"
The men shared a knowing smile. "Your visitor has requested that we tie you up." He unlocked the door to the cell and produced a length of rope. As he neared me, I saw the door ajar, tempting me with its promise. Without further thought of consequence, I dashed for it, and was immediately thrown back by my former tutor.
"Now, now, behave, little one," he grunted, trying to hold my shoulders down. I kicked at him furiously, but the third man reappeared to aide my captors. The last thing I remembered was a hand scrambling to find the pressure point on the back of my neck, then everything faded to nothing.
I watch him stand at the balcony, his figure but a silhouette against the bright moon. I know of what keeps him from sleep, I can see it in the way he bows his head in weary anticipation, how his hands clench and unclench as he mentally prepares himself for what is to come.
I slip from the silk sheets of our bed and walk to his side, where I belong. He senses my presence without looking and opens his mind to me. I feel all of his worries and anxieties wash over me with perfect understanding. Such has always been our way.
I rest my forehead against the marking between his shoulder blades and smooth my fingers over his tense muscles in a loving caress.
"What have we done wrong, Hypatia?" he whispers, his voice reaching my ears like the sweetest of lullabies. I raise my eyes to his and seek my comfort in the deep brown irises. His hand reaches for mine, our fingers lacing together.
"Perhaps they should not be allowed in this world," I say. "Perhaps it was a mistake trusting them so."
"So many people have suffered," he says sadly. "We must make this right. No exceptions. They must all go back."
"And what of your men?" He closes his eyes as if in pain. His fingers grasp at mine tightly.
"They must go back." He unclenches his left fist and holds his hand up to the light. A red poppy, the symbol of death and resurrection, lay crushed in his palm.
I stir from my unconsciousness, my head a jumble of thoughts and confusion. I try to move and find I can't. I panic, my muscles screaming in pain.
"You're awake." Simon's voice forces the bile to rise in my throat. I whimper, pulling at the ropes tying my wrists and ankles to the bed posts. "Open your eyes," he says. "I want to see your fear."
I keep my eyes tightly shut, denying him what he wants, and saving myself from what I may see. "Now that you're awake, we can have some fun. Gemma," he breathes into my ear. "You've no idea how fun this will be for me." He moves his lips to my neck.
"Simon, don't -, please!"
"Yes, Gemma, beg." His hands grope at my figure, making me feel cheap, dirty, and very much in danger. "Mmm, do you want to know where your Indian friend is?"
My blood runs cold. "What have you done to him?" I cry.
"No worries, my precious, he is all the way downstairs, locked away so he can't save you," Simon says, cupping one of my breasts. "Oh, very nice. You see, Gemma, I'm doing you a favor right now. It would be much worse if you were caught with him."
A scream lies trapped in my throat; fear, coupled with the ropes, holds my body in paralysis. Simon's hand runs up my thigh and I fear I shall die from this humility.
All of a sudden, it's as if someone has placed a calming hand over my heart. A woman's voice sounds in my head. Sleep, sleep. I will take care of this. It is the last thing I hear.
I awoke again, this time to the sensation of unfamiliar lips pressing against mine. I opened my eyes in a panic, only to see Emily hovering over me. I went to push her off, only to be met by the resistance of the ropes holding my arms over my head.
"Oh, hello," she said shyly.
"Emily? What the hell is going on?"
"Don't be angry with me Kartik, please," she said, running a hand over my chest. "I did this for us."
"Us?!" I yelled. "There is no us!" She gave me a wounded look.
"You're lying. You're just upset. Relax," she said, leaning to kiss me again. I turned my head sharply to avoid her lips. She kissed my neck instead.
"What are you doing?" I asked angrily. "Untie me!"
"This way you can't get away. Trust me, you'll enjoy this." She batted her eyelashes at me.
"Enjoy what?" I asked. She smiled coyly and started to undo the laces of my trousers. "Oh no! No you don't! Stop it! Emily! I don't feel this way about you!"
She stopped. "Are you trying to say that all those nights in the stables, you never felt anything about me?" Her lips quivered sadly.
"No," I said, sighing. "I never felt anything for you."
A strangled noise escapes her mouth. "You're lying! Simon said you did! He said I could have you if I helped him get Miss Doyle!"
The breath left my lungs in a whoosh. "You were in on it after all," I said quietly. "Emily, how could you be so stupid?"
"Yes, that's right, I'm stupid! Everyone knows it, don't they?" she shrieked hysterically. "Everyone tries to use me, but this time I won't let them!" She tried to kiss me again.
"Get off of him." The initial sound of her voice filled my heart with hope, though the sight of her left me speechless. Gemma stood in the doorway of the cell, in just her undergarments, covered in blood. Emily stood up, terror crossing her features.
"How did you get out? What happened to Simon?" she demanded fearfully. Gemma looked at the bloody knife in her hand as if she didn't even know she was carrying it. She dropped it, wincing as she looked at the blood smeared up her arms.
"You witch!" Emily screamed, running out of the cell. She slammed the door shut and locked it. "I hope you're happy together," she said, tears streaming down her face. Without another word, she fled from the room, leaving Gemma and I locked in the cell, alone.
Gemma looked at me, terrified. "Kartik, I – uh, are you alright?" she squeaked, falling to her knees at my side. She struggled with the ropes holding my hands together until they came free.
"I'm fine," I said softly, rubbing at my chafed wrists. "Please tell me you are."
She stared at me, her green eyes large and haunted. I immediately feared for the worse. "He didn't -,"
She shook her head. "Kartik, I think I killed Simon," she whispered. Tears streamed down her face, cleansing small stripes of splattered blood from her skin. My lips parted in shock. I placed my hands on her shoulders to steady her, and myself as well.
"What happened? Tell me," I said, trying to look understanding. Truthfully, I was scared, not of her, but of everything the past few hours have held.
She took a few deep breaths. "I woke up tied to his bed. He had every intention to…" She lowered her eyes from mine.
"He didn't, right?" I asked.
"That's where it gets confusing," she said shakily. "I…fell asleep, but I don't know how. When I woke up…" Another sob escapes from her. "I was free of my binding and Simon was covered in blood on the floor. I don't know what happened, but I think I killed him!" She broke down crying.
I rubbed her back soothingly, trying to get my head around what she explained to me. Perhaps shock jarred her senses? Superhuman strength in times of panic? Or perhaps something deeper was at work, a set up maybe.
"I'm a monster!" she wailed. I tightened my arms around her.
"You are not," I assured her. "You were backed into a corner."
She grasped at my shirt and pulled herself closer to me. "What are we going to do now?"
I stroked her hair, taking comfort in the fragrance that managed to overpower the blood. "We wait," I said.
Emily runs up the stairs in a panic. He's not dead. He can't be! She pushes open the door to the room she knew Simon was staying in and instantly exhales in relief. He's standing at the mirror, wiping blood off a cut on his face.
"You're alright!"
Simon looks up in surprise. "Why aren't you with Kartik?"
"I thought you were dead…"
Simon smirks. "Few stab wounds is all. I figured I'd play dead until she left."
"How did she do it?" Emily shifts her weight nervously.
"She didn't. It seems Circe has found a way into this world after all, through Miss Doyle herself."
Emily's mouth opens in surprise. "So it was Circe who attacked you? I'm so sorry!"
Simon nodded absently, sensing another problem growing. It seems Emily is more attached to him than he thought.
"Well it seems we're back where we started," she says shyly. "Perhaps maybe, we can still work together?"
Simon nods to himself, confirming his original thought. It would never work. Emily is too easy, and plus, she's a maid. However, she takes his nodding as an agreement. He notices this as well and holds out his arms for her with a wide smile, malice glinting just beyond his blue eyes. She steps eagerly into his embrace, never noticing the knife concealed in his hand.
He strokes her hair lovingly, making small shushing noises like a mother quelling her child. "Good bye, Emily," he whispers, his lips brushing against her ear.
"What?" She looks up at him, confused. In a swift motion, Simon brings the knife across her neck, slitting open her throat.
A presence in the room roused me from my trance. We had been locked in the cell for at least two hours, and things weren't looking good. Gemma was in shock, unable to look me in the eye since her recount of her incident. I was in great pain from my injuries and lack of care. And we were both very thirsty.
My mentor appeared at the cell timidly.
"Mr. Bristow!" I cried, jumping up. Gemma's eyes followed. He chuckled sadly.
"Yeh never would call me Charlie, yeh know that?" His hands shakily unlocked the cell. Neither Gemma nor I moved.
He sighed. "I understand yer hesitation, my boy, but we've got to get yeh both out of here. I'll explain on the way."
Gemma and I followed reluctantly as he escorted us from the building. There was a hint of a glow on the horizon, indicating that dawn was not very far away. He walked with us back to the house we had been staying at.
"I didn't want to do it, I assure yeh. He held a gun to my head, that son of a bitch. I panicked, my boy, I'm sorry. But I couldn't let him kill me until I told yeh one last thing."
"And what is that?" I asked shakily.
"Yer mother, Kartik. She's looking for yeh."
My eyes widened. "My mother?"
He smiled. "I wrote to her when yeh left. We've been corresponding ever since. There's a lot yeh need to know, my boy," He nodded to Gemma. "You too. But I think it's better if yer mother told yeh. She told me to give yeh this." He handed me an envelope. I tucked it away to read later, for it was then that we reached the house.
"You two go in and get yer things. I'll wait outside."
"How did you get access to this place anyway?" I asked, having been curious for awhile.
"They had me cleanin' it," he said with a sad smile.
Gemma and I quickly gathered up our possessions. She disappeared into her room briefly to put on a new dress, as hers had been left behind. As she changed, I made a quick trip to the attic to retrieve something that had been in the back of my mind since I first saw it. I pulled the white dress from the chest, knowing one day Gemma would thank me for taking it.
We met in the parlor and gazed at each other wordlessly. "Ready?" I asked after a moment of silence. She shook her head.
"We're forgetting someone," she said. "Karma."
"Wouldn't he be happier with his family?" I asked, not wanting to spend anymore time in that house.
"He's ours," she said with finality. I nodded in agreement.
A few moments later we stood with my mentor in the yard, suitcase in my hand, cat in hers. He looked uneasy.
"Kartik, I have something for yeh." He handed me the briefcase he was carrying.
"What's this?" I asked, feeling the bulk inside.
"The reward for yer capture. Ironic, I know. I figured yeh'd have more use for it than I." He nodded to himself for a moment, tears filling his eyes. "Yeh've no idea how sorry I am, my boy."
"It's forgiven," I said awkwardly.
He shakes his head. "This is where I leave yeh both. Madame, it was a pleasure meeting you. Kartik," he clasps hands with me. "An honor to have known you, boy."
"What do you mean?" I asked, panicked. He produced a pistol from his twill coat and pressed it to his own temple. My heart nearly stopped as I cried out. "No!"
"Good bye, my boy."
For all I know the shot that sounded had stopped my own heart. Everything slowed down as he fell to the ground, dead in a split second. I was only vaguely aware of Gemma's gasp and her struggling with the cat that wanted nothing more than to get away. She finally gave up and let Karma streak away into the night.
I fell to my knees, staring at the pool of blood growing larger by the minute. Gemma threw her arms around my shoulders, coaxing me to lean on her. "What-?" I gestured to his body. "Why?" My voice sounded weak, strangled.
"Kartik, please, we cannot stay here."
"Gemma…" I looked into her eyes, hoping to find something, anything that would explain. There was nothing except for her own misery. "Where can we go?"
"Let's go to Felicity's. Maybe she'll take us in."
I looked at the body of my old mentor, my friend. I reached over and picked up his Trilby hat, turning it over in my hands. I placed it over his face. "Your suffering's over, old man." I breathed deeply, keeping the tears at bay. I looked to Gemma and felt a renewed sense of purpose. I may not have been able to save him, but I can be there for her.
I picked up her suitcase and she took the briefcase in her hands, no longer burdened by the cat. "I'm sorry Karma got away."
"It's probably for the best," she replied with a hint of a smile. I knew then that things would be okay. I kissed her lightly and took her hand in mine.
"Goodbye, Charlie," I said, looking back one last time.
o.O It's getting quite serious now.
Not sure how fast the updates will come now. I start work tomorrow morning at 8:30. Until 5. Most of my days will be like that. Except for Wednesdays. 8:30 to 9 pm. Yay summer camp! (was sarcasm)
So what do you think of this chapter? I've never written anything like this. (so serious)
Did anyone catch that Alexios's army was the Poppy Warriors? Poppies had a lot of symbolism in Greek and Roman mythology as a sacrifice for the dead and a symbol for resurrection. The ancient Greek flashbacks are gonna get cooler!
Simon Middleton is a bully and a poo head,
LunaEquus