Hello everyone,
A quick note about this chapter, which I have to admit, was kind of challenging and hard as hell to write ! ^^'
So here, you will find the line 'don't take it personally'.
When Kurtis frees Lara from the Strahov's airlock and they finally get to know each other in AOD, we all know the famous lines : 'name's Kurtis'/ 'Lara. And this is business'
Which has been literally translated by 'Lara. But don't take it personally'/ 'don't see anything personal' in its French version.
In my story, I decided to keep this translation: for me, it really has a deeper meaning when it comes to LCKT relationship and the sexual tension that exists between them. I think it fits the story better this way, or at least in the way I'm writing :)
Of course if you have any comment to make, don't hesitate to post a review ! :)
NB: a special thanks to Light who reviewed what I've written so far and to whom I couldn't reply via private message, sorry about that :/ thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoy my story :) I will try to keep going that way !
7- Everything Starts All Over Again
As Kurtis had predicted, the journey was exhausting. They had left Germany the same evening, but had only driven for a few hours at first, stopping by a tiny hotel on the Lithuanian border after crossing the Czech Republic and Poland. Although they had both kept silence all the way, they exchanged meaningful glances as they passed Prague.
The night at the hotel room was short and silent, just like a large part of the journey, and the following day they left early in the night, hoping to reach by the end of the day, the destination the mercenary was keeping secret until the end.
They crossed the whole of Lithuania, before passing through the towns of Daugavpils and then Rezekne in Latvia. At the beginning of the afternoon, the landscape, which until then had been relatively hilly and green, gave way to large, fairly flat, empty spaces. A large checkpoint slowed them down a little later. They were stopped by customs guards in strict uniforms, assault rifles in hand, with whom Kurtis exchanged a few words, in a language the adventuress did not understand. After a few moments they were able to get back on the road and entered Russian territory.
—
They emerged from the subway entrance with the evening fresh air. The sun was already low on the horizon, tracing the city lines with its evening pink light. The spikes of the orthodox bell towers stood out in the crystal blue sky, empty of any cloud this night.
Kurtis was walking fast, moving through the flow of people. They almost got pushed around several times, at a time of the day when the streets were full of people rushing home. They had left the car somewhere in one of the northern districts of the town, not far from an old abandoned building. Lara wasn't very reassured, as if she felt herself slowly sliding towards the unknown, without any possibility of catching up on anything. Kurtis had hardly spoken to her all the way there, walled up in his silence since his mysterious reappearance.
She followed his dark silhouette among the crowded street. Winter wasn't quite there yet, but the cold was biting, and she squinted her eyes a little more to resist the burning sensation it gave to her. Some women looked up at her as they walked past her, scrutinizing her with their piercing eyes from behind their thick fur coat. She really loved Russian culture and heritage, but she had always felt strangely unease among the population, which was sometimes hostile towards foreigners. She tucked her head and neck into her own coat, and stuck her fists a little further into her pockets, her gaze focused on the mercenary who was walking a few meters ahead of her.
He turned abruptly to his left, entering a small street parallel with deformed cobblestones. Some smoke emanated from the buildings subfloors, plunging the alley into a slight mist. Kurtis stopped then by an imposive wooden door, looking around him. He pressed a button on the intercom, and after a few seconds the front door unlocked with a squeaking sound.
He rushed into the old building, closely followed by the adventuress. A few metres away from them stood an old wooden staircase that disappeared into the heights of the building. Without turning around, and without showing the slightest sign of hesitation, Kurtis climbed up the staircase. On the third floor, they followed a corridor that was filled with humidity. The long corridors looked like one another, and the doors of the flats followed one another without any distinction. Kurtis finally stopped in front of a door stuck at the end of the corridor and knocked on it.
As they were waiting for something to happen, he finally turned to the young woman: even though he did not show any outward sign, the mercenary had also wrapped himself in the collar of his coat to resist the penetrating cold. As a reflex, he rubbed his hands caught in his gloves. Their eyes met, and despite his serious appearance, a slight smile appeared on his face. At this very moment, Lara didn't really know what to think of this delicate smile. All kind of questions were running hard through her head, and she definitely felt weird at seeing him by her side again.
The door opened suddenly, which made Lara startled. In the gap appeared a stocky little man with square shoulders and messy bald white hair. His gaze, at first hard and distrustful, slackened as soon as he saw Kurtis.
'Kurtis!'
They stepped forward one another and gave each other a warm hug.
'How good to see you!'
The Russian man broke the link and stepped aside to invite them in. Lara followed Kurtis down another narrow corridor. The flat was modest but relatively large, richly decorated with gildings and motifs, typical of the Russian style. A slight smell of incense filled the air.
They finally arrived in a large dining room area. It was a spacious room, but there were not so many furniture. A large bench, with big embroidered baroque patterns was used as a sofa. A little further in the room, an old TV from the 80's took place on a heavy lacquered oak furniture. Another man was waiting for them, huddled into one of the old worn velvet sofas. He straightened up when the two adventurers entered the living room, and his face literally lit up when he saw Kurtis. They exchanged a few brief words in Russian, and laughed, tapping each other on the shoulder. The mercenary then returned to Lara. Both the old and young man looked at her with admiration.
'I see that you are well accompanied... ' said the older one.
'Lara, this is Mikhaïl, a former member of the Lux Veritatis. An old friend of my father. And Roman, his son.'
Lara shook Mikhaïl's hand and gave a warm smile to the young man who was walking towards her. He must have been only slightly younger than them. He was a handsome young man, tall and slender, with square jaw. His bright blue eyes pierced through the thick locks of curly hair that fell on his face. He shook the adventurer's hand firmly and gently.
'It is an honor to meet you, Miss Croft. We heard a lot about you.'
'In a good way I hope?'
She took a look at Kurtis. Mikhaïl invited them with a wave of his hand to settle down in the cosy little lounge. They sat down and Lara took a quick look at the small golden mosaic paintings on the furniture, typical of Orthodox art. She then looked down, amused by the tray that Roman had just placed in front of them, on which were some Batontchiki sweets, and a black coffee for the American and a tea for the Englishwoman.
I guess
'So, how are you feeling Kurtis? Where have you been?' Mikhaïl asked, curious.
'I'm curious too...' Lara said, her eyes shining with defiance.
Kurtis glanced at her with a smirk before turning to his friend to answer.
'Well, I can definitely say I'm better than the last time you saw me...'
The two Russian men laughed. Kurtis took a swallow of his hot coffee.
'... I know it's been quite a long time, I'm sorry for disappearing without a trace and not telling you that much about how I was. Those very last months have been kind of complicated.'
The old man observed him with complicity, looking for a few moments at Lara who was sitting right next to him, enjoying her Earl Grey.
'I imagine you're not just here to give news.'
He watched the mercenary's reaction attentively, although his gaze was full of benevolence towards him.
'In fact, it is quite likely that I... that we need your help.'
Mikhaïl watched them one after the other, his eyes suddenly alert.
'Karel has eradicated Eckhardt, and is looking for the last two Sleepers. He is the last descendant of the Nephilim, and the real Monstrum. Eckhardt was only a pawn.'
He looked at Mikhaïl's pale air, who seemed to be decomposing before his eyes. Roman looked at him without really understanding what was being said.
'I thought the Strahov had been destroyed... ' the young man replied, trying to reconstruct the ideas in his head.
'As I quickly explained, Lara went after Eckhardt to stop him. Thanks to the Sanglyph and the shards she was able to destroy the sleeper who was about to be resurrected, but when everything exploded down there...'
'... Karel escaped' the young woman ended pensively.
The two Russians took time to digest the news. Roman had lowered his eyes to the ground, his hands folded in front of him, while Mikhaïl remained with his eyes in the void, as if he was absent.
'I imagine he is looking for the manuscripts?' this latter asked, raising his head towards Kurtis.
The mercenary nodded silently.
'It's been several weeks since I set out again on their trail. I've picked up the first scrolls, but Karel's henchmen are already at work. We've just come back from Kriegler, we were attacked by a proto...'
The two men facing them remained silent, dismayed.
'...and the Sanglyph disappeared. I'm afraid the Agency is also on our trail, I imagine Gunderson is gathering his forces as we speak to cover up this bastard.'
Mikhaïl was fidgeting in his armchair.
'Do you know if... '
'... I'm guessing he already has the second part of the scrolls, indeed,' interrupted Kurtis.
The Russian's mouth closed without a word. A serious look appeared on his face.
'So,' intervened Roman,'to sum up, Karel is alive and has gained in power. There are still sleepers somewhere. Gunderson is going to rally the whole of Russia against us. They already have half of the documents that are supposed to help us defeat them and save the world. That's even better than we could have hoped for.'
He escaped a nervous laugh in spite of himself, to which Kurtis could not help but respond with a weary smile.
'But I don't think he must be very advanced in the translation, as there is hardly anyone left who has been trained in the language of Lux Veritatis.' Kurtis continued.
'So what's your plan then?' Lara asked, who had been standing back and attentive throughout their conversation.
As he was about to reply, they heard the main door slamming in the distance. Someone walked down the corridor, his footsteps echoing on the wooden floor. A blond woman appeared and joined them into the living room. She stopped before them all, observing the scene in front of her, and most particularly the two adventurers. A slight smile appeared on the corner of her lips.
'Well, well, well, look at this... Our dear demon hunter is back...'
She intercepted the serious looks that filled the room, which had just suddenly turned on her. She looked at them one by one from the top of her heeled boots. She was a beautiful woman, tall and very thin; the features of her face were soft, but very marked, almost hostile. Her blond hair fell back onto her shoulders in a perfectly drawn square. For a fraction of a second, Lara had the unpleasant impression of facing an old enemy of hers. The Russian stepped forwards as Kurtis stood up to meet her halfway. She took him in her arms, but their embrace was brief.
'Nice to see you, Sasha.'
The young woman observed him for a few moments. They exchanged a knowing smile, but Lara saw that the mercenary's face suddenly became serious again.
'So tell me, what are you doing here?' the woman asked.
'It's no good news...'
She watched him with her piercing eyes. Obviously, they didn't need to explain to her in detail what was happening.
'Eckhardt again?' she asked.
'Karel...'
'Has he found the other sleepers?'
'Not yet, but he's some steps ahead of us already. He's after us. And I guess it's only a matter of time before he understands where we are' Kurtis replied bitterly.
She paused, crossing her arms against her chest. Her face emptied itself from any kind of emotion.
'Okay... ' she sighed, still observing the mercenary. 'That's no good news, indeed.'
'Unfortunately we knew this moment would come... ' whispered Mikhaïl in their back.
The blond woman's gaze went from the old Russian man to Roman, as if she was expecting their reactions, before getting back to the mercenary.
'Nice to see you anyway,' she concluded trying to sound relaxed.
She placed a reassuring hand on the mercenary's arm, who returned the gesture to her. Her big blue eyes then turned to Lara, scrutinising her.
'You didn't tell me that you were working with the top of the English bourgeoisie...'
She gave Lara a smile, pushing a strand of her square hairdo behind her ear as she stepped toward her. Lara stood up, and silence fell between the two women, who stared at one another from head to toe.
'Sorry, I'm failing in all my duties. Sasha, this is Lara.'
'Yes, I have heard about Miss Croft and her... extravagant adventures.'
'I am an archaeologist first and foremost...' Lara replied politely.
'And a grave robber, from what I heard?'
'Treasure hunter, more exactly. But I see that my reputation precedes me... ' responded Lara, looking coldly at her.
'I must admit that your career is impressive. I have worked myself with some of the world's greatest organizations. On another level, however.'
'Sasha is Mikhaïl's daughter, and a very old friend of mine too. She is a Russian agent, and accessorily, she was part of the Russian government's close guard for several years. She is also a former member of the Agency, we worked together for Gunderson eventually' Kurtis pointed out as he designated the young woman with an approximative mouvement of the hand.
Lara took the hit.
You what...?
Kurtis intercepted the young woman's puzzled gaze, in which he saw anger growing up, but before she could open her mouth and speak to him, the Russian woman interrupted them.
'I have a reputation of my own' she said, taking one more step forward and extending her hand to Lara.
'In Russia, surely...' the British woman replied dryly.
Sasha considered her with arrogance. She tried not to let anything show, but Lara saw the corner of her mouth tick. They exchanged an icy handshake.
The atmosphere went cold in the room. Mikhaïl, feeling uncomfortable, invited everyone to get up and take a seat at the living room table.
'What if we just take time for a good dinner now? We'll have plenty of time to discuss all this later, now that we're all together. Evil can wait a few more hours.'
He placed a reassuring hand on Kurtis' shoulder and the American took the direction of the adjoining dining room. Lara followed him, closely followed by Sasha.
Their hosts offered them an excellent meal that evening. The atmosphere was warm, the table was magnificent with all the dishes they had taken the time to prepare for them. Lara felt almost relaxed, despite the haziness in her mind: on several occasions, she observed the mercenary who had sat next to her, and who seemed to simply enjoy this convivial moment, without worrying about the task ahead of them. Just the thought that he might have worked for their enemy made her feel an uncontrollable burst of rage rising inside her. She took it upon herself as she could throughout the meal, keeping a smile on her face. She made the most of the humour and frankness of Roman and Mikhail, who were quite charming hosts. They all laughed together heartily for a good part of the evening, talking about things and others. On several occasions, she intercepted the distrustful looks the young Russian woman was casting at her from across the table.
I don't like you either
When the mercenary got up to clear away some of the empty plates and headed for the isolated kitchen, the adventuress jumped at the opportunity. She rose abruptly to catch up Kurtis. She blocked him with her arm as the mercenary returned to the living room.
'You worked for Gunderson?' said Lara in a fainted voice, searching for Kurtis' gaze.
She didn't have time to hear the answer of the young man who was cut off by Sasha, who had just entered the kitchen too.
'We'll talk later,' he simply said in a whisper.
The mercenary turned his back and disappeared into the living room, joining his friends.
You son of a...
Lara felt a movement in her back.
'Little secrets, hey?' Sasha teased her.
'Just a little problem of adjustment,' the adventuress replied coldly.
From where she was standing, she intercepted the mercenary's azure gaze that had landed on her for a fraction of a second, before returning to his discussion with Roman. Lara escaped a noisy sigh. She started feeling seriously annoyed by this little game.
—
The end of the meal took place in a very calm and good mood. Kurtis, Roman, Sasha and Mikhaïl all recalled their past memories and old common stories and laughed heartily. Lara herself, as a spectator, enjoyed the warm and for once serene atmosphere, eagerly awaiting the moment when she could finally blow away all her doubts.
When the meal was finally over, Mikhaïl placed them in two small adjoining rooms, separated by a small bathroom.
'I have only this modest room to offer you, Miss Croft, I am sorry... I can't boast of being the best of hosts...'
Lara gave him a gentle, reassuring smile.
'Don't worry Mikhaïl, it suits me perfectly. This has been a perfect evening and I can't help but be delighted to be in such a warm and welcoming place.'
From the corner of her eye she watched Kurtis sneak into his own room without a sound.
'Get some rest Miss Croft. We'll talk it all over again tomorrow, with our minds clear.'
She smiled at her host before rushing to her room. After taking possession of the place and unpacking a few things, the young lady enjoyed a nice relaxing shower and quickly changed. When she put her ear to the door leading to the mercenary's room, she heard nothing.
She made a quick jump into her room, and when she was sure that silence had fallen again in the whole flat, she decided to go and talk to him, since he didn't seem determined to do so, which provoked a new surge of rage in the young woman. She went through the small bathroom and knocked on the mercenary's door. The door opened in a few seconds.
'May I?' she said sarcastically as she pushed the door open and step into Kurtis' bedroom without expecting his answer.
'Sure...' he responded as he rolled his eyes.
Lara stopped right in the middle of the room, her arms crossed against her chest. Her hair whipped the air as she turned her head and looked back at the mercenary who had just closed the door behind her.
'We need to talk.'
'Sounds like an argument is coming in my way, isn't it ?' said Kurtis sacarstically.
'I want answers. Now.'
They observed each other for a moment in the darkness of the room, whose only light was that emanating from the hearth of a small fireplace at the other side of the room. Kurtis' belongings were laid out here and there. She also saw the mercenary's metal handgun on a small table a little further away.
'I worked for Gunderson, indeed.'
His icy gaze pierced her. She remained with her arms folded, her chin raised in defiance, full of anger.
'At the beginning I was employed for small, banal security or surveillance missions, nothing special. And then, after several months, the missions we were dispatched on became more and more technical and specific. Most of them were confidential, and delicate. And most of the time, cruel.'
Lara remained silent for a moment, her arms still tightly crossed against herself.
'It lasted three years. Perpetrating massacres or killing for the sake of killing has never been my thing, so when I understood it would only get worth and worth, I ran away. I stayed away from their business for years. Until I found out that my father had been murdered and that Eckhardt and the Agency were in search of a certain painting which was kept preciously in the Louvre...'
His metal disc suddenly flew away in a dry snap. The object, no larger than a small plate, left behind a golden streak of light. It approached a few centimetres from the adventuress' face.
'It's a period of my life I'm not proud of, believe me. I've done things... that I wish I had never done.'
With a slow gesture, Kurtis gently raised his hand in front of him, and the object, as if answering his call, came back towards him before slipping into his hand and fading away.
'Happy now?'
'I would definitely feel better if I knew what kind of fight I'm heading to' she replied bitterly.
The American took a deep breath, and went to search for his backpack, and took something from out of it. He walked back to the adventuress and handed it to her.
'You've been on the trail of imperial relics, all of which have a link with the fight my order has been waging for centuries.'
The young woman took the object delicately between her hands. It was wrapped in a worn-out tissue, and it was not very big, but relatively heavy. She carefully removed the cloth, which revealed a small collection of parchment. She sat down into the armchair.
'That's what you were looking for,' he told her.
Her hand slipped over the thick paper. She looked up at him in amazement, her heart beating hard against her chest. The young man sat down on the very edge of his bed, just in front of her.
'Tell me everything.'
—
'The Lux veritatis is an order that is several decades old. Its exact origins are a little unclear, but the most reliable sources establish that we are descended from the last Cathar knights, who founded a new, more secret order before being massacred and exterminated by the Catholics. Their aim was to gather together potentially different beings with extraordinary physical and mental abilities to perpetuate their fight against the demonic forces of the time. Over the centuries, the missions evolved to specialise in the fight against dark forces in general. Initially, we established headquarters mainly in France, as historically linked to the Cathars, before gradually expanding throughout the rest of Europe. Our fight has always more or less followed the most important historical outlines.'
Lara didn't move an inch, stuck in her seat. She listened to him with great attention, watching him carefully.
'Have you worked with the Prussian family, one way or another then?'
'Not exactly'
She frowned. Everything went blurred in her mind, as she tried to figure it all out.
'As you may know, the Prussian family has been one of the most powerful families in Europe for centuries. During the 14th and 15th century, in a time where they were spreading wildly in Europe, they tied very strong bonds with some of the wealthiest families of that time, one of them was the polish family of a promising young scientist...'
'Eckhardt...' she whispered.
Kurtis nodded.
'The Royal Family saw in him the hope of increasing its power to infinity, and above all to achieve a longevity of reign and life far superior to that of a normal human life. He saw in their thirst for power the opportunity to get his studies financed and to start complex scientific research. Thanks to them, Eckhart gained knowledge, especially in alchemy. First he spent some time in France to improve his skills with a very important French bourgeois who was working on a stone which was supposed to turn any kind of metal into gold...'
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lara couldn't help but smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Kurtis.
'Sounds familiar to you?' he asked, intrigued.
'Kind of...' she whispered, before going back to seriousness. 'But I'm not that surprised, as this period was a kind of golden age for alchemists and other dark experiments.'
'I see that you are well informed' replied Kurtis with a knowing smile. 'And years after that, some rumours back then claimed Eckhardt also got inspired in his work by a certain young bloodthirsty Hungarian count...'
She observed him in silence, the information turning over in her head.
'Come on, Kurtis, this can't be serious...'
'After all that you've seen within the past few months or so, I thought you would think I'm definitely serious...' he told her with a slight smile.
She stayed quiet. They exchanged a glance.
'Some Lux Veritatis members found great similarities between Eckhardt's experiments and what was happening in Hungary back then' explained Kurtis. 'And the Royal Family had something to do with it again, again in their search for eternal life and infinite power. Eckhardt conducted experiments of the worst kind at their request...'
He paused for some very short seconds.
'His work took a new turn when the German Family, enrolled with Hungary in a war against the ancient Ottoman Empire, discovered during a military expedition, traces of an ancient race of over-powerful monsters, which would have preceded the Human era. The last survivor of those who call themselves Nephilim promised Eckhardt eternal life if he helped him resurrect his race. To achieve his goal, Eckhardt surrounded himself with the best alchemists of the time and gathered them into a powerful brotherhood, which would become the Cabal. He ended up betraying them and assassinated them all, one by one, to appropriate their knowledge, which he condensed in the Paintings of Obscura. In 1445, he was imprisoned in Kriegler Castle by the Lux Veritatis. For the next centuries, the sleepers and their secrets were on hold. But in 1945, the castle was attacked and destroyed by nazis who thought they could use Eckhardt's powers for their own purpose, but of course he had other plans. He escaped and reconstituted the Cabal. To ensure the loyalty of its new members, he promised them eternal life in return. That's when appeared Karel, who became one of his new henchmen. As he is a Nephilim descendant, I guess he simply stayed hidden during all those centuries, waiting for Eckhardt to help him find the last sleepers and their craddle. Together, they set up headquarters in Prague and later in other European cities. For years, they worked tirelessly on different sleeper prototypes in different labs until one of the sleepers finally woke up. You know what's next...'
A sad smile appeared on Lara's face. She shook her head. They held silence for a moment. After some minutes of thinking, the young woman took a deep breath and pushed herself back into the armchair.
'What happened to you? Where were you?'
'As you know by now, my fight against Boaz did not quite ended up as I had planed. Once the beast itself was killed, it actually mutated into another kind of proto, much smaller but just as dangerous. I thought I had knocked it over and I was going to join you to help you against Eckhardt and Karel, but as you can imagine, Boaz had no intention of letting me go...'
Lara remembered the pool of blood on the grid of the Strahov arena, where she had found the disk weapon.
'As you can imagine, I wasn't really in great shape. I hid for several days in the Trophy Gallery to heal my wounds, waiting for someone to find me. At first I thought it would be you, but other people came. Former allies of Lux Veritatis.'
Lara understood that he was referring to Mikhaïl, Roman and maybe Sasha, and maybe some other people.
'We stayed hidden for several days in Prague, until Mikhaïl realised my injuries were much too serious for me to stay without care. So they took me to the hospital. And it is not by chance that you were able to find me.'
Kurtis smiled at her. Lara remembered the piece of paper that had been slipped under the door of her hotel room. A simple note, without signature, on which was only written the name of the hospital he had been taken to.
'Honestly, I hardly remember my stay in the hospital. Roman and Mikhaïl explained to me that I had been put on a ventilator after a post-operative reaction. I stayed in a coma for days...'
He stared at her intensely. He observed the reflection of the flames dancing on her silhouette, in the half light.
'I didn't think you would be there when I woke up...'
Lara got up on her seat.
'You risked your life, the least I could do was to know how you were...'
Their eyes met. Lara tried to repress the bitterness that was taking hold of her.
'... and you disappeared without a trace'.
The young man let out a sigh. He massaged his neck with a mechanical gesture.
'I knew a place somewhere in the Brazilian mountains where I would be safe for some time, and be away from all this shit. Thanks to my mother, I got my powers and my strength back, but it took time. After some time, Strange events took place in France, in the region of the Cathar castles. I knew from my father that Montsegur Castle over there had been a hiding place for Lux Veritatis for centuries, and the only reason anyone would be interested in this place is because it contains the manuscripts of Lux Veritatis. My doubts were confirmed when I realised Karel had survived and that he would undoubtedly try to get these documents. So I tried my luck. and went to France to get them before him.'
'So, it was you...'
'Sorry to have double-crossed you on this one,' replied the mercenary, who mocked her a little.
A little offended by this reality, the adventuress lowered her gaze to the manuscripts she was still holding in her hands. Everything was there, therefore, all the explanations she was looking for.
'What are those scrolls about exactly?'
Kurtis straightened up slightly on his seat as well. He slipped his chirugai through his fingers as if it were a stress ball. He was visibly annoyed by his wounded hand, which was still covered with a thick bandage.
'They contain the whole past of the Lux Veritatis in its fight against the Nephili. It is a kind of grimoire, containing all the information we need to defeat them. It is also supposed to help us find the places where the Cabal hid the last sleepers. The problem is that I only found part of the scrolls, I guess the Order had hidden the other part somewhere else, for safety. I guess Karel found the last part of the scrolls before me, but he will need those I already have with me.'
Lara sighed.
'So everything has been related to the Nephili from the very beginning.'
Again, her gaze got lost in the void. The wood burning into the fireplace emitted a cracking noise. Lara pushed herself back into the thick leather of the armchair. She shook her head in disbelief.
'Everything's starts all over again...'
She looked up, and her hazel eyes crossed the crystal gaze of the young man again.
'Anyway I think it would have been only a matter of time before Karel showed up again. When I arrived in Montsegur, I understood very quickly that he had sent someone to find the scrolls. Fortunately for us she lost track of me pretty soon. She did find yours, however...'
Lara gave him a knowing smile back.
'You came back at the right time, eventually,' she simply told him.
He gave her another smirk.
'Don't take it personally.'
They exchanged a smile. Strangely unsettled by this remark and the mysterious look Kurtis gave to her at this moment, Lara suddenly looked down again at the manuscrits she was holding in her hands and put them aside, trying to change subject.
'This girl', she continued, 'who is she?'
'Perhaps you remember Mathias Vasiley?'
The young woman nodded, in a tiny movement of the head.
'The art dealer in Prague.'
'He too was a member of Lux Veritatis. He was tracked down by Karel, who hoped to use him to find the last Nephilii. Karel never found him... but found his descendant.'
'His daughter?'
'Exactly. She was supposed to join our Order in turn, but Karel took her away before we could do something. He tortured her, massacred her morally and physically so that she would be completely enslaved. The Lux Veritatis was never able to train her properly, but she shows some specific mental abilities, just like me.'
'So, that's how it works,' she said as she looked down at the disk in the mercenary's hands.
He looked at her without understanding, before following her gaze towards the object he had placed next to him on the bed.
'My chirugai, yes.'
The young man fell silent for a few moments, observing the reflection of the flames on the weapon's metal.
'Is it connected to you?'
The weapon came to life again, and floated in front of Kurtis' face. Gently it approached the young woman before landing lightly in the palm of her hands.
'Exactly. Finally, I control it mentally. It's also sensitive to my emotions and instincts, even if sometimes it has its own impulsive reactions. It's a bit complicated. It's a mixture of a lot of things, instinct, training and power.'
'Psychic powers?'
'Among other things. Telekinetic if I have to be precise.'
He felt the young woman closing in on herself, not sure she understood well.
'It takes several forms: clairvoyance on the very short term, transposition or duplication, empathy...'
'You can make certain things levitate too. Does it also involve being able to read thoughts?'
'Not exactly... I feel the form, the meaning of certain ideas, or certain feelings, but this practice is still basic for me.'
'I will have to be careful, therefore,' said the young woman with an insisting smile.
Kurtis gave her back a smile, but soon he got back to seriousness.
'Indeed. Because unfortunately I am not the only one who possesses this kind of power. Telekinesis is a gift, an uncertain science, which only few people master perfectly. And mastering it perfectly allows you to do many things, and especially bad things.'
'Do the Nephili have this ability?'
'At the beginning they did not. But as they searched further and further into the occult sciences to resurrect their race, they ended up developing a certain empathy and creating their own telekinetic language, which they passed on from one generation to the next, while perfecting it a little more each time. Interfering in people's minds is a real weapon, and Karel understood this. He won't hesitate to hit where it hurts.'
Lara raised her head towards him.
'Karel is a monster, a pervert and a manipulator. He will do whatever it takes to get the rest of the scrolls, we'll have to be really careful. He's more powerful than you could ever imagine.'
The chirugai lit up in the hands of the adventuress, and returned to his master's side with a whistle.
'If it happens... If Karel succeeds in awakening them... the world will be destroyed..' she whispered, more for herself.
'I'm hoping we can find a way to stop him. I'm hoping Mikhaïl can give me a hand on the scrolls. It's up to us now to discover what's in them, our survival depends on it.'
A leaden silence settled in the small room. The fire flames drew strange curves around them, as the flames of hell would have done on two damned souls.
Lara sank into the backrest of her armchair in an extended position. She stayed for a long time, maybe several minutes, head leaned backwards, looking at the ceiling, as if it would have helped her think better at all the things the mercenary had explained to her. However, a strange feeling of satisfaction, mixed with appeasement took hold of her.
'You okay?' finally asked the young man who has gotten up to do some stretching.
'What do you think?' she replied playfully.
A wry smile appeared on the mercenary's tired face.
'It's hard to tell. You're too mysterious, I'll have to practice'
They exchanged another smile. She looked up at the clock on the beside table near the bed. She ran a hand over her tired eyes.
'I guess I've heard enough for now, I set you free.'
She got up from her seat and walked to the door. The wood floor cracked under her bare feet. As she was about to pull the handle, Kurtis' voice startled her.
'It was better for you to think that I had disappeared... or that I was dead. I didn't want you to get mixed up in this again...'
Lara turned to him, her big brown eyes on him.
'I'm just as concerned as you are, Kurtis' she answered dryly. 'Remember that someone I cared about died. I was falsely accused of murder and found myself fighting these evil forces too. '
Kurtis stayed quiet, not moving his crystal gaze away.
'Good night' she simply told him, ending thus the conversation.
The young man let her disappear behind the door, which folded down behind her without a sound. He felt the pressure fall back on his shoulders. Actually he realised he hadn't really take time to rest for days now. Most of his body hurt badly, he felt the blood push in the palm of his weak hand. In the silence of the small room, he took the time to clean and heal the wound, before slipping into the small bed. The old mattress squeaked, but was confortable. Looking up at the ceiling, hands crossed under his neck, he realised this long discussion had also calmed him down somehow.
He strangely felt torn between apprehension and relief that he was no longer alone in this fight. Once again, he found it hard to realize that his path had crossed that of the adventuress. To tell the truth, he would never have believed that she would find herself on his trail in this way. It was almost improbable.
Not so much when you know the woman.
He escaped a small laugh. He would have preferred to keep her out of all this, but he had to admit to himself, the idea of being with her again gave him a strange feeling of relief.
He sighed, and turned on his side. After one last thought about his companion in the beside room, he finally fell asleep within a few minutes, his chirugai resting not far from him on the bedside table.