Chapter 7
Lara wanted the train to hurry up. She felt her nervousness rise every second that Kurtis Trent's eyes were upon her. She had to say something, anything to break the feelings and take away her never-ending thoughts of him.
"So" she forced herself to end the silence and her wavering anxiousness. "How did it all begin?"
"What?" Kurtis asked.
"The Lux Veritatis." Lara answered his idiotic response. "You can't tell me that one day a man just woke up and had magical powers."
"No." he returned with slight disregard, "It actually started long before anyone realized it. Many men have had the gift I have, and never knew it was in them." Kurtis repositioned himself, knowing that this was going to take a while.
"As you know, Sir Augustine was the first. He lived in North Africa for most of his life, until one day his family was brutally murdered by an unknown enemy." Kurtis paused as though thinking.
Lara staring deeply in his eyes taking in every word, her previous thoughts of betrayal now a mere memory.
"It's written," he continued "that in a fit of rage, Augustine killed the men using the first true Veritatis forces."
"But what made him different from everyone else?" Lara curiously asked.
"His bloodline." Kurtis replied. "After the strange happenings, Augustine decided to search his ancestors for any other mythical cases. It just so happened, that his grandfather had had the same things happen to him, and had also traced the family bloodline. He had written a book about the entire experience, and then realized that the powers were tripped by emotional changes."
"Like getting angry." Lara cut in with a smile, recalling Kurtis's words about the man's rage.
"Exactly." Kurtis returned. "When Augustine realized what his ancestry held, he knew why he was able to do such things. His first male ancestor was not human." he paused not wishing to finish the statement. "He was a Nephilim."
Lara felt her heart sink once again as he spoke the words. The Lux Veritatis were actually descendants of the dark angels? He was admitting to her suspicions. She stared at Kurtis with unbelieving eyes. In truth, he was actually the enemy."No Lara. He said they were decedents, not the actual things." She wanted to raise her pistol, but smiled to herself instead as the words were processed. A Nephilim would never have openly admitted to such things, hence Kurtis was not a Nephilim. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You don't know anything for sure."
She hid her confused emotions as Kurtis continued.
Kurtis could see the slight disappointment and worry in Lara's eyes that he had seen before at the mention of the Nephilim. He quickly continued as to ease her thoughts. "Augustine wanted to find others like him, so he secretly started a search. Eventually he found seven others with the same mentality that he had, so all of them became known as the elders. Five of them were men, and two were women. Augustine eventually fell in love with one of the other Nephilim descendants, and married her. They then had a son named Galahad, who-"
"A knight of the round table." Lara cut him off.
Kurtis nodded. "He became the first true Lux Veritatis leader."
"So what happened to the elders?"
"Some had children with one another and passed the gene down, but eventually they all died out as the members began relationships with normal humans."
"And Sir Augustine actually permitted such correlations?" Lara began.
"He did." Kurtis simply stated. "After his wife was possessed by a wraith."
Lara looked at Kurtis with great surprise. "What?" she asked with an unbelieving hesitance. Her voice lowered with hesitation. "So they were forced to kill her?"
"No. It was impossible." Kurtis replied. His features grew pale with his words as unforgotten memories returned. "She's still alive." He said with a fake smile. "Remember Mariana?"
Lara stared at him with disbelief. A rock entered her stomach at the words.
"Back then," Kurtis continued, "before the Veritatis had contained them, the evils were free to roam the world."
"Well the wraiths can apparently be killed," Lara quickly stated, remembering Kurtis's attack at the museum. "So why is Mariana any different."
"Because her host was such a powerful being."
Lara looked away. The new information ran throughout her mind as she took it in. She couldn't imagine how it must have felt to watch the person you love turn against you, destined to destroy your life.
The silence returned once again, and Lara pondered Kurtis. Whoever he was, he definitely wasn't who she thought, and he definitely wasn't to be trusted.
(-)
Lara and Kurtis tried to keep to themselves, not only to avoid one another, but to keep from attracting any unwanted attention.
They stood, waiting silently and cautiously, as the train slowly came to screeching halt. Lara carefully peered out of the now retracted steel door, hand on her holstered weapon, waiting for their demon stalker to again make herself present. Assured it was clear, she slowly stepped to the cement platform, and off of the train. Kurtis followed, and they quickly and promptly made their way through the nearly empty station.
Lara glanced at a large clock mounted on the wall as they neared the door. She saw that it was nearly eleven o'clock , and knew that catching a cab would be difficult at this hour. Her hand met the thick glass of the station's doors. She pushed forward and felt the cold breeze of night across her face.
She looked to Kurtis, expecting information on where he planned to go, but she heard nothing. Instead, she watched as he directed her to follow him, and they continuously walked several blocks before finally stopping. She knew that Kurtis was trying to lose anyone who might be following them, and admired the action.
"All right." Lara began. "You wanted to take a train. Now what?"
"I said there was a safehouse in Rhone."
"I know." Lara impatiently stated. "But where exactly in Rhone."
"House 10452 on Boulger Street." he flatly said. "It's not that far out of the city. I'd say less than forty miles away."
"That's great." Lara said with a smile. "But where are you going to find a cab driver willing to drive forty miles out of town at this hour?"
"That's what this is for." Kurtis stated as he brought a large wad of cash from his pack.
"And we're did you steal that from?" Lara asked with a smirk of sarcasm.
Kurtis smiled, returning her smirk. "Lots of places."
Lara watched as Kurtis searched the empty streets for a taxi. After a long wait, he finally spotted one about a block away. He quickly raised his arm as the white and green car came to a stop in front of them.
"Remember when I left you in the Guildford Station?" he asked.
Lara nodded. She saw him gesture once again to the money in his hand.
"Seat 15 in Section D. Just in case I ever needed it."
"And why would you tell me this?" Lara curiously asked.
"Just to show that I trust you." Kurtis replied, as he sat their bags in the trunk of the car.
Lara smiled as Kurtis opened the cab door and gestured for her to get in. She began toward the seat but then stopped and looked back into his hypnotizing eyes. "I wish I could say the same."
(-)
The cigarette was thrown to the ground as it's light flickered out. A trail of smoke erupted as a black boot pressed against the white paper lined with tobacco. It's user lifted her head, careful not to draw attention to herself as she stood on the block corner of a back street in Lyon . She gently brushed the blonde hair away from her eyes as his vision appeared before her. She smiled as she saw him, and gently bit her lower lip.
She then saw her. Lara Croft. The possessed form clenched it's immortal host's fist at the angelic form. The braided hair and hidden holsters that hung under the bitches light coat. Mariana let out a light exhale of aggravation as the thoughts of this European beauty arose, their encounter at the museum, and then recently on the train. Miss Croft was keeping her from her objective, Kurtis.
She had waited for them at the train station, and followed them as they left, focusing on Kurtis, and caring less about the person accompanying him. The demon watched with contempt as Kurtis opened the door of a cab, and helped the woman in. He was smiling.
Mariana clenched her teeth as the cab drove off, headed in the direction of Rhone.
She casually paced herself to the payphone that was placed directly beside her. She dialed the familiar number with ease, proud of the information she would contribute.
"Hello?" the familiar wickedness Mariana had hoped for answered.
"Their headed toward Rhone." she spoke. "They should arrive there within an hour."
"I thought you were going to finish it on the train." the evil man spoke with commanding structure though his tone never changed.
"I ran into some complications." Mariana explained. "There was-"
"I don't care about complications." the voice interrupted with anger. "Find Kurtis Trent and kill him! This time no excuses!"
The line went dead and Mariana quickly hung up with agitation, ready to gather her wraiths for a visit to Rhone.
(-)
Lara thought it would be easier to put the driver at gunpoint, but Kurtis didn't want the man giving the safehouse address to the police afterward. He paid the cab driver a huge amount of money, which Lara thought was outrageous, but she was forced to keep to herself as the ignorant driver finally agreed to take them out of the city-limits.
Kurtis and Lara tried not to speak during the ride, just to prevent accidently saying something that would be overheard by the idiot in the front seat.
Lara was wide awake from her long nap on the train, but she could see that Kurtis was tired. She unnoticeably watched him as he would close his eyes and drift off, then quickly jerk and wake himself up. Lara found it amusing after a while, but forced herself to stop tormenting him in her mind.
She watched as the night grew deeper and darker turning into a devious trap that preyed upon them. She stared into the shadows wondering if they were being followed, or if Kurtis's hunters knew where he was going. She knew that the demons, or whatever they were, would constantly be on their trail, never stopping their hunt for the last knight of the Lux Veritatis, if that was indeed who he was.
She looked at Kurtis, who had finally settled and drifted to sleep, with almost a protective sense of caring. She felt herself smiling as thoughts of him occurred. She was almost sad that she didn't trust him. She wanted to, but all the signs were there. Kurtis could have easily been a Nephilim, but if not, the possibility of him working for one was just as strong of a theory. Though her assumptions had ground for argument, she still felt uneasy when the subject appeared in her mind. He didn't have the presence of evil that she had become accustomed to. He was more like a confused child tangled within a conspiracy that he had no knowledge of and wanted no part-
Her thoughts were distracted as an obnoxious "Hey!" sounded from the front seat.
"What!" she loudly and aggravatedly shouted in return to the large, balding driver.
"Your stop's just up ahead." he stated with impatience in questionable English. "I suggest you wake up your friend, cause I ain't waiting for you to get situated once we-"
"Just shutup and fuckin drive." Lara flatly but demandingly stated. She rubbed the side of her head as a throbbing pain emerged.
After a few short minutes, they appeared within a small town that seemed old and abandoned. Lara gently woke Kurtis, knowing that they were almost there.
Lara stared out of the window as they turned on Boulger Street, searching for the numbers 10452 to be marked on the side of one of the small houses.She watched as the cab came to a halt by a small white house that seemed no larger than a single apartment. The roof was falling apart, and overgrown plants covered most of its sides.
She helped Kurtis take their bags from the trunk of the cab, as the driver constantly yelled for them to hurry up.
Lara smiled as Kurtis flipped the man off and continued with the luggage.
Once finished, the two walked to the entrance. Lara was amazed as she watched Kurtis close his eyes and place his hands against the front door. The solid bolt of the door suddenly glowed red and quickly unlocked. He opened the door and entered as Lara followed closely behind.
"God he is amazi-" Lara stopped the thought, she wouldn't allow such emotions into her mind. She quickly entered the house to distract herself.
Lara searched the interior of the house for something of interest, but saw very little. They entered the home into a small kitchen, which led directly into a living area. There were seats placed periodically throughout the rooms, and the ceiling and floor were graced by water and rust stains.
Lara saw several papers lying on the small kitchen table, and used dishes lying in the sink. She wondered why a random safehouse would have such objects, unless Kurtis had been staying here for a while, to keep in the shadows and not be noticed.
"Nice place." Lara falsely stated.
"It's a shit-hole." Kurtis simply replied and led Lara down a short hallway. He forced open a stubborn door midway down. "This room should be alright."
Lara walked inside the surprisingly tidy room. There was a double bed by the wall, a large dresser beside it, and a huge mirror standing in the corner. She saw the moonlight shining through a curtained window on the opposite side of the room.
"I take it you use this place a lot." she stated, wondering how he knew the placement of the rooms.
"If you call the past three years a lot," he sarcastically replied, "then yeah."
She calmly walked into the room. "Thanks." She quietly said as she sat her bags on the floor. She heard Kurtis backing away, and quickly stopped him. "I was wondering," she began "if I might have a hot shower before going to bed."
Kurtis looked at her, surprised that she had actually asked to do something, and not done it anyway. "Yeah." he stated. "Sure." He led her to the end of the hall, and opened a door that lye straight ahead. "Bathroom's in here." he told her, then opened another door beside it. "I'll be in here if you need anything."
Lara watched him enter what appeared to be another bedroom, and close the door. She was surprised at how nice he was when he was tired. Lara blew in annoyance as she felt herself biting her lower lip.
The thought of a hot shower distracted the movement however, and she quickly undressed. Lara walked to the bath, but was surprised to see no knobs or handles to turn on the water with, only a long steel rod. She new that the house was really old, and the delay of a shower caused her to rub her head in pain. She grabbed the perch and tried her best to turn the water on, but nothing happened. She was becoming impatient.
Kurtis lay face down on the rock-hard mattress and closed his eyes. He grabbed his waist with a sigh of pain, one he had been hiding from Lara all day. He felt sleep upon him as he finally relaxed.
Kurtis jumped with surprise as an angered scream came from the bathroom. He sat up and quickly grabbed his Boran X, afraid that Lara was in trouble. He was relieved however as the scream was followed by a "How the hell to you turn this damn thing on!" in the rarely graceful feminine voice. He smiled to himself and holstered his gun.
Lara was surprised as she heard a knock at the bathroom door. She quickly wrapped a towel around her body and opened it, pistol in hand. She lowered the gun immediately as Kurtis's face appeared in front of her, his eyes tired, a barely visible grin gracing his features.
She quickly stood to the side as he entered the small room and silently walked to the bath. She watched as he pulled the rod straight out, and turned it to the left. Water began to flow through the faucet on the opposite side of the shower. He quickly pushed the rod upward, and the water was redirected to the showerhead above him.
Lara was slightly embarrassed as he turned to face her. She saw him wearing a slight smile and she couldn't help returning it.
"I never thought the hardest puzzle I'd ever solve would be turning on a shower." she said as he went to leave.
"They can be complicated sometimes." he sarcastically stated, turning back toward her.
"Sorry for that." she spoke lowly. "But thanks."
She admiringly watched as Kurtis smiled and finally left, closing the door. Lara leant against the wall for several minutes simply thinking about Kurtis. She had to admit that he was a lot better person than she had taken him for, and he-
Her mind stopped as memories occurred, memories of Kurtis and her's conversation from the train. He wasn't to be trusted. Lara felt disappointment within her midst. She didn't want the coincidences to be true, but she wasn't sure. So, for the time being, Kurtis Trent was her temporary ally, and her enemy.
She rejected the thoughts with a shake of her head, and climbed into the shower. She sighed with pleasure as the hot water flowed down her tired skin.