Author's note: heyoo ik its been a while, but as I said in the last chapter, im currently the main caretaker of my (now 9 month old) nephew, so i don't have a lot of time on my hands. the situation feels ... very ironic 8'D
anyways, im gonna see how feedback on this chapter goes, but i definitely wanna keep updating and try to ride this story out to completion! I wanna say we're close to reaching at least a halfway point here, but who knows! thank you all so so so much for the support on this story, as always it means everything to me and i wouldnt be able to function or get the motivation together if i didnt have that positive influence, so every little bit i am grateful for. hope you all like what i have in store! 💖
Trigger warnings: none!
POV: Doyle
Our drive with the masked strangers is a long one, and the silence that trails us is unmerciful. I have far too many questions that could warrant an escalation, not that the roar of the engine would allow us to carry out the conversation anyway. My guard is higher than it's ever been, and I can feel Zak's is too. Particularly, by the way he's bruising my rib cage from his ever tightening grip.
As if I was equipped to worry about one more person, I think of Ila, the only one riding with one of the newcomers alone. I wanna believe she could handle herself. At the very least, I know she'd be offended if I thought otherwise. It doesn't matter, I can't see their snowmobile either way. A layer of sleet is coming down now, sticking to the frosted ground that we can't seem to lose this winter. The environment as of late feels poetic, like I'm in a comic strip with a rain cloud over my head. Mostly, I'm just tired of the cold.
I hope this is the right decision. I couldn't afford another bad one. I can't imagine why these people want to protect Kur so badly. I know why me and Ila are here, he's an innocent child. I don't know what they see, but I have to assume their viewpoints differ, and unfortunately, we're well past minor moral disagreements. If this beast is all we have, then I'll gladly enter its mouth, but with caution. Not to mention, a tightened fist in my pocket that is ready to pop off literally whenever.
Our vehicles eventually slow to a point of stepping off, besides Ila's escort who immediately revs up and sends back off, presumably to grab Van Rook as I had requested. 'Don't bring him back if he's already dead' I want to shout, but it's overridden by the desire of shielding Zak from the prospect.
Instead I turn my attention to the one left behind, and rather than interrogating her in a dark room, towering over her head in the way I'd like to go about this, I start simple and nonthreatening. A bit reminiscent of a composed lion, holding over you the completely empty promise that if you turn your back it won't eat you. My stance of guarding Ila and Zak only accentuates this image.
"Where are we?" I question.
"The Kigluaik mountains."
Our steps taper to a halt in confusion, which she turns to inspect.
"You know where that is, right?"
"They're right behind our cabin."
". . . Yes, mountains are large."
"Okay." Bitch.
"Sorry. Our base of operations is miles around the East end, near Mary's Igloo, opposite side of the Imuruk basin."
I take a deep breath so that I can let out a long, winding groan.
"So . . . how should I feel about the fact that you know we live near the Imuruk basin?"
". . . Hopefully unphased, considering what else we know about you."
"Oh, amazing." I say, aiming my sarcasm towards Ila, who looks just as apprehensive. I'm about to have 12 panic attacks at once.
The moment of our entrance provides no help to the situation. I'm suddenly face to face with a certain someone, recovering lethargically in a makeshift bed. The last time we saw each other I was, for lack of a better term, trying to gut him on the side of a steep ice cliff.
". . . Why did you bring them back here?" He mutters under his breath, staring me down. I'm unsure if his tone is because he's physically struggling, or if he's just pissed. Believe me dude, it's just as awkward on this end.
"We had to, Enki had them cornered." The stranger pleads with him, finally taking her mask off to reveal surprisingly soft features underneath.
"What do you know about Enki?" A real question finally spills from me in a moment of being taken off guard, and it's met with reluctant gazes. The girl before me dodges it like a bullet.
"No hard feelings about our last fight, all right? That was just a misunderstanding."
"Some. Some hard feelings." The recovering man interjects.
She shoots him a glare for his whining, one that hits me at a sharp angle. The classic sibling 'shut the fuck up' warning. If I had time to feel something personal about that I would, but alas, I'm currently more caught up in wondering what the goddamn helling fuck is going on.
"That's Ashur. My brother. I'm Nanaya." She points to some stragglers within the room, a blonde woman seemingly caring over the annoying little stab wound victim, and a teenager quietly sitting in the corner.
"This is Erra, and that's Enlil. The one who left to go get your friend is Lahar."
I'm quick to recall our previous library adventure, the research of which leaves me knowledgeable enough to recognize the odd vocabulary she's using. It makes me wanna roll my eyes.
"So. . . you guys googled Sumerian legends and just. . . picked code names out of a hat?"
She replies by giving me a stern silence, which softens shamefully as the seconds pass.
". . . We picked the ones we liked."
"Mhm."
Ashur manages to sit up in a swift motion, though obviously biting back some discomfort.
"I don't laugh at you for a name like Doyle."
"Because it's a real name."
"Barely."
The sister steps in, both literally and figuratively.
"Why don't you introduce yourselves, formally."
Zak pulls the typical shy kid act, hiding behind me, which is a more than warranted reaction at this point. I can't help but be smug over her attempted politeness.
". . . I have a sinking feeling you already know the formalities."
She recoils with an awkward glance to the floor, before quickly pulling it back up at Ila.
"I don't know you, I'm Nanaya."
Ila smiles, eyes darting to me with no expression in particular, but they still read very loud and clear. Something akin to, 'i just accidentally walked into improv club and the 7th graders are trying to get me to go along with their skit and id rather die'.
"Ila." She mutters.
"Are you a local?"
The customer service tone she's using to banter with us is so casual, so chipper. It grates on me like sandpaper. I feel obligated to nip it in the bud.
"Okay, not to make you think I hate this, which I do, but can we please cut to the chase."
"Right. . . I'm sure you must have a million questions."
Yes. First off; what the fuck.
"Who are you?" Is the vague inquiry I decide on. The caretaker, Erra, finally adds to the conversation, albeit in a low, dull tone that I can barely hear.
". . . Servants of Kur."
I raise an eyebrow.
"Sooo. Kur fanclub?"
"We prefer. . . 'Annunaki.'" This again, calls back memories of our extensive Sumerian studies.
"Oh yeah, I recognize your funky little hats."
"Masks." Ashur rebuts.
"When they go half a foot up off your head, they're not masks anymore."
"I'll show you a foot-"
Erra suddenly presses a fresh roll of gauze against his abdomen, causing him to grit his teeth. Ila hides a smirk, so I can only imagine it's some sort of doctor language about how 'if you start another fight, I'm not fixing you up this time'. From what I can tell in these short moments, Ashur and Nanaya are in a constant battle of hot and cold. Meanwhile, Erra acts like a cold woman trying her best to seem warm. Not quite able to reach lukewarm though. More like an old shower with bad pipes, constantly going back and forth.
I look then at Enlil, who appears to be the youngest. They immediately break eye contact with me, lilac bangs now concealing their face. Their features are kind of ambiguous, so with amazing skills of respectful tiptoeing I ask;
"Uhm. . . Gender?"
"No thanks." They mutter.
"Oh. Kay."
Besides the awkward first impressions, and the fact that in any other situation I'd maintain a wary 100 yards distance from these people, I have a feeling something bigger has to be off. This is too normal. They're too normal. What the fuck is wrong with them.
"What's your purpose, exactly?"
"Peace. We want to unite humans and kur." This optimistic remark causes Zak to peak his head past my side. Maybe hopeful. Maybe just surprised.
"Okay." I press with caution.
"Through war." Ashur adds.
There it is. Literally didn't even give me enough time to ask myself if it was too good to be true.
"What are you talking about?"
Visibly embarrassed by his outburst, Nanaya tries to recover the situation.
". . . . . Not war, we just want to even the playing field a little so that negotiations might be discussed with ensured safety."
"Aaand how do you plan on doing that? There's only one Kur, and he's an 11 year old boy."
The group then exchanges looks, indescribable beyond the phrase 'how do I put this'. A very ominous, annoying sensation creeps up that they're about to take me by surprise yet again.
". . . Have you ever heard of Tezcatlipoca's smoke mirror?"
I stare blankly ahead in exasperation. After quite some time of this, I try to telepathically apologize to Ila for the pure utter confusion she's about to be dragged through.
". . . . . . . . . . Unfortunately."
". . . So you know of its power?"
"Unfortunately."
". . . So, then you know of the anti kur-"
"With as much misfortune as I can possibly convey, we know about 'Zak Monday', we know about his powers, and the real Zak has kicked his ass multiple times."
They glimpse at each other again.
". . . How much do you understand about the mirror?"
This time, they've stumped me.
"Uhh. . . Drew, mentioned. . . Something about. . ." I look at Zak for help, who shrugs. "Dark magic?"
The expressions continue flying, frustrating me beyond belief with the incessant vibe that I'm out of the loop.
"Well. . . It's a portal, right? You, all of us, are on this side. And uh. . . 'Zak Monday' you called him? He's from the other side."
". . . Right?" I ask incredulously. My patience is gone, but I have a feeling I'll be forced to muster up some more this evening.
"These are the two opposing sides. . . matter and anti matter."
She steps closer to me, visibly preparing her thoughts to get through her next point. Like a college student rehearsing a presentation they're actually proud of and enjoyed putting together, she continues.
"The leader of our group, the one that founded the Annunaki, has been studying this mirror, day and night, for months. . ."
"Wait wait wait, who's your leader? You guys are working for someone else?" I promptly cut in. She looks a bit peeved about being interrupted. Whoops. Sorry lady, never went to college, don't care to sit through it now.
". . . We don't know. We've never met them in person."
"Does he say things like, I dunno, 'bienvenue', 'arrivederci', etcetera."
". . . I. . . don't know if they're french-"
"Is your leader V.V. Argost."
"We don't know." Ashur snaps. "They send us letters that we have to decode, it's how we got recruited, but they've never revealed their true identity."
Okay. Unnecessary theatrics. It's definitely Argost.
Once again, Nanaya aims to keep the unhinged atmosphere from spiraling completely out of control.
". . . They always had the idea that this rift in the mirror could hold something important about Kur, that it could be utilized for something more, and as it turns out. . . there's something beyond just the reflection."
Finally, it's my group that gets to exchange expressions, though ours are merely confused and a bit alarmed. I squint back at her.
"What are you talking about? Every mirror has a reflection."
She smiles.
"But it's not a normal mirror, is it?"
". . . So then what else is there?"
There it is again. The looks. I'm gonna lose it.
"What else?"
". . . . . . The sides to the mirror are. . . infinite." She eventually murmurs, punctuated with a dumbfounded shrug.
As this information sinks in, with all it's little implications that make my blood pressure double with each and every new theory I come up with, I decide to sit down and think.
"Okay, you're trying to tell me this stupid doppleganger mirror. . . is actually just. . . some gigantic interdimensional portal?"
"No no, it's just the key to it." She corrects. Then she straightens up again, pacing as if what she's segwaying toward is enthralling, taking all of her focus.
"Our leader had to do countless experiments to fully understand how it works, how it seeks you out, finds your opposite, let alone how to go beyond where it takes you. It was only with their knowledge that they were able to unlock the mirrors . . . 'full potential', you could say."
"So you're saying they hacked the smoke mirror." I jest, mostly out of shock.
"They freed it."
The air holds an uncomfortable silence, until Erra decides to chime in, her voice once again blunt and droning.
"With this experimentation, we now have access, to anyone, from any world we could ever want. The possibilities are endless. . . as they are dangerous."
"So. . . what does all this have to do with Kur?"
They are again silent before me, but their eyes stay on us. It's a much more unsettling ambiance than their previous quirk. She suddenly takes on a sincere tone.
"With all these spaces in between. . . There's more than two sides to the mirror. . . So. . . . . . . . . . "
My expression hardens. She never finishes her sentence. She doesn't have to. Though it takes me a moment to show it, I do connect the dots, and the ugly picture it forms.
". . . There's more than two Kurs?"
I physically feel Zak's atmosphere change, along with Ila's who I imagine is still hopelessly trying to catch up. Mine remains harsh and unwavering.
". . . And what do you intend to do with that?" I force myself to ask after what seems like years of silence, not trying to conceal my somewhat disgusted and accusatory inflection.
". . . . . . Build an army." Ashur is the one to speak up, as the others appear tongue tied.
". . . That sounds a lot like a war to me." Zak says, voice wavering with an obviously faux sense of bravado.
Nanaya looks down on him with a pitying expression, one that makes me want to let the metaphorical lion out and destroy this whole place. She has no place to pity him. She has no idea what we're going through.
"Maybe. . . But we didn't start it. And we don't want to continue it. We're just trying to balance out the fight."
All of the inane constructs this weird mountain cult keeps throwing around are starting to get to me. I let my head fall, palms finding temples, and though my brain is swimming, I somehow keep wading through it.
"All right, where is your 'army' then? If your 'leader' is so sure they can find other Kurs, then why haven't they-"
A subtle, pink glow from the corner of my eye startles me. Then, a duo of purple, coming from the corner of the room. Then yellow. I realize it's shining from their eyes, when I see Nanaya's turn a pulsing, bright shade of cyan.
"We're not just servants of Kur. . . we're vessels."
I feel my body submerged in cold ice water again. I feel the whip in my hands choking the life of another man. Because in this moment, neither emotions can compare, but they're the closest I have yet.
"It took our leader a while to understand. . . just how to transfer the essence of Kur through the mirror. It's a very simple process, really. . . with a few devolian anelids, and the song from a flute. . . The hardest part is just finding the right match. . ."
Her words are distant to me. They flow past me like a gust of wind. I'm processing them, but they're like smoke in my hands, intangible, clouded.
"Yeah, most of them don't make it."
"Ashur! Why?" She whines, as if his addition is anything more shocking than the wave of new information I'm still riding out.
As they absently bicker, strangely, my mind goes to Enki. With these revelations, all of his little decisions start to make a little more sense. Asking us to confess. He wasn't stupid, he always knew Zak was Kur. He didn't know who else could be. He didn't know who we could be protecting. Van Rook was right. He was 3 steps ahead of us, and apparently, he wasn't the only one.
". . . It's true, it's a very dangerous procedure. . . we're the only successes so far."
Her poor attempt at a defense of their actions is enough to temporarily break me from my stupor.
"You're doing all of this, killing, dying, all for Kur? When you don't even know who's asking it of you?" I scold.
". . . Nobody asked you, and look where you are."
Before our conflict can spill into a brawl, the door swings open, transitioning me out of one shock and onto the next.
"Who ordered the White Russian?" The man called Lahar laughs out, muffled by his mask, while dragging an unconscious Van Rook in at his side. I'd be losing my mind at that one, if my mind was actually working at the moment.
Erra rushes him to a bed, Enlil hesitatingly joining in the assistance. I don't think to help. While I'm still pissed, it's not that I'm not grateful to him. I simply feel like a statue. I don't have time to worry. His injuries don't look much worse than before. I have to shut down and assume whatever they did to save Ashur, will be enough for him.
Speak of the devil, I sense Ashur staring me down from his own spot, obviously very opinionated and stewing in something. He takes my notice of him as an apparent cue to vent.
"All we want is for Kur and humans to coexist, same as you do. Humans just. . . need a little push."
". . . Like a push off a cliff?" I revert to humor as a coping method, per usual. Not a very happy audience, he's quick to bite back.
"Your kur was born into it unknowingly. We all made sacrifices. We sought it out because we know what we believe in. If you don't, then maybe you should go home."
"His name is zak." I snap back. "And that's a great idea, later."
"Wait!" Zak shouts, grabbing my sleeve, startling me from my anger. He feverishly tugs me aside. Ila does a double take before deciding to follow us like a lost puppy. With us all huddled and ready, he whispers.
". . . I think we should stay with them."
"What?!" I accidentally shout, drawing glances from the thankfully distracted Kur party. Zak scrambles to bring the volume back down.
"Okay okay okay, hear me out. . . they seem like they know a lot about kur, way more than we do. . . . and they know more about the smoke mirror too. . . Maybe they can protect us and. . . maybe. . . even help us find mom and dad."
I stand there, my hands on my hips, previously ready to go into yet another lecture about not trusting strangers, but now I'm struck down with something sentimental. Damn. Would've been a good responsible adult moment, too.
"Look, Zak, I know you're desperate to feel like someone's on your side. . . but these are not the people we should be putting our trust in."
"Why not?"
I'm a statue again. My stance falters as I shuffle awkwardly. How can I explain that I think these people are shady and immoral, or at the very least horribly misguided fools for wanting to be Kur and bring more of that fear into the world, without demonizing the kid who didn't ask to be Kur? How can I deny Kur is an inherent evil if I say seeking it out is. . . inherently evil? How can I support him and in the same breath shame them?
As though he can read my mind, he looks towards the ground.
"I just. . . don't want anyone else to get hurt."
With a newfound second chance at a responsible adult moment, I place my hand on his shoulder.
"Everything's gonna be fine. I'm telling you, Van Rook can handle himself, he's gonna be-"
"That's not who I meant." He looks back up at me, his voice lower than a whisper. I swallow my sudden burst of guilt like poison. Oh. Hm. Right. The guy I killed at Enki's to protect them. The one I strangled with his own whip. That one.
After moments of this internal debate, I end up losing the argument to myself.
". . . We can ask a few more questions, figure out a game plan, and then we go."
He smiles at this. Even with the compromise, still, I don't feel like I'm making the right choice.
"Wait who the fuck is Zak Monday-" Ila whispers in a pleading voice as I walk back towards the Annunaki, and I again make a mental note to apologize later, but now it's a matter of getting through this as fast as possible.
"All right, explain yourselves. I wanna know everything about your leader, and I want to know anything you have on Enki."
Ashur is of course, quick to shoot me down.
"We don't owe you Anything-"
"I'll show you the letters they sent." Nanaya cuts him off.
"What?!"
"Well, why not?"
Before he can aggravate the situation any further, she guides me into a small room in the corner, Zak and Ila staying behind, hopefully to hit on all bases, and maybe make sure Van Rook isn't bleeding out while they're at it.
Before me are papers littered across desks and walls, straining my eyes with unintelligible squiggles and characters. The longer I stare, the more they warp and become nothing. It seems that each one is in a different language, a different code, so that every time you think you've cracked it, you're onto another dialect.
As Nanaya sifts through her organized chaos, an unmasked Lahar comes by, standing in the doorway, resting on his arm. His red eyes and wispy white hair would be frightening if his mindless, unhinged demeanor wasn't the more distracting of his traits.
"What happened with Enki?" She implores, when he doesn't catch the hint to explain himself. He simply shrugs his shoulders.
"Oh him? He was gone when I got there. Did I bring back the wrong guy or-"
"No, that's fine." She waves him away, putting her focus back on the seemingly important stack of papers in her hands. Ignoring the previous interaction, I lock onto anything that looks even vaguely familiar, and one image in particular happens to click. A black and white print, seemingly depicting a large structure covered in Sumerian glyphs.
"Oh. I remember that rock. That was your rock?"
Her eyes scan to match what I have mine set on, before cracking an ironic smile.
"Yes, that's our rock."
"What's it say?"
". . . It tells an ancient story. One of the oldest depictions of Kur in any form of literature."
I sit there, an expecting silence building between us.
". . . In this story, he's challenged by a man named Enki."
Ah. Of course. The story from the library. Understanding the origin of his alias doesn't mean I find this name-game bullshit any less ridiculous, but it's then that I remember I never was able to read the whole thing.
"What happens at the end?"
"Their battle is so great, it brings storms that flood the earth-"
"Nanaya, I mean who wins."
This tense silence gives all our prior silences goosebumps. I comply with it, and don't press on.
". . . Here, Kur is actually depicted as a serpent. As far as Enki. . . he's meant to look like a hero, but he's just a monster."
"Yeah, I hear you. I was hoping you knew things like weaknesses, strengths, intentions, maybe his phone number if you have it-"
"As far as I know, All he wants is to rid the world of Kur. It's his only purpose here."
"So, how does he feel about you guys just, churnin' em out till the world explodes in a giant matter and anti matter Kur cocktail?"
She grimaces, avoiding eye contact as she distracts me with the stack of whatever she's compiled, neither of us seeming sure if I can use it.
"My only advice is. . . stay on your toes. He always knows where to look for Kur."
{POV SWITCH: Zak.}
As Doyle plays the interrogator, I'm forced to realize how left out I truly am. This is my chance to pull my weight on the team, maybe even gain a few allies. After all, I could understand these people better than anyone else. . . Well, at least I can try. Our circumstances are still literally worlds apart.
While Ila seems to be distracted by Van Rook, I discreetly sit down next to the only other loner in the room, Enlil. They swiftly look away.
"Uhh. Hi." I say. They respond only with a quick glance.
". . . . . . What color are your eyes?" I ask, in an effort to seem friendly. They stare at me in despondent confusion.
"What?"
"When they glow?" I clarify.
". . . . . . Purple. What about yours?"
"Orange."
They smile, though it's a small one. Maybe I'm patronizing myself a little bit, a kid asking about colors, but mostly, they seem to actually enjoy the small talk. Considering the last time I spoke to someone this even remotely close to my age, it's going better than I thought.
"How long have you been out here?"
". . . A month or two, I guess."
"So you're kind of new to this then, huh?"
They nod. The mood seems to be shifting, straying away from an interrogation and more towards. . . a heart to heart. Temporarily forsaking my goal, I can't stop the words that fall from my mouth next.
". . . . . . . Do you ever get upset? . . . . . That you're Kur, I mean."
Their smile slowly fades out, replaced with a somber half grin.
". . . . . . . . . Sometimes."
". . . Then why'd you become one?" This prying starts to feel a little callous, but I need to know. For information purposes, obviously. Nothing personal.
Maybe, a little personal.
". . . Everyone's so scared these days. . . I guess I wanted to feel like I was on the other side for once."
I nod, though up till now I couldn't even imagine someone wanting to experience this, I also never thought to imagine being on the other side either.
"But to be honest. . . . . . . I'm more scared than ever." They add.
I solemnly click my shoes together, trying so hard to maintain the uplifting atmosphere we had before, but it shatters like ice beneath my feet.
". . . Me too."
{POV SWITCH: Ila.}
What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuckc what the fuck
I stand at the Van Rook's bedside and look over Erra's work, almost not noticing the offended look she gives me.
"I'm just checking in." I assure her.
"No, I understand." She stands, putting her tools away.
"Most of his injuries are superficial, besides the shrapnel in his abdomen. It'll only take one simple procedure to fix. I'll give you two a moment."
I don't understand what she means by this comment, but I am praying to god, jesus and any other diety she does not think we're partners. 'Don't worry, I'm a doctor too' would have been a good opener, but at this point it'd just look more suspicious. Any way you slice it, the best outcome would be that I'll just never have to see these people ever again.
". . . Are you awake?"
Nothing.
"If you are, I swear to god, for both of our sakes, don't say anything inappropriate." I mutter, as I open his shirt to inspect a few of the admittedly impressive sutures Erra's already done up.
"What?"
"Shhh-" I rush to cover his mouth, gesturing silently over to Erra. I don't actually know what he would say, but I know we don't want these people hearing it. Still, I'm in the dark, like, pitch black, bathroom during a power outage dark, and I'd like a few answers.
". . . Where am I?" He beats me to the punch.
"Uh . . . The creepy Kur servant people brought us back to their place. Also, I think they're all Kur too?"
". . . You hit your head?" He says, volume increasing. I roll my eyes, seeing any deeper explanation in his condition to be a futile endeavor.
"No. Did you?"
"Eh. . . I think so. . . fight was short, I'd say I was lucky but I'm sure it wasn't that easy on accident."
Usually this kind of constant paranoia annoys me, but I find myself beginning to understand it as my days with these people draw on and on. This 'Enki' acts completely unpredictable, If he were to come after us again, I don't think it wise to just assume he would be allowed to get away so effortlessly this time.
". . . You need surgery. You can't be transported any further in this condition." I break this news to him, reluctantly keeping up the trend of nihilism.
"Hah, leave me here then. Need a break from you people anyways." He says during a pathetic attempt at rolling over. Irked, I raise an eyebrow.
"I trust that they'll take care of you then."
"I wouldn't go that far."
He rolls back to face me.
"Don't trust any of these people. You saw how far trust got you with me, right?"
"Yep. And you still haven't fully explained yourself by the way-"
"I take care of myself here. We regroup later, out of sight. There are many lurking in the shadows who want Kur's power. I mean it. Do not trust anyone."
I'm not sure how to take that, considering how eagerly I've trusted these three strangers over the course of our adventures. As casually as I can appear, I glance towards Erra, who seems to be immersed in disinfecting her equipment.
". . . Fine. How will you reach us if something goes wrong?"
He settles into a cocky, rather annoying smile.
"I have my ways."
{POV SWITCH: Doyle.}
Looking between the resources I've been given, I start experiencing flashbacks to 8th grade math class. Realizing I will never make sense of this, I go back to verbal analysis.
"So. . . you're from another dimension?" I ask her bluntly, as if it's a speed dating prompt.
". . . No, we're all from here. It's just the essence of Kur that's been transferred."
"What does that mean?"
"Well. . . we were willing vessels, whereas the original Kurs. . . wouldn't comply."
". . . So. . . you stole it from them?" I grill.
At first she tries to scoff the criticism away, but eventually replies.
". . . I guess so."
"Why?"
". . . I already explained-"
"No, I mean, why, personally, did you agree to do this?"
She spends only a fraction of a second pondering it, before her expression is overtaken by the appearance of hiding something painful.
". . . Didn't it break your heart when you found out the monster everybody hated was an innocent little boy?"
That's an understatement. Not just a little boy, a growing young man, one I barely knew that brought me to my family. At risk of sounding cliche, he taught me what the word means. But now wordless, I nod.
"It broke mine, too."
I look on with pity. Though I still don't trust them, I'm no longer entirely convinced they're not at least trying to come at this from a place of understanding, no matter how batshit their ideas may be.
"Nobody should be considered a monster without trying to be." She continues.
Her sentiments hit close to home. So, I have to be quick and remind myself, that this is not home.
". . . Look, thanks for saving our hides, but we've seen how messy things get with the smoke mirror around. We're going to have to pass."
"On what?" She asks innocently.
"On whatever. . . this is." I gesture between us. She looks disappointed, but with a distinct undertone that she expected this sort of reaction.
". . . Very well. . . You know where we are if you need us. And we can always check in from time to time."
"Do I have a choice on that?"
She smiles as we exit the room, not addressing my concern, at least not directly.
"What about Van Rook?" Zak urges before me.
"He can stay here with us. Erra will care for him, and you guys can borrow our snowmobiles and figure out a new hiding place. We can contact you as soon as he's better."
I look to Ila, who's pleading eyes tell me it's for the best. Whatever godawful standard we've let 'best' be lowered to, I'm forced to go along with it.
As we gather our things and prepare to head out, Zak asks yet another question I'm sure I won't know the answer to.
"So. . . If both of our covers are blown, where are we going?"
I don't know.
"It's a surprise. But first, we gotta swing by the cabin and grab some stuff. Including Zon."
"ZON!" He suddenly shouts, running out the door, as if he can run all the way home to her. I let him run, because whether we're running from danger, or right back into it's clutches, at least he still has someone he can always trust.