Ladies and gentlemen, I present... THE FINAL CHAPTER! Thank you for sticking around for the whole story, enjoy and please review.
Chapter XIV
Malachi cleared his throat in an annoyingly loud way, but Mara pulled away from me red faced. Noticing her embarrassment, I couldn't help but feel the same way, my own face becoming like a tomato.
"Well, at least everything is done and over with," I concluded.
"Not quite," Malachi disagreed.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"We still have to save your family and friends from Sodom. I believe that's where Tobias ran off to," Malachi explained. I nearly cursed myself right there. In all the chaos that had transpired that day, I had completely forgotten the enslaved people of Sodom.
"Plus I have to save my mom!" Mara announced. I wanted to tell her I needed help and that what she wanted could wait, but one look at her heart quickly dissuaded me. Burst of colors, being emotions of joy and happiness, were erupting all over her heart, softening it simultaneously. She hadn't seen her mom in ages and I had no right to keep her. Still, I felt uneasy about her going by herself.
"You can't go alone. There could be other soldiers in the castle," I warned. Mara considered this point, but then Malachi spoke up.
"I'll go with her," Malachi said. Mara looked displeased at this, but nodded her head in agreement.
"That'll work. Amos, you need to go and save those other people. The port should be on the far side of the city," Mara said. She ran ahead, but Malachi waited until she was gone to wish me good luck.
"You can take the Mach Impact to get there quicker. You'll just have to fix it up. God's speed, and you may want this," Malachi suggested, handing me my necklace before speeding after the pale girl, still carrying his unconscious daughter. I sighed after slipping my necklace on, mostly because I didn't have the energy to do anything else. I knelt down to pray before going to work.
"God, thank you for everything. For saving Mara, for allowing us to complete the prophecy, everything. Please just give me strength one more time," I prayed, and almost immediately energy burned into my limbs. I quickly located the service hatch on the levia and popped it open. Even though I had more knowledge than the average person about the inner workings of levias, I didn't have enough to be anywhere near qualified as a mechanic. Fortunately, the damage wasn't too bad. Despite the massive dents and scratches on the exterior, the only damage to the engine was a couple of disconnected wires and the main belt had come loose. I fixed all this, and the engine buzzed to life. I climbed into the driver's seat and steered it into the air. The Mach Impact wasn't overly difficult to drive, like any levia with enough practice. The only difficult part is maneuvering them to remain at the same altitude. I tried to aim through the already made hole, but I missed it and caused another shower of glass. Once high above the palace, I got a wonderful view of the city. Ignoring the dead bodies and damaged buildings that were littered about, the city was quite beautiful. I could make out the beaten Imperial Army, all on their knees in surrender. Yalown's own men were moving back toward the camp, while a few were checking through the surrendering enemy's ranks for weapons and confiscating them. I tried to look for the Evangelics, but I couldn't find them in the city and couldn't see beyond the rubble pile. I sighed in disappointment and aimed for the tinge of blue I could see on the far side of the city. Ramming the Mach Impact into high gear, I flew toward it. As I made progress toward the port, I caught sight of a figure racing between the buildings, far away from any troops of either army. As I slowed down and descended closer to the figure, I recognized the mass of curly hair. Tobias was running to the same destination to do exactly what I was intending to do. He was dressed in the Catholic Army uniform, minus any weapons. The color of the uniform did its best to match the cityscape, but wasn't doing so great. I briefly considered abandoning him, but I figured it'd be better if I had backup. I flew next to him and popped open the cockpit.
"Amos?" he asked with surprise, but continued to run beside me.
"Need a lift? You're going to have to jump in, I'm terrible at parking," I said. Tobias nodded and struggled into the Mach Impact. We flew through the streets, barely making turns to get to the port. I didn't feel like re-ascending and it was just easier to fly through the streets.
"Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened at Vatican State," Tobias apologized. I could never before hold a grudge, and I still wasn't able to.
"It's all in the past. All is forgiven," I said. Tobias seemed shocked someone had just demonstrated that level of mercy to him, but he should've remembered that it was my gift.
"Friends?" he asked, offering his hand to shake.
"Sure, but I'm kind of driving here," I agreed.
"Sorry," he apologized again, withdrawing his hand. We soon saw the port as the street started to widen out. As we approached I observed the horrible sight of slaves being loaded onto a spoat. Spoats were the levias of the sea, to an extent. They were long and narrow, but travelled faster than most levias due to a huge single rocket booster attached to the back. They ranged in size from ones for two people recreation to ones the size of buildings for transporting huge amounts of cargo. The slave spoat before Tobias and I was fairly tall and half the size of the largest I had seen in pictures. People were being loaded on in chains, their clothes torn and tattered. Men dressed in white puffy t-shirts and pants that looked like they belonged on cattle ranchers surveyed the loading. Each wore a different- colored and patterned bandana on their heads. They were buffed up and overly muscled, with rings on each of their fingers. I guessed the rings did something similar to Mara's rings had done.
"Okay, we are going to have to jump," I warned, popping open the cockpit again.
"What? Why?" Tobias asked.
"I told you, I'm terrible at parking," I replied with a grin.
"We'll die!" Tobias complained loudly. We were quickly getting closer to the port and the spoat.
"Probably," I said with a shrug. I grabbed the back of Tobias's shirt and jumped, dragging him with me. We crashed into one of the sailors, knocking him to the ground. I watched as the Mach Impact crashed into the front of the spoat and a fiery explosion followed, all before the first person had been loaded on.
"My spoat!" one particular man cried out as the spoat disappeared beneath the waves followed by a suction sound. He was even bigger and burlier than the rest. He had a sharp black goatee and lush hair, though it looked unevenly cut, barely hidden by his navy blue bandana. Tobias and I climbed off the unlucky sailor and approached the shouting sailor.
"Are you the captain?" Tobias asked. The man regarded us with cold, blue eyes.
"Haven't you seen all these other shrimpy sailors? Of course I am. Address me as Omar. Now what do you want?" the man grumbled. I glanced around at the rest of the "shrimpy" sailors and felt that not even in a million years could I become that built.
"I demand that you release these people," Tobias ordered, but Omar just snickered at such a demand.
"My orders come from the King alone. Unless you have an order from him, or he's dead, I see no reason to listen to you," Omar said, crossing his arms in defiance. Tobias grit his teeth in anger, but knew he couldn't take the mountain of a man.
"Don't you know who I am?" I asked. Omar leaned over to examine me closer, but just shrugged.
"Don't know, don't care," Omar said.
"Well, maybe you would if you knew I was the one with the Gift of Mercy who has already defeated the King," I argued. Omar's eyes went slightly big, but he sneered again.
"Prove it," he challenged, which I was secretly hoping he'd say. I pulled off my necklace and spoke Hebrews 4:12. My sword grew in my hands, and I barely felt any pain, though the final bright flash still half blinded me. Omar looked scared when I flashed the weapon.
"Okay, not saying that I believe you, but I'll release them," Omar grumbled. He and the other sailors pulled out keys and started unlocking all the chains. The people of Sodom swarmed Tobias and I, shaking our hands, admiring my bravery and sword, and thanking us thoroughly. Tobias looked worried as the people continued to come, and I could tell he was looking for Lydia. Suddenly, she burst from the crowd, followed by both sets of parents.
"You're the best boyfriend ever!" she cried out, tackling Tobias in a hug. He embraced her tightly, and I saw a tear escape from his eyes. I couldn't help but smile at that, though my own nerves were quickly becoming upset. I hadn't seen Uncle Saul or Ruth yet.
"Amos!" I heard Ruth squeal right before she came running out of the crowd. I half expected Ruth to hug me, but she instead punched me in the gut.
"What was that for?" I grunted, though I actually preferred it. I was not interested in being sentimental with my sister.
"For taking so long to rescue us, and for not telling me about the power of mom's necklace!" Ruth shouted. I tried to shush her down when Uncle Saul stepped from the crowd. He opened his arms and I quickly ran to him for a hug. I had missed him so much, and I hadn't realized it until that point. Suddenly, a shadow passed over us. I looked up to see one of the Catholic's levias. A familiar head poked out from the cockpit, and I could see it was the same guy who had driven Mara and I from Galilee.
"Need a lift hero?" he asked. I laughed and gave him a thumbs up.
He took Ruth, Uncle Saul, and I the whole way back to camp before dropping us off there. My sword had shrunken on the ride back, so I was able to put my necklace back on. I knew he wanted to stay and talk to me, but he had to go cart in more people. Soldiers all around the camp were packing up, loading them into levias and the like.
"So did you finally find a girlfriend?" Ruth teased poking me in the side. She seemed to have an obsession with teasing me about never having one, ever since I was little.
"What? Did you have a prophecy or something about that? No, I didn't," I grumbled. Twenty minutes and I was already sick of Ruth again.
"Then what am I?" a voice called from the bottom the rubble pile. Trudging toward us was Mara, flanked by Malachi still carrying Sapphira and a tall woman I assumed was Mara's mom. She had sharp features like her daughter, with blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore a robe identical to Mara's. Her mom actually gave me a death glare just like Mara had a habit of doing, only this one was far more intense and scary. It took all my willpower to not back down.
"Impressive. He stood up to my glare. He's a keeper," Mara's mom smiled, giving her daughter a squeeze.
"Stop it," Mara grumbled, though she didn't seem to care all that much. Ruth began sizing up Mara.
"So this is your girlfriend? She doesn't seem to be that great," Ruth judged, like I actually cared about her opinion.
"You're not so great yourself sister," Mara countered, and Ruth looked the slightest defeated. Before I could prevent the argument from escalating further, Martha came running through the camp.
"Father," she yelled out, jumping up on Malachi, who had to struggle to not fall over.
"Hello my other daughter. Are you ready to go home?" Malachi asked. Martha climbed down and nodded enthusiastically.
"All the Evangelics are ready to go. We were waiting for you," Martha explained.
"Then let's go. Amos keep in touch," Malachi winked before following Martha to the horse with Sapphira. I waved goodbye, knowing I would miss them.
"I guess he's not all bad," Mara grumbled.
"I've been telling you that since day one," I argued.
"Enough with your lover's spat, I think they need help," Mara said, pointing toward the rubble pile to redirect our focus. Eve was there, doing her best to support Yalown. I could tell he had been injured, because his entire shin was wrapped in bloody bandages. Uncle Saul and I ran over to help. Eve got him a chair and Yalown groaned as he sat.
"Please tell me we were successful. I'm thinking of retiring," Yalown ordered.
"You can guarantee it. The prophecy is done," I concluded. Yalown let out a relieved sigh.
"I wouldn't say that much," Ruth said. Everyone stared at her in shock.
"Why do you say that?" Yalown demanded. Ruth pointed at Mara.
"Don't you dare accuse her," I argued.
"Relax. I can't accuse her of being anything except the King's daughter. She could very easily take over the King's throne now that he's dead," Ruth declared.
"How did you know that?" Mara stammered.
"Gift of Prophecy, remember?" Mara said, tapping her own head.
"I have no intentions of becoming Queen. The Catholic Empire can do whatever they want to this city," Mara sighed, and I had never heard her sound so sure of something.
"There you are. Now it's over," Yalown declared.
"Fine," Mara shrugged.
"Now, where is Malachi and the Mach Impact?" Yalown asked. I didn't really want to tell him the truth, but I had to.
"Malachi left with the Evangelics already, and the Mach Impact is at the bottom of the port," I murmured. Malachi's face went red with rage, but quickly subsided into a sigh.
"Oh well. Good thing I had another one shipped to camp during the battle," he grinned.
"Seriously?" Eve grumbled.
"Anyway, now that we've won the war, Catholic forces have already been sent to Sodom to return it to its former glory. Once we get all of Sodom's residents out of the city, we'll begin transporting you all back," Yalown detailed.
"What about us?" Mara's mom asked, motioning to herself and Mara.
"You could come live in Sodom," I suggested carefully.
"I like the sound of that," Mara agreed.
"That does sound pleasant. A fresh start," Mara's mom considered, pretty much sealing the deal.
"Well, then all the problems have been solved," Yalown concluded.
"Wait, my brother was a hero. Where's his reward?" Ruth demanded.
"Well what do you want?" Yalown asked.
"I want to go home now. Lend us the second Mach Impact," Ruth said. Before Yalown could deny it, Eve jumped in.
"Sounds like a great idea. We've still got stuff to do, so we'll see you later," Eve agreed before wheeling the Supreme General away, arguing.
"They make a nice couple," Ruth decided.
"Are you a love doctor now?" I teased, expecting her to get mad.
"Yes," she said flatly.
"Let's go find this Mach Impact," Uncle Saul insisted, leading Ruth away so I could talk to Mara and her mom.
"We can't thank you enough, but a proper one can wait for Sodom. Come along Mara. We have to gather our belongings from the castle," Mara's mom instructed before walking away. Mara hung back to talk briefly with me.
"I'll see you soon, okay?" Mara promised, giving me a wonderful hug and running off to join her mom. She actually took her mom's hand, like she was a little kid. I already couldn't wait to see her again in Sodom.
"Isn't that sweet?" Ruth teased as Uncle Saul landed the Mach Impact II beside me. I climbed in and sat all the way in the back. Then we were off, finally going home. We flew over the Evangelics riding off in the opposite direction, during which I tried to wave. For entertainment, Ruth insisted that I tell the story of my journey, from start to finish. She got bored and fell asleep when I was about halfway through, but I continued so Uncle Saul could listen. We continued on in silence after I was done, with Ruth snoring peacefully. I suddenly found myself remembering something I thought long forgotten and I took peace in the pleasant memory...
My parents were standing just outside the door, in the rain, my father holding an umbrella over my mother. They were dressed up fancy, ready to go out for dinner. My mother leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.
"Remember, we are so proud of you," my mother said. My father nodded and gave me a goofy grin, causing me to laugh. That was the last time I had seen them alive.
I replayed the memory on a continuous loop in my mind until Uncle Saul broke my concentration.
"What luck! This is the first time I've ever had a green light from the start. Maybe things are changing for once," Uncle Saul announced. I had just enough time to look out the window to see the traffic light before the tunnel to Sodom was in fact green. That was the first time that had ever happened when we were approaching. I couldn't help but afford a chuckle. As we entered the tunnel, I relaxed, somewhat eager to see my hometown. However, I couldn't help but wonder one thing: why would anyone ever want to make a tungsten cross?