"Well." Gankutsuou gaped, "that went well."
"Shut up." The demand sounded feeble.
"Now, now, I was trying to mind my own business, but the sudden growth of a back bone does tend to grab one's attention."
"Tell me what to do."
The hesitated, thrown of by the request, "What do you want to do?"
"Please. . .I need help." Edmond leaned his forehead against a pillar; one of the two that stood parallel on either side of the entrance to his kitchen.
A spider darted past them, insignificant but quick, taking refuge in a crack on the wall. Its legs alternated, synchronized in a vigorous motion, like so many sewing machine needles jumping up and down when piercing cloth. Its round spherical abdomen drew out to a graceful point at the spinnerets, and a blue pattern of dots covered its otherwise black cephalothorax. With microscopic hooks on the end most point of its legs; it clung to tiny rivets in the wall, and scurried up, retreating to its web.
Gankutsuou watched with an acerbic expression, astral eyes able to slow down and analyze the creature's movements at atomic levels. Edmond, through their bond, could feel the workings of many large systems, such as those in a human body, but his perceptions fell short of the creature within in him. With the supernatural abilities common to his species, the demon could abrade size to see the movement of each spidery joint, the ganglia sending impulses into nerves, and the way its muscles stretched and pulled to propel it with such speed. He could feel the way its tiny body shoved molecules aside and glided on others to acquire friction, the vibrations as it ran across the floor, and its respiration causing movement in the air.
All this, and many other details equally as small, he explored within a few seconds. The turning of the planets held no mystery for him, he felt them, perceived fate, and yet when it came to humanity, to society, Gankutsuou understood nothing. "My friend, I am very good at achieving goals. I can manipulate events to whatever outcome you desire. However, I cannot tell you what you should do. The issue seems to have resolved. The bright soul is gone. I don't' understand why you would do anything now."
Edmond closed his eyes tightly.
"Or," his companion grumbled, "if it causes you such misery, you could always go after him. Far more important things will happen soon." The demons eyes rose heavenward, "I feel something coming. You might as well see to this distraction now. Let it stay resolved. That is my advice."
0-0-0-0-0
"He won't be coming."
I'm standing in the middle of a large woven rug, on a print of a goddess native to Janina's mythology. The printed kimono, wrapped around the deity beneath my feet, embodies a sunrise with bold daring lines, and her delicate hand half conceals her face with a mask of the moon. My father told me stories about her; she symbolizes both the living and the spiritual world, and rules both the harvest and dreams. Father took such pride in his knowledge of foreign countries, and loved to tell me stories from his tour in Janina.
Those were once fond memories. How eagerly I listened, asking dozens of questions, oblivious to his dishonor. When I look into the eyes of the goddess whose nation he ruined, it is hard to remember that he loved me, and I loved him. This has been a depressing day. Its not surprising I'm thinking of him now.
The orange and yellow of the kimono spread out across the floor in wide bands. They overshadow a delicate landscape of exquisite detail. The simplistic sun looks a little odd behind the dainty red dessert, for the traditional art style of Janina emphasizes striking and simple backgrounds against painfully perfect foregrounds. It can be a little jarring to one not accustom to such a visual composition. Nevertheless, studying the rug provides somewhere else to look, rather than into Haydee's disappointed eyes.
She is clearly not happy with my news, and sets her harp aside briskly. "Please explain, Albert. I thought we agreed this was important."
Attempting to maintain what is left of my privacy, I take pains to keep my face and voice neutral, and shrug. "We do agree, and if I could drag him here I would. However, I can't bring Edmond to meet Mademoiselle Jadea because I walked out on him this morning."
"Why?" She places a hand over her chest, concerned.
"Please don't make me live it again." I loose my composure, and something about how I say it, or maybe how I'm standing impresses my desperation upon her. She doesn't push for more of an answer.
"I see. Can you at least tell me whether you have verified that Gankutsuou still exists?"
Naturally, I hesitate in sharing something that was said in confidence. I'm still not sure how much Gankutsuou may be influencing Edmond, whether or not I can believe him, and I'm not sure where he begins and the other ends. However, if there is any chance that Gankutsuou is evil and using Edmond, he should be stopped. All I have is Edmond's word, and frankly, that doesn't feel like much right now. "Yes, he's 'alive,' if that's the right word. Edmond doesn't seem to think he has much influence over him now, or that he never did, but I don't know."
"Edmond Dantes was a good man. He was seduced by a demon and lusted after revenge." Haydee whispered quietly. "He could never see what Gankutsou did to him, and the demon must be stopped. I suppose Mademosielle Jadea and I could go to him, or corner him somewhere, but we must confront the demon."
"I think that might be dangerous." I mumble.
"We used to serve Edmond, and Gankutsuou," Baptistin interjected from his spot by the window. "You don't need to tell us he's dangerous. They were good at winning loyalty, so much that we were all convinced he was right…for a while."
"And," Haydee interjects, "There's a good chance we're saving Edmond from Gankutsuou. This is for the best, we must force this meeting."
I'm less than convinced, but have few real options. They continue building a plan, and as I sense myself becoming less and less a part of it, now that I am not a tool for accessing Edmond, I quietly excuse myself and return to my hotel, hoping that everything will be alright. Nevertheless, I cannot clear the nagging sensation of dread from my throat.
0-0-0-0
Several miles away, across the ocean, the Forbin made rest in a strange little bay surrounded by large and black staggering cliffs. They drew into points, like the jagged edges of a broken mirror, and formed a semi circle of solid rock, with one opening leading to the ocean. Cain stood at the nose of his vessel, beneath the Nike, which stood windswept on the bowsprit. He spat into the watery depths, over the bow. Something had been following them.
Several crewmen had reported a seeing a form in the distance, always behind, always disappearing in the fog. Some claimed it was a very distant ship, and others simply stated they had seen a figure.
The crew was spooked, and so they had made temporary harbor within the bay for its strategic advantages. A few of his men had taken up camp on some of the more stable ledges of cliff face, ready to signal should anything follow them through.
Someone approached from behind, stepping lightly and carefully. He glanced back to the figure, blonde hair poking out from beneath her large round hat.
"It isn't coming for us." She murmured. "The cards say it wants Adnet."
Cain swallowed, but hid his discomfort well. "Really Marietta, this is not time for your magic nonsense." He spoke loudly to dissuade any overhearing ears from concern. More quietly he whispered, "The crew thinks you've got a gift to see beyond. If you start in on this claptrap now they'll panic."
"It's neither nonsense, nor claptrap, Captain."
It wasn't, and he knew it. Wherever her intuition came from, she had it, and Cain was too wise a man to disregard a valuable resource when at his disposal. He stepped closer, "I know. What should we do?"
She gestured to his stateroom, and once inside she pushed a pile of books aside and off the table, producing her cards. She shuffled them with a crisp snapping sound.
Before laying them out she hesitated, resting a hand on the edge of the deck, "Months ago, we were nearly destroyed. Do you remember?"
"How could I forget?"
"Our instruments, on the space vessel, suggested that a star would explode within our quadrant, and we had no time to correct our course. But the star's patterns corrected themselves, and nothing came of it. Micha, the engineer, insisted that the instruments had not malfunctioned, that they had not been wrong."
"What other explanation could there be though? He's a great crew member, but everyone makes mistakes." Cain sat down in his chair, sitting on his carelessly strew pajamas rather than moving them.
Marietta frowned, sliding the cards out in one long line. "I don't know what it was, but just as our instruments pulled down the data, something ignited in Adnet. There was a tremendous burst of energy from within him, though he remained completely still, and the star was quiet. The cards kept pointing to the devil man. I don't know what it means, but I do know that whatever is following us wants Adnet. Pick six cards."
Cain reached out a hand, and pulled the six, turning them over in succession. The first, as she had suspected, was the devil. The Captain's hand first stilled and then dropped the card.
"So you think Adnet…"
"Something within Adnet saved us that day, and as you can see" she pointed to the cards, "judgment and the hanged man, there is soon to be atonement. The two of swords is next as is the page of swords, the devil has employed deception, gone unseen. The magician follows, this means the influence of an intelligent figure, one who is also tricky, hides in shadows, sees within, and knows much. In their layout, Cain, I know it means the devil is revealed. This shadowy individual is looking for him."
The chair beneath the heavyset man creaked as he leaned back and sighed. "So, advise me about what I should be doing. I can't lead this thing to Adnet, but we can't avoid Le Val forever! It's our home!"
"It is very close, and very dark. I feel a hunger. We must put in port, and send word to Adnet before returning to Le Val. At least we can give him a chance to prepare."
"We're only three days from home, a message would reach him, at best, a day before our arrival."
"We can delay, spend an extra night in port perhaps, but it's better than nothing."
0-0-0-0
Edmond fidgeted slightly, looking down into the brewing pot. He was stewing his last batch of pills; the one that would have to last until his next set of flowers bloomed. As long as nothing went wrong, and he did not expend too much energy, he would be fine. However, it was not the short supply on which he focused.
He had not gone after Albert. His mind insisted he'd made the right decision. Their age and strange circumstances aside, Gankutsuo was restless, and seemed convinced something tremendously important was about to happen.
However, his heart had excellent arguments. What difference did age make when vampirism entered the picture? And Albert knew his past, and seemed to still want him, so why should Edmond shy away? He had felt so torn with anxiety and shame in the presence of the lad, but also…eager.
Of course was vampirism and shame not more of a reason to avoid the boy? Would it not injure anyone he loved to grow old while he stayed young?
Edmond groaned in frustration and collapsed into a chair. Nothing he could think of justified putting Albert into possible danger. Until he knew what approached he dared not make a move.
And yet…he could barely stand still.
His heart, so strong and willful, so patient and practiced at waiting for exactly the right moment, could not stop yearning. He had experienced so much pain because of love, and had made so many cruel decisions in an attempt to heal, was all of this simply fear of once again being vulnerable to another human being?
The impatience and growing irritation of the demon within him did nothing to quiet his mind, and he felt his soul shambled.
0-0-0-0
There is a knock on my door, a heavy decisive knock. I'm in the middle of dinner, but I have had a meager appetite at best. In all honesty I expect to see Baptistin or Bertuccio with news of a plan, and I toss my napkin to the side of my plate quickly and dash across the room as to not keep them waiting.
It is neither Baptistin, nor Bertuccio.
Edmond, but not Edmond, stands at my door. His face is concealed in the glowing dusk of the demon, purple eyes masking his features. His hands are alight, and he seems even taller, and menacing. A suffocating starving energy emanates from him, and he swoops in, shadowing over me like a vulture.
I recoil, and he speaks. His voice is not Edmond's. It echoes with an otherworldly quality, deeper, callous. "Good evening, Albert."
The air around him is heavy, and even seems to move in waves or pulses, visible but not. I continue backing away, and he walks into the room and kicks the door shut, all six eyes fixed upon me. He manages the motion without moving his shoulders or torso, like some kind of unsettling wooden man.
"I have come to resolve this ridiculous mess."
The hotel room table prevents me from backing up any further. He crosses, standing too close to me, leaning in to peer at me with his top set of eyes. His posture is hard, angry, dangerous, and he moves towards me like a predator. I close my eyes and wince.
He is quiet for a moment, and grabs my arm. "What's wrong with you?"
I close my eyes tighter and hold my breath, terrified.
"Albert." He shakes me. "Look at me you fool."
I cannot bring myself to do so.
"Humans…Albert, Edmond is a mess and I am to busy for this drivel. Something is coming, and I am too week to fight it off. I need him focused. I need his aid. However, you and your ridiculous human need to pair bond has completely ruined him, so I came to fix it."
…my brain is not working well right now "What?"
"I have come to mediate."
"You…have come to mediate."
"Yes."
I open my eyes. His expression has not changed. He's staring at me, eyes unblinking, unmoving, glowing. I open my mouth and nothing comes out.
"You two want to 'be together' so do it. There. Fixed. Now we can move on with our lives."
I feel confused, shocked, and otherwise bewildered, but I do manage a thought, "Did Edmond ask you to do this? Is this to somehow prove that you're not completely evil?"
He hesitates, and cocks his head. It is the first time that that ridged and predatory frame has broken posture. "That word suggests I am bound my your conceptions of right and wrong, even that I can understand them, which would also imply that my role in this universe is similar to a humans. It is not. Nevertheless, I do this of my own free will. Edmond is, however, aware that I am here. He's not happy about it, but I told him it was important and would decide the fate of the universe."
"It will?" I'm even more confused.
"No. I lied. I don't know what's coming, but it probably won't impact the whole universe. It will, however, decide something important, and before I can get that taken care of, I need this human emotional twaddle resolved."
"You lied."
"Yes."
"So, you are not above deceiving and controlling him against his will."
"If I could force any behavior upon him I would. However, that was never the nature of our agreement nor can I force an agreement upon a living creature."
"You lie, and you are corrupt." I hiss and wriggle out of his grasp, sliding along the table and pointing my back at the door. "Why should I believe anything you say?"
He turns, like a creature possessed might turn, without shudder of body, his whole frame seems to spin in place, as if there was a spindle in his heals. Rather than answer from there, he steps too close again, so that our faces are inches apart. I assume he is trying to intimidate me, but instead he merely answers, "Well, I would not."
This throws me, and my voice shakes a little in my anger, "You are responsible for everything that happened to my friends, and to me. It is your fault entirely. And now you want to 'mediate.' Edmond and I are the way we are because of you, so maybe you should just pay for your mistakes."
"That is incorrect. I did not start the string of events. I made a deal with a man who had already decided to destroy others."
"You gave him the ability to do it! Without you it never would have happened."
"Without me he would still be sitting in a dungeon, or would perhaps be dead. I gave him the means. I will give means to anyone who makes an appealing deal with me. That is what my kind do. Would you prefer he had never found his justice?"
"…I would prefer he had found it without destroying so many innocent lives."
"This is how things are. You say you love him. So love him despite his choices, forgive him, or forget him."
I frown, and try to gain some space to no avail, but I do feel bolder. Perhaps this demon truly wishes to talk, and nothing more for now. "I can forgive those who take accountability for their actions, rather than hide away and pretend they are someone else. Perhaps I could forgive him in the right circumstances, but why should I forgive you?"
"I don't want your forgiveness. I don't need it. However, I feel Edmond, on some level, wants atonement for both of us, and he and I are here on a deal with death. You tell me Albert, why should I be sorry for disrupting the lives of a few meager humans when the rest of the universe spins on at such greater magnitude?"
"Because," I admit it takes me a minute to come up with a good answer, but he waits for me to speak, "pain is real, and you helped spread so much pain. How can you speak of justice in one moment, and ignore those damaged in the quest for it?"
"Justice, or rather revenge, was Edmond's goal. Not mine."
"So what is your goal then?"
"To be human."
My mouth hangs open with the shier audacity of the notion. The sun has set, and only a few lanterns light the room. They flicker in the increasing dark, as if laughing at him with me. "Why?" I manage, half disgusted 'why would you want to be something that is so unimportant in your eyes?"
"I have seen real importance, Albert. I can feel time and energy move. Simplicity is…. attractive. Feeling is attractive."
"But, you are belittling of humanity, you're insulting of that simplicity! How can you want to feel when you cause so much pain…unless…you genuinely don't understand?"
"I do not cause the pain. I give humans the means to accomplish their goals in return for attractive boons. They are not always like Edmonds…although recently they have been, because that is the sort of person who is willing to give up their body entirely to get what they want."
I rub my eyes; feeling conflicted. It does not change what he did, nor somehow make it any better, but I don't know how to process this. What kind of a creature is he then, what exactly is he supposed to do, and is he doing it or not? Something is wrong with all of this, there is so much I don't' know.
Questions flood my mind, but before I can ask even one another knock comes frantically to the door, and Haydee's voice entreats me from the other side to open it.
