Chapter Five
Glossing over the details of the fall from another perspective wasn't any better than living through it. The memories of the days we fell haunted me when I let them - those days of not knowing if I had pushed too much, if I had doomed my friends to an eternity of oblivion. I remembered reaching out and grabbing hold of them at different points, but what always stood out in those memories was the conviction in Cam's words when he told me he would always stand by me…
"Doing some light reading, Danny?" Cam's mocking voice hung in the air like a knife ready to stab me. "You're not going to find anything in those old…" He stopped to fake a yawn and then continued, "…boring stories."
I swallowed hard, trying to push aside the nostalgia of our long gone friendship. "I'm busy, Cam, so why don't you go harass some prostitutes or something," I said coolly, my gaze meeting his only briefly before returning to the text, skimming through the words I'd been reading more carefully than I'd intended.
Cam pulled the book from my hand, laughing as his eyes read past the words. "Feeling sentimental?"
I stood up and snatched the book back. "The only feeling I get from reading this trash is pity for those of you buying into this crap. 'Been wronged'? You guys chose this for yourselves…"
Another person announced their presence by clearing his throat. "Not all of us chose," Roland said angrily, staring me down as he walked forward. "What the hell are you doing in my office, D?" He placed his hand on the stack of books I had set on his desk.
I was too irritated by Cam's presence to let Roland's remark bother me. "Waiting for you," I shot back, stealing a quick glance at the amused Cam.
"I said we could talk, not that you could break into my office and go through my shit. Get out," he shouted and pointed to the door.
I didn't move, though, but instead motioned my head towards Cam. "Not until after he leaves and we have our conversation."
"Not your office, not your rules, D. Cam and I have business first. So get your ass out of my chair and go have a drink at the bar. I'll be with you in a bit."
Cam chortled as I stood, abiding to the wishes of my friend only because the information he could get me was more important than my pride.
"Get used to being insignificant," Cam said under his breath as I passed through the doorway.
The door closed behind me, but I didn't look back to see if either had stepped out to see me off or not. Pushing my way angrily through the swinging door, I made my way to the first unoccupied barstool and was promptly served with a tall beer.
I drank two more before Roland sauntered out, not making eye contact with as he took his place back behind the bar. I watched him closely while he took inventory, gave instructions to his bar staff, and serve three people, laughing and making small talk, all without giving me a second glance.
Finally, I pushed my glass towards the inside edge of the counter, watching as it teetered on the edge before Roland snatched it out of the air. "You break it, you buy it," he said in a strained, casual tone.
"Maybe I should be more careful then," I said calmly, still attempting to make eye contact.
Roland tossed the glass to another bartender and then started wiping up the sweat rings left on the counter.
On his third pass, I grabbed his wrist. "I need to talk to you," I insisted, rather than asked.
"I'm pretty busy. Another night, perhaps," he explained and then pulled his wrist free of my grasp and walked towards the other end of the bar.
I leaped over the counter and rushed after him, grabbing his arm and pinning him against the bottle rack behind the bar. "We are doing this now," I demanded as I forced my determined gaze on his.
Some of the patrons and staff shifted nervously as I held the owner captive. Roland's eyes gave away the large bouncer that was stepping in, so when he grabbed my shoulder of the arm holding Roland, I was prepared and swung my elbow back, connecting with his nose, sending him reeling backwards. A woman screamed as blood exploded onto the counter and the sound of breaking glass demanded the silence of the remaining customers.
"It's your choice, Ro. We can walk back to your office peacefully, or I can take on your staff and destroy half your bar," I threatened in a calm voice.
With one simple nod of his head, the staff began cleaning up and I loosened my grip on him, allowing him to walk in front of me back through the doors and into his office.
"Close the door," he said. His long dreadlocks lifted from his shoulders as he spun around quickly and sat in his chair. He drummed his steepled fingers in front of his face while his elbows rested on the arms of his leather chair as he waited for me to do as he'd instructed.
I turned the doorknob, closing it silently before turning around to face him, my arms crossed as I sat in the vinyl-covered metal chair opposite of his. "I need to know…," I began, but was quickly cut off.
"I know what you're after and I'm sorry to tell you that I can't help you this time." He sat like a statue, no emotions on his features, as he delivered his speech.
"If this has to do with something Cam told you," I spat, leaning forward in my seat.
Roland cut me off again, holding up his hand. "I could care less about the stupid games you and Cam constantly play. The information you need is protected and only a select few have access to it."
"Are you one of those people?" I asked, knowing he had a lot of respect among his kind for his fair, yet generous nature.
His eyes shifted slightly as his shoulders barely raised. "It wouldn't matter if I was or wasn't. You are not privy to the information in those books."
"Books? There's more than one?" I asked, realizing he might actually be trying to subtly feed me the information I need.
"There is a collection, all contain and require a key to access the others. There are only a handful of people that know where to even look for them."
"But Cam knew, and I know he wasn't 'privy' to that information. Someone fed it to him. I want to know who and why."
"I don't know who gave Cam the information. My business is running this bar and making sure my patrons are happy, not babysit you or Cam."
"Do you believe he's telling the truth, that because I've refused to make a choice, it will fall to my child?" I couldn't help but swallow hard after speaking those words, the lump in my throat growing with my anxiety.
Roland simply nodded and leaned forward, resting his forearms and intertwined hands on the desk separating us. His eyes bore into me, like he was trying to telepathically convey something to me.
I leaned closer to him, pleading with him in hushed tones. "Just tell me where to look. I have to find a way to stop this choice from being passed down."
Shaking his head, he backed away, leaning against his high chair back again. "Can't help you there, D. My hands are tied." He held up his hands, flashing both sides of them at me before resting them on the armrests.
A growl of frustration rumbled in my chest as I stood up and turned my back to him, walking towards the door.
"Take some time off, Daniel. Maybe some alone time in a cave somewhere would do you some good."
I froze at the doorway, processing the meaning of his specifically chosen words. It wasn't long before it clicked and a small grin flashed on my lips. "Maybe you're right," I said with a hint of hope hanging in my words. "Thanks."
I left the office, intending to make a short stop by Lucinda's apartment before heading out for the Caverns of Time.