Chapter 14: crucial secret

Halfway through their flight back to Britain, Elizabeth retreated to her room and decided to make a call to her home. A voice came through the speaker, and Elizabeth smiled, recognizing her loyal and trusted butler, Henry.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" Henry greeted.

"Henry, could you please give the phone to one of the brothers who is nearby?" Elizabeth asked.

"That would be Mister Limoux, Miss. Just give me a second," Henry replied.

"Hello, Elizabeth," Limoux answered, taking the phone.

"Solomon, are you guys still okay?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Yes, we are fine. We had to deal with Karel's mercenaries again, but we took care of them," Solomon reassured her.

"Hmm, maybe it would be safer for you guys to go to the secret underground stronghold in Africa," Elizabeth suggested, concerned about the possibility of her home being targeted by missiles.

"Sounds like a plan," Solomon agreed. "Did everything go well there in Egypt?"

"Tell Edward to arrange a flight for you guys, and we'll meet up with you later," Elizabeth instructed. She paused for a moment and added, "Things didn't go as planned, but there's no need to burden you with the details."

"If you say so, bye," Solomon replied before hanging up. Elizabeth threw the phone on the bed just as a knock came on her door.

"Come in," she called out, and the door opened. She sighed when she saw Kurtis entering. "Everything alright, Kurtis?"

"I wanted to ask you that," he replied, running his hand through his hair and staring at her intently.

"I'm fine, Kurtis," she answered simply as she sat down on her bed.

"That's not what I heard," he persisted. "Look, I'm sorry for putting the leadership burden on you so suddenly. I just wanted someone I could trust to lead the order if anything happened to me."

"I understand, Kurtis, and it's fine. I know Chris is next in line to be the leader, and I..." She paused, her voice trembling slightly. "I just didn't want to lose you so soon after getting you back."

"Elizabeth..." Kurtis began, but she cut him off by getting up and standing in front of him.

"No, Kurtis, you're my only family, and I can't bear the thought of losing my only brother," she confessed. "When I arrived at the Strahov, and I saw the bloodshed, I feared the worst."

"Wait, you never told me that you were inside the Strahov," Kurtis exclaimed.

"Not the point, Kurtis. If the past hadn't called me, I might have done something I would have regretted," she admitted.

Kurtis pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Lara told me what you did for her at the Strahov, and it seems like you have a death wish. Kurtis, there are people who care about you. I care about you. Chris cares about you," she said, seeking comfort in his arms. Thoughts crossed Kurtis's mind about how she and Lara had become such good friends.

"I'm truly sorry, Lizzy," he teased, and they broke the hug. "Listen, before you rescued us, there was a man being tortured."

"Yeah, we couldn't rescue him. Who was he?" Elizabeth inquired.

"He was a member of the Demon group. Karel was interrogating him to find out if I was the chosen one," Kurtis explained with a sigh.

"And what did he say?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes widening.

"He said that Karel was ice cold," Kurtis revealed.

"Meaning your father was wrong," Elizabeth gasped, stepping back. Kurtis moved closer to her.

"Hey, it still doesn't necessarily mean it's you," he reasoned.

"How certain are you, Kurtis? Even your father wasn't sure why they captured me all those years ago," Elizabeth countered. Before Kurtis could respond, a knock came from the door, and Chris appeared in the doorway, his shoulder bandaged up. Elizabeth walked over to him, visibly worried.

"Hey, you should be resting," Elizabeth scolded, standing in front of him. Chris lifted his good arm and pulled her into a hug.

"I couldn't stay away from you," he confessed, kissing her on the head.

"Glad to see you're looking better, brother," Kurtis interjected, breaking the moment. The two of them separated.

"Thanks," Chris replied. "So, what were you guys talking about? Something about a capture from years ago?"

Elizabeth shot a sharp glance at Kurtis, realizing that Chris had overheard their conversation. Swallowing hard, she turned away from both men. Kurtis looked at Chris and let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm not allowed to tell you, brother. Elizabeth is the one who should explain it to you. But what I can say is that there's a high chance Elizabeth is the chosen one," Kurtis revealed.

"What?!" Chris exclaimed, turning to Elizabeth, who kept her back turned to them both. "Baby, what is Kurtis talking about?"

"I'm going to leave you two to speak privately," Kurtis said, sensing the tension in the room. "Chris, just know that this is difficult for her."

Kurtis left, closing the door behind him. Chris pleaded with Elizabeth, his voice filled with concern.

"Please, just turn around and talk to me," Chris requested.

Elizabeth slowly turned around, her eyes red from tears. Seeing her in such distress broke Chris's heart.

"Everything started back in 1990," she began, recounting the events to Chris.

Kurtis walked down the narrow hallway of the plane, his mind occupied by Lara's recent confession of love. The weight of her words lingered in his thoughts, causing him to sigh heavily. He approached Lara's cabin, hoping to continue their conversation, but there was no response to his knocks. Frustrated, he gave up and made his way to the meeting room where he found Lara, his mother Marie, David, and Charles engaged in a discussion.

"Hey, guys," Kurtis greeted them. "I see the plane's on autopilot with all of you gathered here, David."

"Yes, indeed," David confirmed. "We were just discussing the possibility of Lara being Klara."

Curiosity piqued, Kurtis asked, "What led you to that conclusion?"

Marie glanced at Kurtis, then turned her attention to Lara. "When you were three years old, your father and my husband were already working together. During one of his visits to your home, your mother shared the story of how they found you."

Lara and Kurtis stood side by side, eager to hear more. Marie let out a sigh before continuing, "It seems that the place where the battle between Klara and Karel took place in 1968 is where they discovered you."

Kurtis interjected, "So, you're saying that Klara might have been turned into a baby when Lara's parents found her?"

"That's correct, my son," Marie replied, her gaze shifting back to Lara. "However, the details of what exactly happened remain a mystery. But recently, Martin Vasiley contacted me from Miss Clark's home, sharing some information he had uncovered about that event."

Kurtis inquired, "What did he find?"

"He confirmed that Richard Croft and Amelia Croft were the couple, who found Klara," Charles answered. "And due to the missing letter on the necklace, you were named Lara instead of Klara."

Kurtis placed a reassuring hand on Lara's back, attempting to comfort her. "But if Klara possessed powers, why hasn't Lara shown any signs of them?"

"I believe I may have an explanation," Elizabeth's voice chimed in as she and Chris entered the room. All eyes turned to her as she continued, "Karel mentioned that it's time for the Amazonian to awaken in Lara."

Elizabeth's words hit Kurtis like a revelation. "He was referring to Lara's powers."

"Precisely," Chris affirmed, retrieving the scroll believed to belong to Klara. "Beware of the icy blast; it could temporarily change your life, but fear not, as it will ultimately awaken the Amazonian within you."

"So, I have to subject myself to an icy blast to regain my powers?" Lara questioned, her voice filled with uncertainty.

"No, Lara, you wrote this scroll for a reason," Elizabeth interjected, studying the scroll with Chris. "You foresaw that Karel would use his powers against you."

Lara joined Elizabeth's side, glancing at the scroll. "The mother of all creations, she guided me in my dreams," Lara murmured, her eyes scanning the ancient text.

Chris nodded, chiming in, "Indeed. And she also mentioned that the chosen one would help you grow stronger. That's when the Amazonian within you will awaken."

Marie interjected, "But we still don't know who the chosen one is."

Kurtis, Elizabeth, and Chris exchanged knowing glances, realizing the weight of Marie's statement. Elizabeth sighed, her voice filled with determination. "We'll discover the chosen one in due time. Right now, we know where Klara is." She turned her gaze toward Lara.

"Elizabeth, we all know that if we don't find her or him before Karel..." Marie's words trailed off as Elizabeth's phone rang, interrupting their conversation.

Elizabeth answered the call, her expression shifting to one of concern. "Yes, Edward?"

"Elizabeth, as we were leaving Clark Manor, it was blown up," Edward reported, his voice slightly breathless.

"What?!" Elizabeth gasped. "Was anyone still inside?"

"No, luckily not," Edward reassured her, causing Elizabeth to breathe a sigh of relief. The others looked at her, curious about the sudden distress.

Karel's missiles, Elizabeth concluded internally. "Get yourselves to DR Congo's hideout and ensure no one sees you."

"Yes, Liz," Edward complied. "Anything else?"

"No, we're heading to Lara's manor. We'll talk later." Edward hung up without another word.

Concerned, Kurtis asked, "What happened?"

"I'll need to call for repairs," Elizabeth replied, her voice laced with a hint of sarcasm as she slammed her fist against the wall. "When we land, I'm going to assess the damage at my home."

"You're not going alone," Chris protested.

"I won't argue about it. I'm going alone," Elizabeth sighed, her tone resolute. "Our focus needs to be on keeping everyone close to Lara. She's more important than me."

Chris couldn't help but think, That's not true. But he chose to remain silent.

Kurtis and Elizabeth were the last ones remaining in the room. He looked at her, concern etched on his face. "How did Chris take the news?"

Elizabeth's gaze softened, and she sighed. "Without concrete proof that it might not be me, he's even more worried now. But at least he understands why I kept certain things from him."

Kurtis placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want company?"

"I'll be fine," Elizabeth assured him. "I promise."

"If you say so." Kurtis walked out, leaving Elizabeth alone to contemplate her thoughts.

"I need to make sure of one thing at my home. If Karel found it, this entire mission will become much more challenging," Elizabeth thought to herself, determined to safeguard a crucial secret.