In the “Western Frontier”, Covan and Tannis hope to begin again in their new lives, away from their old home back in Ensuresha. The Western Frontier holds much promise, as long as people stay away from the southern regions. All is well, except for an absent father. Both twins seek to deal with their father’s absence in their own ways; as Tannis prepares to enjoy at least one night of fun at a local theater, a stranger comes to town with his own intentions in the same place…
Cody stared out of the passenger seat window, bounced around over the rocky road beneath him. He couldn’t see anything in the pitch black night, but he knew someone, or something could see him from out there somewhere. He looked around at the other highlanders in the old wagon truck with him, who all sat noisily silent. The driver, Lark, kept his eyes forward, seeing what he could see as they drove through the pitch of night over the Dominn skies, but all he could see was whatever his headlights allowed him, including the back of the truck they were following.
It was a long drive in the dark, and though they were outside, in the remote landscape of the Dominn valleys, it was like blackened walls were tightening around them the further they went. Behind them was the only faint light they could see, which came from the town, Eshner, where they had driven from. Cody turned around to the town lights, which were too far away to comfort him with sight, lights that were like a lighthouse to a lost boat, and they were moving away from it, not towards it.
“This is a bad idea, man.” he said, turning back around, shivering in his boots, “We shouldn’t be out here.”
“We ain’t got a choice.” said Lark, “We do this now or never.”
“How do you know they won’t catch us?”
“Because of this place after dark, that’s why.” said Renny, the man in the front passenger seat.
“It’s because this place after dark that we shouldn’t be out here.” Cody said.
“No one should.” Lark said, “That includes that Silver chick. She may be crazy, but she ain’t crazy enough to come out here this late at night.”
“Remind me again why we’re crossin’ her?”
“Because she’s a fiend. Now we got the proof, and that proof needs to get out.”
“Where do you think she came from?” asked Donnel, the other guy in the back with Cody, “I heard she’s a witch. Or she’s a trainee of one, or some crazy thing like that.”
“Maybe she’s a vampire.” said Cody, “I mean, we don’t really know what they looked like, right? What if she’s one?”
“Hey!” Lark snapped, looking back at them, “Shut your mouths! We don’t like this any more than you guys–but this is gettin’ ridiculous! She ain’t a witch, and she sure as hell ain’t a vampire! She’s probably just part of another gang somewhere out there tryna scare everyone.”
“If that’s all she is, then why the hell are we out here, at night of all times, in this cursed place just to prove how bad she is?”
“Because Cauhly said so! Now shut your mouths, and get ready. We’re almost there.”
Another five minutes had passed, and the road seemed to get rockier, and the dark only darker. Cody and Ronnel could almost swear that something out in the pitch black was watching them, whether it was in the woods they knew were there but couldn’t be seen, or the mountains, which they also knew were there, and could not be seen. They turned off the main road, almost suddenly, following the first truck full of more men, sending up dirt to cloud the beams of their headlights.
Finally, the brake lights of the first truck lit up, somewhere in an open area, stopping in front of three cars that also had their headlights on for light, facing the trucks as they drove into the area. Lark pulled next to the first truck, and the four of them paused, seeing six men standing in front of the other cars. More highlanders from the look of them, which was a good sign for these guys. At least there was someone out here like them. All four–Lark, Ronney, Donnel and Cody–paused as they examined the shadow-like figures of the highlanders already outside of the three cars facing them. A knotting feeling of uncertainty plagued them, but they couldn’t find anything that should cause them to turn around. They wanted to, nevertheless.
Out of the trucks, they gathered with the others in the first truck, making eight in total, all armed with long rifles and semi-automatic rifles, and they were led by Cauhly. The cold air of the Dominn mountain valley met them as they came outside, and in a horizontal line, they drew near to the six men standing before them. While the highlanders coming from the trucks were armed with rifles, the ones standing in front of the cars waiting for them only had their pistols, and had them holstered as they waited patiently. The eight men who came out of the trucks kept their rifles at the ready, causing the six others who stood waiting for them to wonder.
“You boys seem a little on edge,” said one of them.
Cauhly stepped forward, with a well-groomed mustache and tophat. “Let’s just get this over with. You’re Togeth, right? You work for Gavinton?”
“That would be me. I assume you have the item? The proof of whoever this ‘Silver’ is?”
Cauhly reached into his jacket vest, and pulled out something that caught the eyes of all six of the highlanders in front of them, including Togeth, staring at the item intently. It was a small, metal block, with engravings in it, and one end carved into a strange shape. Togeth took a small breath upon seeing it. Cauhly handed it to him, and Togeth examined it. “So…” he said, “This is it?”
“That’s it.” Cauhly echoed, “What it opens, I don’t know, but we have it on good authority that this thing reads in some of that ancient elvish stuff. It can’t be good.”
“What do you want me to do with it?”
“Give it to Gavinton. He needs to know who he’s dealing with, don’t he? This damn place has enough freaky things about it already–what with the dreams people ‘re having all over the place.”
“Forgive me for appearing a little… uncooperative, but given that I know Gavinton, I’m not so sure he’ll be interested in this whole thing.”
“I think he’ll be very interested in this. He’s dealin’ with this wench; he needs to know what she’s up to.”
Togeth paused, holding the metal artifact up to his eyes again to examine, leaving everyone hanging in dead silence. “Hmm,” he thought aloud, and then clenched the artifact in his hand, “nah, I don’t think Gavinton needs to know about it.”
“What?” panicked Cauhly, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, Gavinton’s a busy man; he’s got far more important things to worry about.”
“Fine then! I’ll give the thing to him myself!”
“I don’t think that’s going to work.” a voice was heard from the dark. It was the voice of a woman, a young woman, and the very utterance sent shivers through the eight highlanders from the trucks. They raised their rifles, searching for the source, until from the black, came into the light a human figure, wearing a cloak over their person. Togeth stepped aside to let her through, and she approached without a flinch and stood next to Togeth. The eight highlanders from the trucks stood stunned; they knew who they were looking at, though she concealed her face. Finally, she removed the hood of the cloak covering her head, and they beheld the face of a young girl, with pale blue eyes that seemed to glow, even in the dark, with her dark, wavy hair tied behind her head.
“Hello, gentlemen.” she said with a grin on her face.
“Silver.” Cauhly said, stepping back once, “How… how?”
“Come on, guys. I’m almost insulted that you think I wasn’t onto you.”
Cauhly looked at Togeth, who stood with a calm stare at him. “Togeth…” the man said, “You’re… you’re with her?” Togeth said nothing, but his silence was all that was needed. “I’ll be sure Gavinton hears about this. You’ll burn with her!”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Silver said, “I’m afraid you walked into a trap. I wanted you here, to give back what you took from me. And here you are, with what you stole… And now it’s time to decide what to do with you.”
Cauhly gave in to a moment of terror, stepping back as he contemplated Silver’s subtle and calm threat. But he paused, and recovered himself as he looked at her and the men with her. He looked around for a moment, and then back at her again. Then a grin rose from his face. “Actually,” he said, “it seems like you’re outnumbered, and we’ve got bigger guns. Plus, we’ve all got ours drawn already.” He began to chuckle, “Seems like maybe you didn’t think this whole thing through after all.”
He heard the men behind him begin to chuckle, and relax. He grew bolder, and now stepped forward to Silver, who didn’t seem to waver for a moment at him. “Ya know,” he said, hoping to press fear down upon her with his presence, “you’re a pretty little thing; can’t be a witch. Prolly some cocky little rat from some gang out there. Looks like it’s just you and my boys, out here with no one to help, and ya know, my boys aren’t all that happy bein’ out here. They’re, uh… a little lonely.” His boldness went even farther, as he raised and brushed a hand through her loose bangs, “You think you could… give them a little company?” Their chuckling increased as they began to come closer to Togeth and his men, all of whom remained calm.
Silver snatched Cauhly’s hand with her own, along with his forwardness as he stood stunned. He nearly gasped as she did. “No, sir!” she said, “I think it may be you who hasn’t thought this night through.”
A scream blistered their ears, only it wasn’t Silver, or any of Togeth’s men. Cauhly jerked his head around to the source, and saw there were only seven of him and his men now, with a puff of dirt where one once stood. The missing highlander was heard screaming in the dark, dragged away swiftly before he went silent. As they all focused on him, another vanished. The remaining highlanders threw up their rifles, and began to search to and fro for the culprit. Silver stood patiently; her grin bloomed again as a loud thump struck one of the trucks. All of the men could nearly leap out of their own boots as they stumbled to the sound, and saw one of their former highlander partners, bloodied, with his lifeless eyes frozen open.
Only a few seconds later, another loud thump, drawing their eyes to the other truck, where something slammed upon its hood. This time, they saw a man, crouched on the hood, cloaked like Silver, but only much larger than her. For a moment, the highlander nearest this cloaked man got a glimpse of his eyes from the truck lights, and they seemed to blaze with fire.
“What the hell!” the highlander cursed in his panic as he opened fire on the cloaked man point blank. Round after round–bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang! The sound of the shots blistered the ears of everyone in the vicinity; Silver squinted one eye and cranked her mouth to one side of her face as she plugged her ears. The flash of the gun blasts lit up the cloaked man’s face even more, revealing a dark beard over his jaw and mouth.
But he was not struck by any of the point-blank rounds. Instead, the cloaked man threw his hand out as the highlander fired, and deflected the bullets by the mere gesture. Finally, the highlander ran out of ammo, and the only noise that could be heard was the remainder of his own outcry. Smoke streamed from his barrel, and through it, he saw the stare of the cloaked man. His eyes were piercing, and were set on this poor soul, and the next thing he knew, he was struck in the face with a foot, and he tumbled to the ground, out cold. Four others turned to fire, but a brilliant flame erupted in the dark, consuming one; the flame then exploded, sending small fireballs out that caught and wrapped flame around the clothing of the others. They screamed in horror as they dropped their rifles and threw themselves to the ground, running across the field like madmen, illuminating the areas in which they ran with flame. The remaining man dropped his rifle to aid his burning friends, leaving Cauhly alone.
The horror of his burning men ought to have consumed his attention, but instead, he couldn’t help but stare at the cloaked man who stared back at him with his piercing eyes. “Storg?” stuttered Cauhly.
“Isn’t he charming?” Silver said, smiling as before.
Cauhly turned to her with the terror in his eyes returning. “Please…” he said, “Don’t kill me.”
Silver looked at Storg (the cloaked man), who remained stoic and silent. Cauhly only increased in panic as she paused, with a taunting grin on her face, which Cauly could partly see by the men behind her caught on fire. She looked up at him again. “Mr. Cauhly… You just threatened me in a most sinister way. Why should I show you mercy?”
“Dear god… I didn’t know–”
“That I had my big man, Storg with me? So, what you’re saying is if he wasn’t here, you’d actually go through with that threat?”
“I didn’t mean it, Silver–it was just a threat, nothin’ more! Just take the key–take even my money; I got like five-hundred dollars in the truck. Aw come on, Silver, just let me go. I swear, I-I won’t tell no one about you–or Togeth.”
Once again, Silver looked at Storg, confusing Cauhly further. She sighed, “Mr. Cauhly… I believe your men are a little burned right now. You should probably get them to the nearest doctor.” Cauhly frantically nodded as he stepped back from her. He was ready to turn around when he heard Silver again, “And Mr. Cauhly! I’ll be watching you.” He froze for a moment, but turned around to flee once more, maintaining his distance deliberately from Storg.
Togeth watched him run to his men as they were finally able to put the flames out. “You’re letting them go?” he asked Silver.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Silver replied, her smile disappearing, “We’re not murderers.”
“The guy threatened to hurt you and you still wanna let him go?”
Silver paused, and then turned to Togeth, looking him in the eyes to speak, “You okay?”
“Of course I am.” He handed her the metal artifact, “What about you?”
Silver looked back at the fleeing Cauhly and his remaining men, and then she took one good look at Storg to think. Then she raised the artifact in her hand. “I think it’s time to get out of here.” She turned to Togeth again, “Is our guy ready in Levington?”
“I talked with him this evening before we came out here. Everything’s in place.”
“Good… Let’s get moving, then.”
The clock ticked, and ticked, and ticked as Mr. Kelly droned on with his lecture, standing in the front of the class of twenty-two kids, all dressed in white, button-up shirts, red bow ties under blue sweater vests. The girls were a mix of dark blue skirts and sometimes pants, but all wearing white socks that covered their entire legs, fit into shiny black shoes. The boys wore the same upper outfits, while wearing dark blue pants and black shoes, with their hair neatly gelled.
Tick, tock, tick, tock, the clock went and went. It didn’t help that it was only five feet away, just to Tannis’s right, sitting above her on the wall, taunting her with its slow, clicking minute hand. She fiddled with a small contraption of gears on her desk, sticking a finger in one of the holes of one gear and turning it, causing the other gears to turn with it, while her right foot couldn’t sit still. Playing with her contraption was the only thing that amused her as she sat, gripped by this uniform that from her legs up to her neck, wouldn’t let her go, or give her any room to breathe.
“In the late 1330s,” said Mr. Kelly, as he wrote on the board with his chalk, “the migrants came over to West Enussia, settling in what we call today Annchorehead, which as you know, is in the colony of Hannergen, our neighbor. Here is where the Western Frontier began.” Mr. Kelly finished writing on the board, wiped his hands and turned to the class. “Now,” he said, “are there any questions?”
Tannis looked around the dead silent room, which remained still, but only for a moment. A hand went up a few desks in front of her.
“Yes, Jarick.” Mr. Kelly said.
“I heard there’s dragons in the south and southwest. Is that true?”
Mr. Kelly cracked a small smile at the question. “I’m afraid dragons are about everywhere you go, though not as common as they once were. They usually keep to themselves, in the deeper mountains, and where the small villages are. They never venture into the large cities, such as Levington.”
“But aren’t there people in the south? Won’t they get killed by dragons?”
“Dragon attacks aren’t very common anymore, but there could be some.”
Tannis’s attention finally found something to focus on. Dragon threats never ceased to pull her in, like bad weather warnings. “Could be?” said another student, “Shouldn’t we always know that?”
“Well,” Mr. Kelly said, his smile growing, “we don’t know everything that happens in the south, including dragon attacks. As you all know, we don’t venture south past the Dominn plains, nor west, for that matter. Especially west.”
“But isn’t Axelton south past the plains?” a female student asked.
“Yes. What we generally mean about going past the plains is the mountains in the south. They’re very dangerous, and not simply because of dragons and tales of witches and other monsters that nest in that region. As we will soon see, the Enussian Union is still struggling with its progress into the Western Frontier. The Uprising, though over a decade ago, still affects progress to restore efforts into our expansion of the Frontier. As a result, many of the inhabitants who dare to make a home in the south are unfortunately on their own. Some call it the outlaw land, others the highlands. Formerly, though, they’re always called the South Dominn mountains.”
Tannis pondered on the explanation from Mr. Kelly. She always heard about the south region. She wondered if her dad ever went there. It wouldn’t surprise her if he did. All she could hope was that she never had to go anywhere near that area. Fortunately, there was no reason for it.
As though on cue, and to Tannis’s relief, the bell raddled throughout the quiet and stagnant classroom. Mr. Kelly waited for it to finish; the kids did not. As soon as it woke them up from their lunch-induced food comas, they were up and packing their backpacks, including Tannis.
“A perfect time to stop for the day!” Mr. Kelly said with a grin, “We’ll pick up right there next week as we begin to learn about the Western Frontier of West Enussia. Have a great weekend! If you’re going to the Benlin Show tonight, have fun and stay safe. I’ll see you all next week!”
Tannis was out of her seat when two girls approached her, watching her pick up her small contraption of little gears. “Building a clock while waiting for the clock to hit four?” Sam, one of the girls asked with a smile.
Tannis smiled back, “Thinking about making a clock that moves faster, and then replacing that one on the wall with it.”
The girls shared a small laugh. “Come on,” Corri, the other girl, said, “Terra and Rannel will be out in the courtyard waiting for us. It’s gonna be a big night.”
The three girls walked out of the class together, into a hall filled with kids dressed just like them.
“I can’t wait!” said Sam, “The Benlin shows are just the best. The music always gets me!”
“Don’t forget the guys.” Corri said, “Sorren’s gonna be there!”
“Wait,” said Tannis, her smile disappearing, “the Benlin show’s tonight?”
“Uh, yeah.” Sam said, “Where’ve you been?”
“Making those little robots.” Corri joked.
Tannis’s mind drifted, unable to even process the small joke. She didn’t think the show would be this night. “I don’t think I can go tonight,” said Tannis.
“What?” Corri said, “Why not?”
Tannis hesitated to answer. “It’s,” she began, “family stuff; sort of… hard to explain.”
“Your dad’s in town?” Sam asked.
Tannis nodded, “We’re supposed to meet him.”
“Well that’s too bad.” Corri said, “Not that your dad coming home is bad news… But you’re gonna miss out on a lot of fun… and boys.”
Tannis smiled, “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Oh stop. You know what I mean. When ‘re you gonna start seein’ boys, Tannis?”
“Yeah,” Sam said, “it’s kinda why we’re here in the first place, you know.”
They stopped at Tannis’s locker. “I’m pretty sure we’re here to learn stuff,” Tannis said as she fiddled with her lock combination.
“Duh. But you know what the adults always say: stay in school, get good grades; find a cool and handsome soul mate.”
Tannis heard enough of that corny phrase for a single lifetime, and she was only fourteen years old. Being reminded of this school constantly besieged her mind with the memories of why her father put her and her brother here in the first place. Having a father who cared enough to put her and Covan in a good school was an unmistakable display of affection. But he was hardly around to see them grow up, and was all of life just about being a wife? Her mind went back to the clock in the classroom. The only thing about the clock that annoyed her was that it took too long to finally hit the bell, and release her from this dreaded place.
But she loved to listen to the hands move, and to hear the gears within, the mechanics you don’t see, click and move together, like her small contraption. Her locker combination had been finished, and she opened it, and hearing that, even amidst all the noise of the other kids, was like music to her ears. One of these days, she would have to open this little lock up and see how it works.
Corri hugged her books and stared off above the crowds. “I bet Sorren ‘ll be an amazing husband one day.”
“Oh stop,” Sam said, “you know it’s like, almost impossible that you marry some guy you’re into in school, right? Look at TJ and Mia; everyone thought they were gonna last.”
“That’s because TJ had to leave, remember? They went back east.”
“That just proves my point. You never know what’s gonna happen.” Sam looked at Tannis, “Right Tannis?”
Hearing her name snapped her out of a short daydream about her dad, and his constant absence. “Huh?” she said, “Oh, yeah… You never know what could happen.”
She closed her locker, having discarded unneeded books, and the three continued to the courtyard together. Corri and Sam continued to muse about the show tonight. Part of Tannis wanted to go, but another didn’t care. She couldn’t stop thinking about her dad, and how she hoped he would be home today. She didn’t know what would happen if he wasn’t. Covan would surely not take it well. For her? Well, it had become normal for her. At least she knew she could tweak stuff to take her mind off of it.
Covan sat with his friends outside in the school courtyard on a set of stairs that led up into the cafeteria hall. Finally, school was out, and he could go home and get this suffocating uniform off, if only for a few days. Why his father made him go through with this sham school system is the biggest lesson in all of education for him. What was even more nail-screeching was his own friends’ pointless conversations. He wanted someone to take his mind off his dad coming home, but even that was better than listening to Cassen going on about his new ‘car’ which wasn’t really his.
“You think I should have it painted red?” Cassen asked Ralden, who was peeling an apple with a small knife next to Scott and Toby, “I bet it’d look good in red.”
“You mean like crazy red?” Ralden said, “Like Escott’s shoes?”
“You saw them the other day?” Cassen said as a smile lit his face and caused him to sit up, “Bloody hell, mate! She was gorgeous!”
“Hell yeah! Do that red! I bet she’d dig it!”
“Maybe I’ll get some stripes on it, too. And dual exhausts; loud and all. It’ll be the fastest car around!” He looked up at Covan, “Right Covan?”
Covan kept scanning the courtyard for something interesting to fix on. “Exhaust doesn’t make your car go faster,” he said.
The other boys looked at each other and almost laughed. “What’s up with you?” Toby asked Covan, “Got an itch you can’t reach right now?”
Ralden chuckled, “Nah, man, he’s all wound up about the show tonight. Wonderin’ if he’ll finally be able to talk to one of the girls.”
“Mate,” Cassen said with a smile, “don’t sweat it! You’re riddin’ with me! The ladies ‘re gonna love it.”
“First off,” Covan said, “I’m not even going tonight anyway. Second,” he looked at Cassen, “it’s not even your car–it’s your dad’s.”
“You think I can’t afford my own ride?”
“I know you can’t afford your own ride.” Covan said, looking back at the courtyard scenery.
“He’s got a point, Cassen,” Scott said, “I mean, you need money to buy a car, you know that right?”
“I got money!” Cassen said, “How do ya think I get gas? Or buy food?”
“Anyone can get a couple bucks from dad with an allowance, dude.” Covan said, “That’s not the same as actually having a job.”
“How many guys do you think have jobs here, anyway?” Toby asked.
“No one here has a job.” Covan jabbed.
“Mate, you keep that up, and you’re walkin’ to the show tonight.” Cassen said.
Covan looked at him, “Already told you, I’m not going.”
“Oh yeah?” Ralden said, chewing a bite of his apple, “Why’s that? Too scared to talk to the girls?”
“Believe me,” Covan said, “I’d rather deal with that… But I can’t… my dad’s supposed to come home.”
The others looked at each other in an awkward pause. They all knew what they wanted to say, but were afraid to say it. “Wasn’t your dad supposed to come back like the other two times?” Toby asked.
Covan sighed, still looking around. He had no intention of answering the question. “Yeah… Just like the other times,” he admitted.
“You don’t sound excited about it.”
“Really?” Covan nearly snapped, looking at Toby, “Because I thought I was making it obvious.”
“I’m just sayin’, mate, if it ain’t somethin’ you’re lookin’ forward to, why go?”
Covan wanted to hurl something at Toby for such a stupid question. But he reminded himself that these guys, along with everyone else in this place, were a bunch of stuck-up, privileged, spoiled rich kids. Their parents didn’t care when or how they came home, as long as they did. If Toby didn’t feel like hanging out with mom and dad, he didn’t have to. That’s how lucky he had it. No matter what he did, mom and dad were always there.
“I have to,” Covan said, “don’t got a choice.”
“Bugga…” Scott said, “That’s just bullocks.”
Covan rolled his eyes, and spotted Tannis and her friends approaching. He sat up from the railing he was leaning on, and adjusted his backpack. “You guys enjoy yourselves,” he said, “I gotta go.”
Tannis stopped once she saw Covan walking towards her. He was as excited as she ought to have expected. Most didn’t see it, but she did.
“I’ll see you guys later.” Tannis said, letting Corri and Sam go.
“What took you?” Covan said, stopping in front of Tannis.
Tannis brushed off the jabbing question, knowing Covan was just letting his nerves get the better of him, and the two started walking together. “You know I hate carrying books I don’t need to carry.” she replied, “Just had to put them away.” Tannis scanned Covan’s person, especially his backpack. “What about you?” she asked, “I don’t see any books anywhere.”
“I don’t carry books. What’s the point?”
Tannis nearly chuckled, “To get through school. Hello?”
Covan rolled his eyes, “Come on, sis. You know none of this means anything. In a few months we’ll be gone anyway.”
“As if you want to stay?” Tannis teased. Covan didn’t answer, which was more dampening than if he had said anything. Tannis’s smile fell as her eyes looked at the ground. “Dad’s trying to help us, Covan,” she said, “he’s doing the best he can.”
“Doesn’t feel like it.”
“Him taking us to a nice school doesn’t feel like him trying to help us?”
“You know neither of us belong here. And you know he can’t afford this for us unless he’s doing what he does. Him and uncle Noud.”
“Maybe. But how many mercenary dads send their kids to get the best education in the west?”
Covan went silent. He wanted to answer, but at the same time, he felt it was a ridiculous idea to respond to such a silly question. “I thought you hated it here,” he said.
Tannis shrugged, “Meh, it’s fine… I mean,” she tugged at her collar, “these uniforms suck.”
Covan couldn’t help but smile a little. “You’re right about that.”
“And most of these kids don’t have anything interesting to talk about.”
Again, Covan’s smile grew. “Oh god,” he said, “don’t remind me. All everyone here talks about is how many things they have, which aren’t really theirs. Drives me nuts.”
“Now, now, Covan, not everyone’s got a rough-n-tough past like you.”
Covan shook his head, wanting to be offended by Tannis’s tease, but couldn’t help a smile. “Seriously, though,” he said, “it’s just so bad. Smashing my head into the wall is less painful.”
“Well, at least we’ve got some kind of normalness now.”
Covan paused for a moment. She had a point. With their dad and uncle Noud constantly on the move, running from enemies, they never had a moment to really settle down. For once, they seemed to have it. But sitting still only seemed to make him more unable to be still. A question came to his mind, and he wondered if he should ask it.
“Is that what we were looking for?” he asked, startling Tannis for a moment.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“This,” Covan said, gesturing to the other kids they both looked just like, “being here.”
“I don’t know what you’re asking for, Covan… What–do you want… to be like dad?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Covan said, looking away, wondering if Tannis’s question was exactly what he was saying or not. He tried to reset his thoughts, but it wasn’t working. He sighed, “I dunno… Forget I asked.”
Tannis paused, trying to find words to say. Life in the west was no easier than it was when they were east, across the Caen Sea in Ensuresha. Their dad and uncle hoped that was a good place to stay, but things caught up to them there. For her, it seemed so simple for their dad to just let it go, and do the time he needed to be free. But he couldn’t, or at least, he wouldn’t. He seemed determined to give the two of them a good, normal life. But what point was there, when he was so busy keeping them safe that he couldn’t be around?
“Covan! Tannis!” a voice called, before Tannis could console her brother. The two looked to the familiar voice, just some fifty feet away. It was Aston, a friend of their father, waiting by his car on the side of the road. “Over here!” he said, waving them down. The two walked together to him, half regretting it. “How was school today?” he asked, with a joy that rubbed the twins uncomfortably.
“Fine.” Covan said as they got into the car; Tannis sat in front with Aston, while Covan sat in the back.
“Fine?” Aston said, putting the wagon car in drive, “That’s it? Eight-hour school days don’t go without something interestin’ about them.”
“The most interesting part is the last bell to let us go.”
Tannis giggled, and turned to Covan. “Cheer! Cheer! The Canvard girl!” She sang in a different language.
Covan smiled back, “For the bell has set her free!” The two shared a laugh.
Aston tried to laugh with them. “Come on, now guys,” he said, “remember what we agreed on–no Nordun while around ole Aston.”
Tannis still had her smile on her face, looking at Aston, “Don’t worry, Aston!” she continued in Nordun, “We only speak in Nordun when we want to make you feel as uncomfortable as you look.”
Covan chuckled slightly, and Aston tried to follow along with his own uncomfortable chuckle. “Hey, come on,” he said, “seriously, let’s keep it Durish. What’d you just say?”
“She just said don’t worry,” Covan said, “it’s just a silly song we learned a while ago.”
“Okay, well, you guys know I like talking to you, and you know I don’t speak Nordun… Although I must say, it’s pretty fascinating that you two are probably the only two people in all of Dominn and Hannergen who speak it. I knew a fellow once who spoke Febian, Berchazan and elvish…” Another long, droning story from Aston, which the twins figured they ought to have expected. Aston was a quirky guy, and talked too much, but at least he had enough stories, however true or not, to help the twins not care about the big thing missing in most of their life.
Still, the talking only worked for so long. The lingering thought, the festering idea, boiled and boiled and boiled, until it couldn’t be ignored anymore, and all Covan could do was look out his car window, watch the trees go by, and occasional fields that stretched as far as he could see. Would his dad finally come home like he said? Aston’s continued talking only made him more nervous. He always talked, but even for him, this was a lot of talking, and he did that when he was unsure, which meant something was wrong.
Every so often Covan looked up at Tannis talking to Aston, and sometimes showing him a silly game she and her friends made just with their hand. She always handled bad news better than he did, and he didn’t know why. He wanted to partake in the bliss the two were seemingly in, but he couldn’t help feeling himself drift further and further away the further the ride went, until it finally came to a stop in an urban center, a familiar sight to Covan and Tannis. They peered up at the brick buildings going up an average of fifteen stories, some going even higher. It was a marvel to see that the Industrial Era managed to come this far overseas.
Aston parked in a lot behind the buildings, away from the roads, and the three of them got out, walking to the condos. Covan counted his steps, looking up to the building, which went up twenty stories. Theirs was the third. Aston didn’t stop talking, and greeting people on their way. He was the most talkative person Covan ever knew, an attribute he didn’t consider a virtue. Sometimes the greetings turned into small conversations about daily life that only delayed them from getting to their place, which was both a relief and a dread to Covan.
Through the halls, into the elevator, which hummed up Covan’s spine, and finally to the quiet third floor. Aston fiddled with his keys, seemingly teasing Tannis and Covan who stood waiting for him to get the right one. Finally, he got the key, only to struggle getting it into the keyhole.
He sighed as he opened the door, and walked inside, followed by the twins. “Here we are!” he said, setting his things down and walking into the living area.
“Yeah,” Covan said, walking in, “we live here, Aston. You don’t have to remind us we’re home.”
“Hey now, home is the best place to be. I thought you guys would be happy to be done with school and going home. You sure seemed like it in the car.”
“Where’s dad?” Covan said, interrupting and deflating Aston’s joke.
Aston paused, looking at Tannis who stood as curious as Covan was. He began to stutter, “Well, your dad is… on his way, and he’ll be here–”
“He’s not here, is he?” Tannis interrupted.
Aston put a finger up, “I didn’t say that. He will be here… But… maybe not tonight.”
Covan dropped his backpack on the floor. “I knew it.” he said, walking away into the hall, towards his room.
“Covan!” Aston said, trying to push assertiveness through his stammering, “You know your dad doesn’t accept you leaving your things on the living room floor.”
“Who cares!” Covan snapped, stepping out from the hall again, “He’s not even here!”
“And what if I tell him about this attitude of yours?”
“What’s he gonna do? Yell at me? How’s he gonna do that when he’s running around god knows where, working for who knows what?” He stormed back to his room.
“Covan!” Aston called again, “Covan, you come back in here and get your backpack!” No response. Only commotion from inside Covan’s room. Aston sighed, shaking his head. “That boy is something else.” he said, before he walked towards Covan’s backpack. Tannis watched him pick it up, wondering if she should say anything. It seemed pointless; Covan never listened to anyone when he was angry, not even her. Aston wasn’t going to do anything. To him, all of this was just him earning a nice paycheck from their dad. Dealing with an angry Covan was apparently above his pay grade. After Aston put the backpack next to Covan’s door, he walked back into the living room.
“I’m sorry, Tannis.” he said, “I wish I had more to say.”
“It’s fine.” Tannis said, walking to her room.
“Where’re you going?” Aston asked.
“Just… need to be alone for a while.”
“Okay then… I’ll be going to the market in the meantime. I should be back in a few hours.”
Tannis didn’t say anything. She knew what that meant. That was Aston’s cue to get out of this pressurized place before it made him even more uncomfortable. He always looked for an exit when she or Covan got angry.
An hour later, Tannis was in her room, listening to a record player, one she partially built. Her room was a mess with gadgets and props for small mechanical devices, especially around her work desk. It was meant for homework, but the only homework she cared about was her small machines. Working on her small machines took her out of this place, out of Dominn, out of West Enussia, and out of the void feeling in her heart about her family. It made more sense to her to work on machines, to make small tools and gadgets that helped around the house. They were more simple than people were.
She was setting a pair of gears in their place when she heard a tap somewhere in her room. Her fixed eyes went up, and she looked around. Nothing was out of place, except for everything in her room. Back to work. Slow and steady, she got the pieces in place, and reached for a small screwdriver to bolt them in, and then another tap. Her eyes went up again; now she knew she heard something, and it came from the window. She stood out of her chair and walked towards it, pushing the half-open window fully open as she spotted a well-dressed young man standing on the sidewalk below.
A smile grew on her face as she saw him. It was Keenan, dressed up, and charming as always. “What ‘re you doing here?” she asked.
“I was in the neighborhood.” he said with a smile on his face, “Thought I’d say hello.”
“In the neighborhood, huh? So you walk around just dressed like that?”
“Well,” Keenan said, looking at himself briefly, “I am planning on going to a Benlin show tonight at the Riverside theater. Was kinda hoping you’d be interested.”
Tannis paused. She was about to tell him about her father, but realized he wasn’t coming home. Still, she hesitated. Why? If he wasn’t coming, there wasn’t any reason not to go to the show. What was more, she wanted to finish her project. It took her mind off her father, and uncle. But did it? There was something wrong about this night. A fresh wound from her father had struck, and when fresh, even her projects barely helped. She knew what consumed her mind, even as she focused on her work.
Her father wouldn’t approve of this, especially with Keenan. But he wasn’t here. He wasn’t going to know, and that simple fact alone, was enough to strain her mind. A night out, with a charming young man like Keenan, and seeing her friends from school, however uninteresting they may have been, was better than thinking about her father all night.
“Gimme a minute.” she said with her smile brightening again.
The air was cool this evening in Levington. A sign of the coming fall season in West Enussia, a season that brought back too many memories for Sratos as he walked through the streets of downtown Levington. The street lights came on, tinting the sidewalks and buildings in yellow as the sun began to fade into the distant western mountains. This night would be a night to remember for Sratos. He recalled everything that led him here. Every misfortune, and every one who double-crossed him. Tonight he got to make it all even. But his shoulders shivered, and he couldn’t get them to stop. Maybe it was time for a couple of beers. Of course, doing that would make his aim worse, and he needed that to be as sharp as possible. Nights like this don’t come easy.
He stepped into a restaurant, just as its night life was beginning, carrying a worn out backpack over his left shoulder. His eyes scanned for a moment, searching for someone, someone who was making it too difficult to be found. But he spotted someone worth talking to: Caden, talking to a pair of men at a single round table, near the bar. Sratos made his way through crowds of people and waiters, while keeping an eye on several people. Not in obvious staring, of course. But he knew not everyone here was just having a nice dinner. He sure wasn’t here for that, and he was certainly not the only one.
“Caden,” Sratos said, interrupting the man’s conversation.
Caden’s momentary irritation turned to a smile as he realized who said his name. “Hey, Sratos!” he said, standing straight with a cigarette in his mouth, “What brings a guy like you all the way up here?”
“A lovely dinner and some songs.” Sratos said, maintaining a straight face, “Where’s Khaeol? I need to talk to him.”
Caden looked around for a moment. “Uhmm,” he said, “not sure. Gotta be here somewhere. I’m sure he’ll turn up. Come on, chill out for a bit!”
“Maybe later. I need to find him now.”
Caden was about to speak when another voice was heard behind Sratos, “Lovely evening, no?” Sratos turned around, and saw the man he was looking for. “A nice night for a stroll.” Khaeol added.
“You can say that again.” Sratos replied.
The two left Caden, and walked to the end of the bar to talk, under a television to obscure their words.
“You’re early.” Khaeol said.
“You got target confirmation?” Sratos asked.
Khaeol paused for a moment, looking towards the bar patrons. “Yeah, I got him.” he said, looking at Sratos again, “He’ll be at the Riverside theater. Ever heard of a Benlin Show?”
“A theater? What the hell’s he doing in a place like that?”
“Come now, Sratos.” Khaeol teased, “It’s important to know all the details of your target. You mean to tell me you’ve been tracking Stanren this whole time, and you don’t know his personal hobbies? Hmph! No wonder you need my help.”
“Just tell me how to get there.” Sratos nearly interrupted, lighting a cigar.
Khaeol paused again, contemplating Sratos’s plan, and everything that led him here. His smile slightly faded as he pondered. “You sure you wanna do this?” he asked, “Stanren’s a pretty important guy in the south. He’ll have bodyguards, and it’s an incredibly public area. It’s a theater, for god’s sake.”
“You’re the one who suggested nabbing him during his leisure time.”
“I think you should try for something else. Maybe wait for him to leave, head off to a bar or something.”
Sratos smirked, “Hmph! A bar? Why would he go there, knowing we’re after him…? Nah, I’d rather get him like this. Send a nice message to the rest of those punks that we can get them anywhere we’d like.”
“There’s gonna be a lot of people, Sratos. Even if you get him, getting out’s a whole different thing.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve gotten myself out of a lot worse.”
“Yeah, well,” Khaeol said, standing straight to adjust his jacket, “I think I’ll tag along, just in case.” Sratos froze as Khaeol walked past him.
“You know I’m not paying you to get in my way, right?” Sratos said.
Khaeol turned around with his rejuvenated smile, “Yeah, but I know where the theater is, and you don’t. Come on.”
Sratos paused, wondering what Khaeol was up to. There had to be some kind of angle from him. It didn’t matter. Khaeol wasn’t dumb enough to cross Sratos. He scoffed at Khaeol and followed him.
“You better not get in my way.” Sratos said.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Sratos. Believe you me, the last thing I want is to get caught up in another spiraling situation which you created.”
“Is that so?” Sratos challenged.
“Don’t think I don’t hear about you and your gang’s crazy adventures down there in the south.”
“Yeah, well… Hopefully this’ll be quick, and I can be back there.” Sratos paused, and looked around, “I hate this place. How can you stand so much noise?”
“You mean the raze music?”
“Yeah, the noise.”
Khaeol chuckled, “It’s always interesting having you in town, Sratos. Although I hope for both our sakes, this time it won’t be so… complicated.”
They stepped outside the restaurant at that point. “Killing swindling parasites isn’t complicated.” Sratos said.
“Is it?” Khaeol said as the two walked to his car in the parking lot just to the left of the restaurant, “What happens after you take this guy out?”
“I go back to my crew, obviously. By then, hopefully Broden’s got Channer out of jail, and life goes on, as they say.”
“That’s where I gotta disagree, my friend. Life never just goes on when you’re doing the stuff you’re doing. That’s why I do what I do.”
“What a crappy way to live.”
Khaeol chuckled, unlocking his driver door, while Sratos went to the passenger side. “Trash my lifestyle all you want,” Khaeol said, looking at Sratos from outside the driver’s side door, “but at least I don’t keep finding myself at the wrong end of every gun here in Dominn, including by my own gang.”
“Will you shut up and open the damn door?”
Khaeol chuckled, shaking his head and stepping inside to open Sratos’s door. Once both were inside, they were off, driving through downtown Levington, with street lights beginning to steward the city for the sun.
“So a Benlin show, huh?” Sratos asked, “What’s that like?”
Khaeol looked at Sratos for a quick moment, pondering his response. “Well… it’s got raze and jazz. It’s one of those ‘musical’ shows.”
“That sounds awful.”
“To you highlander boys who run around the southern valleys and plains, maybe. But you know the Industrial Era’s coming over here, and pretty soon, what’s left of the ‘Western Frontier’ is gonna have cities like this.”
“Hmph! I’d like to see that.”
“Take a look around, my friend. It’s already happening.”
Sratos pondered a moment as Khaeol spoke. The idea of an industrialized Dominn, or of the whole West Enussia boiled in his mind with repulsiveness. The large buildings, the smoking stacks, the way it softens people to rely on far too many conveniences.
“What’s a matter?” Khaeol asked, “Not a fan of that idea?”
Sratos drew his revolver, checking it to make sure it was clean and ready for tonight. “I’m not a fan of city dwellers.” he said.
“Aw, you mean like little ole me?”
“I mean the likes of Stanren. The dude’s gettin’ popped because he’s let all this turn him soft.”
Khaeol had to chuckle then. “Let’s just get one thing straight here, Sratos. Stanren’s gettin’ popped because you and your buddy Channer messed up.”
Sratos’s eyes darted to Khaeol, “I trusted him. He said he was gonna have the money delivered to Broden, and he double-crossed me, and left us for dead. Channer’s lucky to be alive because of it.” Sratos’s darting eyes softened, and he looked ahead as his mind dwelled deeper onto everything that led him here, “And he sold himself to all these damn city boys and corporate asses polluting the west.”
Khaeol was quiet, but he still had to smile. Sratos was never good at analyzing his problems. Part of Khaeol felt sorry for him. But what could he expect from a highlander? Raised amidst a gang of ruthless outlaws from the south meant being raised to trust no one, rely on no one, and care for no one. Yet this was the thing that tortured Sratos most, and Khaeol knew it. Sratos, no matter how hard he may have tried, couldn’t go as far as the others. Something kept him from it.
“Well,” Khaeol said with a sigh, “I guess Stanren’ll get what’s coming to him, huh?”
“That he will.”
There was nothing left to be said, and they drove through downtown Levinton until they arrived at the Riverside theater.
Masters of Eldreon 