The Brothers Locke, page 17
Right now, there was the matter of money that needed to be handled and the transition of power.
“The storm is letting up,” Bando commented as he peered through the flaps of the tent to the outside. “We can go soon. You two should wrap this up.”
“No doubt,” Sim Sam agreed. He tapped one of his guards on the shoulder and gave him instructions to bring in the occupants of the other tent.
No One and Mongrel were escorted into the tent along with Dana, whose hands were bound behind her back. Her anger was not in question to anyone who looked at her face. Her skin was flush and her jaw tight. It took three guards to put her into a chair, and even then, they kept their weapons aimed at her.
“Where to start?” Von Strauss smiled. “The beast. Mongrel, you call it? It is impressive. Crude, but impressive.”
“Doctor Psi does good work. It’s part of the exchange, so you can do with it as you wish,” Sim Sam said.
“My master will likely have many ideas for it. And this one, the boy from Icagoro. Is he …”
“Yes, he is.”
“I see.”
No One didn’t quite understand what that exchange between the two masterminds meant, but it seemed of little consequence. He had been paid, and this was the final stop before he could return to Icagoro with more money in his pocket than he had ever seen in his entire life.
“And the centerpiece of all of this. Remember me, Dana?”
Her eyes were slits. She turned slowly towards Von Strauss. Without hesitation, she spat at him, the phlegm landing right on the bridge of his nose. One of the guards smacked her in the back of the head, but Sim Sam ordered them to stop. Von Strauss was temporarily insulted, but then shined a gray smile as he wiped the spit from his face.
“Feisty as ever. So everything is complete, yes? Your payment is there, Sim Sam. I trust you will be on your way.”
“No doubt,” he said and stopped working on the gadget at the table. He ordered his guards to collect the gears and tools he had been using while he went to open up the case Von Strauss had left for him. It was filled with all manner of currency and jewels. The business — this long and tedious business — had come to an end for him. It was now time to get back to Avidity and continue his role as one of The Miscellany’s right-hand men.
“Mongrel is under your control, of course. It won’t obey any of your other creatures, but it will obey you. Your master can work out the details later. And now, it’s all done.” Sim Sam shook Von Strauss’ hand and exited the tent, flanked by his personal guards who carried his equipment and treasure along with them. The three who were watching Dana left as well, leaving her in the custody of Bando who took a seat across from her, weapon in hand.
“He said you had the other half for me,” No One spoke up.
“Come again?” Von Strauss answered as if he hadn’t heard the boy.
“Sim Sam. He said the other half of my payment was to come from you. I’d like to get it and be off now. No offense, but this is as far as I promised to go.”
“Yes, yes, money again. It’s always money with you people. At least Sim Sam has the wit to earn his. You merely were a pawn.”
“I controlled this creature,” No One said pointing to Mongrel. “If I hadn’t controlled it and if I hadn’t smuggled this thing into Pharracrop, you wouldn’t be here, now would you?”
The Bascelics grunted a warning to the boy. He noted their posture and thought to tone down his attitude.
“I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I would like to be off now.”
Von Strauss just glared at the boy for a few moments, biting his lower lip and fiddling with his coat pocket. He then nodded in agreement and waved to his Bascelics.
“And so you shall. They have what you need in the vehicle outside.”
No One followed the two winged creatures out of the tent. Bando and Dana knew the game that was being played, but neither had compassion for the boy as his screams echoed in the foothills of the mountain. They had seen pawns like him used and discarded more times than they could count. The boy should have known better. He had seen too much and had too little pull with anyone to be trusted with such secrets. It was a lesson learned.
“I’ll leave you two for now. We leave in ten minutes once the mess outside is cleaned up. Then, we make history,” Von Strauss said as he exited the tent with the rest of the Bascelics and his latest acquisition, Mongrel, in tow.
Stealing a vehicle from Pharracrop was easy for the Locke Brothers and the two technically-gifted teenagers, Kale and Jocelyn. Driving the vehicle in the rough terrain of the north was another matter altogether.
Being the oldest at fifteen, Kale took on the responsibilities of driving the heavy truck over rocks and ice, snow and stone. Jocelyn navigated from the passenger seat while the triplets sat in the back of the truck trying their best not to get motion sick from the bumping and shaking.
“How much longer until we get there?” Mouth asked.
“Another few miles,” Kale answered as he tried to navigate another bump in the road. “It’s not precise, though. There aren’t any real maps for this area, just general drawings and estimations.”
“So it could really be another ten or ten hundred miles for all you know,” said Echo.
Kale paused for a moment to think whether he wanted to admit the truth or not, but then answered as matter-of-factly as he could, “Yes.”
“It’s not that far, fellas,” Jocelyn reassured them. “We’ve been looking at this mountain range for a while now. The larger they, get the closer we are. Relax.”
“She makes a good point,” Sharp signed.
“I’m still having a hard time believing that Bando is a traitor,” Mouth said. “He doesn’t seem the type.”
“Who knows anymore,” Echo responded. “I mean, we’ve seen enough double crosses in the last week and a half to make me almost suspect you, brother.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Yes, calm down. The only people I trust are you and Sharp, to be honest.”
“Thanks for that,” Kale threw his comment to the back of the truck. “I’m only driving us up here into the middle of frozen nowhere so we can most likely be killed just to double cross you.”
“Well, alright. You two are okay too,” Mouth conceded with a smile to his brothers.
“Thank the Dea for that,” Kale muttered.
“What’s that up there?” Jocelyn said alarmingly.
The snow-covered path ahead was dotted with dark marks — burn marks to be exact. There were signs of a crash and a struggle. Kale stopped the truck so they could all get a better look of the area.
“Sharp, what do you see?” Mouth asked his brother.
With his enhanced vision, Sharp surveyed the area, looking with every field of sight and every spectrum of light he could. Infrared and electromagnetic, ultraviolet and x-ray, and a dozen other fields that he didn’t even have names for all resulted in the same information. This is where a truck had spun out of control. Not too far from them was a foot trail that led to a series of nearby sheds.
“That way,”
“I’ll keep the truck running,” Kale said, his fear of getting out of the car not lost on anyone.
Mouth and Sharp followed the trail of footsteps to the sheds. The wind had died down in the last few minutes, but the air remained ice cold. Right now, they wished they had stolen thicker clothes to wear.
“Stop right there,” a voice came from the shed.
“Who is that? Bulk?” Mouth asked.
“Yeah,” their friend answered as he pulled himself from the darkness of the shed’s doorway. “You have no need to go in there. It’s pretty nasty. How did you find me?”
“We stole a truck and came after you.”
“You stole a truck?”
“Bulk,” Mouth rolled his eyes. “We are Master Thieves, you know.”
Bulk laughed but clearly had some internal injuries as he immediately started coughing. He doubled over for a second while clutching at his ribs. After regaining his composure, he stood up straight and cleared his throat.
“So, I assume you all figured it out about Bando?”
“Sharp did,” Mouth said, nudging his brother.
Bulk looked over to Sharp and nodded. The boy didn’t respond; his anxiousness to get moving and find Dana was clear enough. Bulk didn’t waste any more time. He gathered a few supplies from the shed and then walked with the teens back to their vehicle.
“Good to see you again, Bulk,” Kale greeted his boss. “Mind explaining to us just what in the world is wrong with Bando?”
“Kale, let the man rest,” Jocelyn chided him.
“Well, we’re all thinking the same thing.”
“That’s okay, Jocelyn,” Bulk grunted as he sat down in the back of the vehicle with a thud. “Kale deserves to know. You all deserve to know. I’m the one that put Solas together, so I’m responsible for not seeing it earlier.”
“So he told you what was going on?” Echo asked.
“Not really, I figured it out on the way up here. The man’s a professional, though. He wasn’t going to tip his hand. I think he got sloppy or maybe … I don’t know, maybe he slipped up on purpose because he wanted to tell me without telling me. If that makes any sense. I think when he and Dana were undercover in Icagoro, he bought into what that cult was teaching them.”
“Why did they take Dana?” signed Sharp.
Mouth translated to Bulk who shrugged. “So you didn’t figure that part out yet, huh?”
“Figure what out?” Mouth asked. “Bulk, we’ve about had enough with all the secrets. We want to know the truth for a change.”
“Okay, okay, I’m getting to that. Look, Dana is special. I’m sure you all figured that much out. She’s always been hiding in the underworld to keep who and what she is hidden from most. Only a few of us really knew.”
“Spit it out, man!” Kale grumbled from the front of the truck.
“They need her because she's a Child of the Spire. Only a Child of the Spire can open that thing.”
“It figures. I'm still upset that the three of you just had that little secret to yourselves all this time.” Kale protested.
“Calm down, Kale. They had a good reason, you know. That’s not something that should get out,” Jocelyn said.
“No, no, no, Joce! You don’t understand. If she’s a Child of the Spire and all of the stories about them are true, we could be looking at something catastrophic!”
The brothers were confused. They weren’t as knowledgeable about the legends of The Spire as the others were. As far as they knew, it was something the older generations told as a story to keep kids entertained. The realization that this was all true, and that Dana, of all people, was not only involved but central to this, created more questions than it answered.
“What is he going on about Bulk?” Mouth asked. “Catastrophic is a bit extreme.”
“He’s not wrong, and I’m sorry, Kale. But it wasn’t my truth to tell; it was hers. There is a reason that wars are started over these Children of the Spire. Although I don’t know if any of its true, they’re supposed to be able to break the Dea.”
“Break the Dea?” Echo repeated. “And what does that exactly mean?”
“I don’t know. But people have been terrified of them for as long as I can remember. Except for Dana, there hasn’t been a Child of the Spire since long before I was even born. Whether or not any of this is true doesn’t really matter to me. She’s one of my time, and whatever crazy thing Bando’s stolen her for is likely going to get her killed up there.”
“Let’s get going,” Sharp signed.
“He’s right. Kale, get the truck moving!” Mouth said.
Kale’s initial instinct was to protest. It would make more sense to him right now to head back to Pharracrop, get Bulk Brown medical assistance, and let people with far more experience and capability handle this. However, he knew that the High Council wouldn’t see them, and even more likely, they’d be arrested on sight.
Jocelyn knew the look on Kale’s face, and before he could say anything, she stopped him.
“The reason to do it, Kale, is because Dana is our friend. She needs our help.”
He didn’t argue. Reluctantly, he shifted the vehicle into drive. The instant the truck moved there was an unsettling feeling among everyone inside. This wasn’t going to end well, and they were extremely outmatched. They were also running out of time. If Bando reached the entrance with the twisted trees before them, there was no guarantee they would be able to follow without knowing how to get inside.
Farther up the mountain, two other oversized vehicles were moving through the rough terrain. Von Strauss and his Bascelics rode in the first truck while Bando and Dana were in the other.
Still bound by her hands, Dana sat in the passenger seat while Bando navigated the large vehicle over rock and ice. Neither had spoken for the first fifteen minutes of this journey, but Dana had decided to amuse herself and annoy Bando by randomly kicking at the passenger side door.
“If you’re trying to annoy me, it’s not going to change anything. I’m not going to reach over so you can grab me, so you can just knock it off,” Bando said.
“No, I know you’re too smart for that. I just want to do anything to tick you off.”
“Dana, you and I both spent time looking at what this is. We both know what you are and how important that is. You cannot honestly tell me nothing we learned moved you.”
“Yes, I can honestly tell you nothing we were told in Icagoro moved me. We were there to do a job.”
“And you took a job with a group of fanatics, as you call them, knowing that you yourself were a Child of the Spire. There was something that called you to do that.”
“Self-preservation,” she responded coldly, turning her attention to the towering cliffs and jagged rock faces along their path.
“It was more than that,” Bando said. “You felt a calling.”
“Don’t assume I feel the same thing you felt, Bando. I wanted to make sure this exact thing wasn’t going to happen.”
“By giving information to the High Council of Pharracrop?” Bando scoffed. “They’re about as trustworthy as Von Strauss. I don’t know why everyone thinks the West is so clean and innocent. Councilman Awolowo showed his true colors. He’s no saint.”
“He wasn’t seeking power. He was trying to keep it hidden. That’s why we were there, remember? To get all the information and bring it to him so it could be put away where no one like Von Strauss or any fanatics or The Miscellany could use it.”
Bando laughed again. His mocking was grating on her nerves.
“Here’s a hint, Dana. No man in his position is looking to hide power. He wanted to control it and you, by the way, for his own purposes. When the time came, he’d have used you for his own gains.”
“Maybe, maybe not. I know one thing that I wouldn’t have been tied up and taken to The Spire by that insane nut job Von Strauss and a lying traitor like you!”
“Settle down,” Bando said as he saw Dana become more animated in her seat. “I’m being nice right now. Don’t make me knock you out.”
Dana huffed at his threat but did settle in her seat. There was no point in continuing to protest Bando. He clearly wasn’t going to compromise himself by getting anywhere near her where she could grab him, and he wasn’t going to back down from his position. He had surrendered to the ideology of the zealots a long time ago, and that wasn’t about to change.
“So what made you want to hide from all this, Dana? I’m asking sincerely.” Bando questioned her with a quirky smile on his face. “I can understand fear. Everyone is afraid of something. Is it that you’re afraid of what you could really do — bring about disaster to the Dea?”
“Anyone who isn’t a jerk would realize that’s something you wouldn’t want to be responsible for. Since the day I was born, people looked to use me for whatever reason. I came here not knowing who I was. I may never know who my mother is, but my father, that was another story.”
“Yes, I know about him. That’s how I found out about you, through the clerics in Icagoro. I don’t think any of them were smart enough to put it together, but your father was known as a great man.”
“He was a bully, nothing more than that,” she spat back at him.
Bando was a bit taken aback by her response but shrugged it off. They had only briefly talked about their family lives before. It was never deeper than a matter-of-fact account of parentage and any siblings — Bando had three, Dana had none — and nothing else really mattered at the time.
“I guess that explains plenty. He taught you how to fight, though, right? How to be fierce. How not to survive. You should thank him —”
“He taught me how to be cruel. I turned that into a way to protect myself from what I was. What I am. I know people like you find cruelty to be a strength. All it really is a way to hide from yourself.”
“I’d almost buy that if you didn’t love it so much.”
“Love what?”
“Being cruel. I’ve seen you fight, Dana. You have a viciousness in you that is greater than mine.”
“Another reason I never wanted this to happen.”
“Well, now it’s happening. And honestly, I don’t buy this whole ‘what I might do to the Dea’ story you’re spinning here. Or the poor, abused daughter thing. I think it’s simple. You’re afraid to die.”
It had never really occurred to her, but now that it was laid bare, here in this dirty truck next to a man whom she had utter contempt for, she knew it was true. It had been masked under several reasons she had told herself since she was a child, hiding from society and what others might have her do if they knew who she really was.
Save the Dea and its people from a terrible thing she could do. That wasn’t it. She truly did fear dying but not for the reasons Bando was thinking. The afterlife might show her many things, and above all, it would likely reunite her with the very person who had tormented her. The man who had set her on this path. Her father.
