In the middle of the night, I heard a shout over the rain. I came to consciousness achingly slow. I turned under my tarp and pulled myself into the circle of the camp. When I looked up, I came eye to eye with a mask as white as bone. The eyes behind it were dark, dull. A white gloved finger came up and pressed against the mask’s slit lips.
My mouth opened and closed like a fish.
The mask pulled back and smoke trailed out from the hollows of its eyes. It was attached to a man of tall, thin stature. He was dressed in a coal colored uniform that reminded me uncomfortably of an SS officer from the second World War. His peaked cap only solidified this in my mind as he tipped its brim at me in polite salutations.
The man in the suit gestured to the right. My gaze alit upon Ethis. He was being held down by two black robed figures sporting white, lipless masks. A white glove was pressed over his mouth. His eyes were wide, rimmed red. He was staring at the man in front of me, his expression stuck somewhere between panic and naked hatred. He struggled against the men in black, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.
The man in the suit gestured again, to my left this time. Four robed men held Djince down, but Djince didn’t struggle and no one had covered his mouth. He was watching me with resignation. He shook his head at me tiredly.
I took to my feet uncertainty, looking around. There were other robed figures in the darkness of the forest. I couldn’t count their whole number for the dark and the rain, but I knew they exceeded fifty. It was a daunting amount of people. I looked between Ethis and Djince for an explanation, but when none came, I looked at the man in the peaked cap. “What… is this?”
“A choice,” the man said, both of his hands going palm-up toward either Kallos brother. “Death as my witness, this is your story, Fallen One. For once, you are not recording history, but creating it. You are most welcome for this opportunity.”
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“Your villain,” the man said, amused for some reason. His voice was not only familiar to me, but pleasant. Whomever he had been to me before, I welcomed the sound of his voice. As awful as it sounds, I felt comforted by his presence. I should have felt disquieted… but instead I felt relieved. What is this? I demanded of myself. He called himself a villain. You should treat him as such. But then I thought, This one might know the truth. Maybe he does bring with him opportunity.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“What do you want, Ghost?” he asked of me.
Ghost? My… pet name. It filled me with equal parts loathing and affection. What was I to do? Did he want me to punch him in the nose? Because that was exactly what I wanted to do as soon as he called me by that name. I clenched my fists and narrowed my eyes at him. “I want you to answer my fucking question.”
The man in the peaked cap chuckled. It sounded like dry leaves skipping across running water. I wanted to hear it again. He waved a hand. “These men belong to the Mordis Eyes. They see The Leaving in the distance and they wish to take others with them for the trip. But when I saw you… Well, you being here changes things. And don't play dumb. You and I were so intertwined, I'd recognize you in any form.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Who are you to me?”
“Who am… I to you?” The man’s white gloves went together and they wrung like that for a moment. “You don’t recognize me?”
“No.”
“You don’t remember?”
“No!”
The man in the peaked cap looked down for a moment and then looked up at me. His white mask was expressionless. It had five holes: two small ones for the formless nose and one rectangular one for the mouth. The last two were reserved for its slanted eyes. In the dark of those twin pools, I saw his eyes squinted in concentration or pain--I could not tell which. Then those eyes relaxed and became dull once more. “I am… your rival. It’s good that you’ve returned. Perhaps we can make the world as we intended to from the beginning--erase all your mistakes.” He laughed, but it sounded forced. “Clearly, endings are not your strong suit!”
“Clearly,” I said, crossing my arms against the rain and the chill.
He held out both his gloves then and pointed to Ethis and Djince. “Make your choice. Choose wisely. The ending depends on the choice you make now.”
“Who among us had dominion over smoke?” I asked airily. Without waiting for an answer, I said, “You’re not Periut… and you can’t be Magnus. She had better taste in authoritarian symbology.”
“You’re stalling for time you don’t have,” the man in the peaked cap said. “Would you rather I make the choice for you?”
“What becomes of the other?”
“I let them go.”
“You swear?”
“Oh Ghost, have you learned nothing?”
“Swear it!”
“I swear,” the man said, raising his right glove with dramatic flair.
I looked between the two Kallos brothers. When Djince had my gaze, he looked at Ethis and nodded. Of course he would pick his own brother. When I looked at Ethis, he struggled against the robed men and nodded at me. Of course he would choose himself.
I looked at the man in the peaked cap and he tilted his head at me. “Have you made your decision?” he asked me.
I nodded slowly. I looked over at Ethis and pressed my lips together. For a moment, Ethis’ expression relaxed. Perhaps he thought I would forsake him. I wouldn’t. Ethis was friendly, a negotiator. He was a decent shot and he knew what to do. He was a born leader. He was the obvious choice. In this new world, decisive leaders were the new gods.
I said to the man in the peaked cap, “I choose Ethis Kallos.”
“Of course you do,” the man said and I thought I saw his mask smile at me before he turned on his heel and gestured at the robed men holding Djince. The elder Kallos fell forward and slowly picked himself back up. Then the man in the coal suit gestured at the robed men holding Ethis. “Who can resist such a pretty face?”
“You won’t be sorry, Pops,” Ethis said as soon as they let him go. When he got to his feet, he looked pointedly at the man with the peaked cap and said, “Anyone who’s seen as an enemy to the anarchists is a good friend of mine.”
The man in the peak cap paused and turned to look at him, his smoke making a halo around his head. “A patriot?” He took a step towards Ethis, smoke trailing behind him, and the younger Kallos stood up straight, fearless even under the scrutiny of such a creature. “How cute.” The man reached into his suit jacket, pulled out an ichor colored derringer, and shot Ethis in the stomach.
Djince roared. He launched himself at the man in the cap and knocked the gun from his hand. The older Kallos ripped at his head, bearing him to the ground where his cap flew off and disappeared into the dark depths of the marsh to join the derringer. But Djince’s hands came away with smoke. The man was gone.
Ethis collapsed to the ground as the men in robes all turned tail and started running from the campsite. I could hear several splash heavily into deep water and struggle before their compatriots could drag them out. They were clearly men, fallible, prone to making mistakes. But men didn’t turn into smoke. Gods did.
Ethis fell forward and I caught him in my arms. He was clutching his stomach, and his face was pale. He didn’t say anything to me, just looked at me with disbelief.
Djince was gathering his gear, making more noise than the fleeing Mordis Eyes. Every now and then, he would shout obscenities over the bog--anguished sounds of retribution. But after he had his helmet in his hand, he collapsed in front of us, heaving breaths and making these pitiful sounds that reminded me of an old kicked dog.
Ethis looked at his brother and managed to roll his eyes. “Stop… you dumb prick…” He closed his eyes and then opened them up to me. “Gutshot… Never thought I’d go out like this.” He sucked in a shallow breath and it came out in a wheeze. “It’s kind of pathetic.”
Djince looked up and I had to close my eyes. If ever I saw that look on someone else’s face again I'd surely…
Ethis said, “Djince… take her to Silverstone. I made her a promise… Not sure how much those are worth anymore... but it’s the least we can do.” I felt a cold hand on my cheek then and I looked down at Ethis, tears already rolling down to greet his fingertips. “Ever think…?” His eyes looked very blue, rimmed with red. He smirked and it was sly and it was childish and it was beautiful. “Nah, nevermind,” he whispered. “Don’t wanna ruin the mood.” His hand went limp and he coughed. Blood hit my face and I felt a sob threatening to break my resolve. Ethis Kallos looked at his brother and a completely dispassionate expression came over him. “You were always Mom’s favorite,” he said in an exhale.
It was the last thing he ever said.
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