Page 10 of Bright Blinding Ruin

“Laconia,” Fred whispers in awe as we near the main door, built into the outer wall that separates the city of Laconia from the rest of it. “I never thought I’d see it again.” He still squints, like the sun hurts his eyes even now. Spending years in the darkness, I can’t help but wonder if his eyes will ever get better or if that’s how he’ll be forever.

“Your son should be inside,” I tell him. “He’ll be happy to see you. He thought… we all thought you were dead.”

He grins at the sky as we step into the shadow of the wall. “I thought I was dead, too.”

I don’t see anyone walking the outer wall. “Hello? Is anyone there?” I call out. No one answers me, so I carefully let Fred go, and once I’m sure he’s stable on his feet, I try the large doors myself. If they’re locked, we’re shit out of luck here.

The door gives way, and I’m able to push inside enough to let Fred slip in. It’s one heavy motherfucker, and after I rush in, it swings shut on its own.

The city is eerily empty, but that could just be due to the fact that everyone that survived the scourge that night the shadowstorm descended on the lower part of the city is still in the upper district. Fred’s head whips back and forth as he examines the slums, and I know he wants to take his time in wandering along, but we need to get past the markets to see if anyone is still here.

I guide the man along. We’re in the middle of crossing the empty marketplace when I ask him, “Does it look different than you remember?” I don’t know exactly how long Fred’s been gone, but it’s been years; I know that much.

Fred’s answer comes out in a mumble, “Where is everyone? Where is my boy? It’s not supposed to be like this.” He fiddles with his hands as we hurry along.

I help him up the steps that lead to the upper city, and we find the doors separating the two districts are closed. That gives me hope that the city hasn’t been wiped out yet. My fist pounds on the door, and though I don’t know if they’ll be able to hear me in there, I yell, “It’s Rey. I’m back from Acadia.”

As I hear the sounds of the doors being pulled open, I glance at Fred. The man is antsy; he can’t stand still, though he relies on me for support. When I’m greeted by the guards stationed at the doors, I nod to Fred and add, “Oh, yeah. I have company, too. Anyone know where Frederick is?”

The guards glance at each other, and then back at us. Though I can’t see their faces, I’ll bet anything they’re mighty confused.

We’re eventually told that Frederick is usually at the library beneath the conclave or flitting around like a bee trying to help all those he can. Guess Fred and I are on a scavenger hunt, then. We walk up the main path through the upper district. It looks as though makeshift tents were erected in the street, a way for those who made it here to shelter from the rain.

Doesn’t surprise me to see that the rich have refused to help. They probably huddle in their stone homes and hope that someone else will save the day. AKA me or the conclave or anyone who isn’t them.

Rich people are the same. It really does make you hate them.

Fred and I make it to the courtyard in front of the tallest cathedral in the district, which is where the council gets together. By extension, that means the door built into the stairs that lead up to said building opens into the great library of Laconia.

Might as well check there next, since we’re here.

We gathered a bit of a following as we walked along; by the time we disappear into the library, there’s a crowd behind us. I think some of the older folk may recognize Fred, and no doubt they are also wondering how he could’ve survived out there.

I hold the door open for Fred, and we push inside the library.

It’s a place I’ve never been to before. You have to step down to get into it; it literally is directly beneath the conclave. No windows for obvious reasons; just bookcases upon bookcases upon bookcases, all jam-packed with old books that make the air itself stale. Every so often a table breaks up the scene, where anyone can sit while they do some reading.

It’s not a huge library. It’s probably about as big as the one in my high school, and it only seems larger because it’s narrow and long. If you were to widen the walls and bring some natural light in here, I bet it’d seem a lot smaller.

Row after row, we don’t find Frederick. I’m about to tell Fred we should turn around and search the many side-streets outside, but as fate would have it, Frederick walks around the very last row of bookcases, an open book in his hand, his head bent down as he searches for something on the page.

Though his eyes are laser-focused on the book and he doesn’t see us, I can’t help but feel some relief when I spot his face. I don’t doubt the man would walk right past us with how intently he’s studying that page, so I get his attention by saying his name: “Frederick.”

The man freezes, and he’s slow in lifting his gaze away from the book. He spots me first. “Rey. You’re back. How did it go? Did—” That’s when his gaze shifts to the skinny, haggard man standing next to me, and his mouth opens but he does not say a word more.

Beside me, Fred mutters, “My. My lady was right. You aren’t a boy anymore, are you?”

Frederick’s voice comes out shallow and full of disbelief, “Father? Is that… is that really you?” He doesn’t give Fred time to answer. He snaps the book closed and rushes toward him, enveloping the older man in a bear hug.

Seeing them side by side, it really hits me just how frail the elder Frederick is. A man made of skin and bone and nothing more. He needs to bathe and eat, ASAP.

“My boy,” Fred murmurs as he hugs his son. “I never thought I’d see you again.” He laughs, but it’s a laugh whose mirth borders on other emotions. The man sounds as though he’s close to tears.

I have to look away from their embrace. It reminds me too much of my own dad, how I haven’t seen him or gotten to hug him since… since life took him from me. And the only thing I have left of him, a single picture, is probably in the trash by now. I’ll never get it back, and it hurts.

Frederick must pull away from his dad, because the next thing I know he’s engulfing me in a similar embrace as he holds the book in his hand aside. “Rey,” he whispers against my hair, “you came back. You came back and you brought my father.” His arms tighten around me before he lets me go. “How? No. Let’s get you two some food, first. Then you can tell me what happened.”

Oh, yeah. I’m really looking forward to telling Frederick about how I unleashed an ancient evil whose only goal is to destroy Laconia and its people. It’s going to be fun.

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