Page 47 of Love, Nemesis
“The Eating Ocean shattered our world in an instant,” Evira began. “As entire continents vanished and the laws of science dissolved, civilization screeched to a halt. Refugees hemorrhaged from the East, West, and South, establishing the sanctuary of Saint East, but only nine survived all that transpired in the North.”
“Those were the original ROSE,” Lethe interrupted her, hating the sound of his people’s story on Evira’s lips. “They rode to their deaths only to deliver three warnings about what would soon follow them. First, they told of The Eating Ocean, then the Strike, then the war that would ultimately happen for the soul of mankind. Through their message, they evangelized the next generation of ROSE who then turned the sanctuaries of the East into En Sanctus.”
“You’re awfully talkative,” Evira teased.
“I owe him. I promised him truth in exchange for your head.”
“You seem so sure you’ll get it.”
“There isn’t a single doubt in my mind,” he replied simply.
The horse’s hooves clapped on in the silence. No one spoke for a moment.
Not surprisingly, Cal was the first to start the conversation again. “So, there isn’t anything beyond the Mystics?” he asked, looking between Evira and Lethe.
“Who knows, dear.” Evira chuckled. “You’d die of old age before making it back. It’s best not to push back the borders marked by our ancestors.”
Lethe ran his hand through his hair, bored. He scanned the planes to the right and left of the road, hoping to see mountains somewhere and then checked his flask but resisted the urge to drink it. He needed to reserve it for when he really needed it. He had more Snake Bite tablets packed away, but there was no telling how long this trip would be.
Ana rode up beside Cal, replacing the spot where Evira once was. “We have some very good guesses,” she corrected. “The Strike destroyed civilizations to the north and when they were done, they came south and brought Madness with them. Cal, at the end of the day, you need to remember that the war heroes have their secrets and they’ll distort the truth to keep them. You’d be better off studying at the museum.”
“Is that what you did?” Lethe asked with an edge. He’d been thinking about their interaction last night; he’d been on edge all morning. He hadn’t slept well and listening to her and Jasper as well as Evira and Cal talk all morning had put him in a sour mood. He should’ve been back in En Sanctus by now, but here he was with this group for the next week at least.
“I did,” Ana confirmed, warm brown eyes calm amidst an obvious tension among the travelers. He looked for a challenge in her eyes, anything really, but saw nothing.
Lethe glanced back over at Jasper, noting his apparent interest in the topic. “He seems surprised.”
“I didn’t advertise it,” Ana responded firmly.
“Because it’s personal,” Lethe said. “The State history, as they call it, is a past you lived. You’re En Sanctan. The Strike, The Great Light, it’s their heritage, but your life.”
“She’s a proud member of the State,” Jasper interrupted. “That’s our history.” He gestured to Ana.
“Barring The Great Light, Lethe’s right,” Ana said, her expression not faltering. She was all stone now, despite Jasper’s reaction. Or perhaps it was because of Jasper’s reaction? Lethehadn’t quite finished his evaluation of their dynamic, at least not enough to start poking holes.
“Wait.” Lethe raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe in The Great Light?”
Ana didn’t reply. Jasper rode up on Lethe’s other side.
Lethe leaned back in the saddle and examined Jasper. Sitting between them, he almost felt like he could reach out and tug on the strings, some sort of connective net he felt trapped in as they rode up on either side of him.
“Ah,” Lethe said, leaning forward as he nudged his horse onward. He caught up beside Evira, glancing back. “Cal, stay there.”
“What? Why?” Cal said, obviously flustered.
Jasper and Ana exchanged glances.
“Your new parents are worried,” Lethe continued. “They know you’re young and impressionable and want to make sure we aren’t filling your head with En Sanctan stories.”
Lethe started digging around for his cigarettes. “Very subtle,” he muttered, finding one. He held it out to Evira, who lit it with a lighter from her belt. He put the cigarette in his mouth.
“They still have your knife?” Evira asked. “Looks like Cal isn’t the only one they want to babysit.”
“Claws in, Evira, or I’ll tell everyone about what you did to that refuge in San Sell,” Lethe shot back without pause.
Lethe’s threat silenced Evira for the rest of the ride.
“You know, one of my instructors at the academy always used to say friends are like lifelines,” Cal started with confidence. He then began a monologue about the value of friendship in teams, and how in life and death situations, friends saved lives.
