Turk helped me take Lili's body to the building that was being used as a temporary holding place before being buried. It had been enchanted to be cold enough to stop the bodies from starting decomposing, so I knew her body would be alright there. After we did that, Turk grabbed my arm, took off my com device, pressed my neck, turning off the one Cass put in me a long time ago and snapped us somewhere I've never seen before.
It's an old wooden house, but in the middle of the desert, the heat is blaring and by the Joshua trees outside the shack, I figure we're in somewhere in California.
"Turk? Where are we?" I ask confused.
Turk, looks around, checking that the coast is clear. I doubted we'd have visitors considering hell was the cooler option right now. I sit on the floor and start unzipping my suit, letting my skin breathe a bit better. Memories of Lili still run through my mind, I shut my eyes tightly, letting them play clearer in my mind.
Turks strong grip on my arms and sudden shaking jerk he gives me, forces my eyes to open them wide in surprise.
"Turk? What the hell?" I ask, trying to free myself.
"Sin, listen to me, this is important." He stresses, his hard eyes looking at me intensely.
"Okay, I'm listening." I say still trying to take his hands off my arms.
He releases my arms and sighs, "We can not trust Thietian or Cass anymore."
I pause, "What? WHY?!" Shock and disbelief filling my thoughts and then confusion, "What are you saying Turk?"
"My informants told me that earlier when the graves attacked, he moved his family somewhere and they can not find them at any of our strongholds. Thietian has been silent since that time as well, no word from Cass either. I am positive he's accepted the Erlking's terms and will now be working to turn in whoever he can. I have a feeling that those of his brothers and sisters that are out fighting will be disappearing. Whoever is not fighting, I'm afraid that those strongholds are going to end up being 'discovered', when that should be impossible." His shoulders grow heavy, slumping as he tells me this.
"This is just a guess though, right? None of this has happened yet. Why would you think that?" I begin to interrogate him, needing to know why he is adamant about this.
Turk grips his face in his hands, taking in deep breaths, "Because... because, Thietian doesn't know that I placed a drone on him, the size of a louse. I kept seeing him shutting himself up for long periods of time, arguing with Cass when he took over Cass's body for too long, and the fact the Erlking has been sending him letters now for a while. Sin, when we go back, I need you to promise me that you'll act no differently towards him if he shows up. It's imperative that we don't let on that we know. Not until Bavarthos and the Queen have a way to handle the situation." Turk grabs my arm, begging me with his hard eyes and demanding me at the same time.
"FINE, show me, Turk." I agree to his request.
He pulls out a device, that looks like our com pads that we use for taking information. He turns it on and I can immediately tell, it's not running on any of our programs.
"Where did you get that?" I ask in wonder.
"Temple is my cousin." Turk shrugs, adding, "Temple is not a stupid Oni, acts like he is, but he's smarter than I." Turk begins to do something with the screen, letting it scan his face and adding in a code. He checks the windows as the pad begins to start up it's programs, double checking our perimeter and then scanning the area with our signal seeker. Satisfied that we are alone to sweat and begin stinking to high heaven, he sits next to me, giving me an earbud and using the other.
He pulls up a file and opens it, showing more folders and he enters another, then another, then another, that seem to be at random. HE does this for a minute before a folder opens up with video files.
He clicks on one that requires a password and facial scan before it will play. When the screen begins playing though, I have to cover my mouth to stop from crying out.
"John?!" I mumble through my hands, "He's right there and he's not saving him?! Oh my god... John what are they doing to him?" Tears well in my eyes at the thinning man in front of my eyes. He's chained to a chair not able to do much more than move his hands and stand up. The video shows him getting upset directed at Thietian.
"Is there audio?" I inquire.
Turk nods, "Yes, but you are not going to like it."
"Play it anyways." I demand.
John is screaming at him, "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He throws himself at Thietian regardless of the chains, and his eyes clench in pain his mouth open in a painful scream.
"HOW COULD YOU?! WE TRUSTED YOU!" He screams at him more, as he writhes in agony, attempting to get his hands on him ,going hoarse screaming obscenities.
"We loved you! We accepted you as a part of us...." He gives up, panting and exhausted against the chair.
We hear Thietian's voice, "What have you done to him?!", as he moves towards John, who releases an animalistic snarl at him that even has me freezing.
The Erlking responds to Thietian, "What he's alive? I just fed him too." He sits back on his high backed chair, looking bored with what is happening in front of him. He leans forward and taps the arm of his chair, asking, "What brings you to me, Thietian? Have you finally remembered why you are still alive?"
Thietian takes a step back and sighs out, "Why can't you let John go? ALIVE. He is wasting away and you know that if anything happens to him and Sin, mother will never forgive you."
"I DON'T NEED HER TO FORGIVE ME!" The Erlking shouts slamming a fist on the chair. "I need her to come home and be my wife! My Queen! It is where she belongs." His firm, cold countenance makes him resemble a mountain, unwavering in his belief.
"I think you fail to grasp the fact that she would have come home a long time ago, if you'd just leave the other races alone." Thietian shakes his head at the Erlking, "Why is that so hard to do? They're not as beneath you, as you think they are."
The Erlking scoffs, "Disgusting, now you are a lover of these...THINGS? I knew you fell for that human girl your host body impregnated! However, this is still surprising you coming here...." The Erlking pauses in thought, "but I will tell you again! This philosophical inference of these creatures lives is abhorrent! I WILL NOT DISCUSS YOU OR ANYONE ELSE'S AFFINITY FOR THEM ANY FARTHER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" He stands bellowing at Thietian, who falls to his knees under the oppressive aura of the Erlking.
"Your majesty." Thietian trembles.
Turk and I exchange a glance of disgust at Thietian's quick reaction to grovel before the Erlking.
"Now! Why have you appeared before me?! Are you ready to give me your deceptive other half, Bavarthos?" The Erlking begins to pace stroking his chin in thought.
John begins to cough and struggles to stand up and sit in the chair, making the Erlking stop his pacing and realize something while gazing at him. His eyes go wide with a knowing smile, as he begins sharing his epiphany.
"You're fighting a losing battle. You've been worked so thin, your resistance doesn't have much left in them to fight." The Erlking whirls around to Thietian who keeps his head down low.
"You ARE here to discuss terms! HA! hahaha!" The Erlking's deep triumphant laugh bellows like trees in a windstorm groaning and cracking. He takes a proud seat on his chair, smiling hauntingly down at Thietian.
Thietian raises his head, as John spits in his direction.
The Erlking turns his gaze to John and warns him with an evil smile, "Manners, John. Or I will not treat you so favorably...."
John returns to just staring at Thietian, hatred and hurt, burning a raging inferno through his eyes.
Through gritted teeth, Thietian says fiercely. "Release John, right now, and I will find mother and we will all be a happy family again."
The Erlking sits back, stroking his chin again, casting a thoughtful eye on John and turns his attention to Thietian.
"John, we've gotten to know each other better since you've been my guest here. I would like to confirm my thoughts with you." The Erlking returns his attention to John, leaning forward on one hand.
"Your majesty?" John inquires with his hoarse voice.
The Erlking suggests, "Please John, drink something. I want to make sure my son here doesn't mistake what he hears here shortly."
John takes a few sips from a goblet and the Erlking smiles, making me shudder in horror at it's contained malice, "That's better. Now, how do you feel that this offspring of mine has just traded the whole of Earth to just save you."
John grimaces, his face contorts into several different emotions as he finally replies, straining with every word. "Not good, your majesty."
The Erlking sits back, lazily looking at his fingernails, "You are unable to feel even an iota of gratitude for my son, who wishes to save you?"
Johns eyes well with furious tears, gnashing his teeth at Thietian before saying grimly, "That's correct, your majesty." He now looks ahead, at his place setting, glaring so hard, that there should be a hole through to the floor.
The Erlking leans to rest his head on one fist, gesturing with his hand as he reprimanded Thietian.
"See son. You put these things on a pedal stool and they are incapable of forming a shred of gratitude, even though you just proved to them that they mean the world to you. See why I use them for all they are good for?" He snaps his fingers and a slave enters, holding a decanter full of wine. The Erlking holds his glass up and the slave walks over and fills his cup.
"Why don't you join us for a glass of wine, son." It was not a request from the Erlking.
Thietian sits in one of the many empty chairs, halfway down the table, holding out a glass for the slave to fill. The slave fills John's glass next and then exits the room. Probably thanking his luck that he was leaving unscathed.
"How long ago was this recorded, Turk?" I ask, wanting to know.
Turk shakes his head, "This is the live feed, Sin. I haven't even seen this, it only has a minute of lag time."
"So he's betraying us right now?!" I clench my fists, keeping them on my thighs as the realization has started to sink in. I glance back down at Johns face that is just in view of the camera. I swallow my tears, seeing his pure visage of disappointment at Thietian. I knew that look, even though I never saw it in person. I heard it on the phone all those years ago when I was on Alex's yacht. I knew this had cut him deeper than any knife could.