Ephemeral: Chapter 25
Clara – still aghast at the trial's outcome – stood numbly next to the transparent photopetrium wall. In less than ten degrees, Captain Karnak had completely obliterated the Eldership's careful plans with the ever-persuasive tyranny of an angry mob. Not only had he stripped Mother Alden of any chance at real justice, he had turned the Silexians against the Almitians. Karnak now had the will of the people and the might of an army to do as he wished with the rest of the colony.
A solitary tear slipped down Clara's cheek and dripped off her chin, making a barely-perceptible splash against the cold stone floor. She felt just as insignificant against Captain Karnak's hypnotic hold over the crowd. This isn't what we planned ...
Aaric tore his ear from the wall and faced Raven, his gray eyes storming. “I must reach the cells!” he said, clenching his fists. “Which way?”
“But that's not the mission!” Raven protested. “What do you intend to do? Fight the Silexian army, single-handed? The only hope for us is to get the Fire Stone. We stick to the plan.”
“I can't,” Aaric said, shaking his head and backing away. “I'm sorry. My mission's changed.”
“Aaric!” Clara gasped. “Where are you going?!” He's not seriously going to leave, is he?
“I'm sorry, Clara.” Aaric steeled his resolve. “But I cannot – I WILL not – sit by and allow my family and clan leaders to be murdered by a madman. I must do what I can to get them to safety.”
“And where will you find safety?” Raven's tone bordered sarcasm. “There's no safety in war! You don't even have a transport! Even if you did get your people out of the cells, the guards would arrest you en route to Almitas.”
“Then I won't go to Almitas,” Aaric said. “But I cannot stay here. Where are the cells?”
Clara's insides clenched together as another tear trailed down her face. He's going to get himself killed ...
Raven sighed. “First level. Take the stairs; no one else does. And keep your head down.”
Aaric shifted his shorter foot inside his boot. He would have preferred to take the lift, but he'd do his best – even with the uncomfortable orthotic. “Thank you.”
Clara couldn't believe this! Everything seemed to be unraveling so quickly! Her lip trembled as she watched him head for the stairs at the end of the corridor. But before he'd made half the distance, he slowed and turned back to her. “Clara?”
Her heart leapt to her throat. “Yes?”
He looked like he wanted to say something, but then his eyes flicked toward Raven's retreating form and his tone grew practical. “You'll need the box. For the Fire Stone.” He procured the metal container from his pocket, walked back to Clara, took one of her hands, and placed the box in her upturned palm. For a moment, his other hand lingered over hers, sending invisible sparks up Clara's arm. But she could not enjoy them as she would have liked with the burning sensation in her eyes.
“Go with Raven,” Aaric said. “She needs you.”
“But what about you?” she quavered. “You know you're going to get caught!”
Aaric smiled wanly. “Don't worry about me, Clara. Like I said earlier, I'm not really alone.”
This did not exactly reassure Clara. But there was nothing more she could do. Raven was already disappearing beyond her line of sight and Aaric itched to leave. “Be careful all the same,” she said lamely.
Aaric nodded and disappeared through the exit doors leaving Clara staring into the empty corridor, heart-stricken. I might never see him again … She felt a stab of anxiety as she turned and trotted to catch up with Raven.
“Said your final goodbyes?” Raven asked when Clara walked astride her.
The prospect struck Clara like a wet snowball in the face. “I hope not,” she said quietly.
Raven snorted. “I wouldn't put much stock in hope – it's not reliable.”
Clara clenched her jaw. “Then why are you helping?”
“Simple,” Raven said as she tossed her braid over her shoulder. “Because if I have to die, I'd prefer not to get blown up in a civil war. Though I don't see how war can be avoided now. Especially since your boyfriend's left us in the lurch, and we might not get the Fire Stone.”
“There are worse faults than trying to save those you love,” Clara said. “And he's not my boyfriend.”
“Then why are you defending him? He abandoned us, Clara! It is what it is. But if we don't keep our heads, we might end up in the cells, too.”
Clara, unable to excuse the facts, merely studied the tile beneath her feet.
“So here's the new plan,” Raven said. I'll chat with Eden, you spike the drink, then I'll take it into the office as I look for my scan-stone and ...”
Ding! Ding! A distant bell chimed behind them.
“Was that the elevator?!” Clara asked with wide eyes. We're not ready for Karnak yet!
“Shh!” Raven warned as footsteps approached from around the bend.
A young man dressed in a black and white uniform rushed past them carrying a tall, metal tumbler on a silver platter. Raven signaled with her eyes for Clara to follow.
“Thank you, Evans,” a woman's voice said from around the corner.
“Yes, Ma'am,” the porter answered. He hurried back past Clara and Raven quick as a wink as they continued on toward Eden's front desk.
Clara and Raven rounded the final bend in the corridor – then froze mid-step. Raven went rigid. Clara's mouth fell open. Oh, no!
The receptionist wasn't Eden.
Instead, a petite blonde woman in a navy-blue pant suit sat behind the massive desk typing on a flat-screened computer looking generally busy. Something dinged quietly. The new secretary tapped a screen on her desk and smiled. “You've reached the office of His Eminent Eminence. He is not available at the moment. May I take a message?”
Clara did not hear the message, but noticed the woman's earpiece flash green. Apparently she could hear the call through that device. The receptionist's blue eyes widened for a moment as she looked down the hall at Raven and Clara.
We're done for, Clara thought with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Yes, sir.” The receptionist said toward the screen. Then she ended her call and smiled as Clara and Raven approached the desk. “Can I help you ladies?”
Raven assumed an air of cheerful professionalism. “Hello! I'm Raven Ulric, and this is Clara Milton. We're both interns in accordance with the Interstellar Charter educational exchange program.”
“Oh, yes!” the receptionist nodded. “What can I do for you?”
“I think I mislaid my scan-stone here earlier when I was working with Ms. Eden. Is she off for the evening?”
“She's on maternity leave,” Blondie said. “I'm her replacement.”
“Maternity leave?!” Raven and Clara said in unison.
Clara felt ill. No wonder Darian felt under the gun! Someone will have to tell Eden what happened ...
“Will I be working with you then, come Elpis-rising?” Raven inquired with only the slightest tremor in her voice.
The new secretary's expression remained inscrutably neutral. “I have not been informed as much.”
“Well, then ...” Raven said as her eyes flitted to the stainless steel tumbler resting at the desk's edge, “We're supposed to meet our team for drinks soon. Would it be alright if looked for my scan-stone? Perhaps I left it in the office.”
The receptionist's eyes went from Raven to Clara and back again. “That should be okay ... as long as you're prompt. His Eminence will be here shortly, and I don't want him disturbed.” The receptionist rose to her feet. “I need to use the facilities. Would you mind manning the front desk for a couple degrees if someone should call?”
Raven and Clara exchanged curious glances. Surely, it couldn't be this easy ...
“I'd be happy to,” Raven said. “Thank you Ms. ...”
“Lila. Dorothy Lila.”
“Ms. Lila,” Raven said with a nod.
“No trouble at all.”
Clara and Raven gazed after the receptionist until she disappeared down the hall. Till this moment, their carefully-laid plans had all gone wrong. Now Clara found she distrusted this all-too-convenient opportunity. “What's the catch?” she asked quietly.
“No idea,” Raven said as she unscrewed her vial of sedative. “But if we're gonna do this, we gotta do this!”
“I suppose ...” Clara glanced down the hall after the secretary. She wondered how Aaric was faring and hoped against hope he hadn't gotten himself arrested.
“All set,” Raven announced after stirring the drink with a straw. “Now you take it into the office.”
“Me?!” Clara placed a hand on her chest. “But I thought you said ...”
“That was before I agreed to man the front desk. I can't be out here and in there at the same time. Just place it on the desk and hide. When he's unconscious, nab the necklace.”
“How will you explain my absence to the new girl?”
“I'll think of something. Now git! You can sneak out again after they take His Eminence away. Hurry! I think I hear her coming back!”
Hands trembling, Clara grabbed the stainless steel tumbler and pushed her way through the heavy wooden doors. Inside, the room was surprisingly minimalist with the same black photopetrium forming the room's walls and floor. No portraits, photos, or inspirational quotes adorned the walls. The office was dark and flint-like, reflecting the man who worked there. The only decoration was the incredible view of the city through the photopetrium wall behind Karnak's desk. From her particular vantage point, Clara could see the hovercraft's blue lights reflecting off a forest of black-marbled stone columns and intertwining coral-like streets. The vista mesmerized her, but the sound of something beeping outside brought her back to the present.
Focus, Clara!
She willed herself to ignore the beauty and walk toward the great black desk which made even Nelly seem small in comparison. Several screens of varying sizes stared blankly at her as she placed the sedative-laced drink at the desk's center in front of the stuffed leather office chair.
Clara heard voices right outside the door. Her heart rate soared. Don't panic! Don't panic! Her eyes scanned the room in search of the walk-in closet Raven had mentioned. She dashed into it just as the heavy office doors opened. Inside the closet, Clara hid behind a hanging judicial robe and peered through the space between the door hinges. The walk-in closet felt warm and smelled vaguely of paper stacks and dry cleaning. His Eminence walked into her view, his eyes studying a file. Her pulse thundered in her ears; she hoped he couldn't hear it.
Without so much as a glance at the beautiful city, Captain Karnak sat at his desk and switched on his screens.
For the next two degrees, he typed without once sipping from his drink. Clara's legs ached from staying in their semi-hunched position, but she feared drawing unwanted attention by moving. When she was about to risk adjusting her position to relieve her burning thighs, the man absentmindedly reached for his drink and took a long sip through the straw.
Finally! Clara exhaled. I wonder how long it takes for the sedative to start working ...
Captain Karnak took another sip and kept typing.
Clara's legs started trembling. Her brow started to perspire.
Captain Karnak blinked. Then rubbed his eyes. Then yawned.
Clara felt a thrill of hope!
His Eminence eyed his drink suspiciously, then tapped a screen on his desk. “Ms. Lila?”
“Yes, your Eminence,” the secretary's voice came through a speaker.
“Send up some coffee, will you? I'm feeling rather …” he blinked again and rubbed his eyes.
“Sir?”
“T-tired ...” he drawled.
“Yes, sir. I'll send it in with the intern.”
Clara's spirits rose again. Brilliant! Raven's still in the picture!
Captain Karnak rested his chin on one hand as he continued to type with the other. Clara noticed that the intervals between his keys grew longer and longer. Type, type … type … type …
Then he laid his head on the desk and snored.
YES! Clara straightened her cramped legs and bent down to touch her toes. That's better! She could no longer see His Eminence as the screens on his desk now blocked her view. But when she heard his snore again, she tentatively opened the closet door.
CREAK!
Clara's heart stopped at the sound of the unoiled door hinge. It's over!
But His Eminence merely snored again.
Clara exhaled. Hurry up, Clara! Raven will be here soon. She took a few tentative steps toward the sleeping captain and quietly closed the distance between them. Peering over the screens, she saw his head resting on his forearms. His curly hair obstructed some of his face, but she spotted the gold chain holding the Fire Stone on the back of his neck.
Clara reached out a shaky hand over the screens to unclasp it, but she couldn't quite reach him – even on her tiptoes. Sometimes I hate being short! She slunk around the edge of the desk, her pulse throbbing in her ears once more. Slowly, slowly she stretched out her hand to undo the clasp. It came apart with ease.
Captain Karnak snored again, making Clara take a step backward.
She licked her dry lips and drew close again. Now for the tricky bit. She grasped the end of the gold chain and slowly drew it toward her until at last she could see a red glint underneath the sleeping captain's chin. Up close, she saw that what she’d supposed to be a simple gold chain was really a complex braid of interwoven strands culminating in the fashioned head of a cobra, its fangs holding the ruby stone in place. Seductive red fire danced within, casting its lustrous glow into Clara's own eyes. It was the most beautiful jewel she’d ever seen and contained the sunshine of eternal youth at its essence. Now it dangled defenseless within her grasp. She need only reach out and take it ...
The temptation seemed utterly provocative. Clara's eyes glinted red with a sudden passionate desire for the stone's power. The world seemed rose-colored and hazy. Her right hand trembled with anticipation as it seemed to move of its own accord toward the stone ...
But a warning shot through Clara's heart at the memory of Aaric's clear, gray eyes. She saw Mother Alden on the Grand Assembly floor. She heard the echo of Mother Grace's words: “I value life more than living. Think on that ...”
It was enough to jolt her from momentary madness. Her eyes cleared. The red haze vanished. Clara inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath. That was too close … With righteous resolve, Clara again reached out her hand – this time not to steal, but to save.
But before she could draw the stone away, Captain Karnak opened his eyes, shot out his hand, and grabbed Clara by the throat.
What do you think?
Yikes! Ever been caught red-handed? (Hopefully, not by the throat?) Tell me about it in the comments below!
If the whole book were out, I'd be binge-reading now! I can't wait to find out what happens! Hurry up chapter 26!