Chapter 84: Chapter 84

I spent the days that followed exploring, and it was a laborious job, the temple being a real labyrinth. But I was no longer confined to my suite and this welcome freedom, which I couldn’t explain to myself, I savoured without restraint. I memorised each place, each corridor, each room. From the Nave of Statues, passing through the dungeons of the temple and the place where their armaments were stored, I now knew almost every corner. I had just taken on the mission that I had originally entrusted to Connor on my own. At the same time, I could only blame myself, since I had sent him into the mouth of the wolf, near his father, surrounded by castes with disproportionate powers and alongside whom he sat. However, I still couldn’t explain to myself why I was left free to move, the guards letting me go where I wanted. I still didn’t understand why the Five wanted me on their side, either. I didn’t have the answer to my questions until the following week.

Like every evening since my release, I have dined in their company, as well as that of Magnus, my mother, Ethan and, more recently, Marc De Courcy and the seer, Cassandre. The latter, like my mother, didn’t speak a word. Marc de Courcy often unrolled his knowledge of history and, at this very moment, conversed with Soban and Thelion, the two youngest brothers of Althea. The latter was conversing with Priam on the arrival of the next boats filled with castes who had decided (or had been forced) to join their cause. My brother was watching their conversation, just like me.

These dinners became unbearable, and the sight of Magnus still revolted me. I also noticed that strangely, the more the days passed, the more the man plunged into a deep silence. The absence of his son Connor, and the deep hatred that Ethan now had for him, were undoubtedly at the origin of this change. Or else, Connor had finally confessed to him that the Five were planning to kill him one day in excruciating pain. But when you think about it, one truth stands out. His own son, Carmichael, had betrayed him, and in doing so, Magnus had lost his hold on the castes. He was also aware of the admiration that many had for his son, endowed with the gift of attraction that was foreign to him. His jealousy must have only grown since his arrival on the island of Eos. Magnus had no powers in this place, because he wasn’t the master of the place, and he couldn’t put up with it. At the mercy of castes more powerful than him, the fallen Master Hand was wasting away, and I now understood better the intention of Blake, who hadn’t wanted his brother to die immediately. His thoughts alone tortured him enough. He had definitely thought of everything, his brother!

The Five didn’t talk to me, and I had no desire to talk to them. In addition, I discovered from a reliable source that many of my fellow men would further swell their ranks. I had to learn everything I needed, and quickly. While I had managed to carry out my first part of the plan, namely a precise inventory, I realised that, as soon as I had answers to my questions, I would have to flee. So I had to speed up the manoeuvre, because the prospect of finding my loved ones was becoming stronger and stronger. It must have been two months since I arrived on the island. What happened to Carmichael and Johnny? Eric and Thomas? Had they succeeded in convincing other castes to join us? Was Carmichael’s Hong Kong tour a success? Had Henry trained them all as I had requested before I left for Paris?

“Can you tell me what I’m doing here, exactly?” I let out a breath, tired of constantly questioning myself.

The effect was immediate. Everyone stopped talking and turned in my direction. My mother gave me a look full of incomprehension, my brother smiled, and Marc de Courcy cleared his throat.

“In what honour do you think we’ll answer you?” replied the youngest sister, Ludmila, furious.

“You know how to talk then?” I laughed when I heard her voice for the first time.

Ludmila got up abruptly, but her sister stopped her vengeful intentions with a wave of her hand. She could only frown and glare at me. The murder of her twin had earned me her eternal enmity, and her desire for revenge sweated through every pore.

“Ludmila, calm down,” Priam said, putting a hand on Althea’s, “she has the right to know, after all.”

The two younger brothers ceased their conversation. Thelion got up and went to the redhead. He stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. She took one of his hands and kissed it. This affectionate gesture reminded me that they were married to each other. And as much as I found it natural to see Ludmila bruised by the death of her twin, unlike Soban, who seemed not to blame me at all for having torn her head off. He has ignored me since my arrival.

“You’re here because, as long as you remain,” Althea said in an icy voice, “we have the power. If we killed you right away, you would be considered a martyr, and our action could spark a rebellion. If we leave you in Mortain, you’ll build an army faster than your dear husband, and you will attack us as soon as possible. You have friends who are ready to do anything to help you. But if you think about it, we’re in no hurry. We have eternity ahead of us. A generation will pass and your friends will soon be too old or dead. The rest of the castes will have vaguely heard of your exploits of yesteryear, but you’ll be quickly forgotten in the end, because here, we control you. There isn’t a conversation that isn’t spied on in this temple. Eyes are everywhere and those eyes speak to me. And while we can’t read immortals like any caste, we know everything that’s going on here. We’re on an island, and we have Cassandra… And what would happen to your mother and your brother if you ran away? You wouldn’t take the risk of harm happening to them, would you?”

“Is that why you’re not locking me up anymore?”

“Exactly, and our strategy is working. Many join us because, since you’ve been a prisoner, your Carmichael no longer has the necessary means to thwart our plans. Leaving you free to move suggests that you are on our side. Besides, your stunt in the Nave of Statues failed to convince the castes! And even if you managed to wow a few of them, it didn’t take them long to see that in the end you couldn’t do anything against us. So why would they go to the opposite side?”

“Why isn’t Carmichael here, then?” I wondered. “You could have taken over the castle.”

“We thought about it at first, but how would we know the names of the traitors who join you? Connor has to bring me the list. The hope you represented is gone, Everliegh.”

“But I’m not dead,” I said, trying to hide my dismay.

“But you’re still our prisoner,” Priam said, “and according to our information, your husband is struggling to find the resources to try to beat us, so we may well take action sooner than expected. And in your opinion, where do we start?”

Mortain! This revelation made my blood run cold. He intended to attack soon. But when? They were right, my coming had weakened my side, and their strategy was obviously working wonderfully. But come to think of it, I had no choice but to surrender if I wanted them to stop their incessant attacks.

I now knew the place, how to get in and how to get out. I just missed the approximate date of their assault on the castle. I had to know it, or at least buy some time, before I ran away. Granted, we were on an island, but I could escape if I wasn’t spotted quickly. The pride of the Five was their weakness, and not taking away my powers was a mistake. At least that was what I thought at the time.

“I see you have very specific plans in mind,” I continued, “but you’re in a position of strength, so why expose yourself by attacking first?”

“That’s right,” Priam replied, “and we won’t jeopardise our plans in an unprepared attack. But don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know when Mortain is reduced to ashes. But enough babble! A guest is waiting for us in the Nave of Statues.”

I reassured myself with regard to these latest revelations. The attack was not for now. Having dined with them, I had learned that the Five weren’t tuned to the same time scale as ordinary mortals. Logical consequence of their immortality! However, I learned that the castle would be the first to be attacked, so, as a precaution, I would have to act quickly.

Everyone got up and followed Priam, visibly excited about unveiling his new guest. This only caused me concern. Althea, at his side, was elated. Soban dismissed De Courcy and Cassandre. That left only the Five, my mother, my brother, Magnus and me.

“Magnus,” Priam called out, “you should be proud of your son. Returning from his mission, he captured an enemy and handed him over to us. This idiot had swum to the island from I don’t know where, and was prowling around the temple. I believe you know him, Everliegh.”

Footsteps clicked on the stone floor. Connor entered through the large white front doors, an unconscious man slung over his shoulder. He stopped a few yards from Priam. I was two steps behind. Connor was staring at me, and I didn’t know how to interpret his gaze. A shiver ran through me as he threw the man to the ground. His arms covered in bruises hinted that he had been beaten up. I stepped forward, panting, and ducked down to identify his face.

When I recognized him, a fiery outrage seized my whole being. I looked up at Connor with murderous eyes, and as the heat of anger raced through my limbs, I slammed him into a wall. The shock was brutal, and the fall much worse. He tried to get up, but I stopped him. My thoughts took possession of his body and I sent him flying again against another wall, then another. I heard Magnus scream, but Priam stopped him with a single gesture before laughing, delighted by the sight. So I started again, and started again, until I felt a hand squeeze my ankle. Immediately, I knelt down and noted, relieved, that Eric wasn’t dead.