Chapter 92: Chapter 92

The hour flight towards Edinburgh seemed to me longer than the three of the previous flight. I now had time to think, and my thoughts filled me with anxiety. How would I be welcomed at the castle? It had been months since I had left, and I was sure that each resident had received, the day before, the compromising video of my antics with Eric. How would Carmichael react? This question filled me with sadness. I never wanted to hurt this man I cared a lot about, but for whom my feelings had always been thwarted. What was I going to tell him? A car came to pick me up at the exit of the tarmac and an ambulance was waiting to receive Eric. Paul, the steward, gave me a broad smile when he saw me, and I was relieved that he, at least, didn’t comment on my conduct in Greece.

My heart was pounding as we walked down the poplar lane leading to the castle. Worse was the sensation when I discovered the world waiting for me outside the entrance. I couldn’t make out Carmichael’s face in the crowd. I then got out of the car and went towards the hundred people gathered in front of the doors. I recognized Thomas, whose presence clashed in the front rows of the audience. Jo was there too, surrounded by Henry, Sonia, Caleb, Chun, Prisca, and Mike, our New York host, as well as Adam and Amelia, the owners of the Parisian hotel, whose collapse had made the headlines. After a long moment of silence, Salomon stretched out his arms.

“God damn it’s good to see you, Eve!”

“It does me good too.”

“You know you’re a crazy sister-in-law,” Prisca said, hugging me.

“Do you only notice that now?” I replied, smiling.

Reassured by this welcome, I received Salomon’s embrace with relief. Many of my fellows came closer. When I pulled away from my friend, they all bowed down. Tears welled up in my eyes. Could it be that they haven’t seen the video? I thought, filled with hope. Had the Five been bluffing? I hoped it was so when I got back to the castle.

I was taken to the Eleonore suite, my suite. It had been spruced up after the incident with Blake, and was shining bright again. Feeling the grime of the last twenty-four hours on me, the sea salt on my clothes and, under my fingers, the straw that acted as hair, I immediately took a bath. The immersion succeeded in relaxing my muscles a little. Later, I went out to grab some clothes from my dressing room and went to the Pomona room. Carmichael was absent, so Salomon found himself alone with me.

“He’s in the chapel,” he said, guessing my thoughts. “He hasn’t moved since yesterday.”

“He’s running away from me, right?”

“He doesn’t even know you’re back yet. He asked not to be disturbed for any reason. I tried to warn him but he didn’t answer my calls, nor when I knocked on his door.”

“Oh…”

“I haven’t seen him since he received the video yesterday morning.”

“So he knows. I had hoped that…, I’m sorry, Salomon.”

“Don’t worry about it, darling, no one could have resisted such treatment. And then it’s Eric.”

“Yes… it’s Eric.”

A smile escaped my lips. Salomon imitated me.

“No one will judge you here. I don’t know if you noticed, but caste customs are much more tolerant than human ones. Besides, I don’t know a single one of us who wouldn’t have dreamed of being in that room with you… or with him.”

His declarations inflamed my heart. I held out my hand and shook his, the wise man of our community.

“I have to go.”

“I agree.”

I sped through the woods and ran towards the chapel. I found him in front of the building, seated on an armchair near the entrance. Seeing him again kindled a glow that enveloped me entirely.

He immediately sensed my presence, but didn’t look away. His dreadlocks loose on his broad shoulders, he clenched his jaw. I could feel all of his anger deep in my gut. Worse, his heart was horribly hurt, and I stood there, silent, not knowing what to say. He finally consented to look away at me. A long silence fell as our eyes met.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He had no reaction. I took a few steps forward.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated.

I moved forward again.

“I’m sorry.”

Tears were already filling my eyes. He got up, turned around and entered the chapel. I followed him, not yet ready to fall apart. I had to take responsibility for my actions.

The fireplace was doing its job, the heat made me take off my jacket. I scanned the room and my gaze fell on the computer. I immediately thought of the video.

“We have to go back to the island together. If the castes are still ready to follow me, then we need to attack as soon as possible.” I said, as if I wanted to forget that Eos existed.

My husband decided to sit on the couch, and invited me to continue with a wave of his hand.

“My mother and brother risked their lives for me to escape. They must be freed as soon as possible. Also, the Five have planned to attack the castle soon and are getting stronger every day. Boats are arriving every week. They promise mountains and wonders to those who will join them, and if they refuse, they threaten them, even assassinate them. Once there, the castes cannot leave, not until the war is over. I saw many who, if they had been convinced at the beginning, only remain on the island today for fear of reprisals. I’m sure they’ll turn around if we get the upper hand. Moreover, when I escaped, I destroyed one of their key assets. We just have to make sure now that they don’t replace it.”

“What asset are you talking about?”

“Their seer?”

“Did you murder her?”

“No, well yes, but it was an accident. She threw herself under a rock that I threw in the direction of the guards during my escape.”

“So she killed herself on purpose?”

“That’s what I think, and it also means that right now they don’t have a precog anymore. They won’t bother looking just anywhere. I’m sure they’ll soon realise that we have two and come and take the Hanlons from us, so we have to attack. They also have weapons, which they want for the weakest castes. But I know every nook and cranny of the temple, I can make a plan. I know where the guards are posted and what kind of weapons they have. And above all, I know that we will all serve a just cause together, while, in the opposing camp, the support is feverish. Besides, know that if you had any doubts about your brother during his last visit, you can be reassured, because he is always on our side.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”

A silence.

“Where is he?”

His justified question confused me. He wasn’t talking about Connor.

“He’s safe,” I replied, “I didn’t want to take him back to the castle. I was afraid of the reactions of the castes, because of this…”

“… video.”

“Yes,” I said in a whisper, “and I didn’t want the Five to find him.”

“Because of how important he is to you, given your recent ties?”

A new silence. One moment I blinked, the next Carmichael was inches away from me. He looked down at me, I held his gaze. He got a little closer. My chest touched his. His breath warmed the lines of my face.

“Eric is with Elvis,” I blurted out.

When I pronounced his name, I felt a certain uneasiness. Carmichael took a step back.

“Will he be able to fight?”

“No, he was seriously injured and lost a lot of blood. We don’t have time to wait for him to recover.”

“Glad to see that, despite how you feel about him, you’re putting our people’s best interests before him.”

“I’m here now, right?”

He looked at me from head to toe, and fixed his gaze on mine again, his powerful jaw finally loosened and, against all odds, he sent me a slight smile. He took out his phone and turned it on. He dialled Salomon’s number.

“Hey, we’ll be back in a few minutes. See you in my office.”

“In a few minutes!” I exclaimed, “I was hoping to get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”

I then fell silent, for fear of aggravating my case.

“That man,” declared Carmichael, “I hate him, of course.”

I didn't respond. This wasn’t the time to interrupt him. I was also anxious to know his thoughts on this subject.

“I understand how this all happened, as well as the Five’s intentions in this matter. Either way, your prowess isn’t going to change the fates of all of us. I will put together a strategy with Salomon in light of what you have just revealed to me. And together, tomorrow, we’ll present our plan of attack for the final battle.”

“Yes… well, if I still have supporters in our ranks, after all this.”

“The Five have understood nothing about the castes of our century. They surely thought that this video would divide us, that the castes would only see you as not worthy of trust. This isn’t the case.”

He put on a thin smile. I didn’t know how to interpret it, but as the atmosphere became more breathable, Carmichael relaxed. I undertook to tell him all the details of my stay in Greece, obviously without going back over the last few weeks. He in turn gave me news from the castle, including that concerning the capture of the traitor. I was horrified to learn his name, for it was Freddy, the man who supervised my brother’s cell guard. His apologies sounded so sincere, though! Then Carmichael ended his story.

“I needed to empty myself, to isolate myself for a while. The castle is always crowded and I wanted to be able to think.”

He stood up in my direction. When his hands touched mine, the warmth of his skin sent shocks into my chest.

“I know appearances are against me, but I’m still yours,” I whispered. “I haven’t forgotten. It’s true that I was very angry with you about Olivia. But even my mother supports you in this matter, so…”

“I adore her already, this woman,” he said, a smile on the corner of his lips.

His hands moved up my arms and then reached my face. He ran his fingers behind my neck and brought my lips close to his. His magnetism enveloped me, I welcomed his kiss. When he pulled away from me, the sensation was painful.

“When we return from Greece, we will discuss all this again.”

“Yes, okay.”

Troubled, I thought that I absolutely wanted to avoid thinking about the future. He turned and headed for the bathroom. I heard the shower water running. I grabbed my cell phone to text Johnny, whom I had only seen for a few seconds when I arrived at the castle. In a few words, I explained that I was looking forward to seeing him again the next day. In response, I got a happy emoticon that popped up on my phone. Then, a few seconds later, I received another message.

Eric: I woke up

Surprised, I hadn’t thought at all about what I was going to be able to say to him. I was so focused on the explanations that I owed to Carmichael. Explanations are nonexistent, moreover, since I was 100% at fault.

Me: Are you better?

Eric: Yes. It still bleeds a little, but it’s okay.

Me: Okay.

Pathetic, my “okay”, I thought. A silence settled, during which I felt a slight feeling of guilt rising. I realised that I was texting with my lover while my husband was taking a shower. I felt disgusted. How was I going to handle this situation?!

Eric: Where are you?

Me: I went back to the castle. Do you know about the video?

I was using the video as a diversion and to avoid saying that I was actually in the chapel, formerly the Carmichael bachelor pad, trying to make amends for my dishonourable conduct. What courage, Eve!

Eric: Yes, I know.

Me: It’s humiliating.

Eric: I didn’t find it humiliating.

The winking dot emoticon made me smile.

Eric: Have you seen it?

Me: No? Should I?

Eric: I think so.

I heard Carmichael come out of the shower. I hastened to send a last message.

Me: I have to go!

I hadn’t yet turned off the screen when Eric’s response was already displayed in a notification.

Eric: Come back to me.

My heart sank. But I didn’t have time to think about it further, because Carmichael was heading straight for me. I was hoping he wasn’t going to spot the rosy traces on my cheeks, because Eric’s last message had troubled me. “Come back to me”. Carmichael didn’t seem to suspect me. He put on a jacket, put on shoes, and we spun in the direction of the castle.