The Zodiacs

44. Matsimela

Akil leaned forward, no longer able to hold himself straight after so many days of maintaining his figure and refusing to show weakness to the enemy. His exhausted eyes scanned the top of the room, barely able to hold his head up as he searched for a device that may allow them to watch him from another location. But the room was either too dark or there was really no such thing.

He sighed, trying to pull at his arms to relieve the building pressure in his shoulders from being held in the same position for so long. He'd been blindfolded for the first couple days --how many? He had no clue, but it must have been more than three or four.

They'd removed the black cloth when he'd become too weak to use his abilities on them. It was a weakness that developed as a result of the lack of sufficient food, sunlight, and water.

He wondered about the others. Were Lotus, Suma, and Layla okay? Or were they becoming as drained as he was. None of them would break, though, that was one thing he was confident in. Even though all their personalities differed so drastically, they would never reveal to the Pharaoh the location of the others.

Also because they didn't know.

For the most part, the air sign just hoped they weren't tormenting any of the other Zodiacs. Two of them had no clue, and one of them would never break. But he had no way of receiving the answer to his question from between the chains that pinned him against the wall inside this dimly lit chamber.

Was this where Aaron had been kept when Zahra saved him?

The name brought an aching pain into his chest, but Akil didn't fight his instinct as the image of the girl drew itself in his mind. She'd put herself in so much danger to protect her brother and the other Zodiacs without knowing any of them... and she'd maintained the same fearlessness until her last moments.

His body twitched with anger when Akil threw his arms forward with an angry roar that shook the chains holding him down. His movements came to a halt because of their unfaltering hold, but his fury remained blistering hatefully within his chest.

It wasn't toward Zahra though, it never was. Neither was it toward the man who had supposedly been the one to deliver the killing blow and found himself chained in the basement just like the criminal Zodiacs.

Akil's anger was toward himself... for failing the girl who'd done so much to protect him from the very beginning. For running like a child when he should have fought alongside her. For being nothing more than a heartless, selfish coward who couldn't even protect his family. For failing to even protect the girl who'd been only a hair's distance away from him in the battle, and getting them both captured.

For a brief moment, Akil's mind slipped toward the red-haired fire sign... wondering about her wellbeing, but the thought was interrupted when the heavy chamber door squeaked open.

"Akil Matsimela," the Pharaoh stepped into the room, bringing a river of candles held by his assigned guards to illuminate the room further. His back was straightened and his head was lifted up with an unending sense of confidence, but Akil remembered the way he'd lost his temper during their battle and smirked in mockery. "How do you do?"

He remained silent, his bloodshot blue eyes followed the king's trail into the chamber until he stood a short distance ahead of him. Every ounce of curiosity or potential respect he'd had for the man during his time serving on the military had been lost far too long ago for the air sign to even consider responding.

Instead, his gaze slid over the five men standing around the room to ensure the Pharaoh's safety from the unstable Zodiac. That's what they were calling them now, wasn't it? ...as a way to turn the public against twelve of their own kids.