The Art of Truth (TRC #2)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I wrapped my seatbelt around my hand for extra security as I watched the speedometer climb up, up, up into the hundreds down residential roads. He was driving fast. Faster than was safe. An angry gleam obscured his eyes, bordering on mania. My heart raced with genuine fear. I reached for the door handle, ready to pull it open and jump out of the car if we slowed at any point. I wasn’t staying in this car if I could avoid it. Not with that look in Kairo’s eyes.

“Blackwell...Blackwell was there. He was the one who broke into our house...He tied up my parents, shot them a few times...Art still killed them, to get their lives for his immortality, but Blackwell enjoyed their pain. Anna was there...She recognised him. Anna was there. She saw everything. EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT,” he screamed the last few words.

I winced and clung tighter to my seatbelt, till my hand was white from the constriction. Kairo swerved to avoid incoming traffic. I squeezed my eyes closed and reached for my cellphone. Keeping it hidden between my lap and the car door, I scrolled until I found Jen’s number and punched out a quick message.

 Kairo is not going to do something dangerous. He has the Lifemark. Send help.

My phone beeped but thankfully, Kairo didn’t notice the noise. I gritted my teeth as he swung into a road I recognised. The graveyard.

He skidded to a stop and yanked me out of the car.

“Come. We’re not letting that Conspiracy exist for another day longer,” he said.

His voice was calmer, but had taken on a new dimension of threat. Revenge had cooled the anger in his blood. Now, all he cared about was that revenge happening as quickly as possible.

I dropped my phone, but couldn’t stop to pick it up. I stumbled along after him, unable to pull free of the tight grip he had on me.

“Kairo, Kai...you’re scaring me. What are we doing here?” I asked. I had an idea of what he was planning already, but the last thing I wanted was it confirmed. At best, I could stall until Jen saw my message, and hopefully arrived with help.

“You know what I want...They’ve been using symbols all this time to get ahead of us...Now it’s time to do the same. I can’t kill Art – not yet – so I’ll send an army to them that they won’t be able to kill. My army will already be dead.”

I tripped over a sharp rock and fell onto the still-soft grass. There were new gravestones all around, and I knew my guess was correct. He needed enough dead bodies if he wanted to challenge the Conspiracy using the Lifemark.

“Stay on your feet Maya, I don’t have much time.”

He finally stopped at the centre of the graveyard. At a crossroads of the path and released me. I collapsed on the gravel, my chest heaving as I tried to get my breath back and my heart-rate calmer.

“I used your blood to activate it,” he said, pulling out a knife. “I need more to make it work again.”

“Kairo, listen to what you’re saying...” I said, swallowing and holding up my hands. “You sound like a maniac.”

“I won’t kill you, Maya. Relax. I just need a little more to call up some of these people.”

“You won’t hurt me directly, but that Symbol already wants my life as payment! What if your new soldiers decide to take me?”

“Then you’ll be part of my army...but, you won’t be asking so many questions.”

I screamed as loud as my lungs would allow and then louder still. I needed help from whoever would hear me. He stepped towards me, grasped my wrist and brought the knife closer. I jerked my entire body back and he missed making the cut. His fingers were cold and sent burning pain shooting up my arm as he squeezed tighter and twisted my wrist. He was so much stronger than I was, too strong. I was no challenge for him and at that moment I knew with certainty that my life would end. A cold-blooded murder to launch revenge on something I was detached from. It wasn’t Art that I was scared of anymore, who would betray me. It was Kairo, who was dangerous and unstable.

“Kairo, please think about what you’re doing! Would your parents want you to get revenge like this? Anna and Jared will hate you...So will Jen. You’re not acting like yourself!”

A bullet sprayed up gravel a metre from where we stood.

“Kairo Hallow, release the girl and drop your weapon!” a voice called out. I looked around in shock. Jen. She held a gun loosely at her side, her shoulders drooped in disappointment.

“Kai, please...Let go of Maya. She has nothing to do with this.”

Kairo dropped the knife in his hand, but didn’t let go of my arm. He pulled me to my feet and grabbed both my hands, my shoulders burning as he twisted them behind my back.

“KAIRO. I’m not alone...my colleagues will be here in a less than 30 seconds if I don’t give them an all clear. You know what they can be like,” Jen said.

“Don’t try to stop me, Jen. You know what’s at stake. They killed my parents! Destroyed my family.”

“Jen, please...” I mouthed. Tears of panic and pain blurred my vision. I didn’t know how things had gotten this far.

“Let her go, Kairo. You need to give up the Lifemark. You knew that, but you kept it from Parliament. If you hand it over to me now, they won’t be so harsh on you,” Jen said.

She waited a heartbeat, but he didn’t reach a decision. Then he cried out in pain and released me. I scrambled away, towards Jen. His body jerked and he staggered back from the bullet she put in his shoulder. Droplets of blood speckled my clothing.

“I’m sorry, my love,” she said, kneeling next to him. A ring of men and women in serious suits, carrying weapons circled the scene. A grey-eyed man walked over to us and clicked handcuffs around Kairo’s wrists. Jen removed the Lifemark from around his neck and dropped it into a plastic ziplock she pulled from her handbag. She put her blazer around my shoulders.

“Go wait in my car. I’ll take you home later,” she instructed. Still in shock, I obeyed her without thinking. My mind was already shutting down on the experience.