Rise or Burn

Chapter Twenty-Five

Author's Note: I haven't really done any author's notes in a while but I thought it'd be important to mention a couple of things before I continued. Starting with: I thought I'd be done with this book by now. I had chapters I'd written in advanced and I was working on the final chapters but unfortunately my laptop decided to crash and I lost all my files. Which means I have to re-write everything I had, but I have the memory of a goldfish and I don't really remember the things I had written. That, added to the fact that I'm back at school, it's going to be harder for me to update as frequently as I used to. But the important thing is that I'm not giving up on this story, no matter how desperately I want to. I pretty sure there's like two or three people who have made it this far (Thank you btw) but this story means something to me. It's helped me get through a lot and I think I owe it an ending. What that ending looks like? I'm not sure. But I'll figure it out. Okay, I think that's it. Please enjoy chapter twenty-five...

"Are you sure this will work?" Kodie asked as he paced the length of Theana's office. He was twiddling with the hem of his shirt in a repetitive motion that made Eon uneasy.

"It's going to work," Eon said with more certainty than he currently possessed. He just needed for Kodie to calm down.

Kodie stopped but he didn't look anymore reassured than had before. He turned his eyes to Eon and said, "She's not even here. What if she turned us into the Kuth?"

"She wouldn't do that." He barely believed the words as he said them. He'd considered it, when he'd first decided to ask for Theana's help, that she'd simply turn him and Kodie into the authorities. He had confessed to committing a crime warranting incarceration into the most secure prison on the isle. But in all honesty it'd a bit of an exaggeration. He and Kodie were con men at the worst; petty criminals. They'd just run into a bit of misfortune. "She promised," he added, trying to sound more convincing. He should trust Thea. A part of him desperately wanted to, for old times' sake if for no other reason. They'd been like siblings once. That bond should count for something now. He wanted it to.

"And if she breaks that promise?"

"We find another way out." He stepped closer to Kodie, cupping his face in his hands. "You're not going back to that place. I don't care what I have to do; I'm not letting Jemma use me anymore. Use us anymore."

Kodie sighed and gave a small nod. "Okay," he said and leaned into Eon's shoulder. Eon wrapped him in his arms and just held him for a moment.

It's almost over, he thought.

>>>>>>>

Nicco and Hast walked up to the front doors of the Lone manner. It was nightfall; the sun had set and a cold chill had settled. Nicco walked ahead trying with a ferocious determination to ignore the fact Orrick Hast was walking behind him. A mere five steps behind. This, to Nicco's irritation felt frustratingly, too close. It wasn't close enough to feel him but close enough to know he was there. It's safe to say it'd been a long walk to the manner. However, to Orrick's credit he hadn't said a word since Nicco had snapped at him the first time he'd tried to talk. It made it easier.

"Let me do the talking," Nicco said after finally knocking on the door. Orrick gave him a pointed look that could have translated to anything from, 'okay,' to 'whatever suits you.'

A maid appeared at the entrance a few moments later. She was a small thing, with big round eyes and mousey brown hair. "Your highness," she said, her big eyes growing even bigger. "We weren't expecting you," she explained as she moved from the door's threshold to let him and his guest in.