Fallen Haven [Baneful] Book 1

A Trip to Paris

"Ein, I am trained in many things, but this place is huge! People are demanding! Do you know the kind of work that goes into running a place such as this!?"

"I know, but you're the best person for the job, and it would only be for three days tops." Charles thinks it over before giving in.

"Fine, I'll run this place, but only for three days! You hear? I ain't staying here longer than I have to, and I mean that." Ein cheers and hugs Charles.

"You are an absolute lifesaver. I promise I'll make it up to you!"

"You'd better." Charles smiles, patting Ein on the back. "Now get going and do what you need to do." Ein nods and quickly rushes back to Niko, eager to tell him the news. Charles sighs and scans the lower floor, taking in the different sections. "I got this. It's only three days, and I was trained for situations like these. What harm could three days possibly bring?" He laughs to himself. "Oh, I am so holding on to this, and he will owe me."

Ein is out of breath by the time he reaches Niko's office again. "He said he'll do it! But only for the three days you'll be gone!" Niko is shocked that Charles actually agreed.

"Have to admit, Ein, I'm impressed you managed to pull this off. Come on, I have a private plane back at my place that can take us to where we need to go." Ein wastes no time following Niko down the stairs and out of the casino through the back door.

"So what exactly are you to William? Do you actually work for him, or is it some spy-type stuff?" Ein asks as he and Niko step into a car that takes off on Niko's command.

"Consider it spy work. He thinks I'm on his side and working for him when, in reality, I have my own motives and agenda." Niko says with a smirk. "As if I'd actually work for him after what he did."

"And because of all this, you know about Nicolette and what happened to her."

"I don't know everything, but I know bits and pieces. William basically sees Nicolette and Nyx as some kind of super weapon, or at least that's what he plans on turning her into. The research by Darren is very important to him, and he let me read it once and only once, so my brain retained some information."

"A super-weapon..." Ein recalls when the flower had withered entirely underneath Nicolette's touch. "Don't tell me he plans on turning into a bloodthirsty monster..." Seeing Nicolette as anything but a lively, friendly little girl was too painful to do for Ein. Everything fades around him as he imagines her, the little girl he likes, turning into someone who hunts people like prey. He feels his heart beating out of his chest as his breathing quickens.

"Ein!" Niko snaps his fingers in front of him. "Snap out of it, you good?"

"No, I can't let him do that to her, Niko. We need to find Carlile and then find this secret lab or find some way to halt his plans." Niko places a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll put a stop to him one way or the next. Even if he follows through with turning Nicolette into a weapon, we'll stop her by any means necessary." Ein nods. He looks out the window and recognizes the airport where he, Leroy, and Charles arrived.

"You keep your plane here?" Niko shrugs nonchalantly.

"Safest place for it, honestly. Now come on." The car comes to a halt outside a different section of the airport. "Let's head to Carlile's last known location."

"Which is?"

"His last letter to me was actually a postcard from Paris, France, so that's where we're headed." Niko leads Ein to a smaller plane, which looks normal on the outside, but as soon as they step inside, the interior matches the level of the casino. Ein starts to question just how rich his brother has gotten over the years.

"Does everything have to be top-notch with you?"

"Little bro, when you have the money I do, you get to live and ride around like a king, and I plan to do just that for the rest of my life." They take a seat on a couch in the plane with seatbelts.

"What are these for?" Ein asks, looking them over.

"Those are seatbelts, and they are used for takeoff and landing cause it can be a bit rough both ways." Niko stops thinking momentarily and chuckles to himself, getting a smack from Ein.

"Mind out of the gutter, dude!"

"Hey, can you blame me? That sentence was the perfect opportunity for that." Ein rolls his eyes and fastens the seatbelt just in time for the plane to take off.

"I hope I can see her again. I've wanted nothing more than to hug her again to see her smile again." Ein says as Niko takes out a cigar, lighting it.

"Childhood love is cute, but it can easily fade over the years. You don't know if she still likes you back."

"Even if she doesn't like me back anymore, that's okay. I'm still going to help her. She's like us and deserves a chance at a normal life after what happened years ago." Niko just couldn't wrap his head around Ein's logic.

"You're too soft-hearted. Someday, someone will or could stab you in the back, and you wouldn't even see it coming."

"I like helping people, Niko, and all I'm focused on right now is bringing down William and rescuing Nicolette! Maybe if you stopped sleeping around so much and actually tried connecting with someone, you'd understand what I mean." Niko glares at Ein but doesn't say anything else and thinks over his words. After thirteen hours, the plane lands at the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport in Paris, France. They pop their ears and meet up with someone Niko knows.

"Sir Niko, c'est tellement agréable de vous revoir ! Quelles affaires avez-vous avec nous, Parisiens ? Je vais essayer d'aider de toutes les manières possibles !" Ein blinks and looks at his brother.

"I don't speak French, Niko."

"Don't worry that's where i come in let me handle this. Salut, je me demandais si vous aviez récemment été en contact avec une personne nommée Carlile Boyd ? C'est un vieil ami à moi et j'ai vraiment besoin de son aide."

"Ah Carlile Boyd ! Oui, il séjourne ici en ce moment dans l'un de nos hôtels locaux, je peux vous y emmener tout de suite !"

"Merci beaucoup, c'est apprécié" Ein watches on amazement at how well Niko speaks French.

"You have to teach me that sometime! Also, what did he say?"

"I can try to teach your small-brained little head, and he said he knows Carlile and that Carlile is actually still here, so he can take us to him now."

"Yes! This is perfect. The fact that he is still here is so lucky! Come on, Niko, I don't want to wait another moment!" Niko leads Ein to the man's vehicle, and they step inside. The man wastes no time in driving them to their location.

"Do you think he can help us at all, Niko? Darren stopped teaching Carlile around the time things went down, didn't he?"

"A bit before then, but trust me, Carlile has been studying independently and has become an absolute master at things like potions, spells, curses, cures, and poisons of all kinds. He is very skilled and, for a price, is willing to make just about anything you request." Niko brags.

"Didn't our grandmother die by one of her own spells?"

"It was more of a curse she was trying to create a counterspell for that backfired and ended up taking her life." Ein is horrified at the revelation.

"That is just an awful way to go!"

"Yes, it is, but Carlile is far more careful and doesn't delve into the stuff our grandmother did. If you ever need anything, he's the guy to go to, and many, many others besides me will tell you the same."

"I hope you're right because we could use all the help we can get cause after this... is William's territory."