Immortal Tales #Wattys2020

Chapter Thirty Three - Part Two

The glass windows of the airport opened directly onto the landing platforms, holding hundreds of different colours and sizes planes. The immortals were spread around each of the planes, all intent in different actions and moving like a well oiled machine.

Some were carrying carefully the passengers and pilots out of the vehicles and putting the far away from the sun on the track. Others were leaning on the big airplane wheels, getting inside from the bottom. The kept passing around pieces and scraps of metal as if they could explode from one moment to another. By the looks of the big piles next to the dormient passengers, they were scavaging copper. Lots of it.

If Emily hadn't seen the crowd of people in front of her, she would have guessed there was no one. The lack of emotion felt like an empty void in the space.

Their group hid behind a vending machine, afraid that the immortals could see them though the window.

-Ok, this seems like one of those stupid maths problems from school. - started Mathias, trying to shake away the fear growing in his heart. -How many immortals would it take to unbuild an airplane by picking out only copper at a rate of 1 scrap per hour? And here I was thinking that kind of stuff never happened. -

Jane took a bite of her liquorice in extreme calm. - Wouldn't know. Never went to school. - she said. - But listen nerd, not all the immortals are enjoying the job. -

Emily closed her eyes and focused on the paths.

Most of the immortals were just like she had been centuries before: shells prive of emotions with only one goal in mind, to serve the mist people. She could see their luminous path as solid as rock. Others were not as sure. Flickers of uncertainty and annoyance kept surfacing over their hearts and they paths divided and united again over and over again. It looked to her as a self weaving knitting tool. She focused on one thread and opened her eyes.

The girl it belonged to was counting the pieces of copper in the pile and noting something down on a piece of paper.

The girl didn't like doing her job, that was not what she had imagined when the mist people had told her she would be a fundamental piece in the fate of the world.

Emily almost laughed by herself. That was the lie she had lived by during her whole path-changer training. She couldn't blame the immortal girl for thinking the same.

The immortal girl put down her pen and looked around at the others around her. She had no memory of her life before becoming a path-changer, but she could have swore she had never seen so many of them in one place. Some had seemed friendly enough, but as soon as the mist people had given them orders, all had transformed into well-behaving zombies. Did she really belong to that group? The mist people had warned them to trust their every word without question, as a proof of her faith, but ... hadn't she proved enough by killing her own fake-brother in his sleep? She still couldn't sleep well at the thought.

Someone touched her shoulder, and a Emily's mind went back into her body.

-Hey, did you hear me? - asked Isaac. -Your eyes went blank for a second. I said that I think none of them have any idea of what is going on, but of course our old friend just won't leave us alone for more than one century. -

Emily followed Isaac's gaze and shivered.

The immortal that had tried to kill her on multiple occasions, the one that had tried to kidnap baby Mathias, was there. And by the looks of it, he was directing the others.

The girl noticed with satisfaction that even after 25 years, his leg hadn't recovered properly from their last encounter. He kept shifting his weight on his left leg whilst pointing the immortals towards one plane or another.

-I bet he knows - whispered Jane hopefully. -Should we just jump in and kick his ass again? -

Mat coughed. -Ehm don't get me wrong Chuck Norris, I like the imminent prospect of death as much as the next guy but ... wouldn't it be better to wait for him to come to us and play with the surprise effect? -

Emily agreed. -Yeah I personally like my head attached to my shoulders, so if we could avoid an open front attack with the whimping wuss that would make me very happy. -

The girl smelled Isaac's discomfort as he looked over at the airplanes field.

-Speaking of ... where in the name of Nature is the wuss? -

The four of them didn't have the time turn around. A wind of magic pinned them to the ground, stopping them from any exit manoeuvre.

-Ah that would be me - said a cold voice at their backs, not a whisper of emotion filtering though his voice. Emily felt the pull of a clowed hand over her neck and she was forced to look into the immortal's brown eyes.

-Seems like we meet again flaming lady, I cannot wait for the mist people to hear the news-