Seth Azemar wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing anymore.
Riley hadn't appeared again since he'd sent Jared through that portal, and all his attempts at finding the knife capable of ending his own life, and the live world with it, had fallen short. He wasn't exactly surprised. The entire point of the S.I.S was to keep that knife far from him, but it didn't make it any less frustrating.
Ever since Jared disappeared, Tai had started following Seth around like a shadow too, making his searches more difficult. Technically, that'd always been Tai's job, but lately Seth felt like he was being monitored rather than guarded. Tai's suspicions clearly hadn't solidified enough to involve Andrew and Sophie yet, but they still radiated from him, strengthening each day, and Seth knew he didn't have long before they grew too pervasive for Tai to ignore.
So, he'd started creeping around at night, waiting until Tai drifted off and then sacrificing his own sleep to search the base, or comb through a safe house. He knew he'd be more effective if someone helped him. But the risk was too great.
If he told his plan to anyone in the S.I.S, they'd think he'd gone mad, but they weren't privy to the warning signs he was.
At first, it'd been subtle; nausea and exhaustion he'd put down to grief, body aches he blamed on training. But the more portals opened, the more he felt. His body had started pulling itself apart. The parts that belonged to the world of the dead were desperately detaching themselves from the live bits, trying to flee whatever catastrophe was building. It was causing chaos inside him, and even before Riley appeared he'd known what he had to do.
He was dying. His world was dying. And he needed to get everyone else off it before he dragged them down with him.
"Seth?"
Seth looked up from the book he'd been staring at to find Tai in the doorway. His mouth was set in a thin line, and his face a collage of fading bruises, remnants of the violence at the rebel's base. It somehow made him look more intimidating than usual.
Seth set the book aside and rubbed his eyes, bringing Tai into sharper focus. He didn't look happy that Seth had managed to sneak off without him. Again.
"Hey."
"What are you doing here?" Tai asked.
Seth looked at the walls of books around him, the dust coating them. Not many people came to the S.I.S's library anymore, and if they did, they didn't delve this far into the archives. He'd been hoping to find some hints of where the S.I.S had hidden the knife in the past, but so far no luck.
"Reading," Seth said. "I thought the archives might have some advice on how to stop all of this."
Tai frowned. "All these books have been scanned. Why didn't you just look at the PDFs?"
Because I didn't want anyone to figure out what I'm looking for.
Seth shrugged. "The library's peaceful."
Tai looked around, taking in the towering shelves, the dim light filtering through the window. Seth watched as Tai's eyes landed on the shelf he'd been riffling through, filled with some of the oldest books the S.I.S had, the dust drawn through in thick lines and slabs.
"Hmmm."
"Did you need me for something?" Seth asked.
Tai's eyes returned to him and he straightened. His arm was still in a sling, making one shoulder droop, and Seth couldn't help but think he looked slightly lopsided.
"Maud's come to see you."
Seth stifled a groan. He didn't like his fortnightly meetings with Maud at the best of times, but now, they seemed completely ridiculous.
"Why is she here? Shouldn't she be off trying to close the portals like everyone else?"
Tai's face was flat, but Seth saw something flash across it, and he cringed. He knew Tai didn't want to be stuck here baby sitting, that he'd been itching to go out into the field with everyone else.
"Apparently not," Tai said.
Seth stared at him for a moment, and then he turned back to his book. The words blurred before his eyes, the lack of sleep catching up with him.
"Tell her I'm not coming today."
Tai shifted. "You can't just not go."
"Yeah, I can."
Tai didn't reply, and Seth remained staring fixedly at his book, reading the same sentence over and over again, trying to translate it. The whole thing was written in ancient greek, detailing the village the Mors Mortis Device had first appeared in. Usually, he enjoyed translating, figuring out each sentence piece by piece, but having Tai hover in his peripherals was making it much more difficult.
"Okay," Tai said eventually. "I'll bring her here, then."
Tai shifted, about to leave, but Seth jumped up, irritation scorching through him, and he saw something in Tai's face settle — a suspicion confirmed.
Seth wanted to kick himself, but Tai was the least of his problems. If anyone was going to figure out what he was looking for in these books, it was Maud, and he couldn't have that.
"Bloody hell, fine," Seth grumbled, stalking past Tai. "I'll go see her. I don't get why anyone thinks that's still important, though. I'm completely fine and the world is still ending."
Tai fell into step beside him.
"It'd end a lot faster if you weren't," he said.
Seth didn't bother replying, and he stalked towards the meeting room the guards always directed Maud to. He looked the other way as they passed the room Jared had stayed in, the floor now completely worn away. The ghosts had stopped appearing in the S.I.S base as frequently once Jared disappeared, but his presence clearly still lingered. Seth had seen enough ghosts in there, hovering and looking lost, to know.
He'd tried talking to some of them, asking in rushed whispers if Riley had sent them, but he'd only received blank looks, and someone alive always appeared to shoot them and scold him before he could dig much deeper.
He turned into the meeting room to find Maud standing by the window, watching a portal form outside disinterestedly. Her hair was up in a scarf today, the bangles that always covered her forearms glinting into the light.
"They do seem to be coalescing around here a lot, don't they?" she said, and then she turned, giving Seth a toothy smile. "The portals, I mean."
As much as Seth didn't like being checked up on like a malfunctioning appliance, the fact that Maud was the one who did it somehow made it so much worse. He knew the S.I.S trusted Maud Malum — as much as someone who always served the highest bidder could be trusted, at least — but there was something in the way she looked at him that made him feel like an object, like a prized possession she owned shares in.
"Is that a professional opinion?" Tai asked, leaning against the doorway.
"No," Maud said, moving slowly to a chair and plonking down it in, her back slightly hunched. "Just an observation."
She pointed to the chair opposite her, her bangles jangling, and looked at Seth.
"Sit."
He did as she commanded, trying not to let his annoyance show. The quicker he got this over with, the better.
"How have you been feeling these past few days?" Maud asked.
Seth kept his face blank, but his hands, hidden under the table, clenched. "Fine."
"The changes happening to this world aren't affecting your body chemistry at all? You're not feeling any twinges?"
"No."
Maud's face was unreadable, her dark eyes fixed on him, unblinking, but then they shifted to Tai, and she jerked her head to the door.
"You, out. Seth and I need to talk privately."
Tai straightened, his mouth opening to argue.
"I already discussed it with Andrew," Maud said, a note of tiredness entering her voice. "You probably have a text from him already. You don't need to go far, just wait outside the door."
Tai hovered for a moment longer, pulling out his phone. Whatever he saw there clearly matched Maud's story because his jaw clenched and he gave a rigid nod, fixing Seth with a look.
"Call out if you need anything."
"Sure," Seth said, and then Tai left, closing the door behind him with more force than was probably necessary.
Seth turned back to Maud to find her watching him, a faint smile on her face.
"Now that he's gone, let's try that again, shall we?" she said. "How are you really feeling?"
Seth gritted his teeth. If he told Maud the truth, she'd tell Andrew, and then any freedom he had would be squashed. He'd be put under constant observation, maybe even sedated if they decided that'd slow things down.
"I'm fine," Seth repeated through gritted teeth. "No changes. Really."
Maud stared at him for a second longer, and then she smiled.
"Well, that is strange. I suppose my help isn't needed then."
She stood up, leaning on the table for support, and when she reached him, her hand moved to his shoulder, gripping strong.
Seth held still, expecting her keep going, to grab onto the wall next, but, faster than he'd thought possible, she leant down, her breath puffing out against his ear, and he flinched.
"You may not be willing to share with me, but I already know what's happening to you, Seth," she whispered. "You weren't the only person in this world Riley visited."
Seth blinked and stared at her, his eyes wide.
"What—"
"What you're looking for is where the first portal opened," Maud continued. "It's being guarded, but not well. The S.I.S's resources are stretched thin at the moment."
And then she let his shoulder go, moving towards the door.
Seth blinked at the window for a second, his thoughts racing, but then he stood up and spun to face her.
"How do you know that?"
Maud had reached the door now, her hand on the doorknob, and she turned and glanced at him.
"How I know doesn't matter," she said. "I don't plan to be around when this world self-destructs. It's honourable you're trying to ensure no one else is either."
And then she opened the door and left.
...
Happy New Year everybody! I can't believe it's 2023 already! I hope everyone had a nice break over xmas and the new year. I spent some time at the beach and ate a lot of good food haha. It was a great break.
Next chapter will be out in 2 weeks 😊
Lots of love
- Skylar xx