Chenn looked around the shadowy hall. There was no guard posted on watch at Nari’s little storage cell.
He walked over to the door. Of course, it was locked, but Chenn had thought of that already. He pulled a little thin rod of metal out of his pocket and went to work.
A few moments later, he was in.
Nari had heard the scraping in the lock, and sat up. When Chenn walked in, her eyes went wide, but she smiled happily. “Chenn!” She whispered.
“Yeah. I came to see you. I have something to tell you.” Chenn walked over to her, settling beside her on the mattress.
She took one look at his face, and her grin faded. “What?” She murmured, running her fingers gently through his hair as he sat down beside her.
“First thing, Amory wants us dead. I heard him talking with his Lieutenant General, Bjorn Fjordell. They’re trying to find a way to kill me. I already know they want you dead because they wouldn’t leave any threats alive after the war.” Chenn whispered back.
She frowned. “Then you need to get out of here.” She whispered.
“Listen to me first. I’m not going anywhere without you and the three things you came for because I don’t want Amory winning this war. Andrew should win.” Chenn hissed.
Tears sparkled in her eyes, and she smiled at him. “Oh, Chenn! When did you decide that?”
He didn't answer her question but instead continued. If he didn't tell her now, he wouldn't be able to. “I also heard some news that has to do with your deceased sister, Nari, when I was listening to them.”
Her eyes widened. “What?” Her face was pale, and her hands clenched on the blanket again.
“First, before I tell you what I heard, I should tell you something else. I’m the boy you saw in the alley that day. I’m the boy they put in jail for your sister’s murder.” Chenn looked away from her, fiddling with the lock pick.
“N-no...” Her face lost all color.
She’d known something was strange about Chenn, but she hadn’t been able to figure out what. Now she knew. It had always been his eyes that had caused vague troubles, and it was because she was remembering the eyes of that boy so long ago. They were the same person, Chenn and that boy.
“Yeah. But I didn’t kill your sister. It was all an accident. Two thugs jumped me with guns. They were trying to kill me. I ducked and dove at them just as they shot off the gun. The bullet hit your sister instead, because she walked straight out of a doorway and into it.” Chenn whispered.
“Then why did you have the gun? Why are you lying to me?” She hissed, breath catching as tears started spilling down her cheeks.
“I’m not, Nari. I never shot your sister. I also never knew who had, and they were wearing masks, so I couldn’t give a description. I’m sorry about your sister. I’ve felt terrible about it ever since it happened.” Chenn wiped her tears away with his thumb.
She pushed his hand away. “So who sent the thugs you say were there, Chenn? And where were they? Because no one else saw anyone leave that alley. You were the only one there and you were holding the gun still hot from firing in your hand!” Her voice was cold and rising by the moment.
Her jaw muscle worked in and out, and her brain worked over time struggling to figure out what the truth was about this. It was all so painful. How dare he bring this up, and then tell her that he, the only one she cared about anymore in this world, was her sister’s murderer? How could fate play such cruel tricks on her?
“Amory did. When we were boys, we went to the same school. I spurned his proffered friendship, and he sent thugs after me for continually refusing to do what he wanted. He wasn’t stable, but I didn’t recognize him when I met him at West Base because he’d changed so much from the twelve years since I knew him. That’s why I have to get out of here.
"He’s planning to kill me for real, and he knows who I am, so that means there’s no way that just supporting him for the whole war will cause him to forget about killing me.” Chenn took her hands, eyes sad and begging her to believe him.
Her heart broke as she realized that he had betrayed her. She yanked her hands away from him. “Why do you need to make up such stories to convince me that you weren’t at fault?” Nari hissed.
“I’m not. I would never do this just to hurt you. I would tell you the truth, and I am telling you the truth. You have to believe me.” Chenn's voice caught and a few tears slid down his cheek.
She resisted the urge to wipe them away with her fingers and kiss him. He had betrayed her. He had no right to expect her to care about him anymore. She shouldn't care. Not anymore. Not after this. “Why are you telling me now?”
“I didn’t know how to before.” He sounded so lost.
Inside, her heart was breaking into tiny shards, but outside she was under control and cold. “Yeah, well, forgive me if I don’t believe the stories of my sister’s murderer.”
“I didn’t murder her.” Chenn’s voice trembled, and it was so soft she barely heard it.
“Oh yeah? Then explain why you were standing there holding the smoking gun, and no one else was around, you liar!” She spat, slapping him.
He turned away, closing off his ears. Her words struck dagger-like into his heart. His insides were twisted with regret and shame. He felt nauseated. His gut clenched as he turned to her, tears sparkling in his eyes. “You’ve got to believe me. I didn’t do it.”
“No. I can’t believe that, Chenn. I've spent years hating you for what happened, and now you march back into my life, mess with my feelings, and then tell me this.” She turned away from him.
She heard his sharp intake of breath as he tried to hold in his sob. "Please, don't believe that about me. I told you because I didn't want to play with your feelings. I wanted you to know. And I thought you'd understand." He moaned.
She turned back to him, eyes sad. "Chenn, I gave you my heart, and now you come here telling me that you're the boy from the alley so many years ago. You come here to tell me that it was never your fault. But all those years as I played the scenario over and over in my mind, that was the only logical conclusion I could come to.
"You killed her. That's all I could conclude because that's what all the evidence pointed to. I was with Criminal Intelligence in the FBI, Chenn. I should know." She whispered. "Now please, just go."
“At least come with me when I run. If you hate me, fine. But don’t stay here and die. If you die, I die too, because it’ll be my fault that you did.” He whispered, turning back to her with his eyes still wet with tears and misery.
“I will never go anywhere with you. You killed my sister.” Nari whispered, eyes sparking, tears streaming down her face. “How dare you tell me all this? You should’ve kept your dark secret to yourself, Chenn.” She turned away from him again.
“You would have figured it out on your own eventually, Nari. You’re smart, and I wanted to be the one to tell you. I didn’t want you to find out on your own without hearing it from me.” Chenn's voice was a whisper.
“Yeah, because you wanted to play it all just right.” Her voice sounded cold even to her, and she winced inwardly, but she did not relent in her cold anger.
“No, because I wanted you to hear the truth. The side you didn’t see.” His voice pleaded with her to understand.
But she didn't. She couldn't.
She'd trusted him.
Given him her all.
Her heart had been offered freely to someone for the first time in years. Since Hanna's death really.
And he had broken it again after he had healed it. “Get out. Don’t come back.” She started sobbing then.
“I’m coming back, Nari. You can’t stop me. I don’t care if you like it or not. You have to come with me. I’m taking those three magical objects to Andrew, and I need your help. If you care about the war, help me. Go with me.” Chenn begged.
"Get out!" She shoved him, controlling her volume only so that the guards wouldn't find out he was here and punish her. "Get out. Never come back!"
He stumbled away from her, eyes filled with tears. "Please... I'm sorry... I just wanted to tell you the truth, to give you my heart completely by being honest... I... I just... I didn't want her death to come between us... I am so sorry. Forgive me, please..." He murmured, his voice thick with tears.
She didn't answer.
He sighed, catching his sob before she could hear it, and turned. He walked out of the room with wooden steps, and locked it again. No one would know of his visits to her at night if she kept quiet. If she kept quiet. But would she? Please, Nari. Don’t say anything. He begged in silence.
He walked down the halls silently, wraithlike, to his barracks.
***
Nari lay in the dark, sleepless. Shadows danced through the room, and she cringed back away from them. Nightmares dribbled even in her waking moments. Her palms were slick with sweat, and her sheets were knotted from the tossing and turning she’d done. Everywhere she turned she saw the night, the dark. That and the memories of knives slicing, searing hot, into her skin.
She tried to banish the nightmares by screaming silently that she wasn’t still going through it all. But they continued to batter her, their dark hooves pounding relentlessly upon her until she sobbed in despair of ever seeing the light again.
She pulled her knees up against her chest, wrapping her arms tight around them. Tears fell onto her arms as she wept inconsolably. Among the nightmares of torture she’d endured, her sister’s dead face kept coming. Chenn’s haunting eyes returned repeatedly as she relived the moment her sister died.
The walls closed down on her as her heart pounded wildly. She closed her eyes, breathing rapidly, face buried in her arms. But she couldn’t stand having them closed. It was too dark. Darkness. She’d spent what had felt like eternity in darkness. She hated Darkness. Where once Darkness had been her friend, concealing her pain, soothing her, he now tormented her, throwing her worst memories in her face and laughing.
“Go away,” Nari whispered, opening her eyes and throwing her arms out as though it would banish night.
“Go away.” Her voice cracked as she sobbed out the words. “Please. I don’t want to remember any of this. I want to sleep. I hate you! Leave me alone!” Her voice was dry in her ears as she whispered each word.
So it went most of the night. At some point in the middle of the night though, Nari went into a fitful slumber. She was plagued by nightmares, but she wasn’t aware. She was back in the cold, wet dungeon, freezing and starving to death. Dehydrated and so cold.
***
Pale sunlight flickered through her storage cell window, but Nari didn’t notice it. She had spent most of the night sleepless, and only when dawn was graying the sky did she fall into a deep, untroubled slumber. Now she slept deeply, and the sun could not reach her. She was lost in her deep, dark slumber, but to her, it seemed nothing but beautiful oblivion.
Oblivion couldn’t keep her for long, though. It was only her friend for a few peaceful hours of the long night and part of the morning. Then the sun and the day chased it away, and she was back to boredom and fear.
***
Chenn woke in his bedroom, stretching and yawning. He had to be up for kitchen duty. Ali and Kallie were already up. And Nari was still sleeping… Wait, no. That wasn’t right. Nari was in a cell.
His good mood fled. She was in a cell, and he was free. Or so it seemed. But he wasn’t. He wasn’t free anymore than she was. His cell was bigger, but he was still caged. He hated it. Always waiting to find out what Amory would do.
Well, the waiting was going to end. He had his plans ready. He could get those items Nari had been trying to get and get out.
But Nari. Would she come?
He would be visiting her again tonight. Maybe he could talk her into going with him.
He had to. If she didn’t go, he wouldn’t go, and all would be lost.
Amory would win, and Earth…
Earth would fall.
He knew it now, and he should have seen it before, but he’d been too bull-headed to think about the reality of things. He’d just believed Amory’s lofty speeches.
That snake. He’d convinced everyone to play straight into his hand.
But Chenn was done with that. No more.
He wasn’t Amory’s puppet, and it was time to show Amory that he didn’t have the strings.
Chenn was the puppeteer of himself. He’d cut himself loose, and Amory still thought he was controlling the puppet when in reality, he was holding a bunch of empty strings.
Idiot. It would be his downfall; Chenn was determined.
And Amory wouldn’t win.
Not while Chenn was alive to stop him.
Chenn climbed out of bed, no longer happy despite the good weather. Why was it that whenever he was happy the weather was gloomy, and when he was sad, the weather was good? The irony.
He stumbled into the bathroom. Turning the sink on, he filled his hands with the frigid water, and splashed it on his face. He ran his wet hands through his hair, taming it down. Then he walked out of the bathroom. He changed into his uniform quickly, and then headed to the kitchen. Another day of drudgery there. In the afternoon, he’d be down at the hold to watch Amory open the keep.
For all the man’s paranoia, he didn’t think to alter the times when he went down. He was always at the keep by 1300 hrs. to open the lock and view the magical items. Him and his stupid pride. If he had trusted the regular soldiers to their jobs, he wouldn’t have such a likelihood of someone discovering the combination to the safe. But unfortunately for him, he was proud. Fortunate for me, though. Chenn thought with a grin.
***
Nari sat in her cell looking at the rising sun with red-rimmed eyes. Her sleepless nights were taking a toll.
Mary entered the room. “How are you today, Ms. Eaton? I’m here for your weekly checkup.”
“Oh, yes. I'm so excited.” Nari grumbled.
“Don’t be so glum. I brought you a treat.” Mary smiled.
Nari perked up slightly. “You did?”
“Yes. I found an apple tree out in the woods. Chenn told me where to find it. He said you might like some.” Mary emptied her bag of apples into a large bowl she’d brought from the kitchen. “I hope you like them.”
“Thanks!” Nari smiled at Mary thankfully.
Mary pulled out her medical equipment. She took one look at Nari’s face, and clucked. “You need sleeping prescriptions, Ms. Eaton. Have you been getting any sleep at all?”
Nari shook her head.
“I can tell. Your face is all haggard, and there are bags under your eyes. Nightmares?” Mary asked.
“Yeah.” Nari looked away, avoiding Mary's eyes.
“I thought maybe. I’ll get some sleeping medications to help with that. But I’ll have to administer them. You aren’t to have anything you could kill yourself with.” Mary said quietly.
“Except the wash water, the knife for cutting my food. Those don’t really count.” Nari whispered.
“I think they do. But it’s my own self-imposed regulation. Amory didn’t say anything about that. He just doesn’t want anyone visiting you because with a simple knife or spoon you could easily escape. So he allows the food through that tiny slot in the door, as I’m sure you noticed, but that’s it. You’re lucky I’m allowed in here. But due to the nature of my work, I have to see you personally and hands on.” Mary patted her on the shoulder.
Nari shrugged her hand off. “Oh, gee, thanks. I really appreciate feeling like some sort of guinea pig.”
“Nari, old jokes aren’t amusing.” Mary turned away.
“I don’t care.”
“People will think you’re crazy if you say that sort of stuff about human beings acting as guinea pigs for experiments.” Mary chided.
“I don’t care." Nari repeated. "Besides, you’re the only one who heard me say it. And maybe I am going crazy being cooped in here all day. Day in, day out. All I ever see are these white walls. And at night… Phantoms haunt me. Death plays in the air. I die a little more each day I’m in here. Please. Why not just let me run away? Let me leave.”
“Can’t. Amory would certainly kill you then. I didn’t save you just to have you throw your life away in a silly escape attempt.” Mary turned back to Nari.
“It’s my life to waste.” Nari looked absently out the window. "And losing it in an escape attempt is better than sitting in here slowly rotting and waiting for Amory to kill me anyway."
“It’s my hard work that gave you your life back to waste. Don’t throw it all away.” Mary's tone hardened.
Nari turned to look at Mary for a moment, then turned back to look out the window. She flinched as Mary placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Sorry. I know you don’t like this, but I need you to pull your shirt up so I can actually get a clear reading of your lungs and heartbeat.” Mary explained.
Nari complied, sighing. There wasn’t anything she could do about it, and she knew that Mary was just doing her job.
Nari was thankful, she really was.
But she still couldn’t seem to get over her newfound revulsion of being touched. Other people scared her now in a way they never had.
Being touched scared her too. But she supposed that was natural. After all, she had been tortured at the hands of other human beings.
Mary sighed. “Ms. Eaton, quit holding your breath. Breathe in and out like a normal human being.”
Why was she holding her breath?
Nari hadn’t even realized she was, and she wasn’t sure why. She had nothing to be frightened of with Mary. She took in a deep breath, and then she let it out slowly.
“Thank you.” Mary took her cold fingers and the stethoscope away from Nari’s back.
Nari let her shirt fall back down over her back, shivering in the air.
“Well, all sound and healthy there, Ms. Eaton.” Mary smiled at her.
Nari let her breath hiss out between her teeth. She turned to face Mary. The continual use of her last name niggled at her, and it had been since Mary started doing it. But she hadn’t said anything.
Now she was sick of keeping quiet. Everything about this place was determined to keep her quiet, but she refused to obey. “It’s Nari, Doctor Batson.”
“What?” Mary looked up from her bag, confused.
“My name. It isn’t Ms. Eaton. I don’t like being called that. Call me Nari.” Nari gritted her teeth.
Mary’s gaze flitted to Nari’s clenched fists and closed face. “Oh, I’m sorry, Nari. You should have said something sooner.”
Nari’s expression smoldered. Her eyes were tired, but they held a spark of rebellion. She turned away before Mary could figure out what it meant, though.
She had to get out and away from this place. Chenn had offered to take her. But could she go with him when he’d murdered her sister? Yes, I can. I can because it’s the only way to save the war. And because…
She hesitated to let the thought train continue, but finally she had to admit the truth to herself. Because I believe Chenn. I believe that he didn’t murder Hanna. It would be just like Amory to do something like that. In these last few months, it’s become apparent that he’s unstable. Chenn’s right. If I stay, I die.
She would go.
Chenn didn’t have to convince her tonight.
She already knew what her answer would be.
She would go.