9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Iris

Remus is evil. Pure and simple. I look at my friend, her eyes vacant of any will. Margot now belongs to Remus, and he loves to remind me of that fact. He loves dangling her life in front of me. He loves the position of power I have put him in by being unable to control myself. I don't know if Margot would have been better off in that facility, but I hate that she's here like this.

"Iris. Eat."

I tense at the sound of Remus's voice. He's sitting across from me at the table, his eyes focused on the electronic screen in front of him. He always seems to be focused on other things, which makes me wonder what kind of responsibilities come with his role in Leviathan society.

"I'm not hungry," I murmur, my eyes drifting back to Margot .

My words catch Remus's attention, and he looks up at me, his amethyst eyes burning bright as he studies me. I've learned to read Remus's emotions through his eyes. When the purple is still, he's calm. When the blue begins to match the intensity of the purple, he's excited. And when his eyes begin to tremble from the pupil dilating, he's angry. Right now, however, he seems amused. A small smile plays on his lips, and he angles his head ever so slightly to focus his gaze, proving my point.

"I thought you'd be pleased to have the woman you fought so hard for in that facility here with you," he says. He loves toying with me, trying to find ways to push me to the edge. I look at him, mustering all the strength that I can.

"She's a slave," I murmur begrudgingly.

Remus quirks a brow at my outburst but plays along nonetheless.

"No, she's a servant. If she were a slave, she would be back in the training session you found her in, preparing to live the rest of her life in despair with only hopes of death," he says matter-of-factly.

"How can you say that? I felt what she's feeling. You put an inhibitor on me at the facility," I say, slightly raising my voice. Now, Remus looks confused, and his smile widens as he realizes what I'm talking about, laughing.

"You are truly guileless," he says.

Margot shifts and begins walking toward the table without hesitation. The closer she gets, the tighter the knot in my stomach grows. She stands silently next to Remus, her gaze filled with no sense of awareness .

"What you felt was not an inhibitor. Not a fully functioning one, anyway. What you felt was a mild inhibitor that allowed me quick access to your nervous system," Remus explains.

Margot turns around, and I instantly feel nausea at the sight. Something resembling a small chip rests on the back of her neck, just like the other slaves in that facility. Remus continues watching me steadily, his excitement growing. This is another test. It has to be. And I'm about to fail it miserably.

He knows it, and I know it.

"Your friend feels nothing. Her mind has been locked away. You cannot control a body if there is a will to live or fight. The mind is a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes. And eventually, the wearer would break out of their... vegetative state," he says.

I'm up before I can think, snatching the small knife off the tabletop. Tears of frustration burn my eyes, accompanying my fury. Remus watches me with a delighted grin, pleased to have gotten under my skin so easily, as Margot turns around to face me.

"What are you going to do with that, Pet? Kill me?" he asks.

My hands are shaking, but his words are slowly beginning to penetrate my rage-filled haze.

"Let's play this out logically, shall we?" Remus stands, walking around the table as he speaks. I bring the knife up, holding it steady in front of me. And even though I am gripping it as tight as I can, I don't think I will have it for much longer.

"You kill me, and you have an entire race at your neck, thus destroying any chance humanity had at survival on this planet. You injure me, and I, in retaliation, send your friend back to the facility where she can live out her life with free will. But she will kill herself within seconds of being placed into Leviathan society to fulfill her training." Remus is directly in front of me now, his height and mere alien aura causing me to tremble as he leans into me in amusement.

"These are both options that will never happen. And do you want to know why?" he murmurs.

His smile fades, and his gaze drops to the knife in my trembling hand. His eyes meet mine as he reaches for the knife, pulling it out of my grasp with ease. He holds it up directly in my face, placing his thumb on the tip, and I watch in horror as he bends the blade, the sharp tip not coming close to penetrating his flesh.

"Because nothing on this planet is strong enough to bring me down..." He reaches for my chin, holding my gaze steady in his. "Nothing."

I'm shaking in his grip, the tears coming hard and fast as hysteria grips my throat like a vice. I want him to release me. I want him to step away, but he doesn't. He glares at me for what feels like an eternity, letting the fear I feel fester into terror. He finally seems pleased with my reaction, and smiles.

"Abandon your will to fight, Iris. It will only bring you misery and defeat. If the human race, with all their advancements, couldn't stop me, what makes you think you can?" he chuckles. I feel more defeated than I want to admit. My body is vibrating, and I can't distinguish whether it's from fear or anger. His words eat away at me like a disease, sending my thoughts down a dangerous path.

The sound of footsteps echoes throughout the room, and I hear the sound of Ruth's voice. "The ship has arrived."

Remus keeps his eyes lined to mine and finally, after what feels like forever, steps away from me.

"Come, Pet. We are leaving."

As much as I want to enjoy myself at the moment, I can't. I'm finally outside, and the thought of Margot's imprisoned state mixed with Remus's words still rings in my head. I release a deep breath, taking in the area. The beautiful scenery that has eluded me all this time is within my reach, with no glass between us. I turn to look at Remus, who is speaking to more Leviathan, who arrived with the ship. He's back to his rigid, regal exterior, giving orders and expecting them to be followed. Each Leviathan he speaks to holds him in high regard. They bow before leaving and wait for him to give permission before speaking.

I assume this is all a part of some kind of procession to a different location. I look up at the massive ship that floats above Remus's home, waiting to land. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. The wings of the ship glisten in the sun, and the center is made of a crystal-like exterior. It's nothing like the alien ships in the movies. The mechanical exterior and steampunk gears that usually accompany them in the films are nowhere to be found. This texture is smooth, reflecting the color of the sky as it quietly hums above us.

I turn away from the magnificent sight of the ship, a small pond only feet away from where I stand catching my attention. I quickly approach it, eager to feel everything within my reach. As I stand over the water, I can't help but close my eyes, soaking in the warmth of the sunlight. The heat feels wonderful against my skin. I've spent most of my life outdoors, braving the weather. But since my capture, I've been forced indoors with artificially cold air. To feel the sun's warmth on my skin again pulls an emotion from me that I can't describe.

I open my eyes, bending so that I can touch the water. I've never seen water like this. Not that I can remember, anyway. Unlike the murky runoff of the blight, this pond is clear and blue. I dip my fingers in, a gasp escaping my lips from the temperature of the water. It's cold like ice.

"It's from the mountaintop."

I jump, pulling my fingers from the water and dropping my head at the sound of Remus's voice. I hadn't even heard him approach. His deep chuckle shocks me. He seems to be in a decent mood despite his menacing words earlier.

"You can look at me, Iris."

I slowly raise my gaze to see Remus standing over me with a small smile on his lips. It looks so out of place, but it's still beautiful nonetheless.

He motions to the pond before me .

"The water. It's from the top of the mountain, where it snows. Every year, it melts, and over time, the water carved a deep gash into the earth, creating the waterfall you've seen around the house. That's why the water is cold despite the warm weather." Remus explains the process as if he's speaking to a child. Maybe he is. I've never claimed to be intelligent. I was young when the world was taken over, and I learned what I could from the streets of the blight. I turn away from Remus to take in the scenery around me. This place is carved into the cliffside with warm sunlight and greenery. It doesn't feel like a mountain. But for me to understand more, I would have to ask Remus.

"You've been so tame as of late, I sometimes forget you must have spent most of your life in the wild," he says.

I tense, my body running cold, when I feel him step closer to me. His arms wrap around my body, pulling me in close to his chest, and his lips press lightly against my exposed shoulder. My eyes close as I try my best to get my wits about me. A tiny shockwave of ice washes over my skin. It's a swift feeling, but I recognize it instantly. I pull away from Remus too quickly as a wave of dizziness washes over me.

He's watching me with a mischievous grin when I look at him. He steps closer to me, tucking a stray curl behind my ear.

"Innocence," he murmurs. I almost breathe a sigh of relief when a Leviathan interrupts the moment, speaking to Remus in their language. Remus nods his head before responding curtly just as he steps away from me.

"Come, Iris. We are leaving," he calls over his shoulder .

I have to force my feet to move one in front of the other, fighting the wave of dizziness that refuses to leave me.

My earlier hunch was correct. This is a procession.

Remus doesn't seem fascinated in the least by the sheer power of this ship, but I am. We've been traveling out of the mountains for an hour, the scenery growing increasingly alien by the second. There are no signs of human life despite the great distance we have traveled. It makes me wonder just how far away the blight was from Remus's home... and what has become of it.

The ride is silent for the most part. Remus only speaks when Leviathan approach him with binders and electronic screens, asking for his input. I wish I knew what they were speaking about, but they don't say anything in English, and Remus doesn't bother letting me know what's happening. It's a stark contrast from his playful mood earlier by the pond. I fight the shudder creeping up my spine, just thinking of the feeling of him taking my life away.

Just a small kiss on my shoulder was enough to leave me swaying on my feet. It's an uneasy reminder of how powerful he is.

Once we land, it doesn't take long for Remus to relay orders to the Leviathan that accompanied him. I watch in amusement as they all scramble to get to their places, their eyes wide as they try their hardest not to anger him. I never asked Remus what exactly his level of nobility is in his society. Whatever it is, I can see that he is highly ranked from how these Leviathan aim to please him. Remus turns to face me just as the doors begin to open, his palm lighting up as the blue beam that connects itself to my necklace appears.

"Behave, I am not in the mood to spill blood," he says threateningly.

He doesn't wait for my response as he makes his way out of the ship. Leviathan on both sides of the marked off-street are here to greet Remus. They stand behind the ropes, waving and cheering, their excitement to see Remus clear. My eyes travel to the building that looms over us. The walls are high, and it glints beautifully in the sunlight. The walls of the building look like minerals stretching for the sky as the grass and trees surround it, making it seem like a natural part of the scenery.

The entire city is pristine. It's clean and beautiful, with just enough greenery to add to its beauty. More buildings stretch in the distance, their shapes much different from the cities I grew up in. There's no pollution either. No smog or smoke from factories or cars, and the sky is vivid blue with thin clouds that allow for the sun to shine down brightly.

It's the perfect city, the people even more so. This has to be one of the cities the Leviathan built themselves after tearing down our way of life. The further we get from the blocked-off area, the more I begin to notice more humans with inhibitors. Some are used for labor, and some for simple tasks like cleaning. Some even follow behind their masters with blank stares, holding their items or children for them .

It's sickening.

I notice a small boy no older than eight with an inhibitor on his temple. He doesn't have that empty gaze yet, but he will. My stomach dips in discomfort as I take in his situation. He follows behind a small girl. She laughs and giggles, skipping in excitement behind her parents, stopping at moments to allow him to catch up. I can't imagine what he went through to get to this point. Or rather, I don't want to think about it as Remus has so generously already shown me.

I pull my attention away from the children, focusing on Remus's back. His long white hair flows behind him as he walks with the predatory arrogance he was born with. If given the chance, I would kill him. But as he has proven in every attempt up until now, it's all but impossible. I am alone, and any human ally I could possibly have has been killed or is now a former shell of themselves.