Chapter 17

Luke

I opened my eyes to see Elex and Helios arguing in whispers over my bed.

"…you can't seriously think I'd let him Bond with someone who wasn't capable of protecting him, do you?" Hel asked.

"That's what I wanted to make sure of!" Elex almost yelled.

I wasn't sure exactly what they were arguing about, but these two seemed to spend a lot of time hovering over me.

"W-what the hell happened?" I demanded, my voice dry and hoarse. I struggled to sit up and Elex stopped arguing with Hel long enough to help me sit the hospital bed up.

Hel handed me a cup of water from a pitcher on a nearby table.

"We were just talking about your new ‘friend,' Rhuyin," Elex responded. "And trying to figure out why the hell you two were in the Administrative wing when the bomb went off."

"Where is he?" I asked, sitting up quickly and looking around. "Is he okay?"

I appeared to be in some kind of infirmary. I glanced down and registered that I was still wearing the clothes from Heraklion. Not much time could have passed, then.

"He was dismissed, back to his other duties," Hel said. There was a strain to his voice that I couldn't quite pin down.

"What happened at the Touchpoint, Luke?" Elex demanded, ignoring his Bonded.

I hesitated and glanced at Hel. He had proved himself a friend and protector, but I wasn't sure I was comfortable with talking about this in front of him. He must have noticed my hesitation because he said, "I'm going to step out to the hall to check in with the rest of the group and let them know we found him."

After he left an awkward silence fell.

"So, what happened?" Elex asked gently, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. I don't think any other person in the world would think of my brother as gentle, but he had always been so with me.

"I'm sorry. I never should have left the others," I said simply. Elex waited patiently, so I finally continued. "All the people, all the expectation, all the fucking hope in their faces, Lex. There are so many unmatched Somas in Illyria. The way they were all watching us—watching me—I just—I couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Couldn't anything. So I ran."

I shook my head. My brother was aware of the panic attacks that had plagued me before the Legion, but he had never witnessed them. I had thought that becoming a slave had freed me of the crushing fear of disappointing my parents. I mean, after all, how much further was there to fall?

"I panicked. I panicked and I ran."

I ducked my head, the shame that filled my heart at my failure choking me, but Elex didn't react except to squeeze my hand.

"So, how did you meet up with this Rhuyin?"

I briefly recounted what had happened and Elex nodded.

"No wonder you were exhausted," he said. "I saw the thickness of the barrier you created, and I've seen the devastation at the site. Protecting the two of you had to take a huge amount of energy. I'm frankly surprised you guys made it out unharmed."

"How long was I out?" I asked. Despite what Elex said, I didn't feel all that tired anymore. A little drained maybe, but I was more than a little crestfallen that Rhuyin had taken off. I'd thought we'd made— a connection? That was silly, though. He didn't want to be stuck with a foolish, anxiety-ridden child, because that's exactly what I felt like right now.

"The Soma said you were brought in about eleven, so, eight hours."

I looked at Elex in shock.

"Eight—seriously?"

"Seriously. We only found you about an hour ago. We've been looking for you everywhere since the explosion."

He leaned forward and bumped our foreheads together.

"I thought you had died in that explosion, Luke," he whispered, his eyes suspiciously shiny. "Don't scare me like that again, little brother."

I smiled gently.

"No promises," I responded quietly and he laughed as he leaned back.

"Knowing our lives, that's fair enough. So let's see about getting you out of here. I'm sure there's someone that needs the bed and you'd be more comfortable someplace more secure."

We found Hel at the medic's station, talking to someone on his phone. He ended the conversation as we appeared.

"Glad you're okay," my brother's Bonded said as he pulled me into an unexpected hug. "Elex was scared shitless."

Elex scowled at him, but I saw a certain affection in his gaze as well. Their Bonding had been a surprise to everyone, including them. They were still getting to know each other.

"Yeah, well, he is kind of a mother hen," I responded. "Wait til he starts laying eggs in your bed."

Hel raised his eyebrows in alarm. Elex reached over and punched me in the shoulder in retaliation.

"Knock it off!" I yelped in mock pain.

"Stop being an asshole, and I'll stop punching you."

"Can't. I take after my brother."

Hel just rolled his eyes at the horseplay and helped us through the procedure to get me discharged from the hospital. I signed what seemed to be a million forms.

"I'll take you over to the Pavilion," he said after bidding the medics goodbye. Even though he had been gone from Heraklion for several years he seemed to be well known by the staff. "You'll have missed the official orientation, but Lottie will get you sorted."

True to his word, Hel arranged transportation for us to the Tower Pavilion. I was fascinated by the vehicle and must have asked the driver a million questions, but the man was proud of his car, as he called it. He even let me take a look under the hood at the combustion and electric engine. Elex finally dragged me away, pointing out that it was getting late, and Lottie was waiting for us.

Hel led us through a maze of hallways until stopping outside an office that said "L. Galanis" on the door. Lottie looked up at us as we walked in, her desk covered with neat piles of paperwork, and smiled.

"Hello! Glad we found you, your Highness," she said.

"Please, don't!" I groaned, glaring at my brother. Who told them my parentage? "It's just Luke. I was disinherited, just like any other Mageia when my powers manifested."

"Ah! Well, then," she said, apparently uncomfortable at the faux pas. "Let's see what we can do to get you set up in Illyrian society."

She led us to a large storage room filled from floor to ceiling with shelves and boxes of supplies. She made her way confidently down each aisle and returned with a backpack filled to the brim with strange items.

"This, obviously, isn't going to be everything you need, but it's a good start," she said, placing the backpack on the table. "First, and most important is this."

She showed me how a laptop fit into a pocket of the backpack, then slid a cell phone across the table to me. The phone and laptop both were emblazoned with the symbol of a pair of hands holding fire. I looked at Elex in question, worried that she might be giving me some kind of special treatment. In Alexandria only the very rich and very powerful were permitted the use of electronics. He shrugged and opened his jacket to show a matching cell phone tucked inside.

"Do you know how to use one?" she asked.

When I said no, she gave me a brief tutorial on the use of the phone.

"We will have classes on how to use the computers. I'm having new clothing sent to your room. There are sleep clothes and toiletries here, a map of the city and a detailed map of the Tower. The clothes are plain, but serviceable. You'll be able to access shops to purchase more once I activate your ID card."

She must have read the surprise on my face because she paused and pulled an envelope from the bag and pulled out a small plastic card with the same symbol as the cell phone.

"This is an access card. It has several uses. First, it opens locked doors for areas you have access to."

She demonstrated by swiping her own badge on a locked door beside her. The small red light I hadn't initially noticed turned green.

"Your access card also gives you access to funds to make purchases. Every Mageia receives room and board, plus a monthly allowance of one-thousand obols for the first six months. We'll teach you how to manage your money," she said when she saw the concern cross my face.

"You'll learn how to budget, how to use the technology to track how much you have available. You can use the laptop for communication, education, or entertainment."

She handed me the card and my finger played over the symbol. It had seemed familiar, but I finally realized where I recognized it from.

"Prometheus?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She smiled and nodded.

"The research arm of the War Leader's team has taken the code name Prometheus. They are responsible for most of the technological advancements we've made in the last decade."

"All shalt be freed…" I whispered, feeling a familiar sense of Otherness wash over me. In my mind's eye I saw a man, chained to a rock, his body covered in blood. I didn't recognize him, but for a moment I could feel his agony. He twisted in his bonds. I couldn't tell what color his hair was, it was so covered in blood. His eyes were squeezed shut.

Who are you? I thought.

"Fuck you, Elus," he growled, his voice echoing oddly in my head.

"My name's Luke," I responded, moving to get a better look at the man. "Not Elus."

He was easily Hel's size, if not taller. His hair and body were soaked in blood and offal, but what I could see of his skin was a black so dark it was almost blue.

He opened his eyes and stared at me, his eyes a glowing gold.

"You are a son of Elus," he hissed, his eyes raking me from head to foot before turning away, dismissing me.

"No, I'm a son of Hecate," I responded.

That got his attention.

"Hecate. Kate. She lives?" he demanded.

"She's a goddess, so I assume so?" I said, drawing closer.

The smell of blood and death drew stronger the nearer I came. The floor looked like it belonged in a slaughterhouse. Bits of rotting flesh and bone lay scattered about. The man shifted, his movements echoing in the cavern as the rock around us shifted as well.

"What the hell?" I gasped, looking around. "Are you Mageian?"

"Mageian? No, little manteio. Not Mageian." His voice rumbled with power.

"Oracle?" I translated fuzzily. "What do you mean—" I began to ask more questions when his eyes went wide.

"He is back! You must flee! He will destroy you if he finds you here."

"I-I don't even know how I got here," I stammered.

"Titans save us," the man growled. His eyes began glowing gold, his power washing over me in a flood. "Go!"

***

"Luke?"

I heard Elex calling my name and opened my eyes. I was back in Lottie's office.

"Are you okay?" my brother asked me quietly, concern on his face.

"Y-yeah," I said, stammering. I could still smell the sickness of old blood and death that had come with the vision, but it began to fade almost immediately. "Sorry, it's been a long day."

I rubbed my eyes and Lottie nodded in understanding.

"Some of your people may choose to work in our technology teams. Or they may choose to go into the public sector. This is the time for all of you to get to know our country and decide what occupation you want to take up. We hold a career fair every three months or so for everyone to learn about available careers and express interest if they haven't already," Lottie continued as if nothing had happened.

"What do you mean? Aren't all Mageia in your military?" I asked as I took the card hesitantly.

"No. Though we would welcome any assistance, our Mageia are free to become whatever they want. We've had Mageians choose to become teachers, artisans, business owners and more. During your first six months we'll have classes and orientation events for you to attend that will give you a better idea of what opportunities you have outside the military. We've even had some who are learning how to program electronics." She tapped on the cell phone.

"Why do your people do all this?" I waved at all the items on the table in front of me, genuinely confused. "This can't be cheap."

She smiled gently at me.

"We do it because it's the right thing to do. Alexandria needs to be stopped. Goddess willing, with your help, we may be able to do that."

She efficiently packed the items back into the backpack. I was frankly surprised it all fit. She saw me look at the filled backpack in surprise.

"I've been doing this for a while. I assigned Luke the room next to yours, Elex. When I found out he was your brother I figured you would want to stay close. Your whole group is together in one wing of the Pavilion."

My brother nodded, his face still closed and cautious.

"I'd like to take you myself, but—" she looked at the time in concern.

"I can show him where it is," Hel interjected, and Lottie smiled in appreciation.

"That's great! I've got a lot of paperwork to do, so I appreciate the help."

The small woman surprised me by walking forward and throwing her arms around me in a hug.

"Welcome to Illyria! We're so glad you're here!"