Birth of the Alliance (29 page)

Eva stared at him in horror, and for the first time since he’d known her, Will watched Eva cry. It was a strange sight to see from a woman who’d always been such a monument of strength and deep resolve. “He’s really gone, then?”

Will nodded, and held out his arms to her. She moved to him, burying her face on his shoulder as the tears came in silence. He held her until her eyes were dry and his shirt was drenched.

After a few moments, she composed herself and wiped the tears on her face with her sleeve. “I apologize. That was quite inappropriate of me.”

Will shook his head. “It's both appropriate and normal, Eva. It’s not every day that you learn your brother is dead. I wish there was something I could do or say to lessen the grief.” He gave her a friendly squeeze, and then released her.

Eva backed up a few paces, wiping the remaining moisture from her face. “Tell me what happened. You said he died protecting Elizabeth?”

Will nodded. “She goes by Hope now, actually.” Eva nodded, the look on her face suggesting she knew that detail, but had forgotten the name in the centuries of separation. “She was protecting someone, a human, and Arthur's men arrived because she'd used enough Energy to expose herself to their tracking. They captured her and tried to stab her to death, but Adam teleported between Hope and the Hunters and took the blows meant for her. He used himself as a shield. He died soon after from the wounds.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why he did that. She was
safe
. He
had
to know she was safe. She’d been drained of her Energy, but he had to know I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”

“One moment, please,” Eva said, frowning. “What do you mean by saying that she was drained?”

“Oh, right.” Will paused, realizing that Eva was likely unfamiliar with the more recent Aliomenti. “There’s a member of the Aliomenti now named Aramis who can drain your Energy from your body if he touches you. He had hold of Hope and drained her until she fell to the ground. When he finished, he moved away so that the two men with him could kill her.”

A tear fell from Eva’s eye. “Adam would have chosen no other way to give his life, Will. He thought of you as he might a brother, and I know that he was exceptionally fond of Hope as well. He would not risk her life, even though he likely knew you had her protected. To protect her life, to enable the two of you to remain together… he would consider preserving that as something pure and noble. Few of us can choose our manner of death, Will, and fewer still can choose to give their lives preserving something they consider a greater good than themselves. Adam had that rare chance, and he took advantage of his opportunity. Never forget that.”

Will considered her words for a moment, and then nodded once. He envied Adam; he could only hope he’d have the same chance to choose how he’d go, the chance to preserve something greater than himself. “Before he died, he told me a few things.”

Eva tensed for a moment, but it was so brief a reaction that Will wondered if it was merely his imagination. “What did he say?”

“He told me to find you. I suspect that he wanted you to know that he was gone.”

Eva nodded slowly. “That was… thoughtful of him. I would suspect something a bit more dramatic from a deathbed confession, though. What else did he say?”

Will blinked at her reaction. “A deathbed confession? What would he need to confess to me I didn’t already know?” He paused a moment as the realization came. “He told me he killed Ambrose, but he committed that crime long before he died that day.”

“He told you that?” Eva asked, looking startled. “That… surprises me.”

Will shrugged. “He was working with me and with Hope. We’ve been trying to figure out how to reverse the effects of the ambrosia. We’d like to one day have a family of our own, and never got the chance to make that decision before that day so long ago. We have friends who
did
understand the consequences who have since met someone they’d like to start families with.”

“Did he tell you
why
he did it?” Eva asked. She spoke slowly, as if dreading asking the question.

Will nodded. “It was based on what Arthur might do. If Arthur ever figured out that Ambrose had the formula to reverse the effects of the ambrosia, he’d use it as a weapon. Reverse the immortality secretly and permanently, reverse the sterility so that potential threats became parents and therefore subject to their death penalty—”

“What?” Eva's voice was sharp. "What is this death penalty of which you speak?”

“They—the Aliomenti—they have a rule, somewhat moot though it may now be, that Aliomenti cannot have children under penalty of death. The argument is that children born to those who are Energy-trained will be too powerful to control, and they pose a unique threat to the anonymity the Aliomenti wish to preserve. Since ambrosia prevents that and they require all members to take ambrosia, it’s a pointless rule. I suppose it’s still there for the newest members who aren’t yet… impaired. They don’t want any new members to unlock their Energy and have children before the ambrosia takes effect.”

Eva looked thoughtful, processing this new information. “I have only seen Adam on a few occasions over the centuries, and our conversations have been brief. He has alluded to obscure rules the Aliomenti have devised and enforced among their membership. I struggled to accept that idea, for I could not see you allowing such rules to exist.”

“I argued against them,” Will said both in his own defense and in agreement. “Ideas of caution became rules which became Oaths made with a death penalty attached. But the larger issue the Oaths have revealed is this: Arthur has been brainwashing every new recruit since the beginning. They’re incapable of defying him, even if they know his orders and opinions are wrong. I cannot change people who are literally incapable of such change. I therefore left and started a new group, which is called the Alliance. There is no brainwashing. Children are encouraged for those who wish to be parents. The effects of morange, zirple, and ambrosia are fully explained before being administered, and you need not take any to remain part of the group. Roughly a quarter of our members choose to not take the ambrosia, and they are still members. About five percent choose not to take the morange and zirple. But they are all welcomed in our group. We look for good people and they elect the tools they’re most comfortable working with.”

Eva smiled. “That sounds much more like a group I would associate you with.” She paused. “Hope… is she still in hiding?”

“Somewhat, though not from me or the Alliance,” Will replied. “We reunited shortly before Ambrose’s death; she showed up just in time to save
my
life. The Hunters, the three men responsible for Adam’s death… were close to delivering the same end to me.” Will shook his head. “They aren’t very original. Drain your Energy. Stab you with a sword. We need to adapt to that strategy, teach our people to avoid that contact, maybe devise armor that can stop swords, and…”

“Hope?” Eva asked.

“What?” Will asked. He realized he’d started chasing a tangent on potential defensive technology to counter the Hunters’ tactics, rather than answering Eva’s question. “Sorry. Yes, Hope is fine. She’s part of the Alliance, where she’s known as The Shadow because she often wears a concealing cloak and comes and goes unexpectedly, typically staying away for years at a time. But we’re always in contact in now. She’s been looking for you as well. Has she… have you… noticed?”

“We have not spoken since that day,” Eva replied, and though she tried hard to conceal it the pain was evident. “I am happy to hear that she is doing well.”

“She’s not actively avoiding you, Eva,” Will said. “She and I have both been searching for you these past thirty years, and—”

“What about the centuries
before
that, Will?” Eva’s voice shook. “She searches for me now only because she needs me. You looked in the early days, with far more vigor than she did, and—”

“I wasn’t the one with a murdering maniac on my trail!” Will snapped. “Perhaps you’ve forgotten that she’d watched her own father allow her to be beaten by an out-of-control mob? She hasn’t forgotten. I don’t think she’ll ever forget it.”

“Perhaps
you
have forgotten, Will, that she
chose
to avoid me.
And
you. For
centuries
. She didn’t look for me. Even when she chose to reunite with you, she
never
looked for me. I would have known.”

Will paused. “I didn’t like it either, Eva. And I admit that the hurt I felt for so long has dissipated over the past few centuries. I know now why she left both of us, why she stayed so far away, and that’s helped. But after so long apart, with no idea where you might be… we also had no way to know if you were alive. I think she feared learning you were gone so much that she feared to search.”

Eva took several deep breaths. “I am happy to hear that she has explained her decision to you, Will, and to your satisfaction as well. But I have not yet been given that explanation. Perhaps she did not intend to stay away so long and hurt me so deeply. Yet she did, and she seemed very focused and determined when she left. I thought she would spend a few years away and return to our small island home in the Mediterranean. But she never did.”

“I know she wants to see you, and she didn’t leave to hurt you any more than she meant to hurt me,” Will replied. “But I think she’d want to explain everything to you herself.” He paused. “I can take you to see her.”

Eva's face lit up, then faded back into its usual mask of emotionless calm. “I am… not sure I can do that.”

Will shook his head. “Of course you can. There’s plenty of room where we live, and the people of the Alliance all know the story of the early days, the first people who ever unlocked their Energy. You’ll be respected and appreciated for who you are.”

“I… suppose that visiting is acceptable,” Eva said slowly. “But I cannot leave this place permanently.”

Will glanced around at the empty cavern. “Is this where you live?”

“Yes, for a goodly portion of each year. I travel quite a bit.”

Will arched an eyebrow, curious. “What do you do?”

She smiled. “We all fight Arthur in our own way, Will. I have found my own unique contribution to that cause. And I perform that role quite well.”

Will grinned. “That’s what the Alliance is all about, Eva. Whatever you’re doing, we’ll have lots of people who would love to help build upon it. So—”

“It is something only I can do, Will. It is better for you not to know.”

Will blinked, nettled at her unwillingness to share. He realized that her refusal might be of a similar vein to his telling Adam that Adam could never know the true location of the Alliance headquarters. Adam knew that information was being hidden from him, and eventually came to accept the decision as correct. Perhaps Eva’s role was of a similar level of sensitivity.

Still…

“I trust you on that, Eva. Is it safe for you to know where we’re based?”

Eva nodded. “Your secret is safe with me, Will. There is no risk that I could expose it to anyone in the Aliomenti organization, if that is your concern.” She paused. “What else did Adam tell you?”

Will recognized her effort to change the topic, but didn’t push. “He gave me something, and told me to guard it with my very life. I don’t know what it is, but perhaps you’ll know.” He reached inside his shirt, pulled out the chain with the mysterious vials, and handed it all to Eva.

She looked at the vials, puzzled, and then gasped. “Oh, my goodness, Will! This is… incredibly valuable. He was right to tell you to guard it with your very life.” She handed the chain back to Will. “Do not let anyone else touch that, and do not
ever
let it out of your sight.”

“What is it?” Will asked. “I have no clue what this is, or why it’s valuable.”

“I will explain when you take me to your hidden Alliance location.”

Will arched an eyebrow. “Bargaining with me, Eva? You always were quite good at that. But there’s no need. You’re welcome there at any time.”

“Your bargaining skills have diminished, Will,” Eva said, but there was humor in her voice. “Do not offer me everything I want without first getting something of value in return. But you misunderstand me. I am not using the information as a bargaining ploy. You are not the only one who needs to hear the answer.”

Will paused. Had Adam developed a weapon, one that could be used against the Aliomenti? Perhaps Eva needed to explain the usage to everyone at once. “I’m not sure I understand why others need to hear the answer, Eva, but… I trust you.”

Eva nodded. “It will make sense in due course. Was there anything else Adam told you?”

Will nodded, wondering what she expected to hear. Why did she keep asking what other secrets Adam had shared at the time of his death. “He… told me something that seems impossible.”

Eva tilted her head. “After everything that has happened to you, Will, after everything you have seen, after everything you have experienced… how can you possibly think anything is impossible?”

“I feel like I’ve had this conversation before,” Will muttered.

Eva shrugged. “Perhaps you have. But clearly you need to hear the words again, for you have failed to learn their lesson. So tell me. What impossible thing did Adam tell you?”