The Deian War: Vermillion's Apostles Read online

  He felt someone move to the right of him. A girl in the last of her teenage years, the closest friend of his, leant over and whispered to him.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine. I just don’t like him much, Calla” he replied politely.

  “I think you scared him a little” she laughed quietly.

  Lupus smiled to her warmly. He was fond of her and often found himself thinking that he would want more than friendship with her had his life been meant for normal things like that. She smiled back and her rich brown eyes held his gaze a little too long before she looked back at the lecturer, tucking her light blonde hair behind her ears. He noticed her blushing as if worried she’d shown him the wrong expression.

  Before he could say she hadn’t, or even start a real conversation with her, the clock reached the last hour and Mr Ious called the lecture to an end. Almost in unison, two hundred students packed their things and rose from their seats before neatly filing out of the room.

  For some reason, Lupus felt as though dozens of eyes were fixed on him as he made to leave. It made him uneasy and he stayed close to Calla. Her presence seemed to soothe him a little as they left.

  WALKING FROM THE lecture hall and through the corridor, Lupus still felt as though he was being paid too much attention by too many people. Instead of looking around himself to check, he decided to ignore the starting faces.

  Calla was walking next to him and instead of forcing herself to be oblivious to his audience, she found herself joining in. Yet, her attention for him was nothing new. She had always been fond of him, ever since he came to the Academy. When he first arrived, it was both clear and surprising, that he was new. She remembered seeing him gather his bearings with a confidence that made him look like he was remembering his surroundings rather than learning them for the first time.

  When Lupus caught her gaze she found herself looking away, embarrassed that he had seen her captivation.

  “Is it just me, or is everyone staring at us?” he asked as he leant over and spoke softly in her ear.

  She smiled, returned her eyes to him and replied “I don’t think it’s us…it’s more…at you”. Her voice was certain without being overly strong. Her tone was gentle, yet firm, as if she didn’t want to give anything away, alluding to a secret everyone knew but him.

  It was a quality that Lupus loved about her. It told him so much but left even more to mystery. It drove him maddeningly curious about her.

  They rounded a corner and walked through the cafeteria that the lecture hall was joined to by the corridor. By this point, the crowd behind them had drifted off into the various queues for food as though their interest had suddenly diminished with the presence of normal distractions.

  Lupus had wanted to sit and eat, but after the lesson just before and the experience he had after, he didn’t feel comfortable enough to be in there surrounded by people whose interest in him he couldn’t explain. He was about to express his aching desire to be rid of his environment when Calla interrupted him.

  “I’d like-” he began.

  “Could we leave?” she said, cutting him off.

  They laughed the coincidence away and made their way to the exit.

  CALLA HAD SUGGESTED they sit outside by the trees. It was a beautiful day outside. The campus grounds were bathed in the light of the local golden sun and a gentle breeze blew the blossom of the surrounding trees back and forth. Lupus had no objections to the idea, so they made their way from the building and found a large tree with hundreds of beige silky leaves to sit under.

  With their backs up against the massive trunk, they could sit side by side with a comfortable gap between them. Even so, they sat closer than friends would, but no more than that. They both gazed at their environment; eloquent stone buildings whose walls were smooth and soft to the touch, white-paved plazas bridging the gaps between them, Academy flags rippling in the wind proudly and rich lawns of green grass that gave the place just the right feel of nature.

  “Calla,” Lupus began. “Do you know why they were all so fixated with me?”

  He had his suspicions and deep down he knew the answer, but he had to know if others understood the attention he seemed to attract naturally. Even before today people had been drawn to him, but not on this scale. It was almost as if they were expecting him to do something, but even he didn’t know what that was.

  Calla glanced at him on her left, looked at him carefully and tried not to sound patronising. “You know more than anyone, Lupus, even the lecturers. I mean, the Lost Sectors? What are they, then? You know things that people aren’t supposed to know, you reveal bits here and there all the time like you did earlier and you wonder why you intrigue people so much? We can’t tell if you’re making it up or if you’re hoarding all the secrets of the Empire to yourself”.

  He couldn’t argue with the sense in that. “Well, if I couldn’t even make that connection, maybe I don’t know as much as everyone thinks” he joked.

  She rolled her eyes at him in mild exasperation, though. “Alright, let’s play it your way of mystery and ‘ignorance’. Do you know about the Prophecy, at all?” Her condescension was playful, but the topic was suddenly too serious for him to laugh over.

  “Yes…of course I do” he answered simply, “who in all the Empire doesn’t?”

  I bet nobody as well as you, Calla wanted to say. She knew he wasn’t making the connection, or at least he was pretending not to, so she sat with her legs crossed and looked at him purposefully.

  “Part of it came true recently, didn’t it?”

  He nodded with an expression of uncertainty that he knew how to feign far too well.

  After it became clear she wasn’t going to continue without a proper answer, he elaborated verbally. “We discovered a planet, bigger than any we’ve seen. I know about that, but what does that prove?”

  “Well… don’t you think it’s the planet? I mean, it’s massive… it must be Colossi from the Prophecy” she said, a twinkle in her eye. If she understood what the discovery really meant, the excitement would have been replaced with fear and trepidation.

  He smiled excitedly, as if humouring her. “Okay, but we haven’t seen any of the omens that are meant to come with it. Doesn’t the Prophecy mention legions of angels, twelve boys and girls vanishing into thin air with no trace and an explosion bright enough to be seen through all the Empire?” He was trying to smother her belief in the Prophecy’s fulfilment with all the unproven details that would have vindicated her completely. She wasn’t ready for the truth; no human was, so he had to protect her from it despite the inevitability of the future to come.

  Calla had to admit he made a strong argument. None of those things he mentioned from the Prophecy had been seen yet. A part of her mind was determined to believe in it though.

  “… But whole planets can’t just appear in sectors we’ve been exploring for years, can they?” she asked, eyebrow raised, happy with her new riposte.

  At first he didn’t answer. For once, he didn’t know what to tell her. He couldn’t directly lie to her; she had a power over him that no-one else had, one that urged him to be genuine in everything with her, although he dearly wished he could discover the reason behind that. Fortunately, he didn’t think she realised this. Not that her noticing it really mattered. There were simply some things he couldn’t tell her. At least, not yet.

  The silent pause lasted longer than he intended and when she had no answer from him, she repeated herself.

  “Can they, Lupus?”

  Her warm eyes and honest expression spoke of a terrible innocence, one that he had vowed long ago he would protect.

  “Well, I suppose that’s why there was a prophecy to begin with. It stands to explain it all and make it seem something other than frightening chaos…but I don’t know. The Empire has discovered some creepy technology during its history, maybe the planet was concealed?” he finally answered.

  She laughed at his dry reply. He n
ever gave much of his true opinions away, at least not easily. Yet on the other hand, she felt like he told her more than he would often tell anyone else they knew. “Hang on,” she said before he could say any more. She brushed the raised front of his short brown hair that he had crumpled with a distressed hand earlier in the canteen. “That’s better” she smiled, but he gave no indication of how affectionately he thought she had touched him. Though she desired to brush his cheek with the back of her hand and make him as warm and comfortable as she was used to seeing him around her, there was something about his creased brow that told her it wasn’t the right time.

  He was confused about why she had brought this topic up in the first place. “I don’t see why you’re mentioning the Prophecy when we’re talking about what happened at the lecture…” he admitted.

  She sighed as if she was about to unleash a guilty theory. The way she looked down at the grass before speaking practically confirmed it.

  “I figured that, since part of the Prophecy came true, maybe you would know something else about it. You really do know a lot more about it than you let on, don’t you?” she asked, looking at him both hopefully and knowingly.

  “Perhaps…” He couldn’t hide a smirk at his own vagary.

  Calla shrugged as if giving up, but chose to persist. “Well, have you ever considered that it’s not just me that’s noticed how much you seem to know? Whenever you’re asked anything in class, you always know the answer-”

  “Come on, everyone knows what the eight sec-” he began, but she spoke over him, unwilling to let him sway her so easily again.

  “-to everything, even the questions that have never been covered. The strangest thing is you answer in such a way that you sound distracted, bored even. It’s like you’ve been through the Academy half a dozen times already…” Her voice trailed off as she noticed he wasn’t reacting to anything she said.

  She looked at him, trying to read his expression. As always, it revealed little. Either he was trying his hardest to resist revealing anything, or he truly was lost with where she was going with all this but decided to wait patiently for it to become clear.

  “It’s like you think it’s your burden to know the world and make it obvious the teachers know nothing’” she laughed kindly.

  Lupus found that somehow, as usual, she was remarkably close to understanding what it really felt like to be him. How she had such insight into his mind was a mystery, but it made him revel all the more in her company. Peculiarly, had anyone else tried to guess his thoughts, he would have found himself getting angry at them. It perplexed Lupus that Calla was so…taming. He allowed himself to laugh with her.

  “So…everyone thinks I’m going to solve the big puzzle for them, is that it?” he mused.

  Calla nodded with eyes full of humour, but the gesture was serious. She looked thoughtfully out across the plaza as she said, “Is it so surprising? In a time so confusing, people look to those who seem to have the most answers. Maybe they’re looking for you to tell them what’s happening. Or maybe they’re looking to you for something…more”.

  “More?” he asked, his brow creasing curiously.

  “Yes,” she looked back at him, holding his gaze and wondering what he had seen in his life with the blue depths of his eyes. “More” she repeated, but this time it sounded like she was referring to herself.

  THEY RETURNED TO the main lecture hall for the afternoon’s last lesson. This time, it was History of the Empire. Although very similar to the last lesson, in that it taught the lifespan of the Gothic expansion into the stars, this class was more specialised in the reasons for the growth instead of the results.

  Like always, Lupus sat next to Calla. As they entered the hall he no longer felt the eyes of his peers on him, though he suspected that would change if the lecturer picked on him again or if no-one else offered any answers. They found their row and moved to go down to their chairs. Before they could be seated, a friend of theirs approached them from the stairs behind them.

  “Know all the answers again?” Markus teased, slapping Lupus playfully on the shoulder.

  Lupus bristled inwardly in response. He didn’t like to be touched by others. He had never explicitly made the fact known, but he tried to show his irritation politely with an awkward smile and rolling eyes.

  Calla, though, had always known this about him. She had seen his discomfort when others went to touch him, even if it was only playfully like Markus and nothing affectionate. With Calla it was different. She didn’t like to exploit her familiarity with Lupus, but when she did lay a hand on him, it seemed to have the reverse effect. Her touch would calm him where contact from others would inexplicably anger him.

  Calla used this knowledge now, seeing Lupus’ agitation rise as Markus jabbed at him again, egging on a response. She placed a hand softly on his shoulder and Lupus turned to regard her, almost instantly feeling his choler lower. Whether or not he knew she had that effect on him, Calla couldn’t tell.

  “I don’t have all the answers, Markus” Lupus turned back. “The lecturers just ask the easy questions. I’m lucky, that’s all” he smiled courteously.

  Markus didn’t buy it, but chuckled anyway and walked away.

  The lecture went by without much else happening. Of course, as always, there were questions asked and most people couldn’t answer them. Lupus chose to volunteer the information at times, this being one of the only lessons he actively took interest in. It was important for him to understand the formation of the Empire, so much even that he could trust no-one with an explanation as to why. In the future, his understanding of humanity’s past would help to inform every decision of his life; who could understand such a thing? Sometimes, he wondered if Calla would.

  After the lecture had ended, Lupus walked Calla home. She didn’t live far from his own house; just past the main residential blocks on the outskirts of the city and only an hour’s walk from the Academy. The institution was so large that it drew students in from all over the metropolis, but the two of them always chose to walk, opting out of the public transport because the journey was surrounded by the same blend of gentle nature and appealing architecture that was imbued in the school’s grounds.

  When they reached Calla’s house they stopped by the pathway that led to her front door, regarding the bustling streets with feigned interest. It was as though they had resigned their attention to that rather than each other, both unsure of what to do or say despite how long they had known each other for and how much they enjoyed each other’s company.

  Finally breaking the silence, which was surprisingly comfortable rather than awkward, Calla asked a question she had been meaning to for days.

  “Do you want to come for dinner tomorrow night?” She just came out with it, so suddenly that she surprised herself and blushed.

  Lupus smiled kindly at her embarrassment as she turned away. For a moment he said nothing, savouring her gorgeousness even when she was bashful, but then he remembered his manners.

  “I would be…very happy to” he replied.

  She said nothing in return and just looked happily at him.

  “Are you sure your family won’t mind? They don’t even know me…” he asked when he felt like he should say more.

  Calla’s confidence came back with humour. “That’s the point of a dinner, isn’t it? Introductions and all. Besides, my parents have been begging to see you” she told him.

  Lupus turned so that he was looking and standing directly towards her rather than the street and raised an eyebrow in mock concern.

  “Oh, they know about me do they? And where does my reputation leave me?” he joked.

  “A friend. The best kind. An honest man. What parent wouldn’t want to meet a genuine guy?” she said.

  He hadn’t realised it before but the term friend actually stung a little.

  Still, he didn’t give her any indication of that. His ability to master his face and hide his inner feeling was a matter of pride for him. “Well I su
ppose if my reputation is at stake,” he laughed “I have no choice. Of course I’ll come”.

  She gave him the smile that she only seemed to give to him, confusing him even more about the friendship comment, before walking between the large hedges that framed the paved entrance to her house.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow” she called out.

  He heard her open the door and begin to close it.

  “Don’t be late!” she added before disappearing.

  Amused that she thought he would let that happen, Lupus turned and made his way through the next few streets until he reached his own house. Once there, he opened his large white door and was greeted with solitude and peace.

  It was lonely, but it was home.

  THE HALLWAY WAS cold, yet bright. With warm yellow walls and a soft beige carpet, the house was bathed in the light from the ceiling lamp bouncing off the reflective surfaces. Lupus dropped his bag by a dark oak desk that gleamed with varnish and removed his trainers. They were smart for the type of shoe they were, a brown leather of ascending shades, but they weren’t so obtuse to be noticed at the Academy.

  With no need to check the phone for messages – as he never had any due to his largely introverted life – he walked into his kitchen and sat at the large glass table waiting inside. Taking in the view of the elegant room around him, he found himself recalling how it came to be that he, a young man with no family that he could claim knowledge of, owned such a luxurious home.

  Sitting there alone, he remembered how his post-Blessing life began with a blinding light that seemed to transport him through space and time. When he opened his eyes afterwards, he was here on Gothica. Although he arrived alone and deep in the heart of the southern forests of Cygnus City, he knew instantly where he was. It was one of the many things the dying goddess had given him; all the knowledge of the stars and instincts sharp beyond human nature. He could simply sense that he was back on the world that had been home to him when he was human.