The Few (The Abductions of Langley Garret Book 2) (19 page)
Read The Few (The Abductions of Langley Garret Book 2) Online
Authors: Derek Haines
‘Don’t lie to me Soter. I know she has failed us, and that it was you who corrupted her mind.’
‘That’s not true,’ I said, and started to turn to face her.
‘Don’t move Soter. The hibiscus is almost ready. Look at the buds. Look at them! Like your father, you are a fool for not heeding the warnings I gave you,’ she hissed.
‘I........’
‘Quiet! There is nothing more to say. Only that I will grant your wish – to suffer eternally with Clytemnestra – lying together forever beneath the immoral shadow of Kratos, who too defied me.’
I didn’t reply, as my ability to speak was suddenly taken away by the sound of a single loud click, followed instantly by an explosion. My internal organs tried to send their dark warning of impending doom, but they were far too late. I had no mind to listen to their dire message.
My eardrums screamed in pain, but I ignored them as I turned slowly to face Giovanna – her arms were limp by her side with the revolver hanging from her right hand, still smoking from the shot across my left shoulder into the hibiscus. Her eyes were glazed, looking into nowhere as I took the gun from her hand, not knowing if she had failed in her intent.
‘You never forgave him, did you?’ I asked, but could hardly hear my own words for the ringing in my ears.
‘He had no right to choose her,’ she said, but I only understood by reading her lips.
The ringing in my ears was subsiding a little as I stood in silence, waiting for more. As I did, the colour in Giovanna’s face started to drain slowly, replaced by the ashen hues of impending death.
‘He was the Strategos, so he had the right to decide,’ I replied, and almost heard my words, while I looked into her dying eyes, waiting for her to respond, and then noticing that she was struggling to keep her feet. I moved forward and caught her as he began to fall towards me – ending up on my knees with her limp body in my arms.
Her eyes looked up at me, but without focusing. ‘I am Leucippe … and you were to die for your treachery,’ she muttered.
‘Wife of Evenor, and mother of Cleito.’
Giovanna’s eyes were cold. ‘Neither Kratos nor you,’ she started, gasping for breath, ‘… no one has the right to defy me, the mother or Cleito.’
‘But many have defied you, Evenor.’
Her eyes struggled to stay open, and her words came slowly. ‘Yes ….. and I made …. all of you pay …. and suffer for…..’
She went limp in my arms with her eyes wide open. Leucippe rose from her body, free at last of Giovanna’s bitter incarnation.
Acquiescence
It had been more than twenty years since Decem Filios welcomed the Strategos of the Sons of Cleito and his family for a summer vacation. Soter had fulfilled his destiny, by bringing safety, preservation and deliverance from harm to the Sons of Cleito, and also, the restoration of balance between not only with The Few, but also within the Sons of Cleito. In the years since Giovanna’s passing, her deeds were fading into history, as were the memories of those who had perished at the hands of her misguided beliefs.
When Soter decreed that Thalia would lie on his right, to bear his children, and Clytemnestra on his left, to deliver succour, there was no dissension, as it was his right as the Strategos, to make such decisions. In Soter’s wisdom, his decree honoured Thalia’s loyalty to him and restored Clytemnestra’s honour, which had been spurned by Kratos.
Soter sat on the beach, where he had sat once with Chara, watching, as Thalia and Clytemnestra held the hands of his two-year old son, to keep his balance, as he paddled his feet in the sea for the first time. Soter had named his son Uranus – who was born from Chaos.
The End
Thank you so much for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, in the in next page or two you will be given the opportunity to add a quick review and this would be definitely appreciated, as reviews really do help me keep writing, and maintaining a roof over my head.
Derek Haines is an author of science fiction farce, historical fiction, essays and poetry and writes from a view of what fascinates him and not from a formula based on one theme or genre. Starting with poetry before moving into essays and novels, his writing is varied but is always written in a style that communicates with and engages his readers.
Most of all, the stories told by Derek Haines are about people, their feelings, regrets, hopes and struggles with life. Ordinary people, often a loser, but with extraordinary qualities that makes their story worth telling. While some stories reflect his own thoughts and beliefs, others are told from the view of characters who are sometimes dark and complex or childishly open. With splashes of allegory, black humour or satire, his stories can develop from the simplistic to the complicated and back again, leaving the reader to decide if it is time to laugh or cry. Or both.
Born in Australia, but now living in Switzerland, his stories cross a wide geographical range but often draw from elements of his life and experiences in the two countries he calls home. From the rugged, dry and hot desert country of Australia and its crowded cities, to the cafés of Europe and the peaks of the Swiss Alps.
When not writing and blogging, he is usually doing what he equally enjoys – teaching English.
Also by Derek Haines
Septimity and The Blood Brotherhood
