YP – B2:UtGoaFN – Chapter 32 (Chapter 78)

210 Days Until Emergency And the Uncertain End (part 3)

Evester sat in the living room listening as the house was scanned once more. The moment that the last Star left, Estashia had those loyal to her, breaking their charms of magic and finding all bugs that they had placed in the house. In some ways, erasing the Star’s control took longer than it had for them to place it there to begin with. 

Heiphillia was thoroughly spooked, Evester could tell from the way that she sat arms crossed and a ferocity to her. As Kim handed her a glass of water, she dropped it, shattering it to pieces because she could not keep her hands from shaking. Quickly she crossed her arm’s again and her expression grew more dim. Evester could not tell if Heiphillia were more angry with the situation or herself. Europa sat next to her.

“I’m sorry.” Heiphillia’s voice cracked but she was without tears.

“It will pass in time. Do not worry.” Europa answered. “The first time you get a scare like this, it is the worst.”

Evester was not sure where his sister had grown to be so composed. The last he remembered her, was as the spunky girl who was to be heir and cried when she did not get her way. The Europa now, was skilled as their mother was, and her eyes were just as calloused.

“I hope you are proud of this dissonance you have brought to your home.” His mother called out to him, dragging his attention from Heiphillia to the matriarch of the house. 

“You agreed.” Evester reminded her.

“Was I supposed to deny my son? We know how well that went with your father.” His mother stood against the doorway more disheveled than he’d ever seen her, and in that he found fear. Estashia was always put together, with such elegance that it made people fall out of the way around her when she moved. This Estashia was unbridled fury leashed upon the earth in physical form.

Evester blinked slowly, trying to stop himself from getting angry. “This is my fault. I know.”

“But it’s necessary to stopping the Uncertain End.” She completed for him. “This I know. It is why I can’t possibly be angry with you, but look.” Evester looked back to Heiphillia. “That is what this has cost you, Evester. She is shaken. Your friends are shaken. Those children may be traumatized, all for this. Your father sent you away, you. One person, because he knew if too many people were involved too many people would get hurt. Now we have hundreds of people who will be hurt by extension if you are found, if Zeydar is found, if you break this charade for one moment.”

What if his mother had not gotten word first? What if they didn’t have allies around the City of Valaria who would die for their secrets? Hundreds, it was a large number, but that was not the accurate one. It was the number who would be directly affected immediately. If they failed the whole world could be lost, because he, Heiphillia, and Zeydar were the ones who could stop the Uncertain End. 

“I understand.” Evester told her looking back to the goddess upon the earth that was his mother. She had begun to tie her hair back up and her expression had been contained. “I will be careful.”

“You will succeed. There is no ‘being careful’ with you. You have bled for the danger since the moment you were born.” She adjusted her collar and stood straighter to fix the rest of her appearance. Evester felt the urge to flee but knew there was no where he’d be able to escape from his mother. “I simply demand of you that you do not let this horror and this dissonance to go to waste. Do not let the lies that have been spilled for you to be a waste of breath.”

“I won’t.” Evester sat straighter as her shadow loomed over the floor towards him.

“And he is detoxing on schedule?” She had purposefully made herself look a mess for the raid, as he had disguised himself. She had wanted the Stars to feel as if they had the upper hand. No one ever had the upper hand on Estashia.

“On his schedule.” Which was more of a slow pace than an actual pace to detox. Evester wanted to speed it up, but at the time he knew not to add extraneous information.

“You did not simply cut him off?” She asked.

“He warned against it.” He answered.

“And why is that?” She gave him the opening to give more information but not too much, just enough that she’d understand.

“It has to do with Arcadia.” He did not want to say more than that, for Evester was not sure he believed there was more to that. Even if Zeydar said that there was. “We won’t let Valaria fall, mother.”

“No. I suppose that we won’t.” She answered with her arms crossed as she watched the room. Soon they’d call back those they’d sent away, and help them reappear back to the house without being seen. They did not have time to play around, not anymore. The State of Emergency would arise in the city within the hour. “We must prepare your exit out of the city in the next few hours.”

“I got contact information from the security members that let us in.” Evester remembered then the day that they had first gotten into the CloudCity. “We could use it.”

“Kim follow up on the lead, I was no aware we had contacts with the security at that low level.” Estashia commanded Kim.

“Yes.” Kim answered her from Heiphillia’s side.

“Europa assist her with the cross reference. If everything checks perfectly, you two may begin the planning for escape.” Estashia starred directly to Europa. “You know what must be present in order for perfection.” Which was to say that there could be no mistake. Estashia would do it herself but Evester knew his mother had too many other things that had to be done until then. With a State of Emergency, she’d had to step up as the leader of Valaria, as well as the leader of the Circles. She would not have the time to secure their escape.

“Yes, mother.” Europa answered her. Evester turned his focus back to Europa and Heiphillia. Heiphillia’s gaze locked with Evester’s speaking words that she could not articulate.

We must help them all.

“We need to use this as our way to show that Valaria is in danger.” Evester decided standing as he did. He turned back to his mother knowing that this would be what Heiphillia would want and it was the only way he could do so, keep her trust, and keep them on schedule. “Prove to the council that this is proof that Valaria is in danger. Zeydar has disappeared again just as he did in Arcadia, or simply that a Star has disappeared. Use it as a way to create worry, and hope in the project.”

Estashia returned her gaze to him. The corner of her mouth turned and she nodded, “I knew you were my son.”

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