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Part Fifty-Three
Last Updated:
2024-12-02 13:14:11
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Malachi took the file from Vaughn’s desk and followed Chief Johnson outside to the parking lot. Ten minutes later, Malachi walked inside the police station and was shown to the interrogation room where Kiran was being held.Malachi watched from the other side of the two-way mirror for a few minutes as they questioned Kiran relentlessly before opening the door and walking into the interrogation room. The relief in Kiran’s eyes almost had him break his resolve and he had a deep urge to hug his son and assure him that everything would be alright.“Who the hell are you?” One detective asked Malachi as he placed his briefcase on the table.“Good evening, detectives. My name is Malachi Sinclair, legal representation for and on behalf of Kiran Sinclair. My client has cooperated fully during your interview and I call it an interview since you’ve failed to present him with a warrant of arrest or a complaint form and even though you haven’t arrested him legally yet, you’ve already processed him
Last Updated : 2024-12-03Fire Part Fifty-Five
I arrived at court half an hour early with James. I didn’t see Malachi’s car and we bought coffee and stood outside.“What do you think will happen today?” James asked as he looked around.“I think Malachi will try to get the case thrown out,” I answered him. It was a clear day and not too cold, not that we felt cold like humans did. I saw Malachi’s car approach and he stopped at the curb.“Do you think this means he’s forgiven you?” James asked me and I shook my head.“No, he’s still mad as hell, but even now he won’t let me rot in jail,” I said to him as Malachi, Carl and Frank climbed out of the car and walked towards us.“Kiran, trouble likes to follow you,” Carl said as we shook hands and he smiled. There was an awkward silence between me and Malachi and they watched us.“What’s going on with you two?” Frank asked as he watched us.“Nothing,” Malachi said as he excused himself and walked into the building.There were still twenty minutes left before I had to appear in court and w
Last Updated : 2024-12-04Fire Part Fifty-Six
I was sick of the silence, sick of her anger and sick of the thought that she didn’t believe me. I wasn’t a cheater and I would never hurt my family like that, especially my father. The anger burned deep inside me that they could think that of me.“If all of this were true, ask yourself one thing. Why am I still here fighting for us? I won’t sign this, ever! Why wouldn’t I just admit it, ride off into the sunset with Jessica? The last time you left me, it almost killed both of us. Don’t make the same mistake twice,” I said to her and went to the study. My phone rang and I sighed. It was John Whitcombe.“Hi, John,” I answered the phone.“Pack your bags, we’ll be there in thirty minutes,” he said and put the phone down. My life was in ruins and now the Council was forcing me to go to Mauritius.I went upstairs and packed my suitcase. I had no idea how long we would be in Mauritius and I packed for two weeks. I got my passport and put it in my wallet. I went downstairs and Adara didn’t
Last Updated : 2024-12-05Fire Part Fifty-Seven
Malachi tried to call Jessica again as he sped down the highway back towards Seward. Her phone kept going straight to voicemail. He didn’t leave a message because he needed to talk to Kiran first.Malachi parked his car in front of the open garage and noted that Kiran’s car was parked inside. It was close to midnight as he unlocked the side door and walked into the house. Adara was sitting in the kitchen, watching the baby monitor. She looked up as she heard Malachi’s footsteps and he saw the tears streaking her face.“Where’s Kiran? I really need to speak to both of you.” Malachi moved closer to her and read the note she had in front of her. “He went to Mauritius?”“He wrote that he left you a message. Why does it sound like he’s not coming back?” Adara asked him.“Listen, Adara, Kiran didn’t lie. They never had an affair,” Malachi said and pulled his phone from his pocket.Malachi proceeded to tell Adara about his reflection in the car window in one of the photos where Jessica and K
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Malachi found his seat and put his phone off. He had to smile, even in the direst of circumstances Adara had still booked him in first class. After ten minutes, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We have a slight delay as a late passenger is now passing through the boarding gate. We will take off in fifteen minutes.”Malachi’s eyes snapped open as the ‘late passenger’ sat down next to him and he could hardly believe his own eyes. “Jess…what are you doing here?”Jessica picked up a magazine from the holder on the seat in front of her and started paging through it. “You’re going to go save Kiran, right?”“Yes, but–”“Obviously you’re going to need help. Does he even know about this execution thing? It doesn’t matter anyway. You guys are all such idiots, you think it’s so easy, just jump on a plane and be all macho, rush in there and save him. You’re an idiot.” She continued paging through the magazine and Malachi started to chuckle.“Was I
Last Updated : 2024-12-07Fire Part Fifty-Nine
Bryan and I had sat up half the night discussing the potential outcome of the tribunal, what could happen and how we could counter any evidence that Vincent might have. We deduced that Vincent wouldn’t know that John was a truth seeker or that we were witches.It felt like we were just stumbling about. We didn’t know enough and the supposed evidence Vincent had was being kept from the tribunal documents. I knew he had to have something, otherwise the tribunal would never have been called.I wasn’t really worried about dying, and maybe I should’ve been. I knew Malachi would look after my family and that despite hating me, Adara would stay in Seward and raise our children. James would help with Kai’s training and the knowledge that life would go on, made me feel an odd contentment with everything.I was angry, sure, but I was also relieved in a way. If I died fighting for something I believed in, then it was a good way to die. It would be an honorable death and my only concern was that
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“You have to tell John,” I said to Bryan.“Do you trust this guy? It could be a trick,” Bryan said as I looked down the street.“I trust him,” I answered Bryan and we continued our jog.We jogged back to the hotel, circling the block. John and Malika were coming out of the elevator and John smiled at us.“Are you joining us for breakfast?” John asked, and we followed them into the restaurant part of the hotel.We must have looked like an odd combination at that table. John was dressed in a suit, and Malika was in a summer dress. Bryan and I wore running clothes and were covered in sweat. We ate breakfast and talked about the weather and family and nothing in general. I knew Bryan would tell John once they were alone.I didn’t like Bryan’s idea of going along with everything right up to the moment where I had to step into that circle, wide open. I was prone to reacting in the moment and making emotional decisions but I didn’t like leaving myself open like that.“Why can’t we just infor
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Karis and another Zeta arrived at the hotel to escort us to the tribunal. Karis led me and Malika to his car while John and Bryan went with the other Zeta. I smiled at Karis from the backseat and Malika had hugged him when she saw him.“Kiran, when the time comes, I will do what I can to help you and Malika get out,” Karis said to me.“Thank you, Karis, but my only concern is John and Malika. Bryan will protect John with his life, you should focus on keeping yourself safe and getting Malika out,” I said to him and he looked at me in the mirror. His frown deepened and I knew what he was thinking.“I thought you said you had witches with you.” I could see the nervous energy in Karis’ aura and it did little to calm my own nerves. I was wired and ready, albeit nervous.“Bryan and I are half-witches. We’ll be fine. Don’t try to be a hero,” I said to him and he looked at me with different eyes. It was a look I wasn’t comfortable with. Nobody in my pack looked at me with the same fear as Kar
Last Updated : 2024-12-10
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One month after waking up…“K!” Josh shouted as I walked around the corner and he saw me.“Josh,” I smiled at him.We had become good friends after my audition and I’d gotten the job to work for Marcus. We now also shared an apartment two blocks from the club. We trained together, we jogged together and most nights we worked together. It was my night off and he had grabbed an extra shift.“What are you doing here?” he asked me and I gave him that look.“Marcus called me to come in and help out,” I said to him as I put the black jacket on and inserted the earpiece into my ear as I took my position next to him at the door. I looked at the line that extended around the other corner.Marcus owned the hottest night club in Fresno. People stood in line for hours just to get inside, naturally we were at the door because like Marcus said, “Ain’t nobody gettin’ past the two of you.” I had laughed at him. We must have looked quite intimidating. We were both tall, muscular and had these blank st
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Malcolm took me shopping and gave me money. I promised to pay him back but he would hear nothing of it. We had spent hours talking in my hospital room. He brought a chess board and looked surprised when it became evident that I’d win after ten moves.We’d established that I was intelligent, that I could read and write and that I knew random facts so I had gone to school, but that didn’t help me now. I was still a nobody and I still couldn’t remember anything about my life.Malcolm Schwartz became my savior in that moment and if it wasn’t for him I would have probably ended up on the streets. He introduced me to his relative, Marcus Brigham, who liked the look of me, said I was big and if I could handle myself in a tough situation, I’d be perfect for the job.Marcus asked me to meet him at a sports club for my audition. I wondered what this job entailed and how would I have to handle myself? I walked in and two guys were sparring in a boxing ring. Could I box? I had no clue but I guess
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Four months earlier…“He’s opening his eyes, Dr Schwartz,” the nurse said as Malcolm Schwartz stood in front of the counter at the nurse’s station filling in paperwork. He’d been waiting for this day anxiously. They were all curious about the young man in that hospital bed.He looked up and walked into the hospital room where for the past two months ‘John Doe’ had been in a coma. He felt relief that his patient had finally woken up since there was no medical reason for him to be in a coma.“Good morning, I’m Dr Schwartz.” He kept his voice low and he was sure the relief showed in his eyes.Dr Schwarts looked at the man lying in the bed as the nurses checked the monitors showing his blood pressure and heart rate. Everything was normal as it had been for the past two months, ever since a taxi driver had brought him in.“Where am I?” I asked him, looking around.“You’re at the Fresno Community Hospital. Can you tell me your name?” Dr Schwartz asked me.“It’s… it’s… I don’t know,” I said
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Adara hadn’t changed anything. She’d washed his clothes in the hamper and nothing had been touched in Kiran’s study. Malachi had made the notifications to The Council but Adara still kept everything the same. Some nights she still made Kiran’s favorites, like that would bring him home.His car keys remained in the bowl and she recorded everything the twins did, so that when he came back he could be part of everything he had missed. She even had his car serviced and started it every single morning to keep the battery charged.“You should just give her time, maybe give her what she wants and move to our own house. We’re close enough if anything happens and she’s not defenseless, she has Norah here,” Jessica said to Malachi.Adara sighed as she stood on the stairs and listened to them talk. She turned and went to her bedroom. Every day she scoured the internet for stories of acts of heroism. That was something Kiran could never stop doing, being the hero.She had phoned all the hospitals
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Five months later…Days had turned to weeks and Malachi’s hope was dwindling. Each day brought a fresh wave of sadness and worry. They had no body and no idea where Kiran had gone. He didn’t want to believe that his son was dead. He’d pleaded with the gods for a sign, any sign. Anything would be better than wondering. He wasn’t sure how much more he could handle.He was sitting at the dining table in the kitchen, staring at the newspaper in his hand but his thoughts were with Kiran. If he was indeed in Helheim, he hoped he wasn’t suffering, but even Jessica wasn’t sure. Kiran had said that Death liked to taunt and torture him. He shuddered at the thought of what Kiran must be going through.Adara pulled a chair out and sat down next to him. “Can I talk to you?”“Of course,” Malachi said and put his cup down. He folded the newspaper and looked intently at Adara.Adara fidgeted with her hands, seemingly nervous. “You don’t have to keep living here, your house was finished two months ago
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“What the hell do we do now?” Carl asked and James didn’t have an answer for him. He turned around without answering and followed Malachi out of the forest with Carl trailing behind him. They had walked into the house, the clearing littered with dead witches.“What happened?” Jessica asked as she stood up from the couch putting the glass of water down on the table as Malachi put Adara down on the couch and she curled herself into the fetal position and just cried.“He’s gone,” Malachi said and walked to the study, slamming the door behind him. He screamed and wiped everything off the chest that stood behind the couch and acted as a secondary table which held the glass bottles of brandy and whiskey and the tumbler glasses.He started hitting the wall in frustration as he struggled to deal with facts that he didn’t really know. He stopped when both hands were broken and his blood dripped onto the carpet. He sat down on the couch and he lowered his face into his hands and cried.Jessica
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Adara sat in the study and looked at Kiran’s laptop. It was four weeks later and she hadn’t had the heart to go into his study before now. She opened the laptop and the screen came alive. She looked at the numerous folders on the screen and started to cry.That day had been the absolute worst day in her life, by far. She felt helpless and so alone, although the house was never empty. Malachi and Jessica had basically moved into his old bedroom.James was there every day and she could see that it was taking its toll on him, between his twins, the hotel, and their house, he was overdoing it. She would have to ask Malachi to speak to him and tell him to stop coming over.Kiran had closed Karani’s chest that afternoon before he went to the clearing and Jessica had tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. She finally admitted defeat and told Adara that only Kiran could open it. She had hoped to find something in there to explain what had happened to him.She started going through his folde
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Some days Death showed me my children, other days he let me burn for hours on end. On rare occasions I was with Adara or Malachi or James. He wanted me to witness their grief and their pain and feel it deep in my soul. It was the worst punishment I’d ever suffered through.He took such pleasure in my pain that I stopped reacting to whatever they felt and turned my emotions off. He let me burn extra-long when I did that and I don’t know what hurt more, their pain or mine. I felt numb to it all, even their emotions because I was beginning to feel like I had when I’d taken Malachi’s pain, before going to Wolf Peak. I felt weak.Finally one day he let me sit down and said we should talk, man to man, and I laughed at him. I had clearly lost my mind and I had no idea how long I’d been there with him because there was no measure of time. There was only pain.“You’re not a man,” I said to him and he looked hurt.“Don’t be so mean, here I can be whatever I want,” he said and I just looked at h
