Kamila looks at the screen and rolls her eyes. She doesn't like these guys very much, either. "Meet Keaton and Cohen Wiley, AKA the "Terror Twins." Born in Romania during a time of famine, they, along with their parents, fled to America when they were only two years old. Their dad was a ventriloquist, and their mom worked as a waitress at a local diner. The brothers became orphans at ten when both parents died in an automobile accident. By eighteen, both brothers had transferred in and out of multiple foster homes and juvenile detention centers. There is a five-year gap in intelligence information between when the Cohens were released into the world and when they showed back up on our threat radar. The twins feltlike the American Judicial System failed them during their time in foster care. They concocted a plan to bomb the United States Supreme Court building. We intercepted their plan, but their capture was unsuccessful. That arrest came one year later, when they donated several ventriloquist dummies to three separate orphanages. The dummies were stuffed with small amounts of C-4, and two hours later, 357 men, women, and children were killed. We were able to trace the delivery van they used, and that's how we caught them."
With each word Kamila speaks, the pictures change on the screen. Seeing the aftermath of the bombings makes me nauseous. I was only seven when this happened, the brothers are absolutely diabolical. Thinking about the lives lost that day is sickening, and most of the lives lost were children. How could anyone be so heartless? We must capture them again.?
Kamila clicks a button on the remote, and a picture of the giant appears on the screen. This, too, is a picture of his mugshot. However, unlike the twins, the giant has a big fat grin. Oh, good ol’, toothless. "What information we have on Pollux is very limited. We do not know his age, birth date, or true nationality. We don't even know his last name. He showed up on our radar in 2005. Before that, it’s as if he never existed. Pollux's fingerprints have even been altered. In February 2005, military personnel around the globe began to go missing. Twenty-five men, and fifteen women to be exact, all with different jobs and skill sets vanished without a trace. In late 2006, we found their dead bodies in an abandoned warehouse. Their bodies were so mutilated we were only able to identify them by their dental records. The giant had tortured and murdered them to get some of America's most sought-after military secrets. The Government covered this up because they didn’t want mass panic among citizens. Some of our intel suggests he was able toobtain where certain missiles are located and in what direction they are pointed. Only when Pollux broke into the White House to kidnap the President were we able to catch him."
Unlike the twins, Pollux barely has pictures of himself popping up. The sight of the burned bodies is almost too much for me, and I can’t stop the shudder that follows because these men are awful. So many lives have been lost, and they have no remorse for their actions. I'm happy, Merrie-Beth is safe.
Kamila clicks the remote, and a picture of the Scotsman comes on the screen. His first picture is not a mugshot, it’s one of him and a beautiful woman with jet-black hair. "Meet Blaine and Geneva Ramsey. They are two of the most notorious criminals of our time. Blaine was born and raised in Scotland. He grew into a fierce warrior and, by the age of twenty, had become the head commander of the Highland Maritime Supreme Naval Army. He’s highly skilled, and no fighter could stand a chance against him, in or out of the water. He came to America in 1936 at the request of President Roosevelt. The President had just signed the Treaty of Morsus Mihi, an alliance agreement between all Maritime and Humankind. Blaine joined our Navy and became a member of the First Five. He was the main contributing factor to our victory at the Battle of Midway during WWII, which was the turning point of that war. He was the Admiral of the USS Yorktown.
“After the war, he went dark and only resurfaced after he had married Geneva. Geneva Ramsey's maiden name was Cromwell—the daughter of Jedediah Cromwell, Governor to all Maritime people. Arabella, you'll be interested to know that Jedediah is also Eleanor's father. We discovered that Blaine and Geneva married three months after the suspicious death of Eleanor's mother. No one believes that her death was due to natural causes, but instead think that she was poisoned. Genevawas the only suspect, but after the ruling by the coroner, she was let go. Blaine and Geneva showed up on our radar two years later. They earned the nicknames of the modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, because they caused quite a panic up and down the Eastern seaboard. They robbed banks and convenience stores, even hit the Federal Reserves, and got away with every cent. They killed a total of 695 people, and that’s just the ones we know about. I wouldn't doubt that some shallow graves are full of dead bodies. The couple has no remorse nor regard for life, and they are monsters—greedy monsters who finally got sloppy. We started a rumor that a prominent investor was delivering a payment of twenty-four million dollars in diamonds to a famous arms dealer. That information made them show up during "the deal." After a shootout that left several of our men dead, we were able to arrest Blaine, but unfortunately, Geneva got away, and for two whole years, she's been off our radar."
If he’s a WWII veteran, why does he look so young? No one else thought that was weird, there’s still so much that I don't know. I make a mental note to ask my family later. Blaine having the highest body count doesn't surprise me. Something about the black coldness in his stare scares me most of all.
Uncle Jo is frowning. He knows these awful people want to kidnap me and, by the sound of it, eventually kill me. The cold, dark feeling of panic settles in my body, making me numb.Kamila pauses and looks around the room. We all know that Mayra is up next, she is no stranger to anyone in this room. Uncle Radix’s facial expression gives nothing away, he appears indifferent to the tension that's building in the room, but looking down at his hands, they tell me a different story. Both his fists are balled so tightly that his knuckles have turned purple.
Kamila sighs heavily as photos of the one who killed my parents come up all over the screen. She’s supermodelpretty with chestnut brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. “Mayra Narissa Blackwater grew up on Long Island and was the daughter of a radical United States Senator. She went to Harvard University, and, upon graduation, she made her debut within the Lux’s political system. The years flew by, and with each passing year, her popularity grew. She was charismatic, and even the politicians from across the aisle held her in high esteem. A year before she was arrested, her supporters formed a hate group called The Mortem l. Her teachings are like that of the Umbras. Only they can rule. Mortem's creed was simple: they wanted the Lux to rule the world, where Mayra would be the Supreme Ruler of all. The night she was arrested, my father was among the dead. She will be caught, dead or alive. I do need to mention that with the reward she’s offered for The Chosen, we have reason to believe that she’s got a rich benefactor backing her. Nothing is set in stone, but all reports lead to Duvessa Raven.”
I can feel Sebastian’s eyes on me then, and when mine locks on his, he looks terrified for me. His whisper is gentle inside my mind. I won’t let her have you.I can feel my eyes soften briefly at his words, but I quickly look away.
Who the hell is Duvessa? She has to be horrible for Sebastian to be upset about hearing her name. Kamila takes another deep breath and nods her head at me. After a minute, she finally addresses the Kings. "Thank you, both. If you need anything, please call me or any of my men. We will be happy to help."
King Aramayus nods his head and turns to me. "Arabella, this will be a trying journey. The odds are stacked against you, but good will always defeat evil. You must never lose hope, and prayers are always with you.”
Even as my eyes fill with tears, I smile at him. "Thank you, my King."
He nods and looks around the room. "You are all dismissed."
Uncle Jo grabs my hand, and I’m at a loss for what I want to do. Part of me wants to return to Savannah, and the other part wants to find out if I can achieve my destiny. My face remains passive as we make our way to Uncle Radix. He shakes my Uncle Jo's hand and gives me a quick hug.?
"Arabella, I understand your aunt will be leaving tonight. You will need time to say your goodbyes. Tomorrow, I would like to see you for a bit. Is that okay?" Uncle Radix asks.
I smile at him. "That would be great, actually."
He smiles. "Thank you."
"We must be going, Radix. Georgia will be leaving soon." Uncle Jo says.?
He nods. "Take good care of our girl, Jo. Arabella, until tomorrow."
Chapter 12?
A New Ally, Secrets, and Warnings
I was once told to beware of the one who wears the Ice Dragon tattoo. Yeah, that explains nothing.
-Arabella
I mindlessly follow Uncle Jo as he leads me to where my aunt awaits us to say our goodbyes. My sole concentration is on not losing my shit. It will be hard not to cry, but Aunt Georgia needs me to be strong.?After almost tripping over the edge of an elaborate rug, I am ripped from my pity party. For the first time since leaving the King's study, I notice we are in an entirely different part of the palace. "We're not going to say our goodbyes at the apartment?"?
"No, we are meeting her at the Courtyard of the Fallen."
"You’ve got my attention, that sounds deliciously creepy. Are some important dead people buried there?" My interest is piqued.
He rolls his eyes. “It's a graveyard and burial place of our Founders."
"Remind me of how our Founder died?" I ask solemnly.
My uncle gives me a sad, grave look. "He, along with his beloved wife, were killed during The Great Siege of Luxington Valley. The Umbra wore masks, attacked the city, and killed hundreds. Lightfoot managed to get all the women and children out of the city through a secret passageway, and they held the intruders off for as long as they could. Lightfoot's wife, Ruth, would not leave his side. She was a courageous woman, but they were both murdered. Their eldest son, Jethro Lightfoot, took up his position as ruler, and with him women were allowed to join the Guardians.”