Guardians: The Triplex Part 9

"I'm not singing to them," Miku vows.

"They're trying to kill us. C'mon yo!" Jay says, frustrated.

"Then Glide away, whatever," Miku retorts "I'm not gonna Glide and leave my team."

"How can they run this fast?" I ask.

"They know if they catch us, it will buy them an unlimited supply of drugs," Rio says.

Seconds later, a Tic gets close enough to Jay. He lunges into the air and drags Jay down to the floor. Within seconds, half a dozen Tics invade Jay's body. The team fights to pull them off. They aren't strong, but the sheer number of the mob makes it difficult for the team to get a good handle on the situation.

The Tics are like bees. One of them is easy to take care of, but when they number in the hundreds, they are deadly. The Tics leap on top of the Guardians, a dozen to each member. They pull, claw, and bite their way towards the Guardian's wings.

The Guardians fling Tics to the left and right but the more they fend off, the more come back. Then a voice speaks with a heavy British accent: "Perhaps I could be of service, madame?"

"Lakom!" I turn and find my favorite "not a Genie" standing a few yards away.

"The Port has been preprogrammed," he says, pointing to the awaiting Ports.

I call Marcus's attention to the Ports. Marcus instructs the team to go ahead while he takes care of the Tics. The team makes their way to the Ports.

Marcus uses a street lamp from the ground and turns it into a makeshift bat. He is able to keep the mob away but not for long. Soon they invade again, this time willing to die just to get to him.

"Hurry!" I scream.

Marcus is already on the run. The Tics take off after him. Rio holds out his hand and pulls Marcus up just in time. The last thing we see is the mob turning on each other.

The once strong and powerful Angels, who used to battle evil, now battle for two stray feathers on the ground.

Traveling in the Port is as quick as blinking. One moment you're in one place, then you open your eyes, and you are somewhere completely different. I'm not sure what I expected to see after seeing the mob of zombie Angels, but I certainly didn't expect to see what stands before us.

The team and I are transported to the center of a glorious j.a.panese garden. It's the kind of place you see in travel shows and it makes you ache to be there. Every single thing in this garden is perfect.

There are bonsai trees throughout the garden with shades of green so vivid, it's impossible not to stare. But you are forced to look away because there is yet another fanatic sight your eyes long to behold: The flowers. The impossible beauty emanating for them makes the garden feel like what I feel when I'm around Marcus: Calm. Peaceful. Loved.

The wind blows gently causing the leaves to swan dive gracefully off the trees and into the pond below. On the surface of the pond are leaves and flower petals that have met a similar joyous fate, thanks to the cool breeze. The only sound comes from the steady flow of water streaming from the top of the waterfall as it merges into the pound.

The focal point of the garden is a bright red bridge that goes over the water; a few yards past the bridge is a pathway that leads to a j.a.panese-style temple. On the front of the temple there is a red carving just like the one the Phin. It's the number 3 and alongside of it is the letter C, linked to make the shape of a spade.

Honestly, I don't care what is in the temple. I just want to stay here in this garden of unimaginable beauty. This would be the perfect place to spend my last few weeks. I wonder if I can get Marcus to agree to it.

Yeah, right. I could just see how that conversation would go: Me: Hey, why don't we stay in this amazing, peaceful place until its time for me to die?

Marcus: No.

Me: But- Marcus: No.

Me: Nothing is going to stop me from having to die so let's stay here and have fun until it's time.

Marcus: No.

"Emmy? h.e.l.lo?" Rio says.

"Oh, sorry; s.p.a.ced out," I reply, shaking my head.

"You s.p.a.ced out? Shocking," Ameana says, mildly irritated.

"I was just thinking how beautiful this place is."

"It's lovely," Miku agrees.

I look over at Marcus and take a shot.

"Maybe you and I could stay here for awhile," I suggest.

"No."

Do I know my boyfriend or what?

Lakom tells us to follow him. It's strange but when he speaks it feels wrong to do anything but follow his instructions. It's like being in grade school and having the teacher tell me what to do. It never occurs to me to disobey.

Still, I would love to just sit in this garden with Marcus. We would finally get a chance to talk. I would get to ask the thing I've never really had time to ask him. I have always wanted to know more about his family on earth. I would love to know more about his mom and what his life was like before he died.

"We are now in The House of Three?" Jay asks.

"Yes," Lakom replies, as we make our way up the stone front steps of the temple.

We enter what looks to be the center of the temple. There is a slightly elevated platform that has three enormous throne-like chairs, made of some kind of black rock. The room is almost empty. There is nothing in here aside from the three thrones and a wall of water cascading behind it.

"Am I the only one thrown by this?" Rio asks.

"No, it doesn't make sense. Are we still in Terra?" Ameana wonders.

"No. You are in The House of Three in the City of Adam."

We follow the voice and find a beautiful girl about our age sitting on the throne in the center. She has rosy cheeks, plum-red, heart-shaped lips, and piercing blue eyes. Her hair is silver and shimmers like the sun reflecting on the pound in the garden.

She pulled her luminous hair into a bun high on top of her head. There isn't one strand out of place. She wears a simple, nude-color dress, made of silk. It complements her complexion but clashes with the hardness of the throne.

Judging from her frame and her posture, I would say she had years of ballet training. But with Angels, that's just how they are, naturally graceful. That's why I am so shocked by what I see in front of me. Or, should I say, what I don't see.

"Where are her wings?" I ask Marcus under my breath.

"Good question," he replies.

Could she be human?

"Marcus, I apologize. I did not arrange anywhere for you and your team to sit. I was unsure what state you would be in when you arrived. The Tics can be-unkind to Angels. I thought perhaps you and your team would be in need of recharging."

"We're fine. We would like to know who you are and why you have summoned us here."

"Lakom, you can go. Thank you."

Lakom nods slightly, leaps into the nearest light fixture, and disappears.

"We have much to go over. Please have a seat," she says.

Just as the words leave her mouth, a row of plush armchairs appear.

Okay, so she's not human because she has powers. But she has no wings, so she's not an Angel. What the h.e.l.l is she?

Looking around the room, I am not the only one who's perplexed by this.

"If this is not to your liking, perhaps this will work?" she says, as the arm chairs are replaced by wooden chairs with carvings. Marcus ignores the chair and addresses the girl.

"What are you?"

"I am Quo."

"What is that?" the Twins ask.

"I will answer all of your questions. However, it is my turn," she addresses Marcus.

"You are on a search to save both your love and your mission. A search, I understand, that is about to fail."

Rio reads Marcus's Waves and signals to me that he doesn't like what he sees.

"What the h.e.l.l is it you want?" Marcus snaps.

The quickest way to p.i.s.s off my favorite Angel is to tell him he's going to fail at saving me.

"You have come all this way. Have a seat and we will talk," she says pleasantly.

Marcus exchanges glances with the rest of the team and they're all in agreement. We take a seat on the wood chairs.

As soon as we do, a table appears before us. Then gla.s.ses filled with Coy appear.

"Please, help yourselves," she says. Marcus shoots her an impatient look. She smiles.

"I understand. It is difficult to wait. We have waited a long time and we are familiar with the torture that accompanies the act."

"So end the waiting and tell us what this is about," Ameana demands.

"My name is Chance. I am the leader of the Quo people."

"And what are the Quo people exactly?" I ask, before Marcus can bark at her again.

"I promise to answer your question shortly. For now, I would like to ask a question of your leader. Marcus, I have heard you have taken to reading fairytales in order to remove the Dy that's been cast into your love. Is that true?"

"Yeah," he says, slightly embarra.s.sed.

"You have been looking into the story of Isis and Demetri?"

Marcus stands up and eagerly addresses Chance.

"Do you know something? Is there really an Amulet or did Lucy destroy it? I know it's just a story but I was hoping the Amulet part was true. Is it?"

"It is not a fairytale. The story is true."

All of us at the table exchange a glance. Marcus is in such a hurry, he stumbles over his words.

"Wait, are you sure-how do you-why are you-"

"Stop it!" I shout at Chance. My voice echoes in the room. Everyone turns towards me.

"Look, I'm sorry but it's not fair to keep Marcus hoping for something that's never going to come. I have read the story of Isis and Demetri a million times. It's just a story. There were no star-crossed lovers. No blue rain. No Amulet."

"Emmy, calm down," Miku says.

"No. Look, Prima Ballerina, I'm not gonna let you mess with the people I love by giving them false hopes. If the story was true, it would mean that Lucy killed Demetri. That means she also destroyed the Amulet. It's time everyone just accepted the fact that I'm going to die."

"C'mon baby girl, everything's gonna be fine-"Jay starts.

"It's not. I have to die. That sucks but at least I have a few weeks. Why can't everyone just leave things alone and let me enjoy the time I have left?"

Marcus's face falls. Looking at his expression makes my heart sink. He wanted so much for there to be another way. I get up and take his hand.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to him quietly.

He can't bring himself to look at me.

"Will you please allow the 'ballerina' to finish?" Chance says.

"Rio is she lying?" Marcus asks.

"No but she does have secrets," he replies.

"I never said I didn't" Chance retorts.

"Let her finish," Jay says.

"As I was saying, the story is real. But at the same time, the story is untrue."

"I don't get it," Miku says.

"Demetri and Isis did fall in love. They did have triplets and The Council did tempt Demetri with infinite power. What isn't known is that the Amulet contained nothing. The Council had tricked Demetri."