The Battle of Tyrell: Cynthia by Nicola Collings (books for 9th graders .TXT) 📕

It was this extravagant piece of architecture that gave the church its name. Asphodel. The arch was quite plain compared to the rest of the church expect for one piece of decor ; behind it were the elaborate glass windows, the three that rose together and the circular window in the prominent position, overlooking the entire church. In the middle of the arch, where the two columns met was a statue the fell in the shape of a flower. It faces the floor, but the detail in the petals and the thorned vines that rose around it and coiled around the arch was incredible.

The story behind the arch also intrigued me. The story goes that there were two angels- one from Heaven and in God’s grace and another that had fallen with Lucifer. Unbeknown to one another, brother and sister. Both entirely equal in all ways.

These two angels were sent on a quest- to destroy the arch of Asphodel. The legend behind the arch was that it was a doorway, depending on which side you passed through the arch, would either lead you to Hell or to Heaven. The angels of Heaven considered it cheating, as you had to earn your place in Heaven, yet the angels of Hell saw it as a way home. So, it was a race.

Of course, the two angels arrived at the same time, to the church of Asphodel. Upon quarrelling with one another, they made the discovery of their relationship. There would have been a fight. Or there should have been, had the two not decided to call a truce. They agreed to leave the arch standing and go home. But there was a dilemma; which side of the arch would take them home? One bound for Hell, the other Heaven. It was a 50/50 chance. Choosing a side each, they both passed through at the same time, neither of them coming through the other side.

No one knows how the story ends, but I believe there are two possible outcomes- they both arrive home, having failed their quest and living in shame, but secret happiness of knowing they have found their siblings. Or, they arrive at the opposite of home and are both destroyed.

I don’t know which ending I prefer.

The story was from an ancient religion, one that had apparently died out in the reign of King Yoren. That was centuries ago. I only knew about it through one of the books in my Archives. Something about the whole thing seemed...alien to me.

I walked up to the arch way, looking up. I passed through. I would have liked to believe the story, but I didn’t know whether to choose shame, or destruction. Before the glass windows stood a man.

Ezekiel.

                                                                                *

The Mayor gazed at the tiny lights atop the hill. The Wynde was a blaze with life tonight, and the night was still young. The glow that lit up the sky, polluting the stars and giving the clean streets of Boundary an orange hue gave him shivers. He could feel their restlessness.

He motioned to the guards at the door, both armed with several guns and an array of knives- whether out of his paranoia or not, the Mayor had insisted on heavily armed soldiers blanketing Horizon House- and the guards left him alone in the room with his thoughts.

It was true; the people of Boundary could see it. His mask had failed him. They could feel his fear. What scared the Mayor more was that he didn’t quite know what he was so scared of!

He’d had reports of an event going on tonight, but every agent he’d sent to The Wynde in the past three hours had told him there was no one there. It was empty! The only sign of life was beyond the gates of Duskgate Mansion. And he daren’t send his agents there...

But sacrifices must be made! For the good of Tyrell!

The Mayor was well aware of the secrets the family of Duskgate held. What he was not aware of was how they planned to use their secrets against him. The Black Parade could not rise.

The Black Parade would not rise!

                                                                                *

“They talk of war.”

Ezekiel slowly turned. He was tall, much taller than me, in his early twenties and well built. His face was slim and his eyes were the colour of the moon when it shone with silver. His hair was golden, but looked dark and silky in the night. There was something lupine about the way his bones were structured; it was as if fangs hid behind his thin lips.

 He wore a suit, as always, the old fashioned shirt tucked into his waist coat. A pocket watch was visible behind the grey suit jacket.  

It sometimes alarmed me how much like an animal he seemed- in the way he stood, the way he spoke and the way he moved. Like a predator. I’d caught light reflecting his eyes before, where he’d sink into the darkness and reflections would shine from his eyes like a wolf hiding from it’s prey.

It didn’t unnerve me, however. Something about him seemed to disarm me, however. He’d make me feel things I hadn’t allowed myself to feel in a long time. He caught me off guard. He knew how to peep between my cracks.

“And?” he gazed at me with his silver eyes.

I paused. “They want me to lead them into war. They look to me for leadership.”

“They trust you.” The light from the moon shone through the broken glass windows, almost framing Ezekiel’s figure.

“I should never have let them trust me. I should never have let them think that they could rely on me as their leader.”

“You should never have given help to those who needed it? You should never have let them into your house and given them shelter?” he paused and took a step closer. “Can’t you see? You are probably the one person with any amount of power that actually cares for them! You know what The Wynde feels and you take care of them! They don’t need to ask for help because they know it is always there. Now they are physically asking for help. You will deny them?”

He cocked his head at me.

I looked down. I felt like I was torn in two. Part of me believed I didn't have a violent bone in my body. Yet the other half wanted to run at Boundary and rip their heads off and bathe in their blood.

“You realise there is something else going on as well?” he muttered.

“What?”

“You don’t see it? It’s all over The Wynde.”

I remained silent.

He leaned on the altar, folding his arms. “People are changing. Did you hear about those deaths? They say a man got told to die, and so he did. They said it was like mind control. People have seen supernatural beings moving through The Wynde.” He stopped to see my reaction.

I remained perfectly still, knowing what he meant, but not wanting him to continue.

“You see yourself, don’t you? You don’t wonder what this is all about? People, everywhere are changing! Don’t you see it?” Ezekiel said, his voice rising.

“Of course I see it!” I snapped.

“Then don’t you want to find out-”

“Of course I want to know! You don’t think I want to know why I’m still a 16 year old!” I cried. Somehow, I knew this had been a long time coming. “I see people look at me, knowing I’m supposed to be fucking 24! I stand next to Rhiannon and people whisper! They talk! I hear them! You don’t think I haven’t looked for an answer already?”

Ezekiel looked at me. “I think it’s linked. All the strange happenings, all the unexplained things that people can do...”

“I don’t have time for your conspiracies.”

“No, but I still think this goes beyond Tyrell. Maybe even the Crown Continent!”

I sank into silence. Ezekiel continued, “It’s going to come around eventually. More people are being discovered with strange abilities.” He looked down, as if to hide something.

I sighed. “Can we discuss this after the impending war.”

He nodded, hesitantly. “Sometimes sacrifices must be made.” He came towards me, towering over me. “Sometimes we have to put aside our own fears. We have to put aside our principles, how we want to be seen, our own ideas. Think, how long has Tyrell been this way? Maybe it’s time for the people to have their way.”

I met his gaze, falling into his eyes before catching myself.

“But, I can’t justify the killing of innocent people. Despite what they do to us.”

“Isn’t it better that everyone is equal than having a hierarchy?”

`               “But a new one will just emerge...”

                He took my shoulders and looked down at me. “Sometimes the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many.”

                And with that he planted a cold kiss on my lips.

                                                                                                *

                Should he start it tonight? Should he nip it in the bud? While they were still deliberating, planning, plotting...surely they would strike soon! Things were too suspicious for nothing to be going on! His people would see him as weak if he did not act! They would whisper and say he was stupid! He was blind! They would talk about him, call him names, judge him!

                No, he would not be weak!

                The Mayor reached for a head set on his desk. “Agents! You must go deeper! Find out what they are planning!” he slammed the head piece down into the desk. He trembled in the silence for a moment.

                “Guards!” he shouted. At once, two guards stood in the room. The Mayor knew them- they were generals, in charge of the armies he’d gathered or something...

                What mattered was that they could organise his troops!

                “I want the military stationed on the edge of Boundary! Something is happening tonight and I want them ready to attack and detain! I also want you to begin the evacuation of Boundary!””

                “Sir?” One of them asked. The Mayor shot him an evil look as he recoiled. “An evacuation of Boundary? The people, sir... somehow I don’t think they’ll leave.”

                “It is a state order! Make them leave!”

                “But, sir! They think they’re safe! And the military will be needed for that? How can they be in two places at once?”

                The Mayor took a deep breath before bellowing, “I do not pay you to question! I gave you a fucking order and I expect you to carry it out! Now get the fuck out!”

                The Mayor’s gaze fell back onto the lights of The Wynde.

                                                                                                *

                Nicki and Rick finally got to the mansion. Nicki’s first instinct would have been to find Amber and Sammie. But she didn’t let herself linger in that moment of death; instead she set her sights on finding Sammie, who would most likely be with Bob.

                If only Amber had gone with Bob...

                The mansion was abuzz with life. She could hear the sounds of music from inside.

                “Want a drink, Nic?” asked Rick, gesturing to the ridiculously oversized kitchen beyond a set of cloisters.

                “Yes please. I’ll go find Sammie!”

                Nicki sank into the crowd. Duskgate mansion was big, and the amount of people it could hold could easily be seen as a huge crowd of thousands of people, but something about the noise and the bustle made it seem... cramped. The mansion had never been this packed before. Something about it worried Nicki.

                And then she saw the one thing in the room that did not make sense. The one thing that sense cold shivers down her spine and drained all traces of hope from her soul.

                                                                                *

I followed Ezekiel back to the mansion.

“You need to speak to the people. Tonight, the Black Parade