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Description
There was a squeak from the hinges and Eve cringed when the sound pierced her sore ears. They had heard nothing but her breathing for days.
She looked up hesitantly, knowing that with an open door blinding light would follow. Sure enough, there was a flame. She blinked and tried to keep looking but had to avert her eyes.
She wanted to ask who was there but choked the question out of dignity.
“You’ve grown pale.”
The voice was a tenor with a strange, underlying bas as if an avalanche roomed in the distance. It froze Eve in her black corner. She looked up slowly and realized that the flame was flying midair and wasn’t orange, yellow or read. It was purple.
Her breast moved with every heavy breath and she would have said his name but remembered that it had only been a lie and that she didn’t know who he really was.
But she knew what he was.
She lifted her arms over her head. “Shun the Chaos of this World, and Leave the Innocent Alive,” she chanted. “Righteousness won’t Let Them Burn, won’t Lead Them to Our Demise.”
He laughed. “Not you, too.”
She peered up at him. He was still the tall, thin man she had known a thousand years before, with uncombed, brown hair and a tan that belonged to the south. His blue eyes were still warm and familiar and she looked away when the heart began to ache.
She repeated. “Shun the Chaos of this World …”
“It’s not going to work,” he said and kneeled in front of her. The space was small and felt crowded with him there. “It’s mostly a sort of threat, or a call for the Protectors.” He smiled into her spiteful eyes. “It’s true that the Protectors are fond of you, but you’re not in danger so they will not come. There are worse deeds being done by Pieces of Chaos at the moment.”
“What do you want?” she demanded and got up while trying her best not to touch him, but her sleeve brushed against him and she felt the radiating heat that always surrounded him.
He rose with her in a smooth, almost floating, movement. “You’re the bridgebuilder,” he said. “I didn’t create you so you could sit idly by.”
She glared and spat. “You didn’t create me.”
“Oh, Eve,” he sighed and reached out. She pressed herself backward but was already in the corner and his hand touched her cheek. It was warm and she felt an urge to lean into it but didn’t.
“You just cursed me,” she said matter of factly. “I’m not a part of your play.”
“Really?” He chuckled. “So you’re not the front figure of the Cosmic Union? How strange, all your allies say so.”
She stiffened. “Where are they?” she whispered.
“Relax, they’re all alive. I’m not about to take thousands of people prisoner.” He took her hands in his and the flame continued to bob around above them. “Come. I’ll get you out of here.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because I’m fond of you,” he said plainly.
She raised her chin. Her legs shook but she squared her shoulders to hide it.
“I will stay and take my punishment. Many of my allies from around the world have arrived and Christian cannot afford an execution.” There was no hint of fear in her voice.
“No,” the Piece of Chaos snarled, “but he can afford to keep you here for a long, long time.” He leaned in and whispered: “Centuries.”
She grew pale and in her weakness he pulled her out of the cell.
She followed him mechanically down a dark hallway with doors to other cells.
“What will the other Pieces do to you?” she asked.
“Applaud me,” he said. “The Beast of Chaos might bring me a leg that I may chew all on my own, but I think I’ll give it back to her with thanks for the thought.”
With a slippery motion she moved free and turned back towards the cell which he had closed. She sat down by it.
“If you don’t let me in I’ll simply sit here and wait till they come and put me back,” she said. “Anything that they’ll applaud I’ll oppose.”
The man pursed his lips with amusement.
“You’ll oppose your own freedom for that? You realize you’re the turning stone, right? You believe your bridges create structure in this world and unite places that would never have known of each other before.” He smiled. “But you also create chaos. People cross into your bridges unknowingly. Important people disappear without a trace. Countries that could never reach each other declare war.” He laughed. “Whether you’re free or not the damage is done.” He kneeled before her. “But you are our challenge.” He reached out a hand. “And we want our challenge.”
She stared at him and he read the question and smiled.
“Because the longer we put the end off the bigger it’s going to get,” he said. “Come. Or I’ll carry you. Perhaps I’ll end up doing that anyway.” He looked skeptically at her. “You’re very pale. Haven’t they fed you?”
She shrugged. “Minimally.”
“Ah,” he said, realization dawning on him. “So you can’t create bridges. How trivial. I liked it better when you had some more figure. Life has hardened you. Come.”
He swept her up and she didn’t struggle. Her mind was spinning with his words and she was effectively numbed with the devastating revelation that all she had ever done had served her enemies well.
But she was no good locked up in a cell. She couldn’t turn the tides if she was in the dark.
“Who is Sally Petune?” she whispered.
He laughed loudly, not fearing if anyone heard. Eve shrank in his arms.
“Don’t worry about Sally.” He grinned. “She’s far away by now. And in good hands.”

Description
There was a squeak from the hinges and Eve cringed when the sound pierced her sore ears. They had heard nothing but her breathing for days.
She looked up hesitantly, knowing that with an open door blinding light would follow. Sure enough, there was a flame. She blinked and tried to keep looking but had to avert her eyes.
She wanted to ask who was there but choked the question out of dignity.
“You’ve grown pale.”
The voice was a tenor with a strange, underlying bas as if an avalanche roomed in the distance. It froze Eve in her black corner. She looked up slowly and realized that the flame was flying midair and wasn’t orange, yellow or read. It was purple.
Her breast moved with every heavy breath and she would have said his name but remembered that it had only been a lie and that she didn’t know who he really was.
But she knew what he was.
She lifted her arms over her head. “Shun the Chaos of this World, and Leave the Innocent Alive,” she chanted. “Righteousness won’t Let Them Burn, won’t Lead Them to Our Demise.”
He laughed. “Not you, too.”
She peered up at him. He was still the tall, thin man she had known a thousand years before, with uncombed, brown hair and a tan that belonged to the south. His blue eyes were still warm and familiar and she looked away when the heart began to ache.
She repeated. “Shun the Chaos of this World …”
“It’s not going to work,” he said and kneeled in front of her. The space was small and felt crowded with him there. “It’s mostly a sort of threat, or a call for the Protectors.” He smiled into her spiteful eyes. “It’s true that the Protectors are fond of you, but you’re not in danger so they will not come. There are worse deeds being done by Pieces of Chaos at the moment.”
“What do you want?” she demanded and got up while trying her best not to touch him, but her sleeve brushed against him and she felt the radiating heat that always surrounded him.
He rose with her in a smooth, almost floating, movement. “You’re the bridgebuilder,” he said. “I didn’t create you so you could sit idly by.”
She glared and spat. “You didn’t create me.”
“Oh, Eve,” he sighed and reached out. She pressed herself backward but was already in the corner and his hand touched her cheek. It was warm and she felt an urge to lean into it but didn’t.
“You just cursed me,” she said matter of factly. “I’m not a part of your play.”
“Really?” He chuckled. “So you’re not the front figure of the Cosmic Union? How strange, all your allies say so.”
She stiffened. “Where are they?” she whispered.
“Relax, they’re all alive. I’m not about to take thousands of people prisoner.” He took her hands in his and the flame continued to bob around above them. “Come. I’ll get you out of here.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because I’m fond of you,” he said plainly.
She raised her chin. Her legs shook but she squared her shoulders to hide it.
“I will stay and take my punishment. Many of my allies from around the world have arrived and Christian cannot afford an execution.” There was no hint of fear in her voice.
“No,” the Piece of Chaos snarled, “but he can afford to keep you here for a long, long time.” He leaned in and whispered: “Centuries.”
She grew pale and in her weakness he pulled her out of the cell.
She followed him mechanically down a dark hallway with doors to other cells.
“What will the other Pieces do to you?” she asked.
“Applaud me,” he said. “The Beast of Chaos might bring me a leg that I may chew all on my own, but I think I’ll give it back to her with thanks for the thought.”
With a slippery motion she moved free and turned back towards the cell which he had closed. She sat down by it.
“If you don’t let me in I’ll simply sit here and wait till they come and put me back,” she said. “Anything that they’ll applaud I’ll oppose.”
The man pursed his lips with amusement.
“You’ll oppose your own freedom for that? You realize you’re the turning stone, right? You believe your bridges create structure in this world and unite places that would never have known of each other before.” He smiled. “But you also create chaos. People cross into your bridges unknowingly. Important people disappear without a trace. Countries that could never reach each other declare war.” He laughed. “Whether you’re free or not the damage is done.” He kneeled before her. “But you are our challenge.” He reached out a hand. “And we want our challenge.”
She stared at him and he read the question and smiled.
“Because the longer we put the end off the bigger it’s going to get,” he said. “Come. Or I’ll carry you. Perhaps I’ll end up doing that anyway.” He looked skeptically at her. “You’re very pale. Haven’t they fed you?”
She shrugged. “Minimally.”
“Ah,” he said, realization dawning on him. “So you can’t create bridges. How trivial. I liked it better when you had some more figure. Life has hardened you. Come.”
He swept her up and she didn’t struggle. Her mind was spinning with his words and she was effectively numbed with the devastating revelation that all she had ever done had served her enemies well.
But she was no good locked up in a cell. She couldn’t turn the tides if she was in the dark.
“Who is Sally Petune?” she whispered.
He laughed loudly, not fearing if anyone heard. Eve shrank in his arms.
“Don’t worry about Sally.” He grinned. “She’s far away by now. And in good hands.”