The Harvest of Souls

CHAPTER 15

ÁSTUR

08.01.8462 - 7:10 PM

The official black car stopped outside Marta's house. The wind made the leaves of the trees planted in the garden sway. Richard and Vaughan got out of the car, Richard buttoning his brown jacket. He strode to the sidewalk and entered the garden through the portal. He heard some laughing inside the house and became more reassured. Vaughan, beside him, his long black hair streaming down his back, stepped forward and rang the house's bell with his long gray finger.

Inside the house, Marta was startled by the ringing of the bell.

"Must be them," she said, getting up.

The door to the house opened, and Marta came walking towards Richard and Vaughan.

"Come in, welcome," she said.

"Thank you, Marta," Vaughan said, taking a step into the room.

"Marta, we won't stay long. I just need to see with Nair if she wants to come back with us," Richard said.

"Sure, come on, she's in the kitchen."

They went to the kitchen that was already silent.

"Hello, Nair," Richard said affectionately, hugging the lady. "I'm thinking, don't you want to take a few days and spend a little time with Scarlet and Mário in Arkadia or here?" Asked the King pulling a small bench and sitting next to Nair.

"It would be great, Richard. Can I discount the days out of my vacation?" Nair questioned, taking Richard's hands.

"No need, given what happened. I think we all need a license. Marta, you're away from the Economics Department. Mário, the same goes for you. Mila, needless to say, we don't expect you back at the Representation Department until you've fully recovered. I suggest everyone take this week that has just started for yourselves, and Mila, you take as much time as you need to recover. Scarlet, I'm going to talk to Mrs. Alsop. I'll ask her to excuse you from this week's rehearsals. I talked to Lélia, but she insisted on continuing on CriSPe. I spoke with Anna, and I think everyone should look for a therapist to clarify what happened. Nothing will be confidential; soon, the Royal TV will disclose everything that is happening. Anna can point out competent people who can talk to you. OK?"

"OK," All replied.

"Well, Vaughan and I will go to the island tonight. Nair, when you decide to come back, just let me know, and I'll arrange transport, okay?" He said, looking into the eyes of the old lady. "Until then, enjoy Scarlet a lot."

"Vaughan will not return to Kholodnyei Gorod this week?" Mila asked.

"No," Richard looked closely at Vaughan. "He and I need company, so we are staying home for a few days. Until then, Rasshiryay will be without a representative anyway."

Fernand had his eyes glued to his MC inside the plane when the communicator rang. He quickly paused the series and picked up the MC to see his sister's face plastered across the screen.

"Ça vá, Cyrielle?" He greeted her.

" Fernand, j'ai appelé les sept, et... et nous sommes tous très inquiets, donc on ai décidé d'aller aujourd'hui. Je vai arrivé dans deux heures, vos enfants arriveront peu de temps après," Cyrielle vomited all the words at once, which made Fernand gape.

" D'accord," he said with wide eyes.

CriSPe INSTITUTE

08.01.8462 - 8:19 PM

Still in the basement of the CriSpe Institute, Marlena, a blonde girl with green eyes, walked alone through the underground corridors. She was the last student to leave Lélia's lecture and calmly followed the hall to the Institute's underground garage, reserved for students. Marlena knew that all the employees had left an hour ago and that Lélia would be the last person in the building, responsible for locking up. At least that's what the girl believed, but Marlena didn't know the CriSPe extended much further underground. Floors below the Institute of War and the Institute of Representation, an Intelligence Cell existed. With a few selected employees, the group worked tirelessly to retrieve and gather as much data as possible about what was happening in real-time in the world.