The Nibiru Effect

Memory 76

Why?" ask Jonn.

Arko doesn't answer.

"He's the one who kidnapped me," says Kara, answering for her uncle.

A heavy silence follows the revelation.

"It was easy," mocks Arko. "All I had to do was shed a few tears, and she followed me without question."

Kara's shoulders slump.

"Why?" asks Jonn. "Why take Kara?"

Arko chuckles.

"Isn't it obvious? I needed you to trust me. And we both know she's your biggest weakness."

"What if I hadn't trusted you?" asks Jonn.

"I would have destroyed her."

Jonn takes a threatening step toward Arko. The arkane guards' spears act as a protective barrier, yet the angry man flinches. Jonn chuckles, satisfied by the effect his action had on his brother-in-law.

"Would you really have killed her?" I ask.

Arko seems surprised. "Of course," he says, matter-of-factly.

No one speaks for the longest time. In the end, it's Kara who breaks the silence.

"Avalon killed your sister. Why help her?"

Arko sighs but doesn't answer.

"Please," begs Kara. "I want to understand. I need to understand."

Arko glares at her.

"You don't deserve to understand!" he snaps. The outburst is so unexpected I can't help but wonder what caused it. "You're not my niece!"

What's that supposed to mean?

I glance at Kara, but she seems just as confused as me. Only Jonn appears to be on the same wavelength as Arko.

"Please," he begs. "Don't do this."

Did Jonn just say "please?" Wow! This must be serious. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the hell is going on. Arko despises Kara; that much is clear. But there's something else going on, something only Jonn and Arko are privy to.

"Please," continues Jonn. "Kill me if you like, but don't do this."

Arko considers Jonn's request for a moment before nodding.

"Fine," he says. "I'll play along."

An agreement has been reached, but I still have no clue what Jonn and Arko were discussing. I guess it doesn't really matter given the circumstances. Still, I can't help wondering why Arko hates Kara.

There's a moment of silence before Kara repeats her original question.

"Why are you helping Avalon?"

Arko hesitates for a moment before answering.

"I loved my sister. Losing her almost killed me. It felt like a piece of me had been torn away. For the longest time, I blamed Avva—"

"Avalon," corrects Jonn, having recovered from the unexpected bout of grovelling.

"—but one day," continues Arko, ignoring the grey-haired soldier's interruption, "I learned she was trying to fix her mistake by altering the past. Unlike some"—he glares at Jonn—"I fully grasped the potential of such a discovery. Desperate to bring my sister back from the grave, I vowed to do whatever I could to help Avva."

"She killed Anna," growls Jonn.

"I know," snaps Arko, "but, unlike you, I was willing to do whatever it took to bring my sister back."