She licked her lips nervously but didn’t respond.
He spoke louder this time, demanding an answer. “You knew I was going to have to die to save the freakin’ world and you didn’t tell me? Answer me, Emma.”
She swallowed and nodded her head. “I knew.”
Betrayal strained his features. “And you didn’t tell me? You helped him bring me here? I get why the brainwashed Terminator had to drag me here, he can’t even wipe his ass without his Masters’ permission.”
Anger flashed in my chest like a whip, quick and hot. Never had I been so quick to enmity. I wanted to march over and punch him out like Emma had done, but instead I clenched my fists and kept them at my sides.
Perhaps I was so quick to anger because some of his vile observations contained seeds of truth. I was just a tool, a means to an end, and obedient dog begging for his whipping.
“But you, Emma?” Travis asked. “You helped him get me here and you knew it was to kill me? That is sick, man.” His mouth curled in disgust.
Going on the defensive, Emma shot back, “Well, what the hell does it matter, Travis? Turns out, you aren’t the doomed virgin. It’s me, okay? I’m the doomed virgin. Are you happy now?”
Their fighting caused pain to lance through my head, but I knew it wasn’t wise to jump in to try and stop a dog fight. You’d get your hand ripped off if you tried.
“No Emma, I’m not freakin’ happy. You were willing to throw me into the volcano to save the world, but now that we’ve learned it’s actually you, you’re going to run?”
Emma sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Now that we’re here, it doesn’t feel right.
I don’t want to throw my life away on the word of some mysterious, shady Order. I can honestly say I would do the same for you.”
“We need to go now.” I urged. There truly wasn’t time for this. Gatsby would be up and about soon, motioning the entire Temple to track us down. There were two hundred people in this Temple, willing to die if it meant they could bring us to the Light.
Travis took a step back from us. “No.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“No?” I asked, not comprehending his rebelliousness.
Travis took another step away from us. His eyes became glassy, and his shoulders shook as if under extreme stress. Red seeped up his neck then his face, making it look puffy. “No. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you. You dragged me all the way here and I have nothing to do with your creepy underground war. I wish I’d never met you.” He ran a hand over his face then squared his shoulders as if getting a hold of himself. “But you know what? You shouldn’t leave either,” he said to Emma this time. “Sure, they lied to Calan about his soul…”
“I knew it,” Emma shouted. Her head whipped around to grin at me in victory.
But I couldn’t share her mirth. Later, I would untangle the lies and find out what was left of me. The smile on her face died when she saw my expression.
Travis went on, “But their book didn’t. And the book also said the dark lord, whatever that is, is coming. It says if you don’t make the sacrifice, the dark that comes will stay.”
Emma held out her in hands, pleading. “Travis, we can’t be sure they’re right. These people have already shown corruption.”
Travis yelled over her, causing Emma to snap her jaw shut. “And what if they are right?”
For the first time, I was tempted to respect him. All belief had fled me, but Travis stood with conviction and in that moment, I envied him the ability to clearly see to what was right and wrong, what must be done. But all I knew in that moment was I had to keep Emma safe and that Travis wasn’t coming with us.
“We have to go,” I said quietly to Emma, encircling her arm with my hand.
“Travis.” she said, her face contorted in pain as though he had punched her in the gut. She didn’t fight when I pulled her along, but could only slowly shuffle alongside me. I took us out the side door that led to the west wing.
As soon as we were out of sight, Travis screamed his head off. “They’re here. This way. Help, they’re getting away.”
Emma finally broke into a full out run with me. Part of me understood Travis doing what he thought he had to do. The other part of me wanted to shake him until his face turned purple then his head fell off.
I led us to a parlor and went to the far wall. I splayed my hand on a particular spot then pushed. Stone scraped against stone as a secret door opened. I pulled Emma into the pitch black as the door closed behind us on its own.
Emma sniffled behind me, but I didn’t have time to stop and dry her tears. Instead, I gently cautioned, “We are going down a stairwell. Watch your step. We have to be very careful. It curves down and around in a spiral.” I kept my voice low, but my words still bounced around the stone walls.
She didn’t answer. Distantly, a gong began to ring. They were raising the alarm to all the members of the Order to find us.
