Chapter Twenty-Two: Assemble of Pieces

FIACRE'S POV

I LIFTED the long tall flute glass to my eye level, watching the almost invisible bubbles of a newly-poured Italian Prosecco rise from the bottom to top. Its color is a glittering light gold, similar to the coating you put on a pair of plump lips capable of spouting lies, the layered cloth on a wedding gown that could be drenched in crimson blood, and a diamond sitting on the ring finger of a supposed dead human being's left hand.

I sighed as I kept tabs on the ticking of the clock. "Any second now."

Bumukas ang pinto upang iluwal ang imahe ni Rennei. She unbotheredly combed her long lush black hair back with her fingers and yanked the shoulder bag from her right blade. "You are the first to arrive, that's new," she said, unamused.

"All of you are late, that's new," I retorted and put the glass on the table. "And this meeting is supposed to be the most crucial of all, we said."

Napaismid ito at saka bumaling sa malapit na couch. "Your husband's cheating on you."

I raised a brow. "You mean with your husband and with Dereen's?"

"Yeah, I'm a little surprised he's generous not to take Spade as a mistress, too," she replied as she threw the bag on the couch. "Can't say I am enraged. Those men deserve each other, if I may say so myself."

Napahagikgik naman ako. Those three have come so far if we were to reminisce what they had been back in the days in the Mhorfell Academy. Dash has always been blunt and uptight, yet who would have guessed that the perfect knight image relates to keeping a secret so crucial he would hide it to his wife. Alam kong hindi nasurpresa si Dereen kahit nang malaman niya. I mean, it would have been weirder if she didn't know about it. Nonetheless, she's a bit upset that it's a one thing her husband could not share with her.

Well, that's the thing now, isn't it? I'm afraid we're in a world where we cannot truly be honest to one another despite what our heart beats for or where our allegiance lies.

"Dereen's the only one left not to be checkmated, as expected." I steered the conversation to the actual agenda of why we met up today of all days. "Alex was checkmated after the whole Onyx Council fiasco. One more secret and Spade would go on a rampage. You, on the other hand..." I glanced at Rennei who's now lazily walking towards the seat next to me. "is sworn to honesty and transparency after... the unfortunate event."

Bumuntong-hininga ito sa paghila ng upuan na siyang nagresulta ng sandaling matinis na kuskos sa sahig. "Call me heartless pero inaasahan ko na rin 'yon. That's when my abilities prepared me ahead of time. Escape made us stronger, but that doesn't mean it's applicable to our children, but Marc... He's different. Hanggang ngayon sinisisi niya ang sarili niya sa bagay na hindi naman niya kontrolado. He's still sorry about the baby." She then took the seat without any care on adhering to the usual restrictions of societal etiquette.

"Pero hindi mo siya masisi, tama?"

"Wala naman kasi siyang Escape, Lei." Rennei cocked her head to my side, flashing me with eyes where a unique anguish keeps itself hidden.

"And the two of you cannot be any more different."

"Yes. We are. Marc is someone that dwells in the present and the past, while I mourn the future in advance because my mind is perpetually cursed on the consistent computation of probabilities."

Bahagyang tumalon ang tingin kong muli sa inumin sa harapan ko. After a short contemplation, my hand took its handle and sipped from it. The first hit of the liquid to my tongue felt like biting upon a recently picked apple from a yard wealthy of trees and fruits. And oh, how I wish it was the same taste when we happened upon Escape.

Contrary to the name, the substance encaged us to a life we never asked for and will never ask for, never letting us escape and essentially shackling us to an existence threading between disgust and superiority about ourselves.

Thank God for our friends and our lovers, the life has been bearable. Bumuti ang buhay sa puntong maging kami ay nakalimutan na rin namin na kung anuman kami matapos maturukan ng gamot na 'yon, ito na kami panghabangbuhay. Pero sa mga okasyong ganito na may nagbabadya na namang kapahamakan hindi para sa 'min kundi sa mga taong nakapaligid sa 'min, malakas kaming nasasampal ng katotohanan: na kahit gaano karaming yugto ang datnan namin sa isang kwento, mananatiling mantsado ng Escape ang mga pahina nito hanggang dulo. Our feet produce unending ink that soaks every piece of space that we walk on.

"On a more serious note..." Rennei reached for the bottle of wine atop a red-velvet case on center of the table. "Paanong natambangan nang ganoon si Alexander? At sa punto pa na walang nakapansin."

"I don't know..." I shook my head slowly, pondering over my guesses. "Whatever is the lead on that case, it's good that it's intriguing enough para hawiin ang atensyon ni Sky. Hindi ko gustong makaabot sa pandinig niya 'yung mga hinala ng iba na siya ang nagplano para atakihin ang sarili niyang pinsan."

"Fucking elders and gossip," she grimaced.

"To be fair, it's understandable."

"I know. But Sky wouldn't do that."

My face softened. "We all know that, but they don't."

Simpatetiko akong sinulyapan ni Rennei. "Sky is just as self-made as the husband of the woman incoming," buntong-hininga nito at inabot na rin ang isa pang baso upang salinan ng alak.

Dito rumehistro sa pandinig ko ang bagama't malumay ngunit nagmamadaling mga yabag. "Yes, he is." Sinundan ko ang buntong-hininga ni Rennei at iniangkla ang siko ko sa mesa para hintayin na sumulpot ang imahe ni Dereen.

When she did, she grudgingly slumped her should

ers and rolled her eyes. "Alexandra Dela Vega's last trail. It's not specific, but there are three good assumptions about the location she's departed to."

"Shut up and sit down first. Christ," iritableng ani ni Rennei bago itulak ang basong pinuruhan niya ng alak sa pwestong katabi niya.

Dereen obliged without complaint. Hinagis nito ang helmet niya sa sofa at saka inangkin ang pangatlong upuang nakapaligid sa kwadradong lamesa. Sandali siyang napatingin sa ikaapat, sa espasyong kay Alexandria nakalaan dapat.

"Tingin mo alam ni Alex na may iba pala talagang motibo ang Clan of Light sa simula pa lang?"

"Hindi naman na nakakagulat kung oo," sagot ko at umalis sa pagdagan sa lamesa. "Makes sense kung bakit ayaw niyang iwan si Sean at kung bakit nakiusap siya sa atin na hanapin ang pagtataguan ni Sean as soon as she found the opportunity to do so."

Rennei crossed her legs, swirling the wine in the air as she stared at the four-player chessboard at the center of the table. "And the reason why you told us to discourage anyone to tell the royal couple is because there's nothing to tell, at all."

"That's right," I clicked my tongue and extended my right hand to one of Alex's pawns on the board. "Wala namang dapat sabihin gayong 'di lingid sa kaalaman ni Alex na may bagong problemang ipapanganak. She knows, but she doesn't know what exactly it is. Her leaving with Spade and the kids for a trip is her entrusting the matter to us. She's aware that all eyes are currently on them. They won't be able to do much."

"I just wished na sana alam natin kung gaano kalaki ang problema na 'to sa una pa lang," Dereen grunted and proceeded to gulp her entire share of wine in one long shot.

Inabante ko ang piyesa sa kwadradong katapat ng bishop na mula sa panig ni Dereen. "The pawn is blocked by bishop. It means Alex's moves will be paused for now. Without the Queen, the next powerful piece is..." I shifted to move my own rook.

"Hindi ko na susundan si Tita Xandra," Dereen announced after slamming the glass down with a huff. "Tatlo lang ang pwede niyang puntahan base sa huling bakas niya. First, the Montelier Family ancestral mansion. Second, the Mhorfell Academy, and third..."

"Sean Vantress," Rennei completed her sentence. "At kung saan mang lupalop naroroon ang Judge ngayon, tiyak na mahahanap siya ng mga asawa natin kalaunan. They got that one corner covered. No one should get Sean before we find out what Brooven Restoration means."

I hummed as the two of them executed their respective moves on the board. That is until my suspicious eye caught the king on Alex's end. "It's odd," I unconsciously commented.

"What is?"

Sa pagkakataon na 'to, ang piyesa ng hari naman ang kinuha ko sa panig ng kaibigan naming iniwan muna sa amin ang laro. "The elders," I hummed.

"Alexander?" Rennei inquired.

"No. The elders. They're disappearing one by one. It's almost like knocking dominoes down."

Binalingan ko sila at sa saglit na panahong naburo sila sa sariling pag-iisip, pinanliksian ng tingin ni Maria ang hawak kong piyesa. "The Brooven Family is one of the oldest families in the Underground. The family was considered non-existent nang pinili nilang magtago para i-develop ang OBD, which is sa panahong nasa Mhorfell pa ang magkakaibigang Dela Vega, Cromello, Morleen, Devroid, Domzelle, at Vantress."

I heard a soft gasp from the consigliere, successfully threading over Dereen's trail of thoughts. "Everyone else was already dead except... Alexandra and Johan Dela Vega. But now, one is in the hospital and the other has bolted out of the house as soon as his son was ambushed."

"Lahat ng mga natitirang tao na naabutan ang Brooven bago sila maglaho, wala ngayon sa litrato." Then something snapped inside my head. "Rennei, what was the word you said again to describe what happened to Alexander?"

"Ambushed?"

Ambushed. Just like...

My mouth was left agape at the sudden realization of the pattern unfolding right under our noses. It's a possibility, but given everything that happened, even a squeak of a mouse could be proven deadly.

I tapped the table repetitively. "Let us get this straight. Strangely, lahat ng nakatatanda sa 'tin, isa-isang pinapatumba. Technically speaking, Alexandra Dela Vega is supposed to be dead. Everyone should have been. All of them share the same denominator, naabutan nila ang Brooven bago sila magtago, naabutan nila si Amaluna Brooven."

"Kung iyan ang susundan nating teorya, it means there's a loose end. Hindi sa Konseho kundi sa mismong pamilya ng mga Brooven," Rennei sat straight and set her glass aside, certainly intrigued by where this theory leads to. "It's a personal issue, and these elders being close friends back then must be aware of it."

"But why attack Alexander, not Uncle Johan? Hindi pa siya buhay noong panahon 'yon," naguguluhang turan ni Dereen. "Except... he found out eventually?"

Kapwa nagtinginan kaming tatlo.

"If you think about it..." my voice trembled, consistently fighting this growing fear of coming face to face again with these families' fucked up pasts. "Maaaring may ideya lang si Uncle pero ang nakakaalam ng sikreto ay si Alexander. Uncle Johan never studied at the Mhorfell Academy. He couldn't have met Amaluna Vantress before the marriage arrangement was sealed between Alex and Spade."

Napatingala sa kisame si Rennei at napapikit, animo'y nakikiusap na huwag bisitahin ng pamumugto sa isip. There was a short silence until she dropped a question. A question that is also the answer.

"But Alexander did, didn't he?"

I gulped.

Napasabunot sa buhok niya si Dereen. "Of course," she scoffed, almost in disbelief that she missed that detail. "Alexander was able to meet Amaluna Vantress before she was killed, before everything came to fruition. It's the day Uncle Johan is left with Skyzzer at the manor."

"According to Sky, it's also the day before Alexander started becoming secretive and scheming. Kaya mag-aral ni Alexander sa ibang eskwelahan pero bakit pinili niyang pumunta sa Mhorfell Academy?" I bit my lower lip. Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ako o maiinis na ang mga maliliit na bagay na akala namin ay wala lang ay may koneksyon pala sa isa't isa.

"There were three items we used back then. Three items na alam niyang dapat maitakas mula sa kalaban noong napasok ang Mhorfell. One of them is the blueprint of the academy. The blueprint that was remastered by none other than Amaluna Vantress herself." dagdag pa ni Rennei at pumabilog ang magkabila niyang mga kamay.

"At tinayo ang eskwelahan ng mga Dela Vega at Domzelle. Kaya Delazelle ang unang pangalan nito. Kung may araw man silang pipiliin para ipagkatiwala ng isa sa kanila ang blueprint kay Amaluna, iyon dapat ang araw na nagkaroon ng konkretong alyansa. Ang araw na mahusay na nilibing sa limot nang sa gayon ay wala nang makakaalam sa tunay na nangyari."

The two referred to me with horror on their faces and heaving chests, waiting for me to put the last piece on just the first quarter of a big puzzle we had to solve.

"It's the Massacre at that villa. If this assumption bears any legitimate sense and truth, whoever is trying to ensue chaos right now was there when it happened. They waited for everyone to bite each other's tails. They waited for the Onyx Council to disappear. They needed Brooven out of the way, so they could finally eliminate the remaining people who knew him and could realize that it is him: Alexandra Dela Vega and Alexander Cromello."