Erebi Seeking - 12. Chapter 12

Monday

Odessa

It was a dreary Monday morning with overcast skies and a promise rain in the air that greeted the Ward children as they gathered to give their mother her final goodbyes. Odessa arrived first, with Sterling at her side. The ring he had given her displayed on her left hand for all to see, although she did not bring attention to it. She was talking with the funeral director when Hunter arrived with Elaina. Clint had taken them out and purchased them new clothing for the funeral, a black suit for Hunter and a nice black dress for Elaina. He, his wife, and their children followed a bit more slowly, giving Hunter and Elaina time to greet their sister. A few minutes later Cody arrived with a stranger, a young man, at his side. Both were dressed nicely in black suits. The young man gripped Cody's arm once before letting him go to his family. Cody smiled at him, and then turned to do his duty.

The rented hall was filling with friends and Guild members as the funeral director asked the family members to take the five chairs reserved for them in the front row. The four siblings looked around, Jove was missing. They couldn't wait, although none could understand why this William fellow would keep Jove from his own mother's funeral.

Jiovanni

Rage filled him as he stood before the Honorable Judge John Patrick O'Malley in Juvenal and Domestic Relations Court. Mulciber William had not only not trusted him to speak but had made it physically impossible by having his jaw wired shut late the night before. He claimed he could easily remove the wires with the cutters he carried with him, but Jove did not trust the man at all and would almost prefer to be back in jail at this point.

"So, what you are claiming, Mulciber, is that your property, one Erebi Jiovanni Ward, was wrongly imprisoned, and while imprisoned he was beaten, raped, and irreparably damaged by either the police or other prisoners."

"That is my claim, your Honor."

"And what does this young man say?"

"He cannot say anything, your Honor, his jaw is wired shut. He has prepared a written statement though." The lawyers presented the bailiff with the papers that Jove had signed just that morning under threat of being beaten again. He could barely sit in the hard wooden chair as it was and he dare not let it touch his back.

The Judge took the time to read the statement, which was several pages long. Jove had agreed with most of it as absolute truth, some of it was questionable and only a little was, in his opinion, complete fabrication. Those parts dealt mostly with the fact that he had run off to jail rather than honor his father's contract with Mulciber William. While it was not true, it did explain his total willingness to spend two years in prison rather than admit he had a contract in the first place, leaving Mulciber Micah out of the discussion entirely.

"So, what you are trying to have me believe is your Erebi was rebelling against his father's contract with you and dishonoring it and himself in the process."

William nodded, "Yes your honor."

"Is that true, son?"

Jove sat fuming. It was not true. All he had to do was shake his head no. All he had to do was… He nodded his head.

Judge John Patrick O'Malley cocked his head and studied the beautiful young man before him. At least he would not be tempting his grandson if he were in the clutches of Mulciber William nor disrupting the jail if he were there. "Fine, case dismissed." A single bang of the gavel followed and the Judge left the chambers as everyone hurried to respectfully rise for him.

Jove remained standing, slightly dazed, sure that William had given him something other than water this morning. His head wasn't usually this groggy.

"Come on Jiovanni, the day has just begun." William whispered in his ear as he lead him out the courthouse. The clothes William had given him that morning were strange and had come with a lecture about their importance. They showed his obedience to William, his submission. Jove had not submitted to William and would have said so had his jaw not been wired shut. He had an idea William knew that. He did like the flowing black lounge pants as they felt soft and fluid against his abraded skin and did not pull at the new stitches the medic had put in yesterday. The shirt was of the same light material but it closed up tight against his neck and wrists. He wondered if that was so no one could see the cuts and bruises he bore. He walked stiffly, but that could be from the new boots. They were soft leather, but blood had stiffened them from where some of his wounds had seeped while he rode in the car earlier. Now they chaffed his feet when he walked. Under the soft flowing clothing was a different matter all together. The blood-stiffened leather harness chafed against his tender skin, as did the cuffs on his wrists and ankles. He could be bound hand and foot in a matter of moments if William decided to do so.

William manhandled Jove into the backseat of the car then climbed in himself before telling the driver to go. Jove just stared blankly ahead, wondering what was going to happen to him next. It couldn’t be good. Nothing that happened to him recently had been good.

"Lay your head down here, Jiovanni," William patted his leg. "I need to get into your mouth." Jove saw he was holding the wire cutters so he maneuvered to lie down. "You did well in there, now that the charges have been dropped we can dispense with this, that is if you can keep your tongue quiet for a while longer. Nod your head if you can keep quiet." Jove nodded. He still had no choice. "Good boy, now open up." William grinned as he pulled back Jove's lips and began the process of snipping the wires that temporarily held his mouth closed.

Cordell

They sat all in a row: Odessa, Elaina, himself, Hunter, then an empty chair. The funeral director offered to remove it but Hunter had refused. He insisted that Jove would be there and Cody believed him even if the girls had not. Directly behind them sat some of mama's friends. Friends who had not been around to help after she got sick, or even before. Friends they hardly even knew, although they claimed they knew her so well. Cody sighed. He had promised himself he would not cry; yet, here he was with tears already streaking down his cheeks before the first hymn was finished. He buried his face in Hunter's chest, but he wished it were Liam who was here instead.

As the hymn ended, he heard a disturbance in the hall then someone sat next to Hunter. Cody lifted his head, peeking over Hunter's shoulder, to see Jove sitting in the last chair. He looked a mess, but he was here. He sat eyes forward, hands in his lap, feet flat on the floor. Cody had seen boys sit like that before at school, but not many, and it wasn't often before they left school for good. He involuntarily shuddered against his brother and Hunter turned to look at Jove.

"Are you all right?" Hunter whispered to his youngest brother.

Jove nodded.

Cody looked at Jove and wasn't so convinced. He determined he would have to get his little brother aside later and have a stern talking to him.

Hunter

The funeral was going as he and Odessa had planned so far, even if Jove showed up a little late. It was hard to believe that she was gone and that they were now bound to do as their father decreed and their mother required from beyond the grave, even though it seemed to him that those two things often clashed. How was he supposed to protect Elaina now that he was bound to Cliff and Rachel, and keep the family together if Cody and Jove were both contracted to men so different from each other as day is from night? Hunter sighed as the preacher gave his sermon, one arm around Cody who still wept, and placed his other hand tentatively on Jove's thigh. He felt Jove flinch from his touch. Concerned, Hunter looked at his youngest brother, who continued to look straight ahead. Hunter thought he could have misread the movement, but then again, Jove had never flinched from a touch before. He would have to speak to William as soon as the funeral was over, no one would be abusing his baby brother, contract or not.

Micah

Micah woke early Monday morning and began his new training schedule with the erebi William put in his care although he was still a bit stiff and sore from his own retraining exercises that Mulciber Reed had decided to put him through over the weekend before allowing him the privilege of taking up these new duties. Then, dressed in black from head to toe, Micah headed to school with the boys William deemed safe enough to be among the public. The boys, mostly seniors, were dressed in black school shirts, slacks, and soft leather boots. They followed Mulciber Mackenzie into school in a solemn line then dispersed to their morning routines as Micah headed into the office. Linda was, as usual, at her desk as it was her habit to make herself available for her teachers and students alike to approach her before school to voice their complaints or bring their issues to her knowledge. Knocking once on her door, he entered and waited to be offered a chance to sit.

"Have a seat, Micah," she offered after taking in his new wardrobe.

"I wanted to be the one to inform you of some changes, Linda. As you might have guessed, I have undertaken an oath and began training as a Mulciber under Mulciber Reed several years ago. Recent events have forced me to reconsider that oath and make some hard decisions as to my place in the guild and in the school system. According to the law, guild business is guild business and no other agency or department shall interfere. Therefore I am placing you on notice that I have taken my proper place with in the guild. If you choose to fire me it will be considered a discrimination suit and my lawyers, and the guild lawyers will not stop until you, the school board, and the entire educational system is cleaned up and corrected in the manner it treats the guild. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Micah, you being a Mulciber is a clear infraction of the Morals and Ethics code."

"No, Linda, it is not. I've fucked quite a few of these boys, I'm their teacher and that is not an infraction of the Morals and Ethics Code because the boys are Ganami. The boys I deal with are Erebi. They seek me and I seek them. I know you don't understand everything behind it, and I don't expect you to, but the boys who will come to me will not be under Hesti's protection, and therefore not obligated to follow the Morals and Ethics Code anymore than I am when we are together. With Hesti, I will be as prim and proper as ever. You know there has never once been a complaint about me. So, what will it be?"

"I'll have to contact the superintendant about this."

"Please do, and while you do, I will be preparing for my day."

"I'm not sure I can allow you to do that Micah."

"Are you going to put me on some kind of leave of absence?"

"I may have to."

"Then maybe I should contact my lawyers." Micah pulled out his cell phone and pressed a single digit.

"I don't think that would be necessary, I'll give you an answer by lunch," Linda responded quickly.

"You do that, Linda," Micah smiled at her, "and remember: Hell have no fury like a Mulciber denied."

With that he stood up and walked out of the door to head to his classroom and prepare for his day. Usually he prepared on the weekends, but this weekend he hadn't had the chance to even think about school much less plan any lessons. He had a lot to do before the bell rang. Good thing he was an excellent teacher and kept emergency plans in his files.

Elaina

The five siblings stood side by side on one side of the grave now as the last of the people filed past paying their last respects. They had wanted to go last. They had needed to go last. Elaina looked at her brothers and saw different things in each of their faces; things that bothered her, things that surprised her, and things that worried her. She knew Hunter was not entirely happy with his situation, but she was sure he and Rachel would work out their differences eventually, or some how Cliff would intervene on Hunter's behalf. Rachel was not a very nice woman from what Elaina could tell from the few days she had already spent with them. Cody seemed to be at peace with whatever situation their father left him in, and that was good for him. She was glad he found a place he could be happy. But Jove worried her. He seemed distant all through the funeral and even now he stood two paces away from the rest of them as if his presence some how sullied them, sullied her.

Finally the people were gone and Elaina went over to Jove and touched him. He looked up at her, his eyes red rimmed from weeping, his nose dripped a little snot, yet he hadn't made a sound.

"Do you need a tissue, Jove?"

"Yes, please."

Elaina fished around in her purse for the packet of tissues that Rachel insisted she bring along, and handed it to him. He pulled one out and she noticed how his hands seemed a bit swollen.

"What's wrong, Jove?"

"Nothing, really, just having a hard time adjusting to my new… situation… is all."

"Situation? Is that what you call it?"

Jove nodded.

"Is he hurting you?"

"Not more than necessary."

"Is it really necessary?"

"Elaina, you are under Hesti's protection you know we cannot be having this discussion."

"I'll make Cody ask."

"I'll say the same thing to him."

"I don't think he qualifies any more. I could be wrong, but he just seems different. I think Hunter was right in sending you out and not him. With you, well no one could tell, with him, it's written all over that he is at least thinking about it if he's not already done it."

"And what about you Elaina, are you thinking about it?"

"You know I'm too young."

"I know you will do as you want no matter what the law says. Now stop asking me questions I cannot and will not answer."

"Just answer me this, Jove," she looked at him seriously, "Are you happy?"

"My happiness no longer matters. Mama is dead. Papa is dead. The contract is binding." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Elaina stared after him for a long time before going back to her siblings.

"What was that all about?" Hunter asked.

"Jove is not happy. He's hurting."

"Did he say that?"

Elaina shook her head. "It's what he didn't say." She said quietly, "and how he didn't say it." She looked at Cody and shook her head, "it's like he's resigned himself to what ever fate papa left him to, I've never seen him so defeated."

The others looked after their brother who had gone to join a hulking man who stood alone off to one side of the graveyard. Jove's head was down and his steps slow, and never once did he stop, turn, or look back as he trudged forward toward his fate.

"I don't like this," Elaina said quietly, "at all."

"I don't either, but what can we do?" Cody asked the others.

"Well, we can always get a copy of that contract. Papa would never force anyone of you to stay in a situation where you were not well taken care of or completely unhappy."

"Do you think you could do that Odessa?"

"I can try."

Hunter nodded his head. "Try. He was happy before although what he was doing was illegal, now he's legal and so sad. He flinched when I touched him earlier. I think this guy is mistreating him."

Odessa nodded. "I'll do what I can."

The four of them turned and walked away from their mother's gravesite and once they were clear the workers began to lower Geraldine into the ground and cover her casket for all eternity.