Forgotten Embers

Chapter 39: A Life for a Life

He sat with his back against the wall, his knees bent, and his hand pressed against the ground beneath him, slowly brushing over the rough and compact dirt. He sighed and closed his heavy eyelids. 'Lord, I'm tired.' 

"Hey, there! No sleeping!" Benson barked from the other side of the prison's bars. 

Eliezer opened his eyes and smiled. "No worries," he told the man in the chair whose feet rested comfortably on the table in front of him. "I wouldn't dream of it." 

He chortled, self-amused, and put his head back, his eyes turned upward. His heart labored from exhaustion. 

'Now might be a nice time to save me. Though, I will leave the timing open to your discretion, as per our usual arrangement. Howbeit, I do request you not take too long. I'm afraid my heart cannot handle much more of this.' 

He heard the sound of the door opening, and he turned his head to the side to see the man as he entered. 

"Colonel Garner, sir!" Benson said with surprise and some embarrassment as he hurried clumsily to his feet, standing at attention. 

"Officer Benson," the man addressed him, "I've come to relieve you of your post. You are to report to Lord Blackridge immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir," Benson said, saluting. He hurried off, and Marcus watched him as he went.

Eliezer stood to his feet, grabbing hold of one of the metal bars of the prison cell. Marcus grabbed hold of another, and the two men stood face to face with a silence between them. 

"Marcus," Eliezer said at last. 

"Eliezer," Marcus reciprocated.

'Marcus, I...' He swallowed, years of consideration coming back at him.

"It's been... quite some time," he said, unsure of how to address the man he had not seen in so long.

"It has been," Marcus agreed. He paused for a moment, hanging his head. "You know, I swore I'd never get caught up in this. There had been so much trial, so much bloodshed. I wanted no part of it, but now..." he shook his head, beginning to break down. 

"Marcus..." he muttered softly, his voice filled with empathy.

'If I could alleviate such hurt... but only you, O King, can recompense and mend us in our brokenness. Though our nature be as dust, you make us as the remnants of starlight. But hear now, my friend, what shall we do? Or what words can be offered for such sadness?'

"Here you are, old friend, imprisoned right in front of me, and here I am responsible." His voice was breaking, and tears began to stream down his face, falling to the earth below him. 

'What shall our well of sorrows bear for man's repentance? He who was once as my brother, now broken before me in contriteness.'

"What have I done that it has taken such a thing for me to see how far I've gone? After all the pains my father suffered and the life my sister bore, I have seated myself at the table of injustice with all its decadence and added to their sorrows more and more," Marcus cried, choking back tears, and his voice broke as he spoke. "Tell me, Eliezer, how is she?"

"Well," he said, his voice sure and kind.

Marcus raised his head again, breathing deeply. "Ah," he paused to wipe his watering eyes. "Does she know about this, about you being here?"

He nodded. "Yes. Actually, she is the one who told me about it."

Marcus shook his head. "Of course!" he laughed. "And she's alright with this, is she?"

"She was... concerned," he carefully admitted. "We kept the night up talking. I... tried to be of some comfort to her, but I know this has been very hard for her. I think she may value my life more than I do." He paused. "Of course... that may be a mutual agony of ours."

"It always has been with you," he said in a voice not much more than a whisper and his eyes still red with tears. 

"Yes, well... still, I am sorry," he said softly. "Marcus, this time has come with such suffering for all of us, and it is a great regret of mine that you and your family were caught up in it all. If I could have saved you from this, even at the expense of my own life, I would have done so gladly." 

"Well," he breathed, smiling, "let's alleviate some of that suffering, shall we?" He relinquished his hold of the dark metal bars and moved directly to the cell's security pad.

"Marcus," the ambassador pleaded, grabbing the prison bars tightly in his hands, "I wouldn't have you put in any undo danger. For your sister's sake, if not for your own sake or mine!" 

"But, Eliezer, you have to live. You see, because... sacrifice is something I can understand, but I've never been much of one for tragedy," Marcus told him. His fingers brushed skillfully against the buttons, disabling the elaborate lock mechanism. "I need you to live, the two of you. That, and I'm not so keen on the idea of initiating a war against Himmel." He paused. "You are still the ambassador, after all, Eliezer, aren't you?" He jokingly smiled.

"Yes, I suppose," Eliezer said, letting out a breath of laughter.

''I suppose his mind's made up. Still, I...'  

Letting go of the bars, he backed away from the door of the cell. There was a pleasant electronic chirping sound as the lock was released and the door began to slide open. 

"The beard looks good," Marcus grinned, stroking his own. "Although, I expected more of a clever disguise from a man of your reputation," he laughed. "You could've at least lost those old glasses of yours or chosen a different profession." 

Eliezer smiled. "Well, I may not have lived the life that I intended, but I am grateful for the life that I have lived. The time I was afforded has afforded me a multitude of kindnesses, for the which I am a better man," he replied humbly.

"And yet how now still not my brother-in-law?" Marcus playfully harassed him. "You really must remedy that for me!"

Eliezer shook his head, his face flushed with embarrassment. "You and Adrien," he muttered with a sigh. "After all this... you still remember. But I promise you I will. Only... after all of this... after all of this is over."

Marcus laughed, putting a hand on his hip. "I want you to live your life, Eliezer. The life that you never got the chance to live. You and Dorcus, you're good for each other. You know? You're better together." He smiled, and his countenance softened. "In fact, I never saw her so well as when she was with you. Not with anyone." 

"And would you give your life for mine?" Eliezer asked him. 

"Ahh," he said, shrugging it off, "I've seen better men die for lesser things. Besides, we are immortal, after all. Might as well live like it."

Eliezer laughed and smiled with a nod. "Yes, I suppose."

"Yes, well... you'd best get going," Marcus told him. "I'd hate for them to catch the both of us."

"Very well," he said, taking a step forward, and examining the man standing in front of him once more. "Goodbye, Marcus," he said with a tearful embrace, "and thank you."

"Goodbye, Eliezer," he said, closing his eyes as he hugged him. "Give Dorcus my love. I've never been more proud... not of either of you."