The Last Cycle (The Entropy Series Book 4) by Chris Harris

Author:Chris Harris [Harris, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sarsaric Publications
Published: 2023-12-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

117 Years Before the Modern Calendar

“Eva, please,” said Charlemagne, standing in front of the large, wooden door of the temple where Eva insisted upon staying. It was more than 800 years before Charlemagne met Magnus and the others, and Eva was merely a teenager. “Eva, open the door,” he pleaded.

No answer.

Charlemagne quieted his breath. From all his years of hunting, he had learned to breathe almost inaudibly and let his heart rate drop dramatically, allowing him to hear even the slightest of movements around him. He heard Eva’s breathing on the other side of the door. “Eva, I know you’re there,” he said.

“Go away!”

Charlemagne thought he might not be able to get through to Eva this time, but it was still worth trying. Over the last year, she had grown more and more recalcitrant, and the last few times he’d seen her, she was adamant that she no longer wanted to be part of everyone else’s plans for her. She just wanted to live on her mountain, alone and undisturbed.

“Eva, please. Let’s talk.”

“No! I don’t care anymore! I don’t care about Entropy, or the Tritons, or Asharru. I don’t even care about you!”

Charlemagne’s heart sank—it felt like he had been stabbed in the chest.

He reminded himself not to let his emotions overwhelm him. He took a deep breath and listened closely once more. On the other side of the door, Eva’s heavy, angry breathing seemed to settle.

“Charlemagne,” she said, understanding how much these words must have affected him. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Charlemagne didn’t reply, and after a few, silent moments, the door swung open.

Now standing face to face, neither wanted to speak first. Eva looked disheveled, and it was clear she had been crying. Charlemagne, too, looked less composed than usual.

“I’m sorry,” Eva began.

“I’m sorry too,” said Charlemagne.

The two stood and awkwardly faced one another for a few quiet moments.

“I know you don’t want to do this anymore Eva, but please try to understand—these lessons… this plan… it’s bigger than us. It’s bigger than Samsara, than Asharru, than the Tritons, or than anything we can understand. You’re almost ready. But there are still things you must learn.”

Eva waited a few moments before responding, then said, “Tell me.”

Charlemagne wasn’t sure what she was asking.

“Tell me,” she repeated, her eyes projecting the tenacity in her soul.

“Tell you what?”

“Why are you here? Why are you spending so much time with me?”

Now, Charlemagne understood what she was really asking—whether he was so nurturing and fatherly to Eva because he loved her, or because what was in her DNA was essential to Asharru’s plan. Deep down, Charlemagne wanted to admit the truth to Eva—that he was helping her because he loved her. The plan was important, but that’s not why he kept coming to this mountain. Yet, although, somewhere in his soul he knew this was the truth, he couldn’t admit it to Eva if he couldn’t even admit it to himself. So, he said, “This is bigger than me and you, Eva.

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