87 Great Odds

87 Great Odds
Theo

The day I had been waiting for—the day of my initiation—had finally arrived. It should have felt like a triumphant moment, but Karolyn’s unease weighed heavily on me. She seemed restless, her movements jittery, her gaze flitting around like a bird trapped in a cage. She was better now, physically at least, thanks to the meds I’d been able to get for her. But the nervous energy surrounding her spoke of a deeper turmoil. She looked scared, truly scared, and it gnawed at me.

“Why do you look so worried?” I asked gently, trying to meet her eyes. She turned to me, her expression crumpling as tears brimmed in her lashes.

“I’m worried about tonight,” she admitted, her voice quivering. “I’ve never been in a fight before, Theo. My uncle… he’s cunning, and he doesn’t care about anything. What if he kills my sons to punish me? What if he…” She choked on the words, unable to finish the sentence, and I felt the depth of her fear like a punch to the gut.

I understood why she was afraid. Her uncle wasn’t just a cruel man—he was devoid of empathy, a hollow shell willing to crush anything and anyone to get what he wanted. 

I thought about the venomous note he had sent her, the way he callously withheld the medicine she needed, ready to let her suffer a slow, agonizing death simply because she hadn’t served his purpose. This wasn’t just coldness; it was monstrosity. 

He had no love for life, no respect for the bonds of family or loyalty. The irony of it all burned in my chest—this cult was supposed to be the antithesis of the Mafia, a group formed to eradicate those they deemed as monsters. Yet here was their leader, worse than the evils he claimed to fight.

Still, I clung to the thin thread of comfort that Luca was in town, waiting, ready. If the goddess was kind, we would make it out of this alive.

Karolyn was no fool; she carried a tiny pistol loaded with silver bullets. When I asked what it was for, she answered plainly: “Protection. If things go wrong.” Her quiet resolve sent a chill through me. I worried that the security might find it on her, but she waved off my concerns. 

“They never search me,” she assured me. It made sense—her father had founded the cult. Her lineage gave her certain liberties, though I wished with all my heart she didn’t have to rely on a weapon at all.

The hours crawled by, each one heavier than the last. We didn’t talk much. There was no need for pretenses anymore, no need to play the roles we had once taken on. The charade of affection between us was over, leaving the silence raw and unfiltered. The wait stretched out like an eternity, each second sharp with tension.

When Johannes finally called at five in the evening, telling Karolyn to bring me, it felt like a distant drum signaling a march to battle. I dressed in a plain white shirt and blue jeans, wanting to appear as inconspicuous as possible. Karolynchose a sundress, soft and flowing, a sharp contrast to the weight of the night ahead. Before we left, I made sure she took her meds. The last thing we needed was for her health to falter in the middle of everything.

As we stepped outside, she grabbed my hand, her grip firm but trembling. Her eyes, glossy with unshed tears, locked onto mine.
“My uncle is dangerous, Theo. He’s manipulative. Don’t trust him, not for a second,” she warned, her voice low but fierce.

I nodded and pulled her into an embrace, holding her close. Her head rested against my chest, and for a moment, we stood still, connected in a fleeting moment of peace amidst the chaos. It was bittersweet, knowing how much had been lost between us, but I couldn’t deny the gratitude I felt that she had chosen to help us in the end. Without her change of heart, we wouldn’t have even made it this far.

We left the house together, arm in arm, playing the part of lovers. The journey to Somberg was two hours long, and the road stretched endlessly before us. As I drove, I found myself silently praying, pleading with the goddess to keep blood from being spilled tonight. Enough lives had been lost, too many sacrifices made. I just wanted the violence to end so we could begin to rebuild. There was so much in my life that needed mending, not least of all my marriage. If we survived this, I promised myself I would take my wife away, somewhere quiet and peaceful. We needed time to heal, to remember who we were before all of this. I just had to hope—no, believe—that she would forgive me.

With every mile that passed, my chest tightened. The air seemed to thicken, heavy with the weight of what was to come. The road was long, but the night ahead was longer still.

The drive to Somberg was shrouded in silence, thick with unspoken fears and lingering tension. Karolyn, weighed down by exhaustion or perhaps the emotional toll of the day, fell asleep beside me. The rhythmic hum of the engine seemed to cradle her into slumber. I glanced at her peaceful face now and then, her features soft and free from the lines of worry that had etched themselves there earlier. She didn’t stir until we pulled into Somberg, the sudden awareness of where we were snapping her awake. The fear returned to her eyes almost immediately.

The moment we parked, I pulled out my phone and called Luca. He answered quickly, his voice sharp and alert.

“Hello, Father,” Luca said, and his words carried the steadiness of a soldier ready for action. I put the call on speaker, knowing Karolyn needed to hear this, too.

“We’ve arrived in Somberg,” I said. “I trust you’ve already surrounded the venue?”

A low chuckle rumbled through the phone. “Since yesterday, Father,” he replied, and I couldn’t help but laugh softly in return. His confidence was reassuring, a much-needed balm for the anxiety gnawing at me.

“Good,” I said. “Remember what we discussed.”

There was a pause on the line, a brief silence heavy with understanding. When he spoke again, his tone was firm. “Emma and her brothers will bind them in silver before they shift. I haven’t forgotten, Father. And don’t worry—Karolyn made this possible. I’ll make sure your sons are safe. You won’t be burying anyone tonight.”

His words brought an audible sigh of relief from Karolyn. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly, though I could still see the flicker of doubt in her eyes. I wasn’t thrilled that Emma had come along—her presence complicated things, as she was inseparable from Luca—but I was relieved he hadn’t mentioned Lacy. I didn’t want her anywhere near this mess.

When we arrived at the Luminus Maxim house, the sight of the heavily armed guards at the entrance immediately put me on edge. There were ten of them, rifles slung across their chests, their presence a stark contradiction to the so-called “advocates of peace” this group claimed to be. 

Karolyn and I stepped out of the car, and as we approached, the guards patted me down with brisk efficiency. True to her word, they left Karolyn untouched, barely glancing at her before letting us pass. It was a small mercy, but it told me just how much trust her lineage still commanded here.