17.
“Esmeralda,
I need to see you on an urgent matter.” Marcus appeared before Esmeralda at the
basement chamber.
“Let
me go. I am not your chey, and you are not my padre.”
“You
are whether you accept it or not. I hold the documents proof to your birth.’
Marcus had taken the hard stand with the girl. “You will …”
“I
am not going to oblige you. I am a member of the Community. We have our own
acknowledgement of birth and the record is with the Voivode.” Esmeralda replied
in anger. “You do not come into my life after shrinking from your
responsibility as a padre for many years, and demanding that I accepted you
back.”
“It’s
not a choice of wants. I am your padre and you are of the age where I have to….
Still have to decide for you. My call to you is to listen now.” Esmeralda had
ignored the other’s call and stepped towards the windowless wall.
“Have
I a choice? You placed me here in ….detention chamber.” Esmeralda explained her
predicament.
“You
should be happy that you are still alive. If not for the droid, you would have
been dead.” Marcus looked to the girl. “I had to explain to the authorities
that you slipped and survived the fall.”
“Why
did you tell them that? Are you afraid of the authorities? Maybe you have a
secret past.”
“We
all have a past and whether it’s secret or not, that remained to be …secret.”
Marcus swallowed his words. He was not ready to reveal his past. It’s his past
that had caught up with him. “I have a request for you.”
Marcus
was to continue speaking when he saw the arrival of the subject matter he was
to raise.
“I
won’t wait, Marcus.” Pierre looked at the Archdeacon whom he had addressed
personally. Esmeralda was surprised that the person standing there was one with
the Community. He was the Minstrel.
“Minstrel? I thought…”
“Hello,
Esmeralda. I had to see you. Did you miss me?” Pierre looked at her. “I may be
known to you as the Minstrel. My name is … rather my real name is Pierre
Gringoire. I …”
“Get
out! The both of you.” Esmeralda shouted out.
“Marcus,
get her in line. We have a deal.” Pierre looked at the Archdeacon. “If you…”
“Don’t
threaten me, Elite. I know my side of the bargain.” Marcus snapped back. He
watched the Elite member leave then and was surprised to have another visitor.
“Rival,
what are you doing here?” The Archdeacon looked at his brother.
“What
deal did you do with the Elite? I overheard the conversation.”
“He
…. He… He held a secret over me.” The Archdeacon sighed. “When I was at the
Reformed place, I was not… It was not all peaceful at all. I killed someone
there and … a member of the Elite helped me to cover it up. Pierre was the son
of that person. It was his father who got me to come to Dome. It was all
planned for me to ascend and in return I will do his bidding. That was why you
see Pierre here often as a guest. I did not know what he had intended to do
with the Community but he made me … he got me to get him in. He had been with
the Community for some years now.”
“You
betrayed the Community? If they ever know that the Elites had joined them, it
will be the death of you and me. And him. The Voivode will not tolerate it even
though he is …”
“Don’t
mention mother here. She is no more…..” The Archdeacon sighed. It was then the
voice of Esmeralda was heard once more.
“Get
out! All of you.” The girl screamed.
“You
will not have a say on the matter” The Archdeacon replied in anger. “As long as
I am Padre and …Archdeacon, I will hold the say in all matters.”
“I
am arranging your marital vows for you. You will wed Pierre Gringoire tomorrow
at dawn. There you will not be of my concern but to your marital husband.” The
Archdeacon glared at the girl. “My biggest regret was to bring you back to my
life.”
“Marcus!
She is …” Rival reacted in disbelief. He had not known of her until then. “You
can’t be doing this. It will be the death of her soul.”
“Don’t
you coach me on the lessons of life. You were no better. You were with the
Truands. How many lives were destroyed by your works? You created hoax and
scams to take their wealth. You had no care for them.”
“Marcus,
it was my past. I had paid for it with my … repentance here.” Rival replied. “I
have repented. I am pursuing with father’s work to make the droids more
…humane. I am bringing life to the droids.”
“Like
her, I had to take you in like a wounded creature. Both of you were nurtured by
me and this is what I get in return.” The Archdeacon removed the mask. “I am
Marcus Luiz inside of me. That is my weakness. If I am with the mask, I am
Claude Frollo and Claude Frollo held no such compassion.”
“Marcus,
I …”
“Get
out, Rival. As for you, Esmeralda. Get ready tomorrow. We will do it here at
the Dome.” Marcus looked at the girl. “I will give the display as you going
away gift.”
“Consider
it our last gift to you, your padre and mama.”
If
only I have a gift. May be I do.
Myself.
I
can be her companion.
E-Series.
E-05
my reference.
Call
me Quasimodo.
No comments:
Post a Comment