Yet another sleepless night haunted Maren, although this time she’d participated in more than translating ancient texts.
Eonok had calmed down shortly after midnight, yet they couldn’t simply go to sleep. They first brought Jada and Diego to an untouched building. There were more standing than Maren figured, mostly along the northern perimeter. Then, Maren and Mav collected the mine employees and families. After they’d found a place to stay – one dorm was intact – a few people volunteered to look for the employees who attacked the Titans. Mav had joined them, but Maren stayed behind with Colton to hold a small video conference with the Supporters and Autonomous sects. Maren wasn’t sure what was worse, rummaging through corpses in the hopes they found a survivor, or dealing with the Titanian Church.
Maren tried to throw that thought away as she gave her report. Jada and Diego had nearly died holding the Titans back and protecting hundreds of innocent people. Maybe these church leaders were just as altruistic?
By the time dawn greeted them, so did the search party. The searchers held grim faces, as well as gurneys with unmoving bodies. Including a bloodied figure of Julio, whose corpse sported several deep gouges in his neck and chest.
“The idiot,” Colton whispered, voice quivering alongside his shoulders.
After everyone had been accounted for, the facts were clear: None had survived. The enforcers of that justice slept in the middle of the camp; the Titans took roost on the buildings Eonok had shattered.
There was a vivid trepidation in the camp, but no one dared curse the holy Titans, not after they’d finally calmed. Besides, if it weren’t for the aggressors who’d tried to kill the Titans, the Titans never would have attacked the camp itself. Really, Julio and his gang were to blame.
Not that everyone could simply shake it off, or accept that. Several children were still crying, many adults staring into nothingness. Several friends of the aggressors mourned, cursing. Cursing their friends’ stupidity, themselves for not stopping them, or even the Titans, Maren didn’t know. But sometimes, it felt good to scream into the heavens, hoping someone was listening.
By ten, several representatives from both the Supporters and Autonomous sects arrived, alongside someone Maren never expected: the CFO of Sekko Research, Natasha Davis, flanked by two Peace Keepers. Maren shook her head, smirking, as Mav tried to get a look at them, excited like a kid in a game shop, hoping to see Koda. Koda was not one of the guards, as he still technically hadn’t sworn his oath to becoming a Peace Keeper. That didn’t stop Mav from being disappointed.
It was another reminder of what Maren had taken him from, and guilt made her cringe as she reflected on the way she’d acted toward him over the last five – six? – days.
Most church members went to take care of Jada and Diego, while a couple others called for a meeting. A priest and deacon from each sect, Natasha Davis, Colton, Theresa, Maren, Mav, and even the Titans gathered in the lot where Maren had saved the group of injured workers.
“One more time,” a Supporter priest said, a tall, pale man with a hooked nose. “And your thoughts on the matter, as well.”
Recalling the events again was so exhausting Maren nearly fell asleep, even in the middle of her own story. But she had to keep alert. This was a crucial conversation for many people’s livelihoods.
“We shall conduct a further investigation,” the hooked-nose priest said. “But it all seems to fit so far. Julio Morales instigated an attack on the Titans. Either they hoped they could scare the divine ones away, or kill them, in the hopes Bishops Jada and Diego would find no Titans around, and thereby allowing you to mine.”
Theresa nodded, sniffling, while Colton said in a gruff voice, “Yes, most likely.”
The hooked-nose man turned to the pair. “Please, Children. Do not mourn such a heretic. He chose violence toward the Titans, nearly killing one of them.” He gestured toward Thekon, whose green skin was marred by a nasty burn. “Death is better than he deserved.”
“Of course, Father,” Colton said, voice no less rough.
“But that’s that, isn’t it?” an Autonomous priest said, a small woman with silky coal-black hair and a wide chin. “The Titans live here. There’s a sacred spot beneath the mountain that they’re protecting. So the mine should shut down right away.”
“There is a sacred cave beneath the surface, yes,” Maren said. “But it’s about a mile-and-a-half down. Trust me, I remember the fall. And it is far enough away from the mountain.”
“So?” the wide-chin woman said. “If the Titans didn’t want them mining, they wouldn’t have attacked their vehicles.”
“Eonok, Aetr, and Thekon attacked Colton’s equipment and vehicles because they were already on-edge,” Maren said, patting Eonok’s tired face. Maren then glared at Natasha Davis. “They were angry because of what Sekko Research did to Eonok’s cub, Razkin.”
It was a tricky line to walk, knowing about this while still pleading ignorance of all the events that transpired in Sekko’s basement. At least now they could use the excuse that their connection with Eonok told them everything they’d needed to learn.
“As I’ve told the court, Peace Keepers, Talam Guard, police, Supporters, the rest of the Titanian church, and the public at large,” Natasha began, deep bags under her eyes and her dark skin muted, “I was always against what David was doing with the Baby Titan. I am now aiding to fix his – and my – mistakes in whatever way I can. Which is why I tore myself from my bed in the middle of the night and am here now.”
Or you’re just trying to cover your ass while throwing others under the bus.
Natasha looked away from Maren and Eonok, grimacing. “What remains of Sekko Research will aid wherever we can, with complete oversight by the church, of course.”
“That should, first and foremost, go to rebuilding the region of the forest where our Honored Siblings fell,” the hooked-nose man said. “As I recall, there’s now a massive depression in that region, where much of the trees and flora were uprooted and desecrated.”
Mav nodded. “The destruction is small, thankfully. But if we’re keeping that area safe, the hole needs better filling.”
“It will take some time to get the proper equipment and materials, but we can manage,” Natasha said.
“And the miners?” Mav asked.
“What about them?”
“Are you really going to shut down the operation?”
“My Dear Brother,” the wide-chinned woman said, “how can we not? Even if the Blessed Titans attacked the vehicles because they were enraged by Sekko’s horrendous actions, this spot is still sacred to them.”
Mav sighed, shoulders slouching. Another tear slid down Theresa’s cheek while Colton adopted a haunted, thousand-yard stare.
“Why don’t you check out the cavern, first?” Maren said.
“And what would that do, Dear Sister?” the wide-chinned woman said.
“See how far their sacred area goes. Anything far enough away from that cavern should be alright to work in, right?”
Mav looked at her, brow furrowed in confusion. Colton and Theresa looked like they dared not hope Maren meant what she was saying.
“Any region the Titans deem sacred cannot be damaged by works of humans,” the wide-chinned woman said.
“What if their sacred space doesn’t reach the mountain?” Maren asked. “Will the entirety of the mountain be off limits?”
“Of course!”
“Why?”
The woman sputtered. “Why? Because the mountain is over the cavern. And I am not sure if you have not realized, or simply forgotten, but miners dig in, then down.”
“I’m aware. But we don’t know that the mountain’s directly over it. The cavern seemed to go in a straight line, but I’m not sure how much of it I saw. And when we came out, we were to the southwest of the campground, not to the north.”
“Your point?”
“If the cavern’s straight, then it’ll end to the southeast of camp, which is still a way’s north of the mountain. I’d see no reason why CC Corp wouldn’t be allowed to at least dig on the southern side of the mountain.”
Colton’s and Theresa’s eyes were wide, hands folded as if in prayer, seemingly not breathing by how still they stood. Mav, however, looked away with a little smirk.
“It is worth an investigation, I’d say,” the hook-nosed man said. “If the sacred space’s boundary is far enough away from the mountain, we can draw plans for where CC Corp can and cannot dig. But that’s only after a thorough investigation.”
“Th-that’s good enough, Your Holiness,” Colton stammered. He bowed. “Thank you, for your generosity and understanding.”
“In the meantime,” Maren said, “I think Sekko should also fund the restoration of the campground and pay the medical bills for those injured in the attack.”
Natasha’s eyes flashed. “I see no reason why we should pay for all that.”
“You said you wanted to fix your mistakes, correct?”
“The company’s mistakes. If I remember, Julio Morales was not an employee of Sekko.”
“Julio’s attack was just the tipping point. If Sekko hadn’t tortured Razkin, Eonok would not have destroyed the camp, even with Julio attacking.”
“You can’t be sure of that.”
“If her testimony is true,” the hooked-nose man said, “and I have every reason to believe it is, with how the Titans cling to them, then she knows exactly how our Divine Eonok feels.”
Maren nodded to him. “Eonok would’ve only killed her assailants. If Razkin had interlinked with that child like he’d wanted to, Eonok wouldn’t have been so distraught. She might not have even destroyed their equipment if she wasn’t already so on edge. Really, it all goes back to Sekko.”
Mav gave her an expectant look. What else did he want her to say? That was all there was to it.
“It’s not an unreasonable assessment,” the wide-chinned woman said. “But I’m more interested in preparing the investigation of the cavern.”
“We should also begin clearing away the rubble and see what’s salvageable in the camp,” Colton said.
The Titans shuffled, faces expectant.
“Cool,” Maren said. “It looks like they want to help.”