Wulfgang flung out of a door that lined the hallway, his hands full of stolen goods and a smoke grenade. He crashed into the other end of the hall, having burst from the door too quickly to stop himself. He rolled the grenade into the still-open door. A series of coughs from inside the room spilled into the corridor as soon as it detonated.
“You got what you need?” He checked to be sure those who pursued him remained inside before he ran after the armored Elowyn, hot on her heels.
“For now.” She slid to a stop. The exit was in front of her, blocked by a handful of facility guardsmen who poured into the room like a flash flood.
After the tenth time stealing from the medical facility, the warriors of the Underground found the security improved. The sentinels enhanced their tactics with each renewed attempt of thievery. It was a constant battle of strategic evolution.
Five additional members of the Underground emerged. Adrenaline helped them bolt to Elowyn and Wulfgang’s sides, ready to assist. They eyed the guards.
The Time Mother scowled from behind her helm. She assumed an offensive stance.
Wulfgang withdrew his gun.
Elowyn spied the weapon and gripped Wulfgang with her protected fingers. She caught his eyes, a warning. “Not if you can avoid it.”
Wulfgang smirked. He was under no obligation to take orders from the armored soldier who crawled through a shit pipe nearly a year ago. Wulfgang held fast to the title of highest in the Underground warriors’ chain of command. But the footman he came to know simply as ‘E’ had earned his trust. Taking E’s requests into deep consideration remained a byproduct of that respect. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”
The guards withdrew their halberds. They matched those given to most of Eastern’s footmen. The large weapons lowered as the men assumed defensive poses. “Surrender peacefully,” one ordered, “and there will be no loss of life.”
Wulfgang sneered and aimed at a shin. He said nothing as he squeezed the trigger. The guard crippled to the ground when the bullet ate through his bone.
The five footmen of the Underground lunged forward. It was critical to capitalize on the adrenaline rush. Weapons collided with weapons. Elowyn dodged the battling bodies and found the door. She threw it open and ran out, stopping at the steps to turn back to the others.
“They’ll be fine!” Wulfgang hit a guard in the jaw with the blunt end of his gun, a move taught to him by E to increase the odds of rendering a guard unconscious. “Go on!”
Elowyn took off, cradling her stolen goods. She could not go straight to the Underground entrance. Her movements were likely being watched. More and more precautions needed to be exercised with each additional raid.
She took to an alley and tucked her pilfered belongings into a satchel at her side before she launched herself off a rubbish bin. After seizing the overhang on a window, she hoisted herself up.
The armor that once burdened her with its overwhelming mass became easier to wear by the day. Physically, at least. Mentally, it weighed heavily on her. Muscle memory helped her adjust to the cumbersome structure she hid beneath, but the more time she spent loitering in the confines of her metal suit, the more she jeopardized the Eastern division.
The men who took over running Eastern since her disappearance were fragmented in their efforts. They came from opposite ends of society’s structure, made up of small-town mayors, treasurers, and commanders of Eastern’s armies. They all wanted different things, and it showed in how they led the division.
She needed to perfect her formula. She needed to return to her title of Time Mother. But first, she needed to ensure that the medicine she made worked without consequences. That, and that she would not be walking blindly onto the gods’ silver platter.
Elowyn pulled her body up, leaping once more to seize the tip of the residential building’s roof. With a grunt, she hauled the rest of her weighted frame upward and rolled onto the flat top.
It took a moment to catch her breath. When the time she granted herself to breathe passed, Elowyn stood to her feet once more, leaping across the rooftops of Brendale’s domestic homes.
Each leap carried her farther from the facility, and farther from any hired eyes that may have been keen to her movements. When she felt she created enough distance, Elowyn jumped from the rooftops, landing in a crouched position on the cobblestone ground.
She knew as soon as the others finished their business with the guards at the front, they would distract them by exiting in a false direction. The diverted attention of the sentries allowed her some additional leeway, but she took no chances. Elowyn waited on bated breath, listening for any signs that she was followed.
There were none.
When the steel-clad woman assumed her safety was ensured, she started back for the entry to the Underground. It was emblazoned in her memory. Her greaves clanked as they carried her to the opening—the unassuming waste pipe that Brendale’s citizens still thought to dump their excrement down. Elowyn frowned. No matter how many times she slid through that pipe, it was never something she grew accustomed to.
Double-checking to be sure no wandering eyes studied her, Elowyn lowered herself into the opening and slid down. She mastered the art of moving through it as quickly as possible. Upon coming out of the mouth on the other side, she wasted no time heading to her quarters. It was a simple dwelling, no more than a large tent, crafted by the hands of the Underground’s citizens after she proved herself to be a worthy accompaniment to their movement.
As soon as Elowyn found herself inside the safety of her simple home, she removed the stolen chemicals and set them on a nearby table. Her hands shifted to remove the helmet from her sweating head, but she stopped herself. Wulfgang would likely come straight to her tent as soon as he returned from the medical facility. It was best to leave it on. She couldn’t chance having him discover her true identity.
The Time Mother started categorizing the isolated elements into sections. She knew the exact formula that worked in the past. It was only a matter of making the right combination. The pills she manufactured and provided to the citizens of the Underground, as well as the citizens of Brendale, did much in the way of shielding their minds from the lesser gods.
With the ability to block any violent thoughts, the medicine lulled people into a sedated state. With no vicious thoughts to capitalize on, the influence of the lesser gods became useless throughout Brendale. Not everybody took the pills, but enough did to keep the gods from trying. Not everybody enjoyed the side effects enough to guarantee unmatched safety. Elowyn shared their dissatisfaction.
She tried in vain to make a product that did not strip people of everything that made them who they were, but her past and current efforts were unsuccessful. While the medicine did well to keep the lesser gods from manipulating minds, it also kept people from experiencing their whole selves. The medicine effectively removed all emotion. It reminded Elowyn too much of the time she spent with Bermuda when she traded her hand to Mimir. It was too eerie. Too inhuman. Yet, Elowyn had not discovered an alternative. It was beyond her ability.
With a sigh, she moved to begin the process of making more pills, but at that moment, Wulfgang burst into her tent. He grinned, peeling his helmet off his skull and tossing it to the ground with a laugh. “Another success,” he beamed, removing the isolated chemicals and setting them next to Elowyn’s on the table. “Some of the boys got extra bits for you, too, but they’re leading the guards away from the pipe. I’m sure they’ll bring ‘em ‘round your tent as soon as they come back.”
Elowyn nodded, counting to see how many weeks’ worth of pills she would be able to produce from what they took. “Thank you, Wulfgang. This will be a big help.”
“You get everything you need?” he asked, lowering himself to sit on the ground as he removed his gloves and pauldron armor.
“I think so. This should make another several hundred doses.” She loomed over the contents on her table, speculating an additional amount the others would bring when
they returned. “Let me know whatever we need for everyone here and I’ll distribute the rest to the public when I finish this batch.”
“Sure thing, E.” Wulfgang glanced at the set-up, though, even after all the time he spent with the soldier, he had no idea what it was he looked at. “You work out those kinks you wanted to fix, yet?”
“No.” Elowyn frowned from behind her helm. She looked to Wulfgang, appearing defeated even from underneath her layers of protective coverings. “They’re still effective at keeping the gods at bay, but at what cost?” She returned her focus to the chemicals again, her shoulders slumping. “A life free from manipulation is great, but is it even a life anymore if you can’t feel anything?”
Wulfgang shrugged, unaffected. “At least they’re not killing each other anymore.”
The Time Mother nodded, shuffling away from the table to think. Improving the formula was difficult by herself. Her knowledge was great but limited. Without any available medical journals or colleagues to further her information, she was at a standstill. “If I could get these into the hands of medical professionals who would study them instead of label them as contraband and destroy them, they could be improved upon. I’m falling short in places, Wulfgang.” The steel bits of her armor squealed as she reached forward to fiddle with one of the vials. “I know there are minds in that facility who could make this better than what it is. Maybe people could hold onto their personalities as well as remain protected from the gods’ mental manipulations.”
“Ah,” Wulfgang waved his hand, dismissing Elowyn’s rant. “You’re too hard on yourself, E. Things are better now, at least in Brendale.” His expression shifted into a frown as he leaned back on his palms. “If that damned coward of a Time Mother did half as much for the division as you did, maybe we wouldn’t be in this feckin’ mess.”
His words did not affect her. Wulfgang made his disdain for Elowyn Saveign clear from the moment she met him. It was with much fortune that he had no idea she was the one hiding behind the armored suit. “Right. Has there been any sign of her yet?” she asked, just to maintain the illusion.
Wulfgang shook his head, derision in his voice. “Not a one.”
“Right, well,” Elowyn straightened her posture, feeling stiff under the heaviness of the plates surrounding her body. She wanted to engage. Socialize. Be a part of the pack. They all had redeeming qualities that reminded her of the crew. But the sooner she distanced herself from Wulfgang and the Underground, the better. “I should get to work manufacturing these.”
A moment of silence followed as Wulfgang shifted his weight. He studied Elowyn with a tilted head, detectable thoughts rattling around his brain. “Hey, why don’t you join us at the campfire tonight?” he asked. “The women are preparing a roast. Some of the animals from Southwestern have migrated to Eastern if you can believe that. The boys killed a creature of sorts, I don’t know what the feck it is, but,” he held out his arms to emphasize the size, “this thing is so damned big, the boys had to hack it to pieces just to fit it all down the pipe.” He laughed, his voice raspy. “Feckin’ thing should feed the encampment for days.”
Elowyn peered out at Wulfgang through the slits in her helm. “You want me to eat something you shoved down the shit pipe?”
The man’s face split into a hearty grin as he chuckled. “I’m sure the women washed it. They made blankets from the skins too.”
It was tempting. The task of securing Eastern peoples’ mental stability in the form of fashioning pills was a lonely one. But she couldn’t divert from her task. The sooner she perfected it, the better off everyone would be. After a short pause, Elowyn shook her head. “A generous offer. But I’ll pass.”
Wulfgang showed no surprise. He extended several invitations to E over the months they knew one another, and the soldier did not accept a single one. Wulfgang figured E to be the solitary type. He knew the sort well. Many of the men under his command fell into that category. It never bothered him, but he genuinely liked E and hoped to share the soldier’s company more than he had previously. “Suit yourself,” he said, rising to stand as he sensed E’s growing desire for privacy.
“Thanks anyway,” Elowyn muttered, not wanting to appear rude. She reached over to grab some things, preparing to manufacture the pills.
Wulfgang watched for a brief time before he headed for the opening of the tent. He stopped at the exit, turning to look over his shoulder. He made a face, watching as E struggled to deal with the chemicals in gloved hands. “I don’t want to get all mushy or anything, but you’ve been a miracle to the Underground, E. You know nobody’s going to give two shits about whatever battle scars keep under that armor on your body, right? Relax a little.” He grinned, turning his palms upward in a gesture of openness. “You’re family here, you know that, right?.”
“This armor is my protection,” Elowyn replied, making her voice colder than she wanted to. “If I learned anything in my life, it’s that you can never have too much of that.”
A laugh flew from Wulfgang’s throat. “Spoken like a true soldier.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “All right. After you dole out those meds to the public, the boys are going out to scout. They’re gonna see where the lesser gods are influencing the most people beyond Brendale. Hasn’t been a single, documented mental takeover here that I’ve heard about in at least a month. I think it’s safe to say our town’s been secured. It’s about time we start helping neighboring cities.”
A blessing and a curse. Elowyn nodded, knowing full well that meant more danger waited in the future for the members of the Underground. And the members of the medical facility. Their thefts weren’t sustainable. Eventually, the facility would find a way to stop them for good. Or it would run out of the chemicals they sought. Or any number of things. She mentioned none of this to Wulfgang, however, and only bid him adieu. “Great. Goodnight.”
Wulfgang smirked. After sensing the small thread of defeat, he tried to ease his comrade’s mental turmoil. “You’re doing good things, E. I know you’re upset people have to sacrifice a part of themselves to stay free of the gods’ influence, but ... Brendale has spoken. The gods don’t even waste their time here anymore. Can you imagine if we could achieve that everywhere?”
Elowyn nodded once again. A world dominated by human husks. A land of people who weren’t people. She knew she helped, but could not ascertain whether the cost was worth the reward. All of mankind’s greatest achievements were borne of emotion, of passion for positive change. It was the very reason Elowyn sought to find a cure to begin with. A comfort existed in ridding Panagea of the monsters the gods created. But when the pills stripped men and women of themselves, they were still monsters. Just a very different kind. “Yes,” she said, her brows coming together over her eyes. “I can imagine it.”
Chapter Five
“Going out again, are you?”
Kal watched as Bartholomew threw his arms into a long jacket, concealing the standard suit that announced his title as Time Father. The scholar’s absence became a frequent occurrence over the last year. Kal missed him most nights, but he did not broadcast his suffering. He knew Bartholomew was on a mission. There was no stopping the man when he put his whole head into accomplishing something—even less of a chance when both his head and his heart were involved.
“I’m afraid so.” Bartholomew turned to face his ambassador, his fingers pulling the brass buttons of his jacket through the holes that would hold the material closed. He slid the magnification goggles off the top of his head and set them on a nearby table, stripping himself of most of the things that identified him as a man of power from a distance. “I’ll be home late again, Kal. I’m sorry.”
Kal crossed over to him, looking him up and down. He tilted his head as he swept a speck of dust off the man’s shoulder, then reached through the coat to adjust his tie. With only a smile, he said, “No apologies necessary, Bartholomew. I wish you the best of luck. I trust you’re taking the footmen with you as a preca
utionary measure?”
With a small chuckle, the Southern Time Father nodded. “Of course. I always do.”
A reprieve accompanied the knowledge. It was hardly safe for anyone to venture passed their home’s doors anymore, let alone a Time Father. The gods had eased their pressure on division leaders after securing two of the eight divisions for themselves, but the threat remained a tangible one. Nobody knew when they would decide a quarter of Panagea was not enough for them. Knowing the man he loved had an extra layer of protection to count on during his endeavors eased Kal’s mind, though not by much.
Yet even in his worry, he let him go.
Sensing the apprehension that would go undetected by anyone else, Bartholomew grabbed Kal’s forearm and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “I’ll be all right,” he whispered, smiling. “I am ninety-five percent sure of it.”
Kal smirked. “With a five percent margin of uncertainty to account for human error. I know.”
Bartholomew always left room for doubt. Though, as the months unfolded, he felt himself slipping further from the grasp of danger. Naphine no longer visited his nightmares. Whether that was because she did not want to give him the upper hand of knowledge as she had done before, or simply because the gods were doing so well infiltrating other divisions that she no longer thought she needed Southern, he couldn’t be sure.
Or, perhaps it was because the gods were intelligent enough to know that he was on good terms with Bermuda. As it stood, the Steel Serpent was the only one in all of Panagea who could kill them with her otherworldly katar. And kill them she did. Bartholomew kept an ear to the ground regarding Bermuda and the crew. They seemed to be doing well for themselves in Northeastern, last he heard. Aggi Normandy’s was one division that the lessers would not claim.
The Panagea Tales Box Set Page 95