by Ren Ryder
My magic was being restrained by the cold iron, but I was certain I could escape if I had to. Despite my wounds and exhaustion, I was itching for another fight.
While Neil stood in a corner watching with affected disinterest, the captain grilled me on every detail of the past few days. I told the man everything I knew, producing details about recent events I hadn’t even realized prior to being asked.
Captain Reid was a reasonable man. He was dressed in no-nonsense slacks and a worn suit jacket, with salt-and-pepper hair and rakish features. Clean shaven and sharp-witted, his dark walnut eyes were intent on uncovering the truth.
Captain Reid paced back and forth on the other side of the table. “This case is enforcer business, my sub-captain here overstepped big-time when he involved you,” the captain said, eyeing his subordinate. “He will be punished for his failure to abide by our command structure.”
Neil raised his hands up in the air. “Ouch.”
Captain Reid hammered home his point. “Having a soft spot is all well and good, but I expected more from you when I promoted you to the rank of sub-captain. I can’t have you going rogue at the drop of a hat. How can I trust you after these repeated failures in judgment?”
Neil brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his leather breastplate. “I happen to believe my judgment is impeccable. We would’ve never been able to implicate the Duke in the machinations of Ouroboros without Kal here.”
Captain Reid met Neil with an even-keel stare. “You’ll need to demonstrate with your actions that my faith in you wasn’t misplaced. Can I count on you to lead or not?”
“You want me to lead the attack? What about Kal?” Neil asked.
“The kid stays here, he’s an unknown quantity and a liability besides. We can address his status after the raid, but you know as well as I do that we’re obligated to report an unlicensed mage. He’s the Arcanium’s problem now,” Captain Reid said, his words falling like a guillotine on my neck.
Neil turned his head aside, refusing to meet my eyes. “Sir. My life belongs to the emperor— blood and bone,” Neil chanted. “I will do my part.”
Bell banged on the bars of her birdcage. “You must be joking. You want us to sit back while you guys get to have all the fun?”
The steady drip, drip, drip of blood pooling on the concrete floor beneath me punctuated the brief silence. “Speaking of blood, you could at least have somebody patch me up. I’m leaking all over the place,” I complained.
“Get somebody in here to attend to the boy, and then gather a double squadron of battlemages plus a full battalion of imperial soldiers. And enact ordinance shield. The emperor must be protected at all costs.”
“Sir, by your command,” Neil struck his fist against his chest and bowed formally. “If I can just have a minute to speak to the detainee, I’ll be on my way,” Neil said.
Captain Reid swung open the door to the interrogation room and stepped outside. “I’ll be waiting for word of your success. Don’t make me regret everything I’ve invested in you,” Reid said, then swung the door shut on my prison.
“Thanks for not outing me as Specter,” I said.
“Don’t mention it. No really, don’t mention it,” Neil said, his eyes shifting to stare at one of the four walls of the interrogation room.
Bell broke the silence, saying, “So… this is awkward.”
Neil exhaled a breath through his clenched teeth. “It looks like this is as far as you go, Kal. I’m sorry. I was the one who got you involved, and you did everything I asked of you. More than that, you uncovered a coup in the making."
I pounded my cuffed hands against the table. “You’re not seriously going to leave me here.”
Neil sighed. “My hands are tied, Kal.”
I stared a hole into the metal table. “I know you went out on a limb for me from the start, so thanks. I’ll sit this one out, but you better come back with the win,” I told the sub-captain.
Neil crossed his arms across his chest and squinted at me. “You seem oddly accepting of all this. I thought you had a personal vendetta against Ouroboros. You really expect me to believe you’re going to sit still at a time like this?”
“Oh, believe me, I’m not happy about this, but I’m not going anywhere,” I rattled my chains, “and seeing as I’m to be reported to the Arcanium… I better be on my best behavior or there goes my chance to become a licensed mage— poof,” I dramatized. “Right?”
“Actually… the Arcanium has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to unlicensed mages found operating in New London,” Neil said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bell asked.
“It means Kal will be put on trial for his use of unsanctioned magic. No doubt I’ll be forced to serve as a witness for his crimes to avoid being court-martialed myself. I’ll do my best to advocate for you, but I don’t know how much it’ll help, if at all.”
I tapped my fingers on the tabletop. “That sounds serious and all, but I’m starting to feel a bit lightheaded from the blood loss. Can you do me a solid and get that inventor in here— Tess? I want her to patch me up.”
“Why her?” Neil asked, then flinched, “Wait, how do you know her name? Her existence is classified.”
I smiled, transparent as glass. “I think she’s cute. Who doesn’t want a cute girl to fuss over them when they’re injured?”
Bell made an “X” with her arms. “No way José. Request denied. No girls allowed, except me of course~”
“Fine. I’ll get her in here because I feel like I owe you— but no funny business. I don’t want to see you in any more trouble than you already are. Don’t dig yourself a deeper hole, you’re already in deep enough.”
I tried to hold up my hands to play innocent, but got stopped short since my cuffs were fastened through a metal loop on the table. “No funny business. Got it.”
Neil headed towards the door, but looked back at me one last time before he headed out. “I’m sorry it’s come to this, I really am.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about. Just take care of yourself out there. The Duke’s not your average monster.”
Neil grabbed the door handle and turned it. “This is what I do. The enforcers are going to end Ouroboros once and for all, just you wait.”
Neil left the interrogation room, leaving Bell and I behind. I slammed my hands against the table in frustration. I couldn’t believe this turn of events. After all I’d done, I was being forced to sit on the sidelines while someone else took on my fight.
I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“So… that’s it?” Bell asked. “We’re done here?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“That’s not the line you fed the sub-captain,” Bell smirked.
I grinned back. “I couldn’t have him try to stop us, now could I?”
“Oh, that’s evil~” Bell giggled. “So what’s the plan?”
“Tess is our ticket out of here, you’ll see.”
After a brief wait, Tess Da Vinci tapped on the door before letting herself into the interrogation room. “Pardon me, but I was told you asked for me…” she trailed off as she examined the rooms contents. “Oh, it’s you!”
Bell butt in, saying, “It’s me~”
Tess was dressed in a dirty pair of leather overalls and wearing a pair of thick flame-retardant gloves. She set down a first aid kit and pulled off the gloves as I watched, then placed them on top of the table I was seated at.
Tess glowed. “I’ve been so excited to see you again!”
“If only in better circumstances than these,” I motioned to my cuffs and tilted my head at the pool of blood beneath me.
“I’m not excited for this at all,” Bell muttered.
Tess slapped herself on the forehead. “Oh, how stupid of me. I’ll patch that up for you, give me just a moment.”
Tess pushed my cloak out of the way to get a better look at what she was dealing with. Sammie’s
cursed dagger had really done a number on me. The wound was still weeping blood and hadn’t started to close up at all.
Tess dug through the collection of first aid supplies she’d brought, producing a bottle of rubbing alcohol and cotton swaps. “This might sting a bit,” she said, wincing.
The inventor poured the rubbing alcohol on the open wound, and I winced from the stinging pain it brought on. Working quick, Tess swabbed the affected area and held the cotton against my wound while she rummaged through her supplies for a needle and thread.
She stitched up the wound by my collarbone first, then did the same for my back. When she was done, she applied a protective bandage to both sides and wrapped me up with gauze to finish me off.
“Your blood is very unique-looking,” Tess said, looking a little green around the edges.
“Apparently so,” I agreed. “Thanks for doing this. I usually heal a lot faster, but it seems cursed weapons are an exception to the rule.”
“C-cursed?” Tess asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, so anyways, I was wondering, did you have any luck making that ring I asked you for?”
“Oh! That’s why I was so excited. I have to show you!” Tess dug through her big front pocket to reveal a simple silver ring with a translucent crystal set into it. “At first I had a rough go of figuring out the right pressure combined with the gem’s melting point, but I only lost a small amount of material in its making. What do you think?”
“Hmm,” I leaned forward to get a better look. “I think you’ve outdone yourself with this one,” I paused, then asked, “You mind if I hold onto it?”
Tess tensed up. “I’m… not sure I can give this to you. I’m told you’re being detained on the captain’s orders.”
I smiled. “Aren’t you the least bit interested in testing it?”
“You know I am,” Tess said, moving her hands around in a nervous flutter.
I motioned with my hands. “Then give it here a sec, it’ll be our little secret, just you and me.”
“It’ll be our secret, all of us,” Bell emphasized. “No cheating!”
“I don’t know…” Tess trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
“Come on, I’m cuffed to a desk. What’s the worst that could happen?” I asked.
“I guess you’re right…” Tess said, then with a hesitant hand, deposited the ring into my grasp.
I tried to remain calm as I slipped the ring on my left pointer finger, staying as expressionless as possible. I tapped into my source and fed a chunk of mana through my mana channels. Mana fizzled and burnt away when I pushed the power past the cuffs through to my fingers. The translucent gem emitted a soft glow as it powered up.
Tess bounced up and down, her eyes glued to the ring. “It’s working, it’s working!”
I felt a twinge of guilt.
Then I unleashed pure force from the ring, manipulating it into forming tendrils that I worked between the cuffs and my wrists. Then I ripped the cuffs to shreds, freeing myself. Shrapnel went flying in all directions, pinging off the walls and hitting the concrete floor.
“Wh-what are you doing, Kal?” Tess backed herself into a corner, her eyes wide with shock and fear.
I stood up, shaking out my hands to get the blood flowing back into them. “I’m really sorry, I tricked you. Bell and I have to get out of here to join the fight against Ouroboros, and this was the only way I could think of accomplishing that. I’m sorry for deceiving you.”
Walking over to Bell’s birdcage, I sent a pulse of pure force at the lock securing the door. It shattered into little pieces. I swung the door wide for Bell, wincing at the touch of iron.
“I’m not sorry!” Bell chimed in. “Wohoo, I’m free!” Bell jumped out of her little prison and did a somersault into the air.
I glowered at my sylph familiar.
Tess shook her head. “You can’t, you can’t just leave! You’re being detained.”
I brushed my hair back out of my face. “Yeah, well. I won’t be letting anyone stop me. Would you mind sitting tight for a bit so I can escape? Say I threatened you or something.”
“I’m an inventor, not a fighter— you won’t have any problems from me. I’ll just take a seat here. Just, don’t hurt me,” Tess said.
Tess pulled out a seat for herself, sat down and folded her hands in her lap. The girl was a nervous wreck. Whenever I moved she flinched like I was going to hit her. The more I imposed on her good nature, the worse I felt.
But I couldn’t leave Neil to fight my battles for me. I was committed to this course of action. There was no going back. I would accept whatever consequences I had to, but I was joining the fight against Ouroboros.
Chapter Sixteen
Bell and I escaped from enforcer HQ with minimal fuss seeing as the main vestibule was practically deserted. Like a curtain falling, a dark and stormy night had dropped on New London. High winds gusted through the streets, ripping umbrellas from people’s hands and sending cloaks aflutter.
I still had my official enforcer liaison badge, and while the Royal Quarter was teeming with imperial guards denying people entry, leaving it was a breeze. Bell and I rushed through a sudden downpour through the Upper Quarter. Once I felt we were getting close, I took to the rooftops to get the lay of the land.
The Duke’s sprawling estate was in my sights. A strip of land around the edges of the property covered in bushes and trees insulated the property from its neighbors and the city at large. Outside the mansion itself there was a private swimming pool, an expansive polo course, stables and barn, plus a wide open stretch of manicured greenery.
I raised an arm up above my eye level to peer through the sheeting rain.
A thick cloud of dark miasma brought my attention to a newly constructed temple set off to the side by itself. Grand stone columns lined the outside of the long rectangular building. The temple was open to the sky, but I didn’t have a good enough vantage point to see what was going on inside.
“You seeing what I’m seeing?” I asked Bell, pointing out the expanding cloud of dark miasma.
Bell nodded. “Looks real suspicious. Think we’ll find the Duke there?”
“Only one way to find out. Shall we?” I offered my arm to her, like we were off to a dance and not a fight for our lives.
Bell tilted her head to the side. “You don’t think we should follow in behind Neil?”
I shook my head. “And risk whatever that is coming to fruition? I don’t think so. We need to get over there, now.”
I hopped off the rooftop I was observing from and hit the ground running towards the gated estate. Looking both ways, I made sure no one was around to see me when I hopped the fence onto the property. Gliding forward over a patch of shrubbery, I stood under a stand of trees to peer through the pouring rain.
Even with the storm, I expected to find a hive of activity with people coming and going, marks of preparation for the attack on the palace— the place was a ghost town. It made no sense. Under Bell’s insistent claws, Doctor Hargath had concocted a tale of monsters gathering in this very spot under the Duke’s direction.
Bell glided down to my side. “Doc said this place would be teeming with guards and monsters.”
The lack of opposition was all very suspicious. Where was the legion of chimeras and vampires, the army of human defectors in support of their new emperor?
“Men will tell tall tales under torture to get it to stop. You think that’s what happened here?”
“No way. He was telling the truth as he knew it.”
“Are you certain?”
Bell scowled. “I know the truth when I hear it.”
I knuckled my forehead.
Had Maddox somehow got word of the raid and cleared out his estate ahead of time? Maybe the Duke had a mole in the enforcers. I wouldn’t put it past him. Regardless, the enforcers had mobilized on my word. Whether it was about to be proved worthless or not was still up in the air.
“Uh, Kal?”
I gra
bbed my face in my hands. “What? I’m thinking here.”
Bell pointed. “Think all you want, but whatever’s brewing over yonder is ramping up for something.”
With a sinking feeling in my gut, I followed Bell’s finger. A circular dome of pulsing mana rose out of the earth to encapsulate the area around the temple. Throwing caution to the wind, I rushed across the grounds to crash straight into the domed field of mana.
It was a barrier, and Bell and I were on the outs.
I banged against the barrier with my fists. A shock ran through my body from the point of impact, then a force repelled me backwards. I was sent tumbling twenty feet back to land sprawled on the ground. I blinked rapidly as rain pelted my face and got into my eyes.
“Well, that was a bust.”
“Maybe it’s open from the top?” Bell suggested.
“Wait Bell, I wouldn’t—”
Bell cut me off. “Oh, don’t be such a worrywart!”
Bell flew over to the temple, stared at the barrier, then winged her way into the airspace above it. At full speed she struck the domed barrier head-on. Her little body was sent careening to the earth, where she made an ungraceful landing in the dirt beside me.
“I told you that wouldn’t work,” Bell complained, rolling onto her belly before pushing herself up into a standing position.
I snickered. “No, no you didn’t?”
A figure appeared on the other side of the barrier, and I gasped at the sight of it.
Duke Regulus Maddox looked like an old leper that might beg for spare change on the streets. His skin was sallow and blotchy, with welts and bruises all over. The hair on his head was so white it was almost translucent, and just a few wisps of it remained. His cracked yellow teeth were spotted with black marks of decay. The scarred skin scattered liberally across his entire form looked like melted wax about to run off his body. His limbs were spindly and thin as rails, and he looked permanently hunchback.