Depth

by Emily Thompson

  Aden rubbed at his brow, looking fatigued now. “And what of the war that Jonas has already promised me, the moment he and Twist are no longer at my mercy?” he asked, sneering at the absurdity of the last word.

  Tasha looked to Jonas. Twist saw no evidence of her expectations in her expression. She seemed simply curious about what he might say, as if anything he decided would be perfectly acceptable.

  “Well,” Jonas began, looking smug, “I can’t seem to remember you doing anything to redeem yourself after forcing us to attend that damned Sight circle. In fact, I recognized many of the people we just rescued, from that circle. So, actually, making us attend it only put your people at risk. And now, we’ve saved them for you. I’d say that means you owe us double.”

  Twist fought very hard to keep himself from grinning at this.

  Aden’s eyes promised murder as he stared back at Jonas. “And what, exactly, do you think I owe you?”

  “Right now,” Jonas answered, “I only want one thing from you. Leave my friends and I the hell alone. No more games, no more having to help anyone out, no more asking to borrow our skills for free. I want out of your damned collection.”

  Aden nodded. “And the next time you need my Rooks to help you?”

  “If we ever need you, you’ll drop whatever you’re doing and help us instantly. You owe us two, after all. Leaving us alone is one, and a favor later on is the other.”

  Twist’s grin won the battle, spreading across his face. It wasn’t just an elegant solution; it was deeply insulting to Aden as well. Tasha hid her smirk before she turned back to Aden.

  “Considering all they have led you to,” Tasha said to Aden, glancing pointedly around as if to mention Atlantis itself, “and all you have already gained from your relationship, I must say that Jonas’s terms sound fair to me.”

  Aden’s frown snapped in her direction but caught on Niko. “And what about you? Do you want the same deal as Jonas does?”

  “Oh, yes please,” Niko said.

  Aden gave a sigh and glanced to Kima.

  She smiled to him as well, holding her son’s hand. “I don’t want to be your enemy,” she said simply. “But I also don’t want to work for you either.”

  “Do you expect to return to Australia, then?” Aden asked, implying she wouldn’t go back for free.

  Twist grimaced. Knowing that she couldn’t return home to her own people, Aden was trying to frighten her into submission. Twist nearly spoke up to tell her that she didn’t need Aden at all, but he paused when he spotted the expression on Kima’s face as she looked to Jonas.

  “No, thank you,” Kima said. “I have somewhere else to be.”

  Jonas didn't appear to respond, but the buzzing at Twist’s neck had gone thick with heady delight, erasing any anger at Aden.

  Aden gave a silent sigh and finally turned to Twist. His eyes had grown dull and defeated. He didn’t expect Twist to do anything but side with Jonas, just as the others had. A very small part of Twist began to pity Aden, but then sanity swiftly returned, and the pity vanished from Twist’s heart.

  “The first time you and I met,” Twist said calmly, “you had abducted me from my friends and imprisoned my future wife. I’d thought you had changed since then, and I had begun to think of you as a friend. But now I see that you never changed at all. You’ve simply employed more subtle means of entrapment. I think that Jonas is being very kind to you.” Twist enjoyed the flash of surprise he saw in the other man’s eyes to find that, for once, Jonas was the reasonable one between them. “But I will go along with him, nonetheless,” Twist added lightly.

  Her hand wrapped comfortably through the crook in his arm, Myra filled Twist’s Sight with pride. He glanced to her to find a wicked smile on her face. Beside her, Jonas looked to Twist with a very similar expression and bright blue eyes.

  Aden rubbed at his face with his hands. “And what of Atlantis? Do you all want to leave now or stay and join in our discoveries?”

  “I’m only here because Twist is,” Jonas said. He looked to Twist. “Do you want to stay?”

  “I’m sick to death of this place,” Twist answered without hesitation.

  “Fair enough.” Jonas grinned. “Kima?”

  “I want to get my son as far from that doorway up there as I can,” she answered.

  “That sounds like a plan. Niko?”

  “Well,” Niko began, “after seeing that gateway contraption, I would rather like to stay and see what else I can learn.”

  “As would I,” Tasha mentioned.

  “You don’t care about evil fairies and lying bastards?” Jonas asked them.

  Aden looked as if decorum was the only thing holding him back from striking Jonas.

  Tasha smiled at Jonas. “I’m not a target to either. Neither is Niko.” She turned to Aden. “Niko and I would like to stay and help you. Without Twist, you’ll need Niko’s brilliance and my Sight.”

  Aden listened to her, his eyes thoughtful and his expression dark. He remained silent for a long moment, likely struggling to find a way to regain some of his power in this situation. His wits seemingly spent, he gave a sigh and looked back to Jonas.

  “Fine. I’ll order someone to take you to the surface and drop you in the nearest city. It will take less than an hour to arrange it. Is that all right with you?”

  “I’d be happy with that,” Jonas replied. “How about you?” he asked, glancing to both Twist and Kima.

  “I suppose I can wait one hour,” Twist said.

  Kima gave a halfhearted shrug. Pahmut seemed bored by the whole conversation, as if it had nothing at all to do with him.

  “Then it looks like we have a deal,” Jonas said to Aden. “Once we’re gone, you’ll leave us entirely alone unless we come to you. And in return, we won’t tell your Rooks that you did all you could to stop us from saving them.”

  “Fine,” Aden said tightly, nodding.

  Knowing that they would be leaving Atlantis soon, Twist and the others who would be departing together all returned to their cabins on the Phorcys to pack. Twist opened his travel bag, meaning to pack his clothes and the rest of his personal belongings inside, but he paused when he saw the little bundle that sat at the bottom of his bag.

  The simple cloth and string completely covered the trinket inside, but Twist could see it in his memory, as clear as day. He reached into the bag and gingerly lifted the bundle out. Thanks to the wrapping, his Sight showed him nothing at this touch. Even so, his nerves tightened.

  He sat on the end of his bed and carefully pulled the string free, peeling the cloth away. The blue beads glistened in the cabin lights, as innocent and unassuming as could be. Without having to touch the glass directly, the vision the trinket held sprang back to his memory. His mother had been laughing, cooing gently, and speaking softly to him. She’d seemed happy in that fleeting moment, possibly no more than hours or minutes from her death.

  Fear and curiosity battled in Twist’s spirit for what felt like ages as he considered touching the bracelet again. He had seen Kima’s love for Pahmut like a brilliant spark in her dark eyes every time she’d looked to him. Even when she’d been cross, frustrated, or saddened, it was always there. Now, he felt he knew what it looked like. He was certain he’d recognize it in his own mother’s eyes, if it was there to see.

  Twist’s curiosity billowed up in his heart, blocking out the fear just long enough for him to move. Holding the bracelet in its cloth, he reached out to touch a single finger to the naked glass beads with the other hand. He let the vision flood into his Sight and closed his eyes to see it all the clearer.

  His mother—young, beautiful, and happy—was leaning over his infant self, her long black curls tumbling around them both, as she toyed the bracelet in the air before him. Twist saw his own tiny, brand-new hands reaching out to grasp the flashing glass beads and heard his own child-voice giggle in delight. His mother spoke and cooed in French, her eyes glittering with joy as she laughed lightly. Her face stilled fo
r only an instant as she looked down at her son.

  Twist gasped, snatching his hand away from the bracelet and retreating back to the present as swiftly as he could.

  “Twist?” Jonas’s voice asked gently.

  Twist had forgotten Jonas was in the cabin. He turned to Jonas quickly. “What?”

  “What are you doing?” Jonas asked, nodding at the unwrapped bracelet in his hands.

  “Oh…” Twist muttered, looking to the trinket as well. He hastily wrapped it up again, tying the string tightly so that it wouldn’t unwrap itself in transit. “I just…I wanted to see something. It’s nothing.”

  “Do you need a hug?”

  Twist looked to him, alarmed. “No.”

  Jonas gave a shrug in response. “If you say so.”

  They both returned to packing without another word to each other. Twist put the bracelet back into his travel bag and then placed the rest of his things on top. But no matter how thoroughly he buried it, what he’d seen in the vision didn’t leave the forefront of his mind. His mother had, in fact, looked at him with that brilliant spark of love in her eyes. For however long she had remained alive, she had loved him. Twist could feel his own personal version of reality begin to fail as this thought beat upon the foundations of his identity, like waves against stone.

  “Well, I’m done,” Jonas announced, stirring Twist from his thoughts.

  “Yeah, so am I,” Twist muttered.

  “So, after we’re dropped off at the nearest city, where are we going next?”

  Twist frowned. “I have no idea. Where should we go?”

  “No clue,” Jonas said with the hint of a laugh. “Let’s go ask the girls if they have any ideas.”

  Twist shrugged, having no better options to offer. He and Jonas left their own cabin and found the door to Myra’s and Kima’s cabin open. Inside, Myra was busy organizing and packing her colorful things while Kima sat on the edge of a bed with her son. Pahmut was watching Myra with curiosity, but with nothing to pack himself, he had little else to do. Kima’s bag already sat in her lap, apparently ready to go.

  “I’m sure we can go shopping, wherever we go next,” Myra was saying to Kima. “You two simply can’t go traveling with no luggage.”

  “Excuse us,” Jonas said, catching their attention, “but Twist and I were actually just discussing where we should go next.”

  “Yes?” Myra asked, continuing to fold something shimmering and pink. “Where are we off to now?”

  “No idea,” Jonas said brightly. “Is there anywhere any of you would like to go?”

  “Oh, goodness,” Myra said gleefully. “Do you mean that we don’t have to go anywhere in particular? We get to just simply choose?”

  “That is rather novel for us, isn’t it?” Twist agreed. “We seem to usually be under some kind of attack.”

  Kima looked at him, her dark eyes edged in worry. Pahmut also seemed somewhat unnerved by Twist’s comment. Twist suddenly realized that he’d grown so used to being constantly attacked that he’d forgotten it wasn’t actually a normal way to lead a life.

  “Don’t scare the woman,” Jonas hissed at Twist, when he noticed Kima’s reaction. “We’re only under attack sometimes,” he added to her. “We’re usually quite safe.”

  Twist looked at Jonas in shock at such an absurd statement. Myra’s laughter broke away from her like a startled puppy. Jonas shot her a glare.

  “I know, I know,” Kima said, smiling now as well. “We met because you’d been attacked and captured by my people. Then, you were kidnapped away by dragons. Then, you called me when you were heading into battle with vampires, and now here we are in Atlantis because Storm attacked you. If there’s one thing I know about you Jonas, it’s that your life isn’t boring,” she finished fondly.

  Twist found it rather heartening that Kima had said all of this with casual ease rather than horror. Perhaps she could be well suited to traveling with him, Myra, and Jonas after all. Pahmut, however, seemed startled by all of it. But then, the boy would have to adapt to many things, here on Earth, anyway.

  “And you still want to travel with us?” Jonas asked Kima, his tone remarkably sheepish.

  Kima gave a sigh, pausing before she answered. “I still can’t go home. Before, I was only worried that the Cyphers would kill me for stealing Storm away from them. Now, I’m terrified by what they might do if I brought Pahmut into their hands.”

  Myra’s mirth faded swiftly on hearing Kima express her dismal reality. Twist felt sorry for her himself, but he couldn’t imagine how to remedy her sorrow.

  Kima looked up to Jonas again with remarkable calm. “But if I don’t belong anywhere, then that means I get to choose. I’ve never been able to choose my life before,” she added, obviously enamored with the idea. “I married the man my father wanted me to. I did the job my mother taught me. I followed the Cyphers’ orders and then the Rooks’. But now, no one is telling me what to do at all.”

  “You don’t have a master to tell you what to do?” Pahmut asked, his voice soft and his expression awash with wonder.

  Kima smiled at her son and shook her head. “Neither of us do. How would you like to go adventuring with a funny pirate and his friends?”

  Jonas jerked in silent shock at this personal description, and Twist tried not to snicker. Myra grinned at him, clearly enjoying it. Pahmut smiled now as well, glancing over Jonas and the others.

  “I’ve always wanted to go adventuring,” he said to his mother in a hushed whisper, as if it were somehow scandalous.

  “It does sound like fun, doesn’t it?” Kima agreed. She turned back to Jonas. “Danger has never frightened me. But even so, I’d rather face it with friends than alone. And along the way, Pahmut and I can figure out where we belong.”

  “Well, if you’re looking for somewhere to belong,” Jonas said, his mood smoothing out to match hers, “I say you belong with us.”

  Twist smiled at him, noting the ease with which he’d spoken. Whatever his vision of Kima had contained, Twist could easily assume that it must have been quite astounding to give him such a pervasive sense of calm. Twist couldn’t detect the slightest murmur of anxiety, even with words like that.

  “Yes, that’s a lovely idea!” Myra said, clasping her hands together. “Kima, you and Pahmut belong with us. And we will all have the most wonderful adventures. I’m sure you’ll both have a lovely time.”

  “Yes, by all means,” Twist said to Kima. “You’re as much a part of this madness about evil fairies as we are, after all. I’d be glad to have you along.”

  Kima’s smile warmed at this fervent and unanimous approval, as did the buzzing sensation in Twist’s neck, as Jonas watched her settle into their company.

  “All right, then,” Kima said. “Where are we going?”

  Jonas frowned. “No idea.”

  “I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Twist said casually. “Either that, or something inexplicable will happen and force us across the world yet again. Regardless, I’m sure we’ll end up somewhere.”

  Congratulations!

  You've voyaged to the bottom of the sea, and into another world, and survived! How intrepid of you. But the adventure isn't ended yet. There are new threats and old enemies to thwart, and brand new lands to explore in the next installment of the Clockwork Twist series, Book Nine: Home. Look for it in 2019.

  Follow all things Twist at

  clockworktwist.com

  Join the Twist subreddit at

  r/CWTwist

  Follow Twist on Twitter @CWTwist

  The Clockwork Twist Series thus far:

  Book One: Waking

  Book Two: Trick

  Book Three: Dreamer

  Book Four: Missing

  Book Five: Inquest

  Book Six: Blood

  Book Seven: Family

  Book Eight: Depth

 

 
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