by Lexi Ostrow
They’d attempted to use multiple crystals to create a stronger power source. Four attempts had failed before they’d moved onto a larger stone. Twenty-two attempts and a broken gemstone had led them to try her suggestion of a longer charge time. Five hours and two attempts later brought them to the current moment.
She watched over his shoulder as he laid another thin strip into the bulb. His hands trembled from the concentration such a fine wire required. The wire! It’s too fine!
“Hugo?”
He didn’t seem to hear her, so she dropped her hand on top of the blue glass bulb in front of him.
“Clara,” he growled, not for the first time since he’d grown frustrated.
“Oh, do shut up.” She was exasperated, and it could be heard. “Make the bloody filament thicker. It’s too thin. The charge it can hold is likely small. A thicker piece could yield a greater return.”
For a moment, she thought he was going to argue. Instead, he reached to the spool of copper and pulled out a longer piece, winding it back and forth until a line nearly as thick as a twig was made.
“I did not think this would fit inside a piece of glass. I grew so consumed in making what I had work. I failed to see an alteration to the supplies could be what was needed.” He grew silent, his attention focused on the gears. “What if we amplified this as well? Instead of a switch, a lever that could be triggered by the switch that continuously winds the gears would create a stronger connection.”
She thought about words she’d oft heard in the labs about not changing too many variables at once and knew he was too excited to think of that. “Perhaps, we should make one change and see if it works before diluting your results.”
He grinned at her, dropping a chaste kiss on her lips that still caused her body to heat.
“You are right.” Sitting back down, he placed the thicker filament inside the bulb and nodded to her when it was complete. “Flip it now.”
Holding her breath, she pushed down on the lever and held it down. Seconds passed, and the small sounds of the gears winding occurred before the bulb began to glow a stronger blue than previous attempts—her idea might work.
“Do it, Hugo. Do it now.” She breathed, as breathlessly as she ever had when telling a man to do something she greatly wanted.
His hand dropped, the filament on the crystal fell to the table . . . and the bulb stayed lit.
“Hugo,” she grinned, unable to say anything else.
He rose, scooping her in his arms and pulling her against him as she tried to stop her legs from knocking anything over. “You did this, Clara. You.” He kissed her, hungry and hot—just the same as the bulb glowed with power.
Her head spun—both from their success and the passion running betwixt their lips—by the time Hugo finally set her back down. She wobbled momentarily, forcing back the desire to celebrate in a different fashion.
“Eliza! Eliza!” She was shouting, not even aware it was her at first.
Hugo was unmoving, his gaze unwavering from the light.
“Did you –” Eliza stopped and drew in a deep breath. “Good heavens. You two did it.” She leaned forward, her hand brushing Hugo’s shoulder as she put her finger on the bulb. “How long has it been like this?”
“Not long,” Hugo choked out, still looking at his work.
“Then we will wait.” Eliza’s excitement was hardly contained though she stood stoically still.
Clara kept blinking as if it would make the light flicker out. Yet, each time, the bulb continued to glow. She was uncertain how long they stood there, likely near twenty minutes, before the light dimmed and fizzled out.
“My word,” Eliza breathed beaming. “You must take this to Odette immediately. Come, come.” Eliza practically squealed as she carefully gathered the items.
Hugo grabbed a larger cluster of gears. “When we show her, I’d like to try a different variable, to see if it will hold longer and will allow for a more remote operation.”
“Yes, yes. Do what you wish, I am just so proud of you both!”
Clara couldn’t help but laugh. Eliza was by far older than the three and thirty she appeared to be, yet she never seemed it. Until that moment when it was evident, she was a proud mother hen.
“Merry Christmas, Clara.” Hugo grinned. “The first place these are going once we show Odette is around that tree for you.”
She flushed, oddly overcome with emotion that part of what had been created, had been done as a gift for her.
Eleven
“Odette,” Eliza shouted by way of announcing them as she barged into the office. “They’ve done it!”
Clara felt like a child who’d been caught by their parent as Odette, Philippe and Greyston looked up from a document they were viewing. Their shocked expression could have been swapped betwixt them.
Odette’s dark green eyes widened in shock. “Truly?”
“Absolutely.” Eliza beckoned them forward. “It still requires a crystal to be embedded in the wall or used as a quick source, but they have captured light—created electricity.”
Clara looked to Hugo and saw he was beaming. He should be. She smiled, wishing she could slip her hand into his and squeezed it. She’d never been the sentimental type, yet she was quickly turning into one where Hugo was concerned.
“We certainly did.” He sounded just as chuffed as he looked.
“May we see it? Not that I do not believe Eliza.” Odette asked, sounding much like a child asking for a sweet.
Hugo set the gear cluster he’d picked up on the way out down. “I’d like to change one variable, to see if I can create a longer charge for the light.”
Odette’s excitement slipped momentarily as a look of concern crossed her face. “Eliza, would that be recommended?”
“I cannot see harm in it. The bulb remained lit for nearly twenty minutes, a slight tweak to make it more efficient is certainly where I would go next.” She set down the bulb and filament wrapped crystal but removed the gear cluster that was hooked onto the gem.
“Proceed,” Odette said with a nod.
Clara couldn’t help but notice as the Guildmaster slipped her hand into Philippe’s. She wanted that with Hugo. It may come, look at what he’s done to simply make you smile.
Leaning down, Hugo set to work attaching the larger gear cluster to the stone. When he looked up at her, his eyes practically glowed with happiness. “This will work the same. You needn’t do anything different.” Rising, he kissed her cheek. “This wouldn’t be possible without you. It was your idea that made the charge hold.”
Staring into his eyes, she almost missed the lever switch as she fumbled to find it on the desk. A man cleared his throat, and she tore her gaze from her mate’s to find everyone staring at them.
“Sorry,” she muttered, assuming it was imperative she express fault for the display of affection.
“Nonsense. Take pride in your mate. We are just impatient.” Greyston said with a chuckle.
“Ready?” Hugo asked with a grin.
Nodding, she placed her finger over the lever and held her breath. They had only succeeded in lighting the bulb without the crystal once, and here they were demonstrating it for three of the most powerful Alliance members.
She realized Hugo was feeling much of the same bout of nerves. His hand twitched and shook as he lifted the blue glass bulb and touched the copper wires together. The bulb trembled slightly, but none commented on it if they saw.
“Now, Clara,” Hugo said his voice calmer than she expected it could have been.
Letting out the breath she held, her finger depressed the white lever. The whir of the cogs spinning to life was louder, but she supposed that made sense given the larger cluster of them. Seconds ticked by and all that occurred was the whine of the gears.
“Hugo?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, afraid to disrupt him as he stared at the unlit bulb.
“Perhaps it was the change in gears. Maybe it is too strong.” Eliza volunteered, her
hand reaching out to the cluster.
“No. Give it just a moment. I believe what is occurring has to do with the size of the charge created. As you can create a larger or smaller beam based on the barrel of the gun, I believe a similar effect is being created by using more power. The strands are not wide enough to properly move it.” He reached out and grabbed the wire. “Fuck.”
A spark shot off the wire, bouncing off the desk like a firecracker and dropping harmlessly to the floor. The gears continued to grind, throwing flickers of light off the wire. Acting quickly, Clara flipped the switch up, ending the activity of the mechanical pieces. Hugo held his finger, rubbing it, for only a second before pulling the copper wire from his pocket. She hadn’t seen him take it, but it appeared he was prepared for this.
“My apologies. I foresaw this as an issue.” He pulled out the wire, wrapping it around the crystal and adding it to the strand already present until it was nearly ten millimeters thick. “Try it again,” he said to her as he looped the hook of the filament over the one on the bulb.
She wasn’t certain if she could stomach a failure. She itched to tell Hugo to just to place the original components back, back she couldn’t find her voice to do so. Sighing, she pushed down the lever, creating motion once again.
No one spoke, but they all looked intently down at either the power cluster of the tiny glass orb. It only took seconds before the filament glowed. She wasn’t certain if the sigh of relief came from herself, Hugo, Eliza or all three of them.
Daring herself to look up, she found awe written in a wash of blue light on everyone’s face. Greyston was staring, his usually crossed arms appearing to reach for the light. Philippe was still further back, slightly behind Odette but his approval was written over his typically stony expression.
“Splendid,” Odette said, reaching out and gently touching the bulb, a smile upon her lips. “Positively brilliant.” Smiling, she looked to Clara and then Hugo. “And you can make it run without the connection to the crystal?”
“Absolutely,” there was no trace of the frustration from a moment before in Hugo’s tone. His hands did not shake as he un-looped the copper wires.
Please, whatever controls the fate of the universe, let this work a second time. She could not bring herself to watch as he removed the filament away. A bright light filtered through, despite her eyes being closed, and she was grateful they had succeeded a second time.
“Bloody hell!” Philippe shouted.
The ground seemed to rumble, gently, but with a growing force. Her eyes flew open as did her mouth. The filament attached to the crystal was sparking, shooting a beam of brilliant white light as wide as her arm, into the floor.
“What’s happening?” Odette demanded. “Shut it off. Turn it off now,” she barked grabbing the corners of the impressive wooden desk as the shaking grew to new levels.
Reacting on instinct, she flipped the lever to the off position, but nothing happened. The beam of energy continued to pulse and flare, driving into the concrete. The shaking amplified, sending the paintings of Thomas and the King crashing to the floor with a bang.
“Get everyone out, Odette. Order it now.” Greyston barked, his eyes never leaving the pulsing current shooting straight down.
Clara didn’t know what to do. Her eyes frantically searched around the room, looking for something that could contain the power.
A blaring alarm screeched overhead. Odette had grabbed the only communication device that worked in her office—the building communicator. “This is not a drill. All personnel needs to evacuate the building as quickly as possible. Do not take anything. Move as swiftly as you can.”
Odette’s words were panic ridden, and it was what sent Clara into a panic. Odette had never visibly panicked in the entire time Clara had been a member. Seeing her leader, desperately clinging to the desk as her husband braced her, was unnerving.
“Remove the wire from the crystal!” Eliza shouted.
“What in tha bloody hell is happening?” Kellan yelled, flashing in thanks to Seraphina.
She could feel the shaking escalating, nearly sending her toppling to her knees.
“What is that?” Seraphina hissed. “How deep into the earth does it go?”
“I don’t know,” Hugo shouted, his voice too calm for the surrounding panic. “It’s electricity.”
A crack appeared, shattering the concrete and separating the floor so far, they could see into the dungeons below. A hideous roar rose from below, sounding as if it were even underneath the lowest level of the Alliance.
“Call your Father. Now!” Seraphina barked, as she grabbed Kellan, Hugo and Eliza around the waist and flashed out.
Clara cried, startled at their sudden disappearance.
Odette scrambled through her desk drawers, grabbing a strange stone. Layel was there in a blink, followed quickly by Seraphina.
Thunder rumbled everywhere—in the levels above them and below. The vibrations were enough to make her ankles scream in pain, even as she dropped to the floor from the force of it. Screams pierced the night—male and female alike. She knew that they likely thought it nothing more than an earthquake, but that was still enough to instill fear. Shattering glass and crashing metal could be heard over the rumble of the ground. The demons screamed and rattled the bars of their cells.
Clara didn’t know how she could best serve in this situation. A footstep stamped above her head, proving the panic was reaching every floor. And likely the guilds around us.
“Get everyone out. Summon as many as you can. Mindwipe the humans. Do it now.” Seraphina ordered, reaching out to grab Odette, Philippe and started for Clara before Layel grabbed her wrist.
“What is going on, Seraphina?”
Her eyes flashed black, and Layel flew backwards, only remaining on his feet due to his power.
“Dieargog is awakening.”
“You cannot be serious.” Layel flashed out as if not believing her did not change his ability to follow the command.
“Come now, foolish demon. I must save you like I did that human of yours.”
Claws dug into her arm as Seraphina spoke. She opened her mouth to speak and found herself standing on the street down the road from the building.
“Oh, my heavens,” Odette gasped from next to her. “The guild.”
They stood, watching as the building shook, chunks fell to the ground and shingles shattered at a rapid pace. The building was coming down.
“Hugo!” The shout tore from her lips as soon as she realized the fate of the building. “Hugo!”
“I am here, Clara.” He grabbed her, hugging her close.
She could not take her eyes off the building. People gathered on the road, some slipping from the force of the rumbling. Whatever they had done, it was affected everything in the area. She could not focus on the tremendous howls and screams that filled the dark night.
Bile streaked a path through her, causing her to retch at her feet and on Hugo’s boots. Her stomach churned with distress. They were destroying an entire street. She could not know how many had been injured or would die before the shaking stopped.
“I cannot leave it,” Odette shouted, racing toward the building.
Philippe bolted past, unable to keep up with his wife, yes dashing after her as quickly as he could.
“What have we done?” She whispered, trembling as the left wing dropped to the earth with a tremendous boom and a puff of dust so large she couldn’t see through it.
“All are out, of all the buildings. We took them a few streets over. My people are removing their memories now. Nathaniel is inside, tearing the wire from the stone.” Layel said as he appeared.
She nodded; unsure as to whom Layel was speaking too.
“Where is my daughter?”
She pointed at the figure that was almost at the entrance of what remained of the once grand building. Dust spun through the night, mingling with the screams of the Alliance members who were till there, memories intact.
“Odette!” Eliza shrieked but remained where she was. “What have we done?”
A groan shook the earth, knocking all that stood to their arses. Clara heard the destruction, but only saw the building she called home falling. It appeared to split in two, what little of the structure was still standing.
“Dieargog,” Seraphina hissed as a creature appeared in the sky.
“That can’t be.” Clara breathed. She’d heard the rumors but was certain they had been just that.
There before them, thousands of meters up, wings as large as the workroom flapped, blocking the moon from view, killing any visual field humans would have. Her eyes worked fine in the dark. Red eyes glowed against a skull larger than any she’d ever seen. A streak of flame shot from its mouth before it screeched, a roar so loud she felt it ring in her ears.
“Do not let it flee!” Layel and Seraphina seemed to shout in unison.
Clara looked away from the demon for a second and saw Odette clutching her ankle, the bone twisted at a horrible angle but already healing. When she looked back, grateful she had not caused the death of the woman, the demon was gone.
“What do we do now?” Odette asked, voice shaking with pain.
“We must clean this up. Blame it on the earth and pray none aside from us saw that demon.”
“That was a dragon,” Hugo stammered, still holding.
“That was no dragon. Dieargog is the demon your kind based fantasy tales of dragons on. A demon so powerful Lucifer had locked away.”
“We let him out.” She whispered, shame flooding her as the stories of Dieargog terror bounced through her mind. She wasn’t certain any could hear over the sound of buildings falling or settling into the ground where they fell.
“We’ve done this. We unleashed a demon that had been locked away for what should have been all eternity.”
Twelve
Hugo hadn’t eaten in two days, since the incident, and his stomach lurched, both from nerves and hunger. Allowing his gaze to wander around the banquet hall he forced himself to remain calm. Men and woman of the Alliance of Silver and Steam sat, slept, and gathered in groups. Hunters and inventors had no divide inside the only space Jacob could put together from them. Hushed voices no doubt spoke of his failure and the destruction it caused.