Cradled

by Christina Bauer

  Rowan frowned. “So you and I face down Kronos alone.” Based on the angry edge to his voice, I could tell my husband wasn’t enamored with this idea.

  Myla raised her hand. “Full disclosure. I couldn’t help overhearing about the pregnancy thing.” Her tail popped up over her shoulder, the arrowhead end moving in an up-and-down, nodding motion. She gave it a wry glance. “We know you heard it too, boy. Anyway, I was a nightmare when I was pregnant. I’m not a fan of Elea facing some mechanical king without extra backup. I don’t care what this random prophecy says.”

  Kitty turned toward Myla and Hissed. “What about the Springlets? We’re about to commit mass suicide against Oculus Warriors, and all just to provide a diversion so Kronos won’t return to the control room. Don’t we deserve some help?”

  “Okay,” sighed Myla. “The cat has a point. What are the Spinglets going to do against Oculus Warriors, exactly? Cute them to death?”

  How very true.

  I forced myself to stand. I had something to say, and it was the kind of statement best made while on your own two feet. “The Spinglets do deserve our support,” I declared. “Besides, Jicho’s prophecies are never wrong. If Myla and Lincoln are supposed to go to the Windings with their fire swords, than that should be the plan.”

  Myla smacked her lips. “Even so, I’m still not a fan of prophecies. People who have visions cause no end of trouble.”

  Lincoln stepped up to her side and spoke in a sly voice. “But those visionaries are often right, are they not?” The way he asked the question, I got the feeling this wasn’t the first time Lincoln and Myla had encountered a vision of some kind.

  “Yes, they often are.” Myla tapped her cheek while her tail swished back and forth. “How about this? We go to this Windings place, get Tank, raid the bridge, slice down all the Oculus Warriors with our baculum, and then come back and check on Elea? Hopefully she and Rowan have this Bezel Wand and everything will be fine. But, you know, just in case.”

  Rowan stood beside me. “I like that idea very much.”

  Kitty mewed happily. “Good. We have a plan. I’ll show Elea and Rowan the secret back stair to the control room. You two sneak inside and get the Bezel Wand. Lincoln, Myla and I will go to Windings.”

  I looked to Rowan. “Do you have any magick left?”

  “A small amount. How about you? Any remnants of the bird’s eye spell left?”

  I quickly scanned the room. “Nothing looks lit up with red or green light. That doesn’t mean the spell is over, though. I may have a little more use out of it.” Closing my eyes, I searched my soul for additional reserves of power. Very little remained. I even reached out to the nearby landscape to seek out more Necromancer energy. There was none to be found. “So you know, I don’t have much more in the way of stored magick. Conjuring the skeletal sledges took a ton out of me.”

  “It’s the same with me. I might have gone a little overboard with healing spells.” He gave me a wry smile. “Still, I have enough in me for one more. We’ll need to save it for good use.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “How much time do we have left before Kronos’s deadline?”

  Rowan pulled out his pocket watch. “Ten minutes.”

  My eyes widened. “In that case, we better get moving.” I turned to Kitty. “Where is this secret passage of yours?"

  Kitty pranced over to a nearby wall and tapped on the metal. One of the bronze panels instantly swung open. “Go to the top of the stairs. The access panel there goes right to the control room. And later, if you like, you can take the downward direction for the dungeons. I’m off to get Tank.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Kitty. Sure, she had been house cat for the Bezel Tower, which explained why she knew her way around so well. Still, her main point of concern always seemed to center on Tank. Something about all that didn’t add up.

  “Why do you need Tank before you can start the attack?” I asked.

  “I’m a cat and I’ll never tell.” She looked at me coyly over her shoulder. “At least, not until I’m ready.”

  In other words, there was a story here and it would have to wait.

  First, Rowan and I had some stairs to climb and a Bezel Wand to steal.

  And only minutes to do so before Kronos’s terrible deadline was up.

  I stepped into the passageway and started taking the stairs at a run.

  Chapter Eleven

  Rowan and I raced up the spiral staircase. Like the access tunnels leading out from the decarinth, this space was made entirely out of metal. We soon reached the top. The faint outline of an access panel loomed before us. A thin cord beside it glowed with the palest shade of green.

  I grinned. The bird’s eye spell was still working, at least a little. It was showing me the cord I needed to pull in order to enter the control room.

  With trembling hands, I gripped the cord and tugged. The panel swung open without a sound. Bands of anxiety tightened around my throat. After so much worry and all our journeying, we were finally here: the control room.

  Now, all we needed to do was grab the Bezel Wand and we’d have all the magick needed to rescue Jicho. Rowan and I shared a long look and silent nod.

  This was it.

  We were going in.

  Rowan entered the control room first. I tiptoed in behind him. The space was a great round chamber. Half of the room was covered in tall bronze panels. For some reason, they made me think of a line of towering ovens.

  Not a comforting thought.

  The other side of the circular room was a single round window that overlooked Quetum. The official entrance and exits—a pair of hefty bronze doors—flanked either side of the curved window pane. I stepped closer to inspect the view. I hadn’t seen Quetum since we first opened the gateway here. It struck me again how gray and gloomy the skies were. The landscape was a dingy sheet of metal and trash that stretched out for many leagues. A foul taste filled my mouth. At one time, the must have been a lovely place.

  Kronos did this.

  He ruined this planet.

  Forcing myself away from the window, I scanned the control room floor. It was made of concentric bronze rings that converged in the middle of the room. At that central point, the Bezel Wand stuck up waist-high from the floor. Back in the tunnels, Kitty told us how Kronos hindered the central engine that powered the planet by pulling the Bezel Wand from its proper spot. The way the control room was built, the wand should fit fully into the floor. Instead, the base of the wand was lightly embedded in the surface. The barest of glows lit up the moonstone top. As a mage, I knew what that meant. The wand was either low on power, or it was installed so that it only gave enough power to keep the planet from dying entirely.

  I didn’t think I could hate Kronos more, but as of this moment, I did.

  Rowan and I scanned the space carefully. As Kitty had predicted, the room was empty. We approached the Bezel Wand. My heart rate sped. Jicho was almost as good as rescued. I reached toward the wand. Excitement lightened my soul.

  Rowan grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

  “I don’t like this,” he said in a low voice. “It’s too easy.” He glared at the Bezel Wand as if it would explode. “We should take the stairs to the dungeon. Save Jicho that way. This wand sets off my mage senses.”

  “Really? I didn’t feel anything.” I reached for the Bezel Wand once more. My fingertips almost brushed the device when the sensation hit me. Numbness crept into my hand. My skin on my arm felt so itchy, I wanted to scream. This was just like what happened when Kronos’s spiders bit me.

  I pulled my hand back like it had been on fire. “I sense it, too.”

  “What kind of magick is it? A protection spell of some kind?”

  “I don’t know, but I do remember what Kitty said before. People come in here to steal the Bezel Wand, but none leave alive.” I hugged my elbows. “We have time left. Let’s go to the dungeons.”

  A series of clangs sounded behind us. Turning around, I saw the bronze panels lining t
he wall were now hitting the floor. Before, those panels had reminded me of a line of tall ovens. Now it struck me that those many oven doors were falling open to reveal a large space hidden behind them.

  In the center of that room stood none other than Kronos.

  Pure rage heated my bloodstream. Kronos had been watching us this entire time. What did that foul monster want?

  A line of Oculus Warriors waited behind the mechanical king. Jicho waited silently at Kronos’s side. My sweet boy still appeared to be made of bronze. His beloved face was streaked with metallic-colored tears. His wrists were still tied. More cords had been wrapped around his head and mouth, preventing him from speaking.

  My heart lurched at the sight. On reflex, I ran for Jicho, my only thought to hold him in my arms and offer comfort. I took a half-step, but stopped myself before going further. This wasn’t a time for rash action. Rowan and I needed to stop and plan. Kitty and the Springlets were about attack the main gate with Myla and Lincoln. Once that was done, Myla and Lincoln had promised to return. With their help and the element of surprise, we might be able to save Jicho yet.

  Kronos adjusted his round mirror glasses. “I’m so disappointed. You were supposed to touch the Bezel Wand. Most of my prey does right away, you know.”

  My eyes widened as I fully realized the truth. “My parents didn’t get sent into exile here.”

  Kronos sniffed. “Exile? No. I lured them here.” He gestured around the room. “If you cast a spell in search of potent magick to steal, then your casting will always lead you to this very spot. Your parents wanted to break out of exile and return to your realm. So they needed more magick to even try that, didn’t they?”

  I didn’t answer. The fact that my parents would try to steal magick seemed very plausible to me. In fact, it was the first thing I thought of when Jicho came to me with his vision. I assumed my parents were not only returning, but with an army.

  “No need to speak, I can see you agree.” Kronos grinned, showing his mouth of sharp bronze teeth. “In general, I find that people who have magick always want more of it, no matter how much they have. So I lure them here and take that nasty power off their hands. This control room…the way I set up the Bezel Wand…it’s all a trap. When you grip the Bezel Wand, it pulls out all your magick, if you have any to give. Your parents almost fell for it, but then they stopped, just as you did. After that, they did the strangest thing. They went into hiding. I’d heard of them and their power. I simply had to drive them out into the open again.”

  A chill crawled up my neck. “This is all a trap for my parents.”

  “So true. Don’t get me wrong. You would have been a nice appetizer of magick, but I’m waiting for the main course. I want your parents to come out of hiding.” Kronos gave me a sly smile. “Too bad about Kitty and your other friends.”

  My blood ran cold. “What do you mean?”

  “There’s no real attack on the main gate. Not any more.” An evil edge crept into Kronos’s voice. “They’re all dying or dead.”

  All of a sudden, it felt as if the floor was falling out from under me. “No, that can’t be right.”

  Kronos shrugged. “Look out the window and see for yourself.”

  I hated giving this man my back, so I hesitated. Rowan set his hand on my shoulder, his touch reassuring. “Go take a look,” said Rowan. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  “Yes,” chuckled Kronos. “He’ll keep an eye on me.”

  With hesitant steps, I turned around and peered out the window. The Bezel Tower was surrounded by a moat of dark liquid. A single bridge connected the tower to the mainland, and that structure was covered in Oculus Warriors. They were slicing little Spinglet animals into spare parts. I popped my hand over my mouth. “You’re a monster,” I whispered.

  “Thank you,” said Kronos. “I must admit, Kitty had me fooled for a while, but then she made the massive error of leading you right into the barracks for my Oculus Warriors. After you fought them, you all were kind enough to speak every last plan in a loud and clear voice. It was all rather easy from there.”

  I stared in horror as below me, the Oculus Warriors tore through the tiny figures rushing across the bridge. I didn’t see Kitty, Tank, Myla, or Lincoln in the fight. But there were so many little mechanical bodies on the bridge. Even more toppled into the dark waters. They were all probably gone, never to be seen again. Rage corkscrewed up my spine.

  I rounded on Kronos. “How could you?” I asked. “You were created to protect this world and their people. Kitty was the house cat and you were created to protect the engine. But you didn’t want to. You decided you’d steal the power for yourself.”

  Kronos pulled on the rope that tied him to Jicho, forcing the child closer. Fresh tears streamed down the boy’s face. “Flesh mages like this one created our planet.” Kronos leaned in closer to Jicho, snapping his teeth by the child’s ear. Jicho whimpered. “I was designed by weak things such as you. My purpose was to build my webs and trap those who would destroy the engine of Quetum.” Kronos lifted his finger and set it on Jicho’s neck. “But then, I got a taste for it. Trapping. Blood.”

  Before, a bronze cord had whipped out from Kronos’s finger to wrap around Jicho’s wrists. Now, a fresh line of bronze extended from Kronos’s hand. Moving whip fast, the cord wrapped around Jicho’s neck and torso, winding the poor child up like a cocoon. Jicho fell to his knees, openly weeping. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as well. What wouldn’t I give to help Jicho right now?

  “You were a springling,” said Rowan, his voice low and hoarse. “Kitty was the cat and you were a spider.”

  “Was?” asked Kronos. “I still am.”

  Bronze light shimmered across the many cords that made up the mechanical king. With a series of snaps, Kronos’s body expanded until he was no longer human in the least. Instead, Kronos had transformed into a giant metallic spider with eight massive legs. A wide face was now set directly into his huge body. The Spider-Kronos’s round glasses became into a pair of large and bulbous eyes. Pincer teeth lined his long mouth. “See what I’ve become? I’m perfect. And so I also perfected the Springlets as well. I turned them into Oculus Warriors.”

  All the while, Jicho still kneeled at the spot where the Spider-Kronos had yanked him to the floor. The boy’s hands and mouth still bound by bronze cords, as were his neck and torso. His shoulders heaved with silent sobs. Seeing that, a single thought consumed me.

  I had to get Jicho out of here. There must be a way.

  The Spider-Kronos crawled closer. “Now, here is what will happen. You, Elea of Braddock, will step over to the Bezel Wand and grasp it. Then your husband will do the same. All your magick shall drain into the device until you’re dead. Once that happens, I will send the boy back to your home world.

  Rowan pulled me against his side. “We refuse.”

  “You’re lying again,” I said. “You’ve no plans to release any of us.”

  “You’re quite right,” said the Sipder-Kronos. “I am hunting larger prey. Aren’t I?” His long legs clacked on the metal floor as the Spider-Kronos angled himself to look into the opened panel where Rowan and I had first stepped into the room. There, framed on the threshold, stood my parents.

  The Sire of Souls and the Lady of Creation.

  They were here.

  Many emotions churned though me at once. Disgust. Fear. And while I hated to admit it, I felt a little bit of joy, too.

  The Sire stepped forward. Like always, he looked austere with his dark armor, pale skin, and strong bone structure. His brown eyes locked with mine. “Dear daughter,” he said. “We didn’t understand until we came to this planet…until we were the ones who were about to be drained of power for someone else’s gain.”

  More tears filled my eyes. “Don’t you dare speak to me.”

  The Lady stepped forward next. She looked tall and lithe in her emerald green gown. Her golden hair hung down her back in waves. “We felt the trap on the Bezel Wand, and we saw the d
evastation of the land. In that moment, your father and I realized what we had been doing was wrong. We’d fooled ourselves that we were transforming worlds to make them more beautiful and safe. But in reality, we’d only devastated the lovely plans that already existed, including the glorious gifts that were our own children.” She looked to the Spider-Kronos. “It’s in a spiders nature to cast webs and trap things. As intelligent creatures, we must control our baser urges.”

  The Spider-Kronos clacked his pincer-teeth together. “The family reunion is over. Now give over your power to the Bezel Wand and I’ll spare your daughter.”

  “You don’t understand, do you?” The Lady shook her head. “The Sire and I needed to change, and that meant a sacrifice.” She stepped over to the Bezel Wand and gripped the moonstone that sat at its top. Nothing happened. “You see?” she asked. “We gave up our magick. The Sire and I are normal mortals now.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My parents were power mad. That was the essential truth of their existence. Yet, I couldn’t deny what I saw with my own eyes. The Lady touched the moonstone and nothing happened. She had no power to steal anymore.

  “What? No!” The Spider-Kronos’s eight legs shifted in an agitated rhythm. “Don’t you understand? It takes massive amounts of power to maintain myself and my Oculus Warriors. My Bezel Wand is almost empty. I NEED YOUR POWER! You must have given it to your husband.” The Spider-Kronos rounded on the Sire. “You! Go to the wand! Hand over your magick.”

  My father crossed the room and set his hand atop the wand. Again, nothing happened. “My wife speaks the truth. We needed to atone for what we’d done. We made a sacrifice. Giving up magic—and staying here to help the Springlets—that was our way to try to make amends.”

  I looked to Rowan. The question lingered in my gaze, unspoken but still there. Is this real?

  Rowan nodded slowly. It is real. They gave up their power.