Gears of Brass

by Jordan Elizabeth

  The general yelled at his men, “Secure the sanctuary; if any of the vermin interfere, shoot them!”

  Several soldiers marched across the tile floor, rifles drawn. The floor gave way and they disappeared below. Their screams faded into the depths of the mountain.

  “My dear general, entering the chamber does not appear to be as simple as you’d thought,” said the thief lord, bowing deep. “We’ve sent the boy before us; he’s doing an admirable job of creating a path for us to follow. Be patient, I’m sure there’s plenty of treasure for both of us.”

  In a hidden room deep inside the base of the great clock there was a click, a whir of gears, a valve opened, and the key chamber was flooded with air. Several minutes later, Bella awoke. The girl coughed, choked then screamed as blood began to once again flow through her veins: the first time in a millennium. She felt the icy cold stone against her back and she began to violently shiver, then leaning over she dry retched several times. She sat up, put her head in her hands and moaned. After a minute she gingerly rose to her feet, stretched, rubbed her eyes, and listened. The wretched alarm is sounding, why did I have to wake up?. She stepped to the brass wall and put her cheek against the icy metal. There was still the gentle vibration of the clock movement. Apollo has not been destroyed, thank you Anastasia.

  The cleansing will now commence. Why do I ever have to wake up? You stupid, stupid fools. The child of time knelt and prayed, “Anastasia, goddess of light, help me protect Apollo and forgive me for what I must now do.”

  She opened the key drawer. Taking out a gold plated key with a chain, Bella slid it over her head and lifted her long, black hair over the silver chain. She shivered with the feel of the cold metal of the large key against her skin. She tucked it in place.

  Anastasia appeared next to her. The goddess was in the form of a woman with blue skin, yellow hair, canine teeth, three breasts, and a lion’s tail. She wore a white robe. “Bella, it’s about time you woke up. There’s killing to be done: the chamber has been violated. Quickly prepare and commence the cleansing of Apollo’s sanctuary.”

  Bella yawned. “Anastasia, it’s nice to see you too. Can’t I have a minute to wake up before the killing begins?” She slipped a yellow tunic over her head and tied a with a thick black cord around her waist. She slid on leather leggings, metal arm shields, and black leather boots that went up to her knees. She took out a brush and began untangling her thick hair.

  The goddess grimaced and asked, “Girl, why must you be look pretty to perform the killing? Do you seriously intend to woo the fools before you end their miserable lives?”

  Bella winced after fighting an unusually nasty snarl with her brush. “I would prefer to be thought of as the Angel of Death rather than the Troll of Doom. I get so little social interaction, a little chit chat with the thieves before I kill them will liven things up a bit.”

  Anastasia fogged up the mirror and gave Bella a hard slap on the behind. “You were always a vain girl. Now we need to get on with the killing.”

  She stuck out her tongue at the goddess and pulled a long drawer out of the stone slab on which she had slept; she removed a golden dagger, a triton, a silver bow, and a quiver of arrows. Bella next rubbed her hand along the ceiling until she found a compartment that housed a map engraved on a gold sheet. She rolled it up and slid it into a leather case, which she placed inside a pocket in her tunic. “Anastasia, you use the term ‘we’ quite liberally. I’ll be the one doing the killing and you’ll just be the one nagging me.” She felt the edge of the triton spear blade and wrinkled her brow. Taking out a wet stone, Bella ran it over the blade several times, then felt the edge with her thumb and grimaced. Why is it always the same thing with these thieves? She slipped the dagger into her tunic and slid her head through the strap that held the triton and the bow.

  Anastasia sat on stone slab with her arms folded and her legs crossed. “Don’t complain, girl, you’ve had quite a long nap. Killing is what you do. It is a necessary function of protecting Apollo.”

  Bella pushed a lever and a small door opened at the rear of the clock. “I think I’m ready for a different sort of job. Ten thousand years of guarding Apollo is a lot to ask.” She crawled out of the door and quietly crept through the shadows, taking in the view of the thieves and the soldiers. What are they waiting for? Ah, they are using some poor fool to spring the traps, how cunning. She then examined the marks on the boy’s robes. They are making sport with an under priest?! Have they no respect? This cannot be allowed to continue.

  The boy took another stride and quickly stepped back just in time to avoid several large stones that dropped from the ceiling and exploded into fragments at his feet. A chunk of one of them hit his head and the boy fell to the floor unconscious. This brought more jeers from the crowds of thieves and soldiers.

  Bella quickly left the shadows, prudently stepping where she knew to be safe. She sat down next to the boy and pulled him up, so his head rested upon her lap. She stroked his cheek and tilted his chin before smiling at him. If only I was human and didn’t have to guard this wretched clock, he would do quite nicely. She ran her fingers through his sandy-colored hair and found the lump where the rock had hit him.

  She closed her eyes and pushed a bit of healing grace into him and his eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times, then his eyes widened. “Princess Bella? Have I gone to paradise? Is it really you?” His smile then faded. “I’m sorry I failed to protect the clock.”

  She shushed him and gently blew on the lump on his head and made a cooing sound. “Don’t fret, boy, this is not your doing. I must however get you out of here before the cleansing can commence.”

  “Cleansing?” asked Alexander. He gingerly sat up and rubbed his head. “Princess, how did you do that? The lump is almost gone along with the pain. What is this cleansing you speak of?”

  She was quiet for a moment and stared at him intently. “Boy, this is called the chamber of death for a reason. I’m the protector of Apollo, after all.”

  The general yelled, “It’s that clock girl! She knows the path to enter the clock as well as how to control it. We must have her. Girl, come here at once.” When she ignored him, he pointed his gun at her. “Show us the path to the clock or you’ll die.”

  She tilted her head and gave the general a side long glance “Really? I’ll be the one doing the killing. Now give me a moment.”

  The thief lord shot his pistol into the air. “Don’t listen to that fool. Now come here and show us the path through these bloody traps.”

  She glanced at the thief lord. “I take it that your interest is in the gold and the diamonds?”

  He nodded and added, “A simple man such as myself has to live. We’re thieves. This is what we do. If you didn’t want us to pillage, you shouldn’t have made the clock with so much gold. It calls to us like mother’s milk to a babe in arms.”

  Her lip curled up in a sneer. “Mother milk?” She then turned to the general and said, “Sir, I presume that your purpose here is to control the clock.”

  He gave her a toothy grin. “Yes my child, you’re very perceptive. With the power of the clock we’ll control the seasons and the length of the days and the nights. With this, we will control the warring factions in this world and force them to come to the bargaining table of peace. We’ll begin a new age of peace and prosperity. Of course I’ll rule over this utopia. Now if you assist me in my mission, you may be fortunate enough to be part of my ruling council. We’ll rule the world together.”

  With her hand on her hip, she rolled her eyes. “Seriously general, couldn’t you be a bit more creative. Rule the world? World domination is so much work.” She then gestured to the thief lord. “I must warn you of the consequences of your actions. If Apollo is destroyed, the planet’s rotation will slow and a day will last for months. The planet will become uninhabitable, except for small areas where the morning and evening sun shines. The rest of the world will either be unbearably hot or freezing cold.”


  The thief lord laughed and said, “We won’t destroy the clock. We’ll just take a bit of the gold and be on our way. We’re not overly greedy.”

  She sighed and glanced upward, morons. “Don’t you understand that the gold tendrils are what control the motion of the planet? They go down hundreds of miles to the planet’s core.”

  Uttah’s mouth fell open, and with a glazed look he mumbled, “Hundreds of miles of gold. I’ll be the king of the thieves; I’ll be wealthy beyond anyone. I’ll be a god.”

  The general shouted, “This is exactly why it’s important that I control the clock! It requires someone of my talents to keep the vermin at bay and to insure Apollo’s safety and continuity. Now come here young lady and lead us to the clock and all will be well with you.” He again raised his pistol and his men raised their rifles. “Child, I must insist.”

  He then shot at Uttah who ducked and returned fire. Soon there was a full scale battle between the thieves and the soldiers.

  Bella gave Alexander a wan smile and said, “Like I said, I need to get you out of here before the fun can begin.” She grabbed a bullet out of the air and examined it. “What kind of a weapon spits a rock across the chamber faster than an arrow?”

  Alexander’s eyes narrowed and he grasped Bella’s hand. “Princess, they are referred to as guns and one shot can kill another man from quite a distance.”

  She grabbed him and they rolled onto the ground as some shots came too close. He looked up and she was lying on top of him. He went quite red. She grinned and pinched his nose. “Boy, you are quite comfy.” She then rolled off him and glanced at the clock. “What happened to the seventy temple guards and one hundred temple priests anyway? This motley group of thugs shouldn’t have made it past their blades.”

  Alexander swallowed. “Princess, the Correlian temple isn’t what it used to be. We now have only five priests, two temple guards, a cleaning woman, a cook, and an under priest. That would be me. The high priest, Master Sheizo, felt that it would be prudent to trim the staff. We mostly take visitors on tours rather than kill them. We’re no longer the holy order of death, but rather the order of peace and joy. Much has happened in a thousand years. So rather than killing these men, I had hoped you would try to peacefully dissuade them.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a peacemaker, quite the opposite. After they attacked us the time for peace and joy is past. Now let’s get you to safety.”

  He whispered back, “Princess, where you go I go. These men have guns. These weapons are not as easy to dispatch as swords or arrows.”

  She looked at him steadily. “This is true boy, but this is the chamber of death and I’m the monster who inhabits the lair. Now when I say run, step on the green flowers on the tiles and run to the back of the clock and you’ll find a small door. I’ll be along shortly.”

  She stood and walked to a single white crystal tile which she shattered with the end of her trident. “Run, Alexander, now!” He sprinted across the floor and the soldiers began shooting at him as he ran. A cloud of black smoke then billowed out of the walls, and he was soon lost from view.

  Alexander entered the clock and closed the door as planned. The soldiers and thieves began to wildly shoot into the mist. A few men grabbed their throats, choking, and collapsed. The remainder had donned masks in time. When the smoke dissipated, a row of demonic robots came up through the floor and made their way to the two groups of men before hacking at them with their swords. The robots were quickly dispatched with shoulder cannons.

  Next a great wind came out of holes in the face of the clock and the men were blown around like leaves. Most of them, however, were connected to each other with cables. When the wind died down, Bella rose from where she had been sitting. “How were you fools able to prepare for the Mists of Despair, the Minions of Metal, and the Winds of Death?”

  General Fracc adjusted his hat and smirked. “Clock girl, those plagues are of legend. We knew what you’d do and were prepared; now stop toying with us and show us the path.”

  Bella looked at them in surprise. “So, the secrets of the Chamber of Death have been shared with commoners? How despicable. Well, I’ve no intention of assisting you, so you can save your breath. She then ran for the clock, spinning her triton as she went, so the shells bounced off it. Alexander opened the door wide and pulled her in before shutting it as it was pounded with bullets.

  She opened a waist-high, hidden door; they made their way into a tunnel, and closed the door behind them. She grabbed Alexander’s arm and led him down some stairs into an underground tunnel.

  As they ran, Anastasia appeared and ran along with them. “You didn’t kill them and now you’re running away? Have you no shame?”

  Bella said, “Obviously my weapons are now useless against this modern technology. I think you need to keep up with these modern warfare tactics. I thought you would know.”

  “Who’re you talking to?” asked Alexander as they entered another chamber.

  “It’s just Anastasia. She occasionally haunts me. You’re not able to see her because you’re human.”

  The goddess pinched Bella and said, “Just Anastasia?! Have some respect. I’ll turn you into a flea for a thousand years and there’ll be no more ‘just Anastasia’s.’”

  Alexander had stopped and bowed with his head to the ground. “Oh great and glorious Anastasia, goddess of light and joy. Goddess of peace and prosperity. Goddess of love and happiness…”

  Anastasia beamed. “Now that’s much better. Bella, you can learn a lot from this boy. You should try and be more like him.”

  Bella grabbed the boy and yanked him to his feet. “Stop that! She’s hard enough to live with as it is: you’re just making her insufferable. Now we need to get out of here.”

  There was a sharp yank on Bella’s hair, “I heard that, you disrespectful half-ling, now go back and defend the clock. That is your destiny. This is how you were meant to die.”

  Bella grabbed the boy and began to walk again. “Give my life for that junky old clock? I think not. “They made their way through a series of tunnels until they emerged from a small door in the base of the holy altar. The altar stood under a statue of Anastasia—a thirty ton likeness of an angry woman with horns, a tail, fangs, and three breasts.

  Bella glanced up at the statue and grinned. “What a fine likeness of the hag.” She then dodged several slaps and a kick from the goddess. “You are as angry in real life as your statue, in ten thousand years something’s never change.”

  Alexander asked, “So the supreme goddess of joy resembles this likeness?” He reached up and touched her puffy tail. “She must be a fearsome sight to behold.”

  Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. “Okay, okay. Seriously, Anastasia doesn’t have horns and is much prettier. I only get to see her when the planet is in peril; so it is not the best time for chit chat. Sometimes it seems like she is always mad at me.”

  The thief lord raised a cannon to his shoulder and aimed it at the clock face. “Now, General, leave or I’ll destroy the clock. Then where will be your plans to rule the world?”

  The cold barrel of a pistol pressed on his neck and a deep voice said, “Uttah, if you even breathe, I’ll blow your head off. Now remove your finger from the igniter and hand over the cannon.” When the thieves turned around, there stood Colonel Skit, General Fracc’s first in command, along with seventy soldiers with their guns trained on them.

  The thief lord sighed and said, “Bloody-hell, do as he says boys. Hand over your weapons. Who was supposed to be guarding our backside?”

  Several sheepish looking men mumbled something about wanting their fair share of the gold. The thieves were then led away.

  Escape from the Temple

  ella and Alexander sat under the altar and peered through the blue silk curtains that were draped over its sides. They watched a steady stream of soldiers and laborers go running by. “Do you think the general will be able to control the clock?” asked Alexander.

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sp; Bella smirked and smiled at him. “Boy, that is the reason they’re searching for me: they need my help in controlling the clock. If they’re successful in bypassing the clock’s defenses, it would take a genius to decipher the writings and make changes to the clock’s settings.” She then sighed. “I was never much for worrying about human matters, though. My job has always been to destroy all who enter the chamber, but alas the humans have evolved beyond me. If they destroy the planet, they’ll be back in another ten thousand years. It’s not like this hasn’t happened several times before on other planets, Venus for instance.” She sniffed. “I smell food. I’m starving. Is there anything around this place to eat?”

  He raised his eyebrows and said, “Princess, how can you be thinking about food at a time like this? The fate of the world is at stake.”

  She wrinkled up her nose and sniffed again while looking upward. “There is definitely food on top of the altar. Watch for soldiers while I get some.”

  His eyes widened and he went pale. “Princess, that feast was prepared as an offering for the goddess Anastasia. We would be desecrating holy…”

  She covered his mouth. “Hush, Anastasia’s gone. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. I’ve been her faithful servant these last ten thousand years. I feel I’ve earned the right to a few bites of her offerings.”

  She reached up and grabbed a turkey leg for each of them and started attacking the meat like a blood hound

  Alexander stared at the turkey leg and frowned. He went to take a bite then tried to place it back on the altar. “I’m sorry. It just wouldn’t be right,” he said.

  She grabbed his turkey leg out of his hand and stuffed it into a pouch in her tunic. “Don’t waste food; you don’t know when we’ll get another opportunity to eat. Don’t look at me like that. Just because you insist on starving yourself doesn’t mean I have to as well.” She reached up and grabbed several loaves of bread, grapes, and a head of cheese as well.